1

A-2: Features of Good Technical Writing

Hilary Ann Cabrera
INGL 3236-030H
Prof. Sandra Ros
Due: 31/08/2015

Features of Good Technical Writing: A Comparison

I. Introduction
Delivering information to other people may be a hard task. This is seen in Document A and
Document B. Both documents essentially communicate the same information but with different ways of
presenting it. At the end, through the comparison of these documents, we will see that good technical
writing skills determine whether people are going to read a document or not.

1. Subject Matter
Documents A and B discuss the new copy procedures in an effort to give a better service to their
clients. They both are trying to solve a problem.

Document A mentions that these new procedures were made because they got complaints about
the slowness of the business. Also an explanation is given, clients dropped off big orders at certain
hours making them slow down.

Document B mentions this too but in two sentences rather than a paragraph.

Conclusion: Many of us would agree that a proper technical document needs a brief and concise
beginning, and Document B is the one to deliver this. Document B goes right to solving the
problem, making it more technical in nature.

2. Clarity
Documents A and B, like mentioned earlier, essentially deliver the same information. However,
how each paper does this is different.

In Document A there are no divisions. If we were looking for one thing in specific we would not be
able to find it, due to its paragraph form. This is counterproductive in the professional world.
Needless to say, the information is not presented as clear as it could be.

In Document B the information is easy to read. Every part of the document is divided in sections of
interest, enabling the reader to clearly see and search for the information they need.

A-2: Features of Good Technical Writing

Conclusion: Document B presents information much clearly and it is reader friendly, making it the
best of both papers.

3. Organization
Often, organization and clarity are closely related. If something is very organized it is very clear. This
is not exactly the case when comparing these documents.

Although Document A is organized, it does not present the information clearly due to its paragraph
format. For the purpose of the paper this format is not the proper way to organize the information.
In other areas of writing this is the desired structure, but not when it comes to technical writing.

Document B has the adequate format because the reader can find everything they need easily.
With the help of headings and bullets, the information is neatly organized and presented.

Conclusion: Document B is better organized because it presents the information in an easy to read
format rather than in paragraphs.

4. Writer or Communicator
On both documents the writer is the Copy Center.

However, at the beginning of Document A the paper only mentions to whom it is directed and the
subject. The paper never clearly says the name of the business or who is sending those new
procedures. This is confusing because the Copy Center might have clients that order copies from
different places and they are going to read the instructions not clearly knowing who sent them. It is
not until the end of the page that they give a name to contact but they still do not say the name of
the business.

To: All Department Heads

Subject: New Copy Procedures

Document B is very different, it is clearly stated in the first page the key information for the client
to know who is contacting them and why.

TO: All Department Heads

Date: January 23, 2013
Subject: New Procedures for Ordering Copies tom the Copy Center
EFFECTIVE DATE: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2013
Conclusion: Document B is the best technical paper because it provides the complete information.

5. Audience
Both documents quickly address their audience at the beginning of the paper.

A-2: Features of Good Technical Writing

Conclusion: Both documents include that they are informing all department heads, their clients. But
Document A fails to use the correct format to successfully communicate with its audience

6. Appearance
There are fundamental differences in the appearances of each document.

Document A is hard to read because it has paragraphs rather than sections, it is more academic.

Document B is easier to look at because it has headings, making it more attractive, rather than
long paragraphs in which you do not know which one talks about what.

Conclusion: Document B includes headings, lists, and short sentences. All of these make the
document more convenient, easy to read, professional, and appealing to busy people and anyone
who is on the run.

7. Purpose
Both papers have the same purpose, to inform their clients about their new procedures that will
enable them to be more efficient.

However, Document A has a whole paragraph stating what Document B says in the papers first
two sentences.

On the other hand, Document B communicates the information more clearly because it has a brief
and concise introductory sentence followed by a second sentence to shortly present the purpose of
the paper.

Conclusion: The purpose of the document is better shown in Document B and not Document A.

8. Revision

The writer of Document A needs to reevaluate if his or her paper is really meeting the needs of
their very busy clients. He or she should take into consideration:
o

Writing in a more technical form, rather than academic.

He or she should search for ways to present information more efficiently.

Remember that in a professional environment you need to deliver information quickly

because everybody is busy. If you do not do this it is likely that people will not read your
document.

Also, keep in mind that appearance, organization and clarity are key to engaging in a
successful communication with the audience.

The writer of Document B is very aware of the importance of keeping everything organized and
concise, making it a great technical document.

9. Qualities of Good Technical Communication

Document A does not satisfy the qualities of good technical communication.

A-2: Features of Good Technical Writing

Document B correctly uses all of the criteria mentioned above that makes a technical document
good. Nevertheless, other things that the paper included were good grammar, and the use of
headings to divide the information, making everything easier to find.

II. Conclusion
Through the comparison of both documents we can see how important it is to properly write a good
technical document. Not only we saw how inefficient it was to write in a paragraph form, but also we could
appreciate how neatly Document B presented the information. We can clearly see the importance of good
technical communication and writing skills.

III. Table
The following table summarizes all of the information presented above.

Document A

Document B
1. Subject Matter

Incorrectly presents the subject in paragraph form.

It is not brief or concise.

Has two introductory sentences briefly stating the

subject of the document. It is more direct.

2. Clarity
It is not clear due to the academic format used to
It is clear because it uses headings to divide
present the information. You cannot search for
everything. You may easily search for any
something in specific and quickly find it.
information and quickly find it.
3. Organization
It is not correctly organized. An academic format is
used, and this is not convenient when writing a
technical document.

Uses headings and lists to present the information.

Everything is neatly organized and easy to find. It is
more technical in nature.

4. Writer or Communicator
Does not clearly present who the communicator is.

Clearly presents at the beginning of the document

who the writer is.

5. Audience
Correctly addresses the audience but fails to use
the correct format.

Correctly addresses the audience. Uses the best

format for communicating with busy people.

6. Appearance
Looks hard to read because it has no clear divisions.

Looks easy to read because everything is divided.

7. Purpose
To inform clients about their new policies but does
not do this briefly.

Briefly explains that the purpose is to present their

new procedures.

8. Revision
This document needs to be more divided and less
academic.

This document correctly presents the information,

making it a great technical paper.

9. Qualities of Good Technical Communication

Does not fulfill the qualities of good technical
communication.

Does fulfill the qualities of good technical

communication and has good grammar along with
headings.

A-2: Features of Good Technical Writing

Works Cited
Rios, S. (2015, August 25). Assignment 2: Instructions. Retrieved August 26, 2015, from
https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/910894/files/36341144?module_item_id=7914012
Rios, S. (2015, January 26). Qualities of Good Technical Communication January 2015. Retrieved
August 27, 2015, from http://my.brainshark.com/Qualities-of-Good-Technical-CommunicationJanuary-2015-732016655