Technical Writing

221

Glossary

Abstract: A prospectus of what a presenter intends to present at a conference.

Administrative rejection: In a journal or magazine when a submitted article

is rejected without formal review.

Allegory: A story that uses metaphors for real characters and events.

Anthropomorphic writing: Projecting human feelings, behaviors, or char-

acteristics upon animals, inanimate objects, or systems.

Antipattern: A recurrent problem in organizations due to mismanagement

or negative environment.

Authority: Refers to the reliability of the scientic content or to the qualica-

tions of the writer.

Bethesda Statement: A statement of the principles of open-access publica-

tion written at a conference in Bethesda, Maryland (USA).

Blog: A website that features short, timely, and informal information snip-

pets. “Blog” is a mash-up of the words “Web” and “log.”

Brainstorming: The process of recording your ideas on paper. Sometimes

called “pre-writing.”

Business communications: Any correspondence that must be written in the

course of business activities.

Changeable: If the structure of the document will readily yield to

modication.

Cite: To make reference to another work.

Clarity: When each sentence, related groups of sentences, or related sections

of the written document can have only one interpretation.

Community of interest: A group with a shared focus, whether technical

professional, political, recreational, religious, or other.

Completeness: If there is no missing relevant or important information.

Concept map: A hierarchical organization of ideas from a central concept to

various subconcepts and sub-subconcepts. Also called a mind map.

Conference: A meeting where researchers present scientic ndings, often

in preliminary form.

Consistency: In writing, if one part of the document does not contradict

another part. See also Internal consistency and External consistency.

Correctness: When the information is grammatically and technically correct.

Cover letter: See Transmittal letter.

Curriculum vitae: A resumé for a professor or academic administrator.

Commonly abbreviated as CV.

CV: See Curriculum vitae.

Digital archive: A collection of published works that are placed in an elec-

tronically accessible, Web-based library.

Digital book: See Electronic book.

222 Glossary

Digital magazine: See Electronic magazine.

Digital rights management: The type of distribution rights allowed for digi-

tal content. Also called DRM. See also Soft DRM and Hard DRM.

DRM: See Digital rights management.

E-book: See Electronic book.

E-newsletter: A simple periodical that is distributed exclusively via an

e-mail server or downloaded from the Web.

E-reader: See Electronic reader.

E-zine: See Electronic magazine.

Electronic book: An electronic le containing a book and intended to be

read on an electronic reader. Also called an e-book or digital book.

Electronic magazine: The equivalent of a printed, glossy technical trade

magazine or refereed magazine, only in electronic format. Also

called an e-zine.

Electronic reader: Electronic device designed for reading digital books and

periodicals available in electronic form. Also called an e-reader.

Emoticons: Text-based graphics that depict facial expressions in order to rep-

resent an underlying emotion.

Existential: Use of the words “exists” or “none” and their equivalents. See

also Universal quantication.

External balance: When the relative number of major and minor sections

and subsections is relatively uniform. See also Internal balance and

Hierarchical writing.

External consistency: When a document is in agreement with all other

applicable documents and standards. See also Internal consistency.

Flesch–Kincaid metrics: Reading ease and grade-level indicators that are

computed for writing by various word processors.

First-person writing: Writing that is from the point of view of the author. See

also Second-person writing and Third-person writing.

Formal method: A system of rigorous semantics used for the representa-

tion of documentation, such as requirements specications. Formal

languages look like a combination of a programming language and

mathematics.

Freelance writer: A professional writer who works as an independent con-

sultant serving many clients.

Glossary: A list of terms and their denitions, proper names (such as impor-

tant agencies, organizations, or companies), and acronyms relating

to the subject at hand.

Hard DRM: A type of digital rights management for electronic content in

which certain operations are restricted, such as copying, printing,

and text extraction. See also Soft DRM.

Hierarchical writing: Writing that is arranged as a cascade of sections or

chapters at a high level of abstraction, followed by sections and sub-

sections of increasing level of detail. See also External balance and

Internal balance.