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Engineering writing by design : creating formal documents of lasting value

Author

Rothwell, Edward J.

Title

Engineering writing by design : creating formal documents of lasting value / Edward J. Rothwell, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA, Michael J. Cloud, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan, USA.

Format

Book

Published

Boca Raton : CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, [2014]

Description

xi, 187 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Other contributors

Cloud, Michael J.

Notes

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

• Machine generated contents note: 1.Introduction
• 1.1.Why Bother?
• 1.2.Think, Then Write, Like an Engineer
• 1.3.Quick Review of Some Design Concepts
• 1.4.Chapter Recap
• 1.5.Exercises
• 2.Clearly Understand the Goal
• 2.1.What Is the Goal?
• 2.2.How the Information Resides in Your Mind
• 2.3.Your Audience
• 2.4.Other Aspects of Situational Awareness
• 2.5.If Persuasion Is Part of the Picture
• 2.6.Chapter Recap
• 2.7.Exercises
• 3.Mindset for Technical Writing
• 3.1.See Rules as Helpful Tools
• 3.2.Think Clearly Before Starting-to Write
• 3.3.Again, Keep Your Reader in View!
• 3.4.Getting Started with a Mind Map
• 3.5.Chapter Recap
• 3.6.Exercises
• 4.Avoid the Worst Thinking Traps
• 4.1.Claims vs. Facts
• 4.2.Logical Fallacies
• 4.3.Additional Checks on Correctness
• 4.4.Other Ways to Be Careful
• 4.5.Chapter Recap
• 4.6.Exercises
• 5.Some Points of Grammar and Style
• 5.1.Rules and Suggestions
• 5.2.Chapter Recap
• 5.3.Exercises
• 6.Keep Your Reader in Mind
• 6.1.More Rules and Suggestions
• 6.2.Chapter Recap
• 6.3.Exercises
• 7.Write Your Math Well
• 7.1.What's Wrong with My Math?
• 7.2.Getting Started
• 7.3.Writing Math Well
• 7.4.The Value of Abstraction
• 7.5.Chapter Recap
• 7.6.Exercises.

Summary

"Preface In Walden, Henry Thoreau asserts that "Books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written." Given the serious and highly technical nature of formal engineering writing, any reader of such writing would be wise to follow Thoreau's advice. The purpose of the present book, however, is to speak to the engineering writer. Our basic premise is that engineering material should be written as deliberately and carefully as it will be read. Engineers are smart people and their work is important. Their writing should not be inaccurate, vague, ambiguous, or otherwise opaque. To a great extent, modern engineering is an extension of science and mathematics and is therefore amenable to clear and logical exposition. Some aspects of engineering remain more art than science, to be sure. We would argue, however, that in such cases it is especially important for engineers to write precisely, as readers will be in less of a position to close expository gaps through deductive reasoning. In other words, clear description is just as important in technical writing as clear argumentation. Technical subjects can make for difficult reading as it is. A reader should not have to go over a passage again and again, finally being forced to guess whether the writer was attempting to motivate a viewpoint, describe something that already exists, describe something that could conceivably exist, draw a conclusion from known facts, persuade, or something else. Yet, a writer who approaches the writing task carelessly, by simply accumulating a pile of words and equations, may produce just that sort of confusion"-- Provided by publisher.

Subject headings

Technical writing.

ISBN

9781482234312 (paperback : acid-free paper) 1482234319 (paperback : acid-free paper)