Editing
- Copyediting
- Substantive editing
Two basic classifications of editing are (1) copyediting and (2) substantive editing. (1) Copyediting involves correcting errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage (such as fewer and less); ensuring consistency in numbers, capitalization, and punctuation; following an established style (such as APA, MLA, Chicago, AP, or a house style); checking for parallel structure; ensuring accurate and correct reference lists (i.e., bibliographies); ensuring consistent formatting. (2) Substantive editing involves editing headings for clarity and parallelism; ensuring consistent tone; adjusting the reading level to the desired target (e.g., eighth-grade level); moving sentences and paragraphs to improve reader comprehension and to smooth transitions; eliminating wordiness, repetition, and inappropriate jargon; querying statements that seem incorrect.
Instructional materials
- Instructions
- Instructional diagrams
- Short manuals
- Definition lists
- Glossaries
- Quickstart guides
- Guides
- Process descriptions
- Hazard warnings
- SOPs (standard operating procedures)
Documents that instruct readers in how to do something. For example, instructions for installing a new printer, a quick-start guide for a new phone system, or procedures for taking kids on a field trip fall into this category. Instructional materials come in many varieties, including definition lists, glossaries, guides, hazard warnings, instructional diagrams, instructions, process descriptions, quick-start guides, short manuals, and SOPs (standard operating procedures). Often, these materials are designed to be read, but sometimes they are produced as videos.
Letters and memos
- Business letters
- Memos
- Nomination letters
- Letters of recommendation
Documents addressed to a particular person, group, or organization. Memos are usually brief and intended for a recipient in the sender's organization. Letters come in many varieties, including business, nomination, and recommendation letters.
Presentation materials
- Press handouts
- Programs
- Handouts
- Presentation slides
- Poster for poster presentations
Documents that support marketing, research, sales, or other oral presentations. Presentations vary in purpose and format, but many require visual elements such as PowerPoint slides and a handout for the audience. Some include video and audio clips. Other presentation materials include posters for poster presentations, press handouts, programs for conferences or workshops, handouts for workshops.
Promotional and informative materials
- Posters
- Mailers
- Brochures
- Flyers
- Playbills
- Press releases and materials
- Business cards
- Newsletters
- Signs
- Forms
- Booklets
Promotional materials: documents that advertise and publicize an organization, event, or cause. Promotional materials include brochures, business cards, flyers, mailers, newsletters, playbills, posters, and press releases.
Research and reports
- Recommendation reports
- Research reports
- Feasibility reports
- Usability
- Surveys
Documents that draw from primary research (e.g., surveys or usability testing) and/or from secondary research (e.g., journal articles) to describe an event or situation and to draw conclusions based on the research. Some common types of reports are feasibility (Can we do it?), research (What the issues and options?), recommendation (What is the best course of action?), and usability (Is the document or product easy for the audience to use?).
Special skills
- Photography for documents and web
- Image manipulation
- Internationalization for translation
- Video
Special skills contribute to quality technical communication documents, whether the documents are printed, projected at a workshop, or produced for email or websites. Photography and graphics can be skillfully used to make messages clearer and make documents more appealing. Ethically manipulating images can focus the user's attention, make an image fit better with other elements of a document, and make the image's file more suitable for its purpose (fast downloading, online viewing, or printing). Internationalization prepares documents for translation and makes the English version more understandable to a reader whose first language is not English.
Web communications
- Websites
- Blogs
- Wikis
- Other social media
- Content management set-up
Websites come in many varieties, including standard sites for organizations that integrate pictures and text in linked webpages. Social media sites, particularly Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, also fall into this category, as do blogs (editorials with attached forums) and wikis (collaboratively written and edited sites). Web projects may include creating sites from scratch, redesigning existing sites, writing web content, and integrating social media.