COM130 Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Ch. 4
Contents
1. 1 2 Is my document long enough to require an abstract or summary before the text 21 3 Does my document require a table of contents A list of illustrations 1 4 Would separate chapter title pages be appropriate 1 5 Have I numbered my front matter pages with lowercase Roman numerals LJ 6 Does my document require a glossary Q 7 Should I include an appendix or exhibits to add information that is helpful but not vital to the text T 8 Does my document require a bibliography Footnotes 1 9 Does my work warrant an index m 10 Have I numbered my back matter correctly Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 145 PRODUCTION DECISIONS CQ 1 Is 8 X 11 paper appropriate or should I use a different paper size 2 2 Is the quality of the paper appropriate 2 3 Should I orient any text sidewards 2 4 Have I considered tabs for sections 1 5 Have I considered fanfolds or appropriate bindings 2 6 Does the document packaging require flaps pockets perforations or windows EXERCISES 1 Headings Rewrite these headings to make them parallel Do not use the noun phrases that are in this chapter What Are My2. Contesting the Objectivist Paradigm Gender Issues in the Technical and Professional Curriculum IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 36 3 1993 114 23 Brown Stuart C Rhetoric Ethical Codes and the Revival of Ethos Nox JRA ed ADAP I Oa Dialect FIGURE 4 11 Sample works cited bibliography listing From Gerald Savage Redefining the Responsibilities of Teachers and the Social Position of the Techni cal Communicator Technical Communication Quarterly Vol 5 No 3 Summer 1996 p 325 An index is an alphabetized listing along with the page references of all of the key subject terms used in your document It differs from a table of contents in that it will contain all of the key terms and their page references occurring throughout the text not just the chapter headings It enables the reader to locate all of the references to a particular term quickly Some software has tools to help you prepare an index You type in the terms set the directions for a manuscript search and the computer generates a complete index If you generate your own index use 3 X 5 index cards which can be alphabetized for quick reference Review the entire manuscript writing down each term to be indexed on a separate card along with the page number Each time a term is used again through out the text include the page or pages 17 19 24 on the appropriate card You may even subordinate material under a particular key term
3. Designing and Producing Documents and Presentations DILBERT TINA THE TECHNICAL WRITER TO INSERT A COLUMN CLICK THE COLUMN INSERT MENU www unitedmedia com S Adams BUT LET S BE HONEST USERBOY IF YOU NEED TO BE TOLD THAT YOU RE TOO STUPID TO USE THIS PRODUCT DILBERT reprinted by permission of United Feature Syndicate Inc 114 S E z o s 2 v gt a e z o uw El 2 EI o Ei e E Sg n S HAVE YOU REVIEWED THE DRAFT YET by Scott Adams I M UP TO THE CHAPTER TITLED DUH Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 115 See After studying this chapter you should be able to cU ED E a zi 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Name at least ten elements of document design Recognize and use a number of layout designs with spatial variations Recognize and use tabs and columns to enhance a document Use variable line lengths leading and kerning where necessary Understand the value and use of headings in various type sizes and fonts Recognize and use a number of fonts such as Arial Helvetica Times New Roman and Goudy Know when to u
4. Text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text VIRUS REMOVAL Text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text PREVENTING INFECTION Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text Text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text t
5. XX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXX 00 Xxxx 0000 XXXX XXXXX XX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXX The To From Date and Subject lines are usually followed by a partial cut off line to separate the control data from the text which is usually pre sented in block paragraphs The memo design is just one possibility of space designed to organize materials Tabs and Columns Subordinated text is easy to handle by presetting tabs so that just a click or two moves the cursor to the correct spot Most word processors have pre set half inch tabs all across a line saving the writer the time of establish ing indentations These may be changed with just a few clicks Columns are another way to display text Usually two columns suf fice and can be set like newspaper columns or with parallel parts opposite each other or with block protects at the sides of text Columns can be of Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 123 equal or unequal widths as can the spaces between the columns Further you can divide the columns by vertical lines or not Charts graphics tables photographs and other artwork can be dragged by your cursor or moved around by tabs and placed into co
6. Your computer will contain some basic clip art pictures and pho tographs that can be placed in your documents by just a click or two of your mouse Computer software may be purchased that provides thousands of clip art clips of objects people flags U S and world maps and places symbols and so on Figures 4 4 and 4 5 show typical clip art and photos available on most word processing software Photographs are most useful to show people and equipment partic ularly in operating manuals You can scan a photo into your computer and then crop out distracting elements prepare overlays by using arrows letters Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 132 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FIGURE 4 5 Typical photos available on word processing software or numbers to point to certain elements or retouch it to emphasize certain details Here are some more tips for photographs e Black and white photos show more contrast and may work better than color e fincluding a photograph of a piece of equipment it may help to show a hand holding it or a pencil pointing to a part of it to give it scale e An actual scale in yards feet inches microns or other standards may be placed under or beside an object to indicate exact measurements If you are going t
7. by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 119 Document Design with Emphatic Features HEADING Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text 1 Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text 2 Text text text text text text 3 Text text text text text text text text text text Subheading Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text Text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Subheading Text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text CAUTION Text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text
8. Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc PART1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES This list is then titled Index and included as the final back matter in your document Figure 4 12 shows a partial index from a previous edition of this textbook A Abbreviations 524 26 Abstracts See also Summaries descriptive 298 300 informative 298 300 library 300 386 90 placement in reports 298 samples 299 300 301 304 308 writing of 295 298 300 301 304 308 Abstract words 4 11 Accessing information See Research reports Accident reports See Incident reports Adjectives 488 91 Adverbs 488 90 Advertising flyers 4 Agreement pronoun antecedent 33 498 501 subject verb 33 496 98 American Psychological Association APA style See Author Date doc umentation style Asterisks 18 Attention lines 201 Audience Receiver See also You perspective advanced novice 8 characteristics 8 9 general 4 5 6 in brief reports 253 54 in definitions 106 in instructions 149 in manuals 86 88 in mechanism descriptions 125 126 in oral reports 462 63 in process analysis 166 169 in professional reports 348 49 in proposals 310 11 Author card 381 82 Author Date documentation style internal references 429 reference lists 422 25
9. a ragged right edge or full text justification 21 6 Is my line length and line spacing appropriate 2 7 Do my margins and indentations indicate major and subordinated material 2 8 Have I used headings to chunk major and subordinate divisions of the text 21 9 Are my headings parallel noun phrases questions naming of actions etc 21 10 Have I used varied type sizes to indicate major and subordinate headings 21 11 Have I used appropriate fonts for chapter headings major and subordinate headings and other material 2 12 Have I organized material into appropriate lists plain numbered or bulleted Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 144 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES 1 13 Have I used emphatic features to advantage boldface italics underlining all capitals small capitals and dropped capitals 2 14 Have I used windows symbols icons or reversed type for emphasis and or eye appeal 21 15 Have I used color appropriately and effectively T 16 Have I used clip art photographs or drawings effectively L1 17 Have I considered borders fills and watermarks 21 18 Have I added headers and footers appropriately PRESENTATION FEATURES 1 1 Does my document require a separate title page
10. block format with flush margins both left and right is used throughout most of this textbook for the explanatory paragraphs but a ragged right margin is used in the examples Actually the ragged right helps readers to track the text and keep their place Full justified text may also cause excessive white space when the extra spacing between words kerning forms noticeable white rivers running down the page Full justi fication is used most often in textbooks brochures newspaper columns and some flyers In many technical texts important copy is signaled by structural lev els in the document Robert Kramer and Stephen A Bernhardt explain e Subordinated block indents from the left signal content structure and use white space effectively e Any indent pattern beyond two levels of subordination becomes merely decorative and most probably useless to the reader e Actually the reader is likely to lose track of the level he she is on so the focus is lost e An indent cue that the reader doesn t understand only confuses that reader Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 127 Lists Numbers Bullets Often your material will suggest a textual list By organizing materi
11. headings that name actions ask or answer questions or list steps Con sider the following headings WHAT ARE THE PARTS OF MY COMMUNICATION WHAT ARE MY STRENGTHS AS A SENDER WHAT ARE THE NEEDS OF MY RECEIVER PREWRITING THE DOCUMENT Brainstorming the Topics Writing the Outline Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 125 Another design concept concerns type sizes and typefaces called fonts on your computer The upper group of sample headings here are in 17 and 14 point Helvetica and the bottom three are in 14 point Eurostyle boldface Your computer software may offer over 125 typeface fonts how ever you can buy software to add hundreds more fonts including scripts stencils symbols foreign alphabets such as Cyrillic Greek Arabic and more Most word processing programs offer type size options from 4 point to 72 point or more Familiarize yourself with your fonts and type sizes In determining the desired fonts for your documents consider the company preference the need for clarity the space available the purpose of each document and the tone you want to convey You also have a choice of using serif or sans serif fonts Straight edge fonts are called sa
12. permission Corel and WordPerfect are registered trademarks of Corel Corporation or Corel Corporation Limited in Canada the United States and other countries Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 122 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Your word processor can achieve the following document design options e Space e Tabs and columns e Line length leading and kerning Headings type sizes and fonts Margins indentations and justifications e Lists numbers and bullets Emphatic features icons reversed text Color including highlights e Borders fills watermarks Clip art photos and drawing capabilities e Headers and footers Space Design your pages with visual patterns that help readers find understand and remember information Chunking organizing the text into separate small units queuing visually indicating levels of text importance and fil tering visually distinguishing various text types achieve these helpful patterns These techniques result in positive ink filled and negative white space by the use of indentations headings subheadings numbered or bulleted items boxed warnings and the like Spacing provides many visual clues for the reader You probably rec ognize the following as a memo
13. samples 426 431 32 poe P M MU E NEN E FIGURE 4 12 Sample partial index page PRODUCTION DECISIONS Production decisions include the size of the paper the quality of the paper the orientation on the page watermarks borders folds or bindings flaps and pockets and perforations and windows Each of these entities must be considered before the final publication of your document Factors that determine the size of the paper include the purpose of the document its intended distribution and the size of packaging for the prod uct the document is supporting Most in house documents those to be read by colleagues and management in your organization proposals Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 141 professional articles and book manuscripts call for the usual 8 7 x 11 paper A book or journal publisher will determine the size of a published page If the document is a user manual a set of instructions or a set of spec ifications the size of the paper may vary If the document is to accompany a product the size is determined by the size of the packaging You no doubt have a collection of user manuals in your possession Note how the size varies f
14. shipping from the factory e Symbols gt may be used sparingly for emphasis e Icons which are pictures images or other representations m 53 v may provide emphasis and eye appeal but must be used sparingly They are more appropriate in manuals fliers brochures newsletters and so forth rather than in letters reports and proposals Inverse text sometimes called reversed text is the printing of white or light letters on a black shaded or colored background It helps readers access information Tip Use Inverse Text Sparingly Color Color is also used for emphasis to make words or phrases stand out such as red for Danger or DO NOT warnings Color is often also used for document titles and headings to make them more accessible to readers Color may also highlight a company logo or be used for the lines of boxed information to draw attention to its contents Bright dark colors provide more contrast to the surrounding text than do pastels If color is used in text the font and type size must be bold enough not to be overshadowed by the Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 129 color Notice that a colored or shaded back
