The primary focus of COM 400 consists in researching, writing, testing, revising and producing a completed piece of software documentation (i.e., a printed user manual). Assume that your audience has a basic understanding of computers, but has never used the program you are documenting.
You must document a software program or app. Do not document a programming language or a website..
Assume that the user has the software installed on his/her computer, so do not include instructions as to how to install the software. The focus should be on how to use the software.
The final project and other related materials must be of a professional quality. Your final project should be a sample that you can show to prospective employers as a sample of your work.
Writing software documentation involves clear instructions, good writing mechanics and the ability to follow a specific format. Your grade will be based on your ability to do well in all these areas.
Your final project must include a Table of Contents, Index and Glossary. Text type should be 12-point Times, single-spaced. Headlines must be in a sans serif typeface, such as Arial or Helvetica. Pages must be numbered, with page 1 being the first page of manual text (not the cover or Table of Contents).
The final project must be created in InDesign or Scribus (current version--not the Developer's version) and submitted as one original file and one identical PDF file.
Scribus is a freeware program, so if you do not have access to InDesign, you do not need to purchase the program for this course.
The writing and design must be your own original work. Although you are encouraged to review other documentation for ideas, do not copy an identical design or wording from an existing manual, web site, other student’s project or any other source. Such copying will result in a failing grade for the class.
The goal of this course is to produce practical documents for actual users. Hand-drawn or pasted-in illustrations are not acceptable. Assignments must look professional as they would in actual business situations.
The final project should be approximately 24 pages. Refer to the samples from previous classes for layout examples including the amount of white space vs. amount of text and graphics expected. If you have pages with only a chapter number or large amounts of whitespace, submit more than 24 pages. Remember that technical writing is direct and not wordy. However, it also must be complete enough to allow a user to do the tasks outlined in your manual.
The Table of Contents should use dot leaders and the page numbers should be set with a right tab, so they line up evenly at the right margin. Please refer to the sample manuals for the proper format.
Proofread carefully! Documents with misspellings, typographical errors or formats that do not conform to those outlined in this handout or in class are penalized severely.