#20216
An abstract is a short statement -- generally fewer than 150 words -- of the contents of a report, paper or other document. Few scientists, engineers, or managers have the time to read every paper that comes their way; they depend on the abstract. A well-written abstract is the best of way of making sure your vitally-important report reaches the right people.
#20213
Some Common Formats for Organizing Technical Writing
A list of ten common formats for technical writing.
Smith, Michael. York University (2003). Articles>Writing>Genre
#21625
Take My Advice: Don't Learn XML
If you're a developer interested only in the data-oriented side of XML, and if you don't care about document authoring (writing books, articles, manuals, love poems, Web pages, whatever), feel free to ignore this article. If, on the other hand, document authoring is important to you (you're a technical writer, an HTML markup author, manager of a documentation group, an anonymous pamphleteer) and you're trying to decide whether it would be worthwhile for you to learn XML and use it for authoring documents, stick around. What you learn might save you a lot of time and spare you from some unnecessary frustration.
Smith, Michael. O'Reilly and Associates (2000). Design>Web Design>Writing>XML
#20214
Technical Articles and Reports
In the U.S. and Canada, there are more than 6,000 business, technical, academic, scientific and trade publications, which among them publish several hundred technical articles a year. Technical publications are the vehicles through which engineers and scientists communicate with their peers in other fields. Academic journals are the vehicles they use to communicate within their own field.
Smith, Michael. York University. Articles>Writing>Engineering>Technical Writing
#35410
Twenty Do's and Don'ts of Effective Web Design
Below are twenty do's and don'ts of effective web design. Study, read, (re)read and print this page. It will help either make or break your website. And don't hesitate to let us know of anything we might have left out, in the comments below. We love getting your opinions on things and discussing the articles with you -- after all, you're quite possibly the coolest people in the world.
Smith, Michael. Web Design Ledger (2009). Articles>Web Design>Advice
