Books
EasyBIB Automatic Bibliography Tool and Citation Maker
EasyBIB is a great online automatic bibliography tool that comes in both free and paid versions. It is versatile, comprehensive, and comes with productivity features that I’m sure all students, scholars, and writers would appreciate. The tool is easy-to-use and free to use for all, which makes it an excellent choice for students who need…
Read MoreTECHNICAL BOOK REVIEW: "Practical DITA" – A Nuts-and-Bolts Guide to Structured Technical Writing
Julio Vazquez has written a great book: Practical DITA. It’s a tightly-written thin volume (only 100 pages including the Index) that has a lot of nuts-and-bolts type of practical how-to information on DITA — Darwin Information Typing Architecture. The distinguishing characteristic of this short but comprehensive volume is the way it takes you by the…
Read More3 Reference Guides I Use Regularly for my Technical Documents
As a technical communicator, I rely on a few reference volumes to keep my technical writing as clean, compact, and correct as possible. Here is my list of three most-favored reference volumes to settle any documentation questions or disputes regarding style, usage, or terminology: 1) Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications, 3rd Edition Curiously…
Read MoreTECHNICAL BOOK REVIEW: “Survey of Technical Communication Landscape in India” by TWB
“Survey of Technical Communication Landscape in India, 1st Biennial Report (2011-12)” by The Writers Block (TWB), one of India’s outstanding technical communication training and outsourcing companies, is an authoritative reference volume that all technical communicators should read. Despite its cover price ($499 or 22,797 Rupee), this 158-page report succeeds in giving a detailed snapshot of…
Read MoreTechnical Book Review: "Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications"
I love all kinds of writing but I’m especially passionate about technical communication and screenplay formats. In both genres I do have a good-sized library in my study. The technical communication side of my book collection is probably led by this fundamental volume that I’m known to have taken with me on a vacation or…
Read MoreTechnical Book Review: "How to Write Usable User Documentation"
How To Write Usable User Documentation (Second Edition) by Edmond H. Weiss is a thoughtful book on technical documentation written by a professional who obviously knows his material very well. Yet, overall, from its content to its format, this is also a book that shows its age. Published back in 1991, many of the topics…
Read MoreTechnical Book Review: Studying Engineering: A Road Map to a Rewarding Career
If you’re a parent with a high-school kid who is debating whether to become an engineer or not, say this to him or her: “Here, read this book first and then decide on whatever you want to be…” The book I’m referring to is STUDYING ENGINEERING: A Road Map to a Rewarding Career by Raymond…
Read MoreTechnical Book Review – "The User Manual Manual"
© Ugur Akinci The User Manual Manual : How to Research, Write, Test, Edit & Produce a Software Manual by Michael Bremer (Untechnical Press Books for Writers Series, 1999, 314 pp) is a useful text book to learn not only the techniques of producing a software manual but becoming more aware of the “organizational ecology”…
Read MoreTechnical Book Review — "The Little, Brown Handbook"
The Little, Brown Handbook by Pearson Longman (LBH) is a heavy book (literally) for a very good reason: it’s got too much in it! This trade-paperback size book has a whole library of information about writing good prose stuffed into 966 pages. It’s a must source for anyone who writes, as far as I’m concerned.…
Read MoreTechnical Book Review — "The Elements of International English Style" by Edmond Weiss
© Ugur Akinci Here is a book that must be read by all technical communicators at all levels of experience and seniority: The Elements Of International English Style: A Guide To Writing Correspondence, Reports, Technical Documents, And Internet Pages For A Global Audience, by Edmond H. Weiss ((M.E. Sharpe, New York, London, 2005, 162 pp.)…
Read More