As with most defined business relationships, a technical writing contract should be drafted and signed when entering a technical writing business relationship. This contract will serve to properly and definitively outline the performance expectations of both parties--the technical writer and the hiring company. Because so much technical writing is done on a per-project basis--in particular freelance technical writing--a technical writer contract is crucial for the protection of both the tech writer and the organization the writer will be doing the work for. A signed agreement should be utilized for any kind of contract technical writing.
Here are the main elements to include in a technical writing contract:
- Be Clear, Concise, and Straightforward. You don't necessarily need to use confusing legalize when writing contracts. Just use clear language to accurately express details in an efficient manner.
- Clearly State the Parties Involved. Establish, by name, who the involved contractual parties are, then assign generic names to the parties, such as "Company" and "Client", and refer to the parties in that manner from that point forward in the contract.
- Define the Project Being Contracted. Define the name of the project, its scope, its length (whether in time or in produced material), how much will be paid, and how the payment will occur. Break down every aspect of the particular technical writing contractual agreement into its separate components, then define the acceptable behavior and results regarding each component.
- End with Signatures. Make sure you get each contractual party to sign and date the contract.