Writing for Engineers

This book is targeted at engineers to help them convey their work in a written format effectively, to each other and those outside the sphere of engineering.

Author: Joan van Emden
ISBN: 1403946000

There is a growing need for engineers to be able to convey their work in a written format effectively, not only to each other but to those outside the sphere of engineering. As the number of people without technical expertise but with a vested interest in the work of an engineer increases, then the skills to communicate ideas and results clearly are essential. With this in mind a helpful writing guide is always valuable, but with an ever increasing number of writing guides on the market it can sometimes be hard to decide which is the most suitable. This on its own makes it difficult to know where to start.

Writing for Engineers is one of the growing number of these guides specifically targeted for engineers, where it differs from many though is its inclusion of all aspects of written communication which an engineer may use and not just writing in the form of technical reports. As part of the Palgrave study guides series together with the book there are online study resources available.

The layout of the book is in short easily managed sections, moving through the foundations of vocabulary, grammar and punctuation into the basis of good style and presentation. These later sections cover structure and layout of documents as well as considerations of target audience and advice for publication. The format of the book is such that it is not necessary to read through the whole book or even whole chapters but allows the user to search for a particular topic.

As well as the obvious technical writing for reports, specifications, instructions etc, the book also includes advice on writing letters, faxes and some very potent advice on the use of emails; especially on the topic of formality and the important reminder that even the most informal email is still a written record of communication. Rather than focusing on lengthy text showing good and bad examples of writing, the book provides explanations with short examples and leaves the lengthier corrections as activities for the reader (with solutions and comments at the end of the book)

This book is clear and concise providing a thorough basis for improving written communication. The one downside to this book may be that for those with a specific problem or target in mind this may not be the most appropriate book. If you just want to know the best format for a technical report there are plenty of books out there that will cover this, what this book gives you is a good basis for writing in general that will help build good habits and techniques for all aspects of written communication.

Reviewer: Beth Jelfs

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