Effective writing 25 Copyright notice What is effective writing? The importance of clarity The importance of clarity Key principles Key principles Guidelines for effective writing Avoid ambiguityAvoid idiomatic or colloquial expressionsAvoid unnecessary use of jargonCite your sourcesDon’t omit essential wordsDon’t say more than two things in a sentence Why are rules and conventions important Why are rules and conventions important?
Planning & design 50 Copyright notice Designing a document Designing a documentDocument structures Document types EmailEnvironmental studyLetter reportPersuasive documentsPresentationProposal Plan before your write Plan before you write Know your audience Know your audience Unintended audiences Be aware of unintended audiences The parts of a document AppendicesAttachmentsBibliography or referencesConclusions and recommendationsCover and title pagesCovering letter Create an outline Add the themes to each sectionCreate a document skeletonDecide which parts are requiredReview your design Titles and headings Titles and headings Numbering sections, pages, tables, and figures Always use auto-numbered headings and captionsNumbered or unnumbered?Numbering appendicesNumbering sectionsNumbering tables and figuresPage numbering Don't overload the reader Don’t overload the reader
Formatting 210 Copyright notice Abbreviations, initialisms, & acronyms Abbreviation, initialism, acronym, or symbol?Acronyms in headingsCommon abbreviationsDefining acronyms and abbreviationsDefinite article and acronymsFormatting acronyms and abbreviations Standard abbreviations Acts and regulationsAustralian states and territoriesBibliographic abbreviationsCalendar and financial yearsCanadian provinces and territoriesChemical symbols and compounds Art, captions, & callouts Appearance and placement of artCite the sourcePlacement of captions and call-outsReferencing untitled art Bibliographies and citations Citation methodsCiting acts, ordinances, bills, and regulationsCiting by author-dateCiting case lawCiting sources of informationCiting titles and document details in text Capitalization Capitalization following a punctuation markCapitalization guidelinesCapitalization in listsCross-referencesMinerals and geological termsPlace names Company names Person and number of company namesPossessive of company namesReferring to companies Computer program elements Formatting code, macros, and scriptsFormatting UI elements Coordinates Axis and unitsCoordinates examplesDatum and projectionElevations and RLsGeographic coordinatesGrouping digits Copyright notice Determining the copyright dateFormat of copyright noticeNeed for copyright noticePlacement of copyright notice Credits and permissions Attribute the original workFormat of credit linePlacement of credit line Cross-references Cross-referencesCross-references in online documentationCross-references to artFormatting cross-referencesSyntax of cross-references
Punctuation 32 Apostrophe Colon Copyright notice Ellipsis Em dash En dash Comma At discretion of the writerDon’t separate a restrictive phrase or dependent clauseDon’t separate a verb from its subjectDon’t use commas in datesEnd introductory phrases with a commaFormat numbers with commas Parentheses and brackets Formatting parenthesesNestingOther bracketsParenthesesSquare brackets Quotation mark Placement of quotation marksSingle quotation marksUsing quotation marks
Hyphenation 39 Copyright notice Purpose of hyphenation Compound words Compound words and phrasesCompounds of compoundsExamples of hyphenated words and phrasesHyphen or dash?Hyphenating compoundsOpen, closed, or hyphenated? Prefixes and suffixes Hyphenating prefixes and suffixesSimplified rules for hyphenating prefixes and suffixes Common prefixes and suffixes abcdef
Language 52 Copyright notice Accessible documentation Accessible artAccessible documentationAccessible Web pagesAccessible writing Americanisms AmericanismsCommon spelling differences Anthropomorphism Anthropomorphism Art Art Bias-free communication Bias-free pronounsEliminating biasEthnicityFirst Nations peoplesGender-neutral termsPeople with disabilities English language English language usage Foreign words and phrases Abbreviations of foreign phrasesAccepted foreign phrasesAvoid non-English expressionsDon’t translate jargonDon’t Romanize spellingMaintain hyphenation of original Humour Humour Idioms Idioms Jargon Jargon
Grammar 76 Copyright notice Ambiguity Beware of danglesCauses of ambiguityDon’t omit essential wordsEnd an introductory phrase with a commaMake sure that the object of the pronoun is obviousUse commas correctly Conjunctions Beginning with a conjunctionLike, with, and thenPrecede by a commaUsing conjunctions Contractions Contractions Dangling modifier Dangling modifier Gerunds Gerunds Modal verbs Modal verbs Mood Mood Negative construction Negative construction Nominalization Nominalization Nouns Nouns
Writing and editing tools 14 Copyright notice Microsoft Word About Microsoft WordCustomizing the Quick Access toolbarFixing a corrupted documentFormatting with Microsoft WordPasting text into a Word documentSetting up Word options Adobe FrameMaker Why use Adobe FrameMaker? AI tools Best practice for AI promptingGuidelines for using AIRisks of using artificial intelligenceUses of artificial intelligence
Glossaries 34 Copyright notice Abbreviations and symbols Abbreviations and symbols Grammar A–CD–GH–LM–PQ–ST–Z Mining ABCDEF
