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Contents
What This Guidebook Contains
1  About Readers and Manuals
2 Development Process
3 Structure and Organization
4 Standard Contents
5 Page and Screen Design
6 Methods of Presentation
7 Writing Style
8 Writing and Production Software
9 Printing, Binding, and Distributing Manuals
10 Maintaining Manuals
Using the Manual Templates
Binders and Divider Tabs
Bibliography on Writing Manuals
About the Author

 

 

  

Bibliography on Writing Manuals

General (broad coverage)

DDM: The Documentation Development Methodology
Published by Sandra Pakin & Associates Inc., Publications Division, 6007 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, Illinois 60660. ISBN 0-9608178-1-6.
The Elements of Editing: A Modern Guide for Editors and Journalists
By Arthur Plotnik. Published by MacMillan Publishing Company, 866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022. 1982. ISBN 0-02-047430-X.
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published by IEEE Professional Communication Society, 345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017.
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published by Baywood Publishing Company Inc., 120 Marine Street, Box D, Farmingdale, NY 11735.
Print That Works: The First Step-by-Step Guide that Integrates Writing, Design, and Marketing
By Elizabeth W. Adler. Published by Bull Publishing Company, P.O. Box 208, Palo Alto, California 94302-0208, 1991. ISBN 0-923521-00-3.
Technical Communication
Published by the Society for Technical Communication, 815-15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. ISSN 0049-3155.
Techniques for Technical Communicators
By Carol M. Barnum, and Saul Carliner. Published by Macmillan Publishing Company, a division of Macmillan, Inc., 866 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022, 1993. ISBN 0-02-306095-6.

Business Writing

Communicating Technical Information: A Guide for the Electronic Age
By Donald Pattow and William Wresch. Published by Blair Press, The Statler Building, 20 Park Plaza, Suite 1113, Boston, MA 02116-4399, 1993. ISBN 0-13-898669-X.
Do’s, Don’ts, and How to’s: Writing at Work
By Ernst Jacobi. Published by Ten Speed Press, PO Box 7123, Berkeley, CA 94707, 1985. ISBN 0-8104-5730-X.
On Writing Well
Fourth edition, by William Zinsser. Published by Harper Perennial, 1976. ISBN 0-06-055272-7.

Computer/Software Manuals

The GUI Guide: International Terminology for the Windows Interface
By Microsoft Corporation. Published by Microsoft Press, a division of Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington 98052-6399. 1993. ISBN 1-55615-538-7.
How to Write a Computer Manual: A Handbook of Software Documentation
By Johnathan Price. Published by The Benjamin/ Cummings Publishing Company, 2727 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, 1984. ISBN 0-8053-6870-1.
How to Write a Really Good User’s Manual
By Emanuel Katzin. Published by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York, 1985.
How to Write Usable User Documentation
Second edition, by Edmond H. Weiss. Published by Oryx Press, 4041 North Central at Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85012-3397, 1991.
Microsoft Press Computer Dictionary
Second Edition, by Microsoft Press. Published by Microsoft Press, a division of Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington 98052-6399. 1994. ISBN 1-55615-597-2.
Writing Better Computer User Documentation: From Paper to Hypertext
By R. John Brockman. Published by John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1990. ISBN 0-471-62259-1.
Writing for the Computer Industry
By Kristin R. Woolever and Helen M. Loeb. Published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632, 1994. ISBN 0-13-971227-5.

Policies and Procedures

The Handbook Handbook: The Complete How-To Guide to Publishing Policies & Procedures
By A.B. Travis. Published by R.R. Bowker Company, 205 East Forty-second Street, New York, NY 10017, 1984. ISBN 0-8352-1869-4.
Procedure Writing Principles and Practices
By Douglas Wieringa, Christopher Moore, and Valerie Barnes. Published by Battelle Press, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43201-2693, 1993. ISBN 0-935470-68-9.
Writing a Human Resources Manual: A Reference Guide for Managers
By Susan Brock and Sally Cabbell. Published by Crisp Publications, Menlo Park, California, 1989. ISBN 0-931961-70-X.
Policies and Procedures: Producing Manuals That Work
By Paula Cryderman. Published by CHA Press, 17 York Street, Suite 100, Ottawa, ON, K1N 9J6, 1994. ISBN 0-919100-98-8.
Employment Policies that Work
By Joan A. Bolland, and Ellen E. Mole. Published by Carswell Thomson Professional Publishing, One Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Road, Scarborough, Ontario, M1T 3V4. ISBN 0-459-56258-4.

