Effective writing 24 What is effective writing? Why is effective writing important? Key principlesThe importance of clarityWhy are rules and conventions important? Guidelines for effective writing 01 Writing guidelines02 Follow the six basic patterns03 Follow standard word order04 Restrict sentences to one central thought05 Don’t say more than two things in a sentence06 Forget myths and ignore hearsay
Planning & design 49 Designing a document 01 Designing a document02 Document structures Document types 01 Technical study02 Public report03 Environmental study04 Letter report05 Persuasive documents06 Email Plan before your write 01 Plan before you write02 Know your audience03 Be aware of unintended audiences04 Don’t overload the reader The parts of a document 01 Covering letter02 Cover and title pages03 Legal notices04 Document control05 Preface06 Executive summary Create an outline 01 Decide which parts are required02 Create a document skeleton03 Add the themes to each section04 Review your design Titles and headings 01 Titles and headings Numbering sections, pages, tables, and figures 01 Numbered or unnumbered?02 Always use auto-numbered headings and captions03 Numbering sections04 Numbering tables and figures05 Numbering appendices06 Page numbering Follow the corporate QC process 01 Follow the corporate QC process Creating an index 01 Creating an index Writing tips 01 Don’t leave it too late02 Tell the story03 Review your work04 Proofreading
Formatting 209 Abbreviations, initialisms, & acronyms 01 Using abbreviations and acronyms02 Abbreviation, initialism, acronym, or symbol?03 Shortened words04 Shortened names and titles05 Defining acronyms and abbreviations06 Formatting acronyms and abbreviations Standard abbreviations Acts and regulationsAustralian states and territoriesBibliographic abbreviationsCalendar and financial yearsCanadian provinces and territoriesChemical symbols and compounds Art, captions, & callouts 01 Cite the source02 Appearance and placement of art03 Placement of captions and call-outs04 Referencing untitled art Bibliographies and citations 01 Citing sources of information02 Terminology03 Citation methods04 Citing by author-date05 Reference the whole and then cite the specific06 Citing titles and document details in text Capitalization 01 Capitalization guidelines02 Title-style rules03 Titles and headings04 Capitalization in lists05 Cross-references06 Technical terms and jargon Company names 01 Referring to companies02 Person and number of company names03 Possessive of company names Computer program elements 01 Formatting UI elements02 Formatting code, macros, and scripts Coordinates 01 Axis and units02 Datum and projection03 Order of coordinates04 Elevations and RLs05 Negative coordinates06 Grouping digits Copyright notice 01 Need for copyright notice02 Determining the copyright date03 Format of copyright notice04 Placement of copyright notice Credits and permissions 01 Attribute the original work02 Format of credit line03 Placement of credit line Cross-references 01 Cross-references02 Syntax of cross-references03 Formatting cross-references04 Cross-references to art05 Cross-references in online documentation
Punctuation 31 Apostrophe Colon Ellipsis Em dash En dash Full stop Comma 01 Function of the comma02 At discretion of the writer03 Punctuating a series04 Punctuating independent adjectives05 Separate transitional words and phrases06 Separate independent clauses Parentheses and brackets 01 Parentheses02 Formatting parentheses03 Square brackets04 Nesting05 Other brackets Quotation mark 01 Using quotation marks02 Placement of quotation marks03 Single quotation marks
Hyphenation 38 Purpose of hyphenation Compound words 01 Compound words and phrases02 Simplified rules for hyphenating compounds03 Hyphenating compounds04 Open, closed, or hyphenated?05 Hyphen or dash?06 Compounds of compounds Prefixes and suffixes 01 Simplified rules for hyphenating prefixes and suffixes02 Hyphenating prefixes and suffixes Common prefixes and suffixes abcdef
Language 51 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 75 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 13 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 33 Abbreviations and symbols Abbreviations and symbols Grammar A–CD–GH–LM–PQ–ST–Z Mining ABCDEF
