Getting Started With Your Report

Understanding the Sections of Your Report

General Technical Writing Guidelines

Jargon

Defining your
terms

Writing numbers

Works Cited

General Technical Writing Guidelines

Technical writing has earned the reputation of being dense, difficult to read, and at times, incoherent. Jargon is responsible for some of the difficulty that readers have, but difficulty in reading can also happen when writing does not conform to standard rules of grammar for written English. Some types of errors are more common than others in technical writing.

One of the most common complaints of scientific writing is that it is not clear. Read and apply some strategies for improving sentence clarity to write more clearly for your audience. This is possibly the most important step you can take in making sure that others will understand your writing.

Mechanical errors can also cause readers to be confused, and it is especially important to pay attention to mechanical rules when submitting a paper for publication. Some of the most important things for technical writers to pay attention to are:

• Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
• Active and Passive Voice
• Sentence Fragments
• Transitional Devices
• Independent and Dependent Clauses
• Using Pronouns Clearly
• Non-Sexist Language
• Proofreading for Commas

Click on some of the links to the left to learn more about using jargon, defining your terms, and writing numbers.