Technical Authorship

Technical authors design, write and publish information, technical leaflets, safety manuals and other information used in today’s commercial, industrial and defence markets, including internal publications. Many technical authors come from a technician engineering background in the Services and can be found working throughout industry. By using their technical knowledge and experience they are able to present information in a form that is easily understood by the end user.

Readers will be familiar with the handbooks supplied with items they buy and the very wide range of documentation in the commercial world ranging from financial institutions to hospitals and from machine operators to anyone driving a car, operating a cooker or maintaining a military aircraft. Some authorship involves updates and rewrites, while on other projects it is necessary to originate the information and this requires a great deal of research with designers and engineers.

The designer of a machine or process should involve a technical author early, so that documentation design can proceed with that of the machine or process. Documentation is expensive, so every document has a reader specification. For example, operators only need to know how to operate the machine, so they are not told how to dismantle it; while routine maintenance is quite different to a planned overhaul.

Documents are prepared by ‘technical authors’ or ‘communicators’ in Britain, and ‘technical writers’ in other parts of the world. There is more involved than just writing, and the technical author has to collect and sort a mass of information. The scope of documentation is enormous – from the highly complex to the simple but important.

In the more technical fields, technical publications have moved from hard copy to CD-ROM and now to the Internet with a site that can be constantly updated and accessed from all over the world. Increasingly, original equipment manufacturers are assuming the responsibility for maintenance throughout that equipment’s life so constantly updated information is provided to all parties to a contract. Increasingly, too, documentation on globally released products needs to be translated into different languages, interpreted for different cultures and to have customised menus and functions.

Technical authorship in the Services

Military equipment also requires documentation at various levels – from the operator to the person carrying out thorough maintenance. However, there are also manuals on tactics and training, doctrine and policy, and all manner of educational literature that also require technical authorship. So there are a number of people practised in the art of explaining complex ideas in a simple form. Speaking other languages and having lived in other countries and cultures may also be advantages that are not necessarily apparent at first glance. A number of people will have worked with equipment that is the same as or similar to that requiring manuals and other documentation.

Electronic information

Technical authoring is going through a rapid transition where the demand for greater control of information and the delivery of electronic information is increasing daily. Greater emphasis is placed on the control of source engineering data, particularly on defence contracts, where many companies now operate within an integrated logistic support environment.

There is still a need for skilled technical authors – with several years of experience in their particular industry – to write unambiguous, technically accurate descriptions and instructions for today’s sophisticated equipment. Rapid changes in the way information is stored and delivered, however, have transformed the way technical authors need to think and how they operate. It is an interesting time to join the profession.

In today’s market the emphasis is on reducing costs by controlling and re-using data, and having easy access to user information. There is a move away from paper-based documents to electronic manuals, known as Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals, which are capable of being viewed using standard web technology.

To achieve this, technical authors leaving the Services will find themselves working in a high-technology environment using applications such as Standard Generalised Mark-up Language (SGML), Xtensible Mark-up Language (XML), Content Management (CM), Simplified English (SE) and Document Management Systems (DMS). This creates opportunities for computer-literate people to apply their technology skills, and some even move into development rather than just writing the information.

SGML adds structure and style to a document and controls the way technical authors input the information to a system. XML is similar but allows the data to be viewed on the web using an XML browser.

In many large companies, all information is held in a document management system (DMS). In essence, this is a large database where the SGML/XML data and supporting graphics are stored. It provides control of source information, document workflow, version configuration, language variants, and so on. This means, for example, that an item that is common in many variants of a vehicle or aircraft is written once and used many times. Hard copy of the information can be output from the DMS or the information may be viewed on the web using an XML browser.

In today’s global markets there is increasing demand for information to be published in native languages, particularly when using the web. This has changed the way ‘smart’ technical authoring companies originate their source information, and has led to the term ‘Controlled Authoring’. This technique controls such things as terminology, grammar, spelling and style, using a tool to control the way it is written. This adds consistency to the publications and brings cost benefits to the translation process, particularly when using a Computer Assisted Translation tool, which can reduce manual translation by as much as 70 per cent.

