Re: Technical writing in a higher ed environment

["Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>]

If you imagine an instruction manual written like a USA Today front page
article, that will probably answer your question.

As one of those "management-oriented folks," my advice would be to take
a set of instructions, compose examples in both the required AP style (and
make sure you follow AP to the letter) and in the MS or Chicago style you 
would prefer to use, then take both to the person in charge of establishing 
the standards and let him/her see the difference firsthand.  If possible, see 
if you can get that person to actually try to follow the AP formatted
instructions to perform the task they document (it wouldn't hurt to select
a particularly complicated task for this exercise).

Style guides are supposed to be defined to suit the intended purpose of the 
document, not the other way around.

Gene Kim-Eng


"Mike O." <obie1121 -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote in message news:...
> 
> Oh boy, I'm afraid you are in for a severe scolding from some of the more
> management-oriented folks on this list...
> 
> What's the problem with the AP guide?

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