Technical Communication (11th Ed)

Instructors know that Mike Markel’s Technical Communication will prepare their students for any workplace writing situation. No other text offers such a comprehensive introduction to the field while still delivering practical, effective support for students at every level. The eleventh edition has been thoroughly revised to reframe the work of technical communicators in the context of today’s highly collaborative, rapidly evolving digital practices. Fresh, social-media driven sample documents and coverage of the latest tools and technologies ensure that students work with the kinds of processes and products they’ll encounter on the job. The text is now accompanied and enhanced by LaunchPad for Technical Communication , an online course space with an interactive e-book, multimedia sample documents for analysis, tutorials on digital writing tools, a new test bank, Learning Curve adaptive quizzes that give students more ways to master the material, and much more. Get all our great course-specific materials in one fully customizable space online; then assign and mix our resources with yours. See what's in the LaunchPad Front Cover Inside Front Cover Inside the LaunchPad for Technical Communication Technical Communication Eleventh Edition Copyright Page Preface for Instructors Introduction for Writers Brief Contents Table of Contents Part 1 Understanding the Technical Communication Environment Chapter 1 Introduction to Technical Communication What Is Technical Communication? The Challenges of Producing Technical Communication Characteristics of a Technical Document Measures of Excellence in Technical Documents Skills and Qualities Shared by Successful Workplace Communicators How Communication Skills and Qualities Affect Your Career A Look at Three Technical Documents EXERCISES LEARNINGCURVE: Understanding the Technical Communication Environment CASE 1: Using the Measures of Excellence in Evaluating a Résumé Chapter 2 Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations A Brief Introduction to Ethics Your Ethical Obligations OBLIGATIONS TO YOUR EMPLOYER OBLIGATIONS TO THE PUBLIC OBLIGATIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT Your Legal Obligations COPYRIGHT LAW GUIDELINES: Determining Fair Use GUIDELINES: Dealing with Copyright Questions ETHICS NOTE: Distinguishing Plagiarism from Acceptable Reuse of Information TRADEMARK LAW GUIDELINES: Protecting Trademarks CONTRACT LAW LIABILITY LAW GUIDELINES: Abiding by Liability Laws The Role of Corporate Culture in Ethical and Legal Conduct Understanding Ethical and Legal Issues Related to Social Media GUIDELINES: Using Social Media Ethically and Legally DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Presenting Guidelines for Using Social Media Communicating Ethically Across Cultures COMMUNICATING WITH CULTURES WITH DIFFERENT ETHICAL BELIEFS COMMUNICATING IN COUNTRIES WITH DIFFERENT LAWS Principles for Ethical Communication ABIDE BY RELEVANT LAWS ABIDE BY THE APPROPRIATE PROFESSIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT ABIDE BY YOUR ORGANIZATION'S POLICY ON SOCIAL MEDIA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR EMPLOYER'S ETHICS RESOURCES TELL THE TRUTH DON'T MISLEAD YOUR READERS USE DESIGN TO HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT ETHICAL AND LEGAL INFORMATION BE CLEAR AVOID DISCRIMINATORY LANGUAGE ACKNOWLEDGE ASSISTANCE FROM OTHERS WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES LEARNINGCURVE: Understanding the Technical Communication Environment CASE 2: The Ethics of Requiring Students To Subsidize a Plagiarism-Detection Service Chapter 3 Writing Technical Documents Planning ANALYZING YOUR AUDIENCE ANALYZING YOUR PURPOSE CHOOSING YOUR WRITING TOOLS TUTORIAL: Cross-Platform Word Processing with CloudOn, Quip, and More GENERATING IDEAS ABOUT YOUR SUBJECT RESEARCHING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ORGANIZING AND OUTLINING YOUR DOCUMENT TECH TIP: How To Use the Outline View SELECTING AN APPLICATION, A DESIGN, AND A DELIVERY METHOD TUTORIAL: Creating Outlines DEVISING A SCHEDULE AND A BUDGET Drafting USING TEMPLATES GUIDELINES: Drafting Effectively TECH TIP: How To Modify Templates DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Identifying the Strengths and Weaknesses of a Commercial Template USING STYLES TECH TIP: How To Use the Styles Group TUTORIAL: Creating Styles and Templates Revising STUDYING THE DRAFT BY YOURSELF SEEKING HELP FROM OTHERS ETHICS NOTE: Acknowledging Reviewers Responsibly Editing Proofreading WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES LEARNINGCURVE: Understanding the Technical Communication Environment CASE 3: Understanding Why Revision Software Cannot Revise and Edit Your Document Chapter 4 Writing Collaboratively Advantages and Disadvantages of Collaboration ADVANTAGES OF COLLABORATION DISADVANTAGES OF COLLABORATION Managing Projects GUIDELINES: Managing Your Project Conducting Meetings TUTORIAL: Scheduling Meetings Online LISTENING EFFECTIVELY GUIDELINES: Listening Effectively SETTING YOUR TEAM'S AGENDA GUIDELINES: Setting Your Team’s Agenda ETHICS NOTE: Pulling Your Weight on Collaborative Projects DOWNLOADABLE FORM: Work-Schedule Form DOWNLOADABLE FORM: Team-Member Evaluation Form DOWNLOADABLE FORM: Self-Evaluation Form CONDUCTING EFFICIENT MEETINGS COMMUNICATING DIPLOMATICALLY CRITIQUING A TEAM MEMBER'S WORK GUIDELINES: Communicating Diplomatically GUIDELINES: Critiquing a Colleague’s Work Using Social Media and Other Electronic Tools in Collaboration TECH TIP: How To Use the Review Tab WORD-PROCESSING TOOLS TUTORIAL: Reviewing Collaborative Documents TUTORIAL: Incorporating Tracked Changes MESSAGING TECHNOLOGIES DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Critiquing a Draft Clearly and Diplomatically VIDEOCONFERENCING TUTORIAL: Conduct Online Meetings GUIDELINES: Participating in a Videoconference WIKIS AND SHARED DOCUMENT WORKSPACES TUTORIAL: Using Wikis for Collaborative Work TUTORIAL: Using Collaborative Software VIRTUAL WORLDS ETHICS NOTE: Maintaining a Professional Presence Online Gender and Collaboration Culture and Collaboration WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES LearningCurve: Understanding the Technical Communication Environment CASE 4: Accommodating a Team Member’s Scheduling Problems Part 2 Planning the Document Chapter 5 Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Understanding Audience and Purpose Using an Audience Profile Sheet DOWNLOADABLE FORM: Audience Profile Sheet Determining the Important Characteristics of Your Audience WHO ARE YOUR READERS? WHY IS YOUR AUDIENCE READING YOUR DOCUMENT? WHAT ARE YOUR READERS' ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS? HOW WILL YOUR READERS USE YOUR DOCUMENT? Techniques for Learning About Your Audience DETERMINING WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE INTERVIEWING PEOPLE READING ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE ONLINE SEARCHING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR DOCUMENTS YOUR AUDIENCE HAS WRITTEN ANALYZING SOCIAL-MEDIA DATA Communicating Across Cultures UNDERSTANDING THE CULTURAL VARIABLES "ON THE SURFACE" UNDERSTANDING THE CULTURAL VARIABLES "BENEATH THE SURFACE" CONSIDERING CULTURAL VARIABLES AS YOU WRITE GUIDELINES: Writing for Readers from Other Cultures DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Examining Cultural Variables in a Business Letter USING GRAPHICS AND DESIGN FOR MULTICULTURAL READERS Applying What You Have Learned About Your Audience ETHICS NOTE: Meeting Your Readers’ Needs Responsibly Writing for Multiple Audiences Determining Your Purpose Gaining Management’s Approval Revising Information for a New Audience and Purpose WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES LEARNINGCURVE: Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose CASE 5: Focusing on an Audience’s Needs and Interests Chapter 6 Researching Your Subject Understanding the Differences Between Academic and Workplace Research Understanding the Research Process Choosing Appropriate Research Methods GUIDELINES: Researching a Topic Conducting Secondary Research UNDERSTANDING THE RESEARCH MEDIA USING TRADITIONAL RESEARCH TOOLS Online Catalogs Reference Works Periodical Indexes Newspaper Indexes Abstract Services Government Information USING SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER INTERACTIVE RESOURCES Discussion Boards Wikis Blogs Tagged Content RSS Feeds EVALUATING THE INFORMATION GUIDELINES: Evaluating Print and Online Sources Conducting Primary Research ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL-MEDIA DATA DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Evaluating Information from Internet Sources OBSERVATIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS INSPECTIONS EXPERIMENTS FIELD RESEARCH INTERVIEWS GUIDELINES: Conducting an Interview INQUIRIES QUESTIONNAIRES Asking Effective Questions Testing the Questionnaire Administering the Questionnaire Presenting Questionnaire Data in Your Document ETHICS NOTE: Reporting and Analyzing Data Honestly WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES LEARNINGCURVE: Researching Your Subject CASE 6: Revising a Questionnaire Chapter 7 Organizing Your Information Understanding Three Principles for Organizing Technical Information ANALYZING YOUR AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE USING CONVENTIONAL PATTERNS OF ORGANIZATION DISPLAYING YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN PROMINENTLY Understanding Conventional Organizational Patterns CHRONOLOGICAL GUIDELINES: Organizing Information Chronologically SPATIAL GUIDELINES: Organizing Information Spatially GENERAL TO SPECIFIC GUIDELINES: Organizing Information from General to Specific MORE IMPORTANT TO LESS IMPORTANT GUIDELINES: Organizing Information from More Important to Less Important COMPARISON AND CONTRAST GUIDELINES: Organizing Information by Comparison and Contrast ETHICS NOTE: Comparing and Contrasting Fairly CLASSIFICATION OR PARTITION GUIDELINES: Organizing Information by Classification or Partition PROBLEM-METHODS-SOLUTION GUIDELINES: Organizing Information by Problem-Methods-Solution CAUSE AND EFFECT GUIDELINES: Organizing Information by Cause and Effect DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Using Multiple Organizational Patterns in an Infographic WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES LEARNINGCURVE: Organizing and Emphasizing Your Information CASE 7: Organizing a Document for Clarity—and Diplomacy Part 3 Developing and Testing the Verbal and Visual Information Chapter 8 Communicating Persuasively Considering the Context of Your Argument UNDERSTANDING YOUR AUDIENCE'S BROADER GOALS Security Recognition Growth Connectedness WORKING WITHIN CONSTRAINTS Ethical Constraints Legal Constraints Political Constraints Informational Constraints Personnel Constraints Financial Constraints Time Constraints Format and Tone Constraints Crafting a Persuasive Argument IDENTIFYING THE ELEMENTS OF YOUR ARGUMENT USING THE RIGHT KINDS OF EVIDENCE CONSIDERING OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS APPEALING TO EMOTIONS RESPONSIBLY DECIDING WHERE TO PRESENT THE CLAIM DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Analyzing Evidence in an Argument UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN PERSUASION Avoiding Logical Fallacies Presenting Yourself Effectively GUIDELINES: Creating a Professional Persona ETHICS NOTE: Seeming Honest Versus Being Honest in Persuasive Writing Using Graphics as Persuasive Elements A Look at Several Persuasive Arguments WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES LEARNINGCURVE: Communicating Persuasively CASE 8: Analyzing the Persuasiveness of a Website Chapter 9 Emphasizing Important Information Writing Clear, Informative Titles Writing Clear, Informative Headings TECH TIP: How To Modify and Create Styles GUIDELINES: Revising Headings Writing Clear, Informative Lists WRITE EFFECTIVE PARAGRAPH LISTS WRITE EFFECTIVE SENTENCE LISTS GUIDELINES: Creating Effective Lists TECH TIP: How To Create Numbered and Bulleted Lists Writing Clear, Informative Paragraphs STRUCTURE PARAGRAPHS CLEARLY The Topic Sentence The Supporting Information Paragraph Length ETHICS NOTE: Avoiding Burying Bad News in Paragraphs GUIDELINES: Dividing Long Paragraphs USE COHERENCE DEVICES WITHIN AND BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS Adding Transitional Words and Phrases Repeating Key Words Using Demonstrative Pronouns Followed by Nouns DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Identifying the Elements of a Coherent Paragraph WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES LEARNINGCURVE: Organizing and Emphasizing Information CASE 9: Emphasizing Important Information in a Technical Description Chapter 10 Writing Correct and Effective Sentences Writing Grammatically Correct Sentences AVOID SENTENCE FRAGMENTS AVOID COMMA SPLICES AVOID RUN-ON SENTENCES AVOID AMBIGUOUS PRONOUN REFERENCES COMPARE ITEMS CLEARLY USE ADJECTIVES CLEARLY MAINTAIN SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT MAINTAIN PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT USE TENSES CORRECTLY Structuring Effective Sentences EMPHASIZE NEW AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION CHOOSE AN APPROPRIATE SENTENCE LENGTH Avoid Overly Long Sentences Avoid Overly Short Sentences FOCUS ON THE "REAL" SUBJECT FOCUS ON THE "REAL" VERB USE PARALLEL STRUCTURE USE MODIFIERS EFFECTIVELY Distinguish Between Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Modifiers Avoid Misplaced Modifiers Avoid Dangling Modifiers Choosing the Right Words and Phrases SELECT AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF FORMALITY BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC Use Active and Passive Voice Appropriately Be Specific Avoid Unnecessary Jargon Use Positive Constructions Avoid Long Noun Strings Avoid Clichés Avoid Euphemisms ETHICS NOTE: Euphemisms and Truth Telling BE CONCISE Avoid Obvious Statements Avoid Filler Avoid Unnecessary Prepositional Phrases Avoid Wordy Phrases Avoid Fancy Words DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Revising for Conciseness and Simplicity USE INOFFENSIVE LANGUAGE Nonsexist Language People-First Language for Referring to People with Disabilities GUIDELINES: Avoiding Sexist Language GUIDELINES: Using the People-First Approach Understanding Simplified English for Nonnative Speakers Preparing Text for Translation WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES LEARNINGCURVE: Writing Correct and Effective Sentences CASE 10: Revising a Document for Nonnative Speakers and for Translation Chapter 11 Designing Print and Online Documents Goals of Document Design Understanding Design Principles PROXIMITY ALIGNMENT REPETITION TUTORIAL: Proofreading for Format Consistency CONTRAST Planning the Design of Print and Online Documents ANALYZE YOUR AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE DETERMINE YOUR RESOURCES Designing Print Documents SIZE PAPER BINDINGS ACCESSING AIDS TECH TIP: How To Set Up Pages Designing Print Pages GUIDELINES: Understanding Learning Theory and Page Design PAGE LAYOUT Page Grids White Space COLUMNS TYPOGRAPHY Typefaces Type Families Case Type Size Line Length Line Spacing Justification TECH TIP: How To Format Columns TECH TIP: How To Format Fonts ETHICS NOTE: Using Type Sizes Responsibly TECH TIP: How To Modify Line Spacing TECH TIP: How To Modify Justification TITLES AND HEADINGS Titles Headings OTHER DESIGN FEATURES TECH TIP: How To Create Borders and Screens TECH TIP: How To Create Text Boxes Analyzing Several Print-Document Designs DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Analyzing a Page Design Designing Online Documents USE DESIGN TO EMPHASIZE IMPORTANT INFORMATION CREATE INFORMATIVE HEADERS AND FOOTERS HELP READERS NAVIGATE THE DOCUMENT GUIDELINES: Making Your Document Easy To Navigate INCLUDE EXTRA FEATURES YOUR READERS MIGHT NEED HELP READERS CONNECT WITH OTHERS DESIGN FOR READERS WITH DISABILITIES DESIGN FOR MULTICULTURAL AUDIENCES ETHICS NOTE: Designing Legal and Honest Online Documents Designing Online Pages AIM FOR SIMPLICITY GUIDELINES: Designing a Simple Site MAKE THE TEXT EASY TO READ AND UNDERSTAND GUIDELINES: Designing Easy-To-Read Text CREATE CLEAR, INFORMATIVE LINKS GUIDELINES: Writing Clear, Informative Links Analyzing Several Online-Document Designs WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES CASE 11: Designing a Flyer Chapter 12 Creating Graphics The Functions of Graphics The Characteristics of an Effective Graphic ETHICS NOTE: Creating Honest Graphics GUIDELINES: Integrating Graphics and Text Understanding the Process of Creating Graphics PLANNING GRAPHICS PRODUCING GRAPHICS TECH TIP: How To Insert and Modify Graphics REVISING GRAPHICS CITING SOURCES OF GRAPHICS Using Color Effectively Choosing the Appropriate Kind of Graphic ILLUSTRATING NUMERICAL INFORMATION Tables Bar Graphs Infographics Line Graphs Pie Charts GUIDELINES: Creating Effective Tables TECH TIP: How To Use Tab Stops TECH TIP: How To Create Tables TECH TIP: How To Create Graphics in Excel GUIDELINES: Creating Effective Bar Graphs GUIDELINES: Creating Effective Infographics TECH TIP: How To Use Drawing Tools