Sharp Points

Bill Walsh, a copy editor for the Washington Post, rants on style and usage topics.

Walsh, Bill. Slot, The. Reference>Style Guides

Shifty Adverbs

Decide where to place the adverb in parentheses in these sentences to best advantage -- for the sound of it and for best sense. That is, place it near the word in the sentence you wish to emphasize. One sentence doesn't involve a decision about placement next to the verb at all.

Stoughton, Mary. Editorial Eye, The (2003). Articles>Language>Style Guides

Simplified English Roundup: Fait Accompli or Impossible Dream?  

The increase in the number of products with accompanying documentation sold around the world has shown the need to develop some form of controlled English guideline. Simplified English is just one type of controlled English. The apparent benefits of writing in controlled fashion has led some to consider it a panacea. Others, however, have urged caution in accepting controlled English as the solution to all problems in the comprehension of documents. All forms of controlled English have certain essential features that any technical writer can accept.

Calistro, Ralph F. STC Proceedings (1993). Presentations>Writing>Style Guides>Minimalism

Social Rules for Creating a Style Guide

Creating a style guide may initially seem like a terminology affair ('option button' or 'radio button' - pick one), but the real challenge lies in persuading the department to adopt new style principles. Some writers will feel threatened by change, and respond in bizarre and unpredictable ways. Whisper campaigns and ambushes may lie in wait for you. Beware, innovative editor! Before you even think about the literary details of style, prepare to do battle with the true Goliaths and Grendyls: the department itself. By following these five rules below, you can avoid an unexpected apocalypse when you reveal the new guide.

Johnson, Tom H. TECHWR-L (2006). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Spelling in TC-Forum

There are several ways of spelling English – the English/Canadian style, and the American style. Both are correct.

Dobsen, David. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Style Guides>Standards

Standards and Style Guides

A bibliography of style guides useful for technical writers.

Tech-Writer. Resources>Bibliographies>Style Guides

Standards for Online Content Authors

The standards on this page include non-technical standards relevant to all web authors and technical standards relevant to some web authors.

McAlpine, Rachel. Quality Web Content (2005). Articles>Web Design>Style Guides>Writing

Still Another Rule?  

Bush questions the wisdom of rigid grammatical rules that do not take into consideration the complexities of English.

Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2000). Articles>Language>Style Guides

The Struggle for Gender-Free Language: Is It Over Yet?

All current style manuals address in one form or another the need for bias-free, inclusive language. Most writers and editors deal with this issue regularly — we've installed mental alarm systems that go off when we sense bias or something that can be construed as bias. In fact, some commentators say we've gone too far toward what social commentator Christopher Cerf calls, with grave facetiousness, 'content-free writing,' lest language offend anyone, anywhere. Does gender-free writing still present problems, and if so, how are most of us resolving them? After all these years of practice at being evenhanded, consider several litmus tests.

Rea, Jane. Editorial Eye, The (2003). Articles>Style Guides>Discrimination>Gender

Style, Grammar, and Usage

Information on style, grammar, and usage.

Technical Communicators Resource Site. Reference>Style Guides>Grammar

Style Guide for Online Hypertext

When writing for the Web, the documents usually become part of a larger collection. It's important that the site follows a common structure so all documents are available in a logical place. For a document, the style is also very important. By using a common style, you ensure that a reader can use the site effectively. Some important aspects are indicating the status of the document, using images and icons, and writing in a device-independent way.

Engelfriet, Arnoud. Web Design Group, The (1997). Reference>Style Guides>Web Design>Writing

The Style Guide is 'Dead': Long Live the Dynamic Style Guide!

Nobody, least of all an editor like me, would argue that printed style guides are really dead--at least not in the sense that they're no longer with us and no longer useful. Yet there's no doubt that printed style guides are looking a little antequated these days. Despite how useful the guides are to writers and editors, they're simply too static for most writers, and don't take advantage of computer technology to make the writer's working life easier. But if you're thinking that online style guides are inherently better solutions, think again; using the computer to find static information certainly helps, but simply moving a paper guide online only exchanges one form of 'static' for another.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2003). Articles>Style Guides>Writing

The Style Guide is Dead: Long Live the Dynamic Style Guide  

Arguing that printed style guides are too static to be useful, Hart recommends using a dynamic style guide, a system of templates, macros, and reference materials that actually guides writers through their work. The article also advocates direct interaction between editors and writers as a non-technical approach to a dynamic style.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2000). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Style Guide Revision: Message and Medium - A Case Study  

Creating and revising a corporate style guide is a matter of convincing, as well as showing the users, that publishing documents in a consistent manner is cost-effective. The second edition of the Style Guide for the Savannah River Site reflects the many changes that occurred in the world and at this government site in the last six years. Because documents are processed by individuals using desktop publishing products, this style guide edition was created with input from and for the individual user Topics covered the same ground as the previous edition (i.e., procedures, papers, reports, manuals, correspondence), but one major change was placing the style guide on the site intranet to reduce paper distribution and providing information on electronic publishing.

Phillips, Amy G. and Cathie Witker. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Editing>Style Guides>Case Studies

Style Guides

Style guides are used to provide a consistent look and feel. They should be defined as part of usability requirements and conformance should be monitored during development.

UsabilityNet. Articles>Web Design>Style Guides

Style Guides and Technical Writing

A style guide consists of formats used when creating documentation. Some companies maintain a formal style guide and adhere to strict documentation standards. Other companies may be more informal, but still maintain some semblance of a style guide, even if it is only an example of the documentation they create.

Taylor, Vicki M. Suite101 (2001). Articles>Documentation>Style Guides

Style Manuals and Guides for Technical Writing

Style manuals show how to format bibliographies and footnotes; some also provide information on outlining, editing and writing. If your instructor has not specified a particular format or recommended a style manual, consult one of the following, widely-used manuals.

Arizona State University. Reference>Style Guides>Writing>Technical Writing

Style Sheets and Grammar

A collection of online resources about style guides and reference sites about grammar.

Michigan eLibrary. Articles>Style Guides>Grammar

Style Sheets: The Abbreviated Answer  

As a project moves from writer to editor to designer and ack again, style sheets (abbreviated versions of style gides) offer quick access to answers during documentation development. Style sheets provide consistency, give a quick-reference point, set a project’s style from the beginning, eliminate confusion on major style points, and serve as a double check during revision. Designed specifically for a project, style sheet formats include laminated sheets and standees, and content ranges from grammar references to contact information.

Dalton, Tracy. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Stylesheet or Stylesite? A Case Study  

CNET’s Stylesite for the Technology Department’s Documentation and Training group provides an online resource for writers and trainers. The continuing development of this tool encompasses site development, content creation, and a fluid process of drafting standards. The site observes many of the same rules 'imposed' upon the writers, and offers them a rare opportunity to collaborate with their editor in the production of a manual of style.

Hanoch, Craig. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Style Guides>Web Design

A Summary of the International Standard Date and Time Notation

International Standard ISO 8601 specifies numeric representations of date and time. This standard notation helps to avoid confusion in international communication caused by the many different national notations and increases the portability of computer user interfaces. In addition, these formats have several important advantages for computer usage compared to other traditional date and time notations. The time notation described here is already the de-facto standard in almost all countries and the date notation is becoming increasingly popular.

Kuhn, Markus. Cambridge University (2000). Reference>Style Guides

Technical Report Overview

This outline is provided to help introduce the Technical Report and to clarify the acceptable format and level of achievement that is considered essential for successful completion of the Technical Report.

Scott, George A. TechWriter!. Reference>Style Guides>Reports>Technical Writing

Technical Writing Rules You Didn't Learn in RHET 101  

To hyphenate or not to hyphenate, that is the question. As compound nouns evolve over time in Eng- lish, they gradually move from being written 'open' (data base) to being hyphenated (data-base) to being written 'closed' (database). Just where your particular word might be in its evolution is often un- clear and subject to the inscrutable and highly individual logic of copy editors. Consult a recent edition of a standard dictionary.

Elliott, Celia M. University of Illinois. Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Terminology and Spelling for Web-Related Concepts

Generally speaking, 'Web' as a short form of 'World Wide Web' is capitalized, with one exception (webmaster). However, your company style may prefer the lower-case version.

Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Terminology Made Simple  

This paper describes the types of terms that you should include in software product glossary and describes how to write definitions for these terms. It also describes a method for controlling word usage and managing terminology for software projects.

Sturgeon, Mary. IBM (2004). Reference>Style Guides>Glossary>Help