Organizing Your Information Chapter 7 Organizing Your Information

Principles for Organizing Technical Information Analyze your audience and purpose. Use conventional patterns of organization. Serves as a template or checklist Display your organizational pattern prominently in the document. Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Every technical report is different and calls for its own organizational pattern. Some require multiple patterns (See p. 132) We will focus on one main pattern for each technical document created, but you may use other patterns to aid in clarifying your topic. Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Studying Documents from Other Cultures Does the text follow expected organizational patterns? Do the introductions and conclusions present the kind of information you would expect? Is the text organized into paragraphs? Does the text appear to be organized linearly? Does the text use headings? If so, does it use more than one level? Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Conventional Patterns of Organization Make things easier for the author & audience Display organizational pattern prominently Create a table of contents Use headings liberally Use topic sentences at the beginning of paragraphs Each type of argument calls for its own organizational pattern. (See Fig. 7.1) Long, complex arguments often require several organizational patterns. Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Typical Patterns of Organization Basic patterns of organizing information: Chronological: describe steps, events Spatial: describe objects & physical sites General to specific: background More important to less important Comparison and contrast Classification and partition: categories or components Problem-methods-solution Cause and effect Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Chronological Organization Commonly used to describe events or steps (Functional) Describe a mechanism Sequence of events of an accident Describe background of a subject (events leading up to topic) Describe steps in a sequence—set of instructions) Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Guidelines for Organizing Information Chronologically Provide signposts (HEADINGS) Step 1, Phase 1, Stage 1, and Part 1 Consider numbering headings (above) Use transitional words Then, next, first, and finally Analyze events where appropriate Although time-line can be easy, it doesn’t explain why or how an event happened, or what it means. Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Spatial Organization Commonly used to describe objects and physical sites. Describe a physical scene in an accident report Describe a physical location A computer room A network system layout Describe a design A computer system (CPU, monitor, etc.) Fig. 7.3, p. 134 Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Guidelines for Organizing Information Spatially Provide signposts: Use words & phrases that indicate location (to the left, above, in the center) in headings and topic sentences, and supporting sentences to aid your reader in the visual representation. Use graphics to complement the text: Diagrams, drawings, photographs, and maps. Analyze events where appropriate: Spatial doesn’t explain itself Analysis of events leading up to reason for description is still needed Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

General to Specific Organization Commonly provides a general understanding of a subject, so details can be better understood. Background of object or physical site Overall process, before chronological steps or spatial description E.g. executive summary Fig. 7.4, p. 135 Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

More-important to Less-important Recognizes that readers of technical communication often want the bottom-line (the most important information) first. Fig. 7.5, p. 137 Important factors leading to any purpose for writing the technical document. Feasibility study – major reasons Proposal – major applications Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

More-important to Less-important Provide signposts Explain organization Explain why one point is more important than other Consider using graphics to complement text Diagrams, numbered lists, tables Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Comparison and Contrast Used to describe and evaluate two or more items or options Credentials of job candidates, strategies for designing a new microchip Fig. 7.6, p. 140 We’ll come back to this in a later assignment Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Guidelines for Organizing Information by Comparison and Contrast Establish criteria for the comparison and contrast. If appropriate, determine whether each criterion calls for a required characteristic or a desired characteristic. Evaluate each item according to the criteria you have established. Organize the discussion. Consider using graphics to complement the text. Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Classification and Partition Classification  process of assigning items to categories, Fig 7.7, p. 143 E.g. feasibility studies, classify sites into domestic and foreign, or medical procedures as surgical or nonsurgical Partition  process of breaking a unit into its components, Fig. 7.8, p. 144 We used this for the technical description Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Guidelines for Organizing Information by Classification or Partition Choose a basis of classification or partition that fits your audience and purpose. Use only one basis of classification or partition at a time. Avoid overlap. Be inclusive. Arrange the categories in a logical sequence. Consider using graphics to complement the text. Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Problems-Methods-Solution Common in technical communication Proposal Describes problem, how it will be addressed Fig. 7-9, p. 146 Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Guidelines for Organizing Information by Problem-Methods-Solution In describing the problem, be clear and specific. In describing your methods, help your readers understand what you did and why you did it that way. In describing the solution, don't overstate. Choose a logical sequence. Consider using graphics to complement the text. Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Cause and Effect Common in technical communication Fig. 7.10, p. 148 Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Guidelines for Organizing Information by Cause and Effect Explain your reasoning. Avoid overstating your argument. Avoid logical fallacies. Jumping to conclusions Hasty generalizations Hindsight reasoning Consider using graphics to complement the text. Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Introducing & Concluding the Body In addition to the basic pattern of the document, two more elements are important: Introduction Conclusion Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Introducing the Body One main goal To help readers understand your discussion by explaining what information you are going to present, how you are going to present it, and why you choose to present it that way. May have one at the beginning or one at the start of each major section Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Introduction Should Answer Seven Questions What is the subject? What are key terms that will be used? What is the purpose of the document? What is the background of the subject? What is the relevant literature and its limitations? What is the scope? What is the organization of the argument? Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Concluding the Body Inferences drawn from technical data Or Final part of a document Most technical documents will have a conclusion, but there are exceptions: Parts catalog Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information

Conclusion Should Answer Four Questions What are the main ideas communicated? What should be done next? How can the reader find more information? How can writer (sponsor) help in the future? Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information