Professional and Technical Writing

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[edit] Introduction

This guide to technical writing was created as a project for students enrolled in the University of Minnesota's Department of Writing Studies, course 3562w, "Technical and Professional Writing." The content is student-generated, with occasional feedback and guidance from course instructors. This technical writing guide is meant be useful well-beyond the university. We also recommend reading the Rhetoric and Composition Wikibook.

As part of the university's approach, we assume all technical communication represents rhetorical acts. The intention is to persuade an audience to take action. Therefore, it is possible to perform a rhetorical analysis of any technical document.

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[edit] Table of Contents

This table of contents is a draft. It will likely undergo many revisions. This is the only section of this project managed by instructors, though student suggestions definitely are given priority.

• The Rhetorical Nature of Technical and Professional Writing (13 Jan 2009)
  • Basic Assumptions and Potential Complications (13 Jan 2009)
  • The Traditional "Rhetorical Triangle" (Author-Subject-Audience) (13 Jan 2009)
  • Appreciating Tech Comm Audiences (13 Jan 2009)
  • The Special Nature of "Subject" in Tech Comm (13 Jan 2009)
  • Authorial Voice in Tech Comm (Especially in Collaborative Publishing) (13 Jan 2009)
  • Every Document Has a Purpose (13 Jan 2009)
  • The Many Contexts of Communicating Technical Information (13 Jan 2009)
• Business Communications (13 Jan 2009)
  • Business Letters (13 Jan 2009)
  • Writing Memos (13 Jan 2009)
  • Composing E-Mail (13 Jan 2009)
• Career Documents (13 Jan 2009)
  • Résumés and CVs (13 Jan 2009)
  • Cover Letters (13 Jan 2009)
• Composing Business Reports (13 Jan 2009)
  • Planning Reports (13 Jan 2009)
• Preparing Business Proposals (13 Jan 2009)
• Preparing Feasibility Studies (13 Jan 2009)
• Writing Technical Instructions (13 Jan 2009)
  • The Value of Visual Instructions (13 Jan 2009)
• Ethics and Technical Communication (13 Jan 2009)
  • Legal Issues and Communications (13 Jan 2009)
  • Appreciating Different Cultures (13 Jan 2009)
• Designing Documents (13 Jan 2009)
  • Document Organization (13 Jan 2009)
    • Organizational Patterns (13 Jan 2009)
    • Front Matter: Contents, Lists and More (13 Jan 2009)
    • Back Matter: Appendices, Glossaries and More (13 Jan 2009)
  • Effective Tables (13 Jan 2009)
  • Charts and Graphs (13 Jan 2009)
  • Photos and Illustrations (13 Jan 2009)
  • Usability Testing of Technical Communications (13 Jan 2009)
• Project Management (13 Jan 2009)
  • Organizing Teams (13 Jan 2009)
• Additional Information (13 Jan 2009)
• A History of this Text (13 Jan 2009)
• Glossary of Terms (13 Jan 2009)
• Frequently Asked Questions (13 Jan 2009)

[edit] Academic Integrity

Our courses use the following text:

• Anderson, Paul V. Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach. Thomson. Special ed. for Univ. of Minn. 2008

We remind our student contributors that the content for this project must comply with University of Minnesota academic integrity guidelines.