Technical Definitions Assignment
In unit one, the technical definitions assignment focused on the importance of learning how to write definitions for a specific audience that may have limited knowledge on the term being defined. Through this assignment, I learned about how audience and purpose can determine the way in which a definition is written. For example, as a biochemist, writing for a fellow biochemist can be far different than writing for a high school student with introductory biology knowledge. The way I communicate technically with colleagues may be filled with technical terms that are common amongst biochemists and completely foreign to others. Hence, while writing a technical definition for the term, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), for the assignment, I learned to be cognizant of the vocabulary used to explain the term. My goal for the technical definition was to eliminate jargon that could potentially make the explanation of the term difficult to comprehend. Additionally, I recognized that expanded definitions of terms could easily be verbose. Thus, my other objective was to be as clear and concise as possible when formulating the definition of PCR. Ultimately, the goal was to make difficult science terms more comprehensible to anyone regardless of their scientific background.
Peer Reviewing the Technical Definitions Assignment
Peer reviewing was a good opportunity to review my peer’s work and my own work. It was an important step toward incorporating the practice of reviewing and editing into my writing routine. In the peer review process, I read my peer’s definition several times, taking breaks in between and coming back to review it again. I broke down the review into small sections, noting positives in each section and then suggesting improvements. From reviewing my peer’s work, I gained perspective on the effect different writing styles can have on formulating definitions. Notably, organization is key to easy understanding of difficult technical terms. Organization can concern sentence structure. For example, certain sentence structures may make it harder to follow an explanation that is crucial in understanding the difficult term being defined. By noticing common mistakes that may occur in the writing of technical definitions during peer review, I was able to refer back to my definition and ensure that I have not committed the same errors. Overall, the process of peer review was mutually beneficial.
The peer review report was an important exercise in learning how to provide constructive criticism and feedback to others. As I read through the guidelines for peer review reports in the textbook, I was able to gain a better sense of the items I need to include in a solid report to my peers. Through preparing the peer review report, I learned a great deal about how to write tactfully. It was important to be able to convey both an encouraging and critical tone in the report so that my writing team member is able to receive helpful feedback that includes comments about areas of weakness as well as strength. Moreover, the peer review report provided an opportunity to revisit the significance of organization and clarity in writing. Peer review reports are forms of technical writing that I wish to have more practice in.
Feedback from Peer Reviews
The feedback I received for my technical definition was helpful in guiding my revisions. It was useful to receive comments on parts of my extended definition that may be removed for conciseness of the definition. This helped me in refining my definition so that it became less wordy. I learned to consolidate my writing through the comments I received identifying the areas of my definition that contains potential jargons or lack clarity. These were areas in which I may otherwise not have noticed without the peer review. While revising my definitions, I reminded myself of my initial goals for the assignment. I wanted to ensure that I met my expectation of formulating a definition that was easily understood and concise. After completing all revisions following peer review, I feel that I have met my goals to the best of my ability. Since the process of reviewing and editing is ongoing, I hope to revisit this assignment throughout the term as I learn new technical writing techniques to make further edits that will enhance the definition.
Please see revised technical definitions assignment here: 301 Janice Pang Technical Definitions_revised.
My peer’s review of the assignment can be found here: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99a-2019wa/2019/09/24/63182/.