15. space that works well for ad copy marketing infor mation or a sophisticated annual report IN THIS EXAMPLE THE TYPE IS 10 POINT GIOVANNI WITH THE SEC OND LINE SET ONLY THREE QUARTERS OF A SPACE BELOW THE FIRST IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO READ BUT COULD BE USED WHEN SPACE IS AT A PREMIUM AND THE CONTENT IS NOT VITAL In this example the type is 8 point double spaced Arial providing perhaps more leading than necessary but it is very easy to read Rule of thumb the larger the font size the less leading is needed As a student of technical writing you need only be aware of the possibili ties Experiment with your documents for the most readable leading or line spacing Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 124 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Kerning is an advanced design tool that allows a typesetter to adjust the spacing between letters That space can be open or tight The letters AVW as typed on a word processor appear to vary the spacing but this is due only to the oblique rather than rectangular shapes of A V and W Due to their roundness the letters O and Q often appear to be openly kerned but they are not A series of lines beginning with capital letters may not line up to the eye on the left margin because of their different sh
16. text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text HEADING Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text White Space amp Headings Chunk Documents Divisions at a Glance HEADING Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Subheading Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Tex
17. your text before beginning a new document Save your text before beginning a new document Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 128 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Save your text BEFORE beginning a new document The words save and before are the words requiring emphasis The first ex ample provides none and is not an effective instruction The second ex ample ignores before The third and fourth are acceptable but the fifth is overdone Excessive use of these elements will make your document a meaningless hodgepodge ALL CAPITALS are used for major headings and for emphasizing im portant words such as WARNING DANGER CAUTION or NOTE Use them sparingly SMALL CAPITALS are frequently used to indicate that a word in the text is in cluded in a glossary Glossaries are discussed in this chapter The COLLATERAL is insufficient to secure the loan ropped capitals are more decorative than emphatic but may begin a En in a poster flier or brochure e A window will set off a caution warning or note to make it emphatic as in Note Initial startup operation may result in minimal smell and smoke about 15 min This is normal It is due to the protective substance on heating ele ments that protects them from salt effects during
18. 25 CHANNEL AUTOSCAN Model 33012 OWNER S MANUAL INSTALLATION AND OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE READ THIS MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE USE KEEP FOR YOUR REFERENCE For Getting Started Information please see Installation Instructions on page 8 or your separate Quick Start guide HELP LINE 1 800 338 1694 OUTSIDE THE U S A CALL 1 212 242 6978 91995 BellSouth Corporation FIGURE 4 7 Sample title page for a user manual By permission of BellSouth Products Inc vy SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 135 Arts and Entertainment Programs manman mara land por vanno Michael eu anat HOMETO mret oR UINTEDI INTERNATIONAL jno m Vumil INSTITUTE I t H j um THE STUDY ends of th e Muse uum OF Artera V Entert m nmen WMUNICATIONS A PROPOSAL FIGURE 4 8 Sample title pages utilizing a variety of document design options By permission of Mark DeJanon the major headings and the subordinate headings Use spaced dots to con nect the heading with the beginning page number of that section If your document contains illustrations graphics photos maps etc include a separate listing entitled List of Illustrations below the table of contents or on the next page Include the illustration number and title and then connect that material with spaced dots to the exact page reference Professional an
19. Document Design Options Is Spacing a Factor Understanding Chunking Queuing and Filtering You Must Consider Tabs and Columns Determining Line Length Leading and Kerning What About Headings Typesizes and Fonts Are My Margins and Indentations Understandable Lists Numbers Bullets Should I Include Emphatic Features What About Borders and Fills Do My Colors Convey Information The Reasons for Headers and Footers Margins Indentations Justifications 2 Fonts Which fonts would you consider appropriate for headings Why a WRITING THE DEFINITION e WRITING THE DEFINITION b WRITING THE DEFINITION f WRITING THE DEFINITION c WRITING THE DEFINITION g WRITING THE DEFINITION d WRITING THE DEFINITION h WRITING THE DEFINITION Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 146 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES 3 Justification Name the major reason for using ragged right text print ing 4 Emphatic Features Which of the following uses of emphatic fea tures do you think is the most effective Why a Press the PAUSE key to record a cassette tape b Press the pause key TO RECORD a cassette tape c PRESS the pause key to record a cassette tape d Press the PAUSE key to record a cassette tape 5 Presentation Features Answer true or
20. G AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 117 Chunking Queuing and Filtering Design your pages with visual patterns that aid the readers in finding un derstanding and remembering information This is done by chunking queuing and filtering Chunking involves placing related material in a rec ognizable pattern separating information with headings double spacing be tween paragraphs and so on Queuing visually distinguishes text of varying levels of importance Examples include outlining or using bigger type or boldface type for the most important information or aligning the more important information closer to the left margin and indenting less important information in chunks Filtering involves using visual patterns to distinguish various types of information Examples of chunking queuing and filtering are evident in the sample document designs see pages 118 121 which illustrate just a few of many document design possibilities and incorporate the points to be discussed in this chapter Uninteresting Gray Document Designs Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text
21. IES Ring or Spiral Loose Leaf E Perfect FIGURE 4 13 Bindings Bindings by Heather Schaefer ArtsyToo Creations Reprinted by permission of the artist pockets if you foresee that additional material may be forthcoming Per forations and windows may be decorative or functional Consider how you might present a set of brief instructions on a card board format with a per foration to hang on a doorknob Windows from one page to the next are a dramatic means of focusing attention on the framed material You must consider all these options even if your document is being published by a professional Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc vy SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 143 CHEC KLIST Document Design Presentation Features and Final Production DOCUMENT DESIGN FOR VISUAL MEANING 21 1 Have I designed my document by adding visual meaning 21 2 Does my use of positive and negative space columns horizontal lines borders boxes queuing and so on chunk the sections of my document to make it easier to read and to access 21 3 Are my margins appropriate and do they leave enough room on the sides top and bottom 2 4 Have I centered any material J 5 Should I use
22. ING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 137 title place them on the first page of the chapter so as not to waste space Notice that the chapter title pages in this textbook include art work Back Matter Back matter or supplements to the body of the document may include a glossary an appendix a bibliography and an index They are placed at the back of the document in the order listed above and numbered consec utively continuing from the document body A glossary is an alphabetized list of definitions of words used within your document that may not be understood by the general reading public Title the first page Glossary and list the unnumbered words below If there are only a few five or so specialized terms used in your document in clude the definitions within the text or in a footnote at the bottom of the page where the word occurs If you use a separate glossary you may want to use small caps for the word or place a star after the term within the text when it is first used All terms may not be technical but may include laypersons terms that you are using in a special sense within your document In this report a cell is a small group acting as a unit within a larger organization In structions for writing simple and expanded definitions appear in Chapter 7 Within the glossary boldface or underline the term and add either a colon or extra white space before the definition Include the glossary in the listing of the
23. Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Dense blocks of text without headings text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text chunking separi ating white Spaces text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text and other design elements pr esent a text text text text text visually dull page that is too dense In Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text this example except for paragraph Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text indentations white space is not used text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text to chunk sections text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text te
24. ages and shapes to present a single communication unit also requires overall document design Attention must be given to the layout of the documents their special presentation features and their production options You or your collaborative team will have considered and taken ad vantage of incorporating illustrative graphs and other visuals as you wrote your rough draft and then edited and revised the document Now you make decisions about the page layout spacing headings fonts type sizes emphatic features boldface italics underlining small capitals symbols inverse text and color borders fills watermarks and headers and foot ers You will also need to make decisions about whether to include a title page a table of contents a glossary an index or other presentation fea tures Finally you need to make production decisions regarding the size and quality of the paper the page orientation bindings flaps pockets and so on DOCUMENT DESIGN OPTIONS It used to be that simply typing a double spaced document in Times New Roman 12 point font using one inch margins all around and indenting new paragraphs five spaces sufficed for most documents But word proces sors desktop publishing software and other page design programs are fo cusing more attention on text design The first page layout on page 117 does not invite nor aid the readers such layout may be useful for scholarly journals and academic papers but for letter
25. al into lists the content becomes emphasized and highly visual Examine your text to extract lists and then write them in parallel structure indent them from the rest of the text and consider numbering or bulleting each item In fact what I have just written suggests a list Organize the items Write each item in parallel structure Indent the list from the text margin Consider numbering or bulleting each item Some lists reflect chronology or time sequence 1 Liftthe handset to turn on your phone 2 Start your conversation 3 Place the handset in the base unit to turn off your phone Numbers are visual clues for your reader to indicate unquestionable order Lists that do not necessarily indicate a chronology may be bulleted as in Definitions Mechanism Descriptions e Instructions Process Analysis Very often a list may become the headings of text sections Software may include a variety of bullet options q x v 9 Emphatic Features Icons Reversed Text Emphatic features are those that style your text such as boldface italics underlining all capitals small capitals dropped caps and icons Other emphatic features include windows symbols icons reversed text and color Boldface italics underlining and SMALL CAPITALS are used for action verbs and emphasis Consider the following five sentences Save your text before beginning a new document Save your text before beginning a new document Save
26. apes but they can be adjusted Word processing options on your format menu usually include word letter spacing and manual kerning capabilities Reliance on a little kerning rather than trusting the eye can make a poster or flyer look more professional Line length leading and kerning considerations will help you to pro duce carefully fitted highly readable copy in your documents Headings Type Sizes Fonts Headings are not just decorative They can Break up continuous text Indicate to the reader coherent sections of text Provide a clue to the upcoming content Look at the headings in this and other chapters The various sizes in dicate major divisions first level subparts and even third level subparts Notice too that the first and second level headings are printed in color but third level headings are all capitals in boldface black Look at the head ings in the sample document design pages where all of the major headings are capitalized boldface letters and subordinate levels are indicated by uppercase and lowercase boldface letters More than three levels of head ings may tend to confuse the reader and so must be used cautiously You may also design your headings with white space clues Generally there are more blank lines above a heading than after Judicious use of headings breaks up the gray text and makes the document more coher ent and accessible The headings in this textbook are noun phrases but you may use
27. d Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 136 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Finally list tables separate from figures all other graphics photos maps etc Figure 4 9 is an example of a table of contents for a proposal You may wish to include an abstract or summary a concise review of the parent document Title this item Abstract or Summary and place it after the table of contents Abstracts and summaries are discussed at length and samples are provided in Chapter 15 If the material is divided into separate chapters you will want to con sider separate introductory chapter title pages If the chapter title page is to include artwork or other significant prefatory material use a separate chapter title page If there is nothing other than the chapter number and TABLE OF CONTENTS Findings PROPOSAL LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Exhibit 1 Table of Number of Employees Needed 11 Exhibit 2 Customer Call Log Appendix A Employee Opinion Survey FIGURE 4 9 Sample table of contents for a proposal Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGN
28. d to indicate its secondary importance in the text In this sophisticated example from a word processing user manual white space is used effectively to chunk sections of the text the tip notation the actual directions the sample pages and specific directions at the bottom of the page In addition icons arrows partial cutoff lines boldface type and varying type sizes filter the content to distinguish various types of information These visual patterns are repeated throughout the manual Line length and ragged right hand margins make the text easy to read Corel WordPerfect User Manual c 1996 Corel Corporation All rights reserved Used Build Prompts When editing a template do not 25s How do display a different Toolbar for the amp template document First you must copy a Toolbar to the template Click Copy Remove Object on the Templates feature bar then select Toolbars from the delete or modify any of the Object Type pop up list Select the Toolbar you want and click Copy prompts without using the Build Click Close when you re done copying objects you want to use in your Prompts feature template Next click the Associate button on the Templates feature bar Select Main to attach the Toolbar to the main editing window then select the Toolbar you want to use from the Toolbars drop down list You can also assign Toolbars menu bars and keyboards to selected WordPerfect features with
