GEE 4 lTechnical Writing 2nd Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021

Mr. Jason C. Arguelles, Mrs. Henny Yson, Dr. Dolorosa Pajarillo, Prof. Marvin Casalan,
Prof. Gumabong, Mr. Antonio Guiawan

Vision

A leading university in science and technology by 2022.

Mission

The University shall provide quality, relevant, and responsive scientific, technological and
professional education and advanced training in different areas of specialization; and shall
undertake research and extension services in support to socio-economic development of
Antique, the Filipino nation, and the global community.

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 Course Description:

This course aims to equip the students with the basic principles and procedures in
technical writing. This will also provide varied activities where they can apply
techniques in writing technical reports for different fields and purposes. It also develops
the students’ technical writing ability to concisely explain ideas, events, operations, and
phenomena and further extend it to communicate effectively in writing texts ranging
from simple texts to a full-length technical or research paper.

Course Outline: 3.5 Set of Instructions

3.6 Interpretation and Analysis
1. Nature and Requirements of Technical Writing 3.7 Summarizing and Outlining

1.1 Definition and nature of Technical Writing 4. Technical Writing Application

1.2 Purpose and functions of Technical Writing
1.3 Subject Matter and Readers of Technical Writing 4.1 Memorandum
1.4 Basic Principles of Technical Writing 4.2 Letters
4.3 Proposals
2. Paragraph Writing Skills 4.4 User Manuals
4.5 Minutes of the Meeting
2.1 Elements of good paragraph
2.2 Paragraph development 4.6 Resolution Making
4.7 Progress Reports
3. Basic Techniques of Technical Writing 4.8 Feasibility Reports
4.9 Operation Manuals
3.1 Placement of Definition in Reports
3.2 Classification and Partition 5. Filling-out Forms Accurately
3.3 Description of Mechanism
3.4 Description of Process 5.1 How to Fill-out Government Forms

“Contextualization lies in bringing out the right

messages from the abundant content; in sandwiching
the subject between the background of information
and the foreground of its utility.”
― Suyog Ketkar, The Write Stride

“Technical writing is a continuous process of

learning, carefully gathering, sifting, organizing, and
assessing, all while trying to craft something that
makes sense for a user.”
― Krista Van Laan, The Insider's Guide to Technical
Writing

We hope you enjoy this course until the end of

the term!

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CHAPTER 1
Nature and Requirements of
Technical Writing
INTRODUCTION

T echnical Writing is a practical writing that

people do as a part of their jobs. Because it is
practical, technical writing aims “to get work done,
to change people by changing the way they do
things” Killingsworth and Gilbertson, Signs 232.

Writing is important. Bob Collins, a corporate

manager, put it this way: “ The most critical skill At the end of the lesson, you
required in today’s business world is the ability to should be able to:
communicate, both verbally and in writing. Effective
communication has a direct impact on one’s  define technical writing;
potential within an organization.”  identify the purposes and
functions of technical writing;
This chapter introduces the nature and  distinguish the subject matter
requirement of technical writing. Specifically, it and readers of technical
discusses the definition of technical writing, the writing; and
purpose and functions, and the basic principles of  familiarize the principles of
technical writing. good technical writing.

MOTIVATION

Technical Engineering
Science Globalization
Writing Process Work Place
Communication Industry
Global Competitiveness Arts

Activity I. Choose the correct word from the box that corresponds to each sentence.
1. It is an act of using your imaginative powers to create something.
2. It is a science of applying knowledge of the properties of matter and the material source
of energy to the practical problems of industry; e.g., the construction of industrial plant
or machines.

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 3. To produce an excellent paper, you have to go through the three stages of the production
act.
4. In some ways, technical writing is understandable only to a certain group of people.
5. Technical writing involves a study of facts, principles, and methods of discovering
something.
6. This pertains to the mechanical or industrial knowledge applied to the fields of science,
art, business, communication, architecture, engineering, medicine, law, agriculture,
sociology, among others.
7. It is a way of exchanging thoughts and feelings with one another.
8. This is where technical reports are done.
9. It is a sociological phenomenon that encourages free exchange of scientific,
technological, knowledge, services, and resources among people all over the world.
10. This refers to the aspect of the nation’s economy that focuses on manufacturing and
selling-buying activities for money-making purposes.

Activity II. Answer briefly yet concisely the following questions.

1. What comes into your mind upon hearing the expression, technical writing?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________.

2. Do you think technical writing is different from the other ways of writing such as essay
writing and creative writing? Cite the differences.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________.

