The Truth is Out There
If you want to become a really good technical writer then you must be good at research. In most cases, the quality of your documents will be directly proportional to the time you invest researching the project. Being a good researcher is an acquired skill. And like all skills, you have to practice it to become good at it.
Research is an often overlooked component of technical writing. Generally, job descriptions for technical writers will not have “must be good at research” as a required skill. You may not be asked about your research abilities at job interviews. In reality, you might spend 50 to 70 percent of your time researching the project.
I remember my initiation into the world of research. It was my first day on the job in a major Fortune 500 company. The tech support guy was setting up my computer when my manager, Frank S, summoned me to his office.
“Here’s your first project,” he told me. He handed me a small piece of paper with the words “IPC Training” scrawled on it. “What do you want me to do?” I asked him. “Write a training program,” he replied. With that, he picked up his briefcase and went off to a meeting. I was confused and had no clue what to do. The words “IPC Training” meant nothing to me. Being timid, I was afraid to ask my manager for details. And I had heard that he had a short temper. So I grabbed a notepad and a pen and went off to get some answers to the thousands of questions I had swirling in my head.
Research Tip # 1 - Ask Questions
Don’t be shy when asking questions. The more you ask, the more facts you will uncover. You’ll find that your target audience, subject matter experts and those you interview will be happy to answer your questions. A good habit to develop is to make a list of questions before you interview someone. This saves time for both parties.
Research Tip # 2 - Read Existing Documents
That’s the second step I took in my IPC Training project. I read everything I could get my hands on about the subject. This may get tedious and boring, especially when you are digging through technical and engineering documents. One way to reduce the boredom is to write down the key points of your research. You could also set aside a certain part of your work day for research. Doing this will give you a goal to aim for as opposed to long day of research drudgery.
Research Tip # 3 - Keep a Separate Research Folder
Maintain a research folder to organize the information you collect. This could mean creating two folders - one for paper documents and the other for digital files. Being organized will help you retrieve information in the future without wasting time.
Research Tip # 4 - Think Like a Detective
Cover all angles when researching a project. Writing a user manual for a toaster oven may seem easy at first. But what about the safety and hazards involved? You’ll also have to write about cleaning, storage and maintenance.
Research Tip # 6 - Tap into the Internet
The internet has made it relatively easy to widen your research web. Google Scholar is a new tool by Google that helps you search thousands of books, abstracts, articles, academic publications, universities and professional societies.
Looking back on that first technical writing project - IPC Training - it was the best thing my manager could do for me. Later on, I asked him about why he gave me the project topic without any details. He told me that since it was first my project, he wanted to give me the freedom to learn every aspect of the business. He was right.
You may find that a lion’s share of your project time will be consumed by research. I like to think of is as the fun part of every project. It’s by researching you get to meet new people and find out how things work. You expand your knowledge and your mind.
If you can write a simple sentence and organize your thoughts then technical writing may be a rewarding field. Become a tech writer and quickly start an extra income stream.
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About The Author
To learn more go to http://www.techwritingcourse.com/bright_future
July 20th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
This is a good post! Content writers are the real backbones of the information age! Doing a little bit of preparation through research will definitely make wonders for both writers and clients.