29. document confusion and distress Determine if your company has a color style sheet or develop your own Consider the color wheel as shown in Figure 4 2 The colors that are opposite to one another on the wheel are called complementary colors and are frequently used together to give the best contrast between colors Red blue and yellow are considered primary col ors and when mixed in equal parts produce the secondary colors green purple and orange By mixing primary and secondary colors you can de velop any number of hues that differ in intensity Consider also the texture and color of the paper on which your col ored material may be printed Paper quality can drastically distort your colors so you must test the material before printing a final draft Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 130 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Orange FIGURE 4 2 Traditional color wheel indicating complementary colors Courtesy of Robert L Gall Borders Fills Watermarks Full page borders fills and watermarks are other design elements Bor ders are not usually used in technical writing except perhaps for title pages They may be plain lines or thin thick double or shadowed lines Fancy borders seldom used in technical writing include ribbon effect
30. er of fac tors such as simplicity unity emphasis balance and legibility Rehearse your speech a number of times before you actually give it Practice before a mirror and use a tape recorder If possible give your speech to a small group of friends Ask them to assess your poise eye contact voice ges tures and rate Your voice should be conversational confident and en thusiastic Avoid a monotonous sound at all costs Vary your pitch and intensity Monitor the volume and rate of your speech Judge the quality of your voice Are you shrill nasal raspy breathy growly Critique a Document Design Photocopy two pages from another textbook or a user manual that you feel exemplifies quality document design Write a memo explaining why you feel the format helps con vey meaning Be specific in your references to all of the discussed de sign options Use your own document design elements in the memo Table of Contents and List of Illustrations Write a table of contents and list of illustrations for this chapter Index Select a partner among your classmates and prepare an index for just this chapter Collaborative Project Join the same students you worked with on collaborative Writing Projects 4 and 5 in Chapter 2 Select one of the papers and reproduce it with document design elements to enhance the meaning of the document Submit both documents Collaborative Project Forma team of three or four classmates Locate a user manual f
31. ext text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text In WordPerfect Help search for Create a Custom Letterhead Template To promote your company s image you may want to create your own letterhead template with your company logo Need More Help gt To create a letter template click File New Options New Template Click Build Prompts to create prompts that appear when you open the template Select the prompt you want to insert and click Paste If you want to create a new prompt click Add type the prompt name then click OK template create Click Graphics Image to add a company logo Paste prompts in your document that will appear when you open the template Click here to paste your personal information from the Address Book into the template Prompts are displayed in your template document as square brackets for information you fill in when you open the template or as angle brackets lt gt for personal information stored in the Address Book DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 121 In this example the title is landscaped presented sideways and underlined Boldface capital headings and white space chunk the text Paragraphs are flush left against the margin but ragged in the right margin Some material is queue
32. false to the following statements a Alltechnical report documents require a separate title page b Atable of contents is useful for a document that is eight or more pages long c A list of illustrations should be used for graphics exhibits and other visuals d Alltechnical documents require a glossary e The glossary is not listed in the table of contents f If there are only a few technical terms they may be defined within the text g A bibliography is an alphabetized list of all of the works you con sulted in your document preparation h An index is a list of page references chapter by chapter 6 SizeofPaper Locate a user manual that is not printed on 8 7 X 11 paper State three reasons why you believe it is the size it is Submit it or a photocopy of a few pages with your reasons 7 Quality of Paper Locate a document that you think has been printed on the inappropriate quality of paper Name three reasons Submit the original with your reasons 8 Orientation If you are using a computer for your assignments print out a page in portrait and the same page in landscape If you do not use a computer find a partner who does Name three advantages of one over the other Submit the pages with your commentary 9 Flaps Pockets Perforations Windows Locate a printed publica tion that uses flaps pockets perforations or windows Name three ways these are advantages or only decorative Submit the publication
33. ground makes the text appear smaller than it will on a white background This black text is emphatic on a white background However using color in technical documents may prove to be costly and require a contracted printer if large quantities of a document are needed Color photographs showing steps in a set of instructions are very dramatic but the cost may not be reasonable Even small quantities of doc uments that include color that you may print on your desktop printer re quire more time to print and more expensive ink than just black on white documents Sometimes using colored paper or colored tabs in plastic or along the upper right hand part of your pages to indicate sections of a doc ument may create a dramatic effect Americans attribute certain moods to various colors white suggests purity cleanliness purity and honesty but black may suggest serious ness heaviness death or elegance Dark blue suggests calmness stability trustworthiness and maturity while green may suggest growth go or other positive impacts Yellow suggests caution or emotionality You must al ways remember that different cultures have different associations for color and if your technical communication is to be read abroad you need to give careful attention to color associations You must also pay attention to the fact that a large percentage of men have difficulty distinguishing between red and green Color blindness can cause a reader of your
34. ive spaces One paragraph is textured to give it emphasis The right hand margins are not justified which makes the text easier to read 120 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Document Page Design Jext text text text text text Text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text te
