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As a Technical Writer, I like to call the Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications my “bible and official reference” because it covers such an incredible range of topics. Many writers prefer to call Webster’s Dictionary and/or Thesaurus their “bible” however, for me, technical publications is far too dynamic for this. A technical writer is not just a literary participant. A technical writer is merging extremely sophisticated technical terminologies with the standard English language, or whatever language the writer has to face. So, there is a greater need to understand how to relate technical terminologies with standardized language. In addition, a systematic approach to writing is needed. I know that many people do not like Microsoft for many reasons, but at this point of computer evolution, let us say, Microsoft has done a formidable job with their online help and documentation, and it really is quite thorough and impressive. So, Microsoft has set a good standard for technical publications in general, and for the average technical writer on the market, they are a good example to follow or at least watch.

The following are the chapters of the Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications:

1. Documenting The User Interface
Screen Terminology
Dialog Boxes and Property Sheets
Unnamed Buttons
Menus and Commands
Control Panel
Mouse Terminologies
Messages
Key Names
Command Syntax
File Names and Extensions

2. Content Formatting and Layout
Art, Captions and Callouts
Cross-References
Document Conventions
Headings and Subheadings
Line Breaks
Lists
Marginal Notes
Page Breaks
Tables
Notes and Tips

3. Global Content
Global Art
Examples and Scenarios
Word Choices
Technical Terms
Jargon
Foreign Words and Phrases
Time and Place
Names and Contact Information
Fonts
Web, Software and HTML Issues
Additional Globalization Resources

4. Content for Software Developers
Reference Documentation
Code Comments
Code Formatting
Code Formatting Conventions
Coding Styles
Logical Operators
COM, ActiveX, and OLE Terminologies

5. Web Content
Titles of Web Pages
Descriptions of Web Pages
HTML Tag, Element, and Attribute Styling
XML Tag, Element, and Attribute Styling

6. Indexing and Attributing
Indexing
Keywords
Online Index Entries

7. Tone and Rhetoric
Tone and the Reader
Bias-Free Communication
Parallelism
Anthropormorphism
Humor

8. Accessible Content
Accessible Appendix
Accessible Web Pages
Accessible Writing
Accessible Graphics and Design
Accessible Terminology
Accessible Resources

9. Common Style Problems
Procedures
Dates
Capitalization
Measurements
Numbers
Protocols
Names of Special Characters
Telephone Numbers
Time Zones
URLs
Companies and Product Names
Version Identifiers
Readme Files and Release Notes
Bibliographies
Title of Publications

10. Grammatical Elements
Verbs and Verb Forms
Person
Noun Plural
Possessives
Prepositions
Prefixes
Dangling Modifiers

11. Punctuation
Formatting Punctuation
Periods
Commas
Apostrophes
Colons
Semicolons
Quotation Marks
Parentheses
Hyphens
Dashes
Ellipses
Slash Marks

12. Technical Terms & Dictionary

If I had to rate this book on a scale of ten, then it would get at least a nine (9) and possibly a ten (10). So, for those of you who work with Technical Publications, I challenge you to order a copy of this book for yourself to see just how far it can take you to make your work shine and receive suddenly new reviews, attention, and fame! All the best, Keith

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