9. Glossary of terms
Accessibility – Making content usable for people with disabilities, often guided by standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
AP Stylebook – A widely used style guide for grammar, punctuation, and writing standards.
ASD-STE100 (Simplified Technical English – STE) – A controlled natural language developed by the European Association of Aerospace Industries (AECMA) to improve the readability of technical documentation, primarily for non-native English speakers.
Chicago Manual of Style – A style guide that provides guidelines for writing, editing, and publishing.
Cognitive Load – The mental effort required to process and understand information. Reducing cognitive load improves comprehension and user experience.
Creative Writing – A form of writing that emphasizes storytelling, imagination, and artistic expression, often seen in novels, short stories, and poetry.
DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture) – An XML-based architecture used for structuring, developing, and publishing technical content in a reusable format.
Docs-as-Code – A documentation approach that treats writing like software development, often using version control systems.
Fact-Checking – The process of verifying the accuracy of information in a document to ensure reliability and credibility.
Geeks for Geeks – A source referenced for comparative analysis between technical and creative writing.
Grammar Simplification – A key characteristic of technical writing that involves eliminating complex sentence structures to enhance clarity.
Grammarly – An AI-powered writing assistant that corrects grammar, spelling, and style errors.
Hemingway App – A tool that improves readability by highlighting complex sentences and passive voice.
Inclusivity – Ensuring that content is accessible to people with varying literacy levels, cognitive abilities, and language proficiencies.
Information Design – The practice of organizing and structuring information in a way that enhances readability and comprehension, often incorporating visuals and logical formatting.
Internationalization – The process of designing content so it can be easily translated and adapted for different languages and cultures.
Legal and Compliance Requirements – Standards and regulations that technical documentation must meet, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), to ensure accessibility and clarity.
Linter – A tool that analyzes text or code for errors and inconsistencies.
Markdown – A lightweight markup language used for formatting plain text documents.
Microsoft Style Guide – A set of language and style recommendations for writing technical documentation.
Objective Voice – A writing style that maintains neutrality and avoids personal bias, commonly used in technical writing.
Plain Language – A writing approach that prioritizes clear, concise, and easily understood wording to help readers find, understand, and use information effectively.
Procedural Documentation – A type of technical writing that provides step-by-step instructions, including user guides, installation manuals, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Proselint – A tool that checks text against established style and grammar rules.
Readability Rules – Guidelines used to ensure text is clear and understandable for the intended audience.
Return on Investment – ROI is a core financial performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment and to compare the efficiency to other investments.
Screen Reader – Assistive technology that converts digital text into speech or braille, benefiting users with visual impairments.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – Techniques used to improve the visibility of online content in search engine results, often influenced by clarity and readability.
Standardized Guidelines – Established rules for maintaining consistency in technical writing, including the AP Stylebook, Chicago Manual of Style, and industry-specific standards like DITA and ASD-STE100.
Simplified Technical English (STE) – A controlled language designed to simplify and clarify technical documentation.
Target Audience – The intended readership of a document, which influences writing style, terminology, and complexity.
Technical Communication – The practice of conveying complex information in a clear and accessible manner for specialized audiences such as engineers, scientists, and customers.
Technical Names and Technical Verbs – Industry-specific or project-specific terms permitted in ASD-STE100 to ensure precision while maintaining clarity.
Technical Writing – A specialized writing discipline focused on creating documents that communicate technical or complex information in a clear, concise, and accurate manner.
Usability – The ease with which a user can interact with and understand technical documentation, influenced by structure, clarity, and design.
Vale – A style and grammar checker for technical writing, commonly used in software documentation.
Visual Communication – The integration of graphics, diagrams, and other visual aids in technical writing to enhance understanding.
Writing Rules – The grammatical and stylistic guidelines set forth by ASD-STE100 and other standards to maintain clarity, consistency, and precision in technical documents.
The glossary was created with the aid of Chat GPT.