A Guide to Writing as an Engineer

Rating:
Summary: Exactly what the title says
Review: This book is exactly a guide to the types of writing engineers have to do, put in terms engineers understand.

The authors present analogies that help engineers understand "soft" topics like revising for clarity. For example, they describe poor writing as having a lot of "noise" in the "signal", and then describe specific strategies for reducing noise.

They describe most of the common types of documents that engineers write, such as reports, specifications, proposals, and even business letters and email messages. They describe the format and typical contents for each type of document, while also noting what *not* to worry about. For example "Don't get hung up on the names of reports. Sorry, there is no ANSI standards committee on the proper names, contents, and formats of reports."

This is an excellent book for any engineer who has to write on the job, which is to say, any engineer.

Rating:
Summary: Exactly what the title says
Review: This book is exactly a guide to the types of writing engineers have to do, put in terms engineers understand.

The authors present analogies that help engineers understand "soft" topics like revising for clarity. For example, they describe poor writing as having a lot of "noise" in the "signal", and then describe specific strategies for reducing noise.

They describe most of the common types of documents that engineers write, such as reports, specifications, proposals, and even business letters and email messages. They describe the format and typical contents for each type of document, while also noting what *not* to worry about. For example "Don't get hung up on the names of reports. Sorry, there is no ANSI standards committee on the proper names, contents, and formats of reports."

This is an excellent book for any engineer who has to write on the job, which is to say, any engineer.

Rating:
Summary: The best tech. writing book by the best writing professor
Review: Traditionally, technical writing is the least favored topic for engineers. This nice, concise book is a great guide for those of us who have a hard time remembering the rules and understanding how to communicate effectively.