Oil Patch Writing
Disciplines: Completions | Data Science and Engineering Analytics | Drilling | Health, Safety, Environment, and Sustainability | Management | Production and Operations | Projects, Facilities, and Construction | Reservoir
Course Description
Unlike generic technical writing courses, this petroleum-specific class will focus on upstream jargon and oil industry writing standards following the Society of Petroleum Engineers Style Guide. Developed for engineers and geoscientists, especially those with English as a second language, this course starts by defining the parts of speech as building blocks, then teaches students how to build strong sentences, paragraphs, and documents that are clear, concise, and correct. Grammar, usage, capitalization, and punctuation rules are covered using good and bad writing examples taken from real-life oil industry writings. Microsoft Word tips for formatting text, figures, tables, and equations will be shared, along with editing and proofreading techniques for polishing the final writing product.
Learning Level
Introductory
Course Length
1 Day
Why Attend
Excellent writing skills will impress others, but poor writing skills can be an embarrassment. This Oil Patch Writing class will improve the quality of your emails, reports, and SPE papers using the SPE Style Guide.
Who Attends
Engineers who need to improve their writing skills, especially those who have English as a second language.
Special Requirements
Bring a pen or pencil. No laptop needed. There will be a workbook for written exercises that will be provided.
CEUs
0.8 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) are awarded for this 1-day course.
Cancellation Policy
All cancellations must be received no later than 14 days prior to the course start date. Cancellations made after the 14-day window will not be refunded. Refunds will not be given due to no show situations.
Training sessions attached to SPE conferences and workshops follow the cancellation policies stated on the event information page. Please check that page for specific cancellation information.
SPE reserves the right to cancel or re-schedule courses at will. Notification of changes will be made as quickly as possible; please keep this in mind when arranging travel, as SPE is not responsible for any fees charged for cancelling or changing travel arrangements.
We reserve the right to substitute course instructors as necessary.
Instructor
Jeanne Perdue received a BS degree in Chemistry from the State University of New York at Albany. She started her career as a chemist at the Texaco Research Laboratories. Perdue then became an oil and gas journalist for Hart's E&P magazine and launched the award-winning Upstream Technology magazine. She is now a technical writer at Occidental Petroleum, preparing field development plans, maintenance and operations procedures, best practices, and concession proposals for the Middle East Support Team.
A Distinguished Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Perdue has served as Scholarship Chair, Community Services Chair, Membership Chair, Secretary, and Chair of the Gulf Coast Section. Today she serves on the Distinguished Lecturer Committee and the Business and Leadership Committee. She also serves on the board of the Houston Community College (HCC) Foundation and the University of Houston Petroleum Engineering Advisory Board.