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Topic-based Authoring
In technical communication, topic-based authoring or topic-based writing is a modular approach to content creation where content is structured around topics that can be mixed and reused in different contexts. It is defined in contrast with ''book-oriented'' or ''narrative'' content, written in the linear structure of written books. Topic-based authoring is popular in the technical publications and documentation arenas, as it is especially suitable for technical documentation. Tools supporting this approach typically store content in XHTML or other XML formats and support content reuse, management, and the dynamic assembly of personalized information. Topics A topic is a discrete piece of content that: * focuses on one subject, * has an identifiable purpose, * does not require external context to understand, * answers a single question, and * can be used for multiple purposes. Topics can be written to be independent of one another and reused wherever needed. History Followin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Technical Communication
Technical communication (or tech comm) is communication of technical subject matter such as engineering, science, or technology content. The largest part of it tends to be technical writing, though importantly it often requires aspects of visual communication (which in turn sometimes entails technical drawing, requiring more specialized training). Technical communication also encompasses oral delivery modes such as presentations involving technical material. When technical communication occurs in workplace settings, it's considered a major branch of professional communication. In research or R&D contexts (academic or industrial), it can overlap with scientific writing. Technical communication is used to convey scientific, engineering, or other technical information. Individuals in a variety of contexts and with varied professional credentials engage in technical communication. Some individuals are designated as technical communicators or technical writers as their primary ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minimalism (technical Communication)
Definition Minimalism in structured writing, topic-based authoring, and technical writing is based on the ideas of John Millar Carroll and others. In his work, Carroll explained that minimalism is a way to make rapid achievement of realistic projects right from the start of training, allowing people to understand the content just from reading it once. Minimalism strives to reduce interference of information delivery with the user's sense-making process. It does not try to eliminate any chance of the user making a mistake, but regards an error as a teachable moment that content can exploit. Minimalism is action-oriented, using as little words as possible to understand how to fulfill a task. History Like Robert E. Horn's work on information mapping, John Carroll's principles of Minimalism were based in part on cognitive studies and learning research at Harvard and Columbia University, by Jerome Bruner, Jerome Kagan, B.F. Skinner, George A. Miller, and others. Carroll argues ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Simplified Technical English
ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled natural language designed to simplify and clarify technical documentation. It was originally developed during the 1980's by the European Association of Aerospace Industries (AECMA), at the request of the European Airline industry, who wanted a standardized form of English for aircraft maintenance documentation that could be easily understood by non-native English speakers. It has since been adopted in many other fields outside the aerospace, defense, and maintenance domains for its clear, consistent, and comprehensive nature. The current edition of the STE Standard, published in January 2025, consists of 53 writing rules and a dictionary of approximately 900 approved words. History The first attempts towards controlled English were made as early as the 1930s and 1970s with Basic English, Caterpillar Fundamental English and Eastman Kodak (KISL). In 1979, aerospace documentation was written in American English (Boeing, D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Structured Writing
Structured writing is a form of technical writing that uses and creates structured documents to allow people to digest information both faster and easier. From 1963 to 1965, Robert E. Horn worked to develop a way to structure and connect large amounts of information, taking inspiration from geographical maps. He coined the term "Information Mapping" to describe his method of analyzing, organizing, and displaying knowledge in print and in the new online presentation of text and graphics. Horn and colleagues identified dozens of common documentation types, then analyzed them into structural components called information blocks. They identified over 200 common block types. These were assembled into information types using information maps. The seven most common information types were concept, procedure, process, principle, fact, structure, and classification. Rather than classifying information through paragraphs, structured writing uses these information blocks that typically includ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Component Content Management System
A component content management system (CCMS) is a content management system that manages content at a granular level (component) rather than at the document level. Each component represents a single topic, concept or asset (for example an image, table, product description, a procedure). Overview The CCMS must be able to track "not only versions of topics and graphics but relationships among topics, graphics, maps, publications, and deliverables." More often than not, the CCMS also contains the publishing engine to create the final outputs for print, web and e-readers. Components can be as large as a chapter or as small as a definition or even a word. Components in multiple content assemblies (content types) can be viewed as components or as traditional documents. Various forms of XML are used in CCMSs to provide document and file structure. The most popular forms are SGML, XML and XHTML. Document format standards for these languages include: * Darwin Information Typing Arch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
OASIS (organization)
The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS; ) is an Trade association, industry consortium that develops Technical standard, technical standards for information technology. History OASIS was founded under the name "SGML Open" in 1993. It began as a trade association of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) tool vendors to cooperatively promote the adoption of SGML through mainly educational activities, though some amount of technical activity was also pursued including an update of the CALS Table Model specification and specifications for fragment interchange and entity management. In 1998, with the movement of the industry to XML, SGML Open changed its emphasis from SGML to XML, and changed its name to OASIS Open to be inclusive of XML and reflect an expanded scope of technical work and standards. The focus of the consortium's activities also moved from promoting adoption (as XML was getting much attention on its own) to developing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darwin Information Typing Architecture
The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) specification defines a set of document types for authoring and organizing topic-oriented information, as well as a set of mechanisms for combining, extending, and constraining document types. It is an open standard that is defined and maintained by the OASIS (organization), OASIS DITA Technical Committee. The name derives from the following components: * Darwin: it uses the principles of specialization and Inheritance (object-oriented programming), inheritance, which is in some ways analogous to the naturalist Charles Darwin's concept of evolutionary adaptation, * Information Typing: which means each topic has a defined primary objective (procedure, glossary entry, troubleshooting information) and structure, * Architecture: DITA is an extensible set of structures. Features and limitations Content reuse Topic-based authoring, Topics are the foundation for content reuse, and can be reused across multiple publications. Fragments of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Online Help
Online help is a form of user assistance that provides topic-oriented, procedural or reference information designed to assist in using a software application, web application or operating system. Online help linked to the application's state (what the user is doing) is called Context-sensitive help. The help information can be created using help authoring tools or component content management systems and can be delivered in a wide variety of proprietary and open-standard formats. Help of this kind has largely replaced printed documentation. Interactive help can also be provided via virtual assistants and Chatbot systems. Microsoft help platforms Microsoft develops platforms for delivering help systems for the Microsoft Windows operating system. Other platforms See also * Balloon help * Darwin Information Typing Architecture *DocBook DocBook is a Semantics (computer science), semantic markup language for technical documentation. It was originally intended for wr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John M
John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Epistle of John, often shortened to 2 John * Third Epistle of John, often shortened to 3 John People * John the Baptist (died ), regarded as a prophet and the forerunner of Jesus Christ * John the Apostle (died ), one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ * John the Evangelist, assigned author of the Fourth Gospel, once identified with the Apostle * John of Patmos, also known as John the Divine or John the Revelator, the author of the Book of Revelation, once identified with the Apostle * John the Presbyter, a figure either identified with or distinguished from the Apostle, the Evangelist and John of Patmos Other people with the given name Religious figures * John, father of Andrew the Apostle and Saint Peter * Pope John ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Modularity
Modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a system into varying degrees of interdependence and independence across and "hide the complexity of each part behind an abstraction and interface". However, the concept of modularity can be extended to multiple disciplines, each with their own nuances. Despite these nuances, consistent themes concerning modular systems can be identified. Composability is one of the tenets of functional programming. This makes functional programs modular. Contextual nuances The meaning of the word "modularity" can vary somewhat based on context. The following are contextual examples of modularity across several fields of science, technology, industry, and culture: Science *In biology, modularity recognizes that organisms or metabolic pathways are composed of modules. *I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Technical Writer
A technical writer is a professional communicator whose task is to convey complex information in simple terms to an audience of the general public or a very select group of readers. Technical writers research and create information through a variety of delivery media (electronic, printed, audio-visual, and even touch). Example types of information include online help, manuals, white papers, design specifications, project plans, and software test plans. With the rise of e-learning, technical writers are increasingly hired to develop online training material. According to the Society for Technical Communication (STC):L. Lin. (2017, November). What is technical writing? eb log post Retrieved from http://www.stc-psc.org/what-is-technical-writing/ In other words, technical writers take advanced technical concepts and communicate them as clearly, accurately, and comprehensively as possible to their intended audience, ensuring that the work is accessible to its users. Kurt Vonnegu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Content Management
Content management (CM) are a set of processes and technologies that support the collection, managing, and publishing of information in any form or medium. When stored and accessed via computers, this information may be more specifically referred to as digital content, or simply as content. * Digital content may take the form of text (such as electronic documents), images, multimedia files (such as audio or video files), or any other file type that follows a content lifecycle requiring management. * The process of content development and management is complex enough that various commercial software vendors (large and small), such as Interwoven and Microsoft, offer content management software to control and automate significant aspects of the content lifecycle. Process Content management practices and goals vary by mission and by organizational governance structure. News organizations, e-commerce websites, and educational institutions all use content management, but in differen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |