Rent 9780205318735 | The Elements of Technical Writing | Pearsall, Thomas E. @knetbooks.com

Summary Table of Contents

One-quarter the length and price of conventional textbooks, this popular introduction to technical writing teaches the essentials with remarkable economy, clarity, and authority. The book is divided into two parts. Part One focuses on the seven fundamental principles of good technical writing, such as knowing one's purpose and audience, thinking visually, and writing ethically. Part Two covers the formats of reports and correspondence. Four appendices contain three sample reports and a student proposal. The Elements of Technical Writing concentrates on the essentials, providing students with precisely the information needed to produce effective technical documents and no more.

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Preface

Part One The Seven Principles of Technical Writing

(76)

Know Your Purpose

(2)

Know Your Audience

(6)

Concerns and Characteristics

(2)

Education and Experience

(1)

Attitudes toward Purpose and Information

(3)

Choose and Organize Your Content around Your Purpose and Audience

(12)

Choosing Content

(2)

Organizing Your Content

(9)

Chronological

(1)

Classification and Division

(1)

Mechanism Descriptions

(2)

Outlines

(3)

Write Clearly and Precisely

(12)

Paragraph for Readers

(2)

Use Language Appropriate for Your Readers

(1)

Prefer the Active Voice

(2)

Use Personal Pronouns

(1)

Use Action Verbs

(1)

Don't Introduce Unnecessary Complication

(5)

Think Subject-Verb

(1)

Use a Reasonable Sentence Length

(1)

Write Positively

(1)

Avoid Long Noun Strings

(1)

Check for Parallelism

(2)

Use Good Page Design

(14)

Provide Headings

(6)

Phrasing Headings

(1)

Making Headings Noticeable and Distinctive

(2)

Use Headers and Footers

(1)

Choose an Appropriate Type Size and Typeface

(2)

Type Size

(2)

Typeface

(1)

Use Lists and Informal Tables

(1)

Use Emphasis Carefully

(1)

Leave Ample White Space

(3)

Margins

(1)

Medium-Length Lines

(2)

Proper Spacing

(1)

Think Visually

(20)

Showing Objects

(7)

Photographs

(3)

Drawings

(2)

Showing Processes

(4)

Showing Data

(9)

Tables

(2)

Graphs

(3)

Principles of Tables and Graphs

(4)

Write Ethically

(8)

Don't Hide or Suppress Unfavorable Data

(1)

Don't Exaggerate Favorable Data

(1)

Don't Make False Implications

(1)

Don't Plagiarize

(1)

Construct Ethical Graphs

(4)

Don't Lie

(1)

Part Two The Formats of Technical Writing

(70)

Elements of Reports

(26)

Title Page

(2)

Letter of Transmittal

(2)

Preface

(1)

Table of Contents

(1)

List of Illustrations

(1)

Glossary

(1)

List of Symbols

(1)

Abstracts and Summaries

(4)

Introduction

(2)

Discussion

(1)

Conclusions and Recommendations

(3)

Appendixes

(1)

Documentation

(7)

Internet Documentation

103

(1)

104

(1)

Formats of Reports

105

(22)

Intructions

105

(7)

Introduction

105

(1)

List of Equipment and Materials

106

(1)

How-To Instructions

107

(2)

Warnings

109

(2)

Theory

111

(1)

Glossary

112

(1)

Analytical Reports

112

(6)

Format

113

(1)

Discussion Sections

113

(5)

Proposals

118

(4)

Unsolicited Proposals

119

(2)

Student Proposals

121

(1)

Progress Reports

122

(1)

Empirical Research Reports

123

(4)

Abstract

124

(1)

Introduction

124

(1)

Literature Review

124

(1)

Materials and Methods

125

(1)

Results

125

(1)

Discussion

125

(1)

Conclusions

126

(1)

Formats of Correspondence

127

(20)

Formal Elements of Letters

128

(6)

Letterhead

128

(1)

Date Line

128

(1)

Inside Address

128

(4)

Re Line

132

(1)

Subject Line

132

(1)

Salutation

132

(1)

Body

132

(1)

Complimentary Close

133

(1)

Signature Block

133

(1)

End Notations

133

(1)

Continuation Page

134

(1)

Simplified Letters

134

(1)

Memorandums

134

(2)

E-mail

136

(1)

Correspondence of the Job Search

136

(11)

Resumes

138

(6)

Letters of Application

144

(1)

Other Correspondence

144

(2)

Further Information

146

(1)

Appendixes: Sample Reports

147

(28)

A Letter Analytical Report

149

(6)

B Student Proposal

155

(4)

C Progress Report

159

(5)

D Empirical Research Report

164

(11)

Chapter Notes

175

(2)

Index

177

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