Style and Usage

The Business Writer’s Handbook
By Charles T. Brusaw, Gerald J. Alfred, and Walter E. Oliu. Published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, 1976.
The Canadian Press Stylebook
Published by the Canadian Press, 36 King St. E., Toronto, Ontario, M5C 2L9, 1993. ISBN 0-920009-10-7.
A Canadian Writer’s Reference
By Diana Hacker. Published by Nelson Canada, 1120 Birchmount Road, Scarborough, Ontario, M1K 5G4, 1996. ISBN 0-17-604211-3.
Caps and Spelling
Published by The Canadian Press, 36 King St. E.,Toronto, Ontario, M5C 2L9, 1981. ISBN 0-920009-02-6.
The Chicago Manual of Style
Thirteenth edition, published by the University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637, 1982. ISBN 0-226-10390-0.
Editing Canadian English
By Lydia Burton, Catherine Cragg, Barbara Czarnecki, Sonia Kuryliw Paine, Susan Pedwell, Iris Hosse Phillips, and Katharine Vanderlinden. Published by Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., 1615 Venables St., Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L 2H1, 1987. ISBN 0-88894-624-4.
The Elements of Style
By William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White. Published by The MacMillan Company, 1959.
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
Fifth edition, by Kate L. Turabian. Published by The University of Chicago Press, 1982. ISBN 0-226-81624-9.
The Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications
By Microsoft Press. Published by Microsoft Press, a division of Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington 98052-6399. ISBN 1-55615-939-0.
The New York Public Library Writers Guide to Style and Usage
A Stonesong Press Book. Published by Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022, 1994. ISBN 0-06-270064-2.
The Practical Stylist
Second edition, by Sheridan Baker. Published by Bail-Ballou Press Inc., Binghamton, NY, 1969.
Science and Technical Writing: A Manual of Style
By Philip Rubens, general editor. Published by Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011, 1992. ISBN 0-8050-1831-X, ISBN 0-8050-3091-3 (An Owl Book: pbk.)
A Style Guide for the Computer Industry
By Sun Technical Publications. Published by SunSoft Press, 2550 Garcia Avenue, Mountain View, California, 94043-1100, 1996. ISBN 0-13-455347-0.

Electronic Publishing

Designing and Writing Online Documentation
Second edition, by William Horton. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1994. ISBN 0-471-30635-5 (paper).
Designing Large-Scale Web Sites: A Visual Design Methodology
By Darrell Sano. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996. ISBN 0-471-14276-X (paper : alk. paper)
Designing Windows 95 Help
By Mary Deaton and Cheryl Lockett Zubak. Published by Que Corporation, 201 W. 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290, 1996. ISBN 0-7897-0362-9.
HTML Sourcebook
Third edition, by Ian S. Graham. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0-471-17575-7.
Intranet Business Strategies
By Mellanie Hills. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0-471-16374-0 (paper : alk. paper).
Mapping Hypertext: Analysis, Linkage, and Display of Knowledge for the Next Generation of On-Line Text and Graphics
By Robert E. Horn. Published by the Lexington Institute, 80 Marrett Road, Lexinton, MA 02173, 1989. ISBN 0-9625565-0-5.
Mastering HTML-based Help
Published by Blue Sky Software Corporation, 7777 Fay Avenue, Suite 201, La Jolla, CA 92037, 1997. ISBN 0-9647236-4-6.
A “Real World” Look at Windows Help Authoring Tools
By Cheryl Lockett Zubak. Published by Work Write Special Publications, 128 South Eastview Avenue, Feasterville, PA 19053, 1995. ISBN 0-9645293-0-0.

Design and Production

Design for Desktop Publishing: A Guide to Layout and Typography on the Personal Computer
By John Miles. Published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1987.
Editing by Design: A Guide to Effective Word-and-Picture Communication for Editors and Designers
Second edition, by Jan V. White. Published by R.R. Bowker Company, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, 1982. ISBN 0-8352-1508-3.
The Elements of Typographic Style
By Robert Bringhurst. Published by Hartley & Marks, 79 Tyee Drive, Point Roberts, WA 98281, 3661 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, V6R 2B8, 1992. In Canada, ISBN 0-88179-110-5 (bound), ISBN 0-88179-033-8 (pbk.). In USA, ISBN 0-88179-110-5 (cloth) and ISBN 0-88179-033-8 (pbk.).
Illustrating Computer Documentation: The Art of Presenting Information Graphically on Paper and Online
By William Horton. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1991. ISBN 0-471-53846-9. — ISBN 0-471-53845-0 (pbk.).
Pocket Pal: A Graphic Arts Production Handbook
Published by International Paper Company, 6400 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38197, 1989.

Project Management

Handbook of Usability Testing: How to Plan, Design, and Conduct Effective Tests
By Jeffrey Rubin. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1994. ISBN 0-471-59403-2 (alk. paper : pbk.)
Managing Documentation Projects in an Imperfect World
By Gabriel Lanyi. Published by Battelle Press, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43201-2693, 1994. ISBN 0-935470-74-3.
Managing Your Documentation Projects
By JoAnn T. Hackos. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1994. ISBN 0-471-59099-1 (pbk. : alk. paper).