Technical Writer

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What Does Technical Writer Mean?

A technical writer plays a specific role in developing a wide spectrum of business and technical documents. Key aspects of technical writing include attention to technological details or specifications, consistent writing style and standards, and the avoidance of any subjective or personal voice in writing.

Techopedia Explains Technical Writer

Technical writers may help with items like:

  • User guides and manuals
  • White papers
  • Product design resources
  • Systems identification documents
  • Plans
  • Correspondence

Although technical writing may be related to IT industries, it is not necessarily related exclusively to these industries. Any kind of business writing that values technical detail over conceptual creativity can be called technical writing.

Employers look for specific skills and experience for persons in technical writing roles. Technical writers must be able to handle a lot of technical detail and blend all of that information down into easily accessible writing. Technical writers must know how to write for a target audience and how to write in a way that is entirely objective and free of personal voice. In general, technical writing handles the generation of text in the junction of fields like engineering, marketing, business planning and public planning.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.