Business and Technical Writing

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Serif fonts are sometimes called

"Roman."

Sans serif fonts are sometimes called

"grotesque" or "Gothic."

In Acrobat, editors can add

"sticky notes" that mimic those you might actually place on a paper. They can also cross out, highlight, and underline, and allow you to use a set of standard graphics tools or mark freehand with a tool that mimics a pencil.

subject matter expert

A person who is an expert on a given topic or skill. should be consulted in any technical document

document type definition (DTD)

A set of rules contained in a simple text file that defines the structure, syntax and vocabulary as it relates to tags and attributes for a corresponding document.

trim size

The final size of a printed piece after being cut from the sheet of paper that it was printed on.

header row

The first row of the table that is formatted differently and should be repeated for tables that continue beyond one page.

style guides for newspaper writing

Associated Press Stylebook The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage BBC News Styleguide

things to keep in mind while writing a document to be translated

Avoid contractions such as "can't" or "don't" as they cause confusion for non-English speakers. Avoid references that are hard to translate such as slang, irony, idioms, and metaphors. Use culturally neutral examples. Be aware that units of measure, time, and dates are specified differently in different countries. Give appropriate contact information including international calling codes. Edit your work before translation. Grammatical errors will cause difficulties for the translators. Be aware that your work may expand up to 25% after translation. This may affect the cost of printing, binding, and have an impact on a document's layout.

Playwright George Bernard Shaw

England and America are two countries separated by a common language

endnotes

If all of the citations in a book are collected and appear at the end of the document

Have you ever wondered why many publications use "web site" and not "website"

The Chicago Manual of Style requires "web site"

overrides

While it may be tempting to use your word processor's formatting tools rather than character styles to apply character formatting, do not do so unless you have no alternative. Such manually applied formats are a "sin" in the technical writing world.

Software for Review and Collaboration

While paper edits still happen and knowledge of the basic marks can be helpful, in many settings they have been superseded by software tools that facilitate collaboration and review

Proustian sentences

Works of creative writing might contain long, complex sentences

flow chart

a diagram that represents the steps in an algorithm or process

Many printed texts use

a sans-serif face for headings, a serif face for body text, and a monospaced font for certain types of examples

Time, difficulty/skill level, cost, and other needs usually preface

a specialized tutorial. It is also useful to include some objectives or goals at the beginning of a specialized tutorial in order to set the reader's expectations

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 690

a standard for bibliographic referencing in documents of all sorts including electronic documents. Microsoft Word supports this standard as one of its bibliographic options

technical writing is

a sub-genre of business writing. It is writing that documents all aspects of the use of complex products.

Under U.S. law, copyright protection is automatic from the moment

a work is created in tangible form

break down your document into

coherent topics that can be described in no more than a screen full of text

Help files are a

common documentation project for any new product release

Kate Turabian's A Manual of Style for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations

common general style reference for students

Web-based documentation helps

companies keep files cross-referenced and up to date

subtask

component within a larger task

Presentation writing must be

concise and to the point. Bullet points are usually in parallel form and sometimes contractions (abbreviated sentences) are permitted

choosing a paper

consider how long the final printed product needs to remain useful

Using slide templates is important for

consistency, but designers should avoid the unprofessional default options

Front matter

consisting of everything that appears before the book's body

draft

an attempt to get down on paper what is known.

Back matter

consisting of everything that follows the body

body

consisting of the book's main content

A widely quoted passage from Robert Binghurst's The Elements of Typographic Style, calls for

anywhere from 45 to 75 characters per line of printed text with a 66-character line considered "ideal." These numbers are for a single-column page set in a serif typeface at standard text size

Information that does not belong in any of a book's chapters, but that must appear within a given volume, sometimes ends up as an

appendix

unordered list, aka bullet list

contains items that have no fixed ordering or which do not represent steps to be carried out in sequence

Duplex printing may not be

appropriate for very formal business documents, such as business plans, proposals, or resumes

Graphs, also known as line charts

are a good means of showing trends

U.S works published before Jan. 1, 1923

are in the public domain

What goes on a slide

at a minimum a good slide should include a topic title and information that elucidates that topic.

