Category Archives: Writer
Jargon in Technical Manuals
Jargon is a naturally occurring phenomenon in technical manuals. Here are some ideas on using jargon while catering to your audience. The first rule of technical writing is to cater to your audience. Use jargon they will understand, or avoid it. This is not the same as eliminating jargon; it is convenient and can be […]
Technical Illustrations – Worth the Effort?
Technical illustrations add cost, complexity and time to a technical manual project. Are they worth the effort? Often, but not always. Here’s why. Illustrations definitely add to the overall attractiveness of most manuals, depending on the illustrations of course. This is usually true but we’ll take a look at when it isn’t. They generally make […]
Technical Manual Cross References
If your product is complicated to understand or operate, the manual is likely to be extremely detailed and therefor quite extensive. When a manual runs to hundreds of pages, customers have the challenge of finding the information they need in the manual. A table of contents is generally a good start, but often does not […]
The Properly Incorrect Use of Punctuation in Quotes
Should punctuation go inside quotation marks in a technical manual? Grammatical rules say yes, but sometimes the rules must be broken when technical writing. The correct rule for punctuation within quotation marks, says: Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks. Example: He told us, “Put the period in the right place.” Does this rule […]