E-Resources for Technical Communication

A slideshow presenting various online resources useful to technical communicators.

Smith, Elizabeth Overman 'Betsy'. STC Proceedings (2002). Presentations>Slideshows>Online

Early Involvement: Writing at Product Design Time  

Lead writing is a process that moves the information development cycle into the product development cycle. Writers and programmers work together from the beginning to produce both code design and supporting information. This process ensures that information developers can actively participate in design, and programmers can contribute to supporting documentation. Both groups gain an appreciation for each other's perspective, expertise, and skills, producing a more customer-oriented product.

Coppola, Carolyn M. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing

Earning Respect: How To Improve Your Department's Image  

Could your department's contributions be better understood and valued? This workshop will give you some ideas for improving your department's image. You'll learn some time-honored marketing techniques for finding out what your customers think of your efforts. You'll also find out how to use those techniques to change perceptions. You'll discover ways to prevent second-guessing of your document designs. And you'll find out how to promote your services to the rest of your organization.

Bolton, David. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>Management>Collaboration

Easy Tools for Documentation Management  

The use of three simple tools can assist the documentation manager, from start to finish, on any new project. A revamped pubs plan, a new concept with engineering worksheets, and a matrix of modularized information are all utilized with a slightly new twist. The Pubs Plan is redefined to help you launch your project with a team approach, identifying issues, and proposing solutions. The Engineering Worksheets list all the critical pieces of information your writers/illustrators need for each component of the product. These pieces of information are then tracked by completion date on an Information Matrix. These documents work together as complimentary management tools that can be easily developed and scaled to the complexity of any project.

Shumate, Chona E. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Documentation>Project Management

Ecological Literacy and Advocacy through Technical Communication: From Industrial Communication to Community Activism  

What happens when a technical communicator becomes a volunteer advocate for environmental protection? Professional skills like quickly learning new technical subjects, audience analysis, and recasting technical information for popular consumption are readily transferred to this arena. Team-building skills used both in STC and in industry are important to successful advocacy. New skills are called for in areas like public relations and fund raising. Long-range planning for environmental protection requires the participation of an informed and active citizenry. Technical communicators can be a critical link in that process.

Brock, Cynthia J. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Writing>Environmental>Community

An eCommerce Primer for Technical Communicators  

The burgeoning eCommerce industry has redefined not only traditional business processes, but the technology required to impart them. Roles are being created or redefined, where programmers, systems analysts, and engineers now have to have almost as much knowledge of business process development as they do of their technical specialty. The same can be said for technical communicators. Technical communicators involved in eCommerce today need to have an understanding of the major issues involved in eCommerce. This paper addresses five of these major eCommerce areas: the statistics behind eCommerce issues, eCommerce infrastructure providers, managed electronic commerce, business object technology, and data mining.

Le Vie, Donald S., Jr. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Web Design>E Commerce

Edit Your Index: A Checklist for Efficient Editing  

This session presents a checklist for editing an index. Discussion will focus on the most efficient means of repairing straightforward index problems as identified in the checklist, such repairs being made either by the compiler of the index or by a project editor. In cases where an index cannot be fixed (so that the editor must make the decision to start over), the checklist is an objective reference for making that difficult decision.

Cohen, Barbara E. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Indexing>Editing

Editing a Malcolm Baldridge Application - A Novice Baldridge Editor Speaks  

This paper discusses how the audiences and the experience of the application writers affect the editing time for a Malcolm Baldrige application. The mystery for this novice Baldrige editor -- Why did IBM want one full time editor for seven months to edit 75 pages? What was the catch? Was this job a boondoggle? As it turned out, the criteria for the Malcolm Baldrige application are rigorous and examiners forbid exceptions. The criteria led to a challenging editing job when combined with the diverse background of the audience and the practice of using subject matter experts as writers rather than people who are trained as writers.

Ryan, Suzanne V. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Editing>Case Studies

Editing and Revising With Flair  

Samuel Johnson wrote 'What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.' The wisdom contained in this pithy directive should serve as an excellent guide for writers who edit and revise documents to imbue them with a sense ofpanache. While proper syntax, diction, and usage are three primary elements in the editing and revising process, other important considerations include: (a) eliminating redundancies; (b) avoiding jargon; (c) cleaning bureaucratic expressions; (d) using active andpassive voice appropriately; (e) avoiding wordiness; and Gf) editing for slips in grammar, punctuation and mechanics.

Wadia, Mickey. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Editing>Writing

Editing Fiction: Do You Dare?  

Technical editors may wish to use their current skills in new ways by editing novels or short stories. This paper explores how, by editing such manuscripts, they create personal links to the complex and demanding world of fiction. A thorough understanding of the similarities and differences between technical editing and fiction editing is crucial, as is knowledge of the characteristics of publishable fiction.

Jennings, Ann S. STC Proceedings (1999). Presentations>Editing

Editing in a Single-Source Environment  

The trend in the technical documentation community is toward single-sourcing: reusing common bits of information. This paper examines the role of the editor in this process, and the effect it has on traditional editorial practices.

Gelb, Janice. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Editing>Single Sourcing

Editing Mathematics  

Editing mathematics is like editing a foreign language, with its own conventions, symbols, and rules of grammar. Various typographic rules must be followed exactly since deviations from them change the meaning of the material. Like poetry, placement of the information on the page is important for the meaning. The editor often must be a cryptographer, decoding esoteric handwritten material.

Burgan, Murrie W. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Scientific Communication>Technical Editing>Mathematics

Editing Multimedia  

Multimedia involves “many” “means of communication” – many ways of getting a message across. Whether you edit the work of others or submit your own work to the Red Pen, a closer look at what is involved in editing multimedia – tasks, process, and skills required – can help you create multimedia solutions that deliver your message with flying colors!

Prince, Deborah Smith and Cynthia C. Currie. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Multimedia>Editing

Editing Strategies for Print and World Wide Web Copy  

Editing copy is more than fixing commas and typographical styles. Although many of the same editing strategies apply to both print and online copy, editing Web copy requires carefully considering the Web site’s functions, thinking about reading strategies, making heads and links clear, and considering Web structures.

Simmons, Barbara A. and Donald E. Zimmerman. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Web Design

Editing the Baldridge Quality Award Application  

Editing the Baldrige award application requires unique plans for the writing, editing, reviewing, and publishing cycle. The editor’s role includes training nonwriters to write, establishing style guidelines, setting reasonable schedules, and editing each draft.

Hamilton, Delores I. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Business Communication>Style Guides

Editing to Teach  

Authors often are unreceptive to editing because they see editorial comments and changes as arbitrary. Editing that offers “rules,” asks questions, gives choices to authors, and provides examples of better ways to express ideas takes very little additional editorial time and enables authors to see editing as a significant contribution to document quality. Writing problems that cannot be addressed during editing can be addressed in brief training sessions that encourage authors to incorporate what they learn into their writing.

Sartoris, Brenda E. STC Proceedings (1993). Presentations>Education>Editing

Editing—We Meet Again  

Three papers on editing presented at the 1967 STC Conference are revisited to emphasize the belief that editing in 1996, despite changes introduced by modern technology, is still much the same as it was 30 years ago. Editors still make changes (in language, structure, and mechanics). Editors still can work more effectively when they have a basic knowledge of production processes (composition, illustration, photography, printing). Editors still need 'uncommon skills' in managing work people, and time.

Cox, Alberta L., Donald W. Bush, Elizabeth Babcock, David Dobson and Lola Zook. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Editing

Editing: An Arcane Strategy for New Millennium Technology?  

This paper discusses the relevance of editing to documentation produced in the new millennium. It also points out the importance of editing, for clarity of communication as well as for intent. Editing is approached first from the historical perspective provided by the history of written communication. This is followed by a brief discussion of the types of editing functions most often used prior to publication.

Block, Anne L. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Editing>History

Editor as Teacher, Writer as Student: Building a Relationship for Corporate Writing Improvement  

Corporate writing skills deficits may be minimized by effective technical writer training programs. One way to effect long-term writing improvement is to cast a skilled technical editor in the role of resident writing teacher. The successful editor-as-writing-teacher must confront personal writing processes and attitudes, develop a positive and trusting relationship with clients, develop writing assessment skills, analyze and understand the corporate culture and language, and keep abreast of new techniques and tools in writing education. Acquistion of these attributes and skills is a realistic goal for a seasoned technical communicator.

Abbott, F. Thomas. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Editing>Business Communication

Editors: Who Needs Them?  

Editors can play many roles, which, as the need arises, might overlap with those of the production editor, the writer, and even the writing manager. Within the category of editing itself, the editor can perform different levels of edit: formatting, language, substantive. Every pubs group needs an editor, even if only on a parttime basis. The qualities a manager should look for in an editor are somewhat different from those required in a writer. Editors are less likely to have a technical background. They must not shrink from the possibility of confrontation, and yet must be able to give constructive criticism in a manner that the writer will accept and welcome.

Arakelian, Caroline, Lisa Braz, Diane Kirsten-Martin, Bob Nowacki and Carol A. Ranalli. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Editing>Writing

Educating Engineers to Communicate in the 21st Century: University of California, Santa Barbara's First Year Engineering Communication Sequence  

The Engineering Writing sequence at the University of California, Santa Barbara, teaches fundamental college writing and research skills emphasizing the discourse and genres common to professional engineering. The first quarter emphasizes library, electronic-database, and literature-type searches, culminating in a literature review on a current technological topic. The second quarter integrates primary research and interviewing with the above, while the students design solutions to actual university building and plant resource problems. The third quarter involves advanced issues of document design and publication, as students post web sites not only pertinent to this year's theme, Engineering and the Environment, but also useful to the local community.

Yatchisin, George, LeeAnne Kryder, Marty Williams and Mark Kerr. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Education>Writing>Engineering

Education and Research Professional Interest Committee Focus Group on Technical Communication Research  

The 1995 E and R PIC Focus Group on Technical Communication Research will continue the dialogue begun at STC annual conferences in 1993 and 1994. The 1993 Focus Group discussed partnerships between the Society, industry, and the academy, while the 1994 one discussed planning initiatives for technical communication education.

Batorsky, Barry J., Saul A. Carliner, John James Conklin, Jeffrey L. Hibbard, Kenneth T. Rainey, Stuart A. Selber, Sherry G. Southard and Katherine E. Staples. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Research

Education and Training Stem Overview  

The field of technical communication is transforming at a rapid rate, responding to scientific and technological advancements, economic pressures, and social changes. This makes our field exciting and challenging. The excitement and challenge is intensified for educators and trainers, because we must stay high on the learning curve in order to help prepare others to meet the challenges and prosper by the changes. At the same time, we must be sure to integrate new knowledge, technologies, and skills with what is valuable in the old rather than simply letting the new displace the old.

Hirst, Russel. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Education>TC