In any library, perhaps in a university or government installation, you will find thousands of technical reports. The number of such reports on file throughout the world is mind-shattering, so astounding that methods are constantly being sought to reduce the space that all of this written material requires.
At the same time that reports represent a very large part of the publication output of a company, they also represent a large part of the time taken up by many technical writers and editors.
A report is usually preceded by a series of progress reports, which are short documents indicating what has been accomplished at stated intervals and submitted to the contracting agency. Sometimes a technical writer helps with this work; at other times it is done entirely by the researchers. If the project is complicated and takes a long time to complete, a periodic report is written; this report may discuss such subjects as the effects of crime, tax laws, or new marketing techniques on business.
TRADE JOURNALS AND HOUSE ORGANS
Almost every technical, commercial, trade organization, and business association, no matter how small, publishes a monthly magazine that contains material of interest to its members. The articles therein may discuss such subjects as the effects of crime, tax laws, or new marketing techniques on business.
Every company that has publicly traded stock issues an annual report to its stockholders. Some of these reports are magnificent beyond imagination and are often twenty pages long. A lot of work, money, and effort are expended in preparing these annual reports. The reports are not only intended to inform but to impress the reader. In addition to these annual reports, many large companies publish and distribute house organs to their stockholders and libraries. An example of this is the Lamp, published by the Exxon Corporation. This magazine presents articles in a narrative form about its far-flung operations, new technology it is adopting, its research projects, and its pro bono activities. These magazines are printed to present a favorable image of the company.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Industry has found a need for special project writers. The vast field of research depends upon the interchange of ideas. Because of this, many companies encourage their engineers and scientists to prepare papers for presentation at conferences and seminars. The preparation of a paper is a time-consuming process.
Some companies, particularly those with large research staffs, have a technical publications department whose function it is to assist their staff members to prepare and present papers. The writers may use report drafts to write the whole paper, subject to editing by the presenter. Graphs, photographs, and slides are often an integral part of the presentation. In addition, the writer may coach the presenter in delivering the talk if he or she is shy or a novice at this activity. Many executives now employ technical writers as
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Research and development is the starting point of manufacturing; therefore, there will always be a place for technical writers in public and private research institutes. Research reports of all kinds must be written to provide vital information for product development and manufacturing.
