#

Do not use as an abbreviation for number. Use “no.” instead.

above

Do not use to refer to the location of another piece of information. Instead, use “previous” or “preceding,” or refer to the specific section title or figure number, for example.

affect

Verb meaning “to change or influence something.” For example, “The style setting affects the appearance of the paragraph.” See also “effect.”

align to

Use “align with.”

allows

Use only when discussing permission. For example, “Write access allows the user to modify the file.” When discussing capabilities, use “enables” or rewrite the sentence. For example, “The Edit menu options enable you to modify the document” or “Use the Edit menu options to modify the document.” Also applies to “lets” and “permits.”

and/or

Do not use. If you mean “or,” write “or.” If you mean “and,” write “and.” If you mean that any or all of the things that are named might be affected, say so. For example, “Using the Edit menu, you can cut, paste, or cut and paste text or graphics.”

appendices

Use “appendixes.”

backward

Note lack of final “s.”

baud rate

Often incorrectly assumed to indicate the number of bits per second (bps) transmitted, baud rate actually measures the number of events, or signal changes, that occur in one second. In most instances when “baud rate” is used, the correct term is “bps.” For example, a so-called 9600-baud modem that encodes 4 bits per event actually operates at 2400 baud, but it transmits 9600 bits per second (2400×4 bits per event) and thus is correctly called a 9600-bps modem. Check your source material before using the term “baud rate.”

below

Do not use to refer to the location of another piece of information. Instead, use “next” or “following,” or refer to the specific section title or figure number, for example.

boot up

Use “boot.”

bring the system down

Do not use. Write “cause the system to fail,” “shut down the system,” or “power off the system,” depending on the meaning.

bring up

Do not use. Write “power up the system,” “start the system,” “turn on the machine,” or “turn on the power to the system,” or other text, depending on the meaning.

can

Use to indicate the power or the ability to do something. For example, “See if you can log in to the system.” See also “may” and “might.”

centigrade

Use “Celsius.”

client

Use only when talking about the relationship with a server. Do not use to refer to a person.

client-server

Use when describing a relationship between a client and a server. For example, “This network is based on the client-server model.”

.com; dot-com

Use .com when referring to the suffix itself.

Also use .com in appropriate trademarked terms, or when your document requires no variations on the term “.com.”

Use dot-com when referring to companies (“dot-coms”), when using as a verb (“to dot-com,” “dot-commed,” “dot-comming”), or when the term is the first word in a sentence or heading.

comprise

Avoid using “comprise.” Use “contain” or “include” instead. Do not use “comprised of” when you mean “composed of.”

currently

Use only in a document that you know will be updated regularly, for example, in release notes. You can also use a specific date, for example, “August 2002.”

data

Although in the pure Latin form this noun is plural, the most common industry usage is in the singular. For example, “The data is available.”

deinstall

Use “uninstall.”

-dependent

Avoid constructions such as “device-dependent” or “platform-dependent.”

depress

You do not “depress” a key. Use “press.”

design

Do not use. Do not write, for example, “XYZ is designed to search for files.” If XYZ is designed to search, assume that it does. Write “XYZ searches for files.”

desktop

Use only when you are referring to a specific piece of hardware. Otherwise, use “system” or “host.”

die

Use “fail.”

disappear

Do not use. A window does not “disappear.” Use “dismiss” instead.

dot-com, .com

Use dot-com when referring to companies (“dot-coms”), when using as a verb (“to dot-com,” “dot-commed,” “dot-comming”), or when the term is the first word in a sentence or heading.

Use .com when referring to the suffix itself.

Also use .com in appropriate trademarked terms, or when your document requires no variations on the term “.com.”

effect

Noun meaning a result or consequence. For example, “The style setting has an effect on the appearance of the paragraph.” See also “affect.”

e.g.

Use “for example.”

ejector lever

Use “ejection lever.”

electrical shock

Use “electric shock.”

enable

See “allows.”

-enabled

Avoid. Use text such as “works with” or “is compatible with” instead.

ensure that

Be sure to include the word “that” when introducing a restrictive clause.

enter the following command

To avoid confusion with the Enter key, do not use. Write “type the following command” instead.

etc.

Use more explicit text, which also solves problems with sentence-ending punctuation. For example, do not write “Mail Tool enables you to compose email messages, respond to email messages, etc.” Instead, write “Mail Tool enables you to compose email messages, respond to email messages, and perform other mail administration tasks.”

fixed disk

Use “disk drive.”

floppy

Use “diskette.”

floppy disk

Use “diskette.”

floppy disk drive

Use “diskette drive.”

floppy drive

Use “diskette drive.”

geographical region

Use “geographic region.”

graphics card

Use only when you are specifically referring to a graphics card. Otherwise, use “video display device.”

hard disk, hard drive

Use “disk drive.”

hit

Do not instruct a person to “hit” anything, including computer keys. Use “press.”

hypertext, hypertext link

Use “link.”

i.e.

Use “that is.”

indices

Use “indexes.”

information on

Use “information about.”

in order to

Use “to.”

instructions about

Use “instructions on.”

in to, into

Use “in to” to denote direction with purpose, for example, “Log in to the system.” Use “into” to indicate direction only. For example, “The engineer went into the lab.”

invoke

Avoid. Use only if no other word accurately describes the action. Usually, you can substitute “run,” “start,” or “call.”

its, it’s

Without an apostrophe, “its” is the possessive form of the pronoun “it.” For example, “The site describes the eMetrics program and its accompanying utilities.”

With an apostrophe, “it’s” is an abbreviation for “it is.” This construction should rarely be used as it is often incorrectly used without a clear reference for the pronoun. For example, “It’s easy to install this product.”

launch

Use “start.”

left-hand side

Use “left side.”

lets

See “allows.”

log into

Use “log in to.”

logoff, log off

Preferred usage is “logout” (noun, modifier) and “log out of” (verb).

logon, log on

Preferred usage is “login” (noun, modifier) and “log in to” (verb).

may

Use only when granting permission. For example, “You may use either uppercase or lowercase letters.” Use “can” to indicate the power or ability to do something. Use “might” to indicate a possibility.

mice

Do not use. Use “mouse devices” to refer to more than one mouse.

might

Use to indicate a possibility. For example, “You might need to use another mouse.” See also “can” and “may.”

might want to

Do not try to read minds. Write “If you want to exit from the application, click Exit.”

-most

Do not use with directional words such as “left” or “top.” Use phrases such as “on the left” or “at the far left” instead.

non-preinstalled

Use “not preinstalled.”

note that, notice

Use “note” for the noun, “notice” for the verb.

now

Use only in a document that you know will be updated regularly, for example, in release notes. You can also use a specific date, for example, “August 2002.”

permits

See “allows.”

Phillips screw, Phillips screwdriver, No. 2 Phillips screwdriver

Not “Phillips-head.”

please

Do not use. You are not making a request, you are telling the reader to do something.

plug

For the verb form, use “connect” to avoid confusion except in the context of “plug and play.”

pops up

Do not use. Use “appears” or “is displayed.”

postinstall, preinstall

Write “install” unless you are describing a process that literally takes place before or directly after installation.

postpend

Means “attach to the end.” Use “append” instead.

preceding

Use instead of “before” to refer to the location of an immediately prior piece of information.

presently

Use only in a document that you know will be updated regularly, for example, in release notes. You can also use a specific date, for example, “August 2002.”

preventative

Use “preventive.”

previous

Use instead of “before” to refer to the location of another piece of information mentioned earlier.

rear panel

Use “back panel.”

recommend

Do not use. Just go ahead and recommend. For example, write “Back up all your files once each week,” not, “It is recommended (or “We recommend”) that you back up all your files once each week.” In some less definitive instances, describe the circumstances in which backing up is recommended. For example, “Back up your xxx file whenever you modify it.”

right click

To be safe, use “click mouse button 3.” Some people reverse the “handedness” of their mouse devices.

right-hand side

Use “right side.”

screen shot

Use “screen capture.”

shut off

Use “power off.”

simple

This term usually does not apply to technical information.

simply

This term usually does not apply to technical information.

-specific

Avoid using this imprecise term.

start up (verb)

Use “start.”

system

Use to refer to software or a combination of hardware and software. For example, “file system” or “system software.”

Also use to refer to a computer and its peripherals. A system does not have to be connected to a network. Other terms that can be used for “system” are “host,” “machine,” and “computer.” “Host” is typically used in network-related documentation. Use “machine” or “computer” when “system” is already being used to describe the software or combination of hardware and software.

When possible, use more descriptive terms than the generic term “system,” such as “mail server” or “remote system.”

that

This word is often misused in nonrestrictive clauses instead of “which.” Use “that” for restrictive clauses. For example:

“I like mysteries that are suspenseful.” (I only like those mysteries that are suspenseful.)

“I like mysteries, which are suspenseful.” (I like all mysteries, and mysteries have the attribute of being suspenseful.)

there are

Because “there are” is ambiguous, avoid using this phrase at the beginning of a sentence or clause.

there is

Because “there is” is ambiguous, avoid using this phrase at the beginning of a sentence or clause.

toward

Note lack of final “s.”

trivial

Do not use. A cliche, this word does not mean “easy.” It means “insignificant.”

versus, vs.

Use “compared with.”

via

Do not use. Use the more common equivalents “through,” “by means of,” “using,” or “by way of.”

whether or not

The words “or not” are usually unnecessary. This whole phrase can sometimes be replaced with “if.”

which

This word is often misused in restrictive clauses instead of “that.” Use “which” for nonrestrictive clauses. For example:

“I like mysteries that are suspenseful.” (I only like those mysteries that are suspenseful.)

“I like mysteries, which are suspenseful.” (I like all mysteries, and mysteries have the attribute of being suspenseful.)

wish

Use “want” rather than “wish.”

workstation

Use “system” or “host” instead. Do not use “workstation” unless you are referring to a specific piece of hardware.