Technical Writing

Write clear, consistent technical documentation based on Google's developer documentation style guide.

Core Principles

• Clarity over cleverness: Prioritize understandable prose over elegant writing
• Consistency matters: Apply rules uniformly throughout a document
• Audience-first: Write for developers with varying English proficiency

Voice and Tone

Use second person: Address the reader directly with "you."

Good: "You can configure the server by editing config.yaml." Bad: "We can configure the server by editing config.yaml."

Use active voice: Make clear who performs the action.

Good: "The function returns an error code." Bad: "An error code is returned by the function."

Be conversational but professional: Write naturally without slang, jargon, or excessive formality. Use common contractions like "you're," "don't," and "it's" to maintain an informal tone.

What to Avoid

• Jargon and buzzwords: "leverage," "utilize," "synergy"
• Filler phrases: "please note that," "it should be noted"
• Exclamation marks: Reserve for genuinely exciting moments
• Implying simplicity: "simply," "just," "easy" (frustrates struggling readers)
• Latin abbreviations: Write "for example" not "e.g.", "that is" not "i.e."
• Directional language: Use "earlier/later" not "above/below"
• Anthropomorphic language: Don't attribute human qualities to software ("the system wants," "the server thinks")
• Skipping articles: Always include "a," "an," and "the"—even in headings

Inclusive Language

Avoid	Use Instead
blacklist/whitelist	denylist/allowlist, blocklist/safelist
master/slave	primary/replica, leader/follower
man-hours	person-hours
guys	everyone, folks, team
sanity check	quick check, coherence check

Capitalization

• Sentence case for headings: Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns
• Product names: Always capitalize (Tenzir, Kubernetes, Docker)
• Acronyms: Use standard capitalization (API, HTTP, JSON)

Headings

• Task headings: Use bare infinitives ("Create an instance")
• Concept headings: Use noun phrases ("User authentication")
• Hierarchy: Don't skip levels (h1 to h3 without h2)
• No links: Avoid hyperlinks within headings

Lists

Numbered lists: For sequential steps or ordered items.

Bulleted lists: For non-sequential items.

List guidelines:

• Introduce with a complete sentence followed by a colon
• Start each item with a capital letter
• Use parallel structure across items
• End with periods if items contain verbs or are complete sentences
• Don't use single-item lists

Procedures

Structure:

1. Introduce with context
2. Number each step
3. Start steps with imperative verbs
4. State location before action

Guidelines:

• "In the Settings panel, click Save." (location before action)
• Mark optional steps with "Optional:" at the start
• Document one accessible procedure, not multiple alternatives
• Avoid "please" in instructions

Code in Text

Use code font (backticks) for:

• Command-line input and output
• