http://tc.eserver.org/dir/reference/writing A listing of the most recently indexed works about reference and writing in the field of technical communication (and technical writing). en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/reference/writing http://tc.eserver.org/35804.html http://tc.eserver.org/35804.html I’m working on a project to boil a 150-page software user document down to a one-page reference guide that can be tacked to a CSR’s cube wall. Our goal with the one-page reference guide is to give the CSR a description of all the navigation elements and application functionality so they can quickly navigate to where they want to go without first having to trudge through the complete 150-page user doc. http://tc.eserver.org/34382.html http://tc.eserver.org/34382.html Users often want documentation in a format that will give them the basics and get them on their way as fast as possible. Quick reference guides provide a short version of a manual, condensed from dozens or hundreds of pages down to just one double-sided sheet of paper. Despite the brevity of quick reference material, the thought process involved in creating, organizing, and laying out the content is time consuming. The format requires you to assess the content and decide the most important information the user needs to know. You must describe with extreme concision and clarity processes that usually require dozens of pages to explain. This article provides an overview of the strategies, tips, challenges, and benefits we have learned in using quick reference guides for our documentation projects. http://tc.eserver.org/34252.html http://tc.eserver.org/34252.html In this article, my colleague and I provide strategies, tips, and approaches we’ve learned in creating quick reference guides for software documentation projects. http://tc.eserver.org/34159.html http://tc.eserver.org/34159.html This set of guidelines was developed to help you understand the expectations for technical communication in CE 314K (Properties and Behavior of Engineering Materials). Successful technical communication requires practice. Therefore, you should allot sufficient time to write several drafts of each assignment before submitting the final version. http://tc.eserver.org/27819.html http://tc.eserver.org/27819.html A business case is a tool that supports planning and decision-making, including decisions about whether to buy, which vendor to choose, and when to implement. http://tc.eserver.org/26969.html http://tc.eserver.org/26969.html Il processo di comunicazione tecnica consiste nel veicolare informazioni circa una tecnologia ad una platea ben definita. http://tc.eserver.org/25005.html http://tc.eserver.org/25005.html Where a statement of any complexity is made about a person, the maker of the statement may face decisions about how further references should be framed. http://tc.eserver.org/24963.html http://tc.eserver.org/24963.html A hypertext encyclopedia entry about technical writers, with links to many related topics. http://tc.eserver.org/24117.html http://tc.eserver.org/24117.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/23901.html http://tc.eserver.org/23901.html Provides alternatives to overstated, pompous words; wordy, bureaucratic phrases; and verbose, sometimes amusing redundant phrases. http://tc.eserver.org/23503.html http://tc.eserver.org/23503.html Language Across the Curriculum in Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto helps students to communicate in writing and orally. http://tc.eserver.org/23502.html http://tc.eserver.org/23502.html The rules here apply to all classes in the Chemical Engineering Department at Ohio University. Most of them will apply in 'the real world', too, although your employer may have some specific format requirements. http://tc.eserver.org/23456.html http://tc.eserver.org/23456.html Links to thousands of reference sites, most of which relate to science writing. http://tc.eserver.org/21661.html http://tc.eserver.org/21661.html The following is a description of Florida Institute of Technology's in-house writing style for everything except technical papers and reports. This guide is set up alphabetically and contains listings that will allow you to standardize everything you write for the university. Reference materials include The Associated Press Stylebook And Libel Manual (Fully Revised and Updated 1998 Edition), Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary and McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms (Fourth Edition). http://tc.eserver.org/20712.html http://tc.eserver.org/20712.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/19711.html http://tc.eserver.org/19711.html The May 2003 edition of the standard reference for Apple publications. http://tc.eserver.org/18414.html http://tc.eserver.org/18414.html Based on faculty concerns, this handbook offers guidelines and exercises to help you improve your technical style. http://tc.eserver.org/18296.html http://tc.eserver.org/18296.html When editors refer to style, they usually do not mean an individual's writing style; they mean editorial style—the guidelines a publisher uses to enhance the reader's understanding. Editorial style includes the consistent use of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and abbreviations, as well as the selection of headings and the use of numbers. These guidelines are often called 'conventions' because they represent a conventional presentation used in publishing. http://tc.eserver.org/18301.html http://tc.eserver.org/18301.html As first-language English users we often need to communicate effectively with people for whom English is a foreign or a second language, for instance when conducting business internationally. The Internet, particularly, is a global medium of communication, and we cannot assume that everyone reads or understands English flawlessly. http://tc.eserver.org/14189.html http://tc.eserver.org/14189.html This publication is directed toward professional writers, editors, and proofreaders. Those whose profession lies in other areas (for example, research or management), but who have occasion to write or review others' writing will also find this information useful. By carefully studying the examples and revisions to these examples, you can discern most of the techniques in my editing 'bag of tricks'; I hope that you editors will find these of particular interest. http://tc.eserver.org/14008.html http://tc.eserver.org/14008.html La puntuación de los textos escritos, con la que se pretende reproducir la entonación de la lengua oral, constituye un capítulo importante dentro de la ortografía de cualquier idioma. De ella depende en gran parte la correcta expresión y comprensión de los mensajes escritos. La puntuación organiza el discurso y sus diferentes elementos y permite evitar la ambigüedad en textos que, sin su empleo, podrían tener interpretaciones diferentes. http://tc.eserver.org/13965.html http://tc.eserver.org/13965.html We're pleased to offer some of the many instructional materials we've developed for our Writing Center teaching. As useful as we think these materials may be to you, though, we need to offer a few words of caution. There are limitations to these materials. Assignments vary. Different instructors want different things from student writers. What's