technical writing essay about yourself

Technical Writing 202c

August 26, 2015
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Let Me Introduce Myself

Hello, my name is Erik Reiker, and I am a sophomore at Penn State University, attending the York Campus. I am currently registered as an undecided student, but will declare as a civil engineering major at the beginning of my fourth semester. I am especially interested in the heavily influence of math and science involved in an engineering career.

Falkirk Wheel; a rotating boat lift, created by civil engineers.

With an academic plan focused on engineering, I am enrolled in many math and science courses, where I write almost solely using technical writing. Examples of these courses are Engineering Design, Chemistry, and of course Physics. To be successful in these courses, I have to write out projects and weekly lab reports.

My experience with non-technical writing is centered mostly around my classes not directly aligned with my major, like English, Public speaking, Health, etc. The writing typically present in these courses are described as essay writing.

As a civil engineer, I will need to use technical writing to document the progression of projects, and to create project descriptions for potential customers.

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Technical Writing for Beginners – An A-Z Guide to Tech Blogging Basics

If you love writing and technology, technical writing could be a suitable career for you. It's also something else you can do if you love tech but don’t really fancy coding all day long.

Technical writing might also be for you if you love learning by teaching others, contributing to open source projects and teaching others how to do so, too, or basically enjoy explaining complex concepts in simple ways through your writing.

Let's dive into the fundamentals and learn about what you should know and consider when getting started with technical writing.

In this article, we’ll be looking at:

What Technical writing is

Benefits of Technical Writing

Necessary skills to have as a Technical Writer

The Technical Writing Process

Platforms for publishing your articles

Technical Writing Courses

Technical Writing forums and communities
Some amazing technical writers to follow
Final Words and references

What is Technical Writing?

Technical writing is the art of providing detail-oriented instruction to help users understand a specific skill or product.

And a technical writer is someone who writes these instructions, otherwise known as technical documentation or tutorials. This could include user manuals, online support articles, or internal docs for coders/API developers.

A technical writer communicates in a way that presents technical information so that the reader can use that information for an intended purpose.

Technical writers are lifelong learners. Since the job involves communicating complex concepts in simple and straightforward terms, you must be well-versed in the field you're writing about. Or be willing to learn about it.

This is great, because with each new technical document you research and write, you will become an expert on that subject.

Technical writing also gives you a better sense of user empathy. It helps you pay more attention to what the readers or users of a product feel rather than what you think.

You can also make money as a technical writer by contributing to organizations. Here are some organizations that pay you to write for them , like Smashing Magazine , AuthO , Twilio , and Stack Overflow .

In addition to all this, you can contribute to Open Source communities and participate in paid open source programs like Google Season of Docs and Outreachy .

You can also take up technical writing as a full time profession – lots of companies need someone with those skills.

Necessary Skills to Have as a Technical Writer

Understand the use of proper english.

Before you consider writing, it is necessary to have a good grasp of English, its tenses, spellings and basic grammar. Your readers don't want to read an article riddled with incorrect grammar and poor word choices.

Know how to explain things clearly and simply

Knowing how to implement a feature doesn't necessarily mean you can clearly communicate the process to others.

In order to be a good teacher, you have to be empathetic, with the ability to teach or describe terms in ways suitable for your intended audience.

If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself. Albert Einstein

Possess some writing skills‌‌

I believe that writers are made, not born. And you can only learn how to write by actually writing.

You might never know you have it in you to write until you put pen to paper. And there's only one way to know if you have some writing skills, and that's by writing.

So I encourage you to start writing today. You can choose to start with any of the platforms I listed in this section to stretch your writing muscles.

And of course, it is also a huge benefit to have some experience in a technical field.

Analyze and Understand who your Readers are

The biggest factor to consider when you're writing a technical article is your intended/expected audience. It should always be at the forefront of your mind.

A good technical writer writes based on the reader’s context. As an example , let's say you're writing an article targeted at beginners. It is important not to assume that they already know certain concepts.

You can start out your article by outlining any necessary prerequisites. This will make sure that your readers have (or can acquire) the knowledge they need before diving right into your article.

You can also include links to useful resources so your readers can get the information they need with just a click.

In order to know for whom you are writing, you have to gather as much information as possible about who will use the document.

It is important to know if your audience has expertise in the field, if the topic is totally new to them, or if they fall somewhere in between.

Your readers will also have their own expectations and needs. You must determine what the reader is looking for when they begin to read the document and what they'll get out of it.

To understand your reader, ask yourself the following questions before you start writing:

Who are my readers?
What do they need?
Where will they be reading?
When will they be reading?
Why will they be reading?
How will they be reading?

These questions also help you think about your reader's experience while reading your writing, which we'll talk about more now.

Think About User Experience

User experience is just as important in a technical document as it is anywhere on the web.

Now that you know your audience and their needs, keep in mind how the document itself services their needs. It’s so easy to ignore how the reader will actually use the document.

As you write, continuously step back and view the document as if you're the reader. Ask yourself: Is it accessible? How will your readers be using it? When will they be using it? Is it easy to navigate?

The goal is to write a document that is both useful to and useable by your readers.

Plan Your Document

Bearing in mind who your users are, you can then conceptualize and plan out your document.

This process includes a number of steps, which we'll go over now.

Conduct thorough research about the topic

While planning out your document, you have to research the topic you're writing about. There are tons of resources only a Google search away for you to consume and get deeper insights from.

Don't be tempted to lift off other people's works or articles and pass it off as your own, as this is plagiarism. Rather, use these resources as references and ideas for your work.

Google as much as possible, get facts and figures from research journals, books or news, and gather as much information as you can about your topic. Then you can start making an outline.

Make an outline

Outlining the content of your document before expanding on it helps you write in a more focused way. It also lets you organize your thoughts and achieving your goals for your writing.

An outline can also help you identify what you want your readers to get out of the document. And finally, it establishes a timeline for completing your writing.

Get relevant graphics/images

Having an outline is very helpful in identifying the various virtual aids (infographics, gifs, videos, tweets) you'll need to embed in different sections of your document.

And it'll make your writing process much easier if you keep these relevant graphics handy.

Write in the Correct Style

Finally, you can start to write! If you've completed all these steps, writing should become a lot easier. But you still need to make sure your writing style is suitable for a technical document.

The writing needs to be accessible, direct, and professional. Flowery or emotional text is not welcome in a technical document. To help you maintain this style, here are some key characteristics you should cultivate.

Use Active Voice

It's a good idea to use active voices in your articles, as it is easier to read and understand than the passive voice.

Active voice means that the subject of the sentence is the one actively performing the action of the verb. Passive voice means that a subject is the recipient of a verb's action .

Here's an example of passive voice : The documentation should be read six times a year by every web developer.

And here's an example of active voice : Every web developer should read this documentation 6 times a year.

Choose Your Words Carefully

Word choice is important. Make sure you use the best word for the context. Avoid overusing pronouns such as ‘it’ and ‘this’ as the reader may have difficulty identifying which nouns they refer to.

Also avoid slang and vulgar language – remember you're writing for a wider audience whose disposition and cultural inclinations could differ from yours.

Avoid Excessive Jargon

If you’re an expert in your field, it can be easy to use jargon you're familiar with without realizing that it may be confusing to other readers.

You should also avoid using acronyms you haven't previously explained.

Here's an Example :

Less clear: PWAs are truly considered the future of multi-platform development. Their availability on both Android and iOS makes them the app of the future.

Improved: Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) are truly the future of multi-platform development. Their availability on both Android and iOS makes PWAs the app of the future.

Use Plain Language

Use fewer words and write in a way so that any reader can understand the text.‌‌ Avoid big lengthy words. Always try to explain concepts and terms in the clearest way possible.

Visual Formatting

A wall of text is difficult to read. Even the clearest instructions can be lost in a document that has poor visual representation.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This rings true even in technical writing.

But not just any image is worthy of a technical document. Technical information can be difficult to convey in text alone. A well-placed image or diagram can clarify your explanation.

People also love visuals, so it helps to insert them at the right spots. Consider the images below:

First, here's a blog snippet without visuals:

Here's a snippet of same blog, but with visuals:

Adding images to your articles makes the content more relatable and easier to understand. In addition to images, you can also use gifs, emoji, embeds (social media, code) and code snippets where necessary.

Thoughtful formatting, templates, and images or diagrams will also make your text more helpful to your readers. You can check out the references below for a technical writing template from @Bolajiayodeji.

Do a Careful Review

Good writing of any type must be free from spelling and grammatical errors. These errors might seem obvious, but it's not always easy to spot them (especially in lengthy documents).

Always double-check your spelling (you know, dot your Is and cross your Ts) before hitting 'publish'.

There are a number of free tools like Grammarly and the Hemingway app that you can use to check for grammar and spelling errors. You can also share a draft of your article with someone to proofread before publishing.

Where to Publish Your Articles

Now that you've decided to take up technical writing, here are some good platforms where you can start putting up technical content for free. They can also help you build an appealing portfolio for future employers to check out.

Dev.to is a community of thousands of techies where both writers and readers get to meaningfully engage and share ideas and resources.

Hashnode is my go-to blogging platform with awesome perks such as custom domain mapping and an interactive community. Setting up a blog on this platform is also easy and fast.

freeCodeCamp has a very large community and audience reach and is a great place to publish your articles. However, you'll need to apply to write for their publication with some previous writing samples.

Your application could either be accepted or rejected, but don't be discouraged. You can always reapply later as you get better, and who knows? You could get accepted.

If you do write for them, they'll review and edit your articles before publishing, to make sure you publish the most polished article possible. They'll also share your articles on their social media platforms to help more people read them.

Hackernoon has over 7,000 writers and could be a great platform for you to start publishing your articles to the over 200,000 daily readers in the community.

Hacker Noon supports writers by proofreading their articles before publishing them on the platform, helping them avoid common mistakes.

Just like in every other field, there are various processes, rules, best practices, and so on in Technical Writing.

Taking a course on technical writing will help guide you through every thing you need to learn and can also give you a major confidence boost to kick start your writing journey.

Here are some technical writing courses you can check out:

Google Technical Writing Course (Free)
Udemy Technical Writing Course (Paid)
Hashnode Technical Writing Bootcamp (Free)

Technical Writing Forums and Communities

Alone we can do so little, together, we can do so much ~ Helen Keller

Being part of a community or forum along with people who share same passion as you is beneficial. You can get feedback, corrections, tips and even learn some style tips from other writers in the community.

Here are some communities and forums for you to join:

Technical Writing World
Technical Writer Forum
Write the Docs Forum

Some Amazing Technical Writers to follow

In my technical writing journey, I've come and followed some great technical writers whose writing journey, consistency, and style inspire me.

These are the writers whom I look up to and consider virtual mentors on technical writing. Sometimes, they drop technical writing tips that I find helpful and have learned a lot from.

Here are some of those writers (hyperlinked with their twitter handles):

Quincy Larson
Edidiong Asikpo
Catalin Pit
Victoria Lo
Bolaji Ayodeji
Amruta Ranade
Chris Bongers
Colby Fayock

Final words

You do not need a degree in technical writing to start putting out technical content. You can start writing on your personal blog and public GitHub repositories while building your portfolio and gaining practical experience.

Really – Just Start Writing.

Practice by creating new documents for existing programs or projects. There are a number of open source projects on GitHub that you can check out and add to their documentation.

Is there an app that you love to use, but its documentation is poorly written? Write your own and share it online for feedback. You can also quickly set up your blog on hashnode and start writing.

You learn to write by writing, and by reading and thinking about how writers have created their characters and invented their stories. If you are not a reader, don't even think about being a writer. - Jean M. Auel

Technical writers are always learning . By diving into new subject areas and receiving external feedback, a good writer never stops honing their craft.

Of course, good writers are also voracious readers. By reviewing highly-read or highly-used documents, your own writing will definitely improve.

Can't wait to see your technical articles!

Introduction to Technical Writing ‌‌

How to structure a technical article ‌‌

Understanding your audience, the why and how

‌‌ Technical Writing template

I hope this was helpful. If so, follow me on Twitter and let me know!

Amarachi is a front end web developer, technical writer and educator who is interested in building developer communities.

If you read this far, thank the author to show them you care. Say Thanks

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8 Technical Writing Examples to Inspire You

Become a Certified Technical Writer

As a technical writer, you may end up being confused about your job description because each industry and organization can have varying duties for you. At times, they may ask for something you’ve never written before. In that case, you can consider checking out some technical writing examples to get you started.

If you’re beginning your technical writing career, it’s advisable to go over several technical writing examples to make sure you get the hang of it. You don’t necessarily have to take a gander over at industry-specific examples; you can get the general idea in any case.

This article will go over what technical writing is and some of the common technical writing examples to get you started. If you’re looking to see some examples via video, watch below. Otherwise, skip ahead.

If you’re looking to learn via video, watch below. Otherwise, skip ahead.

Let’s start by covering what technical writing is .

What Exactly is Technical Writing?

Technical writing is all about easily digestible content regarding a specialized product or service for the public. Technical writers have to translate complex technical information into useful and easy-to-understand language.

There are many examples of technical writing, such as preparing instruction manuals and writing complete guides. In some cases, technical writing includes preparing research journals, writing support documents, and other technical documentation.

The idea is to help the final user understand any technical aspects of the product or service.

In other cases, technical writing means that the writer needs to know something. For example, pharmaceutical companies may hire medical writers to write their content since they have the required knowledge.

If you’re interested in learning more about these technical writing skills, then check out our Technical Writing Certification Course.

8 Technical Writing Examples to Get You Started

As a technical writer, you may have to learn new things continually, increase your knowledge, and work with new forms of content. While you may not have experience with all forms of technical writing, it’s crucial to understand how to do it.

If you learn all the intricacies of technical writing and technical documents, you can practically work with any form of content, given that you know the format.

Therefore, the following examples of technical writing should be sufficient for you to get an idea. The different types of technical writing have unique characteristics that you can easily learn and master effectively.

1. User Manuals

User manuals or instruction manuals come with various products, such as consumer electronics like televisions, consoles, cellphones, kitchen appliances, and more. The user manual serves as a complete guide on how to use the product, maintain it, clean it, and more. All technical manuals, including user manuals, have to be highly user-friendly. The technical writer has to write a manual to even someone with zero experience can use the product. Therefore, the target audience of user manuals is complete novices, amateurs, and people using the product/s for the first time.

Traditionally, user manuals have had text and diagrams to help users understand. However, user manuals have photographs, numbered diagrams, disclaimers, flow charts, sequenced instructions, warranty information, troubleshooting guides, and contact information in recent times.

Technical writers have to work with engineers, programmers, and product designers to ensure they don’t miss anything. The writer also anticipates potential issues ordinary users may have by first using the product. That helps them develop a first-hand experience and, ultimately, develop better user manuals.

The point of the user manual isn’t to predict every possible issue or problem. Most issues are unpredictable and are better handled by the customer support or help desk. User manuals are there to address direct and common issues at most.

You can check out some user manual examples and templates here . You can download them in PDF and edit them to develop an idea about how you can write a custom user manual for your product.

2. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

Standard operating procedures are complete processes for each organization’s various tasks to ensure smoother operations. SOPs help make each process more efficient, time-saving, and less costly.

An SOP document can include:

Everything from the method of processing payroll.
Hiring employees.
Calculating vacation time to manufacturing guidelines.

In any case, SOPs ensure that each person in an organization works in unison and uniformly to maintain quality.

SOPs help eliminate irregularities, favoritism, and other human errors if used correctly. Lastly, SOPs make sure employees can take the responsibilities of an absent employee, so there’s no lag in work.

Therefore, developing SOPs requires a complete study of how an organization works and its processes.

Here are some examples of standard operating procedures you can study. You can edit the samples directly or develop your own while taking inspiration from them.

3. Case Studies & White Papers

Case studies and white papers are a way of demonstrating one’s expertise in an area. Case studies delve into a specific instance or project and have takeaways proving or disproving something. White papers delve into addressing any industry-specific challenge, issue, or problem.

Both case studies and white papers are used to get more business and leads by organizations.

Technical writers who write white papers and case studies need to be experts in the industry and the project itself. It’s best if the technical writer has prior experience in writing such white papers.

The writing style of white papers and case studies is unique, along with the formatting. Both documents are written for a specific target audience and require technical writing skills. Case studies are written in a passive voice, while white papers are written in an active voice. In any case, it’s crucial to maintain a certain level of knowledge to be able to pull it off.

You can check out multiple white paper examples here , along with various templates and guides. You can check out some examples here for case studies, along with complete templates.

4. API Documentation

API documentation includes instructions on effectively using and integrating with any API, such as web-API, software API, and SCPIs. API documentation contains details about classes, functions, arguments, and other information required to work with the API. It also includes examples and tutorials to help make integration easier.

In any case, API documentation helps clients understand how it works and how they can effectively implement API. In short, it helps businesses and people interact with the code more easily.

You can find a great example of proper API documentation in how Dropbox’s API documentation works. You can learn more about it here .

5. Press Releases

Press releases are formal documents issued by an organization or agency to share news or to make an announcement. The idea is to set a precedent for releasing any key piece of information in a follow-up press conference, news release, or on a social media channel.

The press release emphasizes why the information is important to the general public and customers. It’s a fact-based document and includes multiple direct quotes from major company stakeholders, such as the CEO.

Usually, press releases have a very specific writing process. Depending on the feasibility, they may have an executive summary or follow the universal press release format.

You can find several examples of press releases from major companies like Microsoft and Nestle here , along with some writing tips.

6. Company Documents

Company documents can include various internal documents and orientation manuals for new employees. These documents can contain different information depending on their use.

For example, orientation manuals include:

The company’s history.
Organizational chart.
List of services and products.
Map of the facility.
Dress codes.

It may also include employee rights, responsibilities, operation hours, rules, regulations, disciplinary processes, job descriptions, internal policies, safety procedures, educational opportunities, common forms, and more.

Writing company documents requires good technical writing skills and organizational knowledge. Such help files assist new employees in settling into the company and integrating more efficiently.

Here are some great examples of orientation manuals you can check out.

7. Annual Reports

Annual reports are yearly updates on a company’s performance and other financial information. Annual reports directly correspond with company stakeholders and serve as a transparency tool.

The annual reports can also be technical reports in some cases. However, mostly they include stock performance, financial information, new product information, and key developments.

Technical writers who develop annual reports must compile all the necessary information and present it in an attractive form. It’s crucial to use creative writing and excellent communication skills to ensure that the maximum amount of information appears clearly and completely.

If the company is technical, such as a robotics company, the technical writer needs to develop a technical communication method that’s easy to digest.

You can check out some annual report examples and templates here .

8. Business Plans

Every company starts with a complete business plan to develop a vision and secure funding. If a company is launching a new branch, it still needs to start with a business plan.

In any case, the business plan has a few predetermined sections. To develop the ideal business plan, include the following sections in it.

Executive Summary – includes the business concept, product, or service, along with the target market. It may also include information on key personnel, legal entity, founding date, location, and brief financial information.
Product or Service Description – includes what the offering is, what value it provides, and what stage of development it is in currently.
Team Members – includes all the information on the management team.
Competitor and Market Analysis – includes a detailed analysis of the target market and potential competitors.
Organizational System – includes information on how the organizational structure would work.
Schedules – include start dates, hiring dates, planning dates, and milestones.
Risks and Opportunities – include profit and loss predictions and projections.
Financial Planning – includes planned income statements, liquidity measures, projected balance sheet, and more.
Appendix – includes the organizational chart, resumes, patents, and more.

The technical writer needs to work closely with the company stakeholders to develop a complete business plan.

According to your industry, you can check out hundreds of business plan samples and examples here .

Becoming an Expert Technical Writer

Becoming an expert technical writer is all about focusing on your strengths. For example, you should try to focus on one to two industries or a specific form of technical writing. You can do various writing assignments and check out technical writing samples to understand what you’re good with.

You can also check out user guides and get online help in determining your industry. Once you’ve nailed down an industry and technical writing type, you can start to focus on becoming an expert in it.

In any case, it always helps to check out technical writing examples before starting any project. Try to check out examples of the same industry and from a similar company. Start your writing process once you have a complete idea of what you need to do.

Since technical writing involves dealing with complex information, the writer needs to have a solid base on the topic. That may require past experience, direct technical knowledge, or an ability to understand multiple pieces of information quickly and effectively.

In becoming a technical writer, you may have to work with various other people, such as software developers, software engineers, human resources professionals, product designers, and other subject matter experts.

While most organizations tend to hire writers with a history in their fields, others opt for individuals with great writing skills and team them up with their employees.

Technical writers may also work with customer service experts, product liability specialists, and user experience professionals to improve the end-user experience. In any case, they work closely with people to develop digestible content for the end customers.

Today, you can also find several technical writers online. There is an increasing demand for technical writing because of the insurgence of SaaS companies, e-commerce stores, and more.

In the end, technical writers need to have a strong grasp of proper grammar, terminology, the product, and images, graphics, sounds, or videos to explain documentation.

If you are new to technical writing and are looking to break-in, we recommend taking our Technical Writing Certification Course , where you will learn the fundamentals of being a technical writer, how to dominate technical writer interviews, and how to stand out as a technical writing candidate.

We offer a wide variety of programs and courses built on adaptive curriculum and led by leading industry experts.

Work on projects in a collaborative setting
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Get access to experts, templates, and exclusive events

Become a Certified Technical Writer. Professionals finish the training with a full understanding of how to guide technical writer projects using documentation foundations, how to lead writing teams, and more.

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7 best technical writing examples to improve your skills

Afoma Umesi

Gathercontent contributor, writer, 6 minute read.

Interviewed by:

Lead with Content

How to put content at the centre of digital transformation.

Padma Gillen

Digital Content Consultant

It’s no wonder that technical writing is a fast-growing field.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the employment of technical writers will grow up to 12% from 2020 to 2030–a pace that’s faster than the average for all occupations.

If you’re looking to improve your technical writing skills and break into the field but are unsure how to do it, this article will help.

We’ll show you what technical writing is, how to write a technical piece (step by step), and then share some of the best technical writing examples you’ll ever find.

What is technical writing?

Technical writing is any writing designed to explain complex, technical, and specialized information to audiences who may or may not be familiar with them . It is typically used in technical and occupational fields like engineering, robotics, computer hardware and software, medicine, finance, and consumer electronics.

Usually, technical writing falls into one of three categories depending on whom it’s written for:

Consumer-directed technical writing refers to technical content written for end-users or consumers. Good examples include user manuals, employee handbooks, standard operating procedures (SOP), software user documentation (help files), troubleshooting guides, and legal disclaimers .
Expert-to-expert technical writing is written chiefly for a knowledgeable audience. It includes scientific papers, medical case studies, annual business reports, and legal case reviews .
Technical marketing content is technical information presented in a digestible format to promote a product or service. Think marketing case studies, white papers, product brochures, press releases, and business plans and proposals .

Like most types of content , technical writing is complex and nuanced in its own way. Let’s break down the steps to writing technical content that appeals to your audience.

6 Steps to Writing a Technical Piece That People Actually Want to Read

Instruction manuals, assembly guides, and research papers, oh my . Technical writing can quickly turn into a snooze fest if not done correctly.

How do you create a technical piece that people want to read?

1. Identify Your Audience

Knowing your audience is super important, especially when writing technical content.

For example, the new dad learning to build his first crib may have a different level of medical knowledge (and sheer focus) than the experienced doctor reading a medical research paper.

When you have a clear idea of who you expect to read your piece, you can adjust your vocabulary, tone, and framing accordingly.

This allows you to meet your reader at their point of knowledge .

2. Dig Deep in Your Research

As a technical writer, you’ll be guiding your reader through entirely unfamiliar territory.

You might be explaining how a new electronic tool works, what to expect from their new workplace, or what happened before their firm took on a new legal case. It is essential that you fully understand your subject matter .

You can only teach what you know, and knowledge gaps show when you aren’t thorough in your research.

Place yourself in your readers’ shoes. Imagine you had zero knowledge of the topic at hand and ensure your research covers all potential questions that come to mind. ‍

💡 Tip : If you need help understanding your topic, work with subject matter experts. Here are three helpful resources for collaborating with SMEs:

How to create great content with busy Subject Matter Experts
How to collaborate with a Subject Matter Expert
How to get the content you need from subject matter experts

3. Create an Outline

We recommend creating an outline to give you a sense of what you need to cover in your piece. This can also help identify knowledge gaps as you conduct your research.

When you’re writing longer-form content like white papers or case studies, an outline can serve as a marker to remind you of what you need to include .

In lieu of an outline, you can use a template . Some technical writing, such as business plans, have industry-accepted formats, including sections like an executive summary and competitor analysis.

4. Focus on Readability

Technical writing is not creative writing—you're writing to teach, not inspire or entertain. When tackling complicated topics, using readable sentences can make your work more enjoyable to read .

On the other hand, if you’re verbose or use words that are hard to understand, you’ll only frustrate your reader. If you want to improve readability in technical content, try these tips:

Use simple language: Strive for shorter, direct sentences that are easy to follow, and avoid passive voice wherever possible.
Use subheadings: For longer-form content like user documentation, white papers, and research papers , adding subheadings can break up long text walls.
Add bolded sections and callouts: Bolding text and highlighting paragraphs or callouts for emphasis will make reading easier.
Hyperlinks and jump links: If you’re writing technical content for webpages, add hyperlinks to any material you reference and jump links to other sections of your piece for easier navigation.

5. Add Visuals

We’re all about the words and the writing, but visuals can make your technical writing easier to understand! In technical writing, adding visuals is less of a luxury and more of a necessity . Visuals such as flowcharts, screenshots, and illustrations can add a much-needed dose of cheer to text-heavy documents.

Whether you’re creating a user manual or annual report for stakeholders, everyone will be happier with product drawings showing the directions or a pie chart displaying the numbers.

6. Cut the Fluff

When you’ve got all the words on paper, it’s time to double-check the facts with collaborators . Don’t be afraid to cut unnecessary information during this writing phase.

How do you identify the fluff? Removing fluff doesn’t impact the readers’ understanding of your text. It could be a word, a sentence, a paragraph, or a step in the directions. Every word in your technical document should count.

7 of the Best Technical Writing Examples from Technical SMEs

With some help from a few technical content experts, we’ve chosen different forms of technical writing across various industries so you can see the skill in action.

Pipedrive’s Developer Documentation

pipedrive developer documentation - technical writing examples

Developer documentation is essential for technical communication, and Pipedrive does it well. This technical document is geared toward layman product users and must be easy to understand, even while providing complex information. Notice the use of jump links and the callout box on the page.

Outfunnel’s Head of Marketing, Katheriin Liibert says about Pipedrive’s technical writing,

Digimind Consumer Brand Footprint Ranking 2021 Report

Digimind white paper - technical writing examples

Digimind goes the extra mile with their visuals in this white paper/industry report . It’s eye-catching and information–all the while remaining thoroughly professional and readable. Being a B2B brand does not mean boring text-only marketing copy.

University of Wisconsin Onboarding Tool Kit

University of Wisconsin’s onboarding handbook - technical writing examples

This onboarding/employee handbook wins for being easy to read with short sentences and bullet points that improve readability. The human resources department also adds quick links to any relevant documents new employees need to download or fill out.

Cell Reports Medical Study

[Cell medical report - technical writing examples]

Yes, a medical research paper with pictures!

Dr. Sophia Milbourne , a stem cell biologist and freelance science communicator, appreciates that this paper is a “great summary of the subject matter.” More importantly, Milbourne mentions that

LG Refrigerator Manual

[LG user manual - technical writing examples]

This basic user manual from LG gives users an overview of their new product and helps them make the best use of it. (The diagram will come in handy when an online article tells you to adjust the control panel and you’re not sure which knob it is.)

Mashable India’s User Agreement

Mashable India legal user agreement - technical writing examples

This is an excellent example of a consumer-directed technical document. Mashable India’s user agreement is a technical legal document including their disclaimer, use license, and usage conditions.

Lawyer and content writer Ejike Umesi acknowledges that the company follows the numbered styling typical of these documents. He says,

Slack Help Center

The Slack Help Center is an excellent example of technical writing that speaks to the layman. Slack is known for its brilliant UX copywriting . Amruta Ranade, Staff Technical Writer for Airbyte, admires the company’s documentation writing style.

“Slack’s Help Center shows incredible user-awareness. The information displayed is contextual, concise, and complete–it helps the user accomplish their task without distracting them or sidetracking them with extraneous information.”

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With GatherContent, you can build templates for any content you create, including case studies! GatherContent also has helpful resources for helping you and your team prioritize user-led content .

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15 Tips for Writing a College Essay About Yourself

What’s covered:.

What is the Purpose of the College Essay?
How to Stand Out Without Showing Off
15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself
Where to Get Free Feedback on Your Essay

Most students who apply to top-tier colleges have exceptional grades, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities. How do admissions officers decide which applicants to choose among all these stellar students? One way is on the strength of their college essay .

This personal statement, along with other qualitative factors like teacher recommendations, helps the admissions committee see who you really are—the person behind the transcript. So, it’s obviously important to write a great one.

What Is the Purpose of the College Essay?

Your college essay helps you stand out in a pool of qualified candidates. If effective, it will also show the admissions committee more of your personality and allow them to get a sense of how you’ll fit in with and contribute to the student body and institution. Additionally, it will show the school that you can express yourself persuasively and clearly in writing, which is an important part of most careers, no matter where you end up.

Typically, students must submit a personal statement (usually the Common App essay ) along with school-specific supplements. Some students are surprised to learn that essays typically count for around 25% of your entire application at the top 250 schools. That’s an enormous chunk, especially considering that, unlike your transcript and extracurriculars, it isn’t an assessment of your entire high school career.

The purpose of the college essay is to paint a complete picture of yourself, showing admissions committees the person behind the grades and test scores. A strong college essay shows your unique experiences, personality, perspective, interests, and values—ultimately, what makes you unique. After all, people attend college, not their grades or test scores. The college essay also provides students with a considerable amount of agency in their application, empowering them to share their own stories.

How to Stand Out Without Showing Off

It’s important to strike a balance between exploring your achievements and demonstrating humility. Your aim should be to focus on the meaning behind the experience and how it changed your outlook, not the accomplishment itself.

Confidence without cockiness is the key here. Don’t simply catalog your achievements, there are other areas on your application to share them. Rather, mention your achievements when they’re critical to the story you’re telling. It’s helpful to think of achievements as compliments, not highlights, of your college essay.

Take this essay excerpt , for example:

My parents’ separation allowed me the space to explore my own strengths and interests as each of them became individually busier. As early as middle school, I was riding the light rail train by myself, reading maps to get myself home, and applying to special academic programs without urging from my parents. Even as I took more initiatives on my own, my parents both continued to see me as somewhat immature. All of that changed three years ago, when I applied and was accepted to the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco. I would be studying Arabic and learning my way around the city of Marrakesh. Although I think my parents were a little surprised when I told them my news, the addition of a fully-funded scholarship convinced them to let me go.

Instead of saying “ I received this scholarship and participated in this prestigious program, ” the author tells a story, demonstrating their growth and initiative through specific actions (riding the train alone, applying academic programs on her own, etc.)—effectively showing rather than telling.

15 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

1. start early .

Leave yourself plenty of time to write your college essay—it’s stressful enough to compose a compelling essay without putting yourself under a deadline. Starting early on your essay also leaves you time to edit and refine your work, have others read your work (for example, your parents or a teacher), and carefully proofread.

2. Choose a topic that’s meaningful to you

The foundation of a great essay is selecting a topic that has real meaning for you. If you’re passionate about the subject, the reader will feel it. Alternatively, choosing a topic you think the admissions committee is looking for, but isn’t all that important to you, won’t make for a compelling essay; it will be obvious that you’re not very invested in it.

3. Show your personality

One of the main points of your college essay is to convey your personality. Admissions officers will see your transcript and read about the awards you’ve won, but the essay will help them get to know you as a person. Make sure your personality is evident in each part—if you are a jokester, incorporate some humor. Your friends should be able to pick your essay from an anonymous pile, read it, and recognize it as yours. In that same vein, someone who doesn’t know you at all should feel like they understand your personality after reading your essay.

4. Write in your own voice

In order to bring authenticity to your essay, you’ll need to write in your own voice. Don’t be overly formal (but don’t be too casual, either). Remember: you want the reader to get to know the real you, not a version of you that comes across as overly stiff or stilted. You should feel free to use contractions, incorporate dialogue, and employ vocabulary that comes naturally to you.

5. Use specific examples

Real, concrete stories and examples will help your essay come to life. They’ll add color to your narrative and make it more compelling for the reader. The goal, after all, is to engage your audience—the admissions committee.

For example, instead of stating that you care about animals, you should tell us a story about how you took care of an injured stray cat.

Consider this side-by-side comparison:

Example 1: I care deeply about animals and even once rescued a stray cat. The cat had an injured leg, and I helped nurse it back to health.

Example 2: I lost many nights of sleep trying to nurse the stray cat back to health. Its leg infection was extremely painful, and it meowed in distress up until the wee hours of the morning. I didn’t mind it though; what mattered was that the cat regained its strength. So, I stayed awake to administer its medicine and soothe it with loving ear rubs.

The second example helps us visualize this situation and is more illustrative of the writer’s personality. Because she stayed awake to care for the cat, we can infer that she is a compassionate person who cares about animals. We don’t get the same depth with the first example.

6. Don’t be afraid to show off…

You should always put your best foot forward—the whole point of your essay is to market yourself to colleges. This isn’t the time to be shy about your accomplishments, skills, or qualities.

7. …While also maintaining humility

But don’t brag. Demonstrate humility when discussing your achievements. In the example above, for instance, the author discusses her accomplishments while noting that her parents thought of her as immature. This is a great way to show humility while still highlighting that she was able to prove her parents wrong.

8. Be vulnerable

Vulnerability goes hand in hand with humility and authenticity. Don’t shy away from exploring how your experience affected you and the feelings you experienced. This, too, will help your story come to life.

Here’s an excerpt from a Common App essay that demonstrates vulnerability and allows us to connect with the writer:

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain.

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

In this essay, the writer isn’t afraid to share his insecurities and feelings with us. He states that he had been “ appallingly ignorant ” of his brother’s pain, that he “ often felt out of step ” compared to his brother, and that he had felt “ more and more alone ” over time. These are all emotions that you may not necessarily share with someone you just met, but it’s exactly this vulnerability that makes the essay more raw and relatable.

9. Don’t lie or hyperbolize

This essay is about the authentic you. Lying or hyperbolizing to make yourself sound better will not only make your essay—and entire application—less genuine, but it will also weaken it. More than likely, it will be obvious that you’re exaggerating. Plus, if colleges later find out that you haven’t been truthful in any part of your application, it’s grounds for revoking your acceptance or even expulsion if you’ve already matriculated.

10. Avoid cliches

How the COVID-19 pandemic changed your life. A sports victory as a metaphor for your journey. How a pet death altered your entire outlook. Admissions officers have seen more essays on these topics than they can possibly count. Unless you have a truly unique angle, then it’s in your best interest to avoid them. Learn which topics are cliche and how to fix them .

11. Proofread

This is a critical step. Even a small error can break your essay, however amazing it is otherwise. Make sure you read it over carefully, and get another set of eyes (or two or three other sets of eyes), just in case.

12. Abstain from using AI

There are a handful of good reasons to avoid using artificial intelligence (AI) to write your college essay. Most importantly, it’s dishonest and likely to be not very good; AI-generated essays are generally formulaic, generic, and boring—everything you’re trying to avoid being. The purpose of the college essay is to share what makes you unique and highlight your personal experiences and perspectives, something that AI can’t capture.

13. Use parents as advisors, not editors

The voice of an adult is different from that of a high schooler and admissions committees are experts at spotting the writing of parents. Parents can play a valuable role in creating your college essay—advising, proofreading, and providing encouragement during those stressful moments. However, they should not write or edit your college essay with their words.

14. Have a hook

Admissions committees have a lot of essays to read and getting their attention is essential for standing out among a crowded field of applicants. A great hook captures your reader’s imagination and encourages them to keep reading your essay. Start strong, first impressions are everything!

15. Give them something to remember

The ending of your college essay is just as important as the beginning. Give your reader something to remember by composing an engaging and punchy paragraph or line—called a kicker in journalism—that ties everything you’ve written above together.

Where to Get Free Feedback on Your College Essay

Before you send off your application, make sure you get feedback from a trusted source on your essay. CollegeVine’s free peer essay review will give you the support you need to ensure you’ve effectively presented your personality and accomplishments. Our expert essay review pairs you with an advisor to help you refine your writing, submit your best work, and boost your chances of getting into your dream school. Find the right advisor for you and get started on honing a winning essay.

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Knowledge Base
College essay

How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay | Examples

Published on September 21, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability. Your essay shouldn’t just be a resume of your experiences; colleges are looking for a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.

To write about your achievements and qualities without sounding arrogant, use specific stories to illustrate them. You can also write about challenges you’ve faced or mistakes you’ve made to show vulnerability and personal growth.

Start with self-reflection, how to write about challenges and mistakes, how to write about your achievements and qualities, how to write about a cliché experience, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Before you start writing, spend some time reflecting to identify your values and qualities. You should do a comprehensive brainstorming session, but here are a few questions to get you started:

What are three words your friends or family would use to describe you, and why would they choose them?
Whom do you admire most and why?
What are the top five things you are thankful for?
What has inspired your hobbies or future goals?
What are you most proud of? Ashamed of?

As you self-reflect, consider how your values and goals reflect your prospective university’s program and culture, and brainstorm stories that demonstrate the fit between the two.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Writing about difficult experiences can be an effective way to show authenticity and create an emotional connection to the reader, but choose carefully which details to share, and aim to demonstrate how the experience helped you learn and grow.

Be vulnerable

It’s not necessary to have a tragic story or a huge confession. But you should openly share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to evoke an emotional response from the reader. Even a cliché or mundane topic can be made interesting with honest reflection. This honesty is a preface to self-reflection and insight in the essay’s conclusion.

Don’t overshare

With difficult topics, you shouldn’t focus too much on negative aspects. Instead, use your challenging circumstances as a brief introduction to how you responded positively.

Share what you have learned

It’s okay to include your failure or mistakes in your essay if you include a lesson learned. After telling a descriptive, honest story, you should explain what you learned and how you applied it to your life.

While it’s good to sell your strengths, you also don’t want to come across as arrogant. Instead of just stating your extracurricular activities, achievements, or personal qualities, aim to discreetly incorporate them into your story.

Brag indirectly

Mention your extracurricular activities or awards in passing, not outright, to avoid sounding like you’re bragging from a resume.

Use stories to prove your qualities

Even if you don’t have any impressive academic achievements or extracurriculars, you can still demonstrate your academic or personal character. But you should use personal examples to provide proof. In other words, show evidence of your character instead of just telling.

Many high school students write about common topics such as sports, volunteer work, or their family. Your essay topic doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, but do try to include unexpected personal details and your authentic voice to make your essay stand out .

To find an original angle, try these techniques:

Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses.
Mention objects that have special significance to you.
Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight.

Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality. When read out loud, the essay should sound like you are talking.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

Writing process
Transition words
Passive voice
Paraphrasing

Communication

How to end an email
Ms, mrs, miss
How to start an email
I hope this email finds you well
Hope you are doing well

Parts of speech

Personal pronouns
Conjunctions

First, spend time reflecting on your core values and character . You can start with these questions:

However, you should do a comprehensive brainstorming session to fully understand your values. Also consider how your values and goals match your prospective university’s program and culture. Then, brainstorm stories that illustrate the fit between the two.

When writing about yourself , including difficult experiences or failures can be a great way to show vulnerability and authenticity, but be careful not to overshare, and focus on showing how you matured from the experience.

Through specific stories, you can weave your achievements and qualities into your essay so that it doesn’t seem like you’re bragging from a resume.

Include specific, personal details and use your authentic voice to shed a new perspective on a common human experience.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Courault, K. (2023, May 31). How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay | Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/write-about-yourself/

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Writing Essays

Dawn Atkinson

The current chapter focuses on essays , pieces of persuasive writing developed around defined topics. This genre’s persuasiveness rests in large part on its logical structure, inclusion of quality evidentiary support, and consistent design, as explained herein; hence, essay writing calls for planning, researching, synthesizing, and revising. Although essays are generally considered a form of academic rather than technical writing, the division is not absolute, and the prevalence of essay assignments in both writing and other university-level courses merits our focus on them here.

While reading this chapter, keep in mind that college essays typically require use of a formal writing style, although the specifics may vary depending on the particular assignment and area of study. For an overview of formal writing guidelines, see the George Mason University Writing Center’s (2017) handout entitled “Reducing Informality in Academic Writing” ( https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/guides/reducing-informality-in-academic-writing ).

Essays can be divided into two broad types: expository and argumentative essays. To define these categories using information adapted from Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University (2018b, para. 13), expository essays explain—they teach, illustrate, or clarify a subject for a reader—while argumentative essays make claims and seek to convince a reader to accept a position or point of view.

Focusing an Essay

For an essay topic to be manageable, its focus must be narrow enough so that it can be addressed adequately within the word or page count available; however, the topic should not be so narrow so as to impede your research efforts. When deciding on a topic, conduct initial research using library or internet resources to get a sense of current scholarship in the area, as well as points of agreement and contention, which may lead you to a focused direction for research. To pinpoint your particular interest in a topic, you might also consider using listing, mind mapping, outlining, freewriting, looping, or questioning, the brainstorming strategies described in the “Maintaining a Productive Writing Schedule” chapter of this textbook. Talking with your instructor or a librarian about a topic may also help you decide a paper’s focus.

What other methods could you use to narrow the focus of an essay?

Figure 1, a multi-page handout adapted from the Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo (n.d.a, pp. 2-3), illustrates the process of narrowing an essay topic.

Developing and Narrowing a Topic

Develop and Narrow a Topic

A well-written paper depends on a strong topic that is focused and specific. To get there, you need to develop some topic ideas, choose the best one, and narrow that topic further.

Developing A Topic

Researching your subject, brainstorming ideas, and sharing your ideas with others are three steps that can help you develop a strong topic.

Do your research

Doing preliminary research will help you to discover what people who work on the topic are interested in or concerned about.

There are countless ways to brainstorm ideas for a topic; below are three common approaches.

Freewriting: Jot down ideas without revising or proofreading
Questioning: Write down questions you have about your topic without revising or proofreading
Mapping: Starting with a main topic, write down subtopics that come to mind, drawing links that show how the different subtopics relate.

Talk about your ideas

Talking to others helps you to understand your ideas from a reader’s perspective. It can help you refine the topic or even move in a new direction.

Narrowing Your Topic

Narrowing your topic makes your work more manageable and your paper more likely to succeed. A good paper takes a smaller portion of a larger issue or problem and investigates that part in depth. Narrowing your topic allows you to choose a problem that is specific enough to research with vigour. Below is an example of the process:

Move from abstract to concrete

A manageable topic is concrete. As we narrow the scope of a topic, the subject matter moves from abstract concepts to ideas that are more precise. Let’s use bicycles, again, as our example.

Main topic: Bicycles

Subtopics: Design, Safety, Health impacts, Charity drives, Bicycle usage, Bicycles and education, Reuse, Infrastructure, Environmental impacts, Policies, Bicycles and urban development, Bicycles and commercial products, Bicycle culture

Although bicycles are concrete “things,” the word bicycles could mean different things to different people. These ideas, such as design, bicycle culture, or infrastructure, are subtopics of “bicycles.”

Add specific details

As you narrow in on one subtopic, the number of subtopics decreases:

Revised main topic: Bicycles and policies

safety standards for bicycle design
safety gear policies
urban development policies and bike lanes
road policies and cyclists

Tip: Is it narrow enough? In our last example, notice that when you begin to narrow a large topic, the initial subtopics that come up are still broad, general ideas. The more you narrow, the more specific your descriptions become. You can use the traditional journalistic questions (Who, What, Where, When, Why) to help you move towards more specific topics:

road building policies?
building zone policies?
other infrastructure?
metropolitan areas?
medium-sized cities?
small cities?
construction companies?
planning committees?

Using these questions to target the subject matter, we might narrow the topic, bicycle lanes and urban development , even further to the following: policies related to bike lanes in mid-sized metropolitan areas .

As the handout illustrates, deciding upon a suitably narrow essay topic is a process that may require several attempts to complete. Regardless, devoting time to this initial planning process is a wise investment since a defined essay topic will usefully guide a paper’s development.

Structuring an Essay

Essays, like letters and memos, follow an introduction, body, and conclusion structure, although these sections may also be subdivided. The sections need to be fully developed to coherently deliver an essay’s central message to readers. They also need to be proportionate to an essay’s overall length: for instance, a brief essay requires a brief introduction and conclusion, whereas an extended essay can accommodate a longer introduction and conclusion. In general, budget 10 percent of the paper’s word count for the introduction, 80 percent for the body, and 10 percent for the conclusion.

