How to be a Better Technical Writer

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Subject: Article Summary
Date: 20 January 2016
Purpose
The purpose of this article was to highlight the 12 most common mistakes that technical writers make and to offer tips and suggestions for improvement for each one.
Summary
Poor organization, no revision, too many big words, sentences that are too long, writing that is too technical, and an unawareness of the reader are just a few of the major obstacles that technical writers face. Overall this article offers excellent solutions to these hurdles by adopting a practical approach to writing that any technical writer can benefit from by following.
Discussion
Poor organization is one of the top three main hurdles: it is the result of a haphazard approach to writing that can lead a technical writer to all sorts of trouble. Poor organization leads to a lack of clarity in the writing, a lack of focus, a lack of cohesion, and a lack of a good point. The way to better organize is to produce an outline and revise your draft. Another major obstacle is a failure to write in easy to read words. Writers sometimes think they can impress their reader by using high-sounding words—the only problem is that most readers are likely to be unfamiliar with them so will be lost by the writer’s word usage. It is best to use smaller and simpler words to help your reader get through the material. Finally, it is always important to revise. Revision helps a writer to eliminate mistakes and craft a paper that will shine.
These topics are important in terms of Technical Writing applications because they teach a writer how to better achieve his or her goals in technical writing. Technical writing should be precise, on topic, and error-free. By highlighting and discussing these obstacles and ways around them, the article is helping the writer to achieve more.
There are no problems, issues or gaps in the article. It is focused, easy to read, coherent, on-point, and well-organized. The way in which the article is constructed makes it a great tool for technical writers.

Recommendation
I would recommend this article for other students in my field, which is mechanical engineering, because it focuses on what a writer should do to better his or her writing abilities. By highlighting the problem areas and then offering solutions, the article is both intelligent and resourceful. It shows where writers run into problems and it also shows what writers can do to fix these problems. For someone in my field, knowing how to express oneself clearly and concisely can be a great way to boost one’s position in the field and earn more respect among colleagues.