Curriculum Resources

The following curriculum resources are organized thematically:

General concepts

The following resources provide introductions to many of the concepts underlying structured authoring in XML DITA and docs-as-code.
- ACM-001: What is structured content?
         
- ACM-002: What is semantic markup?
         
- ACM-010: What is information typing? (coming soon)

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XML DITA resources

The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is an industry standard maintained by the Organization for the Advancement of Structired Information Systems (OASIS). The following articles are ordered by complexity, from introductory articles and tutorials to more advanced or technical articles.
- ACM-015: Introduction to DITA (coming soon)

- ACM-016: What are DITA topics?
         
- ACM-014: XMLmind Editor Quickstart: How do I create, assemble, and build my first DITA publication?
         
- ACM-006: Oxygen Editor Quickstart: How do I create, assemble, and build my first DITA publication in Syncro Soft Oxygen Editor?
         
- ACM-007: Configuring Oxygen Editor
         
- ACM-005: Heretto Quickstart: How do I create, assemble, and build my first DITA publication in the Heretto CCMS?
         
- ACM-013: How does OASIS DITA support content reuse?
         
- ACM-026: How do I prototype single source authoring using DITA conditions? (coming soon)

- ACM-027: How do I manage reusable text resources in DITA using direct references?
         
- ACM-028: How do I manage reusable text resources in DITA using indirect, key-based references?
         
- ACM-031: How do I publish DITA content using the DITA Open Toolkit
      

Docs-as-code resources

Popular in cloud and developer-oriented products, docs-as-code is a collection of shared technologies and best practices used by both content developers and engineers.
- ACM-003: Modular documentation in a docs-as-code environment
         
- ACM-020: What is Github and how do I get started with it?
         
- ACM-023: How do I publish content using GitHub Pages?
         
- ACM-025: What is Vale and how does it evaluate structured content? (coming soon)

Content management resources

As teams develop more and more content, the need for database-driven management tools increases directly.
- ACM-024: What is a Component Content Management System (CCMS)?
         
- ACM-005: Heretto Quickstart: How do I create, assemble, and build my first DITA publication in the Heretto CCMS?
         

AI resources

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly a required assistive technology for content developers.
- ACM-022: Technical writing and the role of AI

         

Professional development resources

The following aticles discuss topics that are relevant regardless of particular authoring technologies or information architectures.
- ACM-004: What is agile content development?
         
- ACM-011: What do hiring managers look for in entry-level technical writers? (coming soon)

- ACM-017: What are some best practices for integrating code samples with my writing?
         
- ACM-018: What are the differences between XML and HTML? (coming soon)

- ACM-019 : What are some best practices for organizing my online portfolio?
         
- ACM-021: What does a technical copy editor do? (coming soon)

Requested content in search of authors

The committee has received requests from instructors for the following articles. Please contact < href="mailto:sjdoherty.acm@gmail.com">sjdoherty.acm@gmail.com if you have interest in authoring one or more of the following articles. You would not be alone. The committee helps.

Conceptuals

  • What is copyediting?
  • How do I learn about becoming a copyeditor?
  • How does a web CCMS differ from a CCMS (component content management system)?
  • What does a technical archivist do?
  • What is DITA inheritance?
  • How is web information architecture different from content architecture?
  • What are the different types of metadata relevant to authoring and publishing?
  • What is the difference between well-formed and valid markup?
  • How far can I go in MS Word to implement structured authoring?
  • What is AsciiDoc?
  • What is GitHub Flavored Markdown?
  • What are the most common roles on a tech writing team?
  • How do I collect information from technical experts?
  • What are stages in a typical content lifecycle?
  • What are some best practices for designing a conceptual diagram?
  • What is a style guide?

Tutorials

  • How do I know that I am following a style guide?
  • How can I set up a basic docs-as-code environment (Markdown/Jekyll)?
  • How do I set up a basic glossary?
  • What are some best practices associated with designing authoring templates?
  • What are some best practices for annotating your markup?
  • What are best practices for organizing my print portfolio?