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GENERAL CONVENTIONS
OF TECHNICAL STYLE
FOUR PRINCIPLES AND TWENTY CONCEPTS
Adapted from Pattow and Wresch,
Communicating Technical Information (2ed), 1998.
TECHNICAL WRITING
Fundamental Considerations:
INFORMATION  FACTUAL
PRESENTATION  OBJECTIVE
AUDIENCE  SPECIFIC
PRINCIPLE ONE:
INVOLVE READERS.
INVOLVING READERS
1. ADDRESS READERS DIRECTLY
MORE LIKELY TO READ, UNDERSTAND,
& RESPOND



The student should take… 
You should take… 
Take... 
INVOLVING READERS
2. USE ACTIVE VOICE
CLEAR & DIRECT:
EMPHASIS ON SUBJECT PERFORMING ACTION,
NOT OBJECT OF ACTION


The microscope slide should be washed…
Biology students should wash the
microscope slide... 
In using active voice:
RULE OF THUMB:
Avoid linking verb
constructions.
Emphasis on action taken
Why?
EXCEPTION
TO RULE:
Use passive voice in
special cases to describe
events in exact terms;
i.e., materials/methods
sections of scientific
reports.
“Fly thoraces were
homogenized…”
INVOLVING READERS
3. AVOID SEXIST or EXCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

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
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chairman  chair
mailman mail  carrier
manpower  work force
workmanship  work
his prostate  the prostate
her pregnancy  the pregnancy
PRINCIPLE TWO:
SELECT WORDS
CAREFULLY.
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE
I’ve been
stretching my
mouth to let those
big words come
right out…
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
4. AVOID INFLATED
LANGUAGE

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
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


assistance  help
constitutes  makes
necessitate  require
approximately  about
cease  stop
originates  begins
terminate  end
comprises  makes up**
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE
Verb Corollary 1:
Don’t confuse phrasal verbs with “deflated” language.
“makes up”
[VERB —PARTICLE (adverb or preposition)]
WHY? Because particles are idiomatic.
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE
Idiomatic  Accurate
“drop off”
The hill dropped off near the river.
While doing his homework, he dropped off.
Please drop this off at the post office.
Dude, did you make the drop off?
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE
Verb Corollary 2:
Don’t use abstract nouns in the place of action verbs.


Centrifugation of the sample was accomplished by…
The sample was centrifuged...
COMMON INDICATORS OF NEARBY ACTION VERBS
HIDDEN AS NOUNS
accomplished, achieved, attained, conducted, effected, facilitated,
indicated, obtained, performed, proceeded, required
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE
Verb Corollary 3:
Avoid linking verb constructions.
EXCEPT
Use passive voice
in special cases to
describe events in
exact terms;
i.e., materials or
methods sections of
scientific reports.
“Fly thoraces were
homogenized…”
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
4. AVOID INFLATED
LANGUAGE
In general:
Use the simpler of
alternative words, but
maintain accuracy
of writing at all costs!
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
5. AVOID JARGON
SPECIALIZED WORDS USED OUTSIDE SPECIALTY
BUG / VIRUS / WORM TO BIOLOGISTS
BUG / VIRUS / WORM TO COMPUTER SCIENTISTS
POT TO CRIMINOLOGISTS
POT TO ELECTROCHEMISTS
GOD TO SOCIOLOGISTS
GOD TO MOLECULAR BIOLOGISTS
PCR TO PSYCHOLOGISTS
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
6. DEFINE/EXPLAIN
TECHNICAL TERMS
WHEN NECESSARY

The defective gene was discovered by positional
cloning--that is, by localizing its position on a
particular chromosome. 

The unknown chemical was identified by mass
spectrometry, a technique in which a substance is
ionized and fractionated by a strong magnetic
field. 
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
7. AVOID SLANG

The sample was filtered before centrifugation to avoid
the hassle of contamination. 
…to avoid contamination. 

The results suck. 
The results are inconclusive. 

The results suck big time. 
The experiment must be repeated. 
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
8. USE CORRECT WORDS
SHOULD BE ACCURATE AND CLEAR.
hammer vs. mallet. vs. gavel
claw vs. pincer vs. cheliped vs. gnathopod
gene vs. protein
SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY
9. AVOID CLICHES

“in one ear and out the other” 
AND AVOID RENOVATING CLICHES:

“in one ventricle and out the other” 
PRINCIPLE THREE:
WRITE CLEAR
SENTENCES.
WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES
10. ELIMINATE EXTRA WORDS

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a majority of  most
at the conclusion of  after
based on the fact that  because
due to the fact that  because
owing to the fact that  because
As can be seen in Fig. 1,…  Fig. 1 shows…
It is of interest to note that  omit
WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES
11. AVOID REDUNDANCY
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on a daily basis daily  daily
during the course of during
few in number few
results so far obtained results
never at any time never
consensus of opinion consensus
WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES
12. WRITE SHORT SENTENCES (<25 WORDS)

