Styles and Standards: Define Your Style Guide
Let's talk about styles and standards. We all have to agree that they are key aspects of technical writing. They ensure consistency and clarity throughout the entire documentation and are reflected in the so-called style guide (or something similar).
A well-defined style guide serves as a roadmap, offering guidance on grammar, punctuation, formatting, and language usage. The key word here is consistency. Consistency in terminology, syntax, and visual elements not only promotes better understanding but also builds a sense of reliability and trust in the content.
It helps to ensure consistency, especially in cases there are multiple contributors. And last but not least, it saves you time.
Let's say you work in a team of several writers and create an online help. The online help should reflect the company's style and brand consistency. Each writer must use the same formatting, grammar, tone, voice, and language. Some companies use more informal language when communicating with customers through documentation, while others prefer a more formal tone.
You can:
define your own style guide
use already existing style guides, such as Microsoft Writing Style Guide, The Chicago Manual of Style, Associated Press Stylebook, etc.
define your own style guide and, if you don't cover all areas, determine which existing style guide to use
If you start defining a style guide, it is usually almost impossible to cover everything. In this case, it's a good idea to determine which style guide to use as a basis for areas that have not yet been determined.