Understand the topic or product thoroughly before

attempting to write about it

When planning a document

begin with the why it's needed then move on to what information must be included

preface

brief description of a book's contents

Basic rules of English composition still apply in

business and technical writing, along with some special considerations

Data points are connected

by lines or smoothened, producing a picture of changes in a value over time

Wikipedia's article history and reference list

can help you verify information

When writing about software

capitalize the same way the software does, unless this conflicts with house style. If Adobe says "Pen tool," don't call it the "pen Tool."`

Both quoted and paraphrased sources should be

cited in the main text and listed in the endnotes or bibliography.

Use the simplest possible image to

convey the message in a business or technical document

Copy editing is limited to

corrections of grammar and other presentational errors

Reviewers of documents should look for

correctness and completeness. Other reviewers may focus on organization, readability, grammatical correctness, and adherence to company style guidelines.

Page numbers that appear at the bottom of a page are part of a

corresponding area known as the footer

step

corresponds to a single action in a procedure.

Designers commonly use business writing to

create client proposals and communications, and use technical writing to produce brand manuals, training documents, and tutorials.

Most data representations do not need to be

created from scratch

Keep your references organized from day one so

creating your end notes or bibliography will be a snap

headings and subheadings

divide the document into small chunks, allows the reader to skim

Use right alignment for

easy reading of numerical data, or use decimal stops to align decimal data.

developmental edit

edit done early in the writing process, the editor helps the writer to plan the document's organization, content, and presentation

copy edit

editorial review that is done just before a work is sent to be printed or published

ordering principle

essential to making the table useful

Style guides can be

for general writing or for specialized fields

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation or ALWD Citation Manual

for legal documents

Online content must

get straight to the point

XML documents contain text and markup, but

have nothing to say about their final appearance when published

Any common or dangerous pitfalls must be

highlighted in user guides

Some word processors can handle multi-column layouts, but

if you are using a complex newspaper-type layout you might consider authoring your text in a word processor and laying it out in Adobe InDesign.

The data representation tools

in presentation software packages like PowerPoint can really enhance a presentation

Use the standard set of flow chart symbols, preferably

in software used for charting

Place the most important written content

in the upper left of a web page

annotated bibliography

includes a summary of a source's content, an evaluation of its usefulness, or both

note

information of interest that does not flow with the main body of text or that merits special attention

Creating a well-crafted custom template

is a big time investment. It is most worthwhile if the design can be reused for many similar documents

OneNote

is a note taking app that assists you in entering, saving, organizing, searching, and using notes.

ream

is a quantity of sheets of paper of the same size and quality. While in the past, the number of sheets in a ream have varied, today's ream has been standardized at 500 sheets

The goal of a user guide

is generally to help a user establish a basic level of confidence with a product

the navigation and structure of the help files

is just as important as the writing of the content itself

Extensible markup language (XML)

is not a single markup system but a language that can be used to specify a multiplicity of markup systems customized to specific needs.

Tables need a title if the content of the table

is not obvious or if you will be cross referencing the table from elsewhere in the document

XML code looks like HTML, but

its tags are defined by the DTD or by the user.

Marcel Proust

known for his long sentences

Copy edits typically do not

lead to changes in content or organization

Slides must be carefully copyedited

like any other business document. Typos can be distracting and undermine the presentation

Printed materials are more

likely to be read word for word than electronic materials, which are more likely to be skimmed

use an ordered list

list the steps in a procedure where each step is associated with an action that must be performed in sequence.

Slideshows are helpful tools for

live presentations, and some might say essential for delivering any complex information

caution

mandatory information that can save the reader of the document from making a serious mistake that may lead, in the worst case, to equipment damage or personal injury

Use a standard text string (like the letters TK) to

mark sections where you need to do more thinking of research before you can write.

Business writing consists of

memos, letters, emails, reports, proposals, and other documents written in support of running a business big or small.

