Spring Into Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists [Englisch] Schreiben technischer Dokumente technisches Schreiben Barry J. Rosenberg Sprachwissenschaft Literaturwissenschaft Technik Geisteswissenschaften

Barry J. Rosenberg (Autor)

ISBN 10: 0131498630 / ISBN 13: 9780131498631

Published by Addison-Wesley Longman, Amsterdam, 2005

About this Item

This book is a "must-read" for anyone engaged in the art of technical writing --- even for an old pro like me. Like any good book on writing, Technical Writing begins with a discussion of writing itself. Rosenberg makes it clear that you need to write for a particular audience---and with a particular message. He discusses the difference between writing documentation, writing technical marketing literature, and writing speeches or presentations. Clear and comprehensive chapters introduce and then drill-down on many of the topics that throw off many would-be writers. Rosenberg discusses common issues such as word consistency, verbs, pronouns, "fluffy phrases," and words that are commonly confused (like "affect" and "effect," or "its" and "it's"). Next he conquers sentences, paragraphs, transitions, and the construction of a good document. But my favorite part of this book is the middle, where Rosenberg shows the reader how to use all of those clever typographical techniques that have emerged over the past 20 years. Rosenberg shows how to use bulleted lists. He shows when to use bullets, and when to use numbers. He shows how to make tables that are both beautiful to look at and that clearly convey information to the reader. Callouts, sidebars, and even tinted boxesit's all here. The level of drill-down is truly impressive. Clearly, this book was born from years of experience in both writing and editing. For example, the chapter on graphics beings with a photo of a stream, with a caption that says"this picture is totally off topic, but you looked at it before you read the opening paragraph, simply because it's a picture." The chapter then discusses time series (3 examples), techniques for providing extra details in graphs, before-and-after photos, the advantages of callouts vs. embedded text (and when to use each), screenshots (and the advantage of annotating them), the issue of color blindness, ways to enhance photographs with line art, and appropriate use of white space. The final three chapters of the book describe the process of editing and producing documents. This is great material both for editors who are looking for new ideas, and for writers like me who have the luxury of being edited by pros. That's because all writers can benefit from being edited, and the editor that is always there, the editor that will always know what you want to say, the editor who will never quit, is you, the writer. This book is great for engineers who have suddenly been saddled with the task of writing documentation for their inventions. But it's also great for people who love to write and are looking for new ideas. Indeed, before I start on my next book, I'm going to re-read Rosenberg's Technical Writing.The fastest way for professionals to master technical writing! You're a technical professional, perhaps a programmer, engineer, or scientist. You are not a professional writer, but writing is part of your job (specs, manuals, proposals, lab reports, technical presentations, Web content, data sheets, and so on). Welcome. This book is for you. It's all you need to clearly communicate technical ideas to any audience--technical or nontechnical--and motivate them to act. Barry J. Rosenberg organizes every facet of effective technical writing into more than 175 short, concise, fast-paced tutorials. You'll find loads of examples (what to do and what not to do) plus start-to-finish instructions for writing exactly the kinds of documents you need to create. Need specific solutions? This book's bite-size, visual, high-efficiency format delivers them instantly. Dig in, get started, and get results!* Make all your documents and presentations clearer, more concise, and more compelling *Understand your audience, and target your content appropriately *Learn how to write for an international audience *Use active voice to communicate with confidence and authority *Produce effective lists, tables, and graphics *Create useful examples *Write effective manuals and.

Seller Inventory # BN18175

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Spring Into Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists [Englisch] Schreiben technischer Dokumente technisches Schreiben Barry J. Rosenberg Sprachwissenschaft Literaturwissenschaft Technik Geisteswissenschaften
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Longman, Amsterdam
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0131498630
• ISBN 13: 9780131498631
• Binding: Softcover
• Edition: 2005.
• Condition: gut
• Weight: 552 grams

About this title

Synopsis

The fastest way for professionals to master technical writing!

You’re a technical professional, perhaps a programmer, engineer, or scientist. You are not a professional writer, but writing is part of your job (specs, manuals, proposals, lab reports, technical presentations, Web content, data sheets, and so on).

Welcome. This book is for you. It’s all you need to clearly communicate technical ideas to any audience―technical or nontechnical―and motivate them to act.

Barry J. Rosenberg organizes every facet of effective technical writing into more than 175 short, concise, fast-paced tutorials. You’ll find loads of examples (what to do and what not to do) plus start-to-finish instructions for writing exactly the kinds of documents you need to create.

Need specific solutions? This book’s bite-size, visual, high-efficiency format delivers them instantly. Dig in, get started, and get results!

• Make all your documents and presentations clearer, more concise, and more compelling
• Understand your audience, and target your content appropriately
• Learn how to write for an international audience
• Use active voice to communicate with confidence and authority
• Produce effective lists, tables, and graphics
• Create useful examples
• Write effective manuals and release notes
• Implement solid technical Web sites
• Develop winning research, business, and book proposals
• Create and present compelling PowerPoint presentations
• Write e-mails that don’t ignite flame wars
• Learn how to integrate documentation development into best engineering practices

Downloadable examples are available on the Web.

About the Author

Barry Rosenberg is the author of more than sixty corporate technical manuals, primarily on programming. An experienced instructor, Barry has taught everything from high school physics to weeklong corporate seminars on data structures. Most recently, he spent four semesters at MIT, where he taught advanced technical writing. Barry currently works as the documentation manager at 170 Systems.