Qualifications and training

The Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC) historically divided the routes to obtain formal qualifications into college and university courses, and those offered by commercial providers. It has now published National Occupational Standards that will enable NVQs for Technical Communicators to be offered as work-based professional qualifications. This will benefit the majority of authors who come from a technician engineering background. The ISTC plans to offer its own open learning course, with the first exams being held in spring 2008.

However, there are opportunities to gain both master’s and undergraduate degrees in this field in subjects like Communication Authoring and Design, Design and Digital Media, Graphic Design, Science Communication, Science Media Production, and Technical Communication. These may be gained in the same ways as any other qualification at these levels.

Training courses, generally with commercial providers, are also available for subjects like copywriting, designing information for the web and technical authorship. A key qualification for people in the Services to gain during resettlement or before they leave is City & Guilds 5360. This actually comprises two certificates – Technical Communication Techniques (5360-01) and Technical Authorship (5360-02). Qualifications include practical work, like collecting and writing information, which can be shown to potential employers.

Most training can be taken through distance learning, during which the same material that is in a four-week resettlement course could be covered in 18 months or under. Resettlement could include working in a technical authoring company to gain experience of the job and the environment.

Careers

Technical authors may be employed directly by manufacturers or by specialist technical publications companies. The work may be full-time, part-time or operating as a contractor, while some agencies provide staff to work on a client’s premises on a contract basis. Some people work freelance, so they are entirely responsible for finding the work and take all the rewards, but anyone going down this route is advised to obtain several years’ employed experience first.

A key requirement is an ability to understand the product and convey the information in simple, unambiguous English. There will usually be someone in the team who will guide newcomers through the early days as they become familiar with document specifications and software.

Industries that are heavy users of technical authors include IT, aviation and engineering. They will often employ people who have specific background knowledge in that industry and have added formal technical authorship training to it. No one, however, should be deterred from a career in technical authoring just because they lack formal qualifications.

Salaries

An average salary for a reasonably experienced technical author is around £25,000, rising with expertise and experience.

Contact details

Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators, PO Box 522, Peterborough PE2 5WX Tel: 01733 390141 Website: www.istc.org.uk

Wiltshire College, Cocklebury Road, Chippenham, Wilts SN15 3QD Tel: 01249 464644 Website: www.wiltscoll.ac.uk

Eston Training, PO Box 20, Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 6JU Tel: 01457 855875 Website: www.estontrg.com

Tutortex Services, PO Box 266, Salford M6 8GA Tel: 0161 707 2648 Website: www.tutortex.co.uk

Michael Norris

Ex-Propulsion Technician Michael Norris, now aged 56, left the RAF 10 years ago after 25 years service in the UK and the Middle East. He had earned two formal commendations, and had worked as a technical author on military engines at RAF Brampton. His first job came through a friend of the office manager, and he started as a technical author trainee at a small Lincolnshire company supporting BAE Systems.

He is now a ‘Project Manager for Piper Group plc, supporting off-site technical authoring for BAE Systems - primarily maintenance publications for the Hawk aircraft.’ Before starting his job with Piper Group two years ago, he had worked for Bowne Global Solutions and Technical Publications in Lincolnshire.

Norris controls ‘BAE Systems work carried out by the staff at the office in Hull, has daily liaison with both technical staff and contract managers, is responsible for technical editing of work, deals with account control and associated administration, and trains new staff before they go live.’

He likes ‘the technical challenges of the work and associated software, and working as part of a dedicated team on specific projects,’ but does not enjoy long distance commuting. He believes that ‘Service pay scales are in general considerably above those anyone leaving the Armed Forces could expect for similar work. In addition, there tends not to be routine pay reviews (in my experience) in civilian employment, as opposed to the yearly reviews carried out by the Armed Forces. Civilian reviews are more likely to be based on merit.’