A comma is a wonderful thing when used properly. It helps us organize the content, absorb it easily, and retain it longer. Look at the way commas are used in the previous sentence, for example. Commas are great to separate the members of a list.
But sometimes commas are used incorrectly. That's when they end up confusing the readers rather than helping them.
Here are 7 rules of about using a comma correctly:
1) Don't use a comma between a SUBJECT and its related VERB.
Incorrect: The configuration settings of this access unit, may create a problem during an emergency. Correct: The configuration settings of this access unit may create a problem during an emergency.
2) Don't use a comma before the first item in a list.
Incorrect: My most favorite subjects are, math, biology and physics. Correct: My most favorite subjects are math, biology and physics.
3) Don't use a comma after the last item in a list.
Incorrect: You have to shut down the valves, the pipes, and the inlet regulator, before you leave the building. Correct: You have to shut down the valves, the pipes, and the inlet regulator before you leave the building.
4) Don't use a comma after an "and," "but," "except," or other similar conjunctive words.
Incorrect: The economy has tanked but, we'll survive. Correct: The economy has tanked but we'll survive.
Incorrect: We need to replace both the transistors and, the capacitors. Correct: We need to replace both the transistors and the capacitors.
5) Don't use a comma after a VERB and its related OBJECT. If an action is doing something to an object, do not place a comma between the ACTION and its OBJECT.
Incorrect: Unit testing has revealed, that we need to redesign the motherboard. Correct: Unit testing has revealed that we need to redesign the motherboard.
6) Don't use a comma before a prepositional phrase.
Incorrect: This use guide really benefited, from your constructive feedback. Correct: This use guide really benefited from your constructive feedback.
7) Don't use a comma between the clauses of a compound sentence.
Incorrect: The project manager approved the documentation plan, and authorized the technical writers to start the first draft. Correct: The project manager approved the documentation plan and authorized the technical writers to start the first draft.
ASSIGNMENT:
What do you think about the following sentences? Are the commas used correctly? How would you correct them?
a) "While generating the Tracker Report, inappropriate filters were used." b) "The employees will be rewarded on the basis of their, seniority, performance, and, attendance." c) "Find and replace all such terms before spell-checking editing and, rewriting your document."
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?" You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit us now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Technical Writing - How to Use Semicolons Correctly in Your Technical Documents?
A technical writer should use semicolons in a sentence to separate either closely related complete sentences or independent clauses that can actually be transformed into independent sentences.
Semicolons are great to separate the elements in a list that include both names and titles or attributes as well.
Here are some examples:
"Occasionally, a declaration is so long that it requires a size-A text box; text editing is of course another solution to the problem."
"The visitors cannot enter the site after sunset; the guards won't allow that."
"Waiting for the auction was a Picasso, valued at $23 million; a Pollock, appraised for $13 million; and a magnificent Van Gogh, previously sold to a Japanese banker for $90 million."
"Our team will deliver the first draft on January 10th as promised; notification of the review team for a quick turn-around time is appreciated."
"The sign said "Don't Stop Under Any Circumstances"; so we didn't." [NOTE that the semicolon follows the second quotation mark. A comma, on the other hand, would be INSIDE the second quotation mark.]
"The Index is not constructed carefully; therefore you need to write it again."
ASSIGNMENT:
What do you think about the following sentences? Are the semicolons used correctly or are they missing? How would you correct them?
a) "On the way to California we stopped at Boston, Massachusetts, Cleveland, Ohio, Austin, Texas and Kansas City, Kansas."
b) "Violation of traffic laws is an abomination it causes many deaths every year."
c) "The regression test revealed the weakness of the software that's why we hired a new coordination manager."
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Semicolons are great to separate the elements in a list that include both names and titles or attributes as well.
Here are some examples:
"Occasionally, a declaration is so long that it requires a size-A text box; text editing is of course another solution to the problem."
"The visitors cannot enter the site after sunset; the guards won't allow that."
