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3.3.2.Technical writing
Technical writing is a special form of writing. Such writings appear in manuals, journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, bulletins and reports etc. Its types are : · -Scientific writing · -Science writing A scientific writer is a scientist by profession while a science writer is a professional writer. The former writes for information of fellow-scientist and the latter writes to educate about scientific ways of life for general public. The writing styles differ in these writings as the objective of writing, the audience and the publication modes are different. Hence, the approach to writing differ. -Technical style is the technique used to write on scientific and technical subjects. Technical writing is to scientific society what the nervous system is to the human body. "Technical style is characterized by code, restrained tone, an absence of any attempt to arouse emotion, the use of specialized terminology, the use of abbreviations and symbols, and the integrated use of illustrations, tables, charts and diagrams to help exposition. Technical writing is characterized by exactness rather than grace or variety of expression. Its main purpose is to be informative and functional rather than entertaining. Thus, the most important qualities of technical writing are clarity, precision, conciseness and objectivity" (Weisman, 1962). Technical writing is objective in approach, deals with factual information, uses simple rather than emotional language, and caters primarily to the intellect. 1. Scientific writing Scientific writing and reporting is an important form of scientific communication. The research journals and related forms are considered as authentic reporting. It is the duty of the scientist to report work accurately, completely, clearly and promptly. Science writings are published/communicated largely through journals, books, conference/seminar proceedings, bibliographies, indexes, abstract journals, synoptic journals, reviews, review articles, institutional publications, technical bulletins, monograms and newsletters. Among the numerous ways of communicating result of research, the most important are primary publications. These are considered prestigious and given due weight age in self assessment reports, promotion, interviews etc. A journal is a primary publication that gathers and publishes work of many authors, according to its editorial guidelines. Journals vary gmeJlf in quality, reputation and nature. Journals of repute use referees while others solely depend upon the judgment of the editor/editorial board. Standard Structure for Scientific Writing Over the years, the editors of scientific journals have developed a standard structure for writing. The basic parts of a scientific article are: title materials and methods author results abstract discussion text references introduction foot notes, Acknowledgements Besides this general format, journals prescribe rules for authors. Before you start writing, read these requirements and rules and write accordingly. As all the parts of the article are important, the authors should give due consideration to each component.Title The title is likely to be reprinted in bibliographies and subject indexes, stored in bibliographic data bae!s. At first glance on the basis of the title a paper/article may be rejected or opened up by the readers. A good title is one that contains few words/is short
Accordingly, edit titles carefully. Remove unnecessary words, revise and rewrite to be specific and clear, contain key words and ensure that the title does not promise more than what is in the article. Authors and Address Authors name should be spelled properly. Encourage authors to use their full first name plus initials. Proper identification is important to avoid errors in bibliographies ~n computerized information retrieval systems. · Include only true authors · Address must be complete. Sometimes an author moves to another institution. In that case the main entry should give the name of the institution where the work was done, followed by current address, possibly in a footnote. · Technicians and others should be mentioned in the acknowledgements. . Each Co-author should approve the article. . The first person listed is considered the major/senior author. This is usually the person who led the investigation. Abstract Abstracts generally appear at the beginning. A good abstract is short (most journals limit to 200 words), stands on its own, reports the major highlights and contains the key words by which the paper should be indexed. Introduction The introduction should be relatively short. This should give background information, define the nature and extent of the problem, relate research to previous research, explain the objectives and highlight the need for present investigation. Materials and Methods This section should explain the experiment in general, experimental design, sampling procedure, locale of investigation, materials used and tools of data analysis. The author should provide sufficient information to understand and repeat the investigation, if needed (by others). Results The results are the core of the paper and present information the author has found. Results should be well presented in simple, clear type without repetition supported by appropriate tables, graphs, diagrams, illustrations and photographs. These should preferably be presented objective wise. Discussion In this section the author should explain what the results mean, how they relate with previous work undertaken by others, discuss implication and significance, state conclusion and implication for future study. Each references cited must be written in detail/complete at the end of each article. Follow appropriate style. Footnote These should generally be avoided. These are used to provide information the author feels is important but would interrupt flow of discussion. Acknowledgements Here the author thanks individuals and organisations who helped in the investigation process through financial help, technical help or logistic and infrastructural support. Caution: As a paper before it gets published is evaluated at the editors level it is wise on the part of the author to evaluate his paper critically before submitting. The format discussed may prove helpful, in this process:
A. Citation in Text o Citation style of references in the text varies from journal to journal and therefore consult the guidelines of the journal and go to references cited for noting style. o In case of one author, give last name/surname first, year of publication within parentheses, e.g. Singh (2002).
In case of more than two authors give last name of first author followed by et al. and year of publication e.g. Singh et al. (2002). o · In case the author is referred at more than one place in the same year, number references as 'a' and 'b' e.g. Singh (2002Sa )........Singh (2002b). B. Citation in Journal This must include the name of author(s), followed by year of publication within parentheses or stops, title of the paper/article, name of the journal/periodical, volume and number in brackets, and page number. In case of male authors, initials are used and in case female authors give full name e.g. Singh, J. and Grover, Indlj. 2002. Academic achievement and entrepreneurial performance of undergraduate students of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, CCSHAU J. Research. 88(3), 416-421. Note: In some journals the name of journal is written in italics. C. Citation from Book 1. Khetarpaul, Neelam and Grover, Indu.2000. A Consumer Guide for Home Makers. Agrotech Publishing Academy, Udaipur, p 40. 2. Khetarpaul, Neelam; Katyal, Sudha and Grover, Indu. 2001.nfant Health and Nutrition. Agrotech Publishing Academy. p 298. (In this example, total pages of the book have been referred). Citation from an Edited Book Grover, Indu., Agarwal, Deepti and Grover, O.K. 2000. Gender perception of voters towards women and governance. In: Singh Raj (ed.). New Panchayati Raj: A functional analysis, Anmol Publications Ltd. pp 66-77. (pp 66-77 indicates that chapter is within these pages). Citation of Seminar/Conference Proceedings Sinhg, Saroj., Grover, Indu and Grover, O.K. 2001. Participatory role and adoption of buffalo management practices by rural women in Haryana (India). In: National Conference on Extension Education for Sustainable Devel,?pment, Mumbai, 29-31 December, 2000.Proceedings edited by O.S. Verma, AK Singh and J.P. Yadav, New Delhi, ISEE. pp 201-222. Rana, Manju. 1992. Effectiveness of training methods among farm women. Thesis, Ph.D., CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, p 156. Citation from Institutional Publication Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi. 1997. General information on research and development funding schemes of Central Government departments/agencies, New Delhi. GOI, Ministry of Science and Technology, Deptt. of Science and Technology, p 135. Citing Government Publications India. 2002. Ministry of Human Resource Development. Annual Report. New Delhi. p 270. India. 2001. Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Directorate of Economics and Statistics. Indian Agriculture in Brief. (30th ed.), Delhi. Controller df Publication. p 389. Abbreviations for Names of Journals The names of journals should be abbreviated according to international standards/rules. Most journals give abbreviated forms on top/bottom side of each page. Some examples are as follows:
2. Science Writing The purpose of science writing is to communicate or inform the general public about important discoveries of science. This form of writing generally appears in newspapers and magazines. Since a large population of the readers have limited educational credentials the findings of science need to be written in a simplified form for easy readability and understandability. The rule of thumb to be followed is that the reader should be able to grasp what is written rather than looking to grasp what is written rather than looking up a dictionary or contacting a scientist. The common reader is not bothered about the technical details while his interest is to satisfy his curiosity or to give him scientific information that is useful in his daily life for his own self, his family members, his peers and the near and dear ones. Journalism is getting simplified the world over. At the. same time this is getting more important. The print media is giving more space and coverage to science writing. The shorter the article is, the greater are the .chances that it will be read in full and therefore besides simplifying language a writer should learn the art of condensing his thoughts in minimum possible words (Chandel, 1996). Use of photographs adds to appeal and interest. Writing for Easy Reading As the goal of your writing is to be ·understood follow the following simple rules:
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