INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL WRITING UNIT 1 This unit focuses on the introduction about technical writing in relation to its significance, definition, and basic principles. In this unit the learners are directed into identifying the two important aspects of technical writing—the purpose and subject. Moreover, the qualities of a good technical report are also taken into consideration so that the technical writer will be able to produce good written output. The concepts on technical communication, technical communicator, and technical documentation are also elaborated in this unit, as these are salient factors encompassing the whole nature of technical writing. INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit, learners are expected to: NP Nowaw - explain the concepts of technical communication and technical discuss the significance of technical writing; define technical writing; identify the basic principles of good technical writing; know the two important aspects of technical writing; describe the qualities of a good technical report; identi ee a i ; and identify the characteristics of a good technical communicator; documentation.The Significance of Technical Writing Technical writing is a skill that must be acquired not only by every criminology student, but also by those who are already practicing their profession in the criminal justice system. Every practitioner, either in different law enforcement agencies, or learners in the academe are confronted with a variety of writing activities. Specifically, law enforcers are required to write beat patrol reports, fill up routing slips, write traffic accident reports, compose blotter entries, and submit various kinds of police reports. Likewise, those in the academe are also expected to hand in researches, proposals, feasibility studies, technical reports, and many other classroom written outputs. With all these writing demands, the need for developing technical writing skills is highly expected. The more that a person is inclined to learn and develop his writing skill, the higher is the positive result of a good technical output. The diagram in the next page exemplifies more on the importance and significance of technical writer's skills and his expertise in relation to achieving a good technical output.Technical Writer SE] Has the expertise RA . In writing Has the skills Able to produce good reports Fig. 1-The Technical Writer (illustrated by MCBN/Image Source: Clip Art Gallery)Definition of Technical Writing The word “Technical” comes from the Greek word ‘techne’ that means “skill”. Technical writing then is a form of technical skills and is used in fields like the military, police, computer industry, robotics, finance, consumer electronics, biotechnology, and many other fields. Technical writing according to Vicente, et.al (1997) is also termed as report writing, which is the giving of an account or description of an aspect of 2 particular art, science, trade, or profession learned by experience, study, observation, or investigation. Basing from this definition, technical writing could also be specifically related in the field of criminology as the said field involves writing of police reports and other technical ‘output, which are results of careful investigation. As stated further by Vicente,et.al (1997) téchnical writing is a process that involves three elements, namely: the subject | matter, the study or the investigation, and the organization and presentation of the information ‘gathered. In the same manner, these three elements could be best exemplified when an investigator writes an investigation report, he then makes a careful investigation, and studies through observation, analysis, experimentation, and instrumentation. These are done in order to support and present factual information regarding assigned cases. The investigator then moves into organizing and presenting all the gathered facts in adherence to the standards required in the uniform reporting of the police system. Furthermore, Alcantara and Espina (2003) defined technical writing as 2 communication in any field where the primary aim of which is to convey @ particular piece of information, for a particular purpose, to a particular group or group of readers. Therefore, the technical writer is expected to be objective, clear and accurate, concise and unemotional in the representation of facts. Refer to the next page for the specific illustration of technical writing in criminology.| Ithas a particular group of specific readers: TECHNICAL WRITING {A form of communication in a specific field: oO Criminology It conveys a particular piece of information: a Criminological Researches, Police Reports, Blotter Entries, Memorandum, Circulars, Legal Documents. It conveys a particular purpose: oO To research on a problem, to investigate a crime, to record an occurrence, to disseminate information, to serve as a legal ba a Criminology instructors, Director General, Chief of Police, Prosecutor. in Criminology (Illustrated by MCBN)Basic Principles of Good Technical Writing Good technical writing is not an instant process, it does not happen overnight, because it requires effort and training on the part of the writer in order to produce 2 good output. This is the main reason why Mills and Walter (1988) pointed out important principles to be considered in technical writing. These principles are enumerated as follows: 1. The writer of a report must have a specific reader or group of readers in mind. 2. He must decide what the specific purpose of his report is and make sure that every part of his report contributes to that purpose. 