"Waiting for the auction was a Picasso, valued at $23 million; a Pollock, appraised for $13 million; and a magnificent Van Gogh, previously sold to a Japanese banker for $90 million."
"Our team will deliver the first draft on January 10th as promised; notification of the review team for a quick turn-around time is appreciated."
"The sign said "Don't Stop Under Any Circumstances"; so we didn't." [NOTE that the semicolon follows the second quotation mark. A comma, on the other hand, would be INSIDE the second quotation mark.]
"The Index is not constructed carefully; therefore you need to write it again."
ASSIGNMENT:
What do you think about the following sentences? Are the semicolons used correctly or are they missing? How would you correct them?
a) "On the way to California we stopped at Boston, Massachusetts, Cleveland, Ohio, Austin, Texas and Kansas City, Kansas."
b) "Violation of traffic laws is an abomination it causes many deaths every year."
c) "The regression test revealed the weakness of the software that's why we hired a new coordination manager."
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Technical Writing Programs - Sacramento State Technical Writing Certificate Program
You do not necessarily need a certificate to find a job as a technical writer. However such a certificate of course never hurts; it only helps, especially if you're new to the business.
There are dozens of colleges across the United States that offer such a certificate. Sacramento State College of Continuing Education in California is one of them.
Did you know that "technical writing and communication is one of the ten fastest growing fields both in the Sacramento area and the nation," and that the "salary estimates for the Sacramento region range from entry-level positions at $40,000-$45,000 to $75,000+ for publication managers"?
The students enrolled in the Sacramento certificate program are required to take seven online courses, plus a Final Project:
1. Introduction to the Technical Writing Certificate Program 2. Principles of Usability 3. Project Communication 4. Project Planning and Research 5. Technical Concepts and Tools 6. Technical Writing and Editing 7. Writing for the Web 8. Final Project
The course are prepared with the participation of the Sacramento chapter of the Society of Technical Communication (STC). The STC-member students get 10% discount.
An up-close look at some of the courses tells me that this program indeed teaches skills that are immediately applicable in real-world technical communication situations.
For example, let's take the course "Technical Concepts and Tools" and look at it's course description:
"Learn about network protocol, database interface, programming languages and program logic constraints. Gain experience with desktop publishing applications and evaluating graphical user interface tools."
This is a two-for-one kind of class. You not only learn the basic terminology of a hi-tech software and networking environment but also learn about DTP applications and related tools. There's lots of practical hands-on value built in right there.
If you live close to Sacramento this is one qualified program you might want to inquire for more information.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
There are dozens of colleges across the United States that offer such a certificate. Sacramento State College of Continuing Education in California is one of them.
Did you know that "technical writing and communication is one of the ten fastest growing fields both in the Sacramento area and the nation," and that the "salary estimates for the Sacramento region range from entry-level positions at $40,000-$45,000 to $75,000+ for publication managers"?
The students enrolled in the Sacramento certificate program are required to take seven online courses, plus a Final Project:
1. Introduction to the Technical Writing Certificate Program 2. Principles of Usability 3. Project Communication 4. Project Planning and Research 5. Technical Concepts and Tools 6. Technical Writing and Editing 7. Writing for the Web 8. Final Project
The course are prepared with the participation of the Sacramento chapter of the Society of Technical Communication (STC). The STC-member students get 10% discount.
An up-close look at some of the courses tells me that this program indeed teaches skills that are immediately applicable in real-world technical communication situations.
For example, let's take the course "Technical Concepts and Tools" and look at it's course description:
"Learn about network protocol, database interface, programming languages and program logic constraints. Gain experience with desktop publishing applications and evaluating graphical user interface tools."
This is a two-for-one kind of class. You not only learn the basic terminology of a hi-tech software and networking environment but also learn about DTP applications and related tools. There's lots of practical hands-on value built in right there.
If you live close to Sacramento this is one qualified program you might want to inquire for more information.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Technical Writing - How to Use the PDF Format Correctly For Print and Online Publications?
PDF (which stands for "Portable Document Format") is one of the most widely used document formats in technical writing.
PDF rose out of a real need to read documents created by proprietary software on all kinds of different operating systems and browsers. An advertisement illustration created by Illustrator could not be viewed by the receiver if she also did not have a copy of the Illustrator installed on her machine.
All that difficulties ended with the invention of the miraculous PDF format. When a document or image is converted into PDF it becomes rock solid since its look does not change when transmitted from one machine to another. It also becomes 100% accessible since any machine that has the free Adobe Acrobat PDF Viewer can view it the way it was intended to be viewed by its author.
The difficulty, however, emerges when a PDF document, which is basically a "book" made up of "pages," is uploaded to a web site. A computer monitor usually has a landscape orientation whereas a "page" has a portrait orientation. This means usually the whole PDF page cannot fit into a single screen and the user is forced to scroll the page down to read all of it.
What's worse, if the page layout has more than one columns, then the user first scrolls down to read the rest of the first column; then scrolls up to the top of the second column; and scrolls down one more time to read the rest of the second column; and this up-and-down scrolling motion continues throughout the document. Imagine the extra effort required to read a single page on the monitor if a PDF document has THREE columns per page!
Thus it makes eminent sense to design your PDF documents with the final display mode in mind.
If the document is meant to be printed and read afterwards, the classical "page" metaphor and design serves well. But if the document is meant to be read online on a monitor, then you need to reduce the number of words on the single-column page so that it will fit into a single 15" screen. That would eliminate the vexing need to scroll up and down the page to read the content.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
PDF rose out of a real need to read documents created by proprietary software on all kinds of different operating systems and browsers. An advertisement illustration created by Illustrator could not be viewed by the receiver if she also did not have a copy of the Illustrator installed on her machine.
All that difficulties ended with the invention of the miraculous PDF format. When a document or image is converted into PDF it becomes rock solid since its look does not change when transmitted from one machine to another. It also becomes 100% accessible since any machine that has the free Adobe Acrobat PDF Viewer can view it the way it was intended to be viewed by its author.
The difficulty, however, emerges when a PDF document, which is basically a "book" made up of "pages," is uploaded to a web site. A computer monitor usually has a landscape orientation whereas a "page" has a portrait orientation. This means usually the whole PDF page cannot fit into a single screen and the user is forced to scroll the page down to read all of it.
What's worse, if the page layout has more than one columns, then the user first scrolls down to read the rest of the first column; then scrolls up to the top of the second column; and scrolls down one more time to read the rest of the second column; and this up-and-down scrolling motion continues throughout the document. Imagine the extra effort required to read a single page on the monitor if a PDF document has THREE columns per page!
Thus it makes eminent sense to design your PDF documents with the final display mode in mind.
If the document is meant to be printed and read afterwards, the classical "page" metaphor and design serves well. But if the document is meant to be read online on a monitor, then you need to reduce the number of words on the single-column page so that it will fit into a single 15" screen. That would eliminate the vexing need to scroll up and down the page to read the content.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Technical Writing - The Overlap Between Print and Online Documentation Formats
Technical writing has used the "book" metaphor for a very long time. Basically, we technical writers create "books" made up of individual "pages," whether they are ever printed or not.
But that metaphor has come under a lot of fire with the rise of the Internet and prevalence of online information. Both technically and semantically it started to make less sense to talk about a "book." The new concept that serves the need of the age of globalization is the "topic" and not the "book."
Technically, as more and more documents are distributed electronically and posted as PDF files all over the Internet, the limitations of the "book" format became obvious.
The book metaphor is built on "pages" which do not fit comfortably into the computer screens. PDF pages usually have vertical (Portrait) orientation, whereas the computer screens usually have a horizontal (Landscape) orientation. This causes the bottom half of most PDF pages becoming invisible when viewed online. Users started to scroll up and down to read the pages, especially for multi-column layouts. That's why a technical writer should be aware of this "bleed," this overlap between the two media and design his or her documents in a way that would be easy to read both when printed and when viewed on a computer screen.
