COMPUTER SYSTEMS RESEARCH
Elements of Technical Writing
2005-2006
Principles of Technical Communication (from Elements of Technical Writing by Blake and Bly)
- Rule 1: Use the active voice.
- Rule 2: Use plain rather than elegant or complex language
- Rule 3: Delete words, sentences, and phrases that do not add to your meaning
- Rule 4: Use specific and concrete terms rather than vague generalities
- Rule 5: Use terms your reader can picture
- Rule 6: Use the past tense to describe your experimental work and results
- Rule 7: In most other writing use the present tense
- Rule 8: Make the technical depth of your writing compatible with the background of your reader
- Rule 9: Break up your writing into short sections
- Rule 10: Keep ideas and sentence structure parallel
- Rule 11: Opt for an informal rather than a formal style