Center for Business and Technical Writing
Workbook Table of Contents
Here is the Table of Contents for our workbook, Writing Skills
for Business Professionals, edited by Dr. Susan Dakin.
Preface
Our Approach to Better Practical Writing
Rules of English
How to Use This Workbook
About the North Carolina Writers' Network
About the Center for Business and Technical Writing
About the Authors
Grammatical Terms Defined
1. Conciseness and Word Choice
Writing Concisely
Use Active and Passive Voice Appropriately
Don't Change Verbs into Nouns
Try to Avoid Starting Sentences with "There" or "It"
Eliminate Empty Words and Repetition
Word Choice
Know What Your Words Mean
Be Specific
Be Consistent in Use of Terms
Use an Appropriately Formal or Casual Tone
Avoid Needless Jargon
Use Acronyms and Abbreviations Sparingly
Use Specialized Terms and Names Correctly
Words and Phrases to Avoid
Suggested Solutions to Exercises in Chapter 1
2. Punctuation for clarity
Comma
Semicolon
Colon
Bulleted Lists
Parentheses and Brackets
Dash
Hyphen
Quotation Marks
Apostrophe
Slash
Suggested Solutions to Exercises in Chapter 2
3. The Logic of Sentence Structure
Placement of Modifiers
Place a Modifier Near the Word or Phrase It Modifies
Try Not to Put an Adverb Between the Subject and the Verb
Try Not to Split Verb Phrases or Infinitives
Use Introductory Adverbs Accurately
Avoid Dangling Modifiers
Don't Overuse Nouns as Adjectives
Parallel Structure
Omission of Repeated Words
Pronoun Reference and Agreement
Suggested Solutions to Exercises in Chapter 3
4. Sentence Structure for Effective Communication
Sentence Length
Ways of Combining Ideas in Sentences
Use Ordinary Conjunctions or Punctuation to Link Ideas of Equal Importance
Use Transition Words to Show Relationships Between Ideas
Use Modifying Words or Phrases to Add Information
Order of Sentence Elements
Use Parallel Structure to Emphasize Parallels in Meaning
Arrange Events in Chronological Order
Arrange Ideas for Ease of Comparison
Arrange Ideas to Place the Emphasis on the Main Point
Suggested Solutions to Exercises in Chapter 4
5. Paragraph Structure
The Logic of Paragraph Structure
The Topic Sentence
Ways of Developing an Idea
Organizing a Paragraph
General to Specific
Specific to General
Familiar to Unfamiliar
Chronological Order
Spatial Order
Unifying a Paragraph
Paragraphs for Special Purposes
Introductory Paragraphs
Transition Paragraphs
Concluding Paragraphs
Paragraphs as Visual Units
Paragraph Length
Lists
Variations in Type Style
Suggested Solutions to Exercises in Chapter 5
6. The Writing Process
Stages of the Writing Process
Adapting the Process to Your Working Style
Time Management
Planning
Think About Your Purpose
Think About Your Reader
Audience Analysis
Options for Reaching Multiple Audiences
Plan Your Content
Organize Your Ideas
Organizing Strategies
Standard Formats
Outlining
Using Headings
Drafting
Writing Conditions
Ways to Overcome Writer's Block
Revising
The Revision Process
Copyeditors' Marks
Table of Copyeditors' Marks
Suggested Solutions to Exercises in Chapter 6
7. Writing Project Organization
Collaborative Writing in Business and Industry
The Dynamics of Small-Group Interaction
Guidelines for Effective Collaborative Writing
Make Goals and Procedures Clear
Identify the Composing Pattern
Make Responsibilities Clear
Resolve Conflict As It Arises
Organize an Efficient Review Process
Considering the Production Process
Production Decisions
How to Prepare Copy
Ensuring Consistency
Style Manuals
Style Sheets
The Editor's Role in Writing Projects
Editing and Proofreading
Proofreading
Copyediting (or Mechanical Editing)
Substantive Editing
Using Editors in Writing Projects
Key Points for Writing Project Organization
8. Using Other People's Words or Ideas Ethically and Legally
Acknowledging Sources of Information
When to Acknowledge Sources
How to Acknowledge Sources
Quoting and Paraphrasing
When to Quote and When to Paraphrase
How to Paraphrase
Permission to Quote
How to Quote
How to Avoid Being Misquoted
Formatting and Punctuating Quotations
Copyright Law
What Can Be Copyrighted
Who Holds the Copyright
How to Get a Copyright
Fair Use of Copyrighted Material
Photocopying Other People's Work
For More Information About Copyright
Trademark Law
What a Trademark Is
How to Register a Trademark
Using Trademarks in Writing
For More Information About Trademarks
Suggested Solution to Exercise in Chapter 8
9. Using Illustrations and Tables
Deciding How to Present Information
When to Use Illustrations
Deciding Whether to Use a Graph or a Table
Visuals and the Project Plan
How to Use Illustrations
