From abstracts to online professional profiles, from blogs and forums to formal reports and manuals, the Handbook of Technical Writing uses smart, accessible language to spotlight and clarify technical writing today. Hundreds of topic entries, 90+ sample documents, at-a-glance checklists, and clear, explicit models, communicate the real-world practices of successful technical writers.
Developed by a legendary author team with decades of combined academic and professional experience, the Handbook of Technical Writing's intuitive, alphabetical organization makes it easy to navigate its extensive coverage of grammar, usage, and style. Plus, updated, in-depth treatment of pressing issues like the job search, audience awareness, source documentation, and social media use on the job resonate both in class and at the office.
With a refreshed, integrated focus on the ways technologies shape writing, this Twelfth Edition is the indispensable reference tool for writing successfully in the workplace.
Gerald J. Alred is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, where he is a teaching-award recipient and an adviser to the Professional Writing Program. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and several standard bibliographies on business and technical communication, and he is a founding member of the editorial board of the Journal of Business and Technical Communication. He is a recipient of the prestigious Jay R. Gould Award for "profound scholarly and textbook contributions to the teaching of business and technical writing".
Charles T. Brusaw served as a faculty member at NCR Corporation's Management College, where he developed and taught courses in professional writing, editing, and presentation skills for the corporation worldwide. Previously, he worked in advertising, technical writing, public relations, and curriculum development. He was also a communications consultant, an invited speaker at academic conferences, and a teacher of business writing at Sinclair Community College. He passed away in 2015.
Walter E. Oliu served as Chief of the Publishing Services Branch at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where he managed the agency's printing, graphics, editing, and publishing programs, as well as the daily operations of the agency's public Web site. He is the recipient of the agency's Meritorious Service Award. He has also taught at Miami University of Ohio, Slippery Rock State University, Montgomery College, and George Mason University.
"I love the accessibility, brevity of entries, and layout of this book. Many of my students keep the text long after the course is over to have a handy and accurate reference on the shelf at work."
- Nancy Schneider, University of Maine - Augusta
"I have found this book to be an excellent resource for finding answers to a variety of technical writing questions both simply and quickly. The wide range of topics covered also makes the handbook useful as a general reference across many disciplines."
- Cynthia Raisor, Texas A&M University
"This handbook has kept up with the increasing focus on technology and electronic research and with the typical components of a variety of professional documents. Once students discover this book's usefulness, they consult it in conjunction with every writing assignment, saving me time and encouraging them to participate more fully in their own learning."
- Karen Welch, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
"I choose the Handbook of Technical Writing because I want students to have a single, reliable, versatile and broad-ranging text that will serve them well in a variety of circumstances."
- Ralph Batie, Oregon Institute of Technology
"The Handbook of Technical Writing is written clearly and the information in it is accessible. It's a valuable companion in any technical writing classroom."
- Natalie D. Segal, University of Hartford