The Ibm Style Guide

Straight from IBM: complete, proven guidelines for writing consistent, clear, concise, consumable, reusable, and easy to- translate content Brings together everything IBM has learned about writing outstanding technical and business content.

• Designed for students who are getting lost in the details of research methods and not getting the big picture, this short book provides an overview of the essential concepts traditionally covered in a research methods class. •Lively examples on contemporary topics stimulate students’ interest and show the relevance of research methods to their everyday lives. •Divided into short sections, this book makes it easy for you to give customized assignments. Assign only the sections your students need. •Shows students how to interpret statistics without computations. •Factual Questions at the end of each section allow students to check their comprehension. •Questions for Discussion stimulate classroom dialogue. • New to this edition: Five new sections on in-text citations and reference lists have been added. Numerous changes have also been made for consistency with the latest editions of the APA and ASA Style manuals, and new examples have been added.

&>The Start-to-Finish, Best-Practice Guide to Implementing and Using DITA Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is today's most powerful toolbox for constructing information. By implementing DITA, organizations can gain more value from their technical documentation than ever before. Now, three DITA pioneers offer the first complete roadmap for successful DITA adoption, implementation, and usage. Drawing on years of experience helping large organizations adopt DITA, the authors answer crucial questions the "official" DITA documents ignore, including: Where do you start? What should you know up front? What are the pitfalls in implementing DITA? How can you avoid those pitfalls? The authors begin with topic-based writing, presenting proven best practices for developing effective topics and short descriptions. Next, they address content architecture, including how best to set up and implement DITA maps, linking strategies, metadata, conditional processing, and content reuse. Finally, they offer "in the trenches" solutions for ensuring quality implementations, including guidance on content conversion. Coverage includes: Knowing how and when to use each DITA element-and when not to Writing "minimalist," task-oriented information that quickly meets users' needs Creating effective task, concept, and reference topics for any product, technology, or service Writing effective short descriptions that work well in all contexts Structuring DITA maps to bind topics together and provide superior navigation Using links to create information webs that improve retrievability and navigation Gaining benefits from metadata without getting lost in complexity Using conditional processing to eliminate redundancy and rework Systematically promoting reuse to improve quality and reduce costs Planning, resourcing, and executing effective content conversion Improving quality by editing DITA content and XML markup If you're a writer, editor, information architect, manager, or consultant who evaluates, deploys, or uses DITA, this book will guide you all the way to success. Also see the other books in this IBM Press series: Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors The IBM Style Guide: Conventions for Writers and Editors

Develop a Quality Management System to Support Learner and Organizational Goals Quality management is collectively all the activities and processes that ensure your learning products meet the standard your organization is committed to. All errors have consequences that compromise that standard. Organizational outcomes are compromised if learners can’t complete e-learning courses due to navigation errors like broken hyperlinks or slides with buttons leading nowhere. Stakeholders and subject matter experts are embarrassed when learners walk away confused and with no clue how the content helps them with their job. Some learners are excluded from the experience entirely if accessibility measures aren’t in place. And so on. In Quality Management in Learning and Development, you will learn to mitigate negative consequences. Go beyond checklists for correcting typos and incorrect branding, and instead consider the bigger picture. Define your organizational standard for quality, and learn how to create your own quality management system to support it. Explore how ultimately everyone is responsible for quality, and implement guidelines and policies that keep people accountable. Make sure everyone has the tools, templates, and support they need to support the standard’s guidelines. This book equips you with resources and insights from the field that are ready for you to adapt to your own organization. For instructional designers and managers of the learning function, and even for the resource-strapped department of one, this book can help you step off the hamster wheel of fretful last-minute checks and re-work. Instead step into a proactive process that facilitates quality and results. Rather than agonizing over a broken hyperlink in an already-launched presentation when you’ve moved onto the next urgent project, feel confident in the quality management system that helps you and your stakeholders produce successful content from the outset.

An updated edition of the classic guide to technical communication Consider that 20 to 50 percent of a technology professional's time is spent communicating with others. Whether writing a memo, preparing a set of procedures, or making an oral presentation, effective communication is vital to your professional success. This anthology delivers concrete advice from the foremost experts on how to communicate more effectively in the workplace. The revised and expanded second edition of this popular book completely updates the original, providing authoritative guidance on communicating via modern technology in the contemporary work environment. Two new sections on global communication and the Internet address communicating effectively in the context of increased e-mail and web usage. As in the original, David Beer's Second Edition discusses a variety of approaches, such as: * Writing technical documents that are clear and effective * Giving oral presentations more confidently * Using graphics and other visual aids judiciously * Holding productive meetings * Becoming an effective listener The new edition also includes updated articles on working with others to get results and on giving directions that work. Each article is aimed specifically at the needs of engineers and others in the technology professions, and is written by a practicing engineer or a technical communicator. Technical engineers, IEEE society members, and technical writing teachers will find this updated edition of David Beer's classic Writing and Speaking in the Technology Professions an invaluable guide to successful communication.

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 A brand new collection of state-of-the-art insights for technical writers, editors, and content managers…in a convenient e-format, at a great price! Three outstanding IBM Press eBooks plus exclusive video walkthroughs help you maximize the value and effectiveness of your technical communications—in all media, for all audiences, everywhere! (Enhanced eBook) This package brings together unsurpassed IBM eBook and video resources for creating clearer, more usable, more effective technical communication. For one low price, you get three outstanding IBM Press books in industry-standard ePub format, plus exclusive video demonstrations walking through many key topics and techniques on DITA, step-by-step! The IBM Style Guide: Conventions for Writers and Editors distills IBM’s best wisdom for developing higher-quality content across all media, authors, and geographic locations. It delivers up-to-the minute guidance on topic-based writing; writing for diverse media and global audiences; organizing, structuring, and linking information; maximizing accessibility; documenting interfaces and procedures; and much more. Next, in DITA Best Practices: A Roadmap for Writing, Editing, and Architecting in DITA , three pioneering implementers show how to use DITA to maximize the value of technical documentation, and offer a complete roadmap for successful DITA adoption and usage. The authors answer crucial questions “official” DITA documents ignore, including: “Where do you start?” and “How do you avoid the pitfalls?” Discover proven best practices for developing effective topics, short descriptions, and content architecture, plus “in-the-trenches” solutions for ensuring quality implementations and accurate, cost-effective content conversion, including video demonstrations. Finally, Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors , Second Edition, presents today’s most systematic, well-proven approach to creating great documentation. Learn how to focus on the right tasks and topics; say more with fewer words; use organization to deliver faster access; streamline and improve reviews; and much more. Packed with before-and-after examples, illustrations, and checklists, this book addresses crucial topics ranging from internationalization to retrievability to visual effectiveness. Whether you’re a writer, editor, reviewer, or manager, if you want to create outstanding content, you’ll find this collection absolutely indispensable. From expert IBM and IBM Press publication professionals Francis DeRespinis, Peter Hayward, Jana Jenkins, Amy Laird, Leslie McDonald, Eric Radzinski, Laura Bellamy, Michelle Carey, Jenifer Schlotfeldt, Gretchen Hargis, Ann Kilty Hernandez, Polly Hughes, Deirdre Longo, Shannon Rouiller, and Elizabeth Wilde. Important note: Due to the incredibly rich media included in your enhanced eBook, you may experience longer than usual download times. Please be patient while your product is delivered.

IBM was the world’s leading provider of information technologies for much of the twentieth century. What made it so successful for such a long time, and what lessons can this iconic corporation teach present-day enterprises? James W. Cortada—a business historian who worked at IBM for many years—pinpoints the crucial role of IBM’s corporate culture. He provides an inside look at how this culture emerged and evolved over the course of nearly a century, bringing together the perspectives of employees, executives, and customers around the world. Through a series of case studies, Inside IBM explores the practices that built and reinforced organizational culture, including training of managers, employee benefits, company rituals, and the role of humor. It also considers the importance of material culture, such as coffee mugs and lapel pins. Cortada argues that IBM’s corporate culture aligned with its business imperatives for most of its history, allowing it to operate with a variety of stakeholders in mind and not simply prioritize stockholders. He identifies key lessons that managers can learn from IBM’s experience and apply in their own organizations today. This engaging and deeply researched book holds many insights for business historians, executives and managers concerned with stakeholder relations, professionals interested in corporate culture, and IBMers.

The #1 Guide to Excellence in Technical Communication—Fully Updated for Embedded Assistance, Mobile, Search, Multimedia, and More Direct from IBM’s own content design experts, this guide shows you how to design product interfaces and technical information that always place users front and center. This edition has been fully revised to help you consistently deliver the right content at the right time. You’ll master today’s best practices to apply nine essential characteristics of high-quality technical information: accuracy, clarity, completeness, concreteness, organization, retrievability, style, task orientation, and visual effectiveness. Coverage Includes Advocating for users throughout the entire product development process Delivering information in an ordered manner by following progressive disclosure techniques Optimizing content so that users can find it from anywhere Streamlining information for mobile delivery Helping users right where they are Whether you’re a writer, editor, information architect, user experience professional, or reviewer, this book shows you how to create great technical information, from the product design to the user interface, topics, and other media. Thoroughly revised and updated Extensive new coverage of self-documenting interfaces and embedded assistance Updated practical guidelines and checklists Hundreds of new examples