How to Structure your Articles as a Beginner in Technical Writing

Transcript

1. HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR ARTICLES AS A BEGINNER IN TECHNICAL WRITING by Omomurewa George-Ashiru
2. A SHORT STORY: Technical drawing examination gone wrong
3. TECHNICAL WRITING • Style guides • Blogs • User stories • Specification requirement documents • User manuals • User stories • Proposals • Press releases • Policies and procedures • Feasibility reports
4. ASSUMPTIONS • It is only for software developers • It is an insignificant part of product development. No one reads them • Document only the major features • It should only be written in English • It requires technical background and expert knowledge of the subject area
5. TYPICAL STRUCTURE OF A TECHNICAL DOCUMENT INTRODUCTION • Sets the tone and story line • Call to action (Optional) BODY • The main content • Should be relevant. Do not divert from the topic CONCLUSION (Optional but mostly necessary) • Summary • Call to action
6. TIPS AND TRICKS • Do your research • Let your title reflect your content • Know your audience and write for them • State assumptions, if applicable e.g. prerequisite knowledge, tools, etc • Include graphical content (images, gifs, videos, audio, charts, etc) • Use an active voice • Format your article well (Use Markdowns)
7. TIPS AND TRICKS • When comparing items, using a table • Sequence is key. Don’t jump from point 3 to point 10 or vice-versa • Add references if applicable • Avoid plagiarism, be original • Avoid big grammar as much as possible • Include examples, if applicable • Proofread
8. WHY WRITE? • To save time, money and effort • For ease of use or understanding of product to customers and other stakeholders • For seamless onboarding and succession planning • For reference
9. REFERENCES • 14 Technical Writing Misconceptions That You Should Know! • How to Structure a Technical Article • Mistakes that beginners do in blogging, DON’T make these yourself!
11. GO FORTH AND DO AWESOMENESS