Here’s the scenario: You’re finishing up your latest HTML Help project…no more late nights or weekends…back to a “normal” 50-hour work week. That’s when the development team lead strolls into your ...

Editor’s Note: The following piece, by Jean Hollis Weber, is part of our collection of “classics”–articles that stand the test of time no matter how many technologies come and go. Don’t forget to ...

In my 30 years as an editor and technical writer, I’ve seen endless examples of how readers can misinterpret texts. In the most egregious cases, I’ve even seen authors misinterpret their own writing, ...

In this information age and with the advent of DITA’s topic-based writing practices, it’s not uncommon for companies to get completely overloaded by their own technical content: thousands or millions ...

I once received a long writing sample from a technical communication applicant who had written about a complex medical device. The sample demonstrated all the marks of quality: clean and consistent ...

At some point in your technical writing career, you may find yourself in a position where you are responsible not only for your own output, but also the output of other writers under you. In other ...

Following a successful presentation to STC Phoenix on Plain Language and Simplified Technical English, NAU Senior Lecturer Erika Konrad and alumna Karen Field Carroll joined TechWhirl for a Fast 5 ...

Editor’s Note: The following piece, by M. Katherine Brown, is part of our collection of “classics”–articles that stand the test of time no matter how many technologies come and go. Mention team ...

As a technical writer, you likely work with a myriad of different files for each project you work on; a single document or document set can often be derived from dozens if not hundreds of source files ...

I’m about to start doing my taxes on my own for the first time. How hard can it be? All I do is put a bunch of info on a form and send it to the IRS. Oh no! Oh, what a mess. I wonder who’s watching me ...

Editors Note: This eLearning Standards and Style Guide Template is one in a series of templates to help readers plan and manage communications and content management activities, resources and ...

Data visualization involves two key concepts: big data, and summarizing results in a visual format. And both of these concepts support more effective content creation. Big data refers to the systems ...