Composing an Introduction Section

An essay introduction establishes context for the reader by commencing discussion of the document’s central message, around which all the other content will coalesce, and by revealing how the essay will unfold. To be more specific, the introduction delimits the scope and purpose of the essay so that readers understand its direction, range of coverage, and intent.

The context-setting information provided at the beginning of an introduction might include definitions of key terms that will be used throughout the rest of the paper, a summation of how something works, essential background on the topic to be addressed in the piece, or articulation of circumstances pertinent to a problem—perhaps a concise discussion of historical events surrounding the topic, previous research conducted in the area, or treatment of the topic in the news. A writer has considerable leeway when deciding how to articulate context-setting information, and inventiveness in this section can help draw readers into the essay. Schall (2014, para. 7), for instance, describes how narration , storytelling in other words, can be used to stimulate reader interest in an essay. The following examples, adapted from Schall (para. 7), present the initial lines from two essay openings, one focused on the “generic nature of America’s highway exit ramp services” and the other on shape constancy in relationship to human visual perception, to demonstrate the interest that narration can inspire.

The observation struck me slowly, a growing sense of déjà vu. I was driving the endless miles of Interstate 70 crossing Kansas when I began to notice that the exits all looked the same. → Notice how the writer uses I to communicate his/her experience.
Our eyes often receive pictures of the world that are contrary to physical reality: a pencil in a glass of water miraculously bends and railroad tracks converge in the distance. → Notice how writer omits I but is nevertheless reflective about the subject matter.

Regardless of the flavor of context-setting information you provide in an essay, the information should help readers connect with the text’s central message. Therefore, avoid beginning an essay with an overly general statement, such as “People argue about many controversial topics,” that could apply to any number of papers. This kind of nondescript material wastes readers’ time.

An essay’s central message is delivered in its thesis statement , a sentence, sometimes more, that articulates the theme of the paper and the writer’s view on it. The thesis thus explains the paper’s controlling idea by specifying what the writer has to say about a particular topic and by clarifying what will and will not be covered. The thesis statement is typically placed at or near the end of the introduction to initiate the reader’s progression into the rest of the paper. Schall (para. 8) explains that a well-written thesis statement should be inexorably tied to the essay it accompanies, carefully constructed, and revealingly focused: “concretely announce the most important elements of your topic and suggest your fundamental approach—even point [readers] toward the paper’s conclusion if you can.” The following two thesis statement examples, adapted from Schall (para. 9), fit this description.

This paper reviews the problem of Pennsylvania’s dwindling landfill space, evaluates the success of recycling as a solution to this problem, and challenges the assumption that Pennsylvania will run out of landfill space by the year 2024.
As this paper will show, the fundamental problem behind the Arab-Israeli conflict is the lack of a workable solution to the third stage of partition, which greatly hinders negotiations for peace.

Notice that each example indicates the paper’s unifying theme and the writer’s viewpoint on the matter.

Developing an effective thesis statement for an essay requires work on a writer’s part. Try using these steps, adapted from the Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo (n.d.c, “Building Effective Thesis Statements”), when building a thesis statement to make the task more straightforward.

Read the assignment directions carefully so you are clear about the expectations.
Conduct preliminary research to gather and organize information about your topic.
What is new about this topic?
What is important about this topic?
What is interesting about this topic?
What have others missed in their discussions about this topic?
Conduct additional research once you have narrowed your focus in order to find evidence to support your thesis. As you research, your understanding of the topic may further develop and evolve.
Refine your thesis statement so it clearly expresses your angle or position.

As this list points out, an effective thesis statement typically develops over time and with concerted effort.

A thesis statement should fulfill the functions set out in its definition otherwise it will not guide the development of an essay. The following list, adapted from McKeever (n.d.c, paras. 12, 16, 17) and Sweetland Center for Writing, University of Michigan (2020a, para. 8), identifies markers of weak thesis statements.

A simple observation (Example: NASA scientists regularly conduct experiments in space.) Although an observation may be true, it cannot initiate a lively and extended discussion of the multiple views surrounding a complex topic.
A statement of fact (Example: Some people are opposed to stem cell research.) To determine whether a statement is a fact, ask if anyone could reasonably disagree with it. If everyone would agree that the statement is true, it is a fact, meaning that it is not open to interpretation or discussion.
A broad generalization (Example: Politics requires working for the people.) It may seem that a broad thesis statement creates the possibility for numerous essay directions, but broad issues contain too many specific arguments within them, and making a broad claim leads to making a shallow argument.
A question (Example: Why are self-service checkout machines popular in stores?) A thesis must be phrased as a statement, although you might decide to narrow the focus of an essay by devising a research question (a question that a research project seeks to answer). A thesis statement answers a research question in sentence form.
A misleading statement (Example: This essay will prove that a person who is old enough to vote and serve in the armed forces should be allowed to drink alcohol too.) The word prove points to a fact, something that is indisputable, and a thesis cannot be a statement of fact. More troubling about the example, however, is that an essay cannot irrefutably prove something, so the statement is misleading.
A statement that uses figurative language (Example: The runaway train of individualism must be controlled and not allowed to jump the tracks and obliterate innocent bystanders.) A thesis statement should enable a reader to clearly and immediately identify the focus of an essay. Figurative language, such as that used in the example, is wordy, vague, and quite frankly confusing, so avoid it.
An unfocused statement (Example: I think the inconsistent penalties for drunk driving, even if enhanced, because of the impact of drinking and driving on families who lose their children, fathers, mothers, or other family members to death and/or disability, are not strict enough in the various states, allowing drunk drivers to go free although there is a high risk of offending again.) A thesis statement that contains multiple clauses and lists is confusing. Oftentimes, such statements also present details that should be discussed in body paragraphs. Remember that a focused thesis statement identifies and delimits the direction of an essay, as this revised example does: The United States needs a consistent, national law that strips drunk drivers of driving privileges for five years after their first offense. Notice that the revised example omits I think since the phrase is redundant; the writer’s view is implicit in the sentence. In general, avoid the phrases I think , I feel , and I believe since they add unnecessary words to an essay and give the appearance of uncertainty.

Prevent the thesis statement problems listed by focusing on a specific topic and articulating your view on that topic in a clear, concise, and unambiguous way. In addition, be prepared to revise the thesis statement as necessary during your essay’s development.

Depending on assignment specifications, disciplinary conventions, educational context, or authorial choice, a writer may integrate a route map , a brief outline of the specific topics the essay will cover and in what order, in the thesis statement or provide this information in a separate sentence or sentences at the end of the introduction. The order of topics in the route map should match the sequence in which they are addressed in the body of the essay; the route map thus serves as a skeleton outline of the essay by giving readers a sense of how the text will be organized.

The essay introduction structure described here takes the form of the inverted triangle presented in Figure 2, with the reader connecting with broad context-setting information before moving on to a more narrow discussion of the essay’s focus area and organizational structure provided in a thesis statement and route map.

Upside down triangle images showing: Context-setting/background information to Thesis statement to Route Map

Figure 2. Moving from general to specific information as an essay introduction proceeds

Figure 3, adapted from the Academic Writing Help Centre, Student Academic Success Service at the University of Ottawa (2016c, para. 10), shows the introduction elements at work in a sample paragraph.

Image of essay. Why is industrial expansion more important than the survival of valuable ecosystems? Last year, that kind of priority resulted in the death of 600,000 red-tailed swallows in Ungolu. While environmentalists protest the destruction of the Ungolu rainforest for the sake of its wildlife, and particularly for the sake of the red-tailed swallow, the inhabitants of the area demand more land for cattle and living space and require more wood to generate revenue. Although the residents insist their society depends on logging practices, this does not justify the effects of these practices. Without a change in policy, the red-tailed swallow will most likely disappear in just a few years. The extinction of this species must be prevented because it would have a devastating impact on the Ungolu rainforest. As this paper will show, the clear-cutting of the rainforest has already eliminated much of the natural habitat of the red-tailed swallow, thus reducing the population growth rate of a species that plays a vital part in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Its extinction would result not only in the destruction of the rainforest, but in the destruction of the ecology that it shelters in as well. Moreover, the extinction of the red-tailed swallow is unnecessary—there are more ecological and long-lasting ways to ensure the economic development of Ungolu than logging.

Figure 3. An introduction with context-setting, a thesis statement, and a route map

If an introduction is clearly focused, comprehensibly organized, and grammatically and mechanically sound, it can inspire a reader’s interest in the remainder of the essay.

Composing a Body Section

The body of an essay expounds upon the central theme articulated in the text’s thesis statement until that theme is fully developed. The body section is divided into paragraphs, and each paragraph centers on one main point that unifies the content of the paragraph and is articulated through an explicit or implied topic sentence. A topic sentence encapsulates a paragraph’s focus, and in technical writing, explicit topic sentences typically appear at the beginnings of paragraphs to expediently deliver needed information to readers. Using this structure, everything that follows the topic sentence in a paragraph—examples, illustrations, explanations, quotations, paraphrases, summaries, reasons—supports the point made in the topic sentence. If a writer instead opts to use an implied topic sentence, he or she may discuss a source, viewpoint, question, or piece of evidence slowly in the paragraph, allowing the paragraph’s momentum to develop the text’s key takeaway. The reader is consequently responsible for inferring the paragraph’s topic sentence in this situation. Whether the topic sentence is explicit or implied, the reader should leave the paragraph with a clear understanding of its main point.

To successfully communicate a paragraph’s main point and give readers a sense of the paragraph’s direction, a topic sentence must be specific. A topic sentence that simply announces the subject matter of a paragraph—“In this paragraph, I will discuss…”—does not fit this description, as the professionals at Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University (2018a, para. 5) explain. To devise a precise alternative, think carefully about the paragraph’s key takeaway and how that point ties in with surrounding paragraphs and ultimately links back to the essay’s thesis statement; then try to articulate the key takeaway in one focused and unifying umbrella sentence underneath which all the other points in the paragraph fall.

In the process of developing an essay’s central theme through the inclusion of focused topic sentences and relevant and substantive follow-up sentences, the body section of an essay aims to be compelling: for example, an author might try to convince readers to adopt his or her position on an issue; to take a careful look at a text and how it is constructed; to contemplate the layers of complexity surrounding an area of investigation; or, more generally, to consider the well-informed nature of the essay and its fluid delivery of information. The body section thus involves persuasion. To address an essay’s central theme in a comprehensive and fair way, a writer who aims for maximum persuasiveness will speak to the multifaceted perspectives surrounding points of discussion rather than focusing exclusively on his or her own viewpoint. The latter signals bias in an argument, a situation to avoid in academic and technical writing.

Writers may employ certain patterns of development to present information in body paragraphs so that it is logical and compelling. The following list, adapted from Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University (2018b, paras. 12, 17-21), describes a number of these patterns.

Description: Conveys specific details about the look, taste, smell, sound, or feel of something.
Illustration/Example: Illustrates a general concept with specific examples or uses an example as evidence to support a point.
Spatial: Describes how something looks in relationship to how it occupies space (e.g., inside to outside, top to bottom, front to back, or left to right).
Comparison/Contrast: Examines two or more things to determine their similarities and differences using clearly defined criteria.
Cause/Effect: Examines the causes that have led to certain results.
Evaluation: Measures something by examining it in relation to a given set of criteria; may discuss the thing’s strengths and weaknesses in light of this evaluation.
Classification: Examines something by dividing it into categories or subtypes.
Sequence/Process: Explains how something works in sequential or step-by-step fashion.
Narration: Tells a story in chronological order.
Definition: Explains the distinguishing features of something.
Order of Importance: Places the most important information in a strategic place to affect reader perception.

Writers may combine these patterns when developing body paragraphs or use them separately; assignment directions may also specify the use of a particular pattern in an essay.

Figure 4, adapted from the Academic Writing Help Centre, Student Academic Success Service at the University of Ottawa (2016a, para. 11), demonstrates elements of persuasion at work—in this case a viewpoint (claim) supported with a reason and evidence—in an argumentative body paragraph.

What do you think of the paragraph? Apart from the argument elements identified in the paragraph, what else helps to make it persuasive?

Figure 4. A body paragraph containing a claim supported with a reason and evidence

While Figure 4 uses a quotation as evidence to support a claim, evidence in body paragraphs can take many forms: for example, summaries, paraphrases, tables, figures, equations, anecdotes, personal experiences, facts, statistics, and numerical and word field data.

Composing a Conclusion Section

A conclusion emphasizes an essay’s central message by reiterating its thesis (without repeating it word for word) and summarizing its key points. Because a conclusion brings an essay to a cohesive end, it should not discuss new information; instead, it should follow on logically from content already covered. A conclusion’s very definition—“an articulated conviction arrived at on the basis of the evidence you have presented” (Schall, 2014, para. 15)—points to its unifying function. The following conclusion sample, adapted from Schall (para. 16) and excerpted from the paper “Exercise in the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis in Women,” reflects directly on the paper’s hypothesis, stated in the introduction, and presents a logical realization of the paper’s goals.

The majority of evidence presented in this paper supports the hypothesis that exercise positively affects bone mineral density in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Importantly, exercise has been shown to increase bone mineral density in premenopausal women even after the teenage years, and it helps preserve the bone mass achieved in the subsequent decades. Evidence also shows that exercise adds a modest amount of bone mass to the postmenopausal skeleton. As these findings demonstrate, women of all ages can benefit from regular weight-bearing exercise, an increased intake of calcium-rich foods, and—for postmenopausal women—the maintenance of adequate estrogen levels. Women of all ages can prevent osteoporosis or lessen its severity by making appropriate lifestyle choices.

If you experience a roadblock when constructing a coherent conclusion such as this, Schall (para. 14) recommends reviewing the essay’s introduction and body to revisit what the paper set out to do and how it accomplished its aims or reviewing these sections to determine the paper’s contributions to the particular research area addressed.

While focusing squarely on the essay’s central message and the document’s particular purpose, a conclusion may also discuss how the essay’s findings compare with other research in the area; emphasize the implications of the findings (what they mean and why they are important—the so what , in other words); consider the limitations of the research conducted for the essay; or make recommendations for further research. Again, these elements should link back to the essay’s central message so readers understand the context for their discussion. Here is a conclusion example, adapted from the Academic Writing Help Centre, Student Academic Success Service at the University of Ottawa (2016b, para. 7), that emphasizes the essay’s central message and summarizes its key points before underscoring the implications of the findings and proposing a solution to the issue discussed in the paper.

In the end, there is no way to deny the seriousness of the environmental threat. If the current clear-cutting practices continue, the Ungolu rainforest will be unable to support the red-tailed swallow, and it will become extinct. Without this bird, the tree-eating corkscrew beetle will have nothing to stop its spread, and it will disrupt the rainforest’s ecosystem even further. Although the inhabitants of the area request the commercialization of land and wood to encourage the economic development of Ungolu, initiatives with regard to ecotourism and biological agriculture can be pursued to ensure both the growth of the economy and the survival of the red-tailed swallow. Because of the dire environmental consequences of its extinction, it is vital that this species be preserved—and it is possible to do so with a reasonable amount of effort and resources. Indeed, the best way to encourage the inhabitants of the area to let the Ungolu rainforest recover is for northern countries to stop purchasing the products obtained from logging practices and to subsidize the local initiatives discussed in this paper, otherwise the local population will not be motivated to make a significant change. Without quick and decisive action, rainforest tracts will be eliminated, and the inhabitants of the area will be even worse off than before the introduction of logging.