35. lf indicates that a new text division paragraph is to follow Your word processor will probably automatically indent one half inch for each tab but one quarter inch indentations are more modern If you learned to type on a typewriter you learned the habit of double spacing after closing punctuation but mod ern word processors automatically adjust the space for you after a period exclamation point question mark or colon Extra spacing is not necessary to indicate sentence endings and new beginnings Most typewriters and word processors automatically present a ragged right margin meaning the text is not flush to the right hand margin as in This sentence is set with a ragged right hand margin suitable for one page memorandums brief letters short reports and similar documents Users of conventional typewriters compensated for excessively ragged right margins by splitting words with a hyphen but sometimes too many words ended up hyphenated at the end of lines creating an unaesthetic appear ance Word processors automatically wrap the overlong word to the next line although you may use a setting that allows for hyphenated divisions of end words Text may also be justified so that the right hand margin is al ways flush as in This sentence is set for line justification to assure that the right hand margin will be perfectly flush as in this book and in most multicolumned materials such as news magazines and newspapers A full justified
36. lumns easily Line Length Leading Kerning Line length called measure helps to determine text readability Charac ters are the letters punctuation marks numbers and other possible sym bols The fewer characters in a line the easier it is to read The rule of thumb for readability is 40 to 60 characters per line About 65 characters the usual number on a standard 8 X 11 page with one inch margins is the maximum for a serious document This will average about 15 words per line User manual instructions usually use far fewer characters per line so as not to confuse the reader operator A good actual line length for a specific text depends on how closely spaced the font is and how large the point size is Larger fonts allow for longer lines Leading pronounced ledding named after the metal slugs that sep arated lines in hand set type provides interlinear space the space between the bottom of the characters on one line to the top of the characters on the next line Lines of type can be set tight or open All word processors can adjust this space between lines with settings for single space and a half double spaces or other variables Consider these lines of type In this example the type is in 12 point New Times Roman and is single spaced very readable and quite normal In this example the type is in 12 point NewsGoth BT with the sec ond line set at a space and a half below the first a more open interlinear
37. ns serif and curly edged fonts are called serif that is sans serif fonts do not have a flourish at the end of the letters while serif fonts have a flourish at the end of letters The technical writer generally uses sans serif fonts for titles and headings and the serif fonts for the body text Figure 4 1 shows some pop ular fonts and sizes Professional technical writes study typography extensively and use page design and desktop publishing software Sans Serif Typefaces Serif Typefaces Avant Garde 12 point Times New Roman 12 point Helvetica 14 point Courier New 14 point Arial 16 point Goudy 16 point Futura 18 point Bookman 18 point FIGURE 4 1 Sample typefaces and type sizes Margins Indentations Justifications If a document is to be bound a wide inner margin will make the content easier to read If annotations are expected a wide right hand margin is ben eficial Text can be set flush left as is this small portion centered on the page like this brief example or flush right as is shown in this brief sample of text Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 126 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Even paragraph indentation practices are changing There is no need to indent the first line of text beneath a heading the heading itse
38. ntice Hall Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 139 A bibliography is an alphabetized list of all works consulted in the preparation of your document The bibliography may be titled Bibliography References or Works Cited depending on the documentation style appro priate to your paper A full discussion of documentation styles and exam ples of bibliographies and works cited pages are included in Chapter 6 Figure 4 11 shows a sample works cited bibliography page Technical Communication Quarterly 325 Works Cited Aristotle The Rhetoric and the Poetics of Aristotle Trans W Rhys Roberts and Ingram Bywater New York Modern Library 1954 Bazerman Charles How Natural Philosophers Can Cooperate The Literary Technology of Coordinated Investigation in Joseph Priestley s History and Present State of Electricity 1767 Textual Dynamics of the Professions Historical and Contemporary Studies of Writing in Professional Communities Ed Charles Bazerman and James Paradis Madison U of Wisconsin P 1991 13 44 Shaping Written Knowledge The Genre and Activity of the Experi mental Article in Science Madison U of Wisconsin P 1988 Brasseur Lee E
39. o a three panel brochure with printing on each of the six panels A lengthier manual could be fanfolded If some material is too extensive for a page but should be viewed all to gether you may consider a foldout page Longer documents may require a binding A document stapled in the corner is unprofessional If additional pages are to be added over time con sider a loose leaf binder with two or three holes punched into the margins ofthe document so that the pages may be inserted at the appropriate places Inexpensive options are a ring or spiral binding or a saddle binding which inserts internal staples to hold double pages A professional printer can provide you with perfect binding a glue bond as in a book Spiral and sad dle options are appropriate for flip bindings pages that are joined along the short edge and flipped up page by page to read Figure 4 13 shows five kinds of binding possibilities You may also consider flaps and pockets Your separate binder may already contain front and back pockets If you decide to include a cover harder than the content weight you may wish to include harder internal dividers with flaps for identifying sections for easy access You may add Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 142 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEG
40. o include drawings in your documents refer again to Chapter 3 and study the material on effective design in Chapter 16 Headers and Footers Headers and footers orient information such as page numbers author names publication information volume and issue chapter number and title Notice that this textbook layout uses headers to indicate page part number and title and chapter number and title It would be just as logical Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 133 to move only the page number to the bottom and to retain the other infor mation at the top In this text the left hand page places the page number flush left and the part number and title flush right The right hand page places the chapter number and chapter title flush left and the page num ber flush right Consider the logical headers and footers for your documents Page numbers are usually essential but other information serves as navigational tools to your reader as well Documents can be numbered at the top or bot tom or in either corner or the middle of the page If you intend to bind pages numbers can be set in alternating corners Select an option 14 14 Page 14 Page 14 of 20 that suits yo
41. or a VCR cell phone or some other technical product Pretend you are writing to the director of marketing of the firm who de sires your opinions on the manual Critique the use of document design elements the use of presentation features and the production decisions What would you change Keep the same Eliminate Use document design elements to enhance your document Do you need to include any presentation features If one of your team is computer literate make ap propriate production decisions regarding the size and quality of the paper the orientation on the page and the binding at the very least 148 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES NOTES Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI
42. or the manuals that accompany your cellular phone your VCR your fax machine your computer and printer and your kitchen appliances Your cellular phone manual will probably fit into your pocket or even into the case that holds the phone The quality of the paper for in house documents should be low gloss rag bond and white Glossy paper produces glare and strains the eyes Rag bond paper has a high fiber content 25 percent minimum and is heavier Select a 20 pound or heavier weight paper but do not use anything as heavy as construction paper Lower weight paper tends to be flimsy and crinkly Out of house documents may require a slicker paper like magazine pages and a lower weight The slicker paper allows for a sharper print and the lower weight decreases the bulk of a document White paper is the standard Use color only for fliers announcements and the like Also consider the orientation on the page Your document may be placed so that the narrower part of the page is at the top called portrait in computer commands or you may print out your document from left to right along the long side of your page called Jandscape in computer com mands Landscaped lines may become so long that readers lose track as they scan back to the beginning of the next line However you may wish to landscape titles or other reference notations If your document is long you may wish to consider folds or bindings A brief six page manual may be folded int
43. ot only help your reader turn rapidly to a particular section of the document but will also give the reader an initial indication of the organization con tent and emphasis of a document Title the list Table of Contents Some software will create this table for you by allowing you to type in the chap ter titles and major headings plus the page numbers in a separate tool The computer then generates the finished table To create your own table of contents take your headings and subheadings or chapters and major head ings if the document is divided into chapters using indentation between Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 134 PART 1 PROPOSAL TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEE WORK SCHEDULES IN THE CUSTOMER INQUIRY DEPARTMENT Prepared for Andrea Brooks Assistant Vice President Operations Division State Trust Charter Bank Bigtown New Hampshire by Monica Ferschke Administrative Assistant October 18 2001 FIGURE 4 6 Sample title page of Monica Ferschke Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc Courtesy GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES ay BELLSOUTH CORDLESS TELEPHONE
44. pyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 138 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES GLOSSARY OF TERMS Adequate protection The protection that a debtor grants a cred itor with court approval to prevent foreclosure on property This can include a resumption of monthly payments Administrative creditor All creditors holding claims for debts that were incurred after the bankruptcy was filed This includes fees for legal and accounting professionals used by the debtor in possession Adversary proceeding Matter of dispute brought before the court for determination Many regard amount of debt security inter est or use of cash as examples of issues to be settled by court ac tion Automatic stay Becomes effective on filling of a bankruptcy pe tition and prevents any creditors from taking further collection action against the debtor without court permission Bar date The last date set by the court that a proof of claim can be filed to collect a debt owed by the bankrupt company Cash collateral All proceeds paid or due to a company that have been pledged as collateral for a loan Associated with the cash liquidation of inventory and accounts receivables Collateral Assets that are used as security for a debt Confirmation The action of the bankruptcy court approving the VR AR RAP PAH FIGURE 4 10 Sample Glossary From Saving Your Business by Suzanne Caplan Copyright 1992 Reprinted with permission of Pre
45. s reports proposals and man uals that must be read by busy people in ongoing business transactions writers must design documents that attract and aid the reader Most word processors have templates or style sheets for memos busi ness letters proposals r sum s and reports including term papers Com panies can devise other templates for newsletters fliers expense reports order forms legal pleadings calendars brochures booklets and the like By devising a variety of templates complete with logos icons and other identifying elements a company can assure an overall similarity of ap pearance to provide a visual corporate identity Look carefully at the page designs of this textbook including the sep arate parts division pages the chapter title pages the skills listings and checklists the page headers placement of text division headings and type sizes different fonts use of boldface and italic type numbered and bulleted items color and other design features These features aid you in recog nizing chapters and major divisions of each chapter the skills and check lists related to each chapters the reinforcing exercises and writing options and so on Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNIN
46. s in just the upper left hand section of a page a top and bottom fancy line or decoration all around the page Fills are shadings light dark or color that may provide a background behind a title emphasize a paragraph or be used within a window or bor dered page Light gray fill is used in the document page layout sample on page 119 for both design around the title and for emphasis over the para graph Fill options may be solid wavy vertical horizontal or diagonal stripes to name a few A watermark a faint picture beneath the type is typically a logo or a picture of a product Technical writers may use them on title pages or elsewhere in the text Figure 4 3 shows a title page with both a border and a watermark Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 131 FIGURE 4 3 Sample title page with watermark and border Clip Art Photos and Drawings Art enhances your documents and enables the reader to better understand the verbal references descriptions directions and processes discussed in your technical communications These visuals were discussed in part in Chapter 3 with particular attention to drawings and illustrations pho tographs and line art
47. se serif and sans serif fonts Recognize and employ various options for margins and indentation Distinguish between and recognize the values of a ragged edge and justified page Recognize and use numbered or bulleted lists Recognize the value of and use boldface italics underlining all capitals small capitals and dropped caps Know how to use a window for emphasis Use symbols icons and reversed type for emphasis and eye appeal Recognize the value of color and use it when possible and appropriate Know when to use borders fills and watermarks Recognize and use headers and footers Be able to devise and number correctly front presentation matter a title page a table of contents a list of illustrations and separate chapter title pages Be able to devise back presentation matter a glossary an appendix and an index Recognize a summary an abstract and a bibliography or works cited listing Recognize factors that determine the size quality and orientation of paper Evaluate the use of folds and or bindings flaps pockets perforations and windows in documents Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 116 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES INTRODUCTION The visual language of documents that is the integration of words im
48. t text text text text text text text Text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Subheading Text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text HEADING Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text In this example a horizontal line separates the title from the text The text is presented in two columns Capitalized boldface headings and white space chunk the divisions of the text The paragraphs begin flush left to the margin and right hand margins are justified In this example the title is presented in two lines and boxed Capitalized boldface headings and secondary upper and lowercase headings chunk and queue the material to indicate its divisions and levels of importance First lines of paragraphs under headings are not indented but subsequent paragraphs are indented Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition
49. t text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text In this example the text is presented in two columns and the title is bordered and placed in the first column A dropped capital T begins the first paragraph The text is fully justified left and right A visual is inserted into the text of the second column The only chunking is achieved by white space between paragraphs In this example the title is presented in two columns and separated from the text by a line The text is presented in a wide column with left and right justifications Visuals are placed in the remaining column which is approximately one third of the page width The text is flush left with boldface headings beginning each chunk of separate information The text is flush left without indented paragraphs White space chunks the material Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 Document Page Layout COMPUTER VIRUSES Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text
50. t text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text HEADING Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text HEADING Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text a text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text tex
51. table of contents Figure 4 10 shows a partial glossary from a college textbook on business practices An appendix contains material that expands information contained in the body of your document Parts of the appendix material may be dis cussed within the document but the entire block of information may clut ter your message Refer to the appendix within the text where appropriate if you want to alert your reader to its existence An appendix may include tabulated interview and survey results along with the original instruments such as questionnaires details of an experiment or investigation financial projections job descriptions and r sum s of new personnel lists of references and so on If the document includes artwork and sample forms you may refer to them as exhibits Exhibit 1 Map of Florida Voting Results Exhibits require numbers whereas appendixes use letters Appendix A R sum of Merrill C Tritt An appendix its letter and title or a list of exhibits their numbers and titles is included at the end of the table of contents This book you will notice includes Appendix A Conventions of Construction Grammar and Usage and Appendix B Punctuation and Mechanical Conven tions Some of the material is included in the text with references to the appendixes Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Co
52. text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text teet text Document Page Design HEADING Text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text Text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text HEADING Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text Text text text text text te
53. ur document You may also include chapters Chapter 4 Document Design Ch 1 Pg 14 or 1 14 to illustrate a few choices PRESENTATION FEATURES Front Matter Front matter may include a separate title page a table of contents and pos sibly a list of illustrations a summary or abstract and separate chapter title pages A long document such as a proposal a user manual or a professional paper for publication will require a separate title page A title page usually includes at the least a centered full title the name of the author or corpo rate author and usually a date Other data may be included The title is usu ally presented in a larger type size than the largest heading within the document The font should usually be straight edged sans serif and may be presented in all capital letters If the title is the name of a product you will include the model number purpose and other significant material to indicate fully the content to follow Figures 4 6 and 4 7 show title pages of a proposal and a user manual Figure 4 8 shows a number of sophisticated title pages using various fonts type sizes dropped capitals artwork pho tographs and watermarks Although the title page is never numbered all other front matter pages are numbered in lowercase Roman numerals i ii iii iv v which should be placed in the same position as the page numbers of the document body A table of contents in a long document eight pages or more will n
54. with your critique WRITING PROJECTS 1 Document Design Study the following material Add at least six enhancements to the document design Do not just be decorative Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc v SSvGSL 9 8 0 N8SI ISBN 0 536 15455 4 CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING AND PRODUCING DOCUMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS 147 Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc Make your design features impart meaning to the document You may reword sentences if you have a compelling need to do so Prepare visuals to clarify and emphasize your oral report Visual materi als may include chalkboards flip charts posters of tables charts draw ings handout sheets exhibits of models or equipment slides filmstrips transparencies or computer projections The size of the room or audito rium the kind of people in your audience employers employees po tential buyers multinational individuals etc the budget the available equipment chalkboards projectors computers tables and so forth and the purpose of your speech are all factors to consider in planning visual material Effective visual materials are characterized by a numb
55. xt Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc 118 PART 1 GENERAL TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Document Page Designs HEADING Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text Text text text Text text text text text HEADING Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text te
56. xt text Text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text eg Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text Sample Document Page Designs Presentations and Productions HEADING Text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text Text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Tex
57. xt text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text Text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text HEADING Text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text
58. xt text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Professional and Technical Writing Strategies Communicating in Technology and Science Sixth Edition by Judith S VanAlstyne Published by Prentice Hall Copyright 2005 by Pearson Education Inc In this example the title is separated from the text by a partial cutoff line Capitalized boldface headings and upper and lowercase boldface headings chunk and queue the divisions of the text Numbers and bullets indicate further divisions of the text Notice that second lines of indented text use a hanging indent they return to the first word of the entry rather than to the number or bullet A box is used to set off an emphatic caution Notice that the numbers bullets and boxed material are set in boldface type In this example the title is textured shaded The text is chunked by capitalized boldface headings and white spaces between headings and paragraphs Paragraphs under a heading are not indented but following paragraphs are indented f
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