RE: Dockets for proof-reading

Subject: RE: Dockets for proof-reading
From: "Rebecca Downey" <rdowney -at- matrox -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 09:26:40 -0400


IMHO, it depends how detailed you want your reviews guidelines to be.

My reviewers tend to be drawn from the non-technical writing pool [which is
everyone in the office except me :) ], so I have to account for poor
language skills (they tend to check for program to document accuracy) as
well as differences of opinion on word spelling (is it enrollment or
enrolment, e-mail or email...etc), punctuation and the like.

A style sheet clears most of this up by presenting guidelines that I use
when writing the document.

Read-Me First A Style Guide For the Computing Industry (Sun Technical
Publications, Copyright 1996, ISBN 0-13-455347-0) has a series of checklists
for reviewers to follow. I also use their template for a document-specific
style sheet.

Being a lone technical writer, I do not have the time available to me to
write a style guide that includes everything it should. Instead I use the
Microsoft Manual of Style and only document what I *don't* follow from its
pages or what is *not* included in its pages. I add to the style sheet on a
case-by-case basis. First time I use footnotes, I add a footnote section (I
haven't used them so far). Until I need to use them, however, I do not worry
about them.

The STC's Judging Evaluation Forms provide some samples on how to clinically
grade technical documentation. (See http://www.stc.org/judging_forms.html.)
These could be used to generate your own list of guidelines for reviewers.

Grammar, Punctuation and Capitalization, A handbook for Technical Writers
and Editors (See http://stipo.larc.nasa.gov/sp7084/sp7084cont.html) by Mary
K. McCaskill
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia is also a good place to start if
you're unsure of your reviewers skills.

The website http://www.comtech-serv.com/ has some good references for
content management/structure - which may give you some more ideas on what
reviewers should be checking in your documentation.

Inspiring Reviewers to Review Your Document by Geoff Hart and
The Inspection Method: An Approach to Planning and Managing a Successful
Team Document Review by Donn Le Vie, Jr. (See
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/magazine/writing/docreviewshomepage.html
for these two articles and more) are great places to start.

Hope this helps.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Rebecca Downey Senior Technical Writer
ITG:NBM Matrox Electronic System
1055 St Regis, Dorval, Quebec, H9P 2T4



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References:
Dockets for proof-reading: From: Gunther Schmidt

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