The impact of electronic publishing on the quality of technical content

The author examines the impact of electronic publishing on the quality of technical content. She focuses on the individual perspective of each functional contributor in the documentation chain-authors, writers, designers, editors, keyboarders, illustrators, proof readers, technical reviewers, and document users-and addresses those aspects of electronic publishing that influence each contributor´s performance, either positively or negatively, relative to the quality of technical content. Techniques for avoiding or minimizing the negative influences are described, and real-life consequences of an over-dependency on system features and of misuse and overuse of graphics are illustrated. The author concludes with a top-10 list of practical steps to take to maintain quality in technical content that is commensurate with the quality in physical appearance achievable through electronic publishing