Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Outline
In this unit we will discuss the seven recommendations for
good writing:
Follow specifications Get to the point
Be accurate
Be logical Make your ideas accessible
Use lists
Format your pages carefully
Follow Specifications
Before writing, you should be aware of any specifications
your document must meet. This usually applies for project reports, technical papers, proposals, theses, and even memos. Various document specifications exist:
Such specifications may require the inclusion of sections
addressing certain topics. A word limit is often placed on the length of the document or its sections.
Follow specifications
Many documents have specifications for headings, spacing,
Example: Each proposal shall consist of not more than five single spaced pages plus a cover page, a budget page, a summary page of no more than 300 words. All text shall be printed with Times New Romans font of 12pt. size on A-4 paper with margins of 2.5 cm on all sides.
misunderstandings. State the most important information at the beginning. Before reading the details, people need to know your key points, findings, conclusions or recommendations.
Be accurate
Make sure that:
All the technical details are correct. All numbers, definitions and equations are correct. All references to pages, charts, tables or appendices are correct. All your references are cited correctly.
opinions.Your opinions should be presented as such until adequate evidence is provided to verify them.
Be accurate
Example: Fact: Diesel particulate filters have been proven to have a filtration efficiency of over 91% under normal driving conditions for particulates in the range of 0.1 1.0 m. Opinion: Diesel particulate filters are the most effective tool available today for eliminating particulate emissions.
Be logical
You must organise your material so that each idea, point, and
section is clearly and logically laid out within an appropriate overall pattern.
If there are a number of points that need to presented, start
Be logical
The document may need to be arranged on the basis of:
Sequential order, such as in a progress report,
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Paragraph length
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stand out.
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Use lists
In many cases, a well organised list is the most efficient
way to communicate information. This becomes particularly significant in presenting steps in a procedure, reasons for a decision, items to be consideredetc. A numbered list is preferred when the data follows a certain order, or if there is an order of importance. Bulleted lists are also common when items in the list are in no specific order.
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lists.
Leave a blank line before and after every equation in the text.
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document.
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