GUIDELINES: Creating Effective Line Graphs GUIDELINES: Creating Effective Pie Charts ILLUSTRATING LOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS Diagrams Organization Charts DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Analyzing a Graphic DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Interactive Graphic ILLUSTRATING PROCESS DESCRIPTIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS Checklists Flowcharts Logic Trees Techniques for Showing Action or Motion ILLUSTRATING VISUAL AND SPATIAL CHARACTERISTICS Photographs Screen Shots Line Drawings Maps TUTORIAL: Photo Editing Basics with GIMP GUIDELINES: Presenting Photographs Effectively TECH TIP: How To Create and Insert Screen Shots Creating Effective Graphics for Multicultural Readers WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES CASE 12: Creating Appropriate Graphics To Accompany a Report Chapter 13 Reviewing, Evaluating, and Testing Documents and Websites Understanding Reviewing, Evaluating, and Testing Reviewing Documents and Websites REVISING EDITING GUIDELINES: Editing the Draft PROOFREADING Conducting Usability Evaluations Conducting Usability Tests THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF USABILITY TESTING PREPARING FOR A USABILITY TEST CONDUCTING A USABILITY TEST Interacting with the Test Participant Debriefing the Test Participant ETHICS NOTE: Understanding the Ethics of Informed Consent INTERPRETING AND REPORTING THE DATA FROM A USABILITY TEST DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Obtaining Informed Consent WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES CASE 13: Revising a Document for a New Audience Part 4 Learning Important Applications Chapter 14 Writing Correspondence Understanding the Process of Writing Correspondence Selecting a Type of Correspondence Presenting Yourself Effectively in Correspondence USE THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF FORMALITY COMMUNICATE CORRECTLY PROJECT THE "YOU ATTITUDE" AVOID CORRESPONDENCE CLICHÉS COMMUNICATE HONESTLY ETHICS NOTE: Writing Honest Business Correspondence Writing Letters ELEMENTS OF A LETTER COMMON TYPES OF LETTERS Inquiry Letter Response to an Inquiry Claim Letter Adjustment Letter Writing Memos GUIDELINES: Organizing a Memo Writing Emails GUIDELINES: Following Netiquette DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Following Netiquette in an Email Message Writing Microblogs GUIDELINES: Representing Your Organization on a Microblog Writing Correspondence to Multicultural Readers WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES CASE 14: Setting Up and Maintaining a Professional Microblog Account Chapter 15 Writing Job-Application Materials Understanding the Job-Application Process Establishing Your Professional Brand UNDERSTANDING WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT GUIDELINES: Building the Foundation of Your Professional Brand CRAFTING YOUR PROFESSIONAL BRAND GUIDELINES: Presenting Your Professional Brand TUTORIAL: Building Your Professional Brand with Linkedin, Twitter, and More ETHICS NOTE: Writing Honest Job-Application Materials Planning the Job Search Understanding Four Major Ways To Look for a Position GUIDELINES: Using LinkedIn’s Employment Features Writing Résumés ELEMENTS OF THE CHRONOLOGICAL RÉSUMÉ Identifying Information Summary Statement Education Employment History Interests and Activities References Other Elements GUIDELINES: Elaborating on Your Education ELEMENTS OF THE SKILLS RÉSUMÉ PREPARING A PLAIN-TEXT RÉSUMÉ GUIDELINES: Formatting a Plain-Text Résumé DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Preparing a Résumé DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Blane C. Holden's Online Portfolio Writing Job-Application Letters Preparing for a Job Interview GUIDELINES: Preparing for a Job Interview Writing Follow-up Letters or Emails After an Interview WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES CASE 15: Identifying the Best-of-the-Best Job-Search Sites Chapter 16 Writing Proposals Understanding the Process of Writing Proposals The Logistics of Proposals INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL PROPOSALS Internal Proposals External Proposals SOLICITED AND UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS Solicited Proposals Unsolicited Proposals The “Deliverables” of Proposals RESEARCH PROPOSALS GOODS AND SERVICES PROPOSALS Persuasion and Proposals UNDERSTANDING READERS' NEEDS Readers’ Needs in an Internal Proposal Readers’ Needs in an External Proposal DESCRIBING WHAT YOU PLAN TO DO DEMONSTRATING YOUR PROFESSIONALISM GUIDELINES: Demonstrating Your Professionalism in a Proposal ETHICS NOTE: Writing Honest Proposals Writing a Proposal The Structure of the Proposal SUMMARY INTRODUCTION GUIDELINES: Introducing a Proposal PROPOSED PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Writing the Proposed Program DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Marketing Proposal Presentation BUDGET APPENDIXES Task Schedule Description of Evaluation Techniques TECH TIP: How To Create a Gantt Chart Sample Internal Proposal WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES CASE 16: Revising a Brief Proposal Chapter 17 Writing Informational Reports Understanding the Process of Writing Informational Reports Writing Directives DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: High Planis Water-Level Monitoring Study DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: "Global Forest Change" Interactive Map DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Writing a Persuasive Directive Writing Field Reports GUIDELINES: Responding to Readers’ Questions in a Field Report Writing Progress and Status Reports ETHICS NOTE: Reporting Your Progress Honestly ORGANIZING PROGRESS AND STATUS REPORTS CONCLUDING PROGRESS AND STATUS REPORTS GUIDELINES: Projecting an Appropriate Tone in a Progress or Status Report Sample Progress Report Writing Incident Reports Writing Meeting Minutes WRITER'S CHECKSLIST EXERCISES CASE 17: Writing a Directive About Using Agendas for Meetings Chapter 18 Writing Recommendation Reports Understanding the Role of Recommendation Reports Using a Problem-Solving Model for Preparing Recommendation Reports IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM OR OPPORTUNITY ESTABLISH CRITERIA FOR RESPONDING TO THE PROBLEM OR OPPORTUNITY DETERMINE THE OPTIONS STUDY EACH OPTION ACCORDING TO THE CRITERIA DRAW CONCLUSIONS ABOUT EACH OPTION FORMULATE RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON THE CONCLUSIONS ETHICS NOTE: Presenting Honest Recommendations Writing Recommendation Reports WRITING THE BODY OF THE REPORT Introduction Methods Results Conclusions Recommendations GUIDELINES: Writing Recommendations WRITING THE FRONT MATTER Letter of Transmittal Cover Title Page Abstract Table of Contents List of Illustrations Executive Summary TECH TIP: How To Format Headers, Footers, and Page Numbers TECH TIP: How To Create a Table of Contents GUIDELINES: Writing an Executive Summary WRITING THE BACK MATTER Glossary and List of Symbols References Appendixes DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Analyzing an Executive Summary DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Recommendations Presented in an Audio Podcast Sample Recommendation Report WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES CASE 18: Analyzing Decision Matrices Chapter 19 Writing Lab Reports Persuasion and Lab Reports Understanding the Process of Writing Lab Reports Understanding the Structure of the Lab Report TITLE ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION GUIDELINES: Writing Equations MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS ETHICS NOTE: Presenting Data Honestly DISCUSSION CONCLUSION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS REFERENCES APPENDIXES Understanding the Role of Science and Engineering Articles DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Evaluating Lab Reports Sample Lab Report WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES CASE 19: Introducing the Scientific Method Through a Lab Report Chapter 20 Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Writing Definitions ANALYZING THE WRITING SITUATION FOR DEFINITIONS DETERMINING THE KIND OF DEFINITION TO WRITE Writing Parenthetical Definitions Writing Sentence Definitions Writing Extended Definitions GUIDELINES: Writing Effective Sentence Definitions DECIDING WHERE TO PLACE THE DEFINITION Writing Descriptions ANALYZING THE WRITING SITUATION FOR DESCRIPTIONS INDICATING CLEARLY THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE DESCRIPTION INTRODUCING THE DESCRIPTION