Grammar Tips for Technical Writers

Some of you may recall Kyle Wiens, the tech company CEO who created a bit of a online fuss last year with his article in the Harvard Business Review, "I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why".  In it, he argued that "good grammar is credibility", and that attention to grammar in writing is representative of attention to detail in all aspects of work.  Well, he's at it again, this time with "Your Company is Only As Good As Your Writing".  He defends himself from some of the criticism he received as a result of the previous article, but also addresses some of the challenges that companies, particularly technology companies, face with both internal and external communication.  It's a worthwhile read, particularly because he also describes the internal "manual" that he and his colleagues developed to encourage good writing.  When it was finished, they polished it up and put it online as the "Tech Writing Handbook".  Though it may not be as useful to scientists who are only focused on writing academic papers, it certainly has the potential to help out anyone who has made (or is thinking of making) the jump to technical writing. Enjoy the tips and happy writing!