Three Principles of Illustration
Elements of Figures
Using Graphs
Types of Graphs
Principles of Graph Design
How to Use Tables
Use of Lines in Tables
Table Numbers
Table Titles
Column and Row Headings
Body of the Table
Table Footnotes
Integration of Tables with the Text
Lists of Figures and Tables
Suggested Solutions to Exercises in Chapter 9
10. Summaries
Summarizing Documents
The Essential Message
Audience
Structure
Specialized Types of Summaries
Abstracts
Executive Summaries
Steps for Summarizing a Document
Checking the Final Product
Summarizing Talks or Discussions
Audience, Purpose, and Format
Working from a Tape
Notetaking
Steps for Summarizing a Discussion
Suggested Solution to Exercise in Chapter 10
11. Letters and Memos
What Letters and Memos Can Do
To Write or Not to Write
The Heart of the Matter
Tone and Word Choice
Organization
The Writing Process
Formats of Letters and Memos
The Parts of a Business Letter
Business Letter Formats
Memo Formats
The Envelope
Electronic Mail
Checklist for Business Letters and Memos
Suggested Solutions to Exercises in Chapter 11
12. Reports
Purposes and Types of Reports
Progress, Status, and Final Reports
Specialized Reports
Report Audiences
Report Formats
Front Matter
Body
Back Matter
Variations in Report Format
Transmittal Letter
The Report-Writing Process
Checklist for Report-Writing
Research Sources and Techniques
Facts and Interpretation
Suggested Solution to Exercise in Chapter 12
13. Proposals
Types of Proposals
To Propose or Not
An Approach to Proposal Writing
Advance Preparation
The Proposal Team
Making the Most of the Response Period
Proposal Sales Strategy
Audience
Responsiveness
Proposal Format and Production
The Proposal Document
Physical Format
Boilerplating
The Parts of a Proposal
Follow-Up
Government Contract Proposals
The Proposal as the Basis for the Contract
The Request for Proposals
The Technical Proposal Outline
Responsiveness to the Statement of Work
Research Grant Proposals
Planning and Strategy
The Parts of a Research Grant Proposal
Follow-Up
Grant Proposals from Community Service or Arts Organizations
Planning and Strategy
The Parts of a Proposal for a Project in Community Service or the Arts
Follow-Up
14. Procedures
Planning a Procedure
Defining the Procedure
Task Analysis
Trying the Procedure
Product Research
Profiling the Audience
The General Public as Audience
The Workplace Audience
Organizing the Procedure Document
Handling Supplementary Information
Giving the Steps of the Procedure
Choosing Appropriate Language and Writing Style
Use Active Voice and the Imperative Mood
Be Consistent in Language Use
Use Simple, Direct Language
Use a Friendly Tone
Write Simply for Readers with Limited English
Formatting Effectively
Use Informative Headings and Subheadings
Use Spacing to Show Organization
Use Typography and Symbols Consistently
Use Illustrations and Tables
Supply Any Forms Needed
Create Effective Safety Warnings
On-Line Documentation
Testing
Validity Testing
Usability Testing
Suggested Solutions to Exercises in Chapter 14
15. Scientific Writing
Types of Scientific Documents
Organization of Scientific Research Papers
Title Page
Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusions and Recommendations
Summary
Acknowledgments
Literature Cited (or References)
Appendixes
Sections Sometimes Combined
Common Organizational Problems
Style Issues in Scientific Writing
Person and Voice
Tense
Technical Terminology
Numbers and Units
Equations
Suggested Solution to Exercise in Chapter 15
16. Public Relations Writing
Public Relations Writing Is Marketing
Speak Your Reader's Language
Lead Off With Benefits
Don't Assume Your Audience Knows You
Apply Marketing Principles in Your PR Writing
Develop an Audience Profile
Define Your Image
Writing Press Releases
The Audience for Press Releases
Organization and Style of Press Releases
Writing for Newsletters
People-to-People Always Sells
Newsletter Organization
Writers' Guidelines
Newsletter Writing Style
The Editor's Role
Types of Newsletter Pieces
Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage
Copyfitting
Suggested Solution to Exercise in Chapter 16
Bibliography for Business and Technical Writing
General-Purpose Books on Writing, Grammar, and Usage
Professional Editing Practices and Editorial Style
Dictionaries and Thesauruses
Books on Special Topics and in Specialized Fields
Data Graphics
Engineering
Letters and Memos
Mathematics
Medical Writing
Newsletters
Plain English in Business Writing
Procedures
Proposals
Scholarly Writing
Scientific Style Guides
Scientific Writing
Technical Writing
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