Well, first, let’s review the 5 most common unethical behaviors according to the Ethics Resource Center. A procedure should have no more than 10 steps. Quoting the work of others in your writing is fine, provided that you credit the source fully enough that your readers can find it on their own. There are always legal issues to consider when writing a professional document and they reflect in writing style. Material in this chapter was adapted from the works listed below. How so? The position of information in this document did not help them understand that the problem could be fatal. Such a report may contain procedures, design criteria, research history, images or illustrations, and other data relevant to the project. Analogous examples have been cited in relation to nuclear reactors where engineers fail to report defects of which they are aware or are accomplices in the concealment of that information, whatever the risks to the surrounding environment or population. Never use the title Mrs. as you cannot assume a woman is married. Lawsuits also have ramifications for a company’s reputation. Professional and Technical Writing Created June 10, ... for example, is not designed to make an individual sale. Abuse of leadership. For example, you might tell your best friend their new haircut looks attractive when in fact you believe that it does not. Moreover, when your writing is authentically yours, your audience will catch your enthusiasm, and you will feel more confident in the material you produce. However, nothing is ever easy when it comes to ethical dilemmas. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. It is important to explore why poor technical writing is unethical for each of these fields. You might assum… On the other hand, putting a minor point in a prominent spot (say the first item in a bulleted list in a report’s executive summary) might be a manipulative strategy to emphasize information that is not terribly important. For this reason, the general guideline is that instructions should be understandable, clear and concise at the fourth to sixth grade reading level. Online Technical Writing: Technical Description The biggest hurdle you may face in writing a description is remembering what the term means as it is used in this context. US law stipulates that a manual must list any hazards that may occur “from the intended or unintended but reasonably foreseeable use of its products.” (https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.productliabilityprevention.com/images/6-LegallyAdequateWarningLabelsAConundrumforEveryManufacturer.pdf&sa=D&ust=1553803200010000)  You have a legal duty to warn consumers when: Failure to “adequately” warn consumers opens your company up to lawsuits. When you use concepts, ideas, or findings that have been established by others, you only need to briefly summarize your source and provide accurate references. In the political spectrum poor technical writing is incredibly unethical. The number of classifications and lists of technical documents is endless. Presumably, the engineers were trying to present a full report, including safe components in the Challenger, but the memo’s audience—non-technical managers—mistakenly believed the O-ring problem to be inconsequential, even if it happened. Think, for example, of a recipe you get in a meal-delivery kit. 10+ Technical Report Writing Examples – PDF Being able to write with finesse and conciseness is an advantageous skill to anyone who has it. In the former case, if you valued physical courage above all else, you might be willing to step into a fight to protect a victim. Audience analysis is important. Whether they are a student or a professional, writing is a communication medium that they will have to master to be able to effectively answer the many needs that their current position asks them to perform. Does your company’s code of conduct address this issue? The graphic below shows two perspectives of information in a pie chart. You struggle with whether to leave this information out of your report… This is why technical writing is at the base of ethicality. You should ask yourself the following questions: Be cautious about using sources that are not reviewed by peers or editor, or in which the information cannot be verified, or seems misleading, biased, or even false. Patents and trademarks are company names (WalMart), logos (the Target bullseye), processes or slogans (McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it”) that belong to a person or company. Ethics principles provide the basis for deciding whether “x” is ethical, but in reality, ethical issues are complicated—for example, imagine working for a large company that employs substantial numbers of people in your town, where relatively few other employment opportunities exist. In judicial rulings, Supreme Court justices write their opinions, which are very much so technical writing. Summary. Are open web sources just as valid as academic sources for certain topics? While both technical and non-technical writing has a goal of informing readers, the type of information provided is different. Research shows bringing in an outside expert, someone who is unfamiliar with the company and the stakeholders, has the potential to impact the greatest change. Photographs can do many things to enhance a message, some examples can be seen here: Illustration Checklist. Learn how to improve your skills when writing complex documents, and define technical writing. ( Log Out /  Starting with business decisions, as I encounter an unfortunate amount of business majors in my Legal Studies concentration courses they have illustrated to me the importance of technical writing (without realizing it) and why poor technical writing would be unethical in this discipline. The chapter provides some practical information on how to make sure your writing is ethical and how to handle ethical dilemmas along with possible legal issues in the workplace. If the person using another’s material did so to profit from it. For example, this is why a faculty member cannot use their personal DVD for a movie screening on campus and charge students to attend the viewing. Likewise, you can customize a Google image search so that only images that are open source will come up. Does your professional association’s code of conduct address this issue? What will you do when you witness unfair, demeaning, and unethical behavior? Learn about liability concerns (https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.productliabilityprevention.com/images/6-LegallyAdequateWarningLabelsAConundrumforEveryManufacturer.pdf&sa=D&ust=1553803200010000) and relevant international product liabilities (https://corporate.findlaw.com/litigation-disputes/international-product-liability-laws.html) before you publish your manual. You might notice that most of these ethics violations could happen accidentally. If using someone else’s property affected the market for the copyrighted work. You need to be extra vigilant to avoid misleading your readers with graphics. To avoid safety recalls, companies need to make sure they consider every possible danger involved with a product. Getting lots of links to your website helps it move up in search engine rankings. Search for: Ethics and Technical Communication. The money spent on lawyers and the time spent in court takes away resources a company could use for improving business and products. 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