The implications and call to action discussed in this conclusion coherently link back to the introduction and body sections of the essay.

Gathering Quality Evidence for an Essay

In addition to a logical structure, an essay’s effectiveness largely hinges on the quality of its evidentiary support. Evidence that is inaccurate, untrustworthy, irrelevant, insufficient, dated, or flawed in some other way is unlikely to convince a reader to adopt a writer’s perspective and may actually inspire the opposite effect. On the other hand, sound evidence can contribute to the persuasiveness of an essay and demonstrate a writer’s research ability. While the “Writing Topic Proposals” chapter of this textbook supplies tips for evaluating the quality of sources and the evidence they provide, the multipage handout in Figure 5 (adapted from McKeever, n.d.a) offers additional points to consider.

Does anything on the handout surprise you? Why or why not?

Figure 5. A guide to evaluating information sources

You might decide to use the checklist items in Figure 5 to evaluate sources of information for your essay. Figure 6 (Webber, 2018, p. 1) presents an alternative tool: a visual scorecard for source evaluation.

Figure 6. A scorecard tool for evaluating source information

The instruments in figures 5 and 6 can help you apply consistent evaluation criteria to potential sources of evidentiary information for an essay.

Incorporating Quality Evidence into an Essay

After locating quality evidentiary support for an essay, you must incorporate it into your text in a logical and ethical way so that readers understand its presence, its origin, and how it relates to your own ideas. Quotation, paraphrase, and summary offer three means by which to integrate evidence into an essay.

Before attempting to quote, paraphrase, or summarize a source, make sure you fully understand the text’s meaning and feel confident about discussing it. If you are unclear about what the source text says, do not try to integrate its information into your essay; such confusion can damage the persuasiveness of a paper since savvy readers may detect the issue. Instead, read the text several times slowly to grasp its meaning or discuss it with your classmates and instructor before attempting to incorporate its information into an essay. Class discussions about confounding texts can oftentimes provide clarification and fruitful avenues for writing projects.

Using Quotations

When writers quote , they use the exact words from source texts, enclose those words in quotation marks, and cite and reference the sources to document the origin of information. Quotations can provide telling evidence in a paper if they are used sparingly and strategically. Conversely, their overuse can affect the flow of a piece of writing and give readers the impression that the writer cannot formulate his or her own thoughts about a text. Table 1 explains when to use and avoid quotations.

Table 1. Reasons to use and avoid quotations when writing

If you decide to use quotations in an essay, take care to integrate them cohesively.

Quotations cannot on their own provide compelling evidentiary support for an essay; a writer must consequently explain their presence and relevance to readers. In other words, a writer must contextualize a quotation so readers understand its use. The quotation sandwich offers a helpful method for working quotations into papers in a cohesive way. Using this technique, a writer introduces a quotation, provides the quotation, and comments on the quotation’s relationship to the paper. Figure 7, adapted from McKeever (n.d.b), demonstrates use of the quotation sandwich approach.

Figure 7. A quotation sandwich can contextualize source information for readers

The sandwiching method in shown in Figure 7 can also be used with paraphrases, summaries, visuals, and lists to interweave those elements into a document so it flows together effectively.

Using a quotation from the first page of Charles Dickens’ 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities —“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”—textbook writers Last and Neveu (2019, pp. 236-237) explain that the seamless integration, signal phrase, and colon methods can also be used to integrate quotations into a text in a cohesive manner. The following list, adapted from Last and Neveu, explains and exemplifies these methods.

Seamless Integration: Embed the quotation or parts of it into your sentence so that if you read the text aloud, listeners cannot distinguish the quotation from the rest of the sentence.

Example: Charles Dickens begins his 1859 novel with the paradoxical observation that the eighteenth century was both “the best of times” and “the worst of times” (p. 1).

Signal Phrase: Use a signal phrase (author + reporting verb) to introduce the quotation, clearly indicating that the quotation originates from a specific source.

Example: Describing the eighteenth century in his 1859 novel, Charles Dickens observes, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (p. 1). → Notice that a comma follows observes since the verb signals the beginning of a quotation.

Colon: Use a colon to introduce a quotation when your own introductory words constitute an independent clause (i.e., a complete sentence); the colon emphasizes the quotation.

Example: In his 1859 novel, Charles Dickens defines the eighteenth century as a time of paradox: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (p. 1).

Any of these techniques can be used in conjunction with a quotation sandwich for maximum cohesive effect.

Although a quotation extracts the exact words from a source, a writer might need to adjust the quoted material to interleave it into his or her own text so the language flows together in a concise, grammatical manner that makes sense to readers. For example, the writer might need to alter the verb tense of the quotation so it matches the tense used in the rest of the sentence or insert a clarifying comment into the quotation to help readers understand its meaning. Both of these situations call for the use of brackets (i.e., [ ]). Ellipses, three periods in a row (…), are used to show that irrelevant words have been omitted from the middle of a quotation; four periods are used when a sentence or more is omitted from the middle of a quotation. Instead of quoting full sentences, writers oftentimes integrate short phrases or parts of sentences into their texts, using ellipses in these circumstances. If a writer omits words from the beginning or ending of a quotation, the ellipses are unnecessary.

Last and Neveu (2019, p. 238) call upon the following text from Petroski (2014) to demonstrate the use of brackets and ellipses in action. The text is a long quotation (40+ words), so it begins on a new line and is indented rather than enclosed in quotation marks. When citing a long quotation such as this, place the citation information (in this case, the page number of the quotation) outside the final mark of punctuation at the end of the quotation. These are standard conventions for incorporating long quotations into a piece of writing. The examples that accompany the text are adapted from Last and Neveu (2019, p. 238).

Engineers are always striving for success, but failure is seldom far from their minds. In the case of Canadian engineers, this focus on potentially catastrophic flaws in a design is rooted in a failure that occurred over a century ago. In 1907 a bridge of enormous proportions collapsed while still under construction in Quebec. Planners expected that when completed, the 1,800-foot main span of the cantilever bridge would set a world record for long-span bridges of all types, many of which had come to be realized at a great price. According to one superstition, a bridge would claim one life for every million dollars spent on it. In fact, by the time the Quebec Bridge would finally be completed, in 1917, almost ninety construction workers would have been killed in the course of building the $25 million structure. (p. 175)

Petroski, H. (2014). To forgive design: Understanding failure . Belknap Press.

Brackets can be used to signal a change to the verb tense in a quotation:

Petroski (2014) recounts the story of a large bridge that was constructed at the beginning of the twentieth century in Quebec, saying that “by the time [it was done], in 1917, almost ninety construction workers [were] killed in the course of building the $25 million structure” (p. 175).

An ellipsis can be used to signal the omission of words from a quotation:

“Planners expected that when completed, the…bridge would set a world record for long-span bridges of all types,” according to Petroski (2014, p. 175).

Brackets can be used to signal a clarifying insertion into a quotation:

“Planners expected that when completed, the…cantilever bridge [built using structures that were anchored at one end and projected horizontally at the other] would set a world record for long-span bridges of all types,” explained Petroski (2014, p. 175).

Brackets and ellipses help authors cohesively incorporate quotations into their own writing.

When source material contains a misspelling or other composition blunder, signal the error’s presence to readers in a quotation by enclosing the italicized word sic (Latin for thus ) in brackets and placing it right after the error. Here is an example of the notation used in a sentence.

According to Jones’ (2019) Best Journal review, the book is “an important contribution to gender studies, suceeding [ sic ] where others have fallen short” (p. 2).

The notation informs the readers that the mistake appeared in the original text.

Lastly, when quoting text that already contains quotation marks, change the internal double quotation marks (“ ”) to the single variety (‘ ’) to help readers distinguish the elements. Here is an example that illustrates this use of punctuation.

In their journal article “Fish Tales: Combatting Fake Science in Popular Media,” authors Thaler and Shiffman (2015, p. 88) classify “‘bad science’ as unsound conclusions drawn from invalid premises; ‘pseudoscience’ as sound conclusions drawn from invalid premises; and ‘fake science’ as unsound conclusions drawn from invalid premises.”

Help readers understand how you have integrated quotations into your own sentences by using the standard conventions discussed herein.

Using Paraphrases

Paraphrasing is another technique that can be used to integrate evidence from sources into an essay. When paraphrasing , a writer articulates a text’s ideas using his or her own words and sentence structures and cites and references the original source. This technique has a number of benefits, as the following list explains.

To compose a paraphrase, a writer must have a strong command of a source. Thus, inclusion of a paraphrase in an essay demonstrates that a writer has engaged actively with the source and can discuss it in an informed way using his or her own words.
A writer can oftentimes incorporate a paraphrase into an essay in a more straightforward way than a quotation by maintaining his or her own writing style.
If a source uses complex technical terms, a writer can translate this wording for a general audience of essay readers by articulating the ideas in a paraphrase.

Paraphrase when a text’s ideas are more important than how a source communicates them. Also bear in mind that paraphrasing and summarizing are the norm in much academic and technical writing, while quotations are used sparingly if at all.

To be certain you are using your own words and sentence structures when paraphrasing, follow these steps.

Read the source text carefully to make sure you understand it.
Decide which short section of text (a sentence or two or a brief paragraph) you intend to paraphrase.
Note down key points about the text on a separate piece of paper using your own words.
Put the source text away so you cannot see it.
Write your own version of what the original text said using your notes.
Leave the paraphrase alone for a while, and then revisit it to see if it can be improved.
Check that the paraphrase expresses the overall idea of the source text in a new form.
Enclose any unique terms borrowed from the original source in quotation marks.
Provide an in-text citation and accompanying reference list entry for the original text.

The example below, adapted from Last and Neveu (2019, p. 239), follows the principles conveyed in the list while paraphrasing the final two sentences of the Petroski (2014) text presented earlier.

At the end of its construction, the large cantilever bridge in Quebec cost $25 million, explains Petroski (2014, p. 175), but the cost in lives far exceeded the prediction of one death for each million dollars spent. While the planners hoped that the bridge would set a global record, its enduring reputation was much grimmer.

An unacceptable paraphrase is one that simply replaces source language with synonyms. To avoid this form of plagiarism, use the steps listed here to express the meaning of a source in your own words.

Using Summaries

Summarizing , when a writer communicates a text’s central idea or theme in his or her own words while excluding details, is another technique that can be used to integrate source evidence into an essay. Although the “Reading Actively” chapter of this textbook contains detailed summary-writing guidance, Figure 8, a handout adapted from the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, University of Toronto Mississauga (n.d.), lists essential reminders for constructing a summary.

In what instances might you use summaries in essays?

Figure 8. Steps for composing a summary

The following example, adapted from Last and Neveu (2019, p. 239), follows the principles discussed herein when summarizing the Petroski (2014) text.

According to Petroski (2014, p. 175), a large bridge built in Quebec during the early part of the twentieth century claimed the lives of dozens of workers during its construction. The collapse of the bridge early in its construction represented a pivotal design failure for Canadian engineers that shaped the profession.

As the sample illustrates, a summary condenses an extended text down to its essential meaning, providing readers with an overview; a summary also supplies readers with a citation and reference for the source text.

Synthesizing Ideas for an Essay

Although this chapter has discussed quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing as means to integrate source information into essays, before you can use these techniques to their fullest potential, you must think carefully about the points your essay sources make, how they concur or disagree with one another, and how they connect to and extend your own ideas about an essay topic. Collectively, these activities facilitate synthesis , or connecting with sources by responding to their ideas and research in a piece of writing in order to contribute your own unique insights to the area of focus. Many composition scholars liken synthesis to engaging in conversation with sources since it involves establishing how sources relate to one another and to your own thoughts about a subject.

Using Summary to Synthesize

To demonstrate synthesis in action, we will explore a scenario adapted from Excelsior Online Writing Lab (2020f). Imagine you are researching a topic. You will likely encounter a variety of sources about the subject that contain different information and points of view, and you will need to compare and evaluate this information to draw your own conclusions—a process that leads to the synthesis of new ideas. It may help, at this point, to compare synthesizing to analyzing. Whereas analysis breaks something into parts to examine how they work together, synthesis combines ideas to form new ones. Regardless, synthesizing is not the same as summarizing; summary involves concisely stating someone else’s ideas, while synthesis is a critical and creative process in which you compare or combine the ideas you have read to form new ones. Although synthesis can involve summarizing ideas from other texts in order to compare them and draw a conclusion, the result is a new idea.

To continue the scenario, we will read two passages that express different points of view about bike lanes: first, we will summarize the authors’ main ideas, and then we will compare them and draw a conclusion. The author of this first passage is in favor of bike lanes.

Bike lanes are an essential feature of modern, urban life. Indeed, many urban residents have traded their cars for bicycles. Bicycling offers many advantages to driving: bicycles do not get stuck in traffic, run out of gas, break down often (and even when they do, repairs are inexpensive), need insurance, produce pollution, or receive parking tickets. They also offer an excellent way to add exercise to a busy schedule. Many cities across the nation have encouraged bicycling to cut down on traffic, accidents, and pollution and have added bike lanes to downtown areas to provide safe and speedy thruways for bicyclists, producing a net positive result for all parties.

We can summarize this argument by pulling out some keywords: bike lanes, advantages, urban, traffic, accidents, pollution, inexpensive, safe, and exercise. Putting this information together, we can summarize the author’s argument as follows.

Placing bike lanes in urban areas is beneficial because bicycling reduces traffic, accidents, and pollution and offers an inexpensive, safe, and healthy way to travel.

The author of the second passage opposes bike lanes, as this text reveals.

Bike lanes remove valuable space from already crowded inner-city streets. Urban areas already suffer from traffic and pedestrian congestion, and such overcrowding is worsened by the introduction of legions of reckless bicyclists. Many bicyclists also ignore street signs, causing additional accidents with cars and people. Furthermore, parked bicycles clutter congested sidewalks, making many areas impassable. These problems far outweigh the benefits of bicycling. People who do not want to drive can hop on a bus or subway and gain most of the benefits of bicycling without taking up precious space on the roads.

We can use several keywords to summarize this argument: bike lanes, urban, space, crowding, accidents, congested sidewalks, problems, buses, and subways. Combining this information leads to the following summary.

Placing bike lanes in urban areas is problematic because bicycles take up valuable space, create additional crowding, cause accidents, and congest sidewalks. Bike lanes can also be replaced with better alternatives, such as buses and subways.

Having summarized the passages, we can practice synthesizing by combining the two summaries and drawing a conclusion.

In the first passage, the author argues that placing bike lanes in urban areas is beneficial because bicycling reduces traffic, accidents, and pollution and offers an inexpensive, safe, and healthy way to travel.
Synthesis: These opposing viewpoints demonstrate that while bike lanes encourage a healthy, safe, and low-cost way to travel in cities, they also cause problems that need to be addressed through better urban planning.

The synthesis statement fuses the two passages by combining and comparing the two summaries and then drawing a conclusion that raises a new idea about the need for better urban planning to support bicycling.

Using a Matrix Tool to Synthesize

When exploring the connections among various sources for an essay, you might also decide to use a matrix tool to create a visual representation of source relationships. When using this type of tool, a writer groups common themes, arguments, or points raised in sources in tabular fashion to facilitate synthesis. Table 2 is an example of a synthesis matrix.

Table 2. A matrix tool to facilitate synthesis

When using a matrix tool, it is vital to consider your own thoughts regarding groupings in order to encourage synthesis, as the right column of the figure indicates.

Signaling Synthesis in an Essay

When synthesizing ideas in an essay, you can help readers understand how they connect by using sentence structures that signal relationships. Bruce and Gagich (2018, p. 93-94) explain that these sentence structures oftentimes point to a writer’s agreement or disagreement with sources, although you can also use them to discuss patterns of thinking, errors in logic, omission of points, or other matters that add to the research conversation. The textbook authors provide examples of sentence structure templates (adapted below) that can be used to establish synthesis.

Source A asserts…Source B agrees when stating…
According to sources A and B…
The combined conclusions of sources A and B seem to indicate that…
The evidence shows that…
Source A is correct that…However, source B’s point that…is also valid.
Source A makes a convincing case when she argues…
I agree with source A’s conclusion that…
Source A asserts that…, while source B offers a different perspective by…
Sources A and B disagree regarding…
Contrary to what source A has argued, my view is that…
I argue that X is the best option even though source B proposes a different solution.
I would like to offer several objections to the opinions expressed by source A…
While source B makes a strong argument, I would disagree with…because…
Instead of focusing on…as source A does, source B emphasizes…
While most of the experts on X see…as the primary cause of…, only source A acknowledges that there may be other…causes.
When I began researching topic X, I expected to find…To my surprise, neither source A, B, nor C address this reason, which leads me to believe that…
Because source A is an expert in the field of X, most others writing about X accede to A’s authority, but a closer examination of A reveals an important omission about X.

These templates demonstrate how you can weave together source information with your own thoughts to create new ideas about a topic.

Although synthesis is critical to developing an effective essay, you will also regularly call upon the skill when producing other types of writing assignments as well.

Formatting an Essay

As with any other type of document you write, design an essay with the principle of consistency in mind so that readers can concentrate on its content rather than on formatting variations. When producing an essay, use double spacing throughout, one-inch margins, and indentation to signal the beginnings of new paragraphs, unless you are told otherwise. This list, adapted from Lambert (2019, paras. 4-8), indicates other ways to stay consistent with design.

Make sure your font and type size is the same throughout the entire paper. If you opt to use different fonts or type sizes for headings and body text, employ this design decision consistently.
Use the same style bullet points throughout lists in the paper. Remember that numbers and letters indicate rank or sequence, whereas bullets do not.
Design lists in a consistent manner. In general, capitalize the first letter of the first word in a list, and use punctuation at the end of full-sentence list items.
Format all same-level headings the same way, using uniform design choices (bold or italic lettering), standardized positioning (center or left alignment), and a consistent pattern of capitalization.
Apply the design principle of repetition when implementing color. If you decide to employ color in visuals, aim to use the same or a similar color in more than one visual.

Keep in mind that certain formatting conventions (e.g., heading design and placement) are associated with documentation styles. The “Reporting Research Outcomes” chapter of this textbook provides specific guidance on formatting documents using APA (American Psychological Association) style.

Developing an Essay Title

An essay’s title offers insight into the accompanying text’s direction, purpose, and content, so devise a precise title that is particular to the paper you are developing and is clearly written with an envisioned audience in mind. Implementing this piece of advice may mean fully drafting the essay before composing its title.

To elaborate on the previous paragraph while adapting advice provided by the Sweetland Center for Writing, University of Michigan (2020b, paras. 5, 11-16), readers typically find titles like “Essay One,” “Society and its Many Problems,” “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words,” and “Technical Writing Assignment Two” unhelpful. These types of titles are simply too general to provide any needed context. To avoid such titles, think carefully about the essay’s thesis, research, and implications, and identify keywords that succinctly encapsulate these. Imagine, for instance, that you are writing an essay about animal behavior. You have a particular species to study, conduct relevant research, and have conclusions to offer. Here is your first attempt at an essay title: “Monkey Behavior.” This title says nothing about the kind of monkey or its distinctive behavior and does little to attract or inform the reader. Your second attempt is a little better: “The Effects of Sugar on Monkey Behavior.” This title is clearer and somewhat amusing. Regardless, it still does not offer many specifics or include key terms from the paper. Readers can already conjecture that sugar would have some effect on monkey behavior, so the title needs to be markedly more precise. Here is a revised version: “Sugar Stimulates Intensity of Tail-Twitch Social Behavior in Panamanian Monkeys.” This title contains specific terms, includes a clear location, and provides an explicit claim—information the reader can use to immediately identify the paper’s focus.

Developing Essay Headings

Create specific and informative headings for essay sections since headings signal a paper’s organization and scope and help readers follow the text’s development. So, rather than using the vague Body as a heading, divide the body section of the paper into segments organized by the main points covered in paragraphs, which should all relate back to the paper’s thesis statement, and give the sections explanatory headings. By reading an essay’s explanatory headings, the reader should be able to discern the general progression of the piece and what the essay sections cover.

Revising an Essay

Like any quality piece of extended writing, an essay requires time and effort to prepare, and revision is a key step in the composition process. Revision is most effectively completed in stages: a writer begins the process by looking for big-picture issues that might affect an essay’s coherent construction, then considers mid-level issues that can impact paragraph development, and finishes by checking for sentence-level errors that can influence reader understanding. The following list provides guiding questions that can be used during each stage of revision.

Do you have a clear thesis? Do you know what idea or perspective you want the audience to understand upon reading your essay?
Is your essay well organized?
Is each paragraph a building block in your essay: does it explain or support your thesis?
Does the essay need a different shape? Do parts need to be moved?
Do you fully explain and illustrate the main ideas of your paper?
Does your introduction grab the reader’s interest?
Does your conclusion leave the reader with an understanding of your point of view?
What is your paper’s strength? What is its weakness?
Does each paragraph contain solid and specific information, vivid description, or examples that illustrate the point you are making?
Can you add other facts, quotations, paraphrases, examples, or descriptions to more clearly illustrate or provide evidence for the points you are making?
Can you delete any sentences, words, descriptions, or information because they may confuse or tire the reader?
Are your paragraphs in the right order?
Does each paragraph explore one main idea?
Do you use clear transitions so the reader can follow your thinking?
Do any of your paragraphs contain redundancies that can be deleted?
Have you been consistent in your use of tense?
Do your pronouns agree with their antecedents (referents)?
Have you accurately and effectively used punctuation?
Do you rely on strong verbs and nouns to enhance descriptions and build clear sentences?
Are your words as accurate as possible?
Do you define any technical or unusual terms that readers may not know?
Can you delete any extra words from your sentences?
Have you avoided clichés and slang?
Do you vary your sentence structures?
Have you accurately presented facts?
If you are writing an academic essay, have you tried to be objective in your evidence and tone?
If you are writing a personal essay, have you used a lively narrative voice?
Have you spellchecked your paper?
Have you ethically incorporated source material by effectively quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing it?
Have you consistently cited and referenced source information using a standard documentation style?

Although a draft paper represents an important milestone in a writing project, a draft typically needs considerable revision and refinement before it is ready for submission. Figure 9, an essay extract reproduced courtesy of Excelsior Online Writing Lab (2020d, “Rough Draft Example”), illustrates this point.

Figure 9. The revising process at work in an essay extract

Think of revising as a recursive activity, meaning that you may proceed through the previously listed revision stages multiple times during an essay’s development.

In addition to revising a paper in stages using the prompt questions listed, you may also have the opportunity to revise an essay based on peer feedback. Peer review sessions offer valuable chances to find out what others think of your writing and what suggestions they can contribute to help you during revision; the sessions also give you the chance to supply constructive feedback on your classmates’ writing—a vital skill you will need in the workplace. When supplying constructive criticism, identify what needs to be changed in a paper, why it needs to be changed, and how it can be changed. Alternatively, highlight what works well in a paper, why this is the case, and how the positive aspect affects you, the reader. Figure 10, a multipage handout produced by the Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo (n.d.b), offers further peer review advice and a feedback template that can be used during peer review sessions to help ensure they are maximally productive.

Have you ever participated in a peer revision session before? What did you think of it? What do you think of the peer review advice presented in the handout?

Peer Review Theory and Practice

Peer review is one of a number of revision and proofreading strategies available to you. While there are many ways to structure peer review sessions, at its core, this technique involves soliciting feedback on one or more aspects of your writing from classmates or colleagues.

Peer Review: Purpose and Scope

interact, models, concrete advice, and think and learn

While peer review has the obvious benefit of getting feedback on your writing, it also has benefits for the person doing the reviewing:

We become better writers by being diligent peer reviewers
We learn good writing habits by writing often and by reading the writing of others
Giving feedback requires us to think carefully – not only about what we think about someone’s writing, but also about how writing is constructed and why we are making specific suggestions.

It is up to individual peer review groups to determine what aspects of writing a given session (or series of sessions) will look at. Broadly speaking, the following aspects of writing are the ones that you could potentially focus on:

Content : arguments, analysis, logic, evidence
Structure : organization, transitions, connections
Style : tone, word choice, formality
Mechanics : punctuation, sentence structure, spelling

General Tip :Avoid the urge to focus initially or primarily on mechanics. The revision and proofreading process will be more effective when you focus on higher-order concerns (content and structure) first and lower-order concerns (style and mechanics) second. See our handouts on revision and proofreading for more strategies that you can use.

Done correctly, the peer review process is a social, productive, and engaging way of participating in your discipline’s community of practice. However, though some instructors or supervisors will encourage their students to work together in a peer review process, others may require that projects be completed independently. In order to avoid any issues around academic integrity , make sure to consult with your instructor or supervisor before engaging in peer review.

Peer Review: Spaces

There are lots of spaces available for conducting peer review, including the following:

Face-to-Face

Coffee shop
Someone’s home
Google Hangouts
Google Docs

Peer Review: Practice

Steps in peer review.

explain what to look for, exchange, feedback for improvement, and discuss and plan

Write notes for your reviewer on the peer review sheet and exchange papers. If you are not using a peer review sheet, discuss the specific questions or concerns that you’d like your reviewer to pay attention to.
Read actively and critically . Make notes in the margins of the paper or in the track changes feature if using Word. If using a review sheet, make general notes there, too.
Return the paper (and the review sheet, if you used one) to the original writer; discuss the feedback and create an action plan for revision and proofreading.

Sample Peer Review Worksheet

Feel free to adapt the templates of these peer review worksheets to suit your needs Printable version of Peer Review Worksheet (PDF) Fillable Peer Review Marking form (PDF)

Peer Review Marking Sheet

Name of Writer:

Name of Reviewer:

Notes from the writer to the reviewer:

Aspect of Writing Being Reviewed: Content / Structure / Style / Mechanics

Additional comments on writing :

Post-Review Discussion

Action Plan: How will you (the writer) incorporate the suggestions of your reviewer into your edits? What steps will you take during the editing process? Be specific:

Figure 10. Peer review guidance and a feedback template

Notice that the final procedure on the handout asks you to specify how you will use peer comments to revise your paper, a crucial step when working with feedback.

Drawing the Chapter to a Close

Take the advice in this chapter into account when preparing an essay to persuasively communicate with readers.

Activity A: Producing a Reverse Outline and Answering Questions about an Essay

This chapter discusses revising in stages and peer reviewing as means to facilitate the revision process. A reverse outline offers another technique that can be used to revise an essay, as the following handout, adapted from Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University (2018c), describes.

Reverse Outline

Practice using the reverse outline technique with the sample proposal essay provided on upcoming pages (Hanna, 2020, as cited in Excelsior Online Writing Lab, 2020e, “Sample Essay”). The essay argues for streamlining the recycling infrastructure on a college campus to encourage recycling.

Sample Essay

After reading the proposal essay, also answer the following questions about it. Be prepared to share your answers in class.

In what way does the author create a narrowly defined focus for the essay?
Does the author provide sufficient coverage of her topic in the paper? How?
Identify the introduction, body, and conclusion sections of the essay. Are they logically structured and easy to follow? What makes them so?
A proposal aims to persuade readers. What does the author do to try to persuade you in her essay?
What do you think about the evidence the writer uses? For instance, is it accurate, trustworthy, relevant, sufficient, and timely?
How does the writer incorporate source evidence into the essay? Could her technique be improved in any way? If so, how?
Where do you detect synthesis in the essay?
What do you think of the essay’s formatting? Could it be improved in some way?
Do you think the writer has put sufficient effort into revision? What makes you think so?
Imagine you are giving constructive criticism to the author during a peer review session. Identify one thing that needs to be changed in the paper, why it needs to be changed, and how it can be changed. In addition, name one thing that works well in the paper, why this is the case, and how the positive aspect affects you, the reader.

Activity B: Reading and Answering Questions about an Essay Focused on Source Credibility

Read Warrington et al.’s (2020) essay entitled “Assessing Source Credibility for Crafting a Well-Informed Argument” located at https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/books/writingspaces3/warrington.pdf . To reflect on the essay and its relevance to your own academic work, answer the five questions starting on page 202 of the text. Be prepared to talk about your answers in class.

Activity C: Applying the Ideas Discussed in the Essay to a Text

Working with a group of classmates, apply the credibility questions Warrington et al. discuss in their essay to the journal article “Fish Tales: Combatting Fake Science in Popular Media” (Thaler & Shiffman, 2015), which is available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569115000903 . Afterwards, share your group’s determination about the article’s credibility with the whole class during a brief informal presentation. This activity is adapted from Warrington et al. (2020, p. 203).

Academic Writing Help Centre, Student Academic Success Service, University of Ottawa. (2016a). Body . License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://sass.uottawa.ca/sites/sass.uottawa.ca/files/awhc-body.pdf

Academic Writing Help Centre, Student Academic Success Service, University of Ottawa. (2016b). Conclusion . License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://sass.uottawa.ca/sites/sass.uottawa.ca/files/awhc-conclusion.pdf

Academic Writing Help Centre, Student Academic Success Service, University of Ottawa. (2016c). Introduction . License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://sass.uottawa.ca/sites/sass.uottawa.ca/files/awhc-introduction.pdf

Bruce, Y., & Gagich, M. (2018). Synthesizing in your writing . In M. Gagich, E. Zickel, A. Lloyd, C. Morgan, J. Lanning, R. Mustafa, S.M. Lacy, W. Breeze, & Y. Bruce , In practice: A guide to rhetoric, genre, and success in first-year writing (pp. 93-94). MSL Academic Endeavors. License: CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0. https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/csu-fyw-rhetoric/

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020a). Revising stage 1: Seeing the big picture . License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://owl.excelsior.edu/writing-process/revising-and-editing/revising-and-editing-revising-stage-1/

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020b). Revising stage 2: Mid-view . License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://owl.excelsior.edu/writing-process/revising-and-editing/revising-and-editing-revising-stage-2/

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020c). Revising stage 3: Editing up close . License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://owl.excelsior.edu/writing-process/revising-and-editing/revising-and-editing-revising-stage-3/

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020d). Rough drafts . License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://owl.excelsior.edu/writing-process/essay-writing/essay-writing-rough-drafts/

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020e). Sample proposal assignment . License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://owl.excelsior.edu/argument-and-critical-thinking/argumentative-purposes/argumentative-purposes-sample-proposal-argument/

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020f). Synthesizing what you read [Video transcript]. License: CC-BY 4.0. https://owl.excelsior.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/02/SynthesizingTranscript2019.pdf

George Mason University Writing Center. (2017). Reducing informality in academic writing . https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/guides/reducing-informality-in-academic-writing

Lambert, R. (2019). Writing with consistency . Colorado School of Mines Writing Center. License: CC-BY-NC 4.0 . https://www.mines.edu/otcc/wp-content/uploads/sites/303/2019/12/OTCCConsistencyLesson.pdf

Last, S., & Neveu, C. (2019). Appendix C: Integrating source evidence into your writing. In S. Last, Technical writing essentials: Introduction to professional communications in the technical fields (pp. 235-242). University of Victoria. License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/

McKeever, R. (n.d.a). Post-truth: Evaluating sources . Yuba College Writing and Language Development Center. License: CC-BY-NC 4.0. https://yc.yccd.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/EvalSourcesPostTruthAccessibleMarch2019.pdf

McKeever, R. (n.d.b). The quote “sandwich.” Yuba College Writing and Language Development Center. License: CC-BY-NC 4.0. https://yc.yccd.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/QuoteSandwich.pdf

McKeever, R. (n.d.c). Thesis statements . Yuba College Writing and Language Development Center. License: CC-BY-NC 4.0. https://yc.yccd.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ThesisStatementAccessibleFebruary2020.pdf

Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, University of Toronto Mississauga. (n.d.). Six effective tips to write a summary . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 . https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/asc/sites/files/asc/public/shared/pdf/tip_sheets_writing/Summary_6Tips_web_v1.pdf

Schall, J. (2014). Essays and term papers: Effective technical writing in the information age . Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 . https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c6_p13.html

Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University. (2018a). Developing the “what”: Effective topic sentences . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5 . https://sass.queensu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Developing-a-Topic-Sentence.pdf

Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University. (2018b). Organizing the body of an essay . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5 . https://sass.queensu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Process-Essay-Body-Organization.pdf

Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University. (2018c). The reverse outline . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5 . https://sass.queensu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/The-Reverse-Outline.pdf

Sweetland Center for Writing, University of Michigan. (2020a). How can I create a strong thesis . License: CC-BY-NC-SA. https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/undergraduates/writing-guides/how-can-i-create-a-stronger-thesis.html

Sweetland Center for Writing, University of Michigan. (2020b). How do I write a great title for my academic essay? License: CC-BY-NC-SA. https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/undergraduates/writing-guides/how-do-i-write-a-great-title-.html

Thaler, A.D., & Shiffman, D. (2015). Fish tales: Combating fake science in popular media. Ocean & Coastal Management, 115 , 88-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.04.005

Warrington, K., Kovalyova, N., & King, C. (2020). Assessing source credibility for crafting a well-informed argument. In D. Driscoll, M. Stewart, & M. Vetter (Eds.), Writing spaces: Readings on writing (Vol. 3, pp. 189-203). Parlor Press. License: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 . https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/books/writingspaces3/warrington.pdf

Webber, N.R. (2018). Activity: Source evaluation scorecard. Information Literacy, 19 . License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://digscholarship.unco.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=infolit

Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo. (n.d.a). Develop and narrow a topic . License: CC-BY-SA 4.0 . https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/sites/ca.writing-and-communication-centre/files/uploads/files/narrow_your_topic.pdf

Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo. (n.d.b). Peer review: Theory and practice . License: CC-BY-SA 4.0 . https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/sites/ca.writing-and-communication-centre/files/uploads/files/peer_review.pdf

Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo. (n.d.c). Thesis statements . License: CC-BY-SA 4.0 . https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/sites/ca.writing-and-communication-centre/files/uploads/files/thesis_statements.pdf

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How to Write a Technical Essay

How to Write a Dissertation Summary

Unlike a personal or an expository essay, technical essays are intended to educate and inform about a technical topic. They tend to have a more regimented format than other types of essays. They naturally include an introduction, a body and a conclusion, but they also include elements that make them more like research documentation, including references and an abstract. Thus, writing one requires a sense of organization and credibility.

Essay Purpose

The technical essay is intended to explore a technical or scientific subject, to explain how to carry out a particular technical task, or to argue for a particular method of doing something. Essays could involve subjects in mathematics, computer science, physics or any other topic that could benefit from a written explanation of the processes required to complete a task or the reasons a researcher chose a particular method.

Essay Format

In general, these types of essays follow a similar format as research or other academic papers. If you're writing the technical essay for a specific journal or a college course, check whether there are any specific requirements for formatting your essay. You may be required to use a specific font in a specific size, for example, or justify the paragraphs to the left-hand side of the page without paragraph indentations. In addition, you may have specific requirements for how to format the section titles and reference materials or works cited. Research papers often employ the American Psychological Association, or APA, citation style. In an academic setting, not getting these elements perfect could cause you to lose points; in a business setting, poor formatting could make you look like an amateur.

Essay Structure

A technical essay typically presents a question, details the methods explored to answer the question, and then presents a conclusion. Like with academic research papers, start off with a compelling title that describes the question you seek to answer or the methods you're going to describe, then begin with a section titled "Abstract" that details your question or method, your process of inquiry and your conclusion, all in a brief paragraph of a few sentences. Following that, create headings such as "Introduction" -- sometimes also called a "Thesis" -- and then "Methodology" and "Conclusion." Create this structure first, and then make a few notes about what you plan to include in each section. Creating this structure first can help you start to organize your thoughts and make the task of filling in the details less overwhelming.

Filling in the Sections

In the "Introduction" section, describe why you decided to explore this particular topic and why it might matter to the readers; the Writing Center at Harvard University also suggests to provide the background historical context that precipitated your inquiry. Follow this up with a description of what you're going to explore in the subsequent paragraphs, then dive into the details of your exploration in the "Methodology" section. If you carried out several experiments or explored several questions in your research, you might need to break this section down further and create subheads that describe your practices. Throughout the section, stick to tight, declarative sentences that describe the methodology as clearly and simply as possible. If you're explaining a complicated process, use bullet points to visually break up each step and make it easier for the reader to digest. In the "Conclusion" section, briefly review your question and methodology again, and describe what result you've come to through this process. At the very end, include your references.

How to Do an In-Depth Analysis Essay

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How to Write Research Papers From Start to Finish

How to Write an Introduction to a Reflective Essay

How to write a rebuttal speech.

How to Write a Discussion for a Science Fair Project

Carleton University: Academic Essay Writing: Some Guidelines
Cornell University Library: APA Citation Style
Harvard College Writing Center: Essay Structure

Nicole Vulcan has been a journalist since 1997, covering parenting and fitness for The Oregonian, careers for CareerAddict, and travel, gardening and fitness for Black Hills Woman and other publications. Vulcan holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and journalism from the University of Minnesota. She's also a lifelong athlete and is pursuing certification as a personal trainer.

Technical Writing and Its Types Essay

Introduction.

As a form of technical communication, Technical Writing is applied in such spheres as computer software and hardware, and other technical fields, including engineering and machinery. Technical writers, either professionals or amateurs indulge in technical writing by shaping an understanding of the purpose of the technical document they plan to create. They should be professionals in the above-identified areas to gather information and present proper technical writing. Due to its orientation on the audience and sources, Technical Writing should be concise, clear, and complete because it helps the reader to grasp a full idea of the document.

The emergence of Technical Writing dates back to the World War during which the need for technical documentation appeared in such fields as electronics, manufacturing, military, and aerospace industry. Later in 1953, the technical communication practice has been developed into the discipline by two organizations – the Association of Technical Writers and Editors and the Society of Technical Writers. In 1957, these organizations were united and created the Society of Technical Writers and Editors, which further became the predecessor of the modern Society for Technical Communication.

The core feature of Technical Writing is audience analysis through communication served to render specific information to the target audience for specific purposes. There are procedural technical writing and persuasive technical writing. The former translates technical instructions and concepts whereas the latter is aimed at selling products and altering behaviors. Technical writers apply a presentational approach while delivering technical documents because of the context and purposes of Technical Writing.

Most technical documents include headings, short paragraph structure, and plain and laconic style of details exposition. Technical writing is based on a top-down strategy which implies the representation of the main ideas at the beginning and further elaboration on this idea. It is also important to note that technical documents often have specific types of representation. Therefore, Technical Writing expands opportunities for readers to learn more information.

Technical writers use various types of electronic communication equipment for accomplishing their work. According to 2010 statistics, the Median salary of technical writers equals about $ 63,000 annually and about $ 30 per hour. There exist about 50,000 types of jobs for technical writers with experience from 1 to 5 years. In order to become a technical writer, you need to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

In terms of writing style, level of knowledge exchange, and audience, Technical Writing can be split into three types. The first one involves end-user assistance in which data product allows a user to grasp the way hardware and software products should be used. Traditional technical documentation is another type of Technical Writing that aims to communicate to a particular audience. This category includes such documents as engineering specifications, reference works, research papers, technical journals, annual reports, and repair manuals.

Marketing communication is a type of technical writing which involves the description of products and services in the form of a catalog, advertisements, brochures, press releases, and home pages of web sites. Technical Writing is often represented as online help for users who need to receive accurate instruction for handling a specific device.

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Essay Database >
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Essay on Skills

Technical Writing Essays Examples

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Skills , Writing , Training , Presentation , Exercise , Internet , Practice , Project

Published: 05/11/2021

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Introduction

Throughout the semester, I have learnt a lot. I have grown across various areas related to technical writing. Most of the course objectives given at the start of the semester were achieved and this has consequently resulted in an ernomous improvement in my technical writing skills.

One aspect of the course content that appealed to me was project proposal writing and presentation. Through the course, my proposal writing and presentation skills have been significantly reinforced. I think that the most important aspect of proposal writing that I leant from the course was that first impression is key.. On the project proposal that we did in class, presenting it before the class and being asked multiple questions on it from our classmates made me realize that should always have conclusive knowledge on the topic talked about so as to be able to answer questions from the audience and prove certain points.

My general assessment of the course is that it was satisfactory. Taking part in the course enabled me to grow both personally and academically. Through some of the group assignments, I learnt how to perform effectively in a team setting. Academic wise, my effectiveness and sentence structure significantly improved. Some suggestions on how to improve the course include more practice assigments. This would inadvertently improve our writing even more and would also give a chance to practice what we have learnt in class. The other suggestion is that the type of writing taught should be more related to one’s major. Finally, I suggest that the students be divided into two sections with two separate lessons so that you as the professor can be able to focus more.

In conclusion, I would like to state that this course has been very instrumental in my education progress. I believe that the skills that I have acquired from this course will be reflected throughout my life even as I get into my desired career.

Works Cited

"Labs Linguistics & Technical Communication." N.p., Web. 4 Jan. 2014. "TL - Lesson Plan." East Bay STC Chapter in Northern California. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014. Welcome to the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL). N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2014.

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Essay Examples

How to Write a Personal Essay

Too many students get frustrated anytime they have to write a personal essay. This is quite understandable — for an inexperienced person, writing about oneself can seem tricky at first. After all, you cannot just research the subject online or in your local library. Of course, on the one hand, a personal paper allows a considerable degree of flexibility. On the other one, though, it is still an academic paper, which means it should follow a specific set of guidelines. Here, we will try to analyze them one-by-one. Here are the main thins you need to remember when writing an essay about yourself.

Always start with a story

The first thing you will have to do is come up with a story. Obviously, it will have to be a story about yourself. The best news is, you are allowed to exaggerate — a bit. But remember that it has to be a real story nonetheless, and it should put you in the best light possible. After all, most personal essays are written for college admission committees, which is why it is up to you to highlight your strengths as an applicant — without too much boasting.

Once again, it may sound tricky at first, but in reality, it's not that difficult. Just think of an event in your life (big or small) that helped you see yourself in a different light, taught you something, or made you understand things you did not understand before. A personal essay can deal with overcoming the difficulties, accepting your success, or — in many cases — realizing what you want to do in the future. However, remember that the last topic is quite an obvious choice for a personal college admission essay ; so, it will be harder to impress the admission officers if you stick to this option.

Keep your goal in mind

Differently from the majority of academic assignments, a personal essay should focus on one subject — that is, conveying your strong personality traits in the most comprehensible manner. Still, this does not mean that you can simply jump from one topic to another (for example, you helping a sick animal and then — you visiting your granny in a nursing home). Remember the first tip — you are to tell a single story. Surely, you are free to use as many details as you need, but you have to make sure the main thought is conveyed clearly.

Depending on a particular topic you choose, it might be possible to start an introduction with a personal anecdote. This should help you hook the reader and make your message easy to understand.

Steer clear of cliches

Even though you are to portray your strong skills and traits, everyone understands that you are still a human being. Try to remember that, too. In other words, don’t try to be high-almighty — while focusing on your strengths, make sure to draw attention to the weaknesses, too. You can easily achieve that through contrast, thus killing two birds with one stone — showing that you are a human being with an adequate self-esteem and giving your essay some style and structure.

Common personal essay topics that highlight both strengths and weaknesses often have to do with failure that eventually leads to success (losing one football game, practicing a lot, and winning another one); unfortunate events (a dead pet and the following extracurricular activities in the local vet clinic); or trips that changed your world outlook (a short mission to a third-world country). Sounds familiar?

Don’t try to cover a vast timeline

Of course, this will mostly depend on the required length of your essay, but you still have to understand that you cannot cram all of your childhood experiences up till the present day into a short academic paper. Ideally, you should choose an event that lasted no longer than a day; or, at least, if the actual chronological timeline is longer than that, you should stay really close to the point you are trying to convey.

If for example, you are talking about your dog’s premature departure, don’t bury the lead — start your paper with the pet dying; don’t start talking about puppy years. This little trick will help to create tension and will get the reader emotionally involved in the story.

Paint, don’t tell

The devil is in the details, and you are to use as many as you can. When dealing with a short personal essay, you can choose quality over quantity. In other words, make sure the details you include are vivid and descriptive.

The best way to achieve this effect is to start brainstorming as soon as you choose the topic. What do you remember about the day in question? What was the weather like? How did you feel? What did your mom look like during breakfast?

Also, remember that an introduction is the most important part of your work, and it should include the most vivid details (to hook the reader). Rather than stating your age, hobbies, and interests, paint a vivid picture with your words. But of course, make sure that this picture is directly related to the story that follows.

Don’t make it chronological

This is not a classic piece of literature, so you do not have to build suspense. In fact, it could be a great idea to start your storyline from the middle or even the end. If for example, your topic is “How I ruined Last Christmas,” do not feel obliged to start with setting up the lights. Instead, you can jump straight to the mess you’ve made or your relatives’ reaction when they saw what you did.

Add every detail to a bigger picture

In the ruined Christmas example above, don’t forget that a fallen tree is not the main point of your story. But what is? Maybe, it’s how you learned to appreciate the people around you? Or maybe that’s when you decided to start volunteering at the homeless kitchen? Whatever it is, make sure every tiny detail you include in a personal essay adds up to a larger picture — that is, the message you need to convey.

Technical writing tips

Don’t postpone.

It might seem that a couple of pages will not take you long, but you still should not spend a lot of time procrastinating. At the very least, brainstorm the topic in advance.

Mind the format

Even though you are working on a personal essay, it does not mean that you can format it any way you like. This is still an academic work, and it should follow academic formatting requirements. When applying to college, make sure to check them out. Pay a special attention to:

Font (as a rule, Times New Roman is a universally recognized standard)
Font size (usually 12-point, but once again — it can differ)
Interval (typically, 2)
Margins (1-inch is a common academic standard)

Mind the timeframe

Once again — don’t postpone writing a paper . Even if you have chosen a topic well in advance, the writing and editing process is still quite time-consuming. Plus, every school has submission deadlines, right?

Get support from your family

No, it does not mean that mommy should write or proofread the paper for you. Still, when working on a personal essay, it can be very useful to ‘interview’ your relatives. If for example, you have already chosen an event to describe (like that ruined Christmas we talked about), do not be afraid to ask your family members some questions. What do they remember? How did they feel?

Don’t stop looking for inspiration

There is nothing wrong with being inspired by another person. Surely, you can’t steal other people’s ideas, but you can make some of them work in your personal essay. Even a simple Facebook post with a nice hook can sometimes show you great ways of impressing your audience.

Mind university requirements in mind

Even though you are writing an essay about yourself, it still does not mean that you should ignore university requirements completely. Here, it is important to pay attention not only to the format, but also to the qualities each college is looking for in their students. Obviously, it would be a great idea to try and focus on qualities that are relevant for this particular educational establishment. This leads us to the next point — if you are applying to several colleges at once, you will have to tailor your personal essay for each position rather than send out one and the same generic work.

Avoid complex words

It’s ok to be smart, but it does not mean that you should use a thesaurus for every adjective you write. Instead, try to be natural. And, of course, never — ever — use the words you do not really understand.

Pay special attention to introduction

This is the first part anyone will read, and it is crucial to get it right. Once again — remember that your goal here is to hook the reader, and avoid using cliches - they will achieve exactly the opposite. Try to think of something more creative instead — include a quote, some stats, or simply jump straight to the point.

Not sure where to start? We can help!

Sure, writing a personal essay can be intimidating. If you doubt your own writing skills, or if you simply postponed the deadline for too long, do not hesitate to get in touch with our professional essay writing team . We can craft a top-notch personal essay for you in no time. Just give any relevant details about your college and past experience, and we will gladly do the job for you!

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9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself

You know yourself better than anyone else, but writing about yourself can still be tough! When applying for scholarships or to college, essay prompts can feel so general (and yet so specific!) that they leave us stumped. So we’ll show you 8 tips to write an essay about yourself, so that you can land more scholarships. (Psst – Going Merry makes applying easy .)

1. Create a List of Questions

2. brainstorm and outline, 3. be vulnerable, 4. use personal examples, 5. write in the first person, 6. don’t be afraid to show off…but stay on topic, 7. show personality , 8. know your audience, 9. proofread and edit.

Let’s start with some examples of personal essay prompts:

Tell me about yourself.
Describe a challenge or event that made you who you are today.
What are your short and long-term goals, and how do you plan to achieve them?
Write about a time you failed at something. How did it affect you?

These are just a few of many scholarship essay prompts that require you to look internally, to answer a question, solve a problem, or explain a scenario in your life.

We get it. You might not be a big fan of bragging about yourself, or you might want to keep your personal stories to yourself. But by opening up and sharing your story, you can show scholarship providers, colleges and universities who you are, and why you’re deserving of their scholarship.

(Don’t just take our word for it – check out our scholarship winners page full of students like you who were brave enough to share their stories with us).

To get started, check out these 9 tips on how to write an essay about yourself:

After reading through the scholarship essay prompt, breathe, and make a list of smaller questions you can answer, which relate to the big essay prompt question.

Let’s say the main essay prompt question asks you, “What were challenges or barriers you had to work to overcome?” Then the smaller questions might be something like:

What is your background? Family, finances, school.
What was challenging about that background?
What’s your greatest accomplishment? How did you get there? How have previous challenges influenced your goals?

Think of these questions as mini-prompts. They explain your story and help you answer the main essay prompt with more details than if you just answered it without a plan in place.

After considering smaller questions, it’s time to brainstorm your answers. Take out a pen and paper – or open up a document on a computer – and take your time in answering each mini-prompt. Organize your responses in order:

Intro to main essay prompt.
Answer about 3 mini-prompt questions.
Conclude by rewriting the answer to the main essay prompt with a summary of your mini-prompt answers.

This organization will help you stay on topic and answer the prompt directly. (Or check out these 6 scholarship essay examples for alternative essay structures.)

Don’t be afraid to let your strengths, challenges, and personal stories shine through in your essay! Scholarship and admissions committees love to see that you’re self-aware how you can improve as a person, or how you’ve grown because of your experiences. Honest writing can help tell the best stories (in this case, YOUR story).

Since this essay is all about you , you should make your answer as specific as possible! Avoid using generalizations (e.g., “I’m really good at music). Instead, go for more personalized statements (e.g., “My fourth-grade teacher Ms. Matay really inspired me to pursue my interest in the clarinet”). Your personal examples are what will help your scholarship essay stand out among the thousands of applicants..

You’re telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using “I” and “me” throughout your essay.

Most students worry about bragging in their essay, but we say go for it! This is your time to shine, so highlight your accomplishments and strengths. Review your essay to make sure that you’re keeping the tone informative and that you’re still on topic. (Brag while answering the essay prompt; don’t just mention random, unrelated but impressive facts about yourself!)You can use this brag sheet where you can brainstorm your accomplishments. While the worksheet is geared toward requesting letters of recommendation , you can still use it to write out your hobbies, interests, college list , and strengths to help you answer your scholarship essay prompt.

Just because it’s an essay doesn’t mean it has to be dry and boring. This essay is all about you, so let your personality shine through. If you’re the class clown, you can use a bit of humor. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, don’t be afraid to show emotion. Trying your best to express who you are as a person will have a huge effect on the admissions or scholarship committee!

If you’re applying for a scholarship, research the scholarship provider. If you’re applying to college, research the school. Understanding what makes the provider/college unique and what their motivations are, will allow you to incorporate that information in your essay. For example, many scholarships are funded by private companies that sell products. You might want to reference those products in your essay. A good example of this is Emily Trader’s essay for the Life Happens organization , where she uses her personal narrative to explain the importance of insurance planning, since that is the mission of the organization (which is funded by insurance companies).

The last step in answering your essay prompt is to double-check your work! One typo can be distracting and cause scholarship providers to scratch their head while reading the essay. ( Psst, humble brag: Going Merry’s application platform includes spellcheck because we’ve got your back .) In addition to proofreading for typos and grammatical errors, also consider whether the sentence or paragraph structure makes sense. Are you breaking paragraphs in the right place? Are you using topic sentences well to signpost your main ideas? Does the essay flow? Consider these “bigger” structural questions too. You might also want to ask a friend, family member, teacher, or guidance counselor to review your essay. They might catch something you didn’t see the first time around, and that can really help your essay! In fact, that is scholarship winner Daniel Gill ’s #1 tip. (Another tip is to apply for scholarships using Going Merry !)

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics while you’re brainstorming!

Top 10 Most Common Scholarship Essay Prompts Graphic

Now that you know how to write an essay about yourself, it’s time to start applying for scholarships! Remember: You’ve got this.

Sign up for your free Going Merry profile . From there, you can easily upload and submit your essay for thousands of scholarships. We make it easy so you’ll only need to enter your profile information once! And then, you can apply away. In fact, we even have some bundled scholarships so that you only enter your essay once, to apply for multiple scholarships at the same time.

Or if you’re not ready to register, simply sign up to receive an email with 20 new scholarship opportunities each week. Just enter your email address below:

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ENG 3773, Advanced Technical Writing

Information, communication, and media.

Self-Introduction

My name is Fitzpatrick Phillips and my major is Computer Information Systems. Strangely enough, I’m very excited for this course because I love writing, essays and all that stuff. I’m hoping to be able to enhance any skills in that area from those course, and I’ve already got a good idea of what’s going to happen just from the first class. My hobbies include tinkering with computers, playing video games and I’m currently self-studying the Japanese language. Hope to get along with everyone this semester!

One thought on “ Self-Introduction ”

Hello Fitzpatrick, its very nice to meet you. I hope we can help each other and have a good experience in class, and i love video games too. You should learn spanish 🙂

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COMMENTS

Let Me Introduce Myself
Let Me Introduce Myself - Technical Writing 202c. Hello, my name is Erik Reiker, and I am a sophomore at Penn State University, attending the York Campus. I am currently registered as an undecided student, but will declare as a civil engineering major at the beginning of my fourth semester. I am especially interested in the heavily influence of ...
33 Good Technical Writing Examples (Word & PDF)
Download 30 KB. #33. Even if technical writing skills take high-levels details, you should still explain these concisely and clearly to your audience. As a technical writer, you should come up with documents that are very clear, simple, and succinct. Sometimes, though, the results could just be the opposite.
Technical Writing
The best part of working as a technical writer was that I got to work closely with product owners, the dev team, and product marketing managers — and that meant you got a chance to learn from ...
Technical Writing for Beginners
Technical writing is the art of providing detail-oriented instruction to help users understand a specific skill or product. And a technical writer is someone who writes these instructions, otherwise known as technical documentation or tutorials. This could include user manuals, online support articles, or internal docs for coders/API developers ...
8 Technical Writing Examples to Inspire You
The different types of technical writing have unique characteristics that you can easily learn and master effectively. 1. User Manuals. User manuals or instruction manuals come with various products, such as consumer electronics like televisions, consoles, cellphones, kitchen appliances, and more.
7 best technical writing examples to improve your skills
The Slack Help Center is an excellent example of technical writing that speaks to the layman. Slack is known for its brilliant UX copywriting. Amruta Ranade, Staff Technical Writer for Airbyte, admires the company's documentation writing style. She says, "Slack's Help Center shows incredible user-awareness.
15 Tips for Writing a College Essay About Yourself
We don't get the same depth with the first example. 6. Don't be afraid to show off…. You should always put your best foot forward—the whole point of your essay is to market yourself to colleges. This isn't the time to be shy about your accomplishments, skills, or qualities. 7. …. While also maintaining humility.
How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay
Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses. Mention objects that have special significance to you. Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight. Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality.
Introduction to Technical Writing
There are 4 modules in this course. Technical Writing seamlessly blends the art of communication with the nuances of technology. Tailored for a diverse audience, including writers, communicators, engineers, and IT professionals, this course serves as a beacon, guiding participants toward the creation of effective technical documents tailored to ...
Writing Essays
The current chapter focuses on essays, pieces of persuasive writing developed around defined topics. This genre's persuasiveness rests in large part on its logical structure, inclusion of quality evidentiary support, and consistent design, as explained herein; hence, essay writing calls for planning, researching, synthesizing, and revising.
11 Technical Writing Examples & Samples in 2024
Examples of this type of technical writing include step-by-step process guides, internal wikis, KPI and goal reporting, OKRs, and HR policies. 4. Technical Marketing Communications. Most technical marketing communications fall under the B2B (business to business) writing umbrella.
How to Write an Essay about Yourself
While "I" and "we" are both in the first person, "you" is used in the second person. Remember this rule, and you'll come up with an interesting essay or even a short story about yourself. You may even want to consider becoming a novel writer in the future after doing it. 3. Stick with "he," "she," "it," and "they".
How to Write a Technical Essay
A technical essay typically presents a question, details the methods explored to answer the question, and then presents a conclusion. Like with academic research papers, start off with a compelling title that describes the question you seek to answer or the methods you're going to describe, then begin with a section titled "Abstract" that ...
An Essay About Myself: Writing Tips and Tricks
Writing about yourself can be one of the hardest things that you have to do, whether you're writing a personal essay for a school project or for admission to a college or university. There are a lot of things to take into consideration when writing a personal essay, from which details are the most intriguing to potential readers to developing ...
Technical Writing and Its Types
Technical writers use various types of electronic communication equipment for accomplishing their work. According to 2010 statistics, the Median salary of technical writers equals about $ 63,000 annually and about $ 30 per hour. There exist about 50,000 types of jobs for technical writers with experience from 1 to 5 years.
How To Write an Essay About Yourself
Learn how to write the perfect essay about yourself here. You either love to talk about yourself or hate it, but one thing is for sure: Writing about yourself in essay form is hard for anyone. Dictionary
Free Essays About Technical Writing
Most of the course objectives given at the start of the semester were achieved and this has consequently resulted in an ernomous improvement in my technical writing skills. One aspect of the course content that appealed to me was project proposal writing and presentation. Through the course, my proposal writing and presentation skills have been ...
How To Write About Yourself (With Example and 5 Tips)
Use a casual and friendly tone. 1. Develop a strong introduction. A concise, informative self-introduction can immediately interest the reader and make them more likely to continue reading the rest of your document. Write a short statement that accurately describes your skills and qualifications.
How To Write About Yourself: Great Tips For Personal Writing
Regardless of the shape your journal takes, keeping a record of your thoughts helps you track important experiences in your life—something that will come in handy when you're writing that personal essay. 2. It's good to write. Period. The more you write the better your writing will be.
Writing A Great Essay About Yourself: 16 Tips And Tricks with Example
The first thing you will have to do is come up with a story. Obviously, it will have to be a story about yourself. The best news is, you are allowed to exaggerate — a bit. But remember that it has to be a real story nonetheless, and it should put you in the best light possible. After all, most personal essays are written for college admission ...
9 Tips for Writing an Essay About Yourself
5. Write in the First Person. You're telling your story, so write from your perspective! You can narrate your story. You can provide an overview of what you learned from your experiences. However you choose to answer the prompt, we recommend writing in an active tone, and using "I" and "me" throughout your essay. 6.
Self-Introduction
Self-Introduction. Posted on August 29, 2012 by Fitzpatrick. Hello all, My name is Fitzpatrick Phillips and my major is Computer Information Systems. Strangely enough, I'm very excited for this course because I love writing, essays and all that stuff. I'm hoping to be able to enhance any skills in that area from those course, and I've ...
Technical Writer Interview Questions (Plus Sample Answers)
Example: "While I like my current job, I am looking for a more advanced opportunity. I have been with my current employer for three years now, and I am more than ready to move forward in my career.Throughout my time as a technical writer, I have been able to produce quality content in a short period of time. I feel like this role would better ...