You may not use a trademark in a

misleading way

numerical values may be more easily read when presented in a

monospaced font

index

most common form of back matter, an alternate means by which readers can locate specific information of interest without wading through an entire book

Some schematics can be more abstract while others

must be more technical and created to scale

In a technical book

names are almost always used is a means of identifying the chapter's content so that a reader can easily skip to the chapter in question or skip over it

proportional-width fonts

narrow letters such as the "i" have a smaller width than wide letters such as the "m."

When illustrating a step-by-step procedure

numbers, arrows, enlargements, callouts, and other graphic features can really help communicate the required information

Copyrights

protect works of authorship (as opposed to patents which protect inventions or discoveries)

trademark

protects words, phrases, symbols, or designs identifying the source of the goods or services of one party and distinguishing them from those of others

tip

provides non-essential information that does not fit into the main flow of the text

Front matter may require

separate pagination from the body of a document

reference

sets out to provide complete information about all aspects of a product

Use good contrast between

shading colors and type colors for easy reading

keep sentences as

short and straight-forward as the content allows

Bar charts are a good means of

showing observations that vary over time

parallelism

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses

flow of control

the movement of the process through the chart

Page numbers that appear at the top of the page are part of

the page header.

acknowledgements page

the place where all those who contributed to the writing of a book can receive credit

Only use images when

they are necessary for illustrating the written content

The first time you use a term in a given text

use the full name followed by the abbreviation or acronym in parentheses. Subsequent references can then use the abbreviation or acronym alone. An exception to this rule is when the abbreviation or acronym is so commonplace that it does not need any explanation.

Adobe Acrobat

used to facilitate collaborative writing and review.

technical manuals

viewed as corporate publications rather than individual efforts, they seldom list an author

Charts offer a more

vivid and visual means of presenting data that might otherwise be presented in tabular form

most widely used monitor resolution is currently

1280x768 or higher.

It is believed that reading is

25% slower on screen than in print

template

A document that contains formatting, styles, and sample text that you can use to create new documents.

style guide

A manual that contains standards for the design and writing of documents.

before you begin writing

Always check to see if your company already uses a specific style guide

five business and technical writing essentials:

Be on target Be clear Be concise Be accurate Be polite

Page margins

Blank space that is set around the edges of the page

side heads

Headings that appear on the same line as body text

business or technical setting, citation doesn't just help you create your own document and give others due credit

It also helps you back up your writing to the big-wigs. Citing accurate, valid sources firms up the validity of your own writing and the points you are making with your documents

Use a callout on a busy graphic like a screenshot

It can help the reader understand where to look

When consulting an expert

Learn what you can from written and other sources before seeking out the expert for help. Prepare a list of questions in advance. Consider providing your list to the interviewee ahead of time. Consider whether a face-to-face meeting is best or if your questions might be answered just as well via email. Take good notes. You don't want to have to ask the same questions over and over again. Enlist the most important experts as reviewers for your work. Be unfailingly polite

Bookends

Mac app which promises to simplify information collection, annotation, and citation in various word processing apps.

Archival paper

Paper that is acid-free and has a quality lifetime of about 100 years or longer.

paraphrasing

Putting into words the ideas or feelings you have perceived from the message

What is fair use

Section 107 of U.S. copyright law lists certain purposes for which reproduction of a copyrighted work is allowable. These include such uses as criticism, comments, news reports, teaching, scholarship, and research

Do a quick "Find" in your finish document for any

TKs you forgot to fill in

cross references

Technical manuals commonly make reference to material that is located elsewhere in the current document or in a related document

localization

The process of taking a document or product created for one language and culture and translating it to another language or culture

a specialized tutorial assumes

a certain level of skill

William Strunk, Jr.'s The Elements of Style

a classic reference useful to the general public and many genres of writing. It is strongest on rules of usage, word usage, and what it calls "principles of composition." "Use the active voice, and begin each paragraph with a topic sentence."

