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The Elements of Technical Writing
One-quarter the length and price of "conventional" textbooks, this popular introduction to technical writing teaches the essentials with remarkable economy, clarity, and authority. The book is divided into two parts. Part One focuses on the seven fundamental principles of good technical writing, such as knowing one's purpose and audience, thinking visually, and writing ethically. Part Two covers the formats of reports and correspondence. Four appendices contain three sample reports and a student proposal. The Elements of Technical Writing concentrates on the essentials, providing writers with precisely the information needed to produce effective technical documents and no more. For any technical professional writer.
180 pages, Paperback
First published October 9, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 3, 2018
"In our busy world, readers want to find out what they need in a piece of technical writing, comprehend it, and move on. When writing a technical document, your job is to help them do just that." (10)
This is a solid introduction to technical writing, good for college students and those needing a bit of a refresher. Pearsall includes excellent document examples that use the 7 principles of technical writing (although his resume examples are in desperate need of updating for the 21st century...).
Pearsall divides his book into 2 sections: principles of technical writing and formats of technical writing.
Seven Principles of Technical Writing
1. Know your purpose
2. Know your audience
3. Choose and organize your content around your purpose and audience
4. Write clearly and precisely
5. Use good page design
6. Think visually
7. Write ethically
Formats of Technical Writing
1. Elements of reports (ex: title page, table of contents, appendixes)
2. Formats of reports
3. Formats of correspondence (ex: formal letters, memos, emails)
Pearsall notes that different audiences read for different things (6):
- Laypersons read for learning, focus on the background, and appreciate simple graphics.
- Executives read for decision making, focus on conclusions/recommendations, often skim, and have corporate interests.
- Technicians read to discover "how to" and possibly appreciate theory.
- Experts read to understand the "how and why," have less of a need for simple explanations, and want graphics that show results.
Of course, many audiences are a combination of these types, and it is important to understand their unique needs when writing a technical document.
When writing, you should understand (11):
1. Your purpose
2. Your readers' concerns and characteristics
3. Your readers' education and subject matter expertise
4. Your readers' attitude toward your purpose
Pearsall also notes that you shouldn't be "afraid to use intelligent repetition" (25) when warranted.
This is a solid introduction to technical writing, good for college students and those needing a bit of a refresher. Pearsall includes excellent document examples that use the 7 principles of technical writing (although his resume examples are in desperate need of updating for the 21st century...).
Pearsall divides his book into 2 sections: principles of technical writing and formats of technical writing.
Seven Principles of Technical Writing
1. Know your purpose
2. Know your audience
3. Choose and organize your content around your purpose and audience
4. Write clearly and precisely
5. Use good page design
6. Think visually
7. Write ethically
Formats of Technical Writing
1. Elements of reports (ex: title page, table of contents, appendixes)
2. Formats of reports
3. Formats of correspondence (ex: formal letters, memos, emails)
Pearsall notes that different audiences read for different things (6):
- Laypersons read for learning, focus on the background, and appreciate simple graphics.
- Executives read for decision making, focus on conclusions/recommendations, often skim, and have corporate interests.
- Technicians read to discover "how to" and possibly appreciate theory.
- Experts read to understand the "how and why," have less of a need for simple explanations, and want graphics that show results.
Of course, many audiences are a combination of these types, and it is important to understand their unique needs when writing a technical document.
When writing, you should understand (11):
1. Your purpose
2. Your readers' concerns and characteristics
3. Your readers' education and subject matter expertise
4. Your readers' attitude toward your purpose
Pearsall also notes that you shouldn't be "afraid to use intelligent repetition" (25) when warranted.
December 8, 2019
A reference book for writing technical papers, easy to read and understand, a good reference book.
June 19, 2025
Read this for a class and thought it was good. The seven principles are a practical way to understand technical writing. I'm a technical writer by trade and found The Elements of Technical Writing ok. The author's aim is not to train professional tech writers, but to give everyone a good understanding of what it means to convey technical information in a way that is easy for the reader to understand.
The only issue I have is with an over-emphasis on very specific formats (memo, letter, report, etc.). I say this because the class I took was not taught by technical writers, but electronics technicians at a community college, and they would give confusing assignments like writing a work plan in a memo format, writing a report that includes a work plan, and cramming a report into a 1-page memo. This was definitely a failing on the instructors' part, but I think it stems from confusion with the book.
Ok, just one more issue: style guides! The book doesn't have much to say on them, yet they rule my life as a tech writer, way more than memos, reports, etc. and I'd think most companies would have one.
The only issue I have is with an over-emphasis on very specific formats (memo, letter, report, etc.). I say this because the class I took was not taught by technical writers, but electronics technicians at a community college, and they would give confusing assignments like writing a work plan in a memo format, writing a report that includes a work plan, and cramming a report into a 1-page memo. This was definitely a failing on the instructors' part, but I think it stems from confusion with the book.
Ok, just one more issue: style guides! The book doesn't have much to say on them, yet they rule my life as a tech writer, way more than memos, reports, etc. and I'd think most companies would have one.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews