Checks You Can Do Yourself
You can do a variety of checks on your writing during the development of your documentation, in the following areas.
- 5.2.1. Top-Level Checks
- 5.2.2. Top Ten Topics to Watch Out For
5.2.1. Top-Level Checks
You can perform the following top-level checks regularly during documentation development:
-
Wordcount
As soon as a sentence or a procedure step starts to look suspiciously long, do a wordcount. See Section 1.2 ― Golden Rules, Golden Rule 1.
-
Spellcheck
Run regular spellchecks. Make sure that agreed terms from Appendix A ― Recommended Terminology are in your spellchecker dictionary.
-
Pronouns search
Search for the following pronouns:
- It
- They
- Them
If you find any of the above pronouns, rewrite the sentences to eliminate the pronoun.
5.2.2. Top Ten Topics to Watch Out For
The following table lists the top ten topics that you need to watch out for when you review your work, or when you perform a peer review for a colleague. Review the documentation against the typical problem areas listed in the table. The problem areas in the table are not exhaustive, you may encounter more pitfalls during your review. The table provides you with cues so that you can review your work with these topics and problem areas in mind. You can find advice about how to deal with these topics in other sections of this style guide.
Topic | Typical Problem Areas |
---|---|
Accuracy |
|
Clarity |
|
Editorial |
|
Grammar and Syntax |
|
Graphics |
|
Information Design |
|
Legal |
|
Punctuation |
|
Style and Usage |
|
Tone |
|