• Be simple and direct.
• Make your piece easy to scan and read.
• Use descriptive titles and strong, specific sub-heads.
• Keep it short and focused on the key points.
• Put important/new information first.
• Be creative and reader-focused.
• Use a business-professional tone.
• Aim for accuracy.
• Think visuals.
• Have fun!

 

1. Know your audience. Try to think about your topic from your reader's perspective. One of the best ways to do this is to jot out a list of the questions you know your reader would ask. Try to answer those questions in your story. The most natural pitfall for all writers is to become the "expert" and, in doing so, fail to examine your assumptions. Putting yourself in the mind of your reader will go a long way toward helping you to avoid this pitfall. Perhaps the most important question your reader will ask is this: "Why should I care about this? What is in this for me?" The answer to this question is the reason you are writing the story in the first place.

2. Avoid jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations. Our readers often comment that information technology terms (and especially acronyms) turn them off, making them feel they are reading someone else's language. It is our job to speak to our readers about technical topics in a nontechnical way.

3. Aim for efficiency. Your sentences should be short and compact. This doesn't mean that all of your sentences need to follow the subject-verb-object pattern. In fact, that would be quite boring. But you ought to examine your prose (don't even worry about this until your first or second revision) for readability. Can the reader quickly pick out the subject and verb? Are connections between ideas/sentences clear? The best way to reign in your prose is to choose interesting, meaningful and ACTIVE verbs.

Apply the principles outlined in Writing for the Web. With the help of meaningful heads, bullets and short content-specific paragraphs, your reader will perceive immediately that your story will be easy to read. Most importantly, your readers will be able to quickly extract information.

Your use of headings ought to tell your readers what your story is about in a clear way. You will want to pique readers' interest and entice them to read on, so you should not be afraid of being creative. At the same time, readers will quickly become annoyed if all of your headings are so clever as to obscure the meaning of the text they lead.

Here some examples of good and "bad" (read less interesting and/or effective) heads:

Bad: Modem Pools Updated
Good: Goodbye 14.4K, Hello 56K -- UC Davis Updates Modem Pools

Bad: Copyright Defined
Good: What is a copyright and who owns it?

Bad: New Version of Bovine Online Released
Good: Bessie Turns 4 -- Bovine Online 4.0 Heads into the Moollenium

Bad: Y2K Rollover Uneventful
Good: Not with a Bang, but a Whimper: Y2K Came and Went

Bad: IT Announces New Program
Good: IT Tackles Shortage of Technical Staff with Innovative Program

IT Times readers don't expect in-depth analysis or journal-level writing. They expect short stories that are practical and easy to read. That's why most stories should be no longer than about 500 words.

If you are writing a story that requires a lot of background or that could use a detailed definition, consider separating that information into a "sidebar" (a short companion piece).

You should also consider creating or updating a Web page containing additional information or sources, background, etc. Remember, the IT Times is primarily a Web-based document and our readers will be accustomed to navigating through information via hyperlinks.

You should assume that readers will decide if they want to read your story based on the content of the first paragraph (your lead). See the comments of story structure in Section 4 of this Guide for more help on this aspect of your writing.

Don't be afraid to let your enthusiasm for your subject show. The IT Times is not an academic journal or a dry technical manual. In fact, for most of our readers, a tone of objectivity and distance would be a barrier to good communication with them. Most approach the IT Times as though they are entering an "expert realm" they don't regularly inhabit. We want to reorient them, to make them feel that this is their publication, that it speaks to them.

• Start with a grabber (startling fact, intriguing question, interesting anecdote, quote, or comparison).
• Consider a different format. Maybe your subject matter lends itself to Q&A, interview, or checklist. Sometimes, presenting information in a table format can be effective as well. Make these decisions based on what you are writing about and what you think your audience would want.
• If you are writing about a new service or an update to a new service, consider using testimonials from pilot participants or current users.
• Quote IT staff/managers who are involved in a project or service. Be sure to include the person responsible for the project (manager) or service, in addition to staff who provide the service.
• To illustrate how something works (or doesn't), use real-world examples that readers can relate to.

You are writing for your colleagues/peers. Use clear, concise and reader-based word choices and sentence structures. Professional does not mean distant or technical. You should feel free to use first person and to address the reader as "you," especially if you are giving advice or describing how to do something.

• Check names, dates, affiliations, titles/roles, email addresses, phone numbers, urls, etc.
• Confirm facts & figures, numbers, timelines for projects
• Check grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style (UC Davis Style Guide)

Think about how your writing can be reinforced visually. This can be done partly with the use of heads and bullets. But, also, you should be thinking about whether your story could be enhanced with the use of a chart or table, illustration/cartoon, photo, etc. If you have an idea for a visual, but don't know how to execute it, speak to the editor as soon as it occurs to you.