Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists

Helpful Hints for Writing Reports

Written communication has always been very important to the technical profession. It is a way to document results, issue recommendations, make a proposal, etc. With the advent of emails, writing has changed from full blown reports to short "memo" style document. Regardless if writing an email, executive summary or technical paper, here are some helpful hints:
1) Determine who the audience is
2) Direct the document to that level of understanding
3) If it is a long document provide a summary at the beginning of the most important points
4) Avoid using slang and cliches
5) Be as concise as possible
6) Proofread the document at least twice before issuing
7) At least once, read the document out loud to see how it sounds
8) If the document is important than have someone else proof it as well
9) Utilize a spell checker but do not rely on it to check all your mistakes
10) Take time to issue a quality document that truly reflects your capabilities

For more information, the following books are recommended: