SOME GUIDELINES FOR GOOD ENGINEERING WRITING

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Focus on why you are writing Focus on your readers Satisfy document specifications Get to the point Present your material logically Make your ideas accessible Use lists for some information Format your pages carefully Express yourself clearly Use efficient wording Manage your time efficiently Share the load: write as a team
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1. Focus on why you are writing

Before starting to write, you should have a good idea of precisely what you want to communicate to your audience If these goals are not first defined in your own mind, you cant really expect your readers to get a clear message Broadly speaking the purpose of most technical writing is either to present information, or to persuade people to act or think in a certain way. However frequently your documents will have to be both informative and persuasive
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1. Focus on why you are writing

Questions to be asked before writing, Do I Want to..

Inform: provide information without necessarily expecting any action on the part of my reader(s)?
Request: Obtain permission, information, approval, help, or funding? Instruct: Give information in the form of directions, instructions, procedures so my readers will be able to do something? Propose: Suggest a plan of action or respond to a request for a proposal?
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2. Focus on your readers

Recommend: suggest an action or series of actions based on alternative possibilities that youve evaluated Persuade: convince or sell your readers, or change their behavior or attitudes based on what you feel to be valid opinion or evidence Record: document for the record how something was researched, carried out tested, altered or repaired
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2. Focus on your readers

How you write any document should be guided by: A. what you want your audience to do with your information B. what they need from the document to be able to do it. Thus your audience plays a defining role in determining how you approach your task
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2. Focus on your readers

Type of readers

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3. Satisfy document specifications

Number of pages You may need to provide short summary Headings, fonts, figures size, margins...etc Certain topics in your report (writing about specific thing)

e.g., request for proposal for a government research program

Each proposal shall consist of not more than five single spaced pages plus a cover page, a budget page, a summary page of no more than 300 words, and a page detailing current research funding. All text shall be printed in single-column format on 8.5*11 inch paper with margins of at least one inch on all sides
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4. Get to the point

Provide the most important information at the places where the readers can access easily and efficiently The most important information needs to be at the beginning

Example
SUBJECT: Employee safety (Vague) SUBJECT: Need for employees to wear hard hats and safety glasses (Better)
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5. Present your material logically

You must organize your material so that each idea, point, and section is clearly and logically laid out within an appropriate overall pattern As always think before writing and keep your readers firmly in mind

6. Make your ideas accessible

Structure your material in an easy way: A. Subdivision of material into sections and subsections with hierarchical headings and subheadings B. Don't use long paragraphs
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6. Make your ideas accessible

Hierarchical Headings Even in short engineering documents, a system of headings is essential to keep your material clearly organized and to let readers know what is in each section of the document. Headings and subheadings are also signposts that help a reader to get through a report without getting lost or to go to a specific point in the report Example
FIRST LEVEL 1. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS Second Level 1.1 Contractors Responsibility Third Level 1.1.1 Component and material inspection Fourth Level 1.1.1.1 Laminated material certification
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6. Make your ideas accessible

Paragraph Length No one, especially in technical fields, wants to read a solid page of wall-to-wall text of difficult material. A busy manager, for example will want to absorb your information in as easily digestible pieces as possible. Remember that: 1. Dense text on a page creates noise simply because it is too discouraging. 2. Technical information are usually demanding, so present material in short straight forward manner 3. A paragraph in technical writing should not be longer than 12 lines at max.
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7. Use lists for some information

A well-organized list is the most efficient way to communicate information. If you have to present steps in a procedure, materials to be purchased, items to be considered, reasons for a decision or groceries to be bought, a list might well be the best way to go because readers retrieve information from a list more easily and faster
Example describing procedures to install software To install the Microsoft office software, turn on your computer, then insert the CD of office. Click on the icon setup, then make sure you interred the key number, then click ok. You can do better if you list the procedures 1. Turn on your computer 2. Insert Microsoft office CD . 3. Click on the icon "setup 4. Inter .
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7. Use lists for some information

Numbered lists Check lists It is a list where you have to check the items that apply 1. connect the monitor to the computer 2. connect the keyboard and mouse to the computer 3. Connect the power supply to the computer Bulleted lists Bulleted lists are commonly used when items in the list are no specific order, as in the following example. Air pollution control Public water supply Wastewater Solid waste disposal
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Types of lists

8. Format your pages carefully

Margins: Leave consistent margin around your text. Standard around 1 in. (2.5 cm) Typeface: Serif (as Times New Roman) or sans-serif (as Arial) Font size: Standard size 10 or 12 (For specific locations you may larger or smaller White spaces: single or double space

9. Express yourself carefully

Avoid ambiguity (undecided: sentence may have many meanings) Avoid vagueness (no useful meaning) Make your writing coherent (how well paragraphs are stick together)
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10. Use efficient wording

Use simple words as you can Do not repeat words with same meaning (Redundancy) Like: The parts of the machine are connected together (connected and together have the same meaning)

11. Manage your time efficiently

Finding and using time Make outlines for what you are going to write Put a timeline (schedule) including the deadline for completion the final version
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12. Share the load: write as a team

Communicate Coordinate

Collaborate
Compromise

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