#21216
The ABCs of Writing a Technical Glossary 
This article identifies and explains format rules, style rules, and lexicographic conventions that have been shown to improve clarity and precision in a technical glossary. Rationale for the rules of language, presentation, and style are examined. The need to allow flexibility in following the rules is discussed in terms of strengthening the technical merit and vitality of the glossary. This article also describes the computer-display techniques and file-management system used in committee to develop U.S. Federal Standard 1037C, Glossary of telecommunication terms, and to display the results both in the meeting room and on the Internet between meetings.
Gray, Evie, William Ingram and Dennis Bodson. Technical Communication Online (1998). Articles>Editing>Technical Editing>Glossary
#18597
Access to Current and Next-Generation Information Systems by People with Disabilities
The purpose of this document is to provide information and resources for those interested in learning more about accessibility issues and current and next-generation information systems. The current focus of this document is on the National Information Infrastructure (NII), sometimes known as the 'information superhighway.' This document contains both information presented at a very introductory level and information which is more technical in nature. Wherever possible, all of the technical discussions are broken out and presented separately, so that readers may course through the material at a level which is comfortable to them, and which meets their information needs. This is a living document which will be continually revised and added to as more information is collected and as the efforts in the area of research, development, and public policy continue to evolve. The most recent form of this document can be found on the Internet via our ftp, gopher, or WWW servers. All of these are located at: trace.wisc.edu The document can be viewed on-line or downloaded in one of several forms to facilitate accessibility.
University of Wisconsin. Articles>Editing>Accessibility>Usability
#14832
A collection of reviews of recent books in editing (particularly for journalism).
#20272
Adapting Traditional Editing Practices for Online Documentation 
Technical editors are possibly best known for their abilities to transform information with format, content, grammatical, and mechanical problems into coherent, concise, understandable, and usable documents. Editors must not only provide such services for the information authors, but they must also understand and support users' needs and expectations. This presentation gives editors an approach to editing online documentation that is rooted in traditional editing practices.
Fink, Bonnie L., Carol Gasser, Jennifer Giordano and Beth A. Williams. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Editing>Documentation>Online
#18554
It is important to alphabetize your index in a consistent manner. Otherwise, your readers may become confused or miss an important entry. There are two basic ways to alphabetize, or sort, an index: word by word; letter by letter.
Brown, Fred. Allegro Time! (2001). Articles>Indexing>Editing
#22128
'It's all in the manual.' How many times have you heard that - or said it in frustration? After all, when you are the person who wrote the manual, you know that all the answers are there. But time and again readers can't find what they need to know, or don't understand the material. Before you blame the reader, look again at how you've presented the material.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (1989). Articles>Editing>Technical Writing
#10022
Angels and Copy Editors Defend Us!
Tinkering with the author's words simply because 'I would not write them that way' is not discretion, but interference. Preserving the author's authentic voice is as important as enhancing its presentation so as to maintain the authority of the words. Of what, then, does the enhancing consist? And how does editorial discretion fit in?
Fothergill-Brown, Ann. Writer's Block (1999). Articles>Writing>Editing
#23799
Ask the Indexer: Get Answers to your Indexing Questions from Experienced Technical Indexers
After brief introductions by 4 panelists who are all members of the Indexing SIG (and experienced indexers and technical writers), we plan to discuss Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about indexing, and allow plenty of time for questions.
Bonura, Larry S., Dick Evans, Joan K. Griffitts and Peg Mauer. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Indexing>Technical Editing>FAQ
#15092
Suggests several uses of Microsoft Word's macro capabilities to help editors improve their speed and consistency. Macros, for example, are customized keystroke commands.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2001). Articles>Editing>Software>Microsoft Word
#30347
Barriers and Approaches to Reviewing Documentation
This article discusses some important issues in implementing a software documentation review process. If you are part of a small development organization and have few reviewer resources available, you may have to improvise techniques for providing the services and procedures suggested here.
Boston Broadside (1997). Articles>Documentation>Editing>Collaboration
#30082
Becoming a Journal Peer Reviewer
This session will help participants understand the process for reviewing manuscripts submitted to
Hayhoe, George F. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Publishing>Editing
#24908
A physicist-turned-editor shows you the basics required for copyediting physics papers (physical quantities, symbols, units, scientific notation, the structure of mathematical expressions, the nature of graphs), and points the way to learning enough 'editorial physics' to begin substantive editing.
Murphy, Peter W. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Editing>Scientific Communication
#24233
Beyond Copy-Editing: The Editor-Writer Relationship
Editing is often narrowly defined as making corrections after a document is written. This approach typically relegates the editor to a low-status role within the organisation.
Durham, Marsha. Technical Editors Eyrie (1991). Articles>Editing>Collaboration
#24015
Editing must change for the Web, but perhaps not so much as you think. In paper publishing, different documents require different rules and procedures: An annual report requires more editing and more attention to detail than an office memo. Similarly, not all Web documents are equal.
Ivey, Keith C. Editorial Eye, The (1996). Articles>Web Design>Editing>Writing
#20972
A Brief Guide to Communication Products Used in Online Learning
An overview of the various genres of information about online learning products.
Carliner, Saul. Saul Carliner Studio (2003). Articles>Editing>Online
#15093
Bug Reports: Your Road to Visibility
Argues that technical writers have a professional duty to report defects in software and presents examples of software problems that require bug reports.
Leritz-Higgins, Sarah E. Intercom (2002). Articles>Writing>Editing
#19843
Can the Computer Improve your Writing Style?
We have spell checkers. We have grammar checkers. What we really need is a style checker.
Cohen, Gerald. STC Proceedings (2000). Articles>Writing>Editing>Word Processing
#20006
Can You Edit a Direct Quotation?
A TV network would never put words in a person's mouth, of course, but print journalists take this liberty all the time.
Walsh, Bill and Linda Jorgensen. Editorial Eye, The (2003). Articles>Editing>Journalism
#18542
Before publishing your index, you need to ensure that the 'See' and 'See also' cross-references work correctly. The text in each cross-reference must exactly match the text in the index heading it refers to.
Brown, Fred. Allegro Time! (2002). Articles>Indexing>Editing
#19999
Citation styles for Internet publications are still evolving. Printed style manuals offer little guidance, and few even mention the World Wide Web. But that's no excuse for failing to credit your sources.
#24926
Collecting Books about Editing
Intercom's 'friendly editor' discusses his extensive collection of dictionaries, grammars, and other books of interest.
Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2005). Articles>Editing>Style Guides>Grammar
#31234
Combine Writing, Editing and Design in Your Employee Publication
After more than a decade of working in the corporate environment, I have finally accepted that readers need to be enticed by more than the promise of a good read: They need proof. They want a visual two-second test-drive before they decide whether or not to spend precious minutes on a particular page. This is not to say that corporate readers are not discerning or that sloppy copy reads any better when dressed up with elaborate design. The truth is that in any corporate publication, a great article won't be read if the layout is poor. Similarly, a stunning design falls flat if the content doesn't live up to it.
Dower, Sophia. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Writing>Editing>Newsletters
#30370
A Commitment to Excellence: A Systematic Approach to Training Editors
Creating and maintaining a high quality work environment that attracts and retains talented editors requires a commitment to excellence at all levels of a company or organization. A company dedicated to a nurturing work environment for its employees provides systematic training opportunities for professional growth. This paper describes how a company can meat its ongoing training needs for editors by offering formal and informal training programs and fostering learning at the group, department, division, and company levels.
Moell, Patricia G. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Editing>Education
#29056
Committees within international standards organizations write standards. Prior to approval, these standards must pass through several reviews for technical accuracy and stylistic appropriateness. The style considerations are based on documents published by both the umbrella organization (International Organization for Standarization, or ISO) and the various committees and subcommittees within it. Because authors and editors who use these documents frequently do not have English as a first language, the documents must explain unambiguously just how committees should prepare their documents. This study looks at a sample of those instructional documents using Restricted and Elaborated Code and metadiscourse analysis to determine how easily users can read and understand the material. The findings suggest that the documents do not send a clear message to authors and editors and can be stylistically hard to understand. Consequently, the approved standards themselves are hard to read and interpret.
Warren, Thomas L. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2001). Articles>Editing>Style Guides>Standards
#20025
In this introductory paragraph to a column by the Washington Post's Stephen S. Rosenfeld, the subject seems to be paddling helplessly against a strong undertow of contradictory wording in the complement: To look in on current official and expert thinking about the world population problem is to become aware of a disappearing act that has transformed and mooted much of the common public understanding of this issue. There's enough happening in this sentence to make parsing helpful. Nothing's grammatically wrong with the parallel infinitive phrases: the subject is to look in and the complement is to become aware -- no mixed construction here (for more about that, see Test Yourself). But some mixed-up thinking is tugging the adjective-heavy prepositional phrases away from the infinitives they modify. And what's being equated is sunk by the fact that the complement is itself qualified by a paradoxical statement.
Editorial Eye, The (2003). Articles>Editing