3. He must use specific, single, concrete word and familiar language that will not be misinterpreted. 4. He must make his report very presentable in format. The layout must conform with the standard forms of writing. Technical Writer ae Has a specific reader L____, — Hasa specific purpose ‘——> Uses familiar language |___-+ produces reports that are presentable Fig.3. Principles of Good Technical Writing (Illustrated by MCBN) ‘The Two Important Factors of Technical Writing Writing is a form of communication, it becomes more effective if the technical writer must consider two important factors—the purpose and the subject matter. Subject matter refers to the objective information that the writer wants to convey; whereas, purpose refers to the goals that the writer wants to achieve for himself and his readers after presenting his written output. The illustration below exemplifies more on these concepts.These are the concepts and information that point t ‘0 ER the completion of a specific task and decision on the part of the writer and the reader, a 2. This is the analysis on the events and its implications in T u relation to the written text. NI 3. It convinces, persuades, and influences the readers. Ln € cG 1. This is the objective information of a written material. 2. This tells readers what to do, and how to do a particular A reading task. L 3. This gives information about recorded data in criminology,military, business, education, and the like. Fig. 4. Important Factors of Technical Writing (Illustrated by MCBN) Qualities of a Good Technical Report Not only does a technical writer is required to have good writing skills, but i his technical reports must have good qualities that are appropriate and relevat” Brevity, clarity, completeness, and accuracy are the essential qualities in order achieve this. These said qualities are discussed below: k ie : ess oF 1, Brevity — this is the quality of writing which is characterized by the ee ies briefness of the writing material; this is achieved through presentation ¢ 1 in a short but complete manner. Not all readers have the luxury of timand reread a particular text, therefore, materials that are briefly and completely written may help readers save time. 2. Clarity - this is a condition of writing where ideas are simplified by making it easier for the readers to understand. This is achieved by providing further examples, illustrations, or diagrams in order to clarify the text. A conscientious writer considers that not all readers are well-versed with specific terminologies, therefore it is his responsibility to convey his ideas as clearly as possible. 3. Completeness — this is a quality of writing where the ideas in the paragraph are entirely and absolutely free from inconsistencies and errors in any form. A good writer is aware that one of his objectives is to present information that is entirely complete. 4. Accuracy ~ this refers to the exactness and correctness of writing, as this is a result from precision, conformity to grammar, and adherence to writing standards. There are writers who know how to present their ideas, but they are inaccurate in presenting facts. An effective writer is someone who is not only good at presenting his ideas but also accurate in conveying all the complete facts. A well-written report is a product of an accurate writer. The Technical Communication For communication to be effective, it requires quality content, language, and format. The most important aspect of communication is to disseminate information, and this is where the written or the oral form of communication comes in. Technical communication is the process of conveying technical information through writing, speech, and other medium to an intended audience. Specifically, in law enforcement and its related agencies, law enforcers communicate with each other using coded messages, they communicate in jargons that they can decipher. In addition, they write and submit reports using technical terms that are understood within the realm of a specific field of specialization. The main function of technical communication is to convey specific messages to specific readers.Examine the figure below showing how technical communication occurs in cycle: Technical Communicator Medium Y Feedback Receiver Fig.5. Cycle of Technical Communication (Illustrated by MCBN) The Technical Communicator A technical communicator is a person whose job involves technical communication. Technical communicators are those who design reading materials, edit proposals, write manuals, create web pages, write lab reports, write newsletters, and submit various kinds of professional documents. In addition, they are responsible for writing texts that are accurate, readable, acceptable, and helpful to its intended audience. Every profession has its own kind of specialized form of writing. For example, Police officers write specialized reports like Beat Patrol Reports, Traffic Accident Reports, Blotter Entries, Investigative Reports, and many other forms of reports that Le organization requires.Below is a graphical representation of a technical communicator: TECHNICAL COMMUNICATOR | A person who: publishes creates edits writes designs prepares Technical Documents Fig.6.The Technical Communicator (Illustrated by MCBN) Characteristics of a Good Technical Communicator A good technical communicator is a person who has developed his good writing skills, has mastered all the conventions of the written language, and has good characteristics. These good characteristics are enumerated below. 