appropriate and effective in one context, isn't necessarily so in others. So as you peruse what's here please understand that our suggestions may or may not apply to your writing situation. Please remember that handouts can give only a fraction of the customized guidance that an individual conference with a Writing Center instructor can provide. http://tc.eserver.org/13819.html http://tc.eserver.org/13819.html A small group of editors of general medical journals met informally in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1978 to establish guidelines for the format of manuscripts submitted to their journals. The group became known as the Vancouver Group. Its requirements for manuscripts, including formats for bibliographic references developed by the National Library of Medicine, were first published in 1979. The Vancouver Group expanded and evolved into the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which meets annually; gradually it has broadened its concerns. http://tc.eserver.org/13518.html http://tc.eserver.org/13518.html An updated version of the style guide used by writers and editors in Apple publications groups. http://tc.eserver.org/11852.html http://tc.eserver.org/11852.html This site is a concise guide to some of the most commonly violated rules of writing, grammar, and punctuation. It is intended for all writers as an aid in the learning and refining of writing skills. Explore each of the rules to see examples of its application, and use the references to find additional explanations and examples on the Web or in print. Look up grammatical terms in the glossary. For a wider variety of information, check related FAQs and other writing resources. http://tc.eserver.org/10867.html http://tc.eserver.org/10867.html This guide is intended for all writers of English at large, bureaucratic institutions. Our example here is the European Commission! Whether your job is drafting or translating, here are some hints - not rules - that will help you to write clearly and make sure your message ends up in your readers' brains, not in their bins. http://tc.eserver.org/10868.html http://tc.eserver.org/10868.html The traditional way of writing government documents has not worked well. Too often, it has produced complicated, jargon-filled documents that have resulted in frustration, lawsuits, and a lack of trust between citizens and their government. To overcome this legacy, the documents writers have a great responsibility to communicate clearly. Studies show that clearly written regulations improve compliance and decrease litigation. Writing that considers our readers' needs and draws them into the regulatory process improves the relationship between the government and the public it serves. Clear correspondence reduces the burden on the public. It also reduces the burden on the agency because we don't have to deal with the consequences of unclear communication. http://tc.eserver.org/10766.html http://tc.eserver.org/10766.html For the most current information about APA Format, we recommend visiting the Author's Corner of the APA website, where you can read about electronic reference formats recommended by the American Psychological Association and some frequently asked questions about the APA Publication manual, which includes the most up to date information about formatting, citation, and style. This handout is currently being revised to be in accordance with the latest guidelines, so do make sure to check our information against theirs. http://tc.eserver.org/10767.html http://tc.eserver.org/10767.html Modern Language Association (MLA) format provides writers with a system for cross-referencing their sources--from their parenthetical references to their works cited page. This cross-referencing system allows readers to locate the publication information of source material. This is of great value for researchers who may want to locate your sources for their own research projects. The proper use of MLA style also shows the credibility of writers; such writers show accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism--the purposeful or accidental use of source material by other writers without giving appropriate credit. http://tc.eserver.org/10713.html http://tc.eserver.org/10713.html Insensitive use of language can send discriminatory or negative messages to other people and has been demonstrated to affect learning, self-esteem, and career choices. In a business environment, our interactions with co-workers and our relationship with clients also can be affected. This page provides some general guidelines for using written and spoken language that are diversity-sensitive. http://tc.eserver.org/10717.html http://tc.eserver.org/10717.html Normal rules of English grammar are often violated in technical writing, sometimes with good reason. However, writers are often not aware of these violations. This guide identifies some of the rules that are most commonly violated. http://tc.eserver.org/10714.html http://tc.eserver.org/10714.html Provides information about citing references in your text and preparing reference lists. http://tc.eserver.org/10680.html http://tc.eserver.org/10680.html This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions for the FAR HTML program and HTML Help users in general. http://tc.eserver.org/10681.html http://tc.eserver.org/10681.html MS Help 2.x was announced at WinWriters on March 5, 2001. MS Help 2 is the help system used by Visual Studio .NET help and MSDN Library, and now the Borland .NET IDEs. Getting started with MS Help 2.0? This site is a start. http://tc.eserver.org/10530.html http://tc.eserver.org/10530.html Thesaurus.com offers word synonyms and antonyms as well as an online dictionary and translator. The website also offers book recommendations and writing resources. http://tc.eserver.org/10232.html http://tc.eserver.org/10232.html Asserting that one must first know the rules to break them, this classic reference book is a must-have for any student and conscientious writer. Intended for use in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature, it gives in brief space the principal requirements of plain English style and concentrates attention on the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated. http://tc.eserver.org/10112.html http://tc.eserver.org/10112.html A guide to locating, translating, and using the elements of citation for both a humanities style (i.e., MLA and Chicago) and a scientific style (APA and CBE) for electronically-accessed sources. Part I is divided into two chapters. Chapter I examines, in broad and theoretical terms, the logic of citation; it answers the questions, 'Why cite?' and 'Why use a citation style?' Chapter 2 answers the question, 'How should we cite online material?' It first provides a guide to citation for authors working with humanities-oriented texts and then discusses an author-date citation system typically used in the sciences. Part 2 includes four chapters. Chapter 3 discusses the logic–the why–of document style. Chapters 4 and 5 describe standards for how to produce print and online documents. Chapter 6 discusses some more advanced considerations related to online style (3-4). http://tc.eserver.org/10042.html http://tc.eserver.org/10042.html 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.