LESSON PROPER

What is Technical Writing?

Technical writing is an act of communication thru writing. Technical writing
It is an on-the-job writing – a modern way of defining technical takes place within a
writing. Technical writing is commonly defined as mainly writer’s field of
producing written outputs of these three fields of knowledge: profession or area of
Science, Technology and Engineering. (Pfeiffer, 2007) discipline composed of
readers who are familiar
According to the etymological definition of technical writing, it
with the technical
came from three foreign terms:
writer’s subject matter
and writing style. Having
technikos its own subject matter,
Greek format, technical terms,
Art, craft or skill
and audience, technical
techne
writing exists to others
French
To weave or as: Professional Writing,
fabricate – as Business Writing,
teks weaving is one of Occupational Writing, or
Indo-European the very first On-the-Job Writing
technology done by (Reep, 2003).
people in this world.

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 Technical writing may be defined and described in the following
manner (Miller & Walter, 1981):

1.Technical writing is exposition about scientific subjects and

about various technical subjects associated with the sciences.
2.Technical writing is characterized by certain formal elements
such as its scientific and technical vocabulary, its use of graphic aids
and its use of conventional report forms.
3.Technical writing is ideally characterized by the maintenance
APPLICATION
of an attitude of impartiality and objectivity, by the extreme care to
convey information accurately and concisely, and by the absence of
any attempt to arouse emotion.
EVALUATION
4.Technical writing is writing in which there is a relatively high
concentration of certain complex and important writing techniques – in
particular, definition, description of mechanisms, description of a
process, classification and interpretation.

Purposes and To determine the purpose of your writing, ask yourself a

Functions of Technical couple of basic questions:
Writing  What do I want to inform my readers about?
Technical writing has three  What do I want to persuade or convince them of?
important purposes:  What do I want to happen as a result of this
document?
1. It gives information in
decision making and task The persuasive purpose also implies providing
accomplishments. information. Thus a purpose to persuade becomes a purpose
to inform, at the same time. Technical writing relies on data
2. It analyses events and their presented with precision and accuracy.
implications, the failure of
systems such as Functions of Technical Writing are:
educational, socio-economic,
political, etc. • To serve as a basis of management decision
• To furnish needed information
3. It persuades and influences • To give instructions
decision making. • To explain techniques
• To report achievements
• To analyze problem areas
Subject Matter and • To determine design and system requirements
• To serve as a basis for public relation
Readers of Technical • To provide report to stockholders of companies
Writing • To develop product
• To provide service
• To record business through proposals
• To procure business through proposals

The subject matter is technical, it is written carefully for a specific reader. All formal
aspects of professional areas, data in business, science, industry, technology, and engineering are
the subject matter of technical writing. (Portillo, R.R, et al, 2003)

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 Audience and reader are nearly interchangeable terms. As technical communication expands
to include multimedia presentations, audience has a broader meaning. Audience is not just a reader
but also a listener or an observer. Adjusting to diversities brought by cyber-culture, technical writing
has to give importance to knowing who and what your audience needs. The effectiveness of your
report depends on how it appeals to your reader. (Gallo, 2010). Technical writing is written for both
internal (inside the organization) and external (outside the organization) audiences or readers.

Technical writing aims to help its readers; your paper should be clear and concise. The idea
is that clear, concise writing is easy to understand and thus the best way to approach a reader. To
be clear and concise, however, requires that you understand how writing affects readers and the
interesting ways in which readers approach writing.

Writers should make their

paper as neat and attractive as
possible.

APPLICATION

Basic Principles of
Draw three columns: one
Technical for each type of
Writing
writing and determine the purpose and
functions of each type of writing below.

1. Technical Writing
2. Creative Writing
To achieve an effective written
3. Journalistic Writing
communication, writers should focus their
craft on five basic principles of good
This activity allows you to determine which
technical writing:
text is an example of technical writing. This
Writers should always have also gives you an idea on how to structure
in mind a specific reader, real or your draft in technical writing.
imaginary, when writing their
report and always assume that
they are intelligent but informed.

EVALUATION

Writers should decide and

QUIZ NO. 1: The quiz will be administered
focus on their exact purpose in
thru LMS or via Google/MS forms a week after
writing and for that you will be able
the uploading of Lesson 1.
to determine the right ideas or
knowledge to include in your
paper.

Writers should use simple, ENRICHMENT

concrete, and familiar language.
Click the link below for better understanding
of the topic:

Writers should check and What is Technical Writing?

review their writing from time to https://www.youtube.com/watch?
time v=Tie6CHqTbms

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