Course Description
Technical writing involves making many decisions, and choosing a style guide may be one of them. Sometimes, this will be decided by a client or the company you’re working with, but you could have to choose for yourself which guide to follow. For these reasons, we’ll learn more about common style guides here. It’s also important to note that technical writing encompasses many genres, but some are more common than others. By the end of this module, you’ll understand the practices that will make your technical writing fit the genre and stylistic expectations appropriate to the field and to your end users.
In these lessons on Technical Writing Style Guides and Common Genres, you’ll learn about some of the most common technical writing genres, including reports and white papers. You’ll also review how to write instructions, definitions, and descriptions. In addition, you’ll hear about some of the most common style guides, which help decide issues of style, formatting, and citations.
What You'll Learn
- Distinguish between common technical writing genres, including reports and white papers
- Choose an appropriate style guide when one is not decided by a client or company
- Write instructions, definitions, and descriptions for technical documents
- Apply common style guides to resolve issues of style, formatting, and citations
- Match your technical writing to the genre and stylistic expectations of your field and end users
Key Takeaways
- Choosing a style guide is one of the many decisions involved in technical writing, and it may be made by a client, the company, or the writer.
- Technical writing encompasses many genres, with reports and white papers among the most common.
- Style guides help decide issues of style, formatting, and citations.
- Understanding genre and stylistic expectations helps technical writing fit the field and its end users.
Frequently Asked Questions
What topics does this course cover?
It covers common technical writing genres, including reports and white papers, how to write instructions, definitions, and descriptions, and some of the most common style guides that help decide issues of style, formatting, and citations.
What will I be able to do after completing this course?
You'll be able to distinguish between common technical writing genres and understand the most common technical writing style guides, applying practices that make your writing fit the genre and stylistic expectations appropriate to your field and end users.
Why does the course focus on style guides?
Because choosing a style guide is one of the decisions in technical writing — sometimes decided by a client or company, but sometimes left to you — so the course helps you learn about common style guides and how they address style, formatting, and citations.
What lessons are included?
The lessons are Introduction, Choosing a Style Guide, Definitions and Descriptions, Instructions, Reports and White Papers, and Test Your Knowledge.
What skills does this course help develop?
It helps develop skills in technical writing, technical communication, professional writing, structured writing, style guides, and common technical documents.
