Technical Report Writing Today by Daniel Riordan, Steven E. Pauley

I. Technical Communication Basics 1. Definition of Technical Communication A General Definition of Technical Communication Major Traits of Technical Communication Globalization and Cultural Awareness 2. Profiling Audiences An Example of Technical Writing Who Is the Audience? What Is the Audience's Task? What Is the Audience's Knowledge Level? What Factors Influence the Situation? Creating Audience Profiles 3. The Technical Communication Process An Overview of the Process Planning Your Document Drafting and Finishing Your Document Editing 4. Technical Communication Style Write Clear Sentences for Your Reader Write Clear Paragraphs for Your Reader Globalization and Style Choose a Tone for the Reader Ethics and Style 5. Researching The Purpose of Research Questioning--The Basic Skill of Researching Collecting Information from People Collecting Published Information 6. Designing Pages Using Visual Features to Reveal Content Using Text Features to Convey Meaning Developing a Style Sheet and Template 7. Using Visual Aids The Uses of Visual Aids Creating and Discussing Visual Aids Using Tables Using Line Graphs Using Bar Graphs Using Pie Charts Ethics and Visual Effects Globalization and Visual Aids Using Charts Using Illustrations 8. Summarizing Summarizing 9. Defining Creating Formal Definitions Creating Informal Definitions Developing Extended Definitions Planning Your Definition 10. Describing Planning the Mechanism Description Writing the Mechanism Description Planning the Process Description Writing the Process Description Planning the Description of a Human System Writing the Description of a Human System II. Technical Communication Applications 11. Sets of Instructions Planningthe Sets of Instructions Globalization and Instructions Writing the Set of Instructions Field-Testing Instructions 12. Memorandums and Informal Reports The Elements of Memos The Elements of Informal Reports Types of Informal Reports Ethics and E-mail 13. Developing Websites Basic Web Concepts Planning a Website or Web Document Drafting Testing Ethics and Websites Globalization/Localization and Websites 14. Formal Reports The Elements of a Formal Report Front Material The Body of the Formal Report End Material 15. Recommendation and Feasibility Reports Planning the Recommendation Report Drafting the Recommendation Report Planning the Feasibility Report Writing the Feasibility Report 16. Proposals The External Proposal Planning the External Proposal Writing the External Proposal The Internal Proposal Planning the Internal Proposal Ethics and Proposals Writing the Internal Proposal 17. User Manuals Planning the Manual Writing the Manual III. Professional Communication 18. Oral Presentations Planning the Presentation Making an Effective Presentation Globalization and Oral Presentations 19. Letters Three Basic Letter Formats Elements of a Letter Planning Business Letters Globalization and Letters Ethics and Letters Types of Business Letters 20. Job Application Materials Analyzing the Situation Planning the Résumé Writing the Résumé Planning a Letter of Application Ethics and Résumés Writing a Letter of Application Globalization and Job Applications Interviewing Writing Follow-Up Letters Appendices A. Brief Handbook for Technical Writers Problems with Sentence Construction Punctuation Abbreviations, Capitalization, and Numbers B. Documenting Sources How Internal Documentation Works The APA Method The MLA Method Numbered References