Technical Writing Guide

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Technical papers require a unique writing style. This guide provides general information on page formation and on citing and referencing content sources in technical writing. This guide also provides a list of sources to reference if you need additional help.

PAPER STRUCTURE

Include a Cover Page and Reference section.

1.	Cover page should begin with your name, course number and title, date, and email address centered on the page.
2.	Center the title of your paper on the first page.
3.	Single-space paper.
4.	Indent the first sentence of each paragraph 5 spaces.
5.	Double-space after sentences.
6.	Center page numbers at the bottom of each page.
7.	Text should be 12-point, Times New Roman font. Headings should be sized according to level and can use a different font.
8.	Text should be left justified.
9.	Include figures, diagrams, pictures, or flow charts within text as appropriate.
10.	Page set-up should be 1" margins at top and bottom, and 1" left and right margins.
11.	Authors quoted in your paper should be referenced as cited in the "Reference" section of your paper. Please use a variety of references, including but not limited to, books, periodicals, journals, and the Internet. Do not plagiarize other's material.
12.	Keep a back-up copy of your project until finished.

IN TEXT CITATIONS

When using information gathered from another source, cite the source within the text, at the end of the individual occurrence. Citations should include the following:

1.	Authors name
2.	Date
3.	Page number (if a direct quote)

No author or more than one work by the same author:

Use the first 2-3 words of the title in place of author name. The author's name needed only be called out the first time the specific reference occurs in the paragraph. This information can appear in the context of the sentence, or in parenthesis, at the end of the sentence, paragraph or quote. For example, either of these is correct:

According to Berners-Lee, author of Weaving the Web, in the 1980s there was an intense need for a "common language that allows computers to represent and share hypertext" (1999, p.181).

In the early 1980s there was an intense need for the development of a common computer language that would allow computers to share hypertext (Berners-Lee, 1999).

Multiple authors:

(Lloyd & Boyle, 1998).

Reprint of original work:

(Freud, 1923/1961).

LISTING REFERENCES

When writing, whether academically or professionally, it is important to reference all works from which information is borrowed. Such references should appear in the text at each individual citation, and in more complete form as a reference list at the end of the paper. Following are the general guidelines for citation references:

1.	Underline the title. If provided, underline the names of books, magazines, journals, newspapers, and similar materials rather than the title.
2.	Capitalize only the first word in the title.
3.	Alphabetize your list.

PERIODICALS

There are many forms of periodicals, each having a unique set of requirements. The following is a list of such forms:

Anonymous or unknown author (common in newspapers):

Caffeine linked to mental illness. (1991, July 13). New York Times, pp. B13, B15.

Group or institutional authors:

University of Pittsburgh. (1993). The title goes here. Journal of Something, 8, pp. 5-9.

Journal articles:

Spitch, M. L., Verzy, H. N., & Wilkie, D. M. (1993). Subjective shortening: A model of pigeons' memory for event duration. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 9, pp. 14-30.

Letter to the editor:

O'Neill, G. W. (1992, January). In support of DSM-III [Letter to the editor]. APA Monitor, pp. 4-5.

Magazine article:

Gardner, H. (1991, December). Do babies sing a universal song? Psychology Today, pp. 70-76.

Newsletter article:

Brown, L.S. (1993, Spring). My research with orangs. The Psychology Department Newsletter, 3, p. 2.

Pamphlet:

Just Say No Foundation. (1992). Saving our youth. (9th ed.) [Brochure]. Washington, DC: Author.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA

Increasingly, Internet addresses are specified using a URL (uniform resource locator). The words "on-line" and "available" (common in many citation styles) are redundant if you use a URL, because the whole purpose of a URL is to give "on-line availability" of a document. The URL indicates the type of resource (FTP, gopher, WWW) followed by two forward slashes followed by an exact location (machine, site, directory, and file). The URL permits anybody reading the document to copy the address into a WWW browser and retrieve the document. When a URL is specified, the qualifiers "online" and "available" are omitted.

FTP retrievable files:

Bixley, T. S. (1995) Sentient microfilaments: A tempest in a tubule. FTP: 128.112.128.1 Directory: pub/harnad File: psyc.95.3.26.consciousness.11.bixley.

FTP:

Bixley, T. S. (1995) Sentient microfilaments: A tempest in a tubule. ftp://blahblah.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/psyc.95.3.26/consciousness/11/bixley.

Gopher:

Bixley, T. S. (1995) Sentient microfilaments: A tempest in a tubule. gopher://somecomputer.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/psyc.95.3.26/consciousness/11/bixley.

World Wide Web page:

Bixley, T. S. (1995) Sentient microfilaments Home Page. [WWW document] URL http://www.microfilaments.com/consciousness/

Email Communications and personal communications:

First, a cautionary note: It is possible to send an email note disguised as someone else. Authors-not journal editors or copy editors-are responsible for the accuracy of all references, which includes verifying the source of email communications before citing them as personal communications in manuscripts.

Email communications from individuals should be cited as personal communications. These should not be included in the reference list, only as in text references, as follows:

L. A. Chafez (personal communication, March 28, 1997).

REFERENCE SOURCES

American National Standards Institute. (1977). American national standard for bibliographic references. New York: American National Standards Institute.

Burnett, R. E. (1994). Technical communication. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Inc.

Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (1979). The elements of style. New York: Macmillan.

University of Chicago Press. (1993). The Chicago manual of style. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

U.S. Government Printing Office. (1987). GPO style manual. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

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