Technical writing

In order to give you practice in technical writing, you must choose a technical or scientific topic. Recipes are neither technical nor scientific, and therefore, are not allowed. An appropriate topic requires a series of steps for assembly or various specific tasks to complete.  A topic relevant to nursing may be a good idea, but topics such as “checking blood pressure” “collecting a urine sample” “making a face mask” and “inserting a catheter” are too common and are not allowed for this assignment.

Choose a topic involving ten (10) or more steps. The following are a few examples of projects from previous classes:

How to set up a family budget
How to build a compost bin
How to change a car tire
How to assemble a skateboard
How to change an electrical outlet
How to perform an EKG
How to perform an ultrasound
Write to a specific audience. You must specify an audience for your instructions. In most instances, your audience should be novice–someone who has never performed the task before. Sample audiences for the instructions mentioned above include home computer owners, small business owners, and homeowners.

Acknowledge all sources. If you use any sources for your instructions, acknowledge your sources on an APA reference page and include this page with your instructions. If you use or adapt illustrations from another source, use APA captions and provide a reference for each illustration.

Format

Regardless of your task, you must include all of the following contents (any omission of the following contents will result in grade deductions):

Introduction. Here you will provide your readers with the following information:
Who audience in terms of its knowledge and need for the instructions
What the instructions will allow readers to do
What skill level the audience should have to perform the task successfully
What overall steps needed to complete the task (an overview of the steps)
How long the task will take
Where they should perform the task, i.e., in a well ventilated area, outside, on a flat surface, etc.
List of Materials and Tools required
Figures (Diagrams, Drawings, Photographs, Illustrations, or Tables)
Include captions for each figure
Label figures using APA guidelines
Give attribution to all figures in references
List of Steps, in chronological order, with the following characteristics:
Presentation of ten (10) or more steps with at least one or two sentences maximum
Use of imperative mood, i.e., “Attach the red wire” rather than “The red wire is attached.” With the second, passive sentence, readers will not know whether the wire is already attached or if they need to attach the wire.
Presentation of one specific action per step only, e.g., “Turn the knob one complete turn.” and not an elaboration or comment, e.g., “Turning the knob will result in a better fit.”
Use of the second person (you)
Inclusion of all necessary warnings or cautions before readers will encounter problems
Attention to parallel form (see page 97 in the course textbook)
And, if needed, your instructions should also contain:

Warnings
Glossary of terms
References
Appendices
Document Design and Figures

Give careful thought to figures and design elements that will make your instructions effective.

Make sure all of your steps are numbered, 1-2-3, throughout
Single space the text in paragraphs
You must include two figures. You may create your own or adapt from other sources. Make sure you provide figure information for each one and document with APA standards
Use as many of the four basic design principles, CRAP, as possible
Design your document for consistency (grid patterns, margins, justification, negative space, indentation, typeface, font style and size)
Design your document for navigation and emphasis (headings, color, shading, boldface, italic, and underlining, bulleted and numbered lists)
You must use a two-column format
Submission Instructions

Submit via Unicheck in Canvas (final draft). No assignments will be accepted over email. Assignments incorrectly posted or submitted to the wrong location in Canvas will receive a 10-point deduction
Required title for final version: your last name-instructions.
Submit the document as a PDF.
Deadlines: