similarities of technical writing and essay writing

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Technical Writing vs. Essay Writing: Differences & Similarities

Technical writing and essay writing are critical and valuable skills to have in any career, but they can be very different. If you are a writer who wants to learn more about technical writing and essay writing, then you have come to the right place.

Technical writing is one of the most important aspects of any business. Whether you are writing a resume or proposal, a product description, a white paper, a case study, an instruction manual, or any other document, it must be written well.

In contrast, an essay is a piece of writing that discusses an issue or topic, including a research paper, a business proposal, a term paper, or a personal essay. Technical writing is different from essay writing, but there are some similarities that you should be aware of before you start.

In this article, we compare the differences between technical writing and essay writing and explain how these two types of writing are different but also similar.

Also read: How to Create a Strong Brand Identity Through Writing

📖 Table of Contents

What is Technical Writing?

Technical writing is a subset of academic writing that focuses on the technical aspects of a particular field; it requires the writer to focus on a specific topic or subject and write about it in a specific way. It is a specialized form of writing that involves using specific skills and techniques.

Technical writing includes all forms that require specialized vocabulary and specialized language to convey information. The writer must also understand the subject to write about it.

The content of technical writing is usually focused on a particular subject to convey information to the reader. The writer has to consider the audience, the context, and the purpose of the document. The audience for technical writing is diverse, and technical writers must be able to communicate effectively across a wide range of audiences.

It is generally used for documentation , instructional design, and other documents requiring clear and concise communication. This includes the definition, explanation, and analysis of concepts and ideas. Software engineers, technical writers, and product managers often use technical writing.

Some common types of Technical Writing are:

• Medical and Scientific Papers.
• User Manuals and Assistance Guides.
• Books and guides by Technical Writers.
• Assembly Manuals.
• Technical Documents, Reviews, and Reports.

What is Essay Writing?

Essay writing is a widespread type of writing. It is usually used to describe or explain a particular topic. The main idea of an essay is to discuss a topic and give your opinion. An essay is different from a story because it usually has more than one point. Essays are often used to write about what people believe and why they believe it.

They are also often used to write about personal experiences. It is not just about telling a story. An essay also includes a body paragraph that explains the reasons for your opinion. In an essay, you can use different kinds of sentences to express your opinion. You can use a question sentence to start your essay.

Essays are usually concise and are written in the third person. You should always do some research before you start writing your essay. This is because it is essential to know what you are talking about. If you don’t know what you are talking about, then you might not be able to express yourself adequately. You should always use the correct vocabulary and grammar to ensure that you can express yourself well.

You may think that essay writing is not a hard thing to do, but there are many things you need to know before you start writing your essay. If you are unsure how to start your essay, You can take essay help from online sites, and it is always advised to learn these skills at the earliest possible time. They can help you write an essay that is good and original.

A good essay starts with an introduction and includes three parts: a body (the main body), a conclusion, and a reference list. An introduction introduces the topic and states your opinion about it. It also provides the reasons for your opinion. A body explains your opinion, often by providing evidence for it. A conclusion sums up your points. It is usually written in the first person and ends in a question.

There are many types of essays. Some common types of Essay Writing are:

Argumentative: This type of essay is all about convincing your reader. Persuasive: This type of essay is all about persuading your reader. Narrative: This type of essay is all about telling a story. Explanation: This type of essay is all about explaining a concept. Description: This type of essay is all about describing something.

Technical Writing vs Essay Writing: The Differences

While both types of writing require research and a high level of organization, there are many critical differences between the two. When it comes to technical writing, there’s a lot of confusion about it. On the one hand, it’s often lumped in with “technical writing”, which is a fancy way of saying “writing”.

On the other hand, it’s often confused with “essay writing”, a more academic-sounding word that means “a piece of writing that discusses a specific topic or argument.” In other words, technical writing focuses on describing a specific topic, while essays focus on providing a point of view.

In technical writing, you’re writing about a topic or field of study that you are already familiar with. You’re writing about a topic you’ve studied before, and you’re writing about a topic you’ve written about in the past.

In essay writing, you’re writing about a topic or field of study that you’re unfamiliar with. You’re writing about a topic you haven’t studied before, and you’re writing about a topic you have never written about before.

• Technical writing tends to be more formal, while essay writing is more informal.
• Technical writing involves a lot of facts and figures, while essay writing tends to be more opinion based.
• Technical writing is more structured and organized, while essay writing is more open-ended and free-flowing.
• Technical writing tends to be less personal than essay writing.
• Technical writing tends to be more factual and objective, while essay writing is more subjective and personal.

Technical Writing vs Essay Writing: The Similarities

While there are some similarities between technical writing and essay writing, they are very different in terms of the purpose they serve and how they are used.

Both of them require the same time and effort. Both technical writing and essay writing are time-consuming processes. This is because the skills are based on facts and figures. Hence, the only thing that matters is to write the content correctly.

Both these skills are based on facts and figures; hence the preparation of both of these are the same. Hence, it is always advisable to prepare the facts and figures in advance. However, in technical writing, it is necessary to be more organized.

Both of them need the same skills and knowledge. In technical writing, you need to have good writing skills. You need to be able to use proper grammar and spelling. Also, you need to be well-versed with technical jargon. In essay writing, you need to understand the concepts of the topics and be able to present your thoughts coherently.

Both technical writing and essay writing must be presented in different mediums.

Both of them need to be revised several times . Both technical writing and essay writing are required to be revised several times. The technical writers need to revise the written document for technical errors. Similarly, the essay writers need to revise the paper for grammatical and spelling mistakes.

Also read: 12 Best Writing Tools for Bloggers

The two main types of writing that students and businesses encounter are technical writing and essay writing. There are many misconceptions about technical writing and essay writing. It is essential to know the similarities and differences between these two skills.

Both technical writing and essay writing focus on a particular subject; however, technical writing requires a more in-depth understanding, whereas essay writing requires a more broad understanding. Both these skills require a considerable amount of time and effort.

It’s easy to confuse the two because they both use the same format. However, technical writing and essay writing differ in their purpose. Technical writing aims to provide accurate information about a product or service, while essay writing aims to prove a theory or a point of view.

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Technical Writing vs. Essay Writing

Major variations of writing in both styles, beyond common writing distinctions, key challenges, how is technical writing different from writing an essay.

• Read in 07 mins
• 14-Nov-2023

When we think of writing, we often connect it with articles, blogs or essays. But do you know there are many different styles and formats to consider while writing content? The two most popular writing types we are going to discuss here are technical writing and essay writing. Both of the styles involve the use of words and language to communicate ideas and information to a specific audience.

However, there are some key differences between the two styles that set them totally apart. Understanding these differences can help identify which approach is best suited for your particular needs. Through this article, we will explore how technical writing is different from writing an essay, their characteristics, as well as tips on how to excel in each style.

Technical writing and essay writing are two interesting styles of writing that have their unique characteristics and purposes for a diverse audience. So, whether you're a student working on an academic paper or a professional looking to communicate complex ideas, read on to discover the right way!

Technical writing focuses on providing clear and straightforward informative content to help readers understand complicated concepts. At the same time, essay writing aims to convince and engage readers with well-developed arguments and analysis. Understanding the difference between the two styles can help you figure out which approach is right for you.

For example , if you were writing a technical manual on how to assemble a computer, you would use technical writing to provide step-by-step instructions with clear diagrams and explanations. On the other hand, if you were writing an essay on the benefits of renewable energy, you would use essay writing to present compelling arguments supported by evidence and expert opinions.

Technical writing is highly objective and focuses on practicality and efficiency, aiming to convey information in a concise and precise manner. It is often used in fields such as engineering, technology, and science. Essay writing is more subjective and allows for the expression of personal opinions and interpretations. It is commonly employed in academic settings and aims to persuade and engage readers through effective rhetoric and logical reasoning.

Understanding the appropriate style for your purpose can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your writing and ensure that your intended message reaches and resonates with your target audience.

Four major variations of writing can be found in both technical and essay writing styles.

Formality and Tone

• Technical Writing: The language in this style is straightforward and specific. It resembles a set of instructions for assembling structured content, avoiding unnecessary details, and focusing on clarity.
• Essay Composition: Now consider it as a letter to a friend. It's informal, like a casual chat. The tone can be personal, expressing emotions and opinions freely. An essay weaves a narrative, allowing the writer's voice to shine through.

Use of Jargon

• Technical Writing: It often includes industry-specific terms and jargon. The goal is to communicate efficiently within a particular field, assuming a level of knowledge among the readers.
• Essay Composition: Essays generally avoid excessive jargon, opting for easy and accessible language. The emphasis is on connecting with a broader audience, making the content relatable and engaging.

Structural Framework

• Technical Writing: Technical documents follow a structured and logical format, just like maps. Whether it's a manual or a report, the information is organized systematically, allowing readers to navigate with ease.
• Essay Composition: Essays have a more flexible structure. While they may have an introduction, body, and conclusion, the content flows naturally, allowing for creativity and exploration of ideas.

Audience Considerations

• Technical Writing: Technical writing is tailored to a specific audience with a particular knowledge base. It assumes the readers have a certain level of expertise in the subject matter.
• Essay Composition: Essays adapt to various readerships, considering a broader spectrum of backgrounds and interests. The goal is to engage and resonate with a diverse group of readers.

Technical writing and essay writing both require solid skills in writing along with the ability to communicate information effectively. Let us understand some unexplored distinctions that can help writers tailor their approach and achieve their intended goals.

Intent of Communication

• Technical writing mainly serves a practical purpose. It aims to express information, focusing on delivering instructions or presenting facts. The focus here is on providing guidance or documentation for a specific task or process.
• Essay writing takes a more exploratory route. Essays are a platform for expressing ideas, opinions, and emotions. They invite readers to delve into the writer's thoughts, often without a predetermined practical outcome.

Emotional Engagement

• Technical writing is more objective and factual. The major goal is the transmission of information with minimal emotional engagement or personal biases.
• Essay writing encourages emotional connection. Essays often involve personal reflections, storytelling, or persuasive elements that light up emotions and relate with the reader on a more personal level.

Flexibility in Structure

• Technical writing follows a structured and standardized format. Whether it's a manual or a report, our technical writing services follow a predetermined framework to ensure clarity and consistency.
• Essay writing embraces a more flexible structure. It allows for creativity in the organization, enabling writers to experiment with different formats to suit the content and convey ideas effectively.

Language Complexity

• Technical writing prioritizes clarity over literary flair. The language used is straightforward, avoiding unnecessary complexity. The focus is on delivering information comprehensively to a specific audience.
• Essay writing celebrates the beauty of language. Essays often employ a more varied and expressive vocabulary, allowing writers to craft sentences that convey not only information but also evoke a particular atmosphere or emotion.

Objective & Subjective Evaluation

• Technical writing is subject to objective evaluation. Technical documents are assessed based on accuracy, clarity, and adherence to predefined standards. Success is measured by how effectively it fulfills its intended purpose.
• Essay writing involves subjective evaluation. The assessment of an essay includes factors such as creativity, originality, and the ability to engage the reader emotionally. Success is often measured by the impact on the reader's perspective.

Facing challenges is a natural part of life, and in various aspects, understanding the key challenges helps us find effective solutions. Here are some informative pointers illustrating key challenges to shed light on these hurdles:

Resource Limitations

Limited budgets and resources constrain growth and innovation. These limitations can hinder the ability to implement new ideas and strategies. In order to succeed in writing an impactful essay, it is important to incorporate factors such as creativity, originality, and the ability to engage the reader emotionally. However, one must also navigate technical communication hurdles and find a balance between creativity and coherence in the narrative.

Adapting to Change

Change is constant, but coping with it can be not easy. It requires individuals and organizations to be flexible and open-minded, willing to embrace new ideas and approaches. Adapting to change also involves overcoming resistance and fear of the unknown, as well as continuously learning and evolving to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Market Competition

Staying competitive in a crowded market is a perpetual struggle. Companies must innovate and differentiate themselves to stand out from their competitors regularly. It involves understanding customer needs and preferences, conducting market research, and developing unique value propositions.

Regulatory Compliance

Following through complex regulations requires ongoing effort. Businesses must stay updated on changes in regulations, ensure their operations comply, and allocate resources to implement necessary changes. It may involve hiring legal experts or consultants to navigate the complexities of regulatory requirements and mitigate potential risks.

Talent Acquisition and Retention

Attracting and retaining skilled employees is a continuous battle. Businesses must develop effective recruitment strategies, offer competing remuneration packages, and develop a positive work environment to attract top talent. Additionally, implementing employee retention programs and providing opportunities for growth and development can help retain skilled employees and reduce turnover rates.

Technical writing and essays are distinct but equally valuable. In this guide, we have understood how technical writing is different from writing an essay. While technical writing ensures precision in conveying information, essays bring a personal touch, enriching the world of words with creativity.

As technical writing excels at delivering information with precision, essays unfold as a canvas for personal expression and exploration of ideas. Recognizing these differences empowers writers to choose the most suitable form based on their communication objectives and the nature of the content.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary has extensive experience of over 5 years in writing on a wide range of topics, including healthcare, technology, science, and business. She is highly knowledgeable and skilled in researching and crafting accurate, well-structured, and engaging content. Mary is a reliable and professional writer who is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure her clients are satisfied with her work. She is committed to delivering quality content on time and within budget.

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Academic Writing vs. Technical Writing

What's the difference.

Academic writing and technical writing are two distinct forms of writing that serve different purposes and audiences. Academic writing is primarily used in educational settings and focuses on presenting arguments, analyzing information, and supporting claims with evidence. It is often more formal and structured, with a focus on clarity and coherence. On the other hand, technical writing is used in professional and technical fields to convey complex information in a clear and concise manner. It is characterized by its use of specialized terminology, diagrams, and instructions. While both forms require precision and accuracy, academic writing emphasizes critical thinking and research, while technical writing prioritizes clarity and usability.

Further Detail

Introduction.

Academic writing and technical writing are two distinct forms of writing that serve different purposes and audiences. While both require clarity and precision, they differ in terms of their objectives, styles, and intended readership. In this article, we will explore the attributes of academic writing and technical writing, highlighting their similarities and differences.

Academic writing primarily aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge in a particular field. It focuses on research, analysis, and critical thinking, often presenting arguments or theories supported by evidence. The goal is to engage with scholarly conversations and advance understanding within the academic community.

On the other hand, technical writing aims to provide practical information and instructions to help users understand and use a product, system, or process. It focuses on clarity, accuracy, and usability, aiming to communicate complex concepts in a straightforward manner. The objective is to facilitate comprehension and enable users to perform specific tasks or solve problems.

Style and Tone

Academic writing typically adopts a formal and objective tone. It emphasizes logical reasoning, evidence-based arguments, and a neutral perspective. The language used is precise, concise, and avoids colloquialisms or personal opinions. The writing style is often dense and complex, with long sentences and specialized vocabulary that may require familiarity with the subject matter.

On the other hand, technical writing adopts a clear and concise style. It prioritizes simplicity and accessibility, using plain language and avoiding jargon or unnecessary complexity. The tone is often instructional and user-focused, aiming to guide readers through a process or explain a concept step-by-step. Technical writing also frequently incorporates visual aids such as diagrams, charts, or illustrations to enhance understanding.

Academic writing is primarily intended for an audience of scholars, researchers, and experts in a specific field. It assumes a certain level of knowledge and familiarity with the subject matter, allowing for in-depth discussions and specialized terminology. The readers are typically seeking to expand their understanding or engage in scholarly debates.

On the other hand, technical writing targets a broader audience that may include both experts and non-experts. It aims to provide information or instructions that can be easily understood and applied by users with varying levels of expertise. Technical writing often considers the needs of beginners or individuals with limited background knowledge, ensuring that the content is accessible and user-friendly.

Structure and Formatting

Academic writing follows a specific structure that includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. It often includes citations and references to support claims and provide evidence. The formatting style, such as APA or MLA, is determined by the academic discipline and includes guidelines for citations, headings, and formatting of the document.

On the other hand, technical writing typically follows a more modular structure. It may include sections such as an introduction, overview, step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting, and frequently asked questions. The content is organized in a logical and sequential manner, allowing users to easily locate the information they need. Technical writing also often includes visual elements, such as headings, bullet points, and numbered lists, to enhance readability and facilitate navigation.

While academic writing and technical writing share the common goal of effective communication, they differ significantly in terms of objectives, style, readership, and structure. Academic writing focuses on research, analysis, and contributing to scholarly conversations, while technical writing aims to provide practical information and instructions to users. The style and tone of academic writing are formal and objective, while technical writing adopts a clear and concise approach. Academic writing targets an audience of experts, while technical writing caters to a broader range of readers. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for writers to adapt their approach and effectively communicate in the appropriate context.

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Introducing Technical Writing

Dawn Atkinson and Sarah Raymond

Chapter Overview

This chapter aims to help you understand what technical writing is, what it is used for, and what characteristics and conventions help to define it.

A Definition of Technical Writing

Although you may not yet be fully familiar with the characteristics of technical writing, you have likely experienced technical writing at one time or another in your daily life as a student, employee, or consumer. Technical writing , according to this book’s definition, aims to help individuals perform workplace tasks, carry out a series of operations, understand concepts or research, solve problems, operate technology, or communicate in a professional manner. You may have encountered technical writing in textbooks, operations manuals, company policies, or illustrations in magazine articles. To extend our definition of technical writing, textbook author Last (2019, p. 6) explains that this form of non-fiction writing communicates information for practical and specific purposes, takes document design into account, and is usually intended for particular readers.

The Characteristics of Technical Writing

When we employ technical writing, we strive to keep readers in mind and tailor our communication for a particular purpose. The audience for a piece of technical writing is the individuals who will read the text. Since technical writing may be used in multimedia documents, such as presentations, videos, and podcasts, an audience might also include listeners, viewers, and users. The purpose for a piece of technical writing signifies the reason it has been produced. In general, the purpose for a piece of communication is either to entertain, sell, inform, or persuade; however, documents may also address more than one of these purposes. Technical writing, in comparison, may be produced with more specific purposes in mind, such as to provide or ask for information, record details, or convince readers of something (Last & Neveu, 2019, p. 18). Again, technical documents may also reflect more than one of these purposes.

Seven attributes help to define technical writing and ensure that it adequately addresses audience and purpose. Specifically, technical writing is clear, coherent, concise, concrete, correct, complete, and courteous. The following definitions of these characteristics are adapted from Last (2019, pp. 43-44).

Clear writing communicates a writer’s ideas and purpose in a straightforward manner. It targets a particular audience by being precise and moderating technical words, obscure phrases, and jargon , specialized language or terminology used in a particular field of study or workplace environment. It also foregrounds important information for the benefit of readers and conveys one main idea per paragraph.

Coherent writing builds links between ideas so readers can easily follow them. One idea should lead logically into the next via use of transitional words and phrases, intentional repetition, sentences with clear subjects, specific and informative titles and headings, parallel lists, and consistent document design. When writing is coherent, readers can easily track thoughts and lines of reasoning; incoherent writing, in comparison, is choppy and hard to follow since its ideas appear to be disconnected or incomplete.

Concise writing is efficient: it delivers its message clearly without using extraneous words that slow readers. To produce concise writing, avoid unnecessary padding in sentences, awkward phrasing, overuse of be verbs ( is , are , was , were , am , be , being , been ), long preposition strings, vague language (words like good , bad , and do ), unnecessary repetition, and redundancy. In addition, use active verbs whenever possible, and take the time to select a single, expressive word rather than using a long or clichéd phrase. Think of your word count like a budget; be frugal by making sure every word you choose works hard to communicate meaning.

Concrete writing uses specific, exact language so readers can easily understand points. If you have to explain an abstract concept, use familiar examples, everyday comparisons, and precise language. In addition, use measurable or specific descriptors whenever possible instead of words that encompass a range of interpretations (e.g., big , little , very , extremely , and great ).

Correct writing uses conventional English punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and sentence structures; provides accurate information that is communicated in an ethical way; and employs the right document type for the task.

Complete writing includes all requested information and answers all relevant questions. Carefully read and follow specifications to ensure your documents are complete.

Courteous writing employs an intuitive design that is easy to scan; uses respectful language; addresses readers appropriately; and avoids potentially offensive terms and tone.

Writing that is clear, coherent, concise, concrete, correct, complete, and courteous establishes credibility with readers, demonstrates dedication and care, and communicates messages convincingly.

The Conventions of Technical Writing

Documents typically follow conventions , expectations about key features that affect how they are organized, designed, and written. Conventions help readers recognize and categorize documents into genres , or types of writing; conventions also help writers to produce texts in line with accepted standards.

Certain conventions typify technical writing as a means for communicating information clearly and effectively to people who need it. Table 1 provides an overview of these conventions.

The conventions outlined in Table 1 help make technical writing easy-to-navigate and reader focused.

Activity A: Identify the Audiences for Pieces of Technical Writing

Read the extract.

An extract from the article “Remote Reefs and Seamounts are the Last Refuges for Marine Predators across the Indo-Pacific” (Letessier et al., 2019, “Abstract”)

What can you tell about the intended audience for the text?

Read another example of technical writing.

A set of instructions for a Creative Commons game adapted from Northwest Vista College Library

Figure 2: “ Creative Commons Matching Game ” by AmandaMG is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Information and images about the licenses are from Creative Commons.

What can you tell about the intended audience for this document?

Now read a third example of technical writing in Figure 3. I nfographics combine text, visuals, and numbers to communicate dense information in quick and easy-to-read formats.

An infographic focusing on how overfishing affects coral reefs (NOAA, 2018)

Lastly, read the document in Figure 4.

Comparative Essays

Writing a comparison usually requires that you assess the similarities and differences between two or more theories , procedures , or processes . You explain to your reader what insights can be gained from the comparison, or judge whether one thing is better than another according to established criteria. Helpful tip: When you are asked to write a comparative essay, remember that, unless you are instructed otherwise, you are usually being asked to assess both similarities and differences . Such essays may be called comparative essays , comparison essays , or compare-and-contrast essays .

How to write a comparative essay

• Establish a basis of comparison A basis of comparison represents the main idea , category , or theme you will investigate. You will have to do some preliminary reading , likely using your course materials, to get an idea of what kind of criteria you will use to assess whatever you are comparing. A basis of comparison must apply to all items you are comparing, but the details will be different. For example, if you are asked to “compare neoclassical architecture and gothic architecture,” you could compare the influence of social context on the two styles.
• Gather the details of whatever you are comparing   Once you have decided what theme or idea you are investigating, you will need to gather details of whatever you are comparing, especially in terms of similarities and differences . Doing so allows you to see which criteria you should use in your comparison, if not specified by your professor or instructor.

Helpful tip: Organize your criteria in columns or a Venn diagram ; using visual methods to map your pre-writing work can help you to stay on track and more clearly get a sense of how the essay will be structured.

Based on the information in the above table, you could focus on how ornamentation and design principles reveal prevailing intellectual thought about architecture in the respective eras and societies.

• Develop a thesis statement After brainstorming, try to develop a thesis statement that identifies the results of your comparison. Here is an example of a fairly common thesis statement structure: e.g., Although neoclassical architecture and gothic architecture have [similar characteristics A and B], they reveal profound differences in their interpretation of [C, D, and E].

Helpful tip: Avoid a thesis statement that simply states your obvious purpose. e.g., The aim of this essay is to compare [A and B] with reference to [X, Y, and Z].

• Organize your comparison You have a choice of two basic methods for organizing a comparative essay: the point-by-point method or the block method. The point-by-point method examines one aspect of comparison in each paragraph and usually alternates back and forth between the two objects, texts, or ideas being compared. This method allows you to emphasize points of similarity and of difference as you proceed. In the block method , however, you say everything you need to say about one thing, then do the same thing with the other. This method works best if you want readers to understand and agree with the advantages of something you are proposing, such as introducing a new process or theory by showing how it compares to something more traditional.

Sample outlines for comparative essays on neoclassical and gothic architecture

Building a point-by-point essay.

Using the point-by-point method in a comparative essay allows you to draw direct comparisons and produce a more tightly integrated essay. Helpful tip: Note that you can have more than three points of comparison , especially in longer essays. The points can be either similarities or differences. Overall, in order to use this method, you must be able to apply criteria to every item, text, or idea you are comparing.

• Introductory material
• Thesis: Although neoclassical and gothic architecture are both western European forms that are exemplified in civic buildings and churches, they nonetheless reveal, through different structural design and ornamentation, the different intellectual principles of the two societies that created them.
• Why this comparison is important and what it tells readers

Building a block method essay

Using the block method in a comparative essay can help ensure that the ideas in the second block build upon or extend ideas presented in the first block. It works well if you have three or more major areas of comparison instead of two (for example, if you added in a third or fourth style of architecture, the block method would be easier to organize).

• Thesis: The neoclassical style of architecture was a conscious rejection of the gothic style that had dominated in France at the end of the middle ages; it represented a desire to return to the classical ideals of Greece and Rome.
• Text 1: History and development
• Text 2: Change from earlier form; social context of new form
• Synthesis and analysis: What does the comparison reveal about architectural development?

How do the audiences for the four examples you looked at differ? How might these differences have shape the documents’ development? Please be prepared to discuss your ideas in class.

Activity B: Consider the Implications of Integrity in the Workplace

As this chapter mentions, correct technical communication is truthful in its message and is communicated ethically. To explore what these concepts mean from various perspectives, read the following piece, composed by Sarah Raymond, Director of Career Services at Montana Technological University. In 2020, Ms. Raymond conducted a series of informational interviews with employers to discover what integrity means to them. After you have read the text, work with classmates to address the questions that follow. Be prepared to discuss your team’s responses in class.

What do you do when no one is watching?

Although integrity, by definition, is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles” (Lexico, 2020, definition one), it is one of those abstract personal traits that can be difficult to pin down. Regardless, most people know what it is when they see it. You have probably witnessed times when people have disregarded integrity and may or may not have been caught. It can be devastating to watch when someone does get exposed, either as a result of a serious infraction or several small infractions that have previously been overlooked. In either case, the repercussions can be great.

Integrity is certainly important in academics, as academia is a training ground for the workplace. During her interview, Koren Vining, Vice President and Branch Manager at Cetera Investors, concurred with this view: “College gives you time to practice integrity and hone those skills, [and]…if you screw up, it isn’t life altering.”  Mistakes can, in fact, help people learn. Vining said she hopes her children learn from their mistakes before they enter employment—before their actions can really hurt their lives. To be sure, lapses in judgement, integrity, and ethical decision making can lead to substantial costs in the workplace (for example, your job, your money, your time, other people’s time, and other people’s money).

Companies recognize integrity in their employees and tend to promote those who work hard, do a good job, and have impeccable behavior. What leaders do and how they behave matters because people are always watching. Quality leadership correlates with a high degree of integrity (as well as transparency, accountability, responsibility, self-awareness, and other traits). Vining explained,

There comes a time when you are ready to take the next step; by having worked the right way , you have put in the effort, you have practiced the skills for future success. If you have been accidentally successful, there will come a time when it will crash.

Working in an investment firm, Vining has unfortunately seen this destructive situation happen to former employees. In a highly regulated business, someone is always watching.

As a testament to her integrity as a leader, Vining has shared pieces of her management style and has been open with members of her work team. This transparency allows her team members to be successful on their own terms. To encourage their success and self-sufficiency, Vining shares the following guidance with her team members:

Do your work. If you need a boss, someone to stand over you, this isn’t going to be a successful working relationship. However, if you need some structure and a coach, you can dictate your own success. Are you working on your own plan, or are you working on a plan that belongs to someone else?

Vining clearly values her employees’ beliefs in their ability to be successful and is transparent in her expectations.

In today’s new abnormal, remote work is something many people have experienced for a sustained period of time. Maybe you have even experienced a remote classroom that was not what you had planned when you registered for the term. In this type of situation, discipline and focus will serve you well as opposed to trying to avoid hard work by taking short cuts. In relation to this point, Vining asked, “How do you want people to think about you?”  In other words, what do they say about you when you are not there? Your personal brand and what you stand for matter in the workplace.

Putting in extra effort and time on tasks can cause stress, but Vining shared an alternate view: “Unless you are really a crappy person, there is stress involved with taking the short-cut too.”  In other words, taking short cuts to circumvent hard work is stressful because of the fear of getting caught.

Vining offered sage advice as a 19-year recruiting veteran: “Cultivate personal integrity. You will be more apt to have more success.”  At the companies she has worked, she has been fortunate to witness corporate America elevate people who have integrity. And, conversely, she has seen those who do not demonstrate integrity suffer. “Eventually it comes out, it may be post-mortem and that is certainly not how you want to be remembered.”  When you are responsible for someone else’s resources (money, time, property) in a job, people expect you to value that position. Employers trust you to make the next right decision.

According to Glen Fowler, the former President of Mountain Pacific Association of Colleges and Employers (MPACE) and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the adjectives integrity and credibility are synonymous. “Everything you say, if you are credible, I believe you without question. It is a distraction if you have to spend time and second guess people.”  Credibility is something that most employers are able to identify early in someone’s career. Similarly, lack of credibility on the job—for example, when steering a team or when reporting back on its work—can be career limiting. “Credibility is about your personal reputation. Once it is marred, it is all over,” according to Fowler. “People underestimate how small the world is. Leadership or decision makers know each other and if not, they will reach out to someone.”  Again, integrity is central to effective workplace performance.

Fowler echoed that academia is the time to develop and hone behavioral integrity. “This is how you are going to conduct yourself in the future.”  During his professional career, while onboarding staff and hiring scores of people, he observed that individuals entering his industry were Type A personalities. “These [were] people who [were] used to having all the answers. We had to break them of that mentality, break the conditioning they had developed. We had to give them the license to say ‘I don’t know.’”  Fowler stressed, “You are better off saying that you don’t know. You are hired for your expertise, but if you start your response with a conditional statement, ‘I think,’ people don’t hear that qualification.” Fowler also emphasized, “A sign of maturity is to admit you don’t have all the answers,” and quickly added, “But you can get them!”

Another subtlety of integrity and a way in which people can get into trouble, according to Fowler, “Is not just what you share, but what you didn’t share even when you knew it would help and yet still withheld it.”  People may not openly communicate for a variety of reasons, none of which may be malicious or self-serving. Maybe they do not communicate because they want to avoid confrontation or uncomfortable situations. Or, they may tell themselves it is not their place to be forthright. Regardless, “A junior-level person can question or stand up to a senior person, based upon perceived facts and still be respected,” according to Fowler. “To become a true leader, it is important to be engaged with your career and know yourself.”  In other words, recognize and own the values that underlay your actions and behaviors.

Employers use job interviews to assess a number of things: for example, skills, past performance, technical expertise, and level of workplace integrity. Some recruiters use behavioral or situational questions to help them better understand how job applicants would handle real-life problems or common situations. Here are a few interview questions for you to consider. How would you answer them during an employment interview?

• Tell me about a time you were new to a company or work group. What steps did you take to build trust with co-workers and/or staff?
• Give an example of a time when you over-committed yourself. How did you handle it?
• Describe a situation when you worked with someone you did not like or respect. How did you cope with the relationship?
• Tell me about a time when your values were in conflict with your employment organization’s values. What did you do?

Describe what the terms integrity and ethics mean to you. Tell me about a time when your integrity or ethics were challenged. What did you do?

Employers likely will not tell you outright when you are being asked questions about ethics or integrity. They may be more subtle and lay out situations to uncover your core values. Fowler shared, “Employers ask questions in…clever ways. They…[will] tee up a scenario that is specific to their industry. It gets at the heart of your personal judgement, conflict resolution, or teamwork.”  How will you respond? Will you make the next right decision? Are you a match for the team they already have in place?

As an employee, you will be evaluated on the quality of work you produce. That is another way your employer will measure your credibility. Are you performing the responsibilities of your post with integrity? Your employer will trust that you are going to do your work correctly, produce credible deliverables, and communicate effectively throughout projects. Your employer, in short, will rely on you to do what you say you will do in order to uphold the organization’s reputation and your own.

Integrity is clearly more than just the definition of honesty and moral uprightness. Ultimately, all you have is your word. The ability to follow through on your promises contributes to your professional reputation, and relationships and interactions with others count for a great deal. If people are not able to trust or rely on you in the workplace, you will miss opportunities for personal and professional success. Barb Crump, Director of Human Resources at Northern Montana Hospital, deals with people every day in her role. She values fairness in the workplace, and people come to her because they rely on her expertise and trust her willingness to guide them correctly. Crump shared, “Recently there was a post on Facebook that sums up what we are discussing: ‘I no longer listen to what people say. I watch what they do. Behavior doesn’t lie.’”

What are your responses to these items?

• A new employee received training from someone else in the office. The person responsible for the training withheld information that was critical to completing a particular task. The new employee struggled to complete the task, and the trainer eventually shared the proper information.
• How might the new employee feel?
• Why would the person conducting the training withhold information?
• What was wasted during the process: time, money, opportunities for collaboration and peer-to-peer learning, mental energy, or something else?
• What might happen to team morale? What might happen to the overall morale in the office?
• What did the company lose?
• An employer contacted a university’s career services office to inquire about an intern’s transcript. The employer had worked with this office for some time to offer internship opportunities to students. The intern was required to provide the transcript as a condition of employment, but the employer had concerns about the document since its format did not resemble transcripts that had been provided in the past.
• What do you think might have happened with the transcript?
• What was damaged in this situation?
• How should the employer respond?
• How should the career services office respond?
• How should the university respond?
• Imagine you had the opportunity to interview for a dream job in your field and were provided the list of interview questions in advance. How would you respond to these questions?
• Tell me about a time you were new to a group. What steps did you take to build trust with its members?
• Tell me about a time when you encountered a conflict with someone, either at work or in school. What communication strategies did you use to resolve it?

Homework: Email Your Instructor about Your Experiences with Technical Writing

Consider this textbook chapter in relationship to your experience as a student, employee, or consumer. Compose an email to your instructor in which you address the following prompt: What are two kinds of documents you have written or encountered that could be characterized as technical writing, and why? Use standard conventions for professional emails when completing this task. For help with composing and formatting your email, consult the “Writing Electronic Correspondence” chapter of this textbook. This exercise is adapted from Last (2019, p. 9).

Remember to edit, revise, and proofread your message before sending it to your instructor. The following multipage handout, from the Academic Writing Help Centre, Student Academic Success Service, University of Ottawa (2016), may be helpful in this regard.

Sentence Structure

https://sass.uottawa.ca/sites/sass.uottawa.ca/files/awhc-sentence-structure.pdf

Academic Writing Help Centre, Student Academic Success Service, University of Ottawa. (2016). Sentence structure . License: CC-BY 4.o . https://sass.uottawa.ca/sites/sass.uottawa.ca/files/awhc-sentence-structure.pdf

Last, Suzan (2019). Technical writing essentials: introduction to professional communication in the technical fields. License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 . Retrieved from https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/

Letessier, T.B., Mouillot, D., Bouchet, P.J., Vigliola, L., Fernandes, M.C., Thompson, C., Boussarie, G., Turner, J., Juhel, J.B., Maire, E., Caley, M.J., Koldewey, H.J., Friedlander, A., Sala, E., & Meeuwig, J.J. (2019). Remote reefs and seamounts are the last refuges for marine     predators across the Indo-Pacific. PLoS Biology, 17 (8), e3000366.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000366

Lexico. (2020). Integrity. In Lexico . Retrieved June 3, 2020, from https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/integrity

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2018). Threats to coral reefs: Overfishing [Infographic]. https://www.noaa.gov/multimedia/infographic/infographic-how-does-overfishing-threaten-coral-reefs

Northwest Vista College Library. (n.d.). Creative Commons matching game . License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://nvcguides.libguides.com/ccmatchinggame

Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo. (n.d.). Comparative essays . License: CC-BY-SA 4.0 . https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/sites/ca.writing-and-communication-centre/files/uploads/files/comparative_essays.pdf

Mindful Technical Writing Copyright © 2020 by Dawn Atkinson and Sarah Raymond is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Technical vs. Academic, Creative, Business, and Literary Writing: What Is the Difference?

Technical writing is all about the content that focuses on providing detailed and clear information on the product or service. It contains a factual and straightforward message. Technical writers convert complex technical information into useful and easy-to-understand language. You should know that there are different types of technical writing , for example, online tutorials , instruction manuals, API documentation, and so on.

The main idea of all types of technical writing is to help the end-user understand any technical aspect of the product or service.

In addition to technical writing, there are many types of other writings, such as creative, business, and literary writing. All of them have distinctive features. Let’s compare these writings to technical writing and see what they have in common and what makes them different.

Technical Writing vs. Academic Writing

Some people might think these two types of writing are similar. The truth is that these are two completely different categories. It may seem that academic writing should be more complicated since it is focused on some specific and narrow discipline. Indeed, this type of writing may describe very complex concepts and provide specialized knowledge.

Technical writing is intended to describe technical information. It may vary depending on the specifics of a particular industry.

Academic writing is aimed to present a certain point of view on a particular subject. Academic papers show results of research and demonstrate someone’s knowledge. In turn, technical writing explains something to readers and informs them. Technical papers often explain how to use a particular product or service. Technical documents can also describe procedures used by the manufacturer to perform certain tasks. What technical and academic writing have in common is that both types may contain jargon.

Academic and technical writing target different audiences. Academic papers are usually intended for fellow scholars. However, there are also academic pieces of writing intended for a broad audience. Technical writing is intended for people who use a product or service.

Technical Writing vs. Creative Writing

Creative writing is a piece of writing for entertainment and education. It focuses on imaginative and symbolic content, and creative papers are published to entertain, provoke, inspire the user. Technical writing, on the other hand, is not done to amuse its reader. It is used to inform someone. Some technical articles are sometimes made to trigger the reader to take action.

There is no such specific reader who prefers creative papers. Anyone can read the creative paper if they want to, and it gives readers a theme, message, moral, or lesson which is helpful in their real lives or provides temporary entertainment to the reader.

Creative writing has many genres and subgenres. If you want to write creatively, you should have talent. Of course, talent alone is not enough - practice is everything here.

It doesn’t mean that creativity can’t be used in technical writing. Technical articles contain so many facts and data that they can bore and overwhelm readers. This is where creativity in technical writing might come in handy. A tech writer should be creative to encourage their readers to continue reading the document.

Technical Writing vs. Business Writing

Business writing is just about any kind of writing people do at work, if we are not talking about journalism or creative writing. Business writing includes reports, emails, proposals, white papers, minutes, business cases, letters, copywriting, bids, and tenders.

However, many reports, bids, and proposals contain technical data and specifications. So business writers may find themselves editing technical content, and technical writers may be called upon to write persuasive documents for a non-technical audience.

The main objective for both these writings is to inform, be useful, build something or operate the equipment.

The language needs to be clear, concise, and accurate. Wordiness, repetition, and unfamiliar words that the audience may not understand do not belong in either business or technical writing.

Of course, you can use technical jargon in documents where the audience has the same technical background. But too much jargon tends to be a huge problem. So, if in doubt, avoid jargon or explain it.

Some business documents need to be persuasive, whereas technical documents tend to be neutral and objective.

However, there are differences in the content, language, and style of technical and business writing. More on technical writing in business is in our article What Value Technical Writers Bring to Business?

Technical Writing vs. Literary Writing

The main difference between technical writing and literary writing is that literary language is used in literary work while technical writing is used in writing for a particular field. Literary writing is used in fiction. Examples of literary writing include poems, novels, short stories, dramas, etc. The language used in literary writing is creative, imaginative and uses literary techniques like hyperbole, personification, similes, metaphors, etc.

Technical writing is the style of writing that is mostly observed in non-fiction. The language used in technical writing is direct, factual, and straightforward.

Literary writing appeals to emotions. Technical writing appeals to the mind.

Technical writing is aimed at people who have knowledge about a particular subject area. Literary writing is written for general readers.

Every writing style is important in its own way. They are used by writers depending on the subject matter, purpose, language, and target audience. Below is the table that summarizes what you found out about the types of writing mentioned in this article:

It doesn’t matter what you write: essays, business materials, fiction, letters, or just notes in your journal, your writing will be at its best if you stay focused on your purpose and target audience.

Good luck with your technical writing! ClickHelp Team Author, host and deliver documentation across platforms and devices

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Writers' Treasure

Effective writing advice for aspiring writers

• Creative Writing vs. Technical Writing
• Technical Writing

Today, after learning what creative writing is and how to get started in it , we’re going to compare the two of them.

There are writers all over the world in the two categories – and it boggles the mind to hear that millions have been made from both creative writing and technical writing. Some have made fortunes. While some have not made anything.

Enjoyment can be gained from both types, but it’s fair to say that they both serve different purposes. They both have their own do’s and don’ts and they both have their own rules. Both are governed by grammar and style. Both appear everywhere. So what’s the difference?

Here’s my take: creative writing is written for the right brain (creative) and technical writing is written for the left brain (logical). Confused yet? Wait, there’s more…

A Further Look into Creative Writing

Creative writing is written to entertain and educate. We enjoy reading novels and stories, not because they are necessary to read or helpful for us, just because we get a certain pleasure from reading them, the pleasure which can’t be got from reading technical writing.

Creative writing has so many genres and sub-genres that they deserve a whole section of an article for themselves. It sometimes follows a given set of rules, and sometimes throws caution to the winds and breaks all of them. Either way, talent is somewhat of a necessary ingredient if you want to write creatively. Of course, writing can be improved by practice. But if you don’t have the necessary talent, your writing would not give pleasure to anyone.

Skills and talent both make up creative writing. Hence, they are its constituents.

Further reading: An Introduction to Creative Writing

A Further Look into Technical Writing

Technical writing is wholly written to inform and sometimes to trigger the person reading into making an action beneficial to the one of the writer. Whoa, what a mouthful. That’s not a subject I’m going to cover here (copywriting), but if you want to know more about it, you can visit the master of its game, Copyblogger.com .

I already gave the examples of technical writing in the first post of the series. If you look at them with the context of copywriting, they make much more sense. Copywriters are some of the highest paid writers, says Copyblogger. Sales letters, pitches, advertisements, etc constitute copywriting.

Technical writing is not written to entertain. It has its own set of rules, conventions, do’s and don’ts, masterpieces and pieces of rubbish. There is a whole art to mastering technical writing, although it too is branched: online technical writing and offline technical writing. Personally, I think that if you want to master technical writing, you should first master concise and magnetic writing that draws the reader in, regardless of whether it’s creative or technical.

Are you a master or a learner of concise writing? If you are, so am I, and I’m going to cover it here in future posts. Creative leads or hooks contribute to it.

So that’s it for creative writing. The differences between creative writing and technical writing are that creative writing is written mainly to entertain with the creativity of the mind and technical writing is written mainly to inform in a formal manner or to incite the reader to make an action such as purchase the writer’s product.

This, in a mouthful, is the main difference. In the beginning of this article, I made my own claim: right brain vs. Left brain. However, they deserve an article of their own, and not here. If you want to know more, you can always do your own research.

For my part, I’m going to focus on creative writing tips here, mainly because this is a creative writing blog and I’m much more interested by creative writing than by technical writing. Next post will be solely on fiction writing elements. Stay tuned.

This is the third instalment in the 8-part series “Creative Writing 101.”

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Further reading:.

• Creative Writing Skills: Do You Have Them All?
• Who Else Wants to Master the Creative Writing Skills?
• An Introduction to Creative Writing
• Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Creative Writing
• Creative Non-Fiction: What is it?

20 thoughts on “Creative Writing vs. Technical Writing”

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Great post, and you’ve summed up the difference quite nicely! Technical writing definitely requires a lot of analytical thinking. Persuasion is still necessary; you have to convince people to read the documentation, otherwise they don’t bother. You have to give them a good reason to learn. But it’s definitely more instructive. As a result, technical writers who dabble in fiction tend to write really dry stuff!

Great comment — I fully agree. Technical writers have to be passive writers. Informal language is of course a big no-no.

By the way, I checked out your blog, very nice. Just wondering why you don’t allow comments. Anyway, nice job.

I work in the United States, so it’s possible that the expectations are different, but here in the US, good technical writing is often quite informal and friendly. I’ve been a lead Technical Writer for more than 18 years, and not only is “informal” acceptable, it’s often expected.

The point of a well-written Technical document is to get the other person to understand the idea you want to convey. The best way to achieve that is with clear, simple language. Fancy, formal phrasing and choosing long words just to prove that you know them often distracts from the ideas you want to communicate.

For example, the first instruction that I give to Junior Tech Writers who work for me is: use contractions! No “it is” and “you will,” why clutter up the page? Instead, a good Tech Writer will use “it’s” and “you’ll” which keeps things simpler for the reader.

Passive voice is a real “no-no” when it comes to good Tech Writing. Almost everything is written in the imperative mood, for example: “Locate the ‘Create HTML’ link and click it.” The reader (at least in the US/European market that I write for) wants to know how something works as quickly and simply as possible. Apologetic or passive language is an frustrating distraction from what they want to learn.

Another important thing to note is how helpful a warm tone can be – this is part of the reason that the best tech docs are written in a casual voice. A warm, friendly, accessible style of writing sends the message that the topic being covered is not that complicated, and the reader will be able to understand it.

Finally, Technical Writing is one of the most creative kinds of writing out there. You need to be an extremely creative wordsmith to evoke passion, pathos and humor while discussing the requirements of an API. You also need very strong graphic and visual design skills. Document layout and the treatment of images is intrinsic to the clarity of the finished doc.

Take a look at some of those “For Idiots” books – they may not be my favorites, but they give an example of some of the things I’m talking about.

I hope I’ve given you all some food for thought, and I hope some of you start seeing Technical Writing in a new way.

Best of luck with your studies!

Thanks for such a nice, constructive comment. I just gave an exam on communication in my management undergraduate degree where I wrote that business writing is creative (going out on a limb). Turns out I was right, but I don’t know what the examiner will think (it wasn’t in the original answer of 7 Cs of Business Writing, so I’ll still probably get no marks for that).

Thank you very much for the blog post and comment. These tips are useful in fields outside of writing as well! Source: An engineer by day and comedian by night, who also works in N.A.

Thanks! As far as not allowing comments, I’ve found that between writing posts and family obligations, I just don’t have time to respond to comments. So I figured I’d just remove them. You’re blog is great; keep up the good work!

My spouse and I stumbled over here different website and thought I may as well check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to looking into your web page again.

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Great post! However, I feel I have to point out that the whole thing with the right side of the brain being creative, and the left side being logical is simply pseudoscientific garbage.

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“The differences between creative writing and technical writing are that creative writing is written mainly to entertain with the creativity of the mind and technical writing is written mainly to inform in a formal manner or to incite the reader to make an action such as purchase the writer’s product.”

Nonsense. You’re confusing technical writing with marketing writing. Incite? User manuals are written to help users use their hardware or software product.

Technical writing is no longer limited to just user manuals. Content marketing is considered a part of technical writing. The “formal” part is, however, incorrect. Whether a technical document should be ‘formal’ or ‘informal’, depends on the audience or client’s requirements. For web readers, you should always follow an informal style.

Thank you sir! This article helps my take home essay assignments 🙂

great post sir i have a technical blog and i write a problem solution article and it is very difficult to me as a beginner to write problem solution article and i try to learn a unique technical writing and your post help me to differentiate in technical and creative writing thanx sir for giving a amazing and beneficial information.

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10 easy tips for better business writing 10 easy tips for better business writing.

This is a guest article by William Grigsby. If you are interested in submitting a guest article of your own, be sure to read the  guest article guidelines .

In a survey that was conducted in 2004 by the National Commission on business writing among some 120 American companies, it was estimated that major corporations spent over $3.1 billion on employees’ deficiencies in writing. Additionally, about 74% of web browsers were found to pay attention to the quality, grammar, and spelling of company websites. More than 59% of people were found to prefer not doing business with a company which has an obvious mistake in grammar in their write-ups.

The problem is, the internet has converted the business world into a small village, and such figures can translate to huge losses.

Seeing the imminent dangers poor business writing can deliver to a business, wanting to improve your skills or even those of your employees should be somewhat of a reflex action. Here are some handy tips that could help you avert a PR crisis and improve your customer conversion.

(more…)

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• How to write tight sentences
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The #1 writing advice: write the truth The #1 writing advice: write the truth

First off, this isn’t your typical  Writers’ Treasure  article. It’s even more brilliantly readable, and it has a completely different subject and tone. It’s not theoretical, and it’s not applicable to creative writers . But for all other kinds of writing, it’s the truest advice I’ve ever written.

Interested? Let’s start the session then.

It’s 2015, and although writers have improved the quality of their writing a lot, other aspects of it have fallen by the wayside.

You might be able to avoid the common mistakes and learn to write frequently. But in the end, none of that matters if you’re making not just a technical mistake, but also a moral and ethical one.

As in, you don’t write the truth.

• How to Master Clarity in Writing
• How to write great scenes: tips and tools

Becoming a Technical Writer: The Good, the Bad, and the Remote Becoming a Technical Writer: The Good, the Bad, and the Remote

This is a guest article by Indiana Lee. If you want to submit a guest article of your own, be sure to read the guest article guidelines.

When looking to start a career as a technical writer, understanding the general overview of what the job entails and how much you will be making is widely helpful. The best way to create a career that truly fits your lifestyle is to understand the demands of that career field.

This article will discuss some of the important aspects of technical writing, how it differentiates from traditional writing, and some of the pros and cons of choosing the career path.

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Creative Writing Vs. Technical Writing Vs. Academic Writing

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on Published: June 7, 2023  - Last updated: July 31, 2023

Categories Writing

You’re a writer, and you’ve got the passion and talent to explore various realms of writing. You might wonder how to navigate the diverse creative, technical, and academic writing landscapes.

Each style has its unique purpose, goals, and characteristics that can open new avenues for creative expression and professional growth.

In this article, we’ll delve into the defining aspects of these three writing styles, helping you understand their differences while offering tips on balancing creativity and accuracy.

As you develop skills in multiple writing domains, you’ll discover how to adapt your voice for different audiences and contexts. Embrace the freedom that comes from mastering these distinct forms of communication!

Key Takeaways

• Each writing style has its unique characteristics and requires different approaches for success.
• Adapting writing style to fit different audiences and contexts is important for effective communication.
• Versatile writers who master multiple writing styles have greater career and creative opportunities.
• Writing quality is crucial regardless of the style and requires clarity, precision, and continuous skill refinement.

Defining the Three Writing Styles

You’re strolling through a literary garden, where three distinct paths emerge – creative writing with vivid blooms, technical writing with structured hedges, and academic writing adorned by meticulously pruned scholarly trees.

Each path offers a unique experience as you explore the world of written communication.

A writing styles comparison reveals that each style has its own rules and unique challenges to overcome.

Creative writing allows your imagination to run wild, painting pictures with words and evoking emotions in your readers.

Technical writing, on the other hand, demands precision and clarity as you explain complex concepts or provide instructions for specific tasks.

Academic writing requires rigorous research and adherence to established guidelines while presenting arguments or findings clearly and concisely.

As you navigate these paths in the literary garden, remember that mastering each style will grant you the freedom to express yourself effectively in any situation life throws you.

Purpose and Goals of Each Style

Diving into each style’s purpose and goals, it’s crucial to understand how they uniquely cater to various communication needs and audiences.

Creative writing aims for audience engagement by evoking emotions, sparking imagination, and telling a story. Its main goal is to entertain, inspire, or provoke thought through stylistic choices such as figurative language, vivid descriptions, and memorable characters.

On the other hand, technical writing focuses on providing clear and concise information to help readers understand complex concepts or complete tasks. This style prioritizes accuracy and user-friendliness while employing straightforward language with minimal jargon.

In contrast, academic writing seeks to explore intellectual ideas or present research findings in a structured format like essays or research papers. The primary goal is contributing knowledge within a specific field by adhering to established standards of evidence-based argumentation.

Unlike creative writing that encourages personal expression and flexibility in form, academic writing demands strict adherence to guidelines concerning citation styles, tone consistency, and logical organization.

Ultimately, your ability to adapt between these different styles will free you from the constraints of one-dimensional communication skills – allowing you greater complexity in your thoughts and ideas while efficiently conveying them across various platforms.

Characteristics of Creative Writing

Imagine a world where words paint vivid pictures and stories come to life, captivating your senses – that’s the realm of artistic expression in literature.

Creative writing is about emotionally impacting your audience, using sensory language to craft immersive experiences that transport readers into the world you’ve built for them.

Some key characteristics of creative writing include:

• Emotional impact: Inspiring emotions such as joy, sadness, or fear in your reader
• Sensory language: Utilizing descriptive words and phrases that engage the five senses
• Artistic freedom: Experimenting with different styles, formats, and structures

Remember to focus on creating an emotional impact through sensory language so your readers can truly experience the world you’ve created.

By doing this, they will enjoy what’s written and indulge their subconscious desire for freedom – allowing them to escape from reality into a universe crafted by their imagination.

Elements of Technical Writing

In technical writing, focusing on clarity, precision, and a straightforward approach is essential.

You’ll need to master technical terminology and document design to effectively convey complex information in a way that’s easy for your audience to understand.

When dealing with specialized subject matter, you must ensure that your writing is accurate and concise while meeting the needs of both experts and novices alike.

To create engaging content that satisfies your audience’s subconscious desire for freedom, consider incorporating visual aids like charts or diagrams into your document design. This helps break up large blocks of text and makes it easier for readers to grasp difficult concepts at a glance.

Additionally, don’t be afraid to use contractions and an active voice in your writing – this can help make your work more relatable and enjoyable to read, even when dealing with highly technical subjects.

Clear communication is key in technical writing, so always prioritize simplicity over complexity whenever possible.

Features of Academic Writing

Academic writing, often characterized by its formal tone and precise structure, serves as a vehicle for critical thinking and the dissemination of knowledge. Through metaphorical language, it’s possible to paint a vivid picture that illuminates complex ideas for readers across various disciplines, ensuring they’re more likely to engage with the content on a deeper level.

Maintaining an academic tone requires avoiding colloquial expressions or emotional language while adhering to grammatical conventions.

Additionally, it’s important to recognize the different referencing styles used in academia. These styles enable writers to provide proper credit for sources while maintaining consistency throughout their work.

To help you better understand some key features of academic writing, take a look at this table illustrating common attributes:

Embrace these characteristics in your academic writing endeavors! By practicing clarity, accuracy, and conciseness – along with proper referencing styles – you’ll foster an environment where readers can freely explore new ideas and expand their understanding of complex concepts.

In turn, this will contribute positively towards your intellectual growth while making your work enjoyable and relatable for others who share your desire for freedom through knowledge acquisition.

The Role of Imagination and Artistry

While it’s often overlooked, the infusion of imagination and artistry can greatly enhance the impact of academic writing by drawing readers into a vivid landscape of ideas and fostering deeper engagement with complex concepts.

Imagination limitations are sometimes seen as necessary in scholarly work to maintain objectivity, but incorporating elements of creativity can help you break free from conventional thinking patterns and present your research more engagingly.

Artistry may not be explicitly required in academic writing, but it can elevate your work when applied judiciously. To harness the power of imagination and artistry in your academic writing, consider these strategies:

• Use metaphors or analogies to clarify abstract or complex ideas
• Experiment with narrative techniques to build suspense or intrigue around your research questions
• Employ active voice and vivid language for more dynamic descriptions
• Integrate visuals such as graphs, charts, or illustrations to support your arguments visually
• Choose an innovative structure that complements the content

Remember that combining creative approaches with rigorous scholarship doesn’t compromise your credibility; it demonstrates your ability to think beyond traditional boundaries and present information in a fresh light.

The Importance of Clarity and Precision

Clarity and precision can’t be overstated in academic writing, as they ensure your arguments are well-structured, your ideas easily understood, and your evidence compellingly presented.

The significance of clarity lies in its ability to eliminate confusion and ambiguity, allowing readers to grasp complex concepts without getting lost in a maze of jargon or convoluted sentences.

Similarly, the benefits of precision include fostering trust with your audience by demonstrating that you’ve conducted thorough research and can present information accurately.

In embracing these principles, you’ll empower others to comprehend and engage with your work and grant them the freedom to explore new thoughts and perspectives.

By presenting clear and precise content, you’re inviting readers into a world where they can freely navigate ideas without feeling overwhelmed or confined.

Formality and Structure in Writing

Transitioning from the importance of clarity and precision in writing, another crucial aspect is the formality and structure employed in your work.

As a writer, you need to be aware of these elements as they vary across different types of writing.

When it comes to creative writing, informal language, and unconventional structures are often embraced. This allows for more freedom and flexibility in expressing ideas, emotions, or storytelling.

On the other hand, technical and academic writing generally requires more formal language usage and structured formats. These guidelines help ensure that your audience clearly communicates and easily understands information.

It’s important to strike the right balance between formality and structure based on your purpose – engaging readers with an enjoyable narrative or providing concise, accurate information they can rely on.

Common Applications for Each Style

As you’re exploring various writing styles, it’s essential to understand their common applications and how each can serve a unique purpose in effectively conveying your message.

To evoke an emotional response from your audience, consider the following applications for each style:

• Creative writing: Unleash your imagination through storytelling, poetry, or personal essays. With this style, you have the freedom to express yourself without limitations.
• Technical writing: Simplify complex concepts and procedures by crafting clear and concise manuals, reports, or user guides. This allows your readers to grasp new information easily.
• Academic writing: Showcase your critical thinking skills with research papers, dissertations, or journal articles. Rigorous analysis and synthesis of ideas are key in this style.
• Style integration: Combine elements from different styles to create engaging content that caters to diverse audiences – a blog post blending creativity with research insights or a business proposal incorporating data analysis with persuasive language.
• Application challenges: Hone your adaptability by tackling projects requiring multiple writing styles, such as grant proposals or marketing campaigns.

By recognizing the value of each writing style and understanding when to apply them effectively, you’ll be well-equipped to face any communication challenge.

Career Opportunities and Professional Paths

You might wonder how mastering different writing styles can benefit your career, so let’s dive into the various opportunities and professional paths that await you.

Whether you’re interested in creative, technical, or academic writing, each field offers unique prospects for career growth. As a creative writer, you could pursue careers such as novelist, screenwriter, copywriter, or content creator for various mediums.

Technical writers are highly sought after in industries like technology, healthcare, engineering, and manufacturing, to name a few.

Academic writers often find their niche in research institutions or universities where they contribute to scholarly publications.

No matter which path you choose, strong networking strategies will play an important role in propelling your career forward.

Attending conferences and workshops related to your chosen field helps sharpen your skills. It allows you to connect with industry professionals who can provide guidance and possible job leads.

The Writing Process: Differences and Similarities

Now that we’ve explored various career paths, let’s delve into the writing process and examine how different styles share similarities and distinctions.

Whether you’re working on creative, technical, or academic writing projects, certain aspects of the writing process remain consistent across all fields.

To keep your audience engaged and satisfy their subconscious desire for freedom, your writing must maintain clarity, accuracy, and conciseness. Finding the right writing motivation can help you stay focused and produce high-quality content.

• Planning: Before starting any project, plan your approach by identifying your goals and target audience. This will ensure your content is well-suited for its purpose.
• Writing: Regardless of the style you’re working with, always strive to write clearly and concisely while maintaining an engaging tone.
• Editing: Once your draft is complete, use effective editing techniques to refine your work by removing redundancies or errors that could hinder comprehension.

By following these steps in each type of writing project (creative, technical, or academic), you’ll be better equipped to create captivating content tailored specifically for its intended purpose while keeping in mind the inherent differences between each style.

Balancing Creativity and Accuracy

Striking the perfect balance between imagination and precision is essential for crafting content that captivates readers while conveying accurate information.

Creative constraints and accuracy challenges can push you to think outside the box, allowing your work to stand out. Embrace these limitations as opportunities for growth, whether creating an imaginative story or composing a well-researched academic paper.

Remember that your audience has a subconscious desire for freedom – don’t be afraid to use creative techniques to engage them while maintaining accuracy. When it comes to balancing creativity and accuracy, practice makes perfect.

Experiment with different writing styles, methods, and sources of inspiration until you discover what works best for your unique voice.

Clarity, accuracy, and conciseness are crucial to effective communication.

However, don’t let those requirements stifle your creativity entirely. By consciously honing your skills in both areas simultaneously, you’ll find that striking the ideal balance becomes second nature over time – allowing you to create captivating content that resonates with readers while remaining true to the facts.

Adapting to Different Audiences and Contexts

Mastering the art of adapting your content to various audiences and contexts can be an exhilarating challenge, as it’s essential to tailor your message while maintaining authenticity – but how will you achieve this delicate balance?

One key component is audience engagement, which requires understanding who you’re addressing and their needs, desires, or interests.

By empathizing with your readers and crafting messages that appeal to them personally, you’ll capture their attention and motivate them to engage with your content.

Contextual adaptation comes into play when you consider the specific circumstances surrounding each piece of writing.

Whether it’s a creative story meant for entertainment purposes or an academic article discussing complex theories, adjusting language, tone, and style accordingly will ensure that your message is clear and concise for the intended audience.

Remember that people have a subconscious desire for freedom – so make sure your writing connects with them emotionally while still providing accurate information they need.

Developing Skills in Multiple Writing Styles

Diversifying your skill set in various writing styles can truly set you apart as a versatile and dynamic wordsmith. This will enable you to excel in any literary arena, making you a more appealing candidate for job opportunities and allowing you to connect with different audiences and contexts through your writing.

As a result, versatile writers often find themselves enjoying greater freedom in their careers and creative pursuits.

To achieve this level of versatility, consider focusing on the following four areas:

• Practice multiple writing styles : Challenge yourself to write creatively, technically, and academically – even outside your comfort zone.
• Study diverse genres : Read widely across different genres and formats to understand the unique requirements for each type of writing.
• Seek constructive feedback : Share your work with others with experience or expertise in various fields, requesting feedback on improving clarity, accuracy, and conciseness.
• Continuously refine your skills : Review and revise your work to ensure it meets the highest quality standards while remaining engaging for readers.

By embracing these strategies, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a versatile writer who can navigate any literary landscape with confidence and ease. Enjoy the freedom that comes from mastering multiple writing styles!

Tips for Success in Each Writing Domain

To excel in each writing domain, it’s essential to understand the unique requirements and techniques for success.

Did you know that 73% of employers value strong writing skills?

You’ll be better equipped to meet diverse demands and seize opportunities by honing your abilities in various domains. Skill-building exercises can help strengthen your proficiency in creative, technical, and academic writing styles while boosting your writer’s motivation.

For creative writing, practice painting vivid images with words by describing settings, characters, or emotions from personal experiences or imagination.

Experiment with different narrative structures and use stylistic devices like metaphor and simile.

In contrast, technical writing requires clarity and precision above all else; try breaking down complex processes into simple steps or creating concise user guides for software or tools.

Finally, academic writing calls for a formal tone and well-structured arguments supported by credible evidence; practice synthesizing research findings into clear thesis statements followed by logical analysis.

As you explore these distinct realms of expression, embrace your freedom to create compelling stories, convey helpful information effectively, and contribute valuable insights to scholarly discourse – the world needs all three!

Frequently Asked Questions

How can a writer effectively transition between creative, technical, and academic writing styles within the same project or document.

To effectively transition between styles, master transition techniques and enhance your writing versatility. Embrace clarity, accuracy, and conciseness while engaging your audience’s subconscious desire for freedom through your adaptable writing approach.

Are there any specific tools or software programs that can help writers improve their skills in each of these writing styles?

Explore various software programs to boost your skill development in different writing styles. Embrace the freedom of mastering creative, technical, and academic writing with tools designed for clarity, accuracy, and conciseness.

How do cultural differences and language barriers impact the effectiveness of creative, technical, and academic writing when communicating with international audiences?

Imagine trying to solve a puzzle with mismatched pieces. Cultural adaptability and language sensitivity are crucial for effective communication, as they bridge gaps in understanding when addressing international audiences.

Can you provide examples of successful writers who have mastered all three writing styles and have been able to use them interchangeably in their work?

Mastering versatility in writing is key to success! Successful writer examples include Isaac Asimov, who skillfully switched between creative, technical, and academic styles. Embrace your freedom to adapt and excel in all three.

Are there any interdisciplinary fields or industries where a writer may need to utilize all three writing styles regularly, and how can they prepare for such a diverse writing landscape?

In the dance of interdisciplinary writing, you’ll glide between styles. Diverse preparation is your key to mastering this choreography. Embrace clarity, accuracy, and conciseness while engaging your audience’s desire for freedom.

So, think of yourself as a chef in the writing kitchen. Each style – creative, technical, and academic – is like a different ingredient you can mix and match to cook the perfect dish for your audience.

Remember to keep it clear, accurate, and concise so your readers can savor every bite of your literary feast.

Bon appétit!

Module 8: Final Project

Comparison/contrast.

Throughout this course, we have been looking at good and bad qualities of technical writing. You know that long, complicated sections are not good for your reader’s understanding. If you use shorter, simpler passages, your reader will more easily remember what you are saying. Also, such basic tools as headings and bulleted lists can help your reader get from the beginning to the end a lot easier than huge blocks of information. Word choice, simple vs. complex, is also important in keeping your reader involved.

Now, I am going to ask you to use what we have been practicing. I am going to give you two documents and then ask you to analyze them from the two-pronged approach to technical writing: content and design. I am going to ask you to develop a table of facts, listing the similarities and differences between the two documents. You should probably come up with about 12 to 15 items (I will give you some instructions later on how to format a table using Microsoft Word).

Next, I will ask you to pick three of the most significant similarities/differences you’ve identified and discuss them in a memo to me. In the memo, you will elaborate on why you think one document is stronger than the other based on these three points you’ve identified.

It’s an opportunity for you to “practice what you preach.” In other words, if you say Document A is better because it uses shorter sections, then you better be using short sections in your memo. It’s not enough to identify good and bad writing. You have to use good writing and avoid bad writing.

Take some time to brainstorm: list the different kinds of technical writing concepts we’ve discussed: writing style, word choice, use of white space, audience, etc. Those are the kinds of things you will be highlighting in your table. Then, which three do you think are most pronounced in the documents. That’s what you would expand on in your memo.

In the next two sections, “Document 1,” and “Document 2,” I will give you the two documents. Print them out so you can analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Then go to the “Creating a Table of Data” document, and I will discuss your Table of Data. Finally, the instructions on the comparison memo itself will be given in the “Comparison Memo” document. Good luck.

• Eng 235. Authored by : Jeff Meyers. Provided by : Clinton Community College. License : CC BY: Attribution

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Technical Vs Creative Writing : Concepts and 7 Differences (Table)

Writing is a form of communication that allows individuals to convey their ideas, thoughts, and emotions to others. There are many different types of writing, each with its unique style, purpose, and audience. Two common types of writing are technical and creative writing. While both forms require the ability to write well, they differ significantly in terms of their content, structure, and style. So, in this article, we will get to have a look at the complete difference between technical vs creative writing with the help of a table and different key points.

Table of Contents

Technical Vs Creative Writing (Comparison Table)

You Can Also Read:

• Difference Between Thesis and Dissertation
• Difference Between Manuscript and Inscription

What is technical Writing?

Technical writing refers to writing that is intended to convey technical information or instructions to a specific audience. It is commonly used in fields such as engineering, medicine, science, and technology, where precise and accurate communication is essential. Technical writing typically involves the use of jargon, technical terms, and formal language to convey complex information.

Examples of technical writing include user manuals, instruction manuals, product specifications, research reports, and scientific papers. Technical writers use their expertise in a particular subject matter to create clear and concise documents that are easy to understand for a specific audience.

Characteristics of Technical Writing

Following are some of the main characteristics of technical writing.

• Clarity: Technical writing is characterized by its clarity and precision. This means that technical writing uses simple and straightforward language to convey complex ideas and information. It avoids unnecessary jargon, slang, or colloquialisms that could confuse or mislead the reader. 
• Objectivity: Technical writing is objective and factual. Technical writers are expected to present information in an unbiased and impartial way, without personal opinions or emotions. This means that technical writing focuses on the facts and evidence to support its claims, and avoids speculation or conjecture.
• Accuracy: Technical writing is characterized by its accuracy and attention to detail. Technical writers must ensure that all information presented is correct and up-to-date. They must verify their sources and use reliable data and information to support their writing. 
• Purpose-Driven: Technical writing is always purpose-driven. It serves a specific function or goal, whether it is to instruct, explain, persuade, or inform. Technical writers must understand their audience and tailor their writing to meet their needs and expectations. They must also be able to anticipate potential questions or objections and provide answers or solutions to address them.
• Structured: Technical writing is structured and organized. It follows a logical sequence and presents information in a clear and consistent manner. Technical writers often use headings, bullet points, tables, and diagrams to help readers navigate complex information and understand the relationships between different ideas. 

What is Creative Writing?

Creative writing, on the other hand, refers to writing that is intended to entertain, inspire, or provoke an emotional response from the reader. It is often used in literature, poetry, and other forms of artistic expression. Creative writing focuses on using language in unique and imaginative ways to convey emotions, ideas, and experiences.

Examples of creative writing include novels, short stories, poems, plays, and screenplays. Creative writers use their creativity and imagination to create unique stories that engage and captivate their readers.

key Differences Between Technical and Creative Writing

While comparing technical vs creative writing, here we have included some of the key differences between them as well. So let’s have a look at them.

• Meaning: Technical writing refers to the type of writing is a type of writing that conveys based on facts and concepts in a clear and concise manner. On the other hand, Creative writing is a type of writing that uses imagination, creativity, and artistic expression to convey stories, ideas, and emotions
• Purpose: The primary purpose of technical writing is to convey technical information or instructions to a specific audience. Technical writers aim to explain complex concepts or procedures in a clear and concise manner. Creative writing, on the other hand, is intended to entertain, inspire, or provoke an emotional response from the reader.
• Audience: Technical writing is typically written for a specific audience, such as engineers, scientists, medical professionals, or students. The audience for technical writing is often familiar with the subject matter and requires precise and accurate information. Creative writing, on the other hand, is written for a broader audience, including general readers who are looking for entertainment or inspiration.
• Language and Style: Technical writing uses formal language, jargon, and technical terms to convey complex information. Technical writers focus on using clear and concise language that is easy to understand for their specific audience. Creative writing, on the other hand, uses more imaginative and figurative language to create a unique and engaging story.
• Structure: Technical writing typically follows a structured format that includes headings, subheadings, and bullet points. The structure of technical writing is intended to make the information easy to understand and follow. Creative writing, on the other hand, has more flexibility in terms of structure and may not follow a specific format.
• Creativity: Technical writing requires creativity in terms of presenting complex information in a clear and concise manner, but it does not focus on artistic expression. Creative writing, on the other hand, is all about artistic expression and requires a high level of creativity to create unique and engaging stories.
• Feedback and Revision: Technical writing often involves feedback and revision from subject matter experts or reviewers to ensure that the information is accurate and complete. Creative writing may involve feedback and revision from editors or other writers, but the focus is on artistic expression rather than technical accuracy.

The following table also shows the difference between technical and creative writing.

Features for Good Piece of Creative Writing

A good piece of creative writing is one that effectively communicates the author’s ideas and emotions while engaging and captivating the reader. There are several key elements that contribute to a good piece of creative writing, including:

• Strong Character Development: The characters in a good piece of creative writing should be well-rounded, multi-dimensional, and believable. They should have a clear backstory, motivation, and flaws that make them relatable to the reader.
• A Well-Crafted Plot: The plot of a good piece of creative writing should be well-structured, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. It should be engaging and keep the reader interested throughout the story.
• Vivid Descriptions: The use of descriptive language is essential in creative writing. A good piece of creative writing should have vivid descriptions that bring the story and characters to life in the reader’s mind.
• A Unique Perspective: A good piece of creative writing should offer a unique perspective or point of view on a particular topic or theme. It should challenge the reader’s assumptions and offer a fresh perspective on a familiar subject.
• Effective Use of Language: A good piece of creative writing should use language in imaginative and figurative ways. It should have a clear and consistent voice, use literary devices such as metaphor and simile, and create a rich and immersive world for the reader to explore.
• Emotional Impact: A good piece of creative writing should evoke emotions in the reader, whether it be joy, sadness, anger, or empathy. It should leave a lasting impression on the reader and be memorable long after they have finished reading it.

Overall, a good piece of creative writing is one that effectively communicates the author’s ideas and emotions while engaging and captivating the reader through strong character development, a well-crafted plot, vivid descriptions, a unique perspective, effective use of language, and emotional impact.

So, to sum up, this article, we can say that, technical and creative writing are two distinct forms of writing that require different skills and approaches. Technical writing focuses on conveying technical information or instructions in a clear and concise manner to a specific audience. On the other hand,  creative writing focuses on using language in unique and imaginative ways to entertain, inspire, or provoke an emotional response from the reader. 

Understanding the differences between these two forms of writing is essential for anyone who wants to excel in either field. While both types of writing have their unique challenges and rewards, individuals can choose the form that best suits their skills, interests, and career goals. Whether you are a technical writer or a creative writer, developing strong writing skills and adapting to the needs of your audience is essential for success in any writing career.

Reference For:

• Creative Writing Specialization

Basir Saboor

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APPENDICES: Academic Writing Basics

Appendix G: Writing Comparisons

University classes often ask you to write comparative analyses in which you compare 2 or more items in a way that offers some insights and meaningful conclusions. You can compare almost anything – even porcupine and mushrooms – as long as you have a clear reason for your comparison (a thesis) and logical criteria for comparing the items. For example, although porcupines and mushrooms seem to have very little in common (different life forms) you might compare how both porcupines and mushrooms have developed similar self-preservation methods to avoid predators. In order to compare two items, they must have obvious differences, but interesting similarities – or, conversely, obvious similarities, but interesting differences. Your reason for comparing can often be expressed by clearly articulating these interesting similarities and differences.

This chapter will review

• The basic grammar of comparative sentence structure
• Overall comparative essay structures.

1. Comparative Grammar

We frequently engage in making comparisons in every day life. This leads to a sort of “short hand” in the way we express comparisons. This shorthand might be understood in a conversational way, but formal writing should adhere to certain grammatical standards. A correct comparative sentence should do the following:

• Clearly identify the things being compared
• Ensure the compared items are equivalent and comparable
• State the specific criteria for comparison

These rules might seem obvious, but we often break them in our informal conversational comparisons. For example, the following sentence wants to compare the difficulty of dealing with the peels of apples and oranges, but grammatically compares apple peels to “my lab group,” which are not equivalently comparable.

Compared with apples peels, my lab group found orange peels more difficult to deal with.

How would you fix this sentence to correctly express the comparison of apple peels to orange peels?

They say you can’t compare apples and oranges, but you actually can as long as you have established their equivalence, have stated a purpose, and defined clear criteria for comparison. For example, you CAN compare apples to oranges, but you cannot compare apples to fruit.  You can compare fruit to vegetables, but you cannot compare fruit to carrots. These are non-equivalent. Non-equivalent comparisons are often a result of faulty sentence structure.

Here is an example of effective comparative topic sentence:

There are significant differences between apples and oranges, in terms of their culinary uses, nutritional content, and growing needs. 

Comparative sentences can fail for several reasons:

• Apples grow better in northern climates.  (than what?)
• Oranges have twice the vitamin C content.  (than what?)
• Apples are considered more effective “comfort food.”
• This design is better.
• There are some differences in the characteristics of apples and oranges.
• There were some similarities in the teamwork between the two lab.
• Lab 2 was better than lab 1.
• The comparisons are faulty (often missing information, a sentence structure error, or idiom error)
• This process of juicing oranges is different than apples.
• Compared with the first lab exercise, my team and I have a more professional approach toward our common goal.
• Cooking apples is easier as opposed to oranges.
• This lab helped us understand the value of teamwork as against individual work.

Exercise G-1

Try writing 2 or 3 comparative sentences, making sure you follow all three rules, and watching out for incorrect vernacular phrasing.

You might even try rewriting Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” in prose form, making sure to create correct comparative sentences.

2. Comparative Structure:  Alternating vs Block Structures

Just as there are rules at the sentence level, there are also guidelines for comparative paragraph and essay structure. Alternating (also called Point-by-point) and Block (also called Whole-to-whole) structures are common ways of organizing a comparative analysis, and the structure you use will depend on what, how, and why you are comparing. Let’s say you are writing a comparative analysis of how two different articles make use of the three rhetorical appeals. Your overall purpose might be to analyze how (or evaluate how well) each article uses rhetorical appeals to effectively convince its specific target audience.

• Alternating Style arranges the structure based on the criteria for comparison (the appeals). Your first section will focus on one of the rhetorical appeals ( logos ?), and compare how both articles use the appeal to logic to convince their respective audiences. The second section will focus on a second rhetorical appeal ( pathos ?), and again, compare how both articles employ the appeal to emotion differently to appeal to their different audiences. In each case, the topic sentence focuses on the criteria for comparison and compares both items according to that criteria.
• Block Style arranges the structure based on the items being compared (the articles). Each paragraph will focus on one of the articles, and may discuss more than one criteria for comparison.  For example, the first section might focus on one article in detail, and might discuss how it uses both appeals to logic and credibility. The next section would focus on the other article, perhaps discussing its reliance on appeals to emotion.

Often, Alternating structures work well for this kind of comparison, as you can structure your analysis based on a discussion of each rhetorical appeal in turn. You might choose to organize your analysis in a Block style, if the articles are quite different and you are focusing on different criteria for comparison in each article.  The table below shows simplified outlines for each structure

Table G-1 Simple Outlines of Block and Point-by-Point Structures

Sample Essay using Alternating Structure

Block and Point-by-point structures are helpful principles for organizing your ideas, but keep in mind that you do not have to rigidly follow these outlines. You can mix these up a bit and use hybrid methods. Examine the excerpt below, from Douglas Rushkoff’s book Program or Be Programmed:  Ten Commands for a Digital Age . [1]   Identify where the author has used block style, point-by-point style, and a mixture of the two.  Also note the use of comparative transitional words and phrases (highlighted for emphasis).

Sample Comparative Passage – by Douglas Rushkoff

The difference between an analog record and a digital CD is really quite simple. The record is the artifact of a real event that happened in a particular time and place. A musician plays an instrument while, nearby, a needle cuts a groove in a wax disk….  The sound vibrates the needle, leaving a physical record of the noise that can be turned into a mold and copied. When someone else passes a needle over the jagged groove over one of the copies, the original sound emerges. No one has to really know anything about the sound for this to work. It’s just a physical event — an impression left in matter.

A CD, on the other hand , is not a physical artifact but a symbolic representation. It’s more like a text than it is like a sound. A computer is programmed to measure various parameters of the sound coming from a musician’s instrument. The computer assigns numerical values, many times a second to the sound in an effort to represent it mathematically. Once the numerical – or  “digital – equivalent of the recording is quantified, it can be transferred to another computer, which then synthesizes the music from scratch based on those numbers.

The analog recording is a physical impression, while the digital recording is a series of choices. The former is as smooth and continuous as real time; the latter is a series of numerical snapshots.  The record has as much fidelity as the materials will allow. The CD has as much fidelity as the people programming its creation thought to allow.  The [configuration of] numbers used to represent the song – the digital file – is perfect, at least on its own terms. It can be copied exactly, and infinitely.

In the digital recording, however, only the dimensions of the sound that can be measured and represented in numbers are taken into account. Any dimensions that the recording engineers haven’t taken into consideration are lost. They are simply not measured, written down, stored, and reproduced. It’s not as if they can be rediscovered later on some upgraded playback device. They are gone.

Given how convincingly real a digital recording can seem — especially in comparison with a scratchy record – this loss may seem trivial. After all, if we can’t hear it, how important could it be? Most of us have decided it’s not so important at all. But early tests of analog recording compared to digital ones revealed that music played back on a CD format had much less of a positive impact on depressed patients than the same recording played back on a record. Other tests showed that digitally recorded sound moved the air in a room significantly differently than analog recordings played through the same speakers. The bodies in that room would, presumably, also experience that difference – even if we humans can’t immediately put a name or metric on exactly what that difference is.

• Rushkoff, Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age . Soft Skull Press, 2011, pp. 52-54
• D. Rushkoff, Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age . Soft Skull Press, 2011. pp. 52-54. ↵

Technical Writing Essentials Copyright © 2019 by Suzan Last is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Writing a Paper: Comparing & Contrasting

A compare and contrast paper discusses the similarities and differences between two or more topics. The paper should contain an introduction with a thesis statement, a body where the comparisons and contrasts are discussed, and a conclusion.

Address Both Similarities and Differences

Because this is a compare and contrast paper, both the similarities and differences should be discussed. This will require analysis on your part, as some topics will appear to be quite similar, and you will have to work to find the differing elements.

Make Sure You Have a Clear Thesis Statement

Just like any other essay, a compare and contrast essay needs a thesis statement. The thesis statement should not only tell your reader what you will do, but it should also address the purpose and importance of comparing and contrasting the material.

Use Clear Transitions

Transitions are important in compare and contrast essays, where you will be moving frequently between different topics or perspectives.

• Examples of transitions and phrases for comparisons: as well, similar to, consistent with, likewise, too
• Examples of transitions and phrases for contrasts: on the other hand, however, although, differs, conversely, rather than.

For more information, check out our transitions page.

Structure Your Paper

Consider how you will present the information. You could present all of the similarities first and then present all of the differences. Or you could go point by point and show the similarity and difference of one point, then the similarity and difference for another point, and so on.

Include Analysis

It is tempting to just provide summary for this type of paper, but analysis will show the importance of the comparisons and contrasts. For instance, if you are comparing two articles on the topic of the nursing shortage, help us understand what this will achieve. Did you find consensus between the articles that will support a certain action step for people in the field? Did you find discrepancies between the two that point to the need for further investigation?

Make Analogous Comparisons

When drawing comparisons or making contrasts, be sure you are dealing with similar aspects of each item. To use an old cliché, are you comparing apples to apples?

• Example of poor comparisons: Kubista studied the effects of a later start time on high school students, but Cook used a mixed methods approach. (This example does not compare similar items. It is not a clear contrast because the sentence does not discuss the same element of the articles. It is like comparing apples to oranges.)
• Example of analogous comparisons: Cook used a mixed methods approach, whereas Kubista used only quantitative methods. (Here, methods are clearly being compared, allowing the reader to understand the distinction.

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Technical and literary writing: what’s the difference « dekonztruktschon.

In an advanced new media class, I’m introducing technical writing to some excellent students. When I asked for a technical report, I got a lot of very well-written essays. It’s a media production studio, not a writing class, so I haven’t made the specifications of the technical report genre very central to the instruction, but they’ll be writing several more of these reports as the semester progresses, so I’m taking advantage of this well-written resource.

Technical writers are different from poets or authors of literary works in terms of  their interest, purpose and style of writing. They both have writing expertise to be appreciated by their readers, but they are limited in their style as dictated by the nature of the material they create. Technical writers also need some creativity to go with their logic and knowledge expertise about technical subjects. Technical writing in the surface is non-fiction writing. But not all non-fiction manuscripts are considered technical documents. Literature has in its genres both fiction and non-fiction.  Unlike the wide circulation of literary fiction that caters to general readers, technical writing targets specific audience. The readers of technical writing are those mostly interested on technical subjects. They include experts, professionals, field practitioners and the academics. via Technical and Literary Writing: What’s the difference? « Dekonztruktschon .

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Yesterday my stack of unmarked assignments was about 120, so this is not bad.

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Essay Papers Writing Online

A comprehensive guide to crafting a successful comparison essay.

Comparison essays are a common assignment in academic settings, requiring students to analyze and contrast two or more subjects, concepts, or ideas. Writing a comparison essay can be challenging, but with the right approach and guidance, you can craft a compelling and informative piece of writing.

In this comprehensive guide, we will provide you with valuable tips and examples to help you master the art of comparison essay writing. Whether you’re comparing two literary works, historical events, scientific theories, or any other topics, this guide will equip you with the tools and strategies needed to create a well-structured and persuasive essay.

From choosing a suitable topic and developing a strong thesis statement to organizing your arguments and incorporating effective evidence, this guide will walk you through each step of the writing process. By following the advice and examples provided here, you’ll be able to produce a top-notch comparison essay that showcases your analytical skills and critical thinking abilities.

Understanding the Basics

Before diving into writing a comparison essay, it’s essential to understand the basics of comparison writing. A comparison essay, also known as a comparative essay, requires you to analyze two or more subjects by highlighting their similarities and differences. This type of essay aims to show how these subjects are similar or different in various aspects.

When writing a comparison essay, you should have a clear thesis statement that identifies the subjects you are comparing and the main points of comparison. It’s essential to structure your essay effectively by organizing your ideas logically. You can use different methods of organization, such as the block method or point-by-point method, to present your comparisons.

Additionally, make sure to include evidence and examples to support your comparisons. Use specific details and examples to strengthen your arguments and clarify the similarities and differences between the subjects. Lastly, remember to provide a strong conclusion that summarizes your main points and reinforces the significance of your comparison.

Choosing a Topic for Comparison Essay

When selecting a topic for your comparison essay, it’s essential to choose two subjects that have some similarities and differences to explore. You can compare two books, two movies, two historical figures, two theories, or any other pair of related subjects.

Consider selecting topics that interest you or that you are familiar with to make the writing process more engaging and manageable. Additionally, ensure that the subjects you choose are suitable for comparison and have enough material for analysis.

It’s also helpful to brainstorm ideas and create a list of potential topics before making a final decision. Once you have a few options in mind, evaluate them based on the relevance of the comparison, the availability of credible sources, and your own interest in the subjects.

Remember that a well-chosen topic is one of the keys to writing a successful comparison essay, so take your time to select subjects that will allow you to explore meaningful connections and differences in a compelling way.

Finding the Right Pairing

When writing a comparison essay, it’s crucial to find the right pairing of subjects to compare. Choose subjects that have enough similarities and differences to make a meaningful comparison. Consider the audience and purpose of your essay to determine what pairing will be most effective.

Look for subjects that you are passionate about or have a deep understanding of. This will make the writing process easier and more engaging. Additionally, consider choosing subjects that are relevant and timely, as this will make your essay more interesting to readers.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when finding the right pairing. Sometimes unexpected combinations can lead to the most compelling comparisons. Conduct thorough research on both subjects to ensure you have enough material to work with and present a balanced comparison.

Structuring Your Comparison Essay

When writing a comparison essay, it is essential to organize your ideas in a clear and logical manner. One effective way to structure your essay is to use a point-by-point comparison or a block comparison format.

Whichever format you choose, make sure to introduce your subjects, present your points of comparison, provide evidence or examples to support your comparisons, and conclude by summarizing the main points and highlighting the significance of your comparison.

Creating a Clear Outline

Before you start writing your comparison essay, it’s essential to create a clear outline. An outline serves as a roadmap that helps you stay organized and focused throughout the writing process. Here are some steps to create an effective outline:

1. Identify the subjects of comparison: Start by determining the two subjects you will be comparing in your essay. Make sure they have enough similarities and differences to make a meaningful comparison.

2. Brainstorm key points: Once you have chosen the subjects, brainstorm the key points you want to compare and contrast. These could include characteristics, features, themes, or arguments related to each subject.

3. Organize your points: Arrange your key points in a logical order. You can choose to compare similar points side by side or alternate between the two subjects to highlight differences.

4. Develop a thesis statement: Based on your key points, develop a clear thesis statement that states the main purpose of your comparison essay. This statement should guide the rest of your writing and provide a clear direction for your argument.

5. Create a structure: Divide your essay into introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each section should serve a specific purpose and contribute to the overall coherence of your essay.

By creating a clear outline, you can ensure that your comparison essay flows smoothly and effectively communicates your ideas to the reader.

Engaging the Reader

When writing a comparison essay, it is crucial to engage the reader right from the beginning. You want to hook their attention and make them want to keep reading. Here are some tips to engage your reader:

• Start with a strong opening statement or question that entices the reader to continue reading.
• Use vivid language and descriptive imagery to paint a clear picture in the reader’s mind.
• Provide interesting facts or statistics that pique the reader’s curiosity.
• Create a compelling thesis statement that outlines the purpose of your comparison essay.

By engaging the reader from the start, you set the stage for a successful and impactful comparison essay that keeps the reader engaged until the very end.

Point-by-Point vs Block Method

When writing a comparison essay, you have two main options for structuring your content: the point-by-point method and the block method. Each method has its own advantages and may be more suitable depending on the type of comparison you are making.

• Point-by-Point Method: This method involves discussing one point of comparison at a time between the two subjects. You will go back and forth between the subjects, highlighting similarities and differences for each point. This method allows for a more detailed and nuanced analysis of the subjects.
• Block Method: In contrast, the block method involves discussing all the points related to one subject first, followed by all the points related to the second subject. This method provides a more straightforward and organized comparison but may not delve as deeply into the individual points of comparison.

Ultimately, the choice between the point-by-point and block methods depends on the complexity of your comparison and the level of detail you want to explore. Experiment with both methods to see which one best suits your writing style and the specific requirements of your comparison essay.

Selecting the Best Approach

When it comes to writing a comparison essay, selecting the best approach is crucial to ensure a successful and effective comparison. There are several approaches you can take when comparing two subjects, including the block method and the point-by-point method.

The block method: This approach involves discussing all the similarities and differences of one subject first, followed by a thorough discussion of the second subject. This method is useful when the two subjects being compared are quite different or when the reader may not be familiar with one of the subjects.

The point-by-point method: This approach involves alternating between discussing the similarities and differences of the two subjects in each paragraph. This method allows for a more in-depth comparison of specific points and is often preferred when the two subjects have many similarities and differences.

Before selecting an approach, consider the nature of the subjects being compared and the purpose of your comparison essay. Choose the approach that will best serve your purpose and allow for a clear, organized, and engaging comparison.

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Appendix G: Writing Comparisons

University classes often ask you to write comparative analyses in which you compare 2 or more items in a way that offers some meaningful conclusions.  You can compare almost anything – even porcupine and mushrooms – as long as you have a clear reason for your comparison (a thesis) and logical criteria for comparing the items.  For example, although porcupines and mushrooms seem to have very little in common (different life forms) you might compare how both porcupines and mushrooms have developed similar self-preservation methods to avoid predators.  In order to compare two items, they must have obvious differences, but interesting similarities – or, conversely, obvious similarities, but interesting differences.  Your reason for comparing can often be expressed by clearly articulating these interesting similarities or differences.

This chapter will review

• the basic grammar of comparative sentence structure
• overall comparative essay structures.

1. Comparative Grammar

We frequently engage in making comparisons in daily life.  This leads to a sort of “short hand” in the way we express comparisons. This shorthand might be understood in a conversational way, but in formal writing, we must adhere to certain grammatical standards.  A correct comparative sentence should adhere to the following rules:

• Clearly identify the things being compared
• Ensure the compared items are equivalent and comparable
• State the specific criteria for comparison

These rules might seem obvious, but we often break them in our informal conversational comparisons. For example, the following sentence wants to compare the difficulty of dealing with the peels of apples and oranges, but grammatically compares apple peels to “my lab group,” which are not equivalently comparable.

Compared with apples peels, my lab group found orange peels more difficult to deal with.

How would you fix this sentence to correctly express the comparison of apple peels to orange peels?

They say you can’t compare apples and oranges, but you actually can as long as you have established their equivalence, have stated a purpose, and defined clear criteria for comparison.  For example, you CAN compare apples to oranges, but you cannot compare apples to fruit.  You can compare fruit to vegetables, but you cannot compare fruit to carrots.  These are non-equivalent.  Non-equivalent comparisons are often a result of faulty sentence structure.

Here is an example of effective comparative topic sentence:

There are significant differences between apples and oranges, in terms of their culinary uses, nutritional content, and growing needs. 

Comparative sentences can fail for several reasons:

• Apples grow better in northern climates.
• Oranges have twice the vitamin C content.
• Apples are considered more effective “comfort food.”
• This design is better.
• There were some differences in the characteristics of apples and oranges.
• There were some similarities in the teamwork between the two lab.
• Lab 2 was better than lab 1.
• The comparisons are faulty (often missing information, a sentence structure error, or idiom error)
• This process of juicing oranges is different than apples.
• Compared with the first lab exercise, my team and I have a more professional approach toward our common goal.
• Cooking apples is easier as opposed to oranges.
• This lab helped us understand the value of teamwork as against individual work.

Exercise G-1

Try writing 2 or 3 comparative sentences, making sure you follow all three rules, and watching out for incorrect vernacular phrasing.

2. Comparative Structure:  Alternating vs Block Structures

Just as there are rules at the sentence level, there are also guidelines for comparative paragraph and essay structure.  Alternating (also called Point-by-point) and Block (also called Whole-to-whole) structures are common ways of organizing a comparative analysis, and the structure you use will depend on what, how, and why you are comparing.  Let’s say you are writing a comparative analysis of how two different articles make use of the three rhetorical appeals.  Your overall purpose might be to analyze how (or evaluate how well) each article uses rhetorical appeals to effectively convince its specific target audience.

• Alternating Style arranges the structure based on the criteria for comparison (the appeals).  Your first section will focus on one of the rhetorical appeals ( logos ?), and compare how both articles use the appeal to logic to convince their respective audiences. The second section will focus on a second rhetorical appeal ( pathos ?), and again, compare how both articles employ the appeal to emotion differently to appeal to their different audiences.  In each case, the topic sentence focuses on the criteria for comparison and compares both items according to that criteria.
• Block Style arranges the structure based on the items being compared (the articles).  Each paragraph will focus on one of the articles, and may discuss more than one criteria for comparison.  For example, the first section might focus on one article in detail, and might discuss how it uses both appeals to logic and credibility. The next section would focus on the other article, perhaps discussing its reliance on appeals to emotion.

Often, Alternating structures work well for this kind of comparison, as you can structure your analysis based on a discussion of each rhetorical appeal in turn.  You might choose to organize your analysis in a Block style, if the articles are quite different and you are focusing on different criteria for comparison in each article.  The table below shows simplified outlines for each structure

H5P Instructions: In this exercise, you are writing an essay comparing apples and oranges. The criteria that was chosen is the they are both fruit, the growing method, and vitamins. Dragging the boxes, complete a simple outline for both the block style and the alternating style.

Block and Point-by-point structures are helpful principles for organizing your ideas, but keep in mind that you do not have to rigidly follow these outlines.  You can mix these up a bit and use hybrid methods.  Examine the excerpt below, from Douglas Rushkoff’s book Program or Be Programmed:  Ten Commands for a Digital Age . [1]   Identify where the author has used block style, point-by-point style, and a mixture of the two.  Also note the use of comparative transitional words and phrases (highlighted for emphasis).

Sample Comparative Passage – by Douglas Rushkoff

The difference between an analog record and a digital CD is really quite simple.  The record is the artifact of a real event that happened in a particular time and place.  A musician plays an instrument while, nearby, a needle cuts a groove in a wax disk….  The sound vibrates the needle, leaving a physical record of the noise that can be turned into a mold and copied.  When someone else passes a needle over the jagged groove over one of the copies, the original sound emerges.  No one has to really know anything about the sound for this to work.  It’s just a physical event — an impression left in matter.

A CD, on the other hand , is not a physical artifact but a symbolic representation.  It’s more like a text than it is like a sound.  A computer is programmed to measure various parameters of the sound coming from a musician’s instrument.  The computer assigns numerical values, many times a second to the sound in an effort to represent it mathematically.  Once the numerical – or  “digital – equivalent of the recording is quantified, it can be transferred to another computer, which then synthesizes the music from scratch based on those numbers.

The analog recording is a physical impression, while the digital recording is a series of choices.  The former is as smooth and continuous as real time; the latter is a series of numerical snapshots.  The record has as much fidelity as the materials will allow. The CD has as much fidelity as the people programming its creation thought to allow.  The [configuration of] numbers used to represent the song – the digital file – is perfect, at least on its own terms.  It can be copied exactly, and infinitely.

In the digital recording, however, only the dimensions of the sound that can be measured and represented in numbers are taken into account. Any dimensions that the recording engineers haven’t taken into consideration are lost.  They are simply not measured, written down, stored, and reproduced.  It’s not as if they can be rediscovered later on some upgraded playback device.  They are gone.

Given how convincingly real a digital recording can seem — especially in comparison with a scratchy record – this loss may seem trivial.  After all, if we can’t hear it, how important could it be?  Most of us have decided it’s not so important at all.  But early tests of analog recording compared to digital ones revealed that music played back on a CD format had much less of a positive impact on depressed patients than the same recording played back on a record.  Other tests showed that digitally recorded sound moved the air in a room significantly differently than analog recordings played through the same speakers.  The bodies in that room would, presumably, also experience that difference – even if we humans can’t immediately put a name or metric on exactly what that difference is.

Rushkoff, Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age . Soft Skull Press, 2011, pp. 52-54

• D. Rushkoff, Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age . Soft Skull Press, 2011. pp. 52-54. ↵

Technical Writing Essentials - H5P Edition Copyright © 2022 by Suzan Last is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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1. Technical Writing : Technical writing refers to a piece of writing which focuses on providing detailed and lucid information about the product or service. It contains factual and straight forward content. It is entirely goal-oriented and it talks about different ways by which the desired goal can be achieved. Mainly Technical writings are something new or existing concept based on the same technical domain. Here the writer avoids to explain a specific subject matter by providing his/her own point of view. 

Example includes suppose a writer writing a article based on the topic comes under computer science domain on GeeksforGeeks. 

2. Academic Writing : Academic writing refers to a piece of writing which focuses on proving a theory or viewpoint in one way or the other and emphasizes upon one specific subject. Through academic writing the writer intends to prove a theory or viewpoint in one way or the other. Mainly academic writings are based on academic findings and academic research. The writer can explain a specific subject matter by providing his/her own point of view. 

Example includes suppose a professor writing on a concept related to Chemistry and that published on college’s monthly magazine. 

Difference between Technical Writing and Academic Writing :

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What Is a Capstone Project vs. Thesis

As students near the end of their academic journey, they encounter a crucial project called the capstone – a culmination of all they've learned. But what exactly is a capstone project? 

This article aims to demystify capstone projects, explaining what they are, why they matter, and what you can expect when you embark on this final academic endeavor.

Capstone Project Meaning

A capstone project is a comprehensive, culminating academic endeavor undertaken by students typically in their final year of study. 

It synthesizes their learning experiences, requiring students to apply the knowledge, skills, and competencies gained throughout their academic journey. A capstone project aims to address a real-world problem or explore a topic of interest in depth. 

As interdisciplinary papers, capstone projects encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. They allow students to showcase their mastery of their field of study and demonstrate their readiness for future academic or professional pursuits.

Now that we’ve defined what is a capstone project, let’s discuss its importance in the academic landscape. In case you have short-form compositions to handle, simply say, ‘ do my essay for me ,’ and our writers will take care of your workload.

Why Is a Capstone Project Important

A capstone project is crucial because it allows students to combine everything they've learned in school and apply it to real-life situations or big problems. 

It's like the ultimate test of what they know and can do. By working on these projects, students get hands-on experience, learn to think critically and figure out how to solve tough problems. 

Plus, it's a chance to show off their skills and prove they're ready for whatever comes next, whether that's starting a career or going on to more schooling.

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Professional writers across dozens of subjects can help you right now.

What Is the Purpose of a Capstone Project

Here are three key purposes of a capstone project:

Integration of Knowledge and Skills

Capstones often require students to draw upon the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout their academic program. The importance of capstone project lies in helping students synthesize what they have learned and apply it to a real-world problem or project. 

This integration helps students demonstrate their proficiency and readiness for graduation or entry into their chosen profession.

Culmination of Learning

Capstone projects culminate a student's academic journey, allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios. 

tackling a significant project or problem, students demonstrate their understanding of concepts and their ability to translate them into practical solutions, reinforcing their learning journey.

Professional Development

Capstone projects allow students to develop skills relevant to their future careers. These projects can also be tangible examples of their capabilities to potential employers or graduate programs.

Whether it's conducting research, presenting findings, or collaborating with peers, students gain valuable experience that enhances their professional readiness. 

Types of Capstone Projects

Capstones vary widely depending on the academic discipline, institution, and specific program requirements. Here are some common types:

What Is the Difference Between a Thesis and a Capstone Project

Here's a breakdown of the key differences between a thesis and a capstone project:

How to Write a Capstone Project

Let's dive into the specifics with actionable and meaningful steps for writing a capstone project:

1. Select a Pertinent Topic

Identify a topic that aligns with your academic interests, program requirements, and real-world relevance. Consider issues or challenges within your field that merit further exploration or solution. 

Conduct thorough research to ensure the topic is both feasible and significant. Here are some brilliant capstone ideas for your inspiration.

2. Define Clear Objectives

Clearly articulate the objectives of your capstone project. What specific outcomes do you aim to achieve? 

Whether it's solving a problem, answering a research question, or developing a product, ensure your objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

3. Conduct Comprehensive Research

Dive deep into existing literature, theories, and empirical evidence related to your chosen topic. Identify gaps, controversies, or areas for further investigation. 

Synthesize relevant findings and insights to inform the development of your project and provide a solid foundation for your analysis or implementation.

4. Develop a Structured Plan

What is a capstone project in college without a rigid structure? Outline a comprehensive plan for your capstone project, including key milestones, tasks, and deadlines. 

Break down the project into manageable phases, such as literature review, data collection, analysis, and presentation. Establish clear criteria for success and regularly monitor progress to stay on track.

5. Implement Methodological Rigor

If your project involves research, ensure methodological rigor by selecting appropriate research methods, tools, and techniques. 

Develop a detailed research design or project plan that addresses key methodological considerations, such as sampling, data collection, analysis, and validity. Adhere to ethical guidelines and best practices throughout the research process.

6. Analyze and Interpret Findings

Analyze your data or findings using appropriate analytical techniques and tools. Interpret the results in relation to your research questions or objectives, highlighting key patterns, trends, or insights. 

Critically evaluate the significance and implications of your findings within the broader context of your field or industry.

7. Communicate Effectively

Present your capstone project clearly, concisely, and compellingly. Whether it's a written report, presentation, or multimedia deliverable, tailor your communication style to your target audience. Clearly articulate your research questions, methodology, findings, and conclusions. 

Use visuals, examples, and real-world applications to enhance understanding and engagement. Be prepared to defend your project and answer questions from peers, faculty, or stakeholders.

In wrapping up, what is a capstone project? It’s like the grand finale of your academic journey, where all the knowledge and skills you've acquired come together in one big project. 

It's not just about passing a test or getting a grade – it's about proving you've got what it takes to make a real difference in the world. So, if you ever need capstone project help , our writers will gladly lend you a hand in no time.

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specializes in creating authoritative content on marketing, business, and finance, with a versatile ability to handle any essay type and dissertations. With a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a passion for social issues, her writing not only educates but also inspires action. On EssayPro blog, Annie delivers detailed guides and thought-provoking discussions on pressing economic and social topics. When not writing, she’s a guest speaker at various business seminars.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

• T. (2023, June 16). What Is a Capstone Project? National University. https://www.nu.edu/blog/what-is-a-capstone-project/
• Lukins, S. (2024, May 12). What is a capstone project? And why is it important? Top Universities. https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/careers-advice-articles/what-capstone-project-why-it-important
• Capstone Project vs. Thesis: What’s the Difference? (2021, December 9). UAGC. https://www.uagc.edu/blog/capstone-project-vs-thesis-whats-difference

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Improving Writing Feedback for Struggling Writers: Generative AI to the Rescue?

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• Open access
• Published: 14 May 2024

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• Anya S. Evmenova 1 ,
• Kelley Regan 1 ,
• Reagan Mergen 1 &
• Roba Hrisseh 1  

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Generative AI has the potential to support teachers with writing instruction and feedback. The purpose of this study was to explore and compare feedback and data-based instructional suggestions from teachers and those generated by different AI tools. Essays from students with and without disabilities who struggled with writing and needed a technology-based writing intervention were analyzed. The essays were imported into two versions of ChatGPT using four different prompts, whereby eight sets of responses were generated. Inductive thematic analysis was used to explore the data sets. Findings indicated: (a) differences in responses between ChatGPT versions and prompts, (b) AI feedback on student writing did not reflect provided student characteristics (e.g., grade level or needs; disability; ELL status), and (c) ChatGPT’s responses to the essays aligned with teachers’ identified areas of needs and instructional decisions to some degree. Suggestions for increasing educator engagement with AI to enhance teaching writing is discussed.

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The advances in Generative Artificial Intelligence (generative AI) have transformed the field of education introducing new ways to teach and learn. Its integration is fast growing in all areas of education, including special education (Marino et al., 2023 ). Generative AI has the potential to increase the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education by providing additional assistive supports (Garg and Sharma, 2020 ; Zdravkova, 2022 ). Specifically, large language models like the one used by a popular AI tool, ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) can generate human-like responses to prompts, similar to a conversation. It can facilitate learning for students with and without high-incidence disabilities (e.g., learning disabilities, ADHD) who struggle with writing (Barbetta, 2023 ). While experts continue to investigate the future of writing in the ChatGPT era, it is evident that it will significantly alter writing instruction (Wilson, 2023 ). ChatGPT can support students in choosing a topic, brainstorming, outlining, drafting, soliciting feedback, revising, and proofreading (Trust et al., 2023 ). This tool may also be a helpful resource for teachers in providing feedback on students’ writing. Timely and quality feedback by ChatGPT can encourage the use of higher-level thinking skills while improving the writing process including the planning, writing, and reviewing phases of that process (Golinkoff & Wilson, 2023 ).

Writing Instruction and Feedback for Struggling Writers

The writing process may be challenging for some students for many reasons. For example, planning is the first step of writing, but many students don’t systematically brainstorm. Instead, they move directly into drafting their sentences which may, in turn, be disjointed and not effectively communicated (Evmenova & Regan, 2019 ). Students, particularly those with high-incidence disabilities may not produce text or compose limited text, struggling with content generation, vocabulary, and the organization of ideas (Chung et al., 2020 ). While multilinguism is an asset, we have observed similar challenges with writing among English Language Learners in our research (Hutchison et al., 2024 ). The cognitive demands needed for drafting a response leave many students at no capacity to then edit or revise their work (Graham et al., 2017 ). Therefore, teachers should provide scaffolds to break down the complex process of writing so that it is sequential and manageable, progressing from simple to more complex concepts and skills.

Instruction for struggling writers is typically characterized as systematic and explicit (Archer & Hughes, 2011 ; Hughes et al., 2018 ). In order to provide explicit instruction, teachers should be guided by ongoing student data. Specifically, special and general education teachers of writing should collaboratively, systematically, and continuously monitor and responsively adjust instruction based on student progress (Graham et al., 2014 ). Formative assessments of writing inform feedback that a teacher provides a learner. McLeskey et al., ( 2017 ) describes:

Effective feedback must be strategically delivered, and goal directed; feedback is most effective when the learner has a goal, and the feedback informs the learner regarding areas needing improvement and ways to improve performance… Teachers should provide ongoing feedback until learners reach their established learning goals. (p. 25)

Various formative assessments are available to guide feedback in writing, with rubrics being one frequently used method, which we will explore in the following section.

Supporting Writing by Struggling Writers

School-aged students are required to show progress towards mastery of writing independently in order to be successful at school, future work, and in their personal lives (Graham, 2019 ). Thus, educators continuously look for tools to increase and support learner agency and independence including in writing (Edyburn, 2021 ). Over the past decade, the authors have developed a digital tool to support learner autonomy, access, and independence during essay composition as part of a federally funded, design-based research project referred to as WEGO: Writing Effectively with Graphic Organizers (Evmenova et al., 2018–2023 ). This tool is a technology-based graphic organizer (or TBGO) that embeds numerous evidence-based strategies and universally designed supports for students as well as an analytic rubric for teachers to evaluate student products and providing feedback. A detailed description of the tool can be found elsewhere (students’ features: Evmenova et al., 2020a ; teachers’ features: Regan et al., 2021 ).

The TBGO was developed to support upper elementary and middle school students with and without high-incidence disabilities to compose multiple genres of writing including persuasive (Evmenova et al., 2016 ), argumentative (Boykin et al., 2019 ), and/or personal narrative writing (Rana, 2018 ). The TBGO has also been effectively used by English Language Learners (Day et al., 2023 ; Boykin et al., 2019 ). In addition, it includes a dashboard that allows a teacher or caregiver to personalize instruction: assign prompts and support features embedded in the TBGO. After the student has an opportunity to write independently, the teacher can engage in what we refer to as data-driven decision making (or DDDM; Park & Datnow, 2017 ; Reeves and Chiang, 2018 ).

Teachers’ DDDM

A common formative assessment of writing used in classrooms is a rubric. In order to facilitate the DDDM process within the TBGO, various data are collected by the tool and provided to teachers including final writing product, total time spent actively using the tool, video views and duration, text-to-speech use and duration, audio comments use and duration, transition words use, total number of words, number of attempts to finish. A teacher first evaluates those data as well as student’s writing using a 5-point rubric embedded in the teacher dashboard of the TBGO (a specific rubric is available at  https://wego.gmu.edu ). Based on the rubric, a teacher identifies an area of need organized by phases of the writing process: Planning (select a prompt; select essay goal; select personal writing goal; brainstorm); Writing (identify your opinion, determine reasons, explain why or say more, add transition words, summarize, check your work); and Reviewing: Revise and Edit (word choice, grammar/spelling, punctuation, capitalization, evaluate). Then, a teacher provides specific instructional suggestions when the students’ score does not meet a threshold (e.g., content video models, modeling, specific practice activities). Once teachers select a targeted instructional move that is responsive to the identified area on the writing rubric, they record their instructional decision in the TBGO dashboard. The student’s work, the completed rubric, and the instructional decision is stored within the teacher dashboard. Recent investigations report that teachers positively perceive the ease and usability of the integrated digital rubric in the TBGO (see Regan et al., 2023a ; b ). Although promising, the teachers in those studies used DDDM with only a few students in their inclusive classes.

Efficient and Effective DDDM

The current version of the TBGO relies on teachers or caregivers to score student writing using an embedded rubric and to subsequently provide the student(s) with instructional feedback. In a classroom of twenty or more students, scoring individual essays and personalizing the next instructional move for each student is time consuming, and teachers may not regularly assess or interpret students’ writing abilities in the upper grades, especially (Graham et al., 2014 ; Kiuhara et al., 2009 ). Generative AI or chatbots are arguably leading candidates to consider when providing students with instructional feedback in a more time efficient manner (Office of Educational Technology, 2023 ). For example, automated essay scoring (AES) provides a holistic and analytic writing quality score of students’ writing and a description as to how the student can improve their writing. Recent research on classroom-based implementation of AES suggests its potential; but questions have been raised as to how teachers and students perceive the scores, and how it is used in classroom contexts (Li et al., 2015 ; Wilson et al., 2022 ). Other investigations remark on the efficiency and reliability among AES systems (Wilson & Andrada, 2016 ) and the consistency of scores with human raters (Shermis, 2014 ). More recently, a large-language model (specifically, GPT-3.5 version of ChatGPT) was prompted to rate secondary students’ argumentative essays and chatbot’s responses were compared to humans across five measures of feedback quality (see Steiss et al., 2023 ). Although GPT-3.5 included some inaccuracies in the feedback and the authors concluded that humans performed better than ChatGPT, the comparisons were remarkably close.

A greater understanding of what generative AI tools can do to support classroom teachers is needed. First, leveraging technology, with the use of automated systems, or logistical tools, can potentially improve working conditions for both general and special education teachers (Billingsley & Bettini, 2017 ; Johnson et al., 2012 ). Also, although educators see the benefits of AI and how it can be used to enhance educational services, there is urgent concern about the policies needed around its use and how it is ever evolving. For example, when writing this manuscript, GPT-4 evolved, but at a cost, this latter version may not be widely accessible for educators or students. With the fast adoption of AI, the Office of Educational Technology states that “it is imperative to address AI in education now to realize and mitigate emergent risks and tackle unintended consequences” (U.S. Department of Education, 2023 , p. 3). A first step in addressing AI in education is to understand what AI can do, and how its use supports or hinders student learning and teacher instruction. In this case, we focus on teachers’ writing instruction and feedback.

As we learn more about AI tools, it becomes obvious that AI literacy skills will need to be developed as part of digital skills by both teachers and students (Cohen, 2023 ). The importance of how we use chatbots, how we prompt them, and what parameters we use to direct the responses of chatbots becomes paramount.

Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore feedback and instructional suggestions generated by different AI tools when using prompts providing varying specificity (e.g., a generic 0–4 rating vs. analytic rubric provided) to help guide teachers of writing in their use of these tools. The purpose of including two versions of ChatGPT was not to criticize one and promote the other; but rather to understand and leverage their similarities and differences, given the same prompt. The research questions were:

RQ1: What is the difference between responses generated by GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 given prompts which provide varying specificity about students’ essays?

RQ2: What is the nature of the instructional suggestions provided by ChatGPT for students with and without disabilities and/or ELLs (aka struggling writers)?

RQ3: How does the formative feedback provided by GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 compare to the feedback provided by teachers when given the same rubric?

Data for this study were selected from a large intervention research study (led by the same authors) for a secondary data analysis. Specifically, while previous studies focused on the improvements in students’ writing outcomes (e.g., both quantity and quality of written essays) as well as explored how teachers provide feedback on students’ writing, the unique focus of this paper was on the use of AI to provide writing feedback (something we have not done before). The data included 34 persuasive student essays, a teacher’s completed analytic rubric evaluating the essay, and a teacher’s data-driven decisions with instructional feedback in the area of Writing and Reviewing (essays with the teachers’ DDDM in the area of Planning were excluded). We purposefully selected essays completed by students with various abilities and needs in different grade levels who struggled with writing and needed the TBGO intervention.

Participants

The 34 essays used in this study were written by 21 girls and 13 boys. Students ranged in age 8–13 and were in grades 3–7. The majority (59%) were White, 21% were Hispanic, 3% were African American, and 17% were other. Among the students, 41% were identified with high-incidence disabilities (learning disabilities, ADHD); 24% were English language learners (with a variety of primary languages); and 35% were struggling writers as reported by teachers. Teachers identified struggling writers as those who consistently demonstrated writing performance below grade level expectations (e.g., needing extra support with writing mechanics, cohesive and well-organized ideas).

Study Context

The data used in this study were collected in two separate settings: two inclusive classrooms in a suburban, private day school and an after-school program in a community center serving economically disadvantaged families. The same essay writing procedures were used in both settings. All students were first asked to write a persuasive opinion-based essay in response to one of two prompts validated by previous research (Regan et al., 2023b ). Examples of the prompts included:

Some students go to school on Saturday. Write an essay on whether or not students should go to school on Saturdays.

Some people believe kids your age should not have cell phones. Using specific details and examples to persuade someone of your opinion, argue whether or not kids your age should have cell phones.

After the pretest, students were introduced to the technology-based graphic organizer (TBGO) with embedded evidence-based strategies and supports. The instruction lasted 5–6 lessons. Then students were asked to use the TBGO to practice independent essay writing without any help from the teachers. As the TBGO is a Chrome-based web application and works on any device with a Chrome browser installed, each student used their own device/laptop and individual login credentials to access the TBGO. After completing the independent writing, teachers reviewed students’ products and completed the analytic rubric built into the TBGO’s teacher dashboard. They identified one primary area of need and determined an instructional decision that should take place in order to address the existing area of need. The instructional decisions included whole- and small-group activities (especially in those cases when multiple students demonstrated the same area of need); independent activities (including watching video models embedded within the TBGO); as well as individual teacher-student check-ins to discuss the area of need and future steps. A posttest with the TBGO and a delayed posttest without the TBGO were later administered. The essays used in the current study were from an independent writing phase since those included teachers’ DDDM. On average, essays had 133.44 ( SD  = 57.21; range 32–224) total words written. The vast majority included such important persuasive essay elements such as a topic sentence introducing the opinion, distinct reasons, examples to explain the reasons, summary sentence, and transition words. While this provides some important context, the quantity and quality of students’ writing products is not the focus of the current study and is reported elsewhere (Boykin et al., 2019 ; Day et al., 2023 ; Evmenova et al., 2016 , 2020b ; Regan et al., 2018 , 2023b ).

Data Sources

The existing 34 essays were imported into two different versions of the ChatGPT generative AI: GPT-3.5 version of ChatGPT (free version) and GPT-4 (subscription version). Four different prompts were used in both ChatGPT versions (see Table  1 ). As can be seen in Table  1 , the different prompts included (1) using a specific analytic rubric (when a rubric from the TBGO was uploaded to ChatGPT); (2) asking for a generic 0–4 rating (without any additional specifics regarding scoring); (3) no rubric (asking to identify the area of need without any rubric); (4) no information (asking to provide generic feedback without any information about the student in the prompt). Each prompt type constituted its own GPT chat. Thus, eight sets of responses (or eight different chats) were generated by ChatGPT. A prompt tailored to include the student’s essay as well as the specific student characteristics and the essay topic when applicable (according to the prompt samples presented in Table  1 ) was pasted into the chat. After GPT had a chance to react and provide feedback, the next prompt was pasted into the same chat. Thus, each chat included a total of 34 prompts and 34 GPT outputs. Each chat was then saved and analyzed.

Data Analysis and Credibility

Inductive thematic analysis was used to explore how generative AI can be used to provide writing feedback and guide writing instruction for struggling writers (Guest et al., 2011 ). First, each set of ChatGPT responses (or each GPT chat) was analyzed individually, and reoccurring codes across responses were grouped into categories. The four members of the research team were randomly assigned to analyze two GPT sets each. Each member generated a list of codes and categories within a chat that were the shared with the team and discussed. During those discussions, the patterns within categories were compared across different sets to develop overarching themes in response to RQ1 and RQ2. The trustworthiness of findings was established by data triangulation across 34 writing samples and eight sets of feedback. Also, peer debriefing was used throughout the data analysis (Brantlinger et al., 2005 ).

To answer RQ3, frequencies were used to compare teachers’ and ChatGPT scores on the analytic rubric and suggested instructional decisions. First, two researchers independently compared teachers’ and ChatGPT scores and suggestions. Since the same language from the rubric was used to identify the area of need, the comparisons were rated as 0 = no match; 1 = match. For instructional suggestions, the scale was 0 = no match; 1 = match in concept, but not in specifics; and 2 = perfect match. Over 50% of comparisons were completed by two independent researchers. Interrater reliability was established using point-by-point agreement formula dividing the number of agreements by the total number of agreements plus disagreements and yielding 100% agreement.

RQ1: Differences in AI Responses

In effort to answer RQ1 and explore the differences between responses generated by different ChatGPT versions when given prompts with varying specificity, we analyzed eight sets of responses. While the purpose was not to compare the sets in effort to find which one is better, several patterns have been observed that can guide teachers in using ChatGPT as the starting point for generating writing feedback to their struggling writers. The following are the six overarching themes that emerged from this analysis.

Predictable Pattern of Response

As can be seen in Table  2 , all sets generated excessive amounts of feedback (average length: M  = 383; SD  = 109.7; range 258–581 words) and followed a consistent, formulaic, and predictable pattern of responses across all the writing samples. While the layout and headers used to organize the responses differed across different ChatGPT versions and prompts, the layout and headers were consistent within each set. That said, it was also observed in all ChatGPT sets that the organization and headings found in a response changed slightly towards the end of the run for the 34 writing samples. It is unclear whether this pattern change may happen after a certain number of entries (or writing samples in our case) were entered into the ChatGPT run or if this shift in pattern occurs randomly. Similarly, we also observed that the later responses seemed to be more concise and lacked details which were observed earlier in the same set.

Specific Analytic Rubric

Both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 provided responses organized into nine categories matching those included in the uploaded rubric. Each category included 1–2 sentences of feedback along with a numerical rating on a 0–4 scale. An overall holistic score was also calculated at the end along with a summary of the student’s overall strengths and weaknesses.

Generic 0–4 Rating

For each writing sample, GPT-3.5 consistently included an evaluation of student writing using four criteria-based categories: Content, Organization, Language Use (punctuation, spelling, and grammar), and Development of Ideas. Two to three bullet points of feedback were listed under each category along with a numeric rating on a 0–4 scale for each. The scale was not defined or explained. An overall holistic score was totaled at the end along with a summary of feedback presented in a bulleted list.

GPT-4’s response to the first writing sample included a definition of what each point on the scale meant (e.g., 4 = writing is clear, well-organized, well-developed, with effectively chosen details and examples presented logically, and few to no errors in conventions). In all consecutive responses, an introductory paragraph identified an overall bold-faced score (0–4) and an overview of what the student did and did not demonstrate in the writing. The following areas of writing were discussed across essays: Organization, Development, Main Idea, Reasons, Examples, Coherence, and Grammar.

Each response in GPT-3.5 began with “One area of need is…” followed by two sentences including how to address the need. Areas of need for instruction identified by ChatGPT included a high frequency of subject-verb agreement as parts of sentence structure (topic sentence and supporting details), followed by transition words or phrases, spelling and grammar conventions, spelling and word choice, capitalization, and punctuation. The second part of the response, titled Instructional Suggestion, provided an instructional strategy for a teacher to use, followed by a model of a ‘revised’ essay using ideas from the student’s response.

GPT-4 provided four consistent parts. First, the response opened with a statement about what the student wrote, a positive affirmation, and an instructional area of writing that could be improved upon. Next, under a header of Instructional Suggestion was a brief description as to what the teacher should do. The third part was a bold-faced, numbered list of steps for implementing that suggestion with bulleted cues underneath. The final part of the response was a ‘revised’ paragraph using the student’s initial writing and addressing the area of need.

GPT-3.5 provided feedback organized in 9 to 11 bolded categories. The sections that were identical for every writing sample included Proofreading; Revising and Editing; Encourage Creativity; and Positive Reinforcement. The sections that were consistent but individualized for each writing sample were Clarity and Organization (including a topic/introductory sentence); Supporting Details; Sentence Structure and Grammar (primarily focus on sentence fragments, punctuation, and capitalization); Conclusion; Vocabulary and Word Choice. Feedback on spelling and transition words/phrases was offered either as separate categories or subsumed under others.

GPT-4’s response could be organized in 3 overarching groups: Positive Reinforcement (including specific praise, affirmation, and creativity); Areas for Improvement (content feedback including idea development; details; coherence; clarity and focus; concluding sentence; and technical feedback including sentence structure; punctuation; grammar; word choice); as well as Instructional Suggestions. A sample revised paragraph was offered at the end with an explanation as to how it showcased the offered suggestions.

Using Specific Language from the Rubric

Both Specific Analytic Rubric sets (using GPT-3.5 and GPT-4) referred exclusively to the uploaded rubric and provided feedback using specific language from the rubric. This included feedback across the nine categories built into the rubric (e.g., the writer clearly identified an opinion, the writer has determined three reasons that support his/her opinion, etc.). Also, both ChatGPT versions used descriptors from the rubric (0 = Try again; 1 = Keep trying; 2 = Almost there; 3 = Good job; 4 = Got it). However, GPT-3.5 did not use any explicit examples from the student’s writing within the feedback and used broad and general statements. GPT-4 referred to the specific content from the students’ writing samples and was more tailored, or individualized (e.g., There are some grammatical and spelling errors present, e.g., "are" instead of "our").

Identifying General, Broad Areas of Need

Feedback in all GPT-3.5 sets (regardless of the prompt) was characterized as using common phrases representing broad areas of need. These phrases were not specifically targeted or explicit. For example, the Generic Rating GPT-3.5 set included such common phrases as “The essay presents ideas and supports them with reasonable detail, but there's room for more depth and elaboration.” or “The content is well-structured and effectively conveys the main points.” Similarly, the No Rubric GPT-3.5 set identified instructional areas of need that were only broadly relevant to the students’ writing. For example, in several instances, our review questioned the prioritization of the writing area identified and if ChatGPT was overgeneralizing areas in need of improvement. Specifically, does two instances of using lowercase when it should be uppercase mean that capitalization should be prioritized over other essential features of writing? Finally, the No Info GPT-3.5 set also used common phrases to describe areas for improvement regardless of the writing sample. For example, there were no difference in ChatGPT’s feedback for a writing essay with eight complete, robust, well-written sentences vs. an incomplete paragraph with just two sentences indicating the lack of targeted and specific feedback.

No Rubric GPT-4 set would start with identifying a broad area of need (e.g., coherence, grammar, development, organization/development of ideas, attention to detail) followed by a more individualized and specific instructional suggestion (as discussed below). The authors acknowledge that this might be explained by the prompt language to identify one area of need.

Focusing on an Individualized, Specific Areas of Need

Like the Specific Analytic Rubric GPT-4 set, the Generic 0–4 Rating GPT-4 set and the No Info GPT-4 sets were observed to include more guidance for the student, drawing on specific areas of an essay to provide corrective feedback. For example, Generic Rating GPT-4 feedback noted, “We should also try to provide more specific examples or explanations for each reason. For example, you mentioned that students get tired – maybe you can explain more about how having some recess can help them feel less tired.” In turn, No Info GPT-4 included detailed feedback focused on specific areas of need such as encouraging more details and clarifications, cohesion and flow, capitalization, spelling, homophones, and punctuation (including avoiding run-on sentences and properly using commas). Word choice, contractions, and conjunctions were often mentioned offering specific revisions. Varying the length and structure of sentences was sometimes suggested for making the writing more engaging and readable.

Misaligned Feedback

While there were some occasional discrepancies in GPT-4 sets, all GPT-3.5 sets appeared to generate feedback that was more misaligned with writing samples. For example, in the Specific Analytic Rubric GPT-3.5 set, a “Good Job” score of 3 was given for the Summary sentence that read, “Moreover, …” and was not a complete sentence. Also, the Generic Rating GPT-3.5 set did not mention any misuse of capitalization despite numerous cases of such misuse. Subject-verb agreement was erroneously mentioned as an area of need for some writing samples for the No Rubric GPT-3.5 set, and then, not mentioned for those students’ writing in which this feedback would be relevant. In the No Info GPT-3.5 set, the topic or introductory sentence was always noted as a suggested area of improvement and a revised sentence was always provided. This was true for cases when a student:

was missing an opinion that aligned with the prompt

had an opinion but did not start it with words “I believe …” (e.g., “Kids should get more recess time.”); and

already had a strong introductory sentence (e.g., “I believe that school starts too early and should begin later in the morning.”).

Starting with Specific Praise/Positive Affirmation

While most ChatGPT feedback included some general praise and affirmation, Generic Rating GPT-4, No Rubric GPT-4, and No Info GPT-4 sets always started with specific positive reinforcement. Unique elements in each essay were praised including conveying personal experiences, having a clear stance or position, and including a variety of reasons, etc.

RQ2: Instructional Suggestions

Instructional suggestions based on the evaluation of student writing was a focus of RQ2. Although we expected the responses from prompts that included specific student characteristics to differentiate the instructional suggestions in some way, this was not the case. In fact, none of the sets provided explicit instructional suggestions aligned with students’ characteristics (e.g., grade, disability, ELL). First, the suggestions for improving the writing of a 3rd grader’s essay were not distinct from those suggestions provided in response to a 7th grader’s writing (in Generic Rating GPT-3.5 and No Rubric GPT-3.5 sets). Also, there were no remarkable differences in the vocabulary used in the feedback for a 3rd grader vs. a 7th grader (in Generic Rating GPT-4 set). Only one set (Generic Rating GPT-4) offered a personalized message in a student-friendly format (without any additional prompting to do so).

Second, student characteristics were merely acknowledged in some sets. For example, Specific Analytic Rubric GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 only noted those characteristics in the summary section at the end of the feedback (e.g., “This is a well-written persuasive essay by your 7th-grade student with ADHD”). This was also observed in responses from the Generic Rating GPT-4 set, as well. For example, “This feedback emphasizes both the strengths of the student’s writing and the areas where improvement can be made, offering encouragement and guidance that is particularly important for a student with ADHD.” Finally, the No Rubric GPT-4 set also gave a mere nod to the additional context (e.g., Given student characteristics…). Although rare, connecting student characteristics with instruction was observed here: “Students with ADHD often struggle with organizing their thoughts in a coherent manner, and the flow of ideas in this student’s paragraph seems a bit disjointed….” Students’ characteristics were not mentioned in any other sets in which student information was included in the prompt (Generic Rating GPT-3.5 and No Rubric GPT-3.5).

Below is the description of how specific, broad, or no instructional suggestions were included in the ChatGPT sets (see Table  2 ).

Specific Suggestions

Specific instructional suggestions were mentioned in Generic Rating GPT-4, No Rubric GPT-4, and No Info GPT-4 sets. At the end of responses for the Generic Rating GPT-4 set, ChatGPT encouraged the teacher to use self-regulatory instructional strategies with students, such as goal setting or self-evaluation. For example, “By involving the student in the refinement of their work and setting goals, you empower them to take ownership of their learning and progression.”

No Rubric GPT-4 responses used such headings as modeling, guided practice, feedback, and independent practice with bulleted ideas under each. The specific suggestions included practice, mini-instructional lessons, engaging activities, peer review, explicit instruction, sentence-building activities, peer review sentence starters, technology such as word processing and online games, the five W’s and How strategy (i.e., a writing strategy that helps students remember to include the answers to “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how” in their writing to make their writing complete and clear), a mnemonic referred to as PEE (i.e., Point, Explain, Elaborate; this mnemonic helps students ensure their writing is focused, well-supported, and thoroughly developed), a personal dictionary, interactive editing, and a graphic organizer or outline. When the latter was suggested to support the “coherence” or “development of ideas,” ChatGPT’s response sometimes provided a backwards planning model of what the student’s ideas would look like in an outline format.

Responses of the No Info GPT-4 set included specific and varied instructional suggestions organized by categories: Writing Exercises; Focused Practice; and Revision Work. Suggestions included mini lessons on sentence structure, transition workshops, details workshops, personal experience illustrations, developing ideas workshops, worksheets, grammar lessons, spelling activities, sentence expansion or completion, and editing practice.

Broad Instructional Suggestions

Primarily broad instructional suggestions were offered in the Generic Rating GPT-3.5 and No Rubric GPT-3.5 sets. For example, Generic Rating GPT-3.5 responses had a section with a bulleted list of actionable, instructional suggestions. Each began with a verb (i.e., Work on…; Encourage the student to…; Practice…). It was also not clear if these suggestions were presented in any order of instructional priority. Also, the items included broad ideas that aligned with the student essays but may or may not have aligned with the lowest rated category of writing. Examples of largely vague and broad instructional suggestions recycled throughout the responses in the No Rubric GPT-3.5 set including: “use different types of sentences,” “teach basic spelling rules,” and “use appropriate punctuation.”

Revised Essay

The following three ChatGPT sets included responses with a revised student essay along with a brief explanation of how it was better (even though a revision was not requested in the prompt): No Rubric GPT-3.5, No Rubric GPT-4, and No Info GPT-4 sets. We considered that a model of writing, revised for improvement, was a broad instructional strategy. This is one of many excellent strategies for teaching writing, however, the revisions were often characterized by sophisticated vocabulary and complex elaborations. For example, a student wrote, “To illustrate, when students are hungry it’s hard for them to listen.” And ChatGPT elevated the sentence with, “To illustrate, when students are hungry, it's hard for them to listen because their minds may be preoccupied with thoughts of food.” Whereas the latter sentence is a well-crafted model for the student, this revision arguably loses the student’s voice and tone.

No Instructional Suggestions

No explicit instructional suggestions were included in the responses for Specific Analytic Rubric GPT-3.5, No Info GPT-3.5, and Specific Analytic Rubric GPT-4 sets. The reader was only reminded to provide feedback in a constructive and supportive manner and encourage students to ask questions and seek clarifications on any offered suggestions. While this is logical for both Specific Analytic rubric sets (not asking for instructional suggestions in the prompt), it is surprising for the No Info GPT-3.5 set (which asked for feedback and instructional suggestions).

RQ3: Comparisons Between Teachers and ChatGPT

In response to RQ3, we compared a real teachers’ data-based decision-making (DDDM), including the score and the instructional decision, to the scores generated in the Specific Analytic Rubric GPT-3.5 and Specific Analytic Rubric GPT-4 sets for students’ essays ( N  = 34). The first rubric category scored with a 2 or below was considered the area of need for writing instruction.

GPT-3.5 matched the teacher’s recommendation for the area of writing need 17.6% of the time. For example, the teacher identified Word Selection as the area of need (e.g., high use of repeated words and lacking sensory words) and GPT-3.5 noted the same area of need (e.g., there is some repetition and awkward phrasing). When comparing teacher versus ChatGPTs instructional decisions, there was no perfect match; however, 26.5% were coded as a partial match. For example, both the teacher and GPT-3.5 suggested an instructional activity of modeling how to write a summary sentence.

GPT-4 matched the teacher’s recommendation for the area of writing need 23.5% of the time. Similarly, when comparing the teacher versus ChatGPT’s instructional decisions, 47.1% were coded as a partial match for instruction.

Discussion and Practical Implications

Since the end of 2022 when it debuted, school leaders and teachers of writing have been grappling with what ChatGPT means for writing instruction. Its ability to generate essays from a simple request or to correct writing samples is making an impact on the classroom experience for students with and without disabilities and it is reshaping how teachers assess student writing (Marino et al., 2023 ; Trust et al., 2023 ; Wilson, 2023 ). However, teachers may have limited knowledge of how AI works and poor self-efficacy for using AI in the classroom to support their pedagogical decision making (Chiu et al., 2023 ). It is imperative to ensure that teachers receive professional development to facilitate the effective and efficient use of AI. There are more questions than answers currently, especially for its application by students struggling with academics.

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the application of ChatGPT chatbot for teachers of writing. Specifically, we used different versions of ChatGPT (GPT-3.5 – free and GPT-4 – subscription) and purposefully different types of prompts, providing limited or more information about the student characteristics and the topic of their writing. Essentially, we asked ChatGPT to evaluate an authentic student’s writing, identify the area(s) of need, and provide instructional suggestion(s) for addressing the problematic area(s) in that individual writing sample. We then compared AI-generated feedback to that completed by humans.

The findings indicate the possibilities and limitations of ChatGPT for evaluating student writing, interpreting a teacher-developed rubric, and providing instructional strategies.

Our finding is that, generally, ChatGPT can follow purposeful prompts, interpret and score using a criterion-based rubric when provided, create its own criteria for evaluating student writing, effectively revise student essay writing, celebrate what students do well in their writing, paraphrase student essay ideas, draft outlines of a student’s completed essay, and provide formative feedback in broad and specific areas along different stages of the writing process. Moreover, the response is immediate. These findings are consistent with previous investigations of ChatGPT and the assessment of student writing (Steiss et al., 2023 ). However, teachers need to consider the following points before relying on ChatGPT to provide feedback to their struggling writers.

In the ChatGPT sets which included no contextual information, the responses included more feedback.

All sets generated excessive amounts of feedback about student writing with no delineation of the next clear instructional move a teacher should attend to. So, ChatGPT may work as a great starting point, but teachers will need to go through the response to prioritize and design their instruction. Sifting through information for relevance can be time consuming and may even warrant a teacher verifying the content further.

Additionally, if students relied directly on ChatGPT, without any vetting from a teacher about the content, they too may be overwhelmed by the amount of feedback given to modify their writing or they may even be provided with erroneous feedback.

All GPT-3.5 sets identified broad areas of writing that needed improvement and frequently used common phrases such as grammar, organization/development of ideas, and attention to detail. In addition, this feedback was more often misaligned with students’ writing. This observation is worrisome since GPT-3.5 version of ChatGPT is free and highly accessible, making it likely the preferred AI tool for classroom educators.

Most GPT-4 sets (except one) generated more specific and individualized feedback about student writing. The specific feedback included in the generated outputs were much lengthier and would take much more time for a teacher to review than GPT-3.5 responses.

All sets identified multiple areas of need and when included in the responses, there were multiple instructional suggestions. Even the No Rubric sets, which explicitly prompted ChatGPT to focus on just one area of instructional need and one suggestion, included much more in the responses. This finding reiterates that we are still learning about AI literacy and the language we need to use to communicate effectively.

Both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 allowed the upload of a researcher-developed analytic rubric and moreover, interpreted the performance criteria, rating scale, and indicators. ChatGPT also used the rubric’s specific language when providing its evaluation of the student writing.

No tailored feedback or specific suggestions were contextualized when prompts included varying ages, grade levels, or various student abilities and needs. Further research is needed to determine the types of AI literacy prompts or the contextual information that ChatGPT needs to address the particular needs of an individual child. Specially designed instruction, the heart of special education, should be tailored to a particular student (Sayeski et al., 2023 ).

Low agreement reported between the rubric scores and instructional suggestions made by teachers and those generated by ChatGPT does not necessarily mean that ChatGPT’s feedback is incorrect. One explanation for the difference may be that teachers provide targeted and individualized instruction using multiple forms of data and critical information to make instructional decisions. This includes their own professional judgement and knowledge about how each students’ backgrounds, culture, and language may influence student performance (McLeskey et al., 2017 ).

Limitations

This study is an initial exploration. There are several limitations that need to be taken into consideration. First and foremost, the four prompts were designed to present the chatbots with varying levels of details and student information to consider when providing feedback about a student’s writing sample. For example, Specific Analytic Rubric prompt asked the chatbot to assess students’ writing using an uploaded rubric, while No Rubric prompt asked to identify one area of need for the student’s writing and offer one instructional suggestion to address it. In addition to providing the chatbots with varying information, we also used varying language throughout the prompts when seeking feedback and suggestions (e.g., “Identify areas of need for this student’s writing”; “Identify one area of need … and offer one instructional suggestion”; “what feedback and instructional suggestions…”). Chatbots are clearly sensitive to the word choices made; thus, a consistency of the language in prompts should be considered for any future investigations that aim at prompt comparison. The purpose of this work was not to compare the four prompts in effort to find the best possible one. We also were not looking specifically for the feedback that could be shared with students as is (even though some versions generated such feedback without additional prompting). Instead, we were trying to explore how the output might differ depending on the prompts with differing level of detail. So, some of the reported difference are logical. We also did not prompt the ChatGPT any further, which would most likely result in refined feedback and/or suggestions. There is an infinite number of prompts that we could have used in this analysis. In fact, a new field of prompt engineering is emerging right in front of our eyes as we learn to design inputs for generative AI tools that would produce optimal outputs. Further investigations of various prompts to feed ChatGPT are needed. Our hope is that this paper will inspire teacher to spend some time exploring different tools and prompts in effort to find the most appropriate output depending on their context and their students’ needs.

Also, there was a limited numbers of essays from each specific group of learners (e.g., certain age/grade, specific disability categories and other characteristics). While we reported meaningful findings for this initial exploratory analysis, future research should include writing products from more homogeneous groups. Finally, teachers’ DDDM was accomplished by evaluating a completed graphic organizer, while ChatGPT feedback was provided based on the final student essay copied and pasted from the TBGO. Future research should consider new features of generative AI tools (e.g., Chat GPT’s new image analysis feature) where an image of a completed graphic organizer can be uploaded and analyzed.

This study offers examples for how to potentially incorporate AI effectively and efficiently into writing instruction. High quality special education teachers are reflective about their practice, use a variety of assistive and instructional technologies to promote student learning, and regularly monitor student progress with individualized assessment strategies. It seems very likely that teachers will adopt the capabilities of generative AI tools. With ongoing development and enhancements, AI technology is certain to become an integral component of classroom instruction. However, given the limitations of ChatGPT identified in this study, teacher-led instruction and decision making is still needed to personalize and individualize specialized instruction. Engaging with the technology more and building familiarity of what it can do to improve student learning and teacher practice is warranted.

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This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs [award number: H327S180004]. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred.

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Evmenova, A.S., Regan, K., Mergen, R. et al. Improving Writing Feedback for Struggling Writers: Generative AI to the Rescue?. TechTrends (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-024-00965-y

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