Technical Document Basics for Engineering Technicians and Technologists

Very friendly, very practical, and very industry oriented, this manual identifies and explores the documentation standards and basic skills that are used to develop and produce technical projects. It examines both industrial/corporate and academic applications of technical writing fundamentals--e.g., assembly instructions, maintenance manuals, and academic papers. It emphasizes the design and packaging of "integrated texts" that incorporate all of their media as a finished product. Viewing technical writing as "constructed/engineered" writing, it shows how technical writing is really technical composing that combines text as well as visual (graphic) and mathematical conceptualizations. Provides many writing samples and models that were developed for genuine applications in company settings. The down-to-earth, accessible style and how-to-do-it approach features a crisp corporate seminar-style presentation that gets to the point quickly stays focused on topics and situations that are clearly relevant and immediately applicable. (Part of The Wordworks Series--a series of four communication skills manuals--three writers' guides for engineering and technical applications and an additional guide to in-service spoken communication.) The Languages of the Sciences; Layout and Design Basics; Formatting for Document Usage; Industrial Applications; Academic Applications; Reader Profiles; Graphic Tools; Designing Graphics that Work; Designing Layouts that Work. For engineering technicians and technologists in a variety of fields--e.g., computer information systems, construction engineering, biomedical equipment technology, digital electronics, autocad, environmental control technology, microcomputer management, biotech, avionics, and many more.

Technical Document Basics for Engineering Technicians and Technologists focuses on the application of technical writing fundamentals. This text covers topics such as page layout, project formats, graphic tools and layout, and document prototypes, all with a focus on work-related writing.

To help illustrate the concepts and present a practical approach to the material, the text includes the following features:

• Sample projects – examples of student work that illustrate the concepts presented in the chapter
• Chapter summaries – highlights of each chapter that provide a quick review of the main topics
• Chapter-ending projects and activities – review and application activities that allow readers to apply the concepts presented
• Group projects – activities that help foster collaborative writing and teamwork

In addition to these features, almost every chapter includes Work in Progress—a case study that helps link theory and practice by highlighting the concepts presented in the chapter in terms of real-world activities. Shorter descriptions of the writing activities of engineering technicians are also included. These cases come from the experiences of engineering technicians who are currently working in the field.