Book Title: Technical Writing Essentials (Expanded 2nd edition)
Subtitle: Designing Professional Communications in the Technical Fields
Book Description: This open textbook introduces readers to the basics of professional communication in technical contexts. It focuses on audience and task analysis; clear, concise, precise and reader-centred communication styles using a variety of common genres and forms; effective information design and visual rhetoric; teamwork and collaborative writing strategies; and research skills for evidence-based communication and user experience design.
Contents
Book Information
Book Source
This book is a cloned version of Technical Writing Essentials by Suzan Last, published using Pressbooks by University of Victoria under a CC BY (Attribution) license. It may differ from the original.
License
Technical Writing Essentials (Expanded 2nd edition) Copyright © 2026 by Suzan Last is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
Subject
Communication studies
Metadata
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Technical Writing Essentials (Expanded 2nd edition) Copyright © 2026 by Suzan Last is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
Exceptions:
- S.1. Excerpt from T. Wells, Scientific Sailboat Racing, New York: Dodd, Mead, and Co., 1950, pp. 94-96. This book is out of print, and every attempt has been made to locate the copyright owner. For noncommercial, educational use only.
- Fig. 1.5.1. Tufts University. “The Engineering design process”. Every attempt has been made to locate the copyright owner. For noncommercial, educational use only.
- Fig. 3.4.1; 3.4.2. EPCOR, Edmonton’s Water Utility. “Water Consumption in Edmonton during 2010 Gold Medal hockey game”. This data is credited to EPCOR. Publication details of the originating report are unavailable. For noncommercial, educational use only.
- Fig. 5.2.1. Cover images from journals are used to illustrate difference between popular and scholarly journals, and are for noncommercial, educational use only.
- Fig. 5.2.2. DeSmog Blog. “Why climate deniers have no credibility — in one pie chart”. For noncommercial, educational use only.
- Fig. 5.3.1. “Concept map for refining a topic on climate change”. Every attempt has been made to locate the copyright owner. For noncommercial, educational use only.
- Fig. 7.4.1. Thumbnail cover of R. Sturnback and M. Okuna, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Technical Manual. New York: Pocket Books, 1991. For noncommercial, educational use only.
If you have any questions about the above, please contact press@uvic.ca
Cover image: Sailboat, photographer Suzan Last