Proceedings

Abstract:

In writing reference material, consistency of organization and presentation is key. If the same information is presented in a consistent order and style throughout the publication or information set, it enhances the readability and usability of the material for the consumer. Ease of use is vital. XML provides a means to assist in the standardization of reference material from both an organizational and a semantic/content-oriented standpoint. Standardization based on structure and content enhances the potential for reuse of the XML-tagged information for both print and electronic delivery.

But while there can be a strong relationship between the authoring and editing of content and structured markup, all too often conflicts arise between technical writers and DTD/schema designers and programmers. The perceived need for editorial license and creative freedom by many authors/editors clashes with the need for rigid structure to facilitate ease of programming for markup technologists and programmers. The disagreements are commonly between format and structure, looseness and rigidity, and are often more philosophical than practical.

So how do we close the gap between the focus on format and the need for structural, content-based tagging? The first step is to understand what technical writing is and the strong relationship between the concepts of technical writing and the purpose of semantic XML. The correlation between technical writing and structured markup needs to be clearly defined and emphasized to those involved in the process of content creation and delivery.

This presentation will address the relationship between structured markup and the authoring/editing of reference material, with discussion of potential conflicts and techniques for resolving those conflicts.