SKIP THE SHIPPING
Use code NOSHIP during checkout to save 40% on eligible eBooks, now through January 5. Shop now.
Register your product to gain access to bonus material or receive a coupon.
This PDF will be accessible from your Account page after purchase and requires PDF reading software, such as Acrobat® Reader®.
The eBook requires no passwords or activation to read. We customize your eBook by discreetly watermarking it with your name, making it uniquely yours.
A brand new collection of state-of-the-art insights for technical writers, editors, and content managers…in a convenient e-format, at a great price!
Three outstanding IBM Press eBooks help you create powerfully effective, usable, and higher-value technical communications…in all media, for all audiences, everywhere! (PDF Format)
***Please note this collection includes the 2nd edition of Developing Quality Technical Information and not the current Third Edition (10-ISBN: 0133118975 | May 2014 publication).
Three IBM Press eBooks bring together today’s best techniques for creating clearer, more usable, more effective technical communication. The IBM Style Guide: Conventions for Writers and Editors distills IBM’s best wisdom for developing higher-quality content across all media, authors, delivery mechanisms, and geographic locations. You’ll find up-to-the minute guidance on topic-based writing; writing for diverse media and global audiences; formatting, organizing, structuring, and linking information; maximizing accessibility; documenting interfaces and procedures; and much more. Next, in DITA Best Practices: A Roadmap for Writing, Editing, and Architecting in DITA, three pioneering implementers show how to use DITA to maximize the value of technical documentation and offer a complete roadmap for successful DITA adoption, implementation, and usage. The authors answer crucial questions “official” DITA documents ignore, including: “Where do you start?” and “How do you avoid the pitfalls?” Discover proven best practices for developing effective topics, short descriptions, and content architecture, plus “in-the-trenches” solutions for ensuring quality implementations and accurate, cost-effective content conversion. Finally, Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors, SecondEdition, presents today’s most systematic, well-proven approach to creating great documentation. Learn how to focus on the right tasks and topics; say more with fewer words; use organization to deliver faster access; streamline and improve reviews; and much more. Packed with before-and-after examples, illustrations, and checklists, this book addresses crucial topics ranging from internationalization to retrievability to visual effectiveness.
From expert IBM and IBM Press publication professionals Francis DeRespinis, Peter Hayward, Jana Jenkins, Amy Laird, Leslie McDonald, Eric Radzinski, Laura Bellamy, Michelle Carey, Jenifer Schlotfeldt, Gretchen Hargis, Ann Kilty Hernandez, Polly Hughes, Deirdre Longo, Shannon Rouiller, and Elizabeth Wilde.
The IBM Style Guide
Chapter 1 Language and grammar 1A
Chapter 2 Punctuation 37A
Chapter 3 Formatting and organization 73A
Chapter 4 Structure 115A
Chapter 5 References 143A
Chapter 6 Numbers and measurements 155A
Chapter 7 Computer interfaces 185A
Chapter 8 Writing for diverse audiences 233A
Chapter 9 Glossaries 245A
Chapter 10 Indexes 255A
Appendixes 273A
Index 381A
DITA Best Practices
Introduction 1B
Part I: Writing in DITA 5B
Chapter 1 Topic-Based Writing in DITA 7B
Chapter 2 Task Topics 21B
Chapter 3 Concept Topics 41B
Chapter 4 Reference Topics 51B
Chapter 5 Short Descriptions 63B
Part II: Architecting Content 89B
Chapter 6 DITA Maps and Navigation 91B
Chapter 7 Linking 109B
Chapter 8 Metadata 143B
Chapter 9 Conditional Processing 161B
Chapter 10 Content Reuse 183B
Part III: Converting and Editing 201B
Chapter 11 Converting Content to DITA 203B
Chapter 12 DITA Code Editing 229B
Chapter 13 Content Editing 259B
Index 273B
Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors
Chapter 1 Quality technical information 1C
Part 1: Easy to use 15C
Chapter 2 Task orientation 17C
Chapter 3 Accuracy 47C
Chapter 4 Completeness 75C
Part:2: Easy to understand 101C
Chapter 5 Clarity 103C6
Chapter 6 Concreteness 149C
Chapter 7 Style 181C
Part 3: Easy to find 213C
Chapter 8 Organization 215C
Chapter 9 Retrievability 245C
Chapter 10 Visual effectiveness 277C
Part 4: Putting it all together 329C
Chapter 11 Applying more than one quality characteristic . 331C
Chapter 12 Reviewing, testing, and evaluating technical Information 357C
Part 5: Appendixes 385C
Appendix A Quality checklist 387C
Appendix B Who checks which quality characteristics? 391C
Appendix C Quality characteristics and elements 397C
Resources and references 401C
Glossary 413C
Index 425C