TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Punctuation tips (not that you need them!) From:Sella Rush <sellar -at- APPTECHSYS -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 3 Jun 1999 13:49:04 -0700
We've got a reasonable amount of standardization. We've got Chicago and AP
to refer to. Pick one and stick with it.
The line I found most pertinent in this original post was:
>One of my greatest pet peeves in technical writing is that very few writers
>adhere to proven stylebooks. Everyone seems to do their own thing.
This implies not that standardization doesn't exist, but that no one's
bothering to apply it.
This is a personal weakness of mine. I have a good head for grammar and
punctuation, so I tend to rely on my own knowledge, and worse--my judgement,
rather than checking out the Chicago Manual that sits an arm's length away.
This is something I need improve on. I'm sure I'm not alone.
Sella Rush mailto:sellar -at- apptechsys -dot- com
Applied Technical Systems (ATS)
Bremerton, Washington
Developers of the CCM Database