COMPUTER SYSTEMS RESEARCH
Elements of Technical Writing
2005-2006

  • Good technical writing is concise
    1. Your readers are probably extremely busy. "Concise technical writing is easier and less time consuming
      to read than wordy technical writing."
    2. "Deleting the wordiness and repetition is hard work - and working at writing is something most technical
      professionals want to avoid."
    3. Blaise Pascal: "I have made this a long letter because I haven't the time to make it shorter."
    4. "By avoiding udesirable repetition, wordy phrases, rambling explanations, pompous language, and jargon,
      you can produce succinct, readable prose without sacrificing technical content."
    5. "Your words and phrases should be precise, your composition well organized and to the point."