You don’t have to be an English major to be a strong writer. If you’re in STEM, writing well isn’t about flowery language or clever metaphors. It’s about clarity, precision, and structure. That’s where technical writing matters more than most students expect.
Whether you’re creating lab reports, project documentation, or user guides, your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly is part of the job. Professors might skim over this skill, but hiring managers don’t. Engineers, coders, and researchers who write well stand out.
Welcome to the blog of Nicole Hardy, where we unpack the practical side of writing. If you’re in a science or tech field, learning how to write well isn’t optional. It’s a skill you’ll use throughout your career.
Technical Writing Definition
Technical writing is the process of translating complex, technical information into clear, structured, and usable content for a specific audience. It’s not meant to entertain. It’s meant to be followed, tested, used, or applied.
In STEM, that usually means creating content that explains how something works or what needs to happen next. You’re breaking down the what, why, and how without adding extra noise. This could be for a colleague, an end user, a professor, or a regulatory team.
Common Technical Writing Tasks in STEM Fields
Writing a research paper isn’t the same as documenting a process. In STEM, the writing you do is often short-form, repeatable, and tied to specific tools or systems. Here’s where you’ll most likely use it:
- Writing user guides or manuals for software or hardware
- Documenting lab procedures or experiment setups
- Summarizing findings for a grant or internal report
- Creating standard operating procedures (SOPs)
- Drafting safety instructions or engineering briefs
If you’re looking for real-world technical writing examples, think about onboarding documentation at a biotech company or field instructions for a prototype. That’s the level of clarity expected.
How Technical Writing Differs from Academic Writing
Academic writing trains you to argue, cite, and discuss ideas within a field. Technical writing skips the argument. It assumes the reader wants facts, not debate. You’ll still use structure and logic, but the tone and purpose are different.
In academic papers, you build on theory. In technical writing, you explain how a system works, how to repeat an experiment, or how to use a feature. There’s no need for long intros or open-ended questions. Your reader is usually in a hurry, and clarity wins.
Key Writing Skills STEM Students Need
If you’re serious about improving, getting a technical writing certification can help. It shows employers you’re not just good at the technical part. You know how to document it clearly.
Good writing habits matter, but technical writing requires more than clean grammar. You need to think like a teacher, designer, and tester all at once. That means organizing your ideas based on how someone else will use them.
This is especially helpful if you’re applying for technical writing jobs remote, where communication is everything and you don’t get to explain your work in person.
Tools and Formats You’ll Actually Use
Forget Word docs and five-paragraph essays. In tech-focused writing, you’ll often work inside tools your future employer is already using. These might include Markdown, Confluence, Notion, Google Docs with version control, or XML-based editors for structured content.
If you’re unsure where to start, taking a technical writing course focused on digital tools and workflows can help. You’ll learn how to format tables, write code-adjacent instructions, and produce content that works in real systems.
Tips for Getting Better at Technical Writing in College
Most students don’t get formal training in technical writing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve. Start with what you already write, and find ways to tighten it up. Here’s how:
- Turn lab reports into how-to guides. Strip out the filler and walk the reader through each step as if they’ve never seen the process before.
- Look at real-world docs. Browse company blogs, open-source wikis, or GitHub repos. Professional technical writing services often publish samples.
- Ask a non-STEM friend to read your notes. If they get lost, your writing’s not ready. Technical writing is about usability, not impressing experts.
- Use checklists to structure your writing. Checklists force you to write in steps and stay focused on outcomes.
- Try a side project. Set up a blog or GitHub page and write your own documentation. That’s how many people break into freelance technical writing roles: by showing what they can do, not just talking about it.
Conclusion
If you’re in STEM, strong technical writing isn’t a bonus skill. It’s a career skill. Whether you’re documenting a build, writing up your codebase, or explaining a method to someone in another department, clear writing makes your work usable.
Understanding how technical writing works and how it’s different from other types of writing helps you avoid mistakes before they happen. Learn it now, use it in every project, and you’ll be way ahead by the time you graduate.