Prof. Wozencraft ENG227

1. Understand three principles for
organizing technical information:
• Analyze your audience and purpose.
• Use conventional patterns of organization.
• Display your organizational pattern
prominently in the document.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 1

2. Ask four questions when you
study documents from other cultures:
• Does the text follow expected organizational
patterns?
• Do the introductions and conclusions present
the kind of information you would expect?
• Does the text appear to be organized linearly?
• Does the text use headings? If so, does it use
more than one level?
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 2

3. Display your organizational
pattern prominently:
• Create a detailed table of contents.
• Use headings liberally.
• Use topic sentences at the beginnings of your
paragraphs.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 3

4. Understand eight typical
patterns of organization:
• chronological
• spatial
• general to specific
• more important to less important
• comparison and contrast
• classification and partition
• problem-methods-solution
• cause and effect
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 4

5. Follow these three guidelines for
organizing information chronologically:
• Provide signposts.
• Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
• Analyze events where appropriate.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 5

6. Follow these three guidelines for
organizing information spatially:
• Provide signposts.
• Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
• Analyze events where appropriate.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 6

7. An example of
information organized spatially
Source:
Metropolitan
Museum of Art,
2010
<www.metmuseum.
org/toah/world-
regions/#/09/World-
Map>.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 7

8. Follow these two guidelines for organizing
information from general to specific:
• Provide signposts.
• Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 8

9. Follow three guidelines for organizing information
from more important to less important:
• Provide signposts.
• Explain why one point is more important than
another.
• Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 9

10. Follow these four guidelines for organizing
information by comparison and contrast:
• Establish criteria for the comparison and
contrast.
• Evaluate each item according to the criteria
you have established.
• Organize the discussion.
• Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 10

11. Follow these six guidelines for organizing
information by classification or partition:
• Choose a basis of classification or partition that fits
your audience and purpose.
• Use only one basis of classification or partition at a
time.
• Avoid overlap.
• Be inclusive.
• Arrange the categories in a logical sequence.
• Consider using graphics to complement the text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 11

12. An example of information
organized by partition
Source: Canon, 2010
<www.usa-
canon.com/cusa/cons
umer/products/camera
s/digital_cameras/pow
ershot_sx210_is#Box
Content>.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 12

13. Follow these five guidelines for organizing
information by problem-methods-solution:
• In describing the problem, be clear and specific.
• In describing your methods, help your readers
understand what you did and why you did it that
way.
• In describing the solution, don’t overstate.
• Choose a logical sequence.
• Consider using graphics to complement the text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 13

14. Follow these four guidelines for
organizing information by cause and effect:
• Explain your reasoning.
• Avoid overstating your argument.
• Avoid logical fallacies.
• Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 14