User:Ex261

Introduction
In order to further develop a skill set as a technical writer, it is helpful to assess the technical writing of others. In this case, the technical document being critiqued is Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, report on the AK-47 rifle. Through the assessment of another’s technical report, taking into account its’ specific strengths and weakness, one can improve their own style.

Back to Top

Overall Layout
This is a picture of the overall layout of Wikipedia

Key

Blue-Search

Green-Table of Contents

Red-Quick Reference Guide

Yellow-Content

Back to Top

Location
This section of the report will explain the relatively simple steps it takes for one to find the article being critiqued.

Wikipedia
This report was taken from the online resource Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia project that is free to use and composed by volunteers. It is now operated by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikipedia: AK-47
The article itself can by found either by typing AK-47 in the search input field [Fig. 1] on the homepage, the link to which posted in the paragraph above, or can be found by activating the following link.

Back to Top

Choice of Article
This segment of the document will explain why the article being critiqued was chosen for a critique.

Wikipedia
One of the reasons the article under analysis is a Wikipedia article is that despite some allegations of inaccuracy, Wikipedia is an appropriate example of efficient information exchange. As the world becomes more and more integrated with internet technology, resources like Wikipedia become more widely disseminated and much more powerful tools. As more and more people use Wikipedia, it has a greater responsibility to be accurate, efficient, and functional.

Wikipedia: AK-47
Of all the articles on Wikipedia, the article on AK-47 rifles was chosen for analysis. Firstly, the article was chosen because it was one of the first interesting subjects to come to the author’s mind. In addition to this, firearms are a fascinating topic, and the AK-47 in particular has a rich history.

Overall the article, as stated above, is a good example of efficient information exchange, which is the goal of all technical writing. While maintaining readability and ease-of-use, the article has many interesting facets which will be analyzed to greater depth in further sections.

Back to Top

Report Purpose
The purpose of the online article from Wikipedia on the AK-47 is to provide the reader with relatively reliable and extensive background knowledge on the subject. Whether or not this specific purpose is worthwhile is debatable, but what is certain is that the goal of information exchange is something that Wikipedia and the field of Technical Communication have in common. If this article succeeds at its’ purpose of conveying information to the user quickly and easily, and it does, then there is something to be learned from it.

Aside from the content of the article, there are a number of tools that this report utilizes to create a succinct and helpful report.

Back to Top

How the Purpose is Fulfilled
This section of the critique report is critical. This is the section in which the various parts of the Wikipedia article will be analyzed based on their informative merit.



Table of Contents [Fig. 2]
Something common to most, if not all, Wikipedia articles, is the hyperlinked table of contents, which is a tool that is helpful in any technical document. The table of contents provides quick information access. With one glance and click of the mouse the user can reach the part of the document that he is seeking. Any tool that reduces information seeking time on the part of the user is a useful tool in technical communication.

There is also a hide option in case you wish to disregard the table and continue on to peruse the article.

Quick Reference Guide [Fig. 3]
The most impressive part of the document is the quick reference guide on the right side of the page. If the user needs to know a quick fact about the AK-47 such as the caliber of round it fires, 7.62x39mm, or how many have been produced, over 100 million, this aesthetically pleasing table can provide these answers quickly and efficiently.

Other parts of the report, while not as original, still hold value for quick and efficient communication of ideas.

Pictures
All of the pictures in the article are well integrated into the main article, with subtle borders and appropriate, succinct and informative captions.

Tables
Also contributing to the ease of seeking information, as well as the aesthetic value of the page, are the various tables. Tables allow the user to quickly scan for the information they are looking for and also add variation to the document so as to break up the large fields of bare text content.

Embedded Links
The links embedded within the text provide immediate information on subject matter pertaining to what you are researching, creating a practically infinite amount of further information paths. In addition to the increased volume of germane information one can access quickly, the embedded links also allow the user to clear up any misunderstandings they had of the original material with quick definitions.

Format and Content
This section will cover the relationship between the document’s format and its’ content. The two parts of this relationship are structure and language.

Structure
The article is structured around its linear progression which can be seen in the table of contents [Fig. 2]. Rather than arbitrary section arrangement, the different paragraphs for every section flow together well and are linked with transitions, increasing readability.

As mentioned earlier, the table of contents hyperlinked to the various sections of the article is the key to quick information access.

Titles that are bold are easy to recognize and a simple organizational solution.

When quotes are included, they are presented in centered sections separated from the rest of the document by large, pale-blue, aesthetically pleasing quotation graphics.

Where information tables are appropriate they are included. All of the tables I found in the AK-47 article were simple, easy to use, and informative.

Language
Another part of the Wikipedia article is its’ succinct, informative, and not overly technical language. Keeping in mind the vast audience of such a website, which can range from a child to a trained expert, the language coincides with the purpose of imparting useful background knowledge. Wikipedia is not designed to be a resource for experts, though some material in the external links section could help in that area. The language of the document is only technical to the degree that it needs to be. One of the most beautiful parts of the Wikipedia document, as mentioned previously, are the embedded hyperlinks in many of the more technical terms. This way, if the user is in need of further elucidation, he has only to click the word and it will be explained. One click of the back button will return him to his original page for further perusal. In this document specifically, the most technically advanced segment was the ballistics section, and even this was easily understood from a layman’s perspective.

Sentence structure is not overly complicated or overly simple, and the style of the article is a good example of balance between simplicity and complexity. Succinct, but still varied sentence structure, further enhances the readability of the document.

Back to Top

Improvements
There are only two ways in which this document could be improved upon from the standpoint of fulfilling its purpose as a technical document.



Distractions
The first distraction is the advertisement/promotion image at the very top of the article. This bar distracts from the material at hand [Fig. 4].

Accuracy
The second is if everything in the article was independently verified as one hundred percent accurate. This is the main problem with Wikipedia, and though it is constantly being addressed, it still is a problem. If 60% of a technical article is its’ presentation, Wikipedia fulfills that qualifier with 58%. Of the 40% allotted for content, all of the articles would vary, but this article specifically, while not verified by the author of this critique report, had no glaring inaccuracies and could safely be given a 38%.

Back to Top

Conclusion
Benefits to a technical writer when analyzing the technical writing of other authors include: -style development -practice with technical documentation and composition Wikipedia’s article on the AK-47 is a good example of numerous technical writing elements and there is something to be learned from its’ shortcomings as well.

Back to Top