Effective Technical Writing

Overview

Improve your professional writing skills in this interactive workshop. This class is specifically designed for researchers, technical professionals, and managers who want to enhance their professional success by writing effectively and persuasively. Class size is limited to ensure individual attention. You are encouraged to submit samples of your own writing along with technical writing samples (such as scientific papers, reports, reviews, etc.) that you aspire to write.

When and Where

This course will meet online for five (5) webcast sessions of 90-minutes each. In addition, the instructor will confer with each student outside of the sessions about the writing assignments they complete during the course.

Back to Top

Key Topics

• General Principles of Technical Writing - effective placement of information; organization; consideration of the target; phrasing for highest impact; and effective use of graphics.
• Categories of Technical Writing - construction and use of executive summaries; scientific papers for publication; summaries and abstracts; memos and e-mails; structure and phrasing of reports; effective letter writing; instructions and procedures.
• The Writing Process - using a template or example; collecting and filtering information; writing a pain free first draft; choosing language and grammar; editing.
• Abstracts, Summaries and Executive Summaries - structure and contents; concise phraseology; main points; language.
• Graphics and Diagrams, Tables and Charts - use and contents; simplicity.
• Letters, Memos and E-Mails - structure and impact; standard formats; humor.

Back to Top

How you will benefit from this course

• Gain confidence.
• Overcome "writer's block".
• Understand the essential steps in creating technical documents.
• Use the principles of technical writing to present your message effectively in high impact language.
• Analyze examples of effective vs. ineffective writing.
• Improve accuracy, brevity, and readability of your writing.
• Learn how to prepare the most effective graphs, diagrams, tables, and charts.

Back to Top

Course Instructor

Lindy Harrison is Associate Professor of Chemistry (retired) at York College of Pennsylvania where she teaches organic chemistry and the capstone Physical Sciences Seminar, a course for learning effective technical writing and other "tools of the trade."

Back to Top

Who Should Attend?

Researchers, technical professionals, and managers who want to enhance their professional success by writing effectively and persuasively. Class size is limited to ensure individual attention. You are encouraged to submit samples of your own writing along with technical writing samples (such as scientific papers, reports, reviews, etc.) that you aspire to write.

Back to Top

System Requirements

You need a high-speed connection to the Internet and an up-to-date version of your web browser (Internet Explorer is preferred). For the audio portion of the live session, we will use a telephone conference call for attendees from the US and Canada. You will need a phone near your computer capable of making long distance phone calls to a 1-800 number. A hands-free or speaker phone is highly recommended.

International attendees may have access to a toll-free, global call-in number or use VOIP, depending on their country. An ACS staff member will contact you to complete these arrangements. Contact us at shortcourses@acs.org, if you have any questions.

Back to Top

Course Fees

Note: Each participant must register individually for this course.

Back to Top