Understanding Technical Documentation?
Through time, documents have also been written with ink
on papyrus (starting in ancient Egypt) or parchment, scratched as runes on stone using a
sharp apparatus, stamped or cut into clay and baked to make clay tablets (i.e. in Sumerian
and Mesopotamic civilisations).
Paper, papyrus or parchment might be rolled up as scrolls
or cut into sheets and bound into books. Stacks of clay tablets might also be thought of
as books. Small documents might also be stapled.
Definitions of Technical Documentation?
Today, electronic means for storing and displaying
documents are also popular; a variety of computers and displays can be used, for example:
- a desktop computer with a monitor
- a laptop
- a Personal Digital Assistant
- refreshable electronic paper
Documents in all forms are frequently found to be
material evidence in criminal and civil proceedings. The forensic analysis of such a
document falls under the scope of questioned document examination.
Respect and credibility of the writer/speaker are
integral to effective communications. Readers will not trust the information from an
author if they do not believe that author is a valuable source of information or the
purveyor of worthwhile ideas. Furthermore, being respected is essential to being
persuasive, a key ingredient in business.
"Technical writing is the presentation of
information that helps the reader solve a particular problem. Technical communicators
write, design, and/or edit proposals, manuals, web pages, lab reports, newsletters, and
many other kinds of professional documents.¡±
It is interesting to note that outside the U.S. the
definition of technical writing tends to stay very consistent. A [U.K.-based
firm] persists that ¡°technical
writing is the presentation of information on any scientific, engineering, or
technological topic in the form most suited to its user.¡±
This article is licensed under the GNU Free
Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Technical
Writing.
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