Revision

Civil Engineering

Student’s Name

Institution

Date

a) Introduction:

Civil engineering is a discipline that deals with the design, construction a maintaining of both physical environments and naturally built environment. Civil engineering includes works associated with construction of roads, dams, buildings, and canals. The field is traditionally categorized into different sub-disciplines and is the second most extensive engineering discipline following military engineering (Selfe & Arbabi, 2013). Civil engineering has a lot to do with public sector development, from municipal to national governments. In the case of the private homeowners, it is involved from individual homeowners through to international companies in the world. Sources I will use to analyze the field includes interviews. This will help bring out a broader outlook on what it involves. The overall purpose of writing in this field is to inform and document findings, measures and relevant data (Selfe & Arbabi, 2013). These data are then used for decision making, measurement and process implementation in this career.

b) Purpose, Goals, and Audience

What is the primary purpose of writing in your field?

Engineers are recognized for solving the world's most significant challenges. This means they need both technical and communication competencies, to be able to relay their ideas to others. The primary purpose of writing in this field is information sharing, to enhance communication effectiveness. Other reasons include; to ensure that ideas are documented for referral purposes (Selfe & Arbabi, 2013). This way, it is easier for professionals to interact on a different level, through their ability to put down generated ideas and findings.

How does this affect the way you write?

Writing in civil engineering is not similar to other fields in other subjects. In civil engineering, measurements are in abundance, and engineers are required to ensure that a stepwise documentation is present for any project that is being worked on (Selfe & Arbabi, 2013). This affects the way I write, since essay formats are not relevant in the most case, as calculations are overwhelming, reasoning and different sets of solutions.

Why is this the primary purpose?

This is the primary purpose since, in any field; communication is the most relevant and needed aspect. Without communication, work may not be carried out most efficiently. At the same time, in civil engineering, professionals need to be presented with written material for follow-ups and monitoring processes to be efficient enough.

Who are you writing to most often in the field?

In most cases, the written information is presented to field supervisors and project managers. Once measurements are taken, and problems solved, the data is then channeled to field supervisors and later to management for approval (Selfe & Arbabi, 2013).

What are the goals of writing in your field and example?

In the field of civil engineering, the goal of writing is communication effectiveness, and to enhance accuracy (Selfe & Arbabi, 2013). Projects, which are mostly dealt with, call for a high level of accuracy and professionalism which is achieved through documentation of sums and project procedures.

c) Format, Style, Tone, Language

What is the format most often used?

The format which is mostly used in civil engineering writing is the IEEE (Institute of electrical and electronics engineers) style. It is an accepted format for coming up with research papers and is utilized in most technical fields such as civil engineering, computer science among others.

Why is this the format chosen? What does it do for the writing?

The format is based on the Chicago writing style, where all citations are numbered and included in the text, rather than the use of transcripts (Young & Fulwiller, 2016). All the needed and present information in bibliographies is included in the reference list. This format helps in enhancing academic and professional honesty in the field of civil engineering. Quoted works of different authors are included, which enhances integrity in the process.

What kinds of style and language are used?

The style used is IEEE. Authors are not permitted to tolerate fraudulent research and publications. Consequences can be severe in the long run. The language used in writing is professional, which is easy to translate by the civil engineers.

Do these reflect the writing purpose? How do they work together to reach a common purpose?

All these aspects reflect the writing purpose in this field. For example, considering the overall purpose is to disseminate accurate information in a documented manner, the writings are expected to also follow a professional channel (Young & Fulwiller, 2016). Both the style and language and writing helps achieve the overall purpose in this field.

What is the tone?

Civil engineers use a professional tone to communicate their findings. Measurements, projected results, budgets, and estimates are the significant terms relied on.

Does any of this change depend on writing situation?

The style and purpose do not change. From the interview, for example, I gathered that the writing process, format, and requirements are rigorous, and must be adhered to. The tone will always remain professional regardless of the situation (Young & Fulwiller, 2016). The only thing that may change is the documented data, depending on the field of operations.

d) Organization and Genre

Technical writing proficiency is required throughout the professional career of a civil engineer. Technical writing can communicate well, only upon good organization. This includes details of grammar, to the broad outline of headings in the paper, as well as an appropriate title. Some elements in organization are already documented in the rules. This does not change any data presented in the writing process. On the contrary, it helps streamline the entire process, and ensure that information is presented in the most efficient manner, which is also beneficial to the users. Genres used are professional and related to the aspect under consideration. Other types are not considered since these documentations are purely professional, and need to adhere to the writing standards in the field (Young & Fulwiller, 2016). For example, a pun cannot be used in this field, as it will be deemed irrelevant in the study or research process.

e) What is valued?

This community values integrity in writing. All material that is included in the process needs to be given a credible citation. The overall aim is to enhance professional competency and at the same time, ensure that honesty and integrity prevail in the professional setup. Such an aspect ensures that the field of civil engineering is free of plagiarism, and author disregard. For example, coming up with solutions to problems, while relying on another author’s ideas, and not documenting or citing the author is highly unethical.

f) Rhetorical Appeals

Whenever you get to read an argument, it is essential to consider the nature of the argument based on various factors; is it persuasive enough, and if so, who is persuaded in this case. The main rhetorical appeal used in civil engineering witting is an appeal to logic or reason, commonly referred to as logos (Markel, 2014). In this case, authors in civil engineering use theoretical approaches, reasons and meanings, historical analogies, definitions, factual data and plenty of statistics, informed opinions and quotations, as well as citations from authorizes and experts. These appeals are used in most cases to be able to present writings which can be proven, mathematically solved and professionally interpreted. They help strengthen writing in this field through the provision of reasoning and informed interpretation of information. An example is in the case of project progress information. Professional writing is essential, as well as the use of relevant data and statistics to enhance effectiveness and accuracy.

g) Conclusion

From this experience, I learned a lot about professional guidelines when it comes to writing in different professions. For example, having dealt with civil engineering alone, I have discovered the significant difference in writing regarding other fields and disciplines (Markel, 2014). The most significant idea which helped me determine how writing is done is associated with the fact that every discipline falls under different fields, which all have different regulations regarding writing and information documentation. My overall impression of writing in my major is educative, and this has helped me gain a lot of knowledge in regards to professional writing practice.

References

Selfe, C. L., & Arbabi, F. (2013). Writing to Learn: Engineering Student Journals. Engineering Education, 74(2), 86-90.

Young, A., & Fulwiler, T. (2016). Writing across the disciplines: Research into practice. Boynton/Cook Publishers, Inc., 52 Upper Montclair Plaza, PO Box 860, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043.

Markel, M. H., & Markel, M. (2014). Writing in the technical fields: a step-by-step guide for engineers, scientists, and technicians. John Wiley & Sons.

Markel, M. (2014). Writing in the Technical Fields. IEEE, New York: Cambridge Press