Editing Documentation (section)

== Principles for producing documentation ==

While associated [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO) standards are not easily available publicly, a guide from other sources for this topic may serve the purpose.<ref name="agd">{{cite web |last= |year=2003 |title=Guide to Documentation |url=http://www.somers.k12.ct.us/common/guide_to_doc.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070729135707/http://www.somers.k12.ct.us/common/guide_to_doc.pdf |archive-date=29 July 2007 |website=somers.k12.ct.us}}</ref><ref name="agds">{{cite web |last=CGRP |title=A Guide to Documentation Styles |url=http://www.sfsu.edu/~carp1/pdf/A%20Guide%20to%20Documentation%20Styles.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105095055/http://www.sfsu.edu/~carp1/pdf/A%20Guide%20to%20Documentation%20Styles.pdf |archive-date=Jan 5, 2011 |access-date=12 June 2009 |website=San Francisco State University}}</ref><ref name="agmd">{{cite web |last= |title=A guide to MLA documentation |url=http://www.sunyjcc.edu/jamestown/library/pdf/mla.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902180310/http://www.sunyjcc.edu/jamestown/library/pdf/mla.pdf |archive-date=2 September 2006 |access-date=12 June 2009 |website=sunyjcc}}</ref><ref name="pad">{{cite web |last=Berger |first=David |title=Procedures and Documentation |url=http://www.maintenanceonline.org/maintenanceonline/content_images/p11%20Trans%20View-20080410-222135.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727055502/http://www.maintenanceonline.org/maintenanceonline/content_images/p11%20Trans%20View-20080410-222135.pdf |archive-date=27 July 2011 |access-date=15 June 2009 |website=maintenanceonline}}</ref>

Documentation development may involve document drafting, formatting, submitting, reviewing, approving, distributing, reposting and tracking, etc., and are convened by associated [[Standing operating procedure|standard operating procedure]] in a regulatory industry. It could also involve creating content from scratch. Documentation should be easy to read and understand. If it is too long and too wordy, it may be misunderstood or ignored. Clear, concise words should be used, and sentences should be limited to a maximum of 15 words. Documentation intended for a general audience should avoid gender-specific terms and cultural biases. In a series of procedures, steps should be clearly numbered.<ref name="grdp">{{cite web |last1=Cropper |first1=Mark |last2=Dibbens |first2=Tony |year=2002 |title=GAIA-RVS Documentation Procedures |url=http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/gaia-rvs/document_repository/MSSL_GAIA-RVS_AD_001.01.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051102091330/http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/gaia-rvs/document_repository/MSSL_GAIA-RVS_AD_001.01.pdf |archive-date=2 November 2005 |access-date=15 June 2009 |website=mssl.ucl.ac.uk}}</ref><ref name="gqsd">{{cite web |last= |title=GLNPO's Quality System Documentation Review Procedures and Tracking |url=http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/qmp/Appendix%20S/Quality_Doc_Review_Procedures.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081204090246/http://epa.gov/glnpo/qmp/Appendix%20S/Quality_Doc_Review_Procedures.pdf |archive-date=4 December 2008 |access-date=15 June 2009 |website=U.S. Environmental Protection Agency}}</ref><ref name="dspg">{{cite web |last=UK Data Archive |year=2009 |title=Data Services Process Guides: Documentation Processing Procedures |url=http://www.esds.ac.uk/news/publications/UKDA_DSS_DocumentationProcessingProcedures.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613042612/http://www.esds.ac.uk/news/publications/UKDA_DSS_DocumentationProcessingProcedures.pdf |archive-date=13 June 2010 |access-date=15 June 2009 |website=esds.ac.uk}}</ref><ref name=dspg2>{{cite web|last=UK Data Archive |title=Data Services Process Guides: Documentation Processing Techniques |url=http://www.esds.ac.uk/news/publications/UKDADocProcessingTechniques.pdf |access-date=15 June 2009 }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>