CLEARLY PROVIDING APPROPRIATE DETAIL GUIDELINES: Providing Appropriate Detail in Descriptions ENDING THE DESCRIPTION WITH A BRIEF CONCLUSION A LOOK AT SEVERAL SAMPLE DESCRIPTIONS Writing Instructions UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS DESIGNING A SET OF WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS GUIDELINES: Designing Clear, Attractive Pages PLANNING FOR SAFETY ETHICS NOTE: Ensuring Your Readers’ Safety DRAFTING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONS Drafting Titles Drafting General Introductions Drafting Step-by-Step Instructions Drafting Conclusions GUIDELINES: Drafting Introductions for Instructions GUIDELINES: Drafting Steps in Instructions REVISING, EDITING, AND PROOFREADING INSTRUCTIONS A LOOK AT SEVERAL SAMPLE SETS OF INSTRUCTIONS DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Presenting Clear Instructions DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Mechanism Description Using Interactive Graphics DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Process Description Using Video Animation DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Instructions Using Video Demonstration DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Instructions Using Video Screen Capture DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Instructions Using a Combination of Video Demonstration and Screen Capture DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Definition Using Video Animation Writing Manuals WRITER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES CASE 20: Choosing a Medium for Presenting Instructions Chapter 21 Making Oral Presentations Understanding the Role of Oral Presentations Understanding the Process of Preparing and Delivering an Oral Presentation Preparing the Presentation ANALYZING THE SPEAKING SITUATION Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Budgeting Your Time ORGANIZING AND DEVELOPING THE PRESENTATION Planning the Introduction Planning the Conclusion GUIDELINES: Introducing the Presentation GUIDELINES: Concluding the Presentation PREPARING PRESENTATION GRAPHICS Characteristics of an Effective Slide Graphics and the Speaking Situation Graphics To Signal the Organization of a Presentation TUTORIAL: Creating Presentations with PowerPoint and Prezi TUTORIAL: Audio Rrecording and Editing with Audacity TECH TIP: How To Create a Master Page Design in PowerPoint TECH TIP: How To Set List Items To Appear and Dim During a Presentation CHOOSING EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE Using Language To Signal Advance Organizers, Summaries, and Transitions Using Memorable Language DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Integrating Graphics and Text on a Presentation Slide GUIDELINES: Using Memorable Language in Oral Presentations REHEARSING THE PRESENTATION Rehearsing the Extemporaneous Presentation Rehearsing the Scripted Presentation Delivering the Presentation CALMING YOUR NERVES GUIDELINES: Releasing Nervous Energy USING YOUR VOICE EFFECTIVELY USING YOUR BODY EFFECTIVELY GUIDELINES: Facing an Audience Answering Questions After a Presentation ETHICS NOTE: Answering Questions Honestly Sample Evaluation Form DOWNLOADABLE FORM: Oral Presentation Evaluation Honestly SPEAKER'S CHECKLIST EXERCISES CASE 21: Understanding the Claim-and-Support Structure for Presentation Graphics Appendix: Reference Handbook Part A: Skimming Your Sources and Taking Notes Paraphrasing Quoting Summarizing Part B: Documenting Your Sources APA Style TUTORIAL: How to Cite a Database in APA Style TUTORIAL: How to Cite a Website in APA Style IEEE Style MLA Style TUTORIAL: How to Cite a Book in MLA Style TUTORIAL: How to Cite a Article in MLA Style TUTORIAL: How to Cite a Website in MLA Style TUTORIAL: How to Cite a Database in MLA Style Part C: Editing and Proofreading Your Documents Punctuation Mechanics Proofreading Symbols and Their Meanings Part D: Guidelines for Multilingual Writers (ESL) Cultural and Stylistic Communication Issues Sentence-Level Issues LEARNINGCURVE: Articles and Nouns for Multilingual Writers LEARNINGCURVE: Prepositions for Multilingual Writers LEARNINGCURVE: Sentence Structure for Multilingual Writers LEARNINGCURVE: Verbs for Multilingual Writers Selected Bibliography References Index Index of Selected Features Inside Back Cover Back Cover