Handbooks

Ever read a technical handbook and got the feeling that whoever wrote it really knew their way around the equipment - but from this handbook you will never get beyond page one? Technical handbooks should be writen for people who are NOT familiar with the equipment in question (why else would they be reading the instructions?) . Unfortunately most firms rely on the designer of the equipment to come up with the handbook as well. This is not completely wrong but the instructions should be tested on a complete novice (preferably a non technical user) and ammended in consideration of his/her comments. The other, equally poor alternative, is to delegate the writing of the handbook to a non-technical author.

Technical Journalism

How often have you cringed while reading an article about something scientific because the author was obviously technically illiterate? Technical journalism is not something anyone can do (no matter how good your English is). It is not necessary to be an expert in the particular area you are writing about (though that helps) but a prerequisite for all technical writing is a sound scientific knowledge. Without that don't even think of technical journalism as a career. 

A further essential attribute is trust - You are not a member of the Paparatsi reporting on some political scandal! Most Fleetstreet journalists simply do not get access to reserach institutes - read any newspaper and you will soon understand why. If you want this you have to build up a feeling of trust. This takes time and a great deal of scientific understanding.

Several Publishers we have worked with/for (past and present) include:

Angel Publishing (European Semiconductor); Butterworth-Heinemann (book reviews); Coil Winding, Insulation & Electrical Manufacturing (Magazine and Conference); Elsevier (Mechatronics); Institute of Physics (Journal of Applied Physics-D, Measurement Scienec & Technology); Kluwer (book reviews); Laurin (Photonics Spectra); MCB University Press (Sensor Review, Industrial Robot, Assembly Automation); McGraw-Hill (book reviews); Wiley-VCH (book reviews).

gareth.monkman@e-technik.fh-regensburg.de

Tel: (49) 941 943 1108

Fax: (49) 941 943 1424