Employees are entitled to two weeks of vacation with pay
any time during the calendar year in which their first
employment anniversary falls, three weeks of vacation
with pay…

Employees are entitled to two weeks of paid vacation any
time during the calendar year in which their first
employment anniversary falls. They are entitled to three
weeks of paid vacation… 
WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES
13. MAKE SURE
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN
IDEAS ARE CLEAR
DOGS AND DOG ODORS
Dogs stink, and their odors can be controlled.
vs.
Although dogs stink, their odors can be controlled.
vs.
Though their odors can be controlled, dogs stink.
WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES
14. REWRITE NEGATIVE SENTENCES AS
POSITIVES
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not until  only when
not unless  only if
not prevent  permit
not reject  accept
not disagree  agree
not illegal  illegal
not fail  succeed
avoid inflated
language

use simple words
WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES
15. AVOID NOUN STRINGS





We purified the deoxyribose nucleic acid sodium salt…



We purified the sodium salt of deoxyribose
nucleic acid…
We purified the sodium salt of DNA… 
We purified sodium DNA… 
WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES
16. UNTANGLE CONFUSING SENTENCES (1-2 IDEAS)
Idea one
and
Idea two
, not
Idea one
and
Idea two
.
Idea three
Idea three
.
. 
IF NECESSARY, USE A SERIES:
(1) Idea one
, (2) Idea two
, and (3) Idea three

.
PRINCIPLE FOUR:
CREATE NAVIGABLE
DOCUMENTS.
CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS
17. PUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION
WHERE READERS EXPECT TO FIND IT
READER SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO SEARCH !!
When writing:
Think of map reading.
Think of speed reading.
Think of studying from a textbook.
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Place important information in readily distinguishable places in sentences.
Place important sentences in readily distinguishable places in paragraphs.
Place important paragraphs in readily distinguishable places in documents.
CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS
17. PUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION
WHERE READERS EXPECT TO FIND IT
Corollary 1:
Topics or important information are typically placed first in a sentence,
last in a sentence, or typographically distinguished* from other
information.
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The most prevalent cause of deaf-blindness is Usher syndrome.
Usher syndrome is the most prevalent cause of deaf-blindness.
Among the causes of deaf-blindness, Usher syndrome is the
most prevalent.
*Do not overuse italic or bold typography
*Italic and Bold typically used to alert reader to nearby definition.
CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS
17. PUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION
WHERE READERS EXPECT TO FIND IT
Corollary 2: Avoid naked pronouns. Always follow
pronouns with their antecedents. Use pronouns as
adjectives only.

Usher syndrome involves deafness. This affects
populations worldwide.

Usher syndrome involves deafness. This disease affects
populations worldwide. 
CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS
18. USE HELPFUL TRANSITIONS
DIRECT THE READER BETWEEN IDEAS.

IN THE SAME DIRECTION:
In addition,… Also,…

IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION:
However,… Although…, On the contrary,…

TOWARD THE END:
Finally,… In conclusion,…
CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS
19. USE LISTS* TO PRESENT
MULTIPLE ITEMS
A TEXTUAL LIST
Genealogical research of the Usher
syndrome population has
established that most affected
families (1) are descendants of
Acadian ancestors, (2) are related to
families in the three-parish study
region, and (3) are part of a large
kindred descending from two
emigrant French couples who
arrived in Acadia in 1636.
*Remember parallelism.
A BULLET LIST
Genealogical research of the Usher
syndrome population has established
that most affected families
• are descendants of Acadian ancestors
• are related to families in the threeparish study region
•are part of a large kindred descending
from two emigrant French couples
who arrived in Acadia in 1636
CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS
19. USE LISTS TO PRESENT
MULTIPLE ITEMS

Employees are entitled to two weeks of vacation with pay any time during the
calendar year in which their first employment anniversary falls, three weeks
of vacation with pay…

Employees are entitled to two weeks of paid vacation any time during the
calendar year in which their first employment anniversary falls. They are
entitled to three weeks of paid vacation… 
Employees are entitled to (1) two weeks of paid vacation any time
during the calendar year in which their first employment
anniversary falls, (2) three weeks of paid vacation… 
CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS
20. USE INFORMATIVE HEADINGS

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BREAKS DOCUMENT INTO MANAGEABLE CHUCKS
DIRECTS READER
ALLOWS READER TO FOCUS ON IMPORTANT
MATERIAL
Where to begin when describing
something new?

create list of accurate and useful words
(nouns, adjectives, AND verbs)

find a logical focal point, and write outward
from there, using it as a reference as
necessary

organize flow