1. Knows his audience well- A technical writer who knows his/her audience well, and is in the position to suggest and implement solutions to problems that nobody else identifies. 2. Serves as a “go-between”- Whenever one group of people has specialized knowledge that other groups does not share, the technical writer bridges the gap. 3. A Generator of truth- A Technical writer chooses what will be written, with th e full kno that later readers will depend on the accuracy of what h wledge ras been writ 4. AGood teacher- itten, He excels at explaining difficult concepts for read, i lers who. time to read twice. will have no 5. Has an excellent eye for details- He knows punctuations, syntax, and style, and i " » and can e governing them. xplain the rules6. Knows how to coordinate- Though he works on his own much of the time, he al: ki coordinate with the collaborative work of graphic arse NOWS how to printers, and various subject matter experts. * Programmers, 7. Has enough expertise- He is an expert in understanding the audience’s back; ground 8. Knows how to gather information- and needs, He has a nose for information from existing documents and from subj matter experts. —— 9. Heis respected and credible- He is a person with credibility, and he is also a valuable and reliable source of information. 10. Has a strong language skill- He understands the highly evolved conventions of modern technical communication. Technical Documentation Technical communicators often work hand in hand to create written products or deliverables. These deliverables are technical documents that contain technical information. Examples of these are police reports, police correspondence and issuances, legal documents, corporate disclaimers, policies and procedures, business proposals, and procedure manuals. A technical documentation is useful if the readers can understand and act on them without having to decode wordy and ambiguous words. Technical documentation services comprise of all activities, means, and system that provide information to its specialized fields.Below are samples of technical documents. Primer/ Handbook/ Manual asa MANAGEMENT Textbook/Handbook Orcs ‘DR GREGORIO BACAY MENDOTACollege Publication 49 LON OG 3HIT ddd scoThe significance of technical writing relates to the concept that a writer's skills greatly affect the kind of technical output he produces; therefore, it iS important that he should possess good writing skills to produce good written te: Technical writing is defined as a form of technical skill used in a technical field, and specifically, one of that is the field of Criminology. There are basic principles of good technical writing, which every writer is expected to adhere to, and in relation to these principles are the purpose and subject which are the two important factors that paved the way in the production of good reports. Likewise, there are also qualities of a good report that a writer is expected to consider, and these are brevity, clarity, completeness, and accuracy. These said qualities make the written output appropriate and relevant. Technical writing is a part of the communication process and with that comes along the technical communicator, whose job involves any form of technical communication. In order for the technical communicator to communicate effectively, he needs to possess positive characteristics and skills to be able to produce good technical documents. UNIT 1-GLOSSARY OF TERMS t-ambiguous- referring to anything that is unclear to the reader that in turn causes confusion and misunderstanding. An ambiguous written material may confuse a reader, and disrupts comprehension. 2. concise- anything that gives information in a few words but in a complete and clear manner. A well- written material is presented with conciseness. 3. correspondence- this is the act of corresponding or the writing and receiving of letters and communication between two parties. This is done within offices, stations, units within the law enforcement agencies, and its related organizations. , : 4. comprise- this is to show how anything is consist ‘ s of, or comy written communication is comprise of a good writer, eine ae Seed anda receptive reader. 5. conventions- these are accepted rule given form of standards. A correctly grammar, mechanics, and style. 'S, considered to be correct, following any written report follows all the conventions of6. collaborative: the act of working jointly with others in order to achieve something which is already set as a goal to be achieved, A good technical writer knows how to collaborate with other technical experts. 7. disclaimers- these are persons or written materials denying a connection with or responsibility of anything. 8. disseminate- the act of spreading anything widely so people will be informed about particular pieces of information. One of the purposes of communication is to disseminate information either in spoken or written language. g. exemplifies- this is to illustrate something or anything through the giving and using of examples. 10. technical- anything that is relating to any particular or specific subject or field of specialization.