The Technical Writer"s Handbook: Writing with Style and Clarity

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 Unlike many other books on technical writing, The Technical Writer’s Handbook is written by a practicing scientist who screens hundreds of manuscripts each year. It is directed to scientists, engineers, and others who want to improve their writing and communication. The Technical Writer’s Handbook differs from similar books. It teaches that technical writing — although it has its own special requirements — is no different from ordinary writing and should be written with short, clear sentences and in the active voice. A technical paper is written for the reader, not the writer, and should tell a story to a reader not already familiar with the work. The book is written in two parts: The first part is an introduction to technical and report writing; it provides a sort of prescription for writing and organizing technical papers of all kinds. The second part is written in dictionary format and contains entries on grammar, style, and organization, as well as entries on topics such as common errors, resume writing, metric units, jargon, conference proceedings, figures and tables, and slides. An exhaustive list of cross references reveals related topics quickly and easily. About The Author Matt Young is a physicist with a government agency in Boulder, Colorado, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado. He holds a PhD from the University of Rochester. Formerly, Dr. Young was a Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Waterloo, and Technical Editor of Optical Spectra magazine. Dr. Young is the author of Optics and Lasers, including Fibers and Optical Waveguides, (Springer, New York, 1986) and over 50 publications in research and teaching journals. Table of Contents Preface How to Use This Book Part 1 An Introduction to Technical Writing Write the way you talk; then polish Write one thought per sentence Be explicit Write for the uninformed reader Part II An ABC of Technical Writing (Alphabetical Entries)