Newsletter of the East Bay Chapter of STC
January/February 2004

Style Guides: Basic Considerations

by Dara Golden
DMV Contributing Editor

Dara Golden is the former Interim Editor of Connection, the Silicon Valley Chapter’s newsletter.

Many people think that only documentation groups need style guides, as they “write” the documentation. But the documentation group receives information from other groups as well. Should those groups also have writing guidelines? This article poses questions to consider when creating style guides both for documentation writers and writers in other groups.

First and foremost, keep in mind that style guides must

• Be usable—If writers cannot find the information they need quickly, they won’t use the guide.

• Be consistent—If the guide suggests a specific style, ensure that it is followed by the guide itself.

• Not talk down to users—The guide should help, not discourage, writers.

Answering the following questions will help make the style guide more usable and functional for all users.

Who?

• Is the guide just for documentation writers or does it include other groups, such as engineering, marketing, legal, and editing?

• Is the intended audience near (same building) or far (different state, foreign country)?

• Is the guide to be used outside of the company, such as by translators, printers, or graphic artists?

What?

• What is the objective of the guide?

• What is important?

• What basic information is needed? For example:
  • Trademark notations
  • Spelling conventions (e-mail/email)
  • Formatting conventions (Is it NOTE, NOTE:, or Note:?)
  • Grammar reminders (must/should/may/can)
  • Exceptions to standard writing rules (bulleted list punctuation)
    
• Is the guide a stand-alone document or should it refer to outside sources, such as The Chicago Manual of Style or Microsoft Manual of Style?

Where?

• Where will the guide be read: at a computer, offline, or both?

• Are different versions necessary for the different groups that will use the style guide?

When?

• When will the manual be updated?
  • Include changes made between versions.
    

Why?

• Why have a style guide?
  • Stress the importance to groups who need but do not necessarily want to use a style guide.
  • Hold style guide meetings to get people used to the idea and to solicit feedback.

How?

• How will decisions be made about the guide?

• How will the guide be organized?

• How will readers find information quickly? For example, include an index or a well-structured table of contents.

• How can the guide be improved?

Your planning can make the difference in terms of the usability and acceptance of your company’s style guide.

DMV Home | EBSTC | STC | Contact Us

How I Became a Technical Writer | Strategies for Making Change Work | Seasonal Poem
Style Guides | Style Never Goes Out of Style | Ask Elaine | Leaders Needed | Literacy Project | Member Survey