Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 7
Style Specifics
Those complicated sentences seemed to him very pearls … “The
reason for the unreason with which you treat my reason, so
weakens my reason that with reason I complain of your beauty”
… These writings drove the poor knight out of his wits.
Cervantes
Don Quixote
Underneath the knocker there was a notice that said:
PLES RING IF AN RNSER IS REQIRD
Underneath the bell-pull there was a notice that said:
PLEZ CNOKE IF AN RNSR IS NOT REQID
These notices had been written by Christopher Robin, who was
the only one in the forest who could spell.
A.A.Milne
Winnie the Pooh
Good style is about clear, easy-to-read writing, which can be achieved by follow-
ing well-defined guidelines. These are not arbitrary rules, but are principles that
experienced writers follow. In the previous chapter, some of these principles were
reviewed. This chapter concerns a range of specific problems that are common in
technical writing.
Titles and Headings
Titles of papers and sections should be concise and informative, have specific rather
than general terms, and accurately describe the content. Complicated titles with long
words are hard to digest.
A New Signature File Scheme Based on Multiple-Block Descriptor Files for
Indexing Very Large Data Bases
Signature File Indexes Based on Multiple-Block Descriptor Files
