The Expert of Technological Writing

Hsun-Chen Hsieh1, Hsin-Yi Lai2

Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, 701,
Taiwan

Abstract: In this study, a tutorial for research conduction, including the research method
design and journal paper format, has been organized and interpreted for technological
writing. The arranged section in journal publications, theses, and dissertations process
crucial functions and making the writing more coherent. Since the academic writing norms
lack the basis for reference, the author in this study has summarized some past work
focused on academic writing and journal publication guidance to make more valuable
research and finding is known to the world. At the end of this paper, a conclusion will be
made, including the crucial factors during technological writing.

I. Nomenclature
𝑃 = research problem
𝑅𝑚 = research methodology
𝑅𝑝 = research purpose
𝑅𝑡 = research theory
𝐴𝑝 = result application
𝐶 = conclusion

II. Introduction
The paper, thesis, and dissertation are articles published by the scientific or social researcher in academic books
or journals to conduct scientific research and describe or present their research results. Academic publications often
emphasize original research summaries, but of course, it can also be a review and evaluation of previous work
summaries. The latter is often called a review paper. The paper publication is undergoing significant changes during
these years, from the traditional printed version to the rise of electronic formats on the internet [1].
The research paper has its basic procedures and content. The organized and structured writing ability is essential
for determining the topic, documenting the writing process, and establishing a theoretical framework. In recent years,
in Taiwan, the academic atmosphere has become prosperous due to the rapid expansion of universities and the massive
growth of students, which increase the number of academic papers published by Taiwan.
However, it is quality, not quantity, that counts. Despite the writing method, format, and styles have formed a
certain degree of consensus with the development of the academic paper. The writing norms still lack the basis for
reference. For example, different journal publications, the required format of the abstract, introduction, methodology,
results, conclusion, acknowledgment, reference, and appendix are different. As the number of paper submissions
increases, the quality of the papers is harder to be controlled. As a result, some researchers have had the experience
of being rejected by the journal or conference.
To give some functional suggestions and worth sharing experience to future researchers, and make more research
that contributes to human science and technology available worldwide. The author in this paper has organized some
past work focused on technological writing, such as the tutorial of writing an academic paper, the guidance for
publishing a journal paper, and the principle for the author during the rebuttal. At the end of this research, a summary
will be made, including all the mentioned principles and crucial factors during academic writing.

1
Undergraduate Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, jordan072161@gmail.com.
2
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, hylai@mail.ncku.edu.tw.

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 III. Methodology

A. The formulation of the topic

Choosing a suitable topic is the first challenge for paper writing. The author must think twice before deciding the
research topic because it is deeply related to the value of research and the feasibility of the experiment. Meanwhile,
having a fundamental understanding of the research field and processing sufficient expertise will be helpful to
determine a research topic and future direction. As for a postgraduate student, an inappropriate topic will lead to
several predicaments such as difficulty to acquire a reference, not enough time for research, and lack of expertise,
making the research progress a long haul. As for a professor or a researcher, an inappropriate topic will hinder the
research project's progress, worse still, unable to complete the research [2]. The following are the considerations to
formulate a suitable research topic.
First, a topic selection must be targeted [3]. The core purpose of conducting a series of research is to increase
knowledge, solve a scientific problem, and improve the research methodology and technology. Although different
subjects will lead to a different way to decide the topic, contribution and application are two considerations for
selecting the topic for a research goal.
Second, due to curiosity and motivation are two critical factors in the research progress, the topic must match the
author’s expertise and interests [4]. On the one hand, if the author lacks expertise, a paper survey will be too tricky
and time-wasting during the technological writing. On the other hand, if the author does not interest in the research
topic, it is hard for the author to stimulate curiosity and motivation. Generally, people’s interests process a deep
correlation with educational background and growth experience. In conclusion, it is necessary for both the student and
researcher to follow their interest to make the research valuable and meaningful.
Third, the topic should be in line with the trend of industry and society. If the research can be based on industrial
and social issues, it will be beneficial to solve these problems and highlight research value. Moreover, the experiment
cost is one of the essential factors that should be considered while conducting research.

B. The research method design

Once the author has determined the research direction and topic, the author can design the research method. There
are several functions and advantages to design a research method, for instance, concept clarification, research results
estimation, cost control, and most importantly, research execution.
Generally, in Figure 1, the research method design can be divided into three parts: research plan, research structure,
and research strategy [5, 6]. A research plan refers to the arrangement of the whole research process, including
proposed assumption, reference collection and analysis, theoretical derivation, and result discussion. Research
structure refers to the relation and connection between each research process. Research strategy refers to the
establishment of a research modal and the elaboration of the whole research procedure.

Fig. 1 The research method design can be divided into three parts: research plan, research structure, and
research strategy

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 For example, in Figure 2, a male to female ratio investigation research in Taiwan, a research plan may refer to the
required procedure to conduct this research, such as the hypothesis (i.e., the expected male to female ratio in Taiwan),
data collection method (i.e., the ratio investigation), and hypothesis verification result (i.e., research result and
discussion). The research structure will be the relations of the procedure mentioned above (i.e., the purpose of ratio
investigation is to verify the hypothesis, and the verification result shows the investigated outcome). The research
strategy is how those procedures are conducted. For instance, the author can carry out an investigation by the
questionnaire.

Fig. 2 The research plan, research structure, and research strategy

To sum up, the primary purpose of research method designing is to establish the overall research procedure and
explain and investigate the study, making the experiment feasible and planned.

C. The format and writing of academic papers

An academic journal or thesis contains the topic, author information, abstract, introduction, methodology, results,
discussion (i.e., conclusion), acknowledgment, reference, and appendix, each process crucial function and making the
paper or thesis more coherent [7, 8].
The abstract is one of the writing styles which is highly streamlined and methodical, containing the problem
discussed, the method utilized, research procedure, and experiment result of the research:

𝐴𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡 = 𝑃 + 𝑅𝑚 + 𝑅𝑝 + 𝑅𝑡 + 𝐴𝑝 + 𝐶, (1)

Where 𝑃 represents the research problem, 𝑅𝑚 refers to research methodology, 𝑅𝑝 is research purpose, 𝑅𝑡 is research
theory, 𝐴𝑝 is result application, and 𝐶 is the conclusion.
In most cases, the abstract is placing on the first page of the academic papers, after the topic and author information.
The purpose and function of the abstract are to provide a brief introduction and summary to readers before diving into
the papers. Based on different applications such as thesis and journal publication, the format and structure of the
abstract are different. In master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation, the abstract word count is much more than journal
publication. Moreover, the thesis abstract can be segmented while the journal cannot. The level of detail is also
different for thesis abstract and journal abstract. Due to the word count limit, journal publication is usually more
streamlined than the thesis, which processes stricter regulation [9]. The following presents the comparison between
journal publications and theses:

Table 1. Abstract in Journal Publications Table 2. Abstract in Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Word Count Streamlined Abstract Word Count Unlimited
Abstract Segmented Not allowed Abstract Segmented Allowed
Level of Detail Methodical Level of Detail Thorough
Format Regulation Stricter Format Regulation Laxer

The introduction is an essential part guiding readers to cast light on the research background and the core purpose
of research, which contains related background, phenomena description, problem statement, and research motivation.
The writing structure can be holistic in the front portion of the article and focus on (i.e., be partial) at the end of the
introduction [10, 11]. In Figure 3, the author can give a brief research background information in the first paragraph
of the introduction. In the second paragraph, the author can explain the phenomena or consequence that caused by the
background. In the third paragraph, the author can elaborate on the problem derived from the phenomena or
consequence and emphasizing the importance of solving this problem. In the last paragraph, the writer should mention

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the research motivation and objective, elaborate on the solved problem, namely, the problem caused by the phenomena
and consequence.

Fig. 3 The structure and context of an introduction

The methodology is the central part of the journal publications, making the paper valuable and contributive.
Furthermore, the theoretical derivation, experiment procedure and condition, degree of rigor, and phenomena
explanation in methodology will determine the author’s paper whether accepted by the journal and conference or not
[12, 13]. In the first paragraph, the author should introduce the fundamental knowledge and theory, which will be
helpful for readers who are interested in this topic to comprehend the basic applied theory and experimental setup.
The author has to explain the experiment establishment, condition, and procedure thoroughly in the following
paragraph. Otherwise, this will lead to unnecessary burdens with reviewers in future academic rebuttal. Even worse,
if the research is unrepeatable or unavailable for readers, this will reduce the value of the experiment and even mislead
the development of science.
The academic publication summarizes the research streamlined and organized, summing up the research problem
and experiment results. Moreover, the conclusion should base on the previously mentioned content in the paper. It is
necessary for the author to avoid writing out of thin air, or having nothing to do with research results, or even self-
contradictory statement. Generally, a conclusion writing should grasp the following concept.
First, the conclusion should be in line with the topic. A journal publication conclusion needs to be streamlined,
and structural, irrelevant content should be avoided.
Second, figures, tables, and formulas cannot exist in the conclusion. The main functions of the conclusion are to
summarize the experiment result, analyze the research procedure, increase the paper's contribution, and highlight the
value of the research. Thus, a conclusion is suitable to express in words instead of a figure, table, or formula.
Third, the conclusion should not be subdivided in most cases, for instance, 3.1 Result and 3.2 Suggestion.
Although both abstract and conclusion include research purpose, research method, research procedure, and
research result, there is a significant difference. For example, the conclusion focuses on comparing the hypothesis and
experiment result, while the abstract focuses on the brief introduction of the publication to readers. Furthermore, the
conclusion is allowable to mention the problems encountered in the research, but the abstract cannot.
In conclusion, all parts (i.e., abstract, introduction, methodology, result, and discussion) are essential for
technological writing. Each of them plays a crucial role that helps readers figure out the purpose and result of the
author’s research, contributing to science and technology.

D. The publication of an academic journal paper

Seeking a suitable journal is the first step to publish the paper. There are two standards to decide whether the
journal is suitable: the target audience and the journal's quality [14]. Although classified in the same category, different
journal processes different publication styles are classified in the same category. For example, Journal of Vocational
Behavior and The Counseling Psychologist are categorized into counseling psychology. However, the former focuses
on the publication related to career development and professional behavior, while the latter focuses on the publication
related to counseling psychology monograph. As a result, Journal of Vocational Behavior and The Counseling
Psychologist has a different target audience. Therefore, the author must find a journal that consistent with the
manuscript style. Another criterion for selecting the journal is quality. There are plenty of judgment criteria, for
instance, journal citation rate and impact rating. Nonetheless, the more impact rating the journal process, the more

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possibility that the author’s manuscript rejected by the journal. Assess the likelihood of being accepted by the journal
is one of the tasks for the author before publication.

E. The communication with journal reviewers

After reviewers have reviewed the paper, the author will receive comments from the journal. At this time, the
author should reply to the questions or suggestions as soon as possible. Most importantly, during the rebuttal, no
matter agree with the reviewer or not, politeness and courtesy are the two principles for the author.
Generally, reviewers' comments can be summarized into three situations: minor revisions, major revisions, and
rejection [15]. The following suggestions are made for the author's reference.
In minor revisions, the author should modify the manuscript according to the reviewer’s suggestions, list item by
item in order of priority, and respond. In some cases, the reviewer may have misunderstood the description in the
manuscript. The author must investigate the correctness of the content and provide a basis for rebuttal.
In major revisions, the author has to check and evaluate the reviewer’s suggestions carefully. If the author agrees
with the reviewer’s opinion, modify the manuscript in accordance with the reviewer’s suggestion. However, if the
author disagrees with the reviewer, the author must provide persuasive and sufficient evidence to support the rebuttal
argument.
In rejection, the author has to examine and analyze the negative opinions of the reviewers and discuss the possible
factors of rejection of the manuscript with co-author, colleague, and other experts, making adjustments to make the
paper acceptable. If the submitted manuscript does not in line with the focused research field, resubmit the paper to a
more suitable journal.

IV. Results
Figure 4 shows the summary of technological writing. There are three considerations: targeted, interest, and in line
with the trend to select a suitable topic. The research method design includes plan, structure, and strategy. The abstract
regulation difference between journal, thesis, and dissertation. The introduction structure consists of the research
background, phenomena caused by the background, the problem raised by the phenomena, and the research purpose.
The methodology is the core part of the publications making the research valuable and contributive. The primary
function of the conclusion is to help readers review and summarize the entire research. The author should select a
suitable journal for publication according to the two standards: the target audience and the journal's quality. After
receiving the reviewer's comments, there will usually have three cases: minor revision, major revision, and rejection.
The author has to be polite while communicating with the reviewer.

Fig. 4 The summary of technological writing

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 V. Discussion
This study has summarized the basic principle for academic writing and instructing journal publishing. The format
versus the regulation difference between journal, thesis, and dissertation will be investigated in future work. Moreover,
the detail and the structure of the research methodology, for instance, the research procedure description, will be
elaborated in the subsequent publication. To sum up, technological writing is a profound knowledge that requires
constant practice and correction to complete an everlasting academic paper.

VI. Acknowledgment
Foremost, the author would like to express sincere gratitude to the author’s advisor Prof, Hsin-Yi Lai, who gave
the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on technological writing expert. This paper will not be completed
without the constant inspiration from the lecture on Research Methodology and Technical Writing taught by Prof. Lai.

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