Tips for Technical Writing

 Write for your audience. Who are they? What do they want to know?
 Use spell check and grammar check.
 Avoid fluffy verbiage. Get to the point. Keep it simple.
 Don’t use contractions as shown in the first word of this sentence!
 Do not use ampersands (&).
 Spell out numbers nine or less. Write out numbers 10 or more.
 Never use words like never, always, and every as there is always an exception to every case. 
 Avoid using ambiguous terms such as “things”, “big”, or “hot.” Be specific. Quantify whenever
possible using appropriate units of measure. What kind of thing? How big is big? How hot is hot?
 Present information in a logical order otherwise you risk confusing and losing the interest of your
reader, which can have dire effects on your grade in this course and in your professional career.
 Do not end a sentence with a preposition, e.g. for, to, and of.
 Use i.e. and e.g. appropriately. The former, i.e., means “that is.” The latter, e.g., means “for
example.”
 Cite your sources! When in doubt, err on the side of over-referencing.
 Avoid using etc.
 Make sure singular nouns have singular verbs and plural nouns have plural verbs.
 Be consistent with verb tenses.
 Write in “no person” voice.
 Use parallel bulleted lists. A parallel list is one in which all bulleted phrases begin with either a noun
or a verb – not both. For example, this list of tips is parallel because each bullet begins with a verb.
 Ask someone unfamiliar with your topic to read your document. If they understand it, then it is
probably well-written.
 Define an acronym before using it. For example, in this lab you will calculate the higher heating
value (HHV) of a fuel.
 REMEMBER! When it comes to technical writing, more is not always better. It is more difficult to
write a long report than a concise, clearly articulated one. Draft your document then find ways to
reduce the words in each sentence by half without compromising the message.