Posts Tagged ‘Books’
3 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 MoreThe Logical Steps to follow to Create an Adobe FrameMaker Book
© Ugur Akinci To create an Adobe FrameMaker book from scratch you need to follow a logical sequence of steps, each of which is fairly easy to perform once you get the hang of it. Here is a brief outline and a diagram to make the process clearer: 1) First create a TEMPLATE for the…
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 MoreTechnical Book Review – “How to Write a Manual” by Elizabeth Slatkin
© Ugur Akinci How to Write a Manual by Elizabeth Slatkin (Ten Speed Press, 1991,120 pp) is the kind of perfect introductory book that a technical writing manager should buy and distribute to all her entry-level writers. Organized in a logical fashion, the book covers every obvious aspect of the document-writing process. It touches on…
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