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Glossary of Technical Writing Terms

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This section contains a summary of terms defined in the Technical Writing Process. These terms are tailored specifically for the world of technical writing and may have different definitions in other knowledge domains.

Table of Contents

Activity

DefinitionReferenced In
A task, action, or milestone in a process or schedule. In technical writing, as in process analysis, activities are commonly expressed as verb-noun phrases—”define scope,” “write first draft,” and so on. Also known as a task.Chapter 7: Tailor the Process

Chapter 13: Estimate Scope, Time, and Cost

Approval

DefinitionReferenced In
The formal acknowledgment or sign-off by an approver or document owner that a document is fit for publication.Chapter 12: Define Review Team

Chapter 26: Publish

Approver

DefinitionReferenced In
An authorizing person within an organization who confirms that a document is fit for publication.Chapter 26: Publish

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

DefinitionReferenced In
The simulation of human intelligence by machines and computer systems.Chapter 8: Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Technical Writers

Audience

DefinitionReferenced In
• Meaning 1: (“An audience”) A specific group or groups of people who will interact with or use a document. This can be categorized into primary, secondary, and hidden audiences, depending on their degree of interaction with the document.
• Meaning 2: (“Audiences”) A general term for anyone who interacts with or uses a document, regardless of their categorization.		Chapter 11: Analyze Audience

Benchmark

DefinitionReferenced In
A point of reference against which the progress, performance, or quality of a technical documentation project can be measured. For example, the average time taken to write a topic of a certain complexity.Chapter 13: Estimate Scope, Time, and Cost

ChatGPT

DefinitionReferenced In
A large language model developed and released by OpenAI, designed to generate humanlike text and content in response to human prompts.Chapter 8: Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Technical Writers

Comments

DefinitionReferenced In
Written notes about any aspect of a document. These may be specific to a section or paragraph within the document, or general commentary about the document’s overall effectiveness. These may be emailed as a summary, affixed to a hardcopy with sticky notes, or applied via the comments functionality in an authoring tool or word processor.Chapter 22: Review Draft

Content

DefinitionReferenced In
The actual material of the document, consisting of text, images, and embedded markup tags. It forms the primary substance and information conveyed in the document.Chapter 16: Design Stylesheet

Contingency

DefinitionReferenced In
A reserve of time set aside in case something unexpected delays the project, or if the initial assumptions prove too optimistic.Chapter 13: Estimate Scope, Time, and Cost

Controlled Document

DefinitionReferenced In
A document that requires control throughout its lifecycle. It features a unique identifier and approval details. Using an incorrect version of this document could lead to quality, safety, or compliance issues.Chapter 26: Publish

Data

DefinitionReferenced In
Basic units of information, like words, numbers, or images, that represent aspects of reality.Chapter 9: Collect Information

Deliverable

DefinitionReferenced In
The output of an activity in a process or project. In technical writing, deliverables include user guides, manuals, and procedures—that is, content intended for use by end-users—as well as internal documents, such as Documentation Plans and Schedules, that are used in project planning and management.Chapter 7: Tailor the Process

Dependency

DefinitionReferenced In
A relationship between tasks where one task depends on another task’s start or finish. Examples include finish-to-start, start-to-start, and so on. Also known as a predecessor.Chapter 14: Develop Schedule

Document

DefinitionReferenced In
A discrete unit of information used to guide work, decisions, or judgment that serves as a guide to what should be done. Documents are forward-looking, as opposed to records, which are historical. Examples include technical documentation, plans, policies, and engineering drawings.Chapter 7: Tailor the Process

Chapter 26: Publish

Document Control

DefinitionReferenced In
The process of managing documents through the phases of their lifecycle.Chapter 26: Publish

Document Owner

DefinitionReferenced In
A manager or delegate responsible for ensuring a document is current and accurate.Chapter 26: Publish

Duration

DefinitionReferenced In
The total time taken to complete an activity, regardless of the effort (units of labor) involved. See also: Effort.Chapter 13: Estimate Scope, Time, and Cost

Effort

DefinitionReferenced In
The units of labor required to complete an activity, typically measured in hours, days, or weeks. For example, “It took me 6 hours (effort) spread over 2 days (duration) to write that document.” See also: Duration.Chapter 13: Estimate Scope, Time, and Cost

External Documentation

DefinitionReferenced In
User-oriented content for customers and partners outside the organization, emphasizing ease of use, product understanding, and brand representation.Chapter 2: Technical Writing Roles and Responsibilities

Chapter 26: Publish

Extrinsic Load

DefinitionReferenced In
The effort involved in filtering out irrelevant, or “extrinsic,” information, as per the field of cognitive psychology.Chapter 20: Include Images

Feedback

DefinitionReferenced In
Any comments or markup received from a reviewer in a document review.Chapter 22: Review Draft

Forms

DefinitionReferenced In
Interactive tools designed for structured data collection, guiding users in providing specific information. Forms can be physical or digital, and are important for organizing data input in an efficient and consistent manner.Chapter 17: Design Templates

Front Matter, Text, and Back Matter

DefinitionReferenced In
In publishing, content—such as a book—is traditionally divided into several sections: front matter, text, back matter, and a cover. This concept is not just academic—it also applies to many other long-form or hard-copy (i.e., printed and bound) documents, such as reports, plans, and user guides.Chapter 15: Design Structure

Generative Artificial Intelligence

DefinitionReferenced In
A subset of artificial intelligence models capable of generating new content—such as images, text, or music—that isn’t directly copied from training data.Chapter 8: Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Technical Writers

House Style Manual

DefinitionReferenced In
An organization-specific (or even team-specific) style guide. House style manuals contain guidelines on how to write in the organization’s style, dos and don’ts, trademarks, legal boilerplate, the correct tone to adopt, and other relevant details.Chapter 18: Writing Principles

Individual Contributor (IC)

DefinitionReferenced In
Individual contributor (IC) is industry jargon for someone who doesn’t manage other people.Chapter 5: Career Growth and Survival for Technical Writers

Information

DefinitionReferenced In
Data that has been processed and organized to support decision-making; for example, a document. Remember it as data “in formation.”Chapter 7: Tailor the Process

Chapter 9: Collect Information

Internal Documentation

DefinitionReferenced In
Technical content for an organization’s internal audience, focusing on technical details, processes, and operational efficiency.Chapter 2: Technical Writing Roles and Responsibilities

Chapter 26: Publish

Intrinsic Load

DefinitionReferenced In
The effort involved in learning relevant, or “intrinsic,” information, as derived from the field of cognitive psychology.Chapter 20: Include Images

ISO 9001

DefinitionReferenced In
ISO 9001 is the global standard for quality management systems. It’s published by the International Organization for Standardization, a non-governmental organization that develops and publishes international standards across a wide range of industries and sectors. This standard focuses on ensuring companies meet customer needs for their products and services. It also sets out requirements for document control, which we discuss in depth in Chapter 26: Publish.Chapter 9: Collect Information   Chapter 19: Write Draft   Chapter 26: Publish

Knowledge

DefinitionReferenced In
Information that has been internalized by someone, providing the basis for them to act on it.Chapter 9: Collect Information

Large Language Model (LLM)

DefinitionReferenced In
A subset of generative artificial intelligence models designed to understand and generate humanlike text.Chapter 8: Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Technical Writers

Markup

DefinitionReferenced In
Symbols such as strikethrough and “red-line” that indicate changes to a document, such as additions, changes, and deletions. These may be written on a hardcopy printout or applied via the track changes functionality in an authoring tool or word processor.Chapter 22: Review Draft

Metadata

DefinitionReferenced In
Data about data. For example, in digital photography, metadata captured alongside a digital image typically includes the date and time the photo was taken, the brand and model of the camera used, and the geographical location it was taken in.Chapter 26: Publish

Metainformation

DefinitionReferenced In
Metainformation is information about other information. This is a term we’ve used to describe instructions and placeholder text in templates. In doing so, we’ve leaned on the definition of a closely related concept, metadata, which is “data that provides information about other data.” If you’re not clear on the difference between data and information, see Chapter 9: Collect Information | 2. [Theory] DIKW Pyramid.Chapter 17: Design Templates

Milestone

DefinitionReferenced In
A significant or noteworthy point in your project schedule, such as the approval of a document or the launch of a product. Milestones are typically represented as activities with a “zero” duration.Chapter 13: Estimate Scope, Time, and Cost

Persona

DefinitionReferenced In
A fictional character that embodies the common traits of a specific group of customers or audiences for documentation. These are often referred to as archetypes.Chapter 11: Analyze Audience

Portfolio

DefinitionReferenced In
A portfolio is a collection of your own work samples from organizations you’ve worked for and that you have permission to showcase to prospective employers.Chapter 4: Breaking into Technical Writing

Presentation

DefinitionReferenced In
The visual styling of the document, including aspects like font size, spacing, color, and layout, making it more user-friendly and effective in communication.Chapter 16: Design Stylesheet

Process

DefinitionReferenced In
A set of activities or tasks performed to accomplish an objective. Processes typically have a trigger that initiates the process; inputs necessary to perform the process; a corresponding result, or output; and a sequence of steps and decision points in between.Chapter 7: Tailor the Process

Chapter 15: Design Structure

Prose Linter

DefinitionReferenced In
A tool or software application designed to analyze written text for style, grammar, syntax, and sometimes even content consistency. These tools go beyond spell checkers by offering a more in-depth analysis of the text. The concept is borrowed from the world of programming, where a “linter” is a tool that analyzes source code to flag programming errors.Chapter 21: Edit Drafts

Quality

DefinitionReferenced In
A measure of how well the work matches generally accepted—but not always stated—standards of good technical writing, including accuracy, clarity, and organization.Chapter 13: Estimate Scope, Time, and Cost

Record

DefinitionReferenced In
A discrete unit of information or collection of data that forms evidence of past activities or decisions, serving as a static memory of what was done. Records are historical, in contrast to documents, which are forward-looking. Examples include invoices, test results, and completed maintenance logs.Chapter 26: Publish

Résumé or Curriculum Vitae (CV)

DefinitionReferenced In
A résumé (also known as a CV, or curriculum vitae) is a summary of your skills, responsibilities and achievements (work experience), and qualifications. Its purpose is to snag you an interview by proving to a prospective employer that you have what it takes to do the job. Think of it as a foot in the door to get you through to the interview stage.Chapter 4: Breaking into Technical Writing

Review

DefinitionReferenced In
The process of evaluating a document against quality standards such as technical accuracy, consistency with style manuals, templates, branding, and so on.Chapter 12: Define Review Team

Chapter 26: Publish

Reviewer

DefinitionReferenced In
An expert responsible for evaluating a document against quality standards such as technical accuracy, consistency with style manuals, templates, branding, and so on.Chapter 26: Publish

Rhetoric

DefinitionReferenced In
Rhetoric is the art of effective communication and persuasion. It involves connecting with your audience in a way that encourages them to view things from the speaker’s or writer’s perspective.Chapter 11: Analyze Audience

Scope

DefinitionReferenced In
The sum of the deliverables (like user guides, manuals) or services (such as editing, proofreading) to be provided in a technical documentation project.Chapter 13: Estimate Scope, Time, and Cost

Structure

DefinitionReferenced In
The organization of elements within a document, including headings, sections, and overall layout, which establishes the framework and logical flow of the content.Chapter 16: Design Stylesheet

Style Guide

DefinitionReferenced In
A manual of guidelines on grammar, punctuation, layout, formatting, structure, and other stylistic aspects of writing. An example is the Chicago Manual of Style in the United States. Style guides vary from country to country and across different industries.Chapter 18: Writing Principles

Stylesheet

DefinitionReferenced In
A set of rules governing the visual design of a document, enabling the independent update of presentation elements like fonts, colors, and layout, without affecting the content.Chapter 16: Design Stylesheet

System

DefinitionReferenced In
An integrated whole consisting of interacting components. These components can be both tangible and intangible, such as the people, processes, knowledge, equipment, and software within a company.Chapter 15: Design Structure

Task

DefinitionReferenced In
See Activity.Chapter 13: Estimate Scope, Time, and Cost

Technical Document

DefinitionReferenced In
A document combining technical information with instructional guidance to help its audience accomplish a goal, such as carrying out a process or using a product. Examples include user guides, developer documentation, procedures, manuals, and quick-reference guides.About This Book

Technical Writer

DefinitionReferenced In
A writer who develops (writes, edits, curates, etc.) technical documents. Also known as a technical communicator or technical author.About This Book

Templates

DefinitionReferenced In
Pre-designed frameworks for documents, providing standardized layouts and styles to ensure consistency and efficiency in writing while aligning with an organization’s branding and visual identity.Chapter 17: Design Templates

Terminology Database (Termbase)

DefinitionReferenced In
A collection of standardized terms, often specific to a particular product or industry, used by translators. When these standard terms are encountered in text, their pre-translated versions are automatically inserted by the computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool, ensuring consistent and high-quality translations. Termbases are essential for maintaining term consistency across various translations and are regularly updated and validated for accuracy.Chapter 24: Translation Theory

Test Case

DefinitionReferenced In
A scenario describing a set of steps with a defined start and end point, and an expected result. Test teams can use a test case, along with test data that is sufficiently representative of reality, to verify that a subject, such as a software application and its technical documentation, meets a specific requirement.Chapter 23: Validate and Test Information

Translation Memory

DefinitionReferenced In
A database used by translation service providers to store completed translations. It is utilized in subsequent translation tasks to identify and automatically translate repeated text, ensuring consistency and reducing the need to retranslate identical content, thereby saving time and costs. Translation memories can be shared between different service providers, facilitating efficiency when multiple vendors are used.Chapter 24: Translation Theory

Version

DefinitionReferenced In
• Meaning 1: The specific identifier assigned to a document each time it is updated. This versioning allows for tracking the evolution of a document, as different versions (or “revisions”) represent the document at various stages of its editing history.
• Meaning 2: A document’s adaptation for different user groups while maintaining the same core content. For example, the same procedure document could exist in two versions: one in English and another in Spanish.		Chapter 19: Write Draft

Version Control

DefinitionReferenced In
A systematic process for tracking and managing different iterations of a document as it is revised and updated over time. This process ensures that all changes made to a document are recorded, enabling an audit trail of its evolution.Chapter 19: Write Draft

Wisdom

DefinitionReferenced In
The ability of someone to use knowledge, information, and data to make well-informed and ethically sound decisions.Chapter 9: Collect Information

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