fixed-width or monospaced font

all of the characters are set at a uniform width

Technical writers need

all of the skills of business writers plus an aptitude for presenting complex technical material to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Values with a variable number of decimal places must be

decimal-aligned

schematic drawing

depiction of a complex system that gives a visual explanation of how the system works

EndNote

designed to manage research, references, images, and PDFs and creates bibliographies within all of the major word processing applications

process of writing a business document

determine the audience plan the document refine your plan draft your document submit draft for review revise your work work with an editor

Markup

extra information that goes beyond a document's readable content

Business and technical documents typically demand

fact, not opinion

Curve fitting is a mathematical technique for

finding the curve that best fits a series of data points, rather than using a rough connection of points with lines

Citations have two parts

first is generally a superscripted number that appears in text at the point requiring the citation second part is the actual citation information.

The first step in writing a user guide is to

focus on the basic tasks a user must learn

Paragraphs should be

focused and limited in length

duplex printing

printing to both sides of the paper (if your printer has this feature)

summary

of the main ideas of a text

Technical materials

often provide additional header or footer information to give readers a quick means of grasping the context of the page they are viewing.

Page numbers are never placed

on the inner edge of a bound document or book.

procedure

ordered set of steps that accomplishes a subtask

Tables are best used to

organize data that lends itself to presentation in labeled rows and columns

When data points reflect conditions over a large geographic area

overlaying information on a map provides an easy way to give the big picture without having to list thousands of data points in a hard-to-grasp tabular format

Pie charts are the best choice for showing

parts of a whole

reading aloud will help you to

perceive awkward phrasings or other problems in a text.

A key first task with any appliance might be

plugging it in and turning it on. Don't take even the simplest task for granted!

Use a reputable almanac for

quick access to population stats, key historical dates, and more

Communicate the purpose of your document as

quickly and succinctly as possible

random access

refers to the ability of a reader to open a book at any page and start reading

callout uses a line to

relate a piece of text to a specific part of a diagram. Callouts can be especially helpful when an image is "busy"

organizational chart

schematic view of the organization's hierarchy that includes the names and titles of position holders

half title page

second title page, Legal notices including copyright, trademark notices, and the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), if applicable, go here

University of Chicago Press, The Chicago Manual of Style

standard reference for book writers, addresses a wide variety of document types including magazines, newsletters, corporate reports, proposals, electronic publications, web sites, and other non-book or non-print documents.

Any step-by-step instructions must have definite

starting and ending points.

Acknowledging the source of copyrighted material is not a

substitute for obtaining permission to use the work

Specialized tutorials are used to

teach very specific tasks, such as how to create a special effect in Photoshop or how to stain your kitchen cabinets

On typewriters

the Pica typeface had 10 characters per inch while Elite had 12

Information-carrying words

those words that must be understood to carry out the action described in a sentence - keywords or action words

Journalists and book writers use the abbreviation TK to mean

to come

line drawing

two-dimensional drawing that uses only lines with additional detail such as shading

Titles and header rows help readers quickly

understand tabular data

The ISBN is a

unique 13-digit numeric identifier used in commercial books along with a barcode for identification

Equal margins on all sides can be problematic

when a printed work is destined to be bound

Anything printed on paper made from wood-based pulp

will yellow and deteriorate over time. Exposure to light and heat accelerate that process

FrameMaker

word processor, commonly used in large technical writing projects, allows for both a site dictionary and a user dictionary to supplement the standard dictionary

Nix the sarcasm in

written documents. It may not translate as well in writing as it does in person

By giving someone a PDF version of your work

you allow someone who may or may not have your authoring tool to read your file in a version that is a faithful facsimile of the one you created.

If you are the sole user of a template

you can augment its style sheet if you find it necessary

by determining who is going to read the document

you can determine the tone, the level of detail, the terminology you employ

Sketch different methods of data representation to help

you decide the best one for the job

By using a well-designed template

you free yourself to think more about what you are trying to say and less about the page layout and typesetting aspects of what you are writing

If you are working at a large corporation

your job will be to modify boilerplate text drawn up by corporate counsel


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