Technical Writing for Instructors

By Pam Rose

Objective and Overview

For instructors to know and understand the basics of technical writing.

To be able to construct and write, enhance, and develop your own training material without pulling your hair out, or throwing the computer!

To competently write documentation that includes basic understanding of style, and grammar and will require minimal edit and instruction from the technical writing group.

Objective and Overview

Copy and Paste Templates and Styles Page Breaks Save me Doc!

Copying from Other Sources

This is not Plagiarism!This is not Plagiarism!

Step 1Verify the content: Check that there are no hyperlinks, incorrect grammar, misspelled words or references to

items that should not be there.

Step 2Copy the document in segments or pages.

You will less likely bring in hidden HTML formats if you do a section at a time.

What’s Wrong with this Picture?

By turning on the Paragraph Marks you can see the

HTML you brought with you from the web site.

Step 3Paste special and select the Unformatted Text option.

This will clear the formatting and allow you to apply the correct styles.

Templates and Styles

Add the Template to Your Favorites

You Got Style!To activate Styles, Within the Home tab, click the small

box in the bottom right hand corner of Styles box.

You should also activate the Paragraph Marks!

Page Breaks

To Separate a Page Within the Topic

Click the Insert Tab and click the Page break icon.

Simple Page Break

It puts in a simple page break as you see used to separate page 6 and 7 in this document.

You Want to Add a Report?You need to show the report between two portrait

pages. How do I make the report page landscape?

Columns or Tabs

Columns move when trying to edit pages. Don’t use columns.

Instead use a table

Save Me Doc!

Doc or Docx?

When saving your document as Word 97-2003 you should save it as a .doc

If you want to save it as a Word 2007 document, save it as a .docx.

This is where you can make your default settings.

You Have Mastered Technical Writing 101!

Good Luck Instructors!