The new technical editor, especially a journal editor, is faced with an immense task. He can consult a vast collection of reference books to help him master the mechanics of editing, learn the system of publication, and improve his writing skills. However, no reference book tells him the thing he needs most: how to master the art of successful communication and interaction with authors, many of whom he will meet only through letters or telephone calls. The technical editor almost always depends on authors for his livelihood, since they submit the original manuscripts and research reports which he turns into the final product. The interaction between writers and editors often leaves both with bad feelings. To help the new technical editor prevent this, eleven guidelines for developing a good style of communication are presented. The goal of these guidelines is to make the editorial process satisfying and pleasant for all concerned.

The documentation describing a technical project or product frequently takes one of two forms: too little documentation to present the necessary information properly, or too much documentation poorly organized and poorly written. To help overcome this problem, a four-level approach to project documentation is described, with documents assigned to each level according to their intended use. The technical writer can then judge how to construct a given document because the audience for each documentation level is clearly defined.

The practicing technical editor quickly realizes that regardless of author or subject, the same grammatical errors occur repeatedly in manuscripts. This can probably be blamed on a fundamental weakness in the training of technical writers, rather than on any lack of individual or collective ability on the writer's part. With this in mind, ten errors commonly found in technical manuscripts are collected and presented. It is hoped that the list will be helpful to teachers of technical writing and to technical writers who wish to improve their craft.