Of the two kinds of editors, production and technical, it is the technical editor who has the responsibility to educate writers as well as readers. By teaching his clients better ways to express themselves, he facilitates communication across disciplinary lines. This article argues for elevating the editorial function and presents means to that end. It suggests ways to eliminate the worrisome details of writing so that an author can concentrate on substance.

Six ideas for improving technical writing are presented, with illustrative material. Briefly they are: (1) arrangement, attention to logical sequence of ideas; (2) perspicuity, the removal of temptations to interpretation; (3) placement, where the words go for maximum intelligibility; (4) fortuity, the avoidance of pitfalls in writing, particularly accidental humor; (5) economy, the control of repetition and avoidance of the obvious; and (6) transition, the effect of proper connections among ideas how to get from here to there.