Technical Editing
How to Use Titles and Subheadings to Group Similar Kinds of Procedural Tasks
Here is an example of how NOT to use a title when writing procedural steps: [TITLE] Follow these instructions: Calculate the exact amount of patent fee you need to pay to the United States Patent and Trademark Office by using the PF calculator. Itemize the fees for each individual application by using Form I. Convert…
Read MoreHow to Stress the Subject or the Object of a Title
There are ways to direct the attention of the reader to the subject or object of a title (or subtitle). ———————- QUICK RECAP: In the following sentence, “Shaun loves fish” “Shaun” is the SUBJECT and “fish” is the OBJECT. ———————- You can highlight a title’s subject or object by using active or passive voice appropriately. Here is how: METHOD…
Read MoreA Title Should Identify the Object of the Text
A title should identify the object of the text. A title should be a brief, but informative, description of the text that follows. In order to establish a connection between the title and what is being discussed in the text, it is important to provide some basic information about what is going on in the…
Read MoreHow to Write Perfect Technical Article or Document Titles and Subtitles
Titles are sometimes also called “headings”, “headlines” or even “headers” (mostly by technical writers coming from a journalism background). Subtitles are sometimes also referred to as “subheadings” or “subheaders.” But a title is used only once in an article or a document: in the very beginning. That’s why an article, a book, or a document…
Read MoreTechnical Writing – How to Edit a Technical Document?
Imagine you’re a technical writer looking over my shoulder as I’m editing a technical manual. This is how I’d do it: ORIGINAL: “Logging in involves the Operator typing in his User ID and Password.”BETTER: “To log in, the Operator must enter a valid User ID and Password.” ORIGINAL: “The operator’s assigned authorities for operating, configuring…
Read More