Technical writers are the bridge between the technicians -- those who create the product, data or policy -- and the reader. The readers of technical communication are varied, which is why the technical writer should make sure the information matches the audience's expectations for the document and subject matter, reading level and level of experience with the subject. For example, a patient reading a pamphlet about her medical condition would expect that the pamphlet is easy to understand and that it covers all the major aspects of her medical problem that she would need to know.
Technical writers strive to organize their writing in a way that will help the reader find the information he needs. Many technical documents are not read from cover to cover, which makes clear organization essential. For example, if you were trying to find the information about programming your cable box to record a television show, you would read only that information in the manual. The writers use techniques such as inserting headings and subheadings, tabs or page and section numbers with a table of contents to help draw attention to the important information.
Technical writing should be clear and correct. Many writers do not have the luxury of having an editor to correct their errors, so they must be careful not to introduce errors or awkward phrasing into their work. Errors can include grammar, syntax or factual errors. Any of these errors make the writing less useful for the reader because they can be misleading, such as in the case of a factual error, or they can reduce the credibility of the writer or the company that is publishing the document, as in the case of a grammatical or syntactical error.
Most companies and publishers ask their technical writers to use a style guide. Style guides standardize writing and provide clarity in ambiguous matters such as whether to use a comma before "and" in a series. In addition, because style guides are often designed for specific subjects, they represent the best practices for writing for that field. For example, the American Psychology Association produces its own style guide that is often used by technical writers working in the behavioral sciences.