CH 7 - Technical Descriptions and Specifications Flashcards
What are the 5 types of technical descriptions?
Technical descriptions - Describe products for patents, quality control and sales (manufacturers)
Specifications - engineering detail including features, dimensions, power requirements, etc.
Patents - detailed technical description of an invention
Field notes - describes people, animals, and places (naturalists, anthropologists, sociologists, etc.)
Observations - accurately describe observations to be able to measure changes (scientists and medical personnel)
Define Specifications
used to establish a standard and exact set of requirements for a product or service
engineering detail including features, dimensions, power requirements, etc.
What are the steps to write a technical description or specification?
1) Make a plan and do research
2) Partition your subject into major and minor parts
3) Organize and draft technical description
4) Choose style, design, and medium
What’s the purpose of the Make a Plan and Do Research step of writing a technical description?
Identifying what kinds of information your readers need to know, how they will use that information, and the contexts in which they will use it.
What tasks are accomplished in Planning to write a technical description?
Define Subject, Purpose, Readers, and Context
How long should your Purpose statement be in the planning step for writing a technical description?
One sentence - if goes beyond that, you need to get more specific about what you are trying to achieve.
What are the five basic features of a technical description?
Title Introduction Body Graphics Conclusion (if needed)
What’s the purpose of an Introduction to a technical description?
Set context for the body.
What comprises the Introduction to a technical description? (usually in one paragraph)
Definition of subject Purpose statement Main point Importance of subject Overall description List of major parts
What comprises the body of a technical description?
Major Parts that partition the subject into its features, functions or stages
- Definition and purpose of part
- Description of minor parts
What typically comprises the conclusion of a technical description?
Importance of subject
Future of subject
One operating cycle
What do ISO 9000 standards involve?
Quality Management Systems
What do ISO 14000 standards involve?
Environmental management systems
What two ISO standards are often required to be adhered to for technical descriptions by high-tech companies and the US Government?
ISO 9000 and ISO 14000
Name seven strategies for researching technical descriptions.
Do background research (but don't plagiarize) Use your senses Take measurements Describe motion and change Describe context Create or locate graphics Ask subject matter experts
What are the three ways to partition/divide a subject?
By features
By functions
By stages of its process
How does Logical Mapping help breakdown a subject into major and minor parts?
Put name of subject in middle
Write 2-5 major parts in circles around it
Write 2-5 minor parts for each major part
What does the title of a technical description need to convey?
the purpose of the document - it should clearly distinguish your document as a technical description.
What are four techniques to add vivid details to technical descriptions?
Use senses - look, feel, smell, taste, sound
Similes - simple comparison (a is like b)
Analogies - complex comparison (a is to b as c is to d)
Metaphors - equates two different things (a heart is a pump)
What style are technical descriptions usually written in?
Plain style
- Use simple words and limit jargon
- Focus on details and cut extras
- Keep sentences short, within a breath
- Remove adverbs
- Use senses to add vibrancy (adjectives)
What page layout (design) be chosen for technical descriptions?
Existing corporate requirements for context of use, or
- use 2-3 columns to incorporate images
- list any minor parts in bulleted lists
- add sidebar that draws attention to important items
- use headings for organization
- put measurements in tables
Name five guidelines for using graphics in a technical description or specification.
Use title and figure number if possible
Refer to graphic by number in text
Include caption that explains what graphics show
Label specific features in graphic
Place on page where referenced or soon afterward
What are the three parts of a basic, or sentence, definition?
Term being defined
Category in which the term belongs
Distinguishing features that differentiate it
What are seven ways to provide an extended technical definition, which follows the sentence definition?
Word history and etymology Use examples Negation - what it isn't Division into parts Similarities and differences Analogy Graphics
What are technical descriptions and specifications used for?
Describe objects, places, phenomena, and processes.
