Vocabulary

Organisations often use their style guides to specify preferred terms to be used in their documents. This improves consistency and helps to ensure that the terms most familiar to readers are selected. Some industries have highly standardised terminology, which may be published in glossaries to which style guides can refer. The Glossarist lists thousands of online glossaries.

Verbs for using screen keys

When describing software applications, refer to the platform developer's style guidance for platform-specific terms (although not necessarily for wider stylistic issues). Examples include the Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications, Apple Publications Style Guide and Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry.

For touch-screens, ISTC members suggest select, tap, touch or press. Microsoft recommends tap when using a pen pointing device.

Latin terms and abbreviations

There is growing agreement to avoid Latin terms because they are not familiar to all readers. Use English equivalents instead: for example, that is and and so on. There is no need to use and so on with for example — a list of examples is never exhaustive. Most technical writers consider and so on too imprecise for regular use.

Some writers avoid roman numbering systems, which are also not familiar to all readers.

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