Technical Writing Style: Page Design and Layout

Page Design

• Page design is crucial for creating clear, readable, and visually interesting documents.

Paper

• Use A-4 paper size for all text documents.
• Ensure A-4 is selected in the 'Page Setup' and in the 'Printer Properties'.
• Paper weight is measured in grams per square meter (GSM).

White Spaces

• Margins: 2.54 cm from each side and from top and bottom.
• Use 2 columns in technical papers.
• Paragraph length: a page should contain more than one paragraph separated by line space.
• Line spacing: single, 1.5, or double space.
• Justification options: right, left, full, and center.
• Page numbering: top and bottom (right, center, left).

Headings

• Main heading or title: located in the upper center of the first page.
• Section headings: capitals and bold, without an underline.
• Subsections and subsubsections: upper case for the first letter in each main word, lower case for other letters, and in bold.
• No underline is used.

Lists

• Numbers and bullets are effective when presenting lists of items.
• They can also be used to summarize findings, conclusions, or action items.
• Select the bullet symbol carefully and conservatively, e.g., solid circles, diamonds, or squares.

In-Text Emphasis

• The most effective highlighting techniques: underlining, boldface, italic, and change size.

Fonts

• Font size: 9, 10, 12, 14, etc.
• Font type: Times New Roman, Arial, etc.
• For maximum effectiveness: avoid too many font variations, use 'Times New Roman' with a font size of 11 or 12 points, and avoid large font sizes for the body of the text.

Color

• Use of color is a graphic design tool that reflects the image of your document.
• Printing color is expensive and should be used only when cost-effective.

General Guidelines

• The main factors affecting the appearance of the document are: page layout, margins, header, page numbering, reference font selection, font type, font size, text alignment, word spacing, indentation, paragraph spacing, and use of bullets.