Copyright
by Sun Technical Publications
Read Me First!: A Style Guide for the Computer Industry, Second Edition
- Copyright
- Tables
- Examples
- Preface
- 1. Mechanics of Writing
- Capitalization
- Contractions
- Gerunds and Participles
- Numbers and Numerals
- Pronouns
- Technical Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Units of Measurement
- Punctuation
- 2. Constructing Text
- 3. Writing Style
- Why Is Style Important?
- Stylistic Principles
- Some Basic Elements of Style
- Writing for the Reader
- Style That Could Offend the Reader
- Common Writing Problems to Avoid
- Ways to Improve Your Style
- 4. Online Writing Style
- 5. Constructing Links
- About These Guidelines
- Where to Place Links
- General Linking Strategies
- Guidelines for Writing Link Text
- Provide Context in Link Text and Surrounding Text
- Weave Link Text Into Sentence Structure
- Choose Key Words or Phrases for Link Text
- Choose an Appropriate Length for Link Text
- Write Scannable Link Text
- Make Link Text Conceptually Similar to Titles or Headings
- Do Not Use Quotation Marks Around Link Text
- 6. Writing Tasks, Procedures, and Steps
- Understanding the Relationship Among Tasks, Procedures, and Steps
- Developing Task Information
- Writing Procedures
- Writing Steps
- 7. Writing for an International Audience
- 9. Types of Technical Documents
- 10. Working With an Editor
- 11. Working With Illustrations
- 12. Writing About Graphical User Interfaces
- 13. Glossary Guidelines
- 14. Indexing
- What Is an Index?
- Style and Format
- Creating an Index
- Time Required to Create an Index
- Deciding Which Parts of a Document to Index
- Selecting Topics to Index
- Do Not Index Superfluous Entries
- Avoid Entries That Are Too General
- Include Common Industry Terminology
- Avoid Using Headings as Index Entries
- Consider Including “Commands” as a Primary Entry
- Describing a Topic
- Anticipate a Reader’s Needs
- Include Only Terms a Reader Is Likely to Look Up
- Select Proper Words for Subjects
- Use Gerunds
- Identify the Entry Type
- Arrange Words for Emphasis
- Use Plural for Main Entries
- Assign the Proper Font to the Entry
- Group Entries
- Create Index Entries for Cautions, Notes, and Tips
- Create Index Entries for Acronyms and Abbreviations
- Double-Posting Entries
- Creating “See” and “See Also” References
- Avoiding Indexing Problems
- Refining and Checking an Index
- Spelling
- Differences in Wording
- Misused Singular Forms and Plural Forms
- Effective Double-Posting
- Number of Page References for Entries
- Proper Topic Cross-References
- “See” and “See Also” References
- Bad Page and Column Breaks
- Secondary Entries
- Levels of Secondary Entries
- Redundant Secondary Entries
- Possible Primary Entries in Secondary Entries
- Possible Rearrangement
- Appropriately Combined Secondary Entries
- Secondary Entries Under More Than One Topic
- Secondary Entries When Using a Combined Term Separately
- Secondary Entries Under Various Forms of One Topic
- Checking the Size of the Index
- Global Index
- Online Index
- A. Developing a Publications Department
- Establishment of a Publications Department
- Scheduling
- Documentation Process
- Internationalization and Localization
- Online Documentation Considerations
- Final Print Production
- Post-Production Considerations
- B. Checklists and Forms
- C. Correct Usage of Terms
- D. Recommended Reading
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