Structured writing
Encyclopedia
Structured writing is a form of technical writing
that uses and creates structured document
s.
The term was coined by Robert E. Horn
and became a central part of his Information Mapping
method of analyzing, organizing, and displaying knowledge in print and in the new online presentation of text and graphics.
Horn and colleagues identified dozens of common documentation types, then analyzed them into structural components called information blocks. They identified over 200 common block types. These were assembled into information types using information maps.
The seven most common information types were concept, procedure, process, principle, fact, structure, and classification.
These types are loosely related to the three basic information types in Darwin Information Typing Architecture
- concept, task, and reference. An Information Mapping procedure is a set of steps for a person. A process is a set of steps for a system. Both resemble the DITA task.
DITA topics are assembled into documents using DITA maps.
Technical writing
Technical writing, a form of technical communication, is a style of writing used in fields as diverse as computer hardware and software, engineering, chemistry, the aerospace industry, robotics, finance, consumer electronics, and biotechnology....
that uses and creates structured document
Structured document
A structured document is an electronic document where some method of embedded coding, such as markup, is used to give the whole, and parts, of the document various structural meanings according to a schema...
s.
The term was coined by Robert E. Horn
Robert E. Horn
Robert E. Horn is an American political scientist, who taught at Harvard, Columbia, and Sheffield universities. Currently he is a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Center for the Study of Language and Information...
and became a central part of his Information Mapping
Information mapping
Information Mapping is a technique that divides and labels information to facilitate comprehension, use, and recall. It was originally developed by Robert E. Horn.- Overview :...
method of analyzing, organizing, and displaying knowledge in print and in the new online presentation of text and graphics.
Horn and colleagues identified dozens of common documentation types, then analyzed them into structural components called information blocks. They identified over 200 common block types. These were assembled into information types using information maps.
The seven most common information types were concept, procedure, process, principle, fact, structure, and classification.
These types are loosely related to the three basic information types in Darwin Information Typing Architecture
Darwin Information Typing Architecture
The Darwin Information Typing Architecture is an OASIS standard XML data model for authoring and publishing. Many third party tools support authoring, including Adobe FrameMaker, XMetaL, Arbortext, Quark XML Author, Oxygen XML Editor, easyDITA, and SDL Xopus...
- concept, task, and reference. An Information Mapping procedure is a set of steps for a person. A process is a set of steps for a system. Both resemble the DITA task.
DITA topics are assembled into documents using DITA maps.
External links
- DITA Users - a member organization helping people get started with topic-based structured writing.