And from a semantic point of view the old "book" metaphor is brought under pressure as well since the modern user does not have the time to "read a book." He or she just wants to access the information when needed, and right away.
Most of the time the user is looking for information on a specific "topic." That's why there is a strong preference to click and directly go to a specific topic rather than download a hundred page PDF "book" and then search for that specific topic inside the book. That's why topic-based writing is fast becoming a fundamental principle of "single-sourcing," which we have covered in another article. The technical writers of the future will no doubt be at home with such short topic-based writing and single-screen information layouts.
Simply put, the technical communicator of the future will create and design information with the awareness that the separation between the "print" and "online" formats is a thing of the past since the users of the global age switch back and forth between those formats frequently, without thinking twice.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
But that metaphor has come under a lot of fire with the rise of the Internet and prevalence of online information. Both technically and semantically it started to make less sense to talk about a "book." The new concept that serves the need of the age of globalization is the "topic" and not the "book."
Technically, as more and more documents are distributed electronically and posted as PDF files all over the Internet, the limitations of the "book" format became obvious.
The book metaphor is built on "pages" which do not fit comfortably into the computer screens. PDF pages usually have vertical (Portrait) orientation, whereas the computer screens usually have a horizontal (Landscape) orientation. This causes the bottom half of most PDF pages becoming invisible when viewed online. Users started to scroll up and down to read the pages, especially for multi-column layouts. That's why a technical writer should be aware of this "bleed," this overlap between the two media and design his or her documents in a way that would be easy to read both when printed and when viewed on a computer screen.
And from a semantic point of view the old "book" metaphor is brought under pressure as well since the modern user does not have the time to "read a book." He or she just wants to access the information when needed, and right away.
Most of the time the user is looking for information on a specific "topic." That's why there is a strong preference to click and directly go to a specific topic rather than download a hundred page PDF "book" and then search for that specific topic inside the book. That's why topic-based writing is fast becoming a fundamental principle of "single-sourcing," which we have covered in another article. The technical writers of the future will no doubt be at home with such short topic-based writing and single-screen information layouts.
Simply put, the technical communicator of the future will create and design information with the awareness that the separation between the "print" and "online" formats is a thing of the past since the users of the global age switch back and forth between those formats frequently, without thinking twice.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
How High School and College Students Should Prepare For a Career in Technical Writing?
Are you a high school student planning to become a technical writer? Then first of all pay attention to your science classes. Work as hard as you can on your math, physics, chemistry, computer, biology/life science classes since you need to have good foundation in those subjects.
Secondly, learn your English and composition well. Writing in a clear language and the ability to express complex topics in a simple manner is a must for a technical writer. Creative writing may seem like something that has nothing to do with technical writing. But take a class or two in creative writing since it will help you organize your thoughts and teach you how to express them in an effective manner.
Once you graduate from high school, the obvious choice should be to attend a college with a four year technical writing curriculum and B.A. program. The Oklahoma State University immediately comes to mind which has an M.A. and Ph.D. program in technical writing as well. But there are others as well. Just search for them on the Internet with the keywords "Bachelors in technical writing."
But if a 4-year program is not possible, you may trying enrolling for a 2- or 4-year science degree and enroll in a "Technical Writing Certificate Program" on the side. Some students enroll in English department and go for a B.A. in English with specialization in Technical Writing, which is also an excellent career choice. Whether you enroll in a physical science, English, journalism, mass communications, or social science department, make sure you get enough electives in math, science and computer engineering to learn the basic bed-rock scientific principles, concepts, and terminology. They'll come in very handy in the later years when you start writing technical documents.
Once you graduate from college with a Bachelor's or two-year Associate degree, you can always enhance your skills through graduate-level certificate programs, online correspondence courses and individual tutoring. For a technical writer learning never stops.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Secondly, learn your English and composition well. Writing in a clear language and the ability to express complex topics in a simple manner is a must for a technical writer. Creative writing may seem like something that has nothing to do with technical writing. But take a class or two in creative writing since it will help you organize your thoughts and teach you how to express them in an effective manner.
Once you graduate from high school, the obvious choice should be to attend a college with a four year technical writing curriculum and B.A. program. The Oklahoma State University immediately comes to mind which has an M.A. and Ph.D. program in technical writing as well. But there are others as well. Just search for them on the Internet with the keywords "Bachelors in technical writing."
But if a 4-year program is not possible, you may trying enrolling for a 2- or 4-year science degree and enroll in a "Technical Writing Certificate Program" on the side. Some students enroll in English department and go for a B.A. in English with specialization in Technical Writing, which is also an excellent career choice. Whether you enroll in a physical science, English, journalism, mass communications, or social science department, make sure you get enough electives in math, science and computer engineering to learn the basic bed-rock scientific principles, concepts, and terminology. They'll come in very handy in the later years when you start writing technical documents.
Once you graduate from college with a Bachelor's or two-year Associate degree, you can always enhance your skills through graduate-level certificate programs, online correspondence courses and individual tutoring. For a technical writer learning never stops.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Technical Writing - A Checklist For a Software Document Writing Project
Here is a general check list that you might find useful to make sure your software documentation project does not miss anything:
-Do you have access to the software project's Scope Document? -Do you have access to the functional and marketing specs of the software project? -Have you written a Documentation Plan for this project? -Is your Documentation Plan approved by the client or the authorized project manager? -Do you know who will review the document? -
Do you have an approved Template for this project? -Do you know where you'll get your image and/or multi-media files from? -Do you have an official Style Guideline that you'll follow? -Will there be any single-sourced collaterals (like a help file, or a different-sized version of the same document) compiled from the same source file? -Will you need any hardware to complete the project? -Will you need to travel to other locations to gather information for the project? -
Will you need to interview any Subject Matter Experts to complete the project? -Will you need to participate in or arrange any teleconferences or webinars to gather information or report about the project? -What version management platform will you use for document version control? (MS SourceSafe? Agile?) -How will you backup your files? -Will you write the document alone or will there be other technical writers on the project? -Will there be any in-house peer review required before you submit the document to official management review? -Will the end product be localized and translated to other languages? -Do you need to follow any special guidelines for localization? -Will you have any access to a tracker system to incorporate the results of bug reports? -Will you need to compile any training materials/sets from the source files?
If you take the necessary measures and precautions ahead of time depending on the answers to these questions you'll have a more successful documentation performance.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
-Do you have access to the software project's Scope Document? -Do you have access to the functional and marketing specs of the software project? -Have you written a Documentation Plan for this project? -Is your Documentation Plan approved by the client or the authorized project manager? -Do you know who will review the document? -
Do you have an approved Template for this project? -Do you know where you'll get your image and/or multi-media files from? -Do you have an official Style Guideline that you'll follow? -Will there be any single-sourced collaterals (like a help file, or a different-sized version of the same document) compiled from the same source file? -Will you need any hardware to complete the project? -Will you need to travel to other locations to gather information for the project? -
Will you need to interview any Subject Matter Experts to complete the project? -Will you need to participate in or arrange any teleconferences or webinars to gather information or report about the project? -What version management platform will you use for document version control? (MS SourceSafe? Agile?) -How will you backup your files? -Will you write the document alone or will there be other technical writers on the project? -Will there be any in-house peer review required before you submit the document to official management review? -Will the end product be localized and translated to other languages? -Do you need to follow any special guidelines for localization? -Will you have any access to a tracker system to incorporate the results of bug reports? -Will you need to compile any training materials/sets from the source files?
If you take the necessary measures and precautions ahead of time depending on the answers to these questions you'll have a more successful documentation performance.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)