Writing Resources

Web Resources for Technical Writers

• About.com and Suite 101: These are general-purpose information sites, but they have technical writing pages that can be a good source of information.
• BizTech Network: The Premier Business and Technology Portal and Global Community Network for E-Business, Information, Technology, and Knowledge Management.
• Docsymmetry.com - Tips For Technical Writers and Managers of Writers: Technical writing requires many skills, not just the ability to write. Free technical writing tutorial.
• e-Learning: If you are interested in computer or web based training applications, check out this site.
• FrameUsers: The online reference site for Adobe FrameMaker.
• HTML Goodies: Joe Burns’ provides FREE tutorials on technical skills such as HTML, JavaScript, Perl, CGI Scripts, etc. If you like these tutorials, he also has a series of books that you can purchase through your favorite book seller.
• Internet Resources for Technical Communicators and Other Technical Writing Resources: List of links to good resources.
• Manual Labour: Provides free survey results, white papers, and other useful planning resources.
• Techwhirl: Subscribe to the newsgroup to keep up with the latest topics in technical writing.
• The User-Friendly Manuals' Website: Tips, links, and much useful information for technical writers. Sponsored by Peter Ring Consultants (Denmark).
• WinWriters: Organization for online Help developers based in Seattle, WA. WinWriters holds a conference in February of each year.
• Write Thinking: For business and technical writers.
• UseIt.com: Jakob Nielsen's resource for usability.

Professional Groups and Organizations

• American Society for Training and Development - also visit the North Alabama Chapter of ASTD.
• HTML Writer's Guild
• Human Factors International
• National Writer's Union
• IEEE Professional Communication Society
• Society for Human Resource Management

Dictionaries/Grammar/Reference Guides

• Dictionary.com
• Merriam-Webster Online
• Thesaurus.com
• Webopedia
• Whatis?com
• Encyclopedia Brittanica

Books

Proposals

Proposal Writing: The Art of Friendly and Winning Persuasion
William S. Pfeiffer & Charles H Keller, Jr.
Prentice Hall
ISBN 0-13-658213-3

Style Guides

The Chicago Manual of Style:
The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers
14th Edition
The University of Chicago Press
ISBN 0-226-10389-7

Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications
Second Edition
Microsoft Press
ISBN 1-57231-890-2
http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/southpacific/books/book322.htm

A Style Guide for the Computer Industry
Sun Technical Publications
Prentice Hall
ISBN 0-13-455347-0

Grammar

The Elements of Style
Fourth Edition
Strunk and White
ISBN 0-88103-068-6

Grammatically Correct:
The Writer's Essential Guide to punctuation, spelling, style, usage and grammar
Ann Stillman
Writer's Digest Books
ISBN 0-89879-776-4

Editing

Bugs in Writing: A Guide to Debugging Your Prose
Lyn DuPre'
Addison Wesley Press
ISBN 0-201-37921-X

Other Resources

• Project Gutenberg - distributor of free eBooks

• Alabama Live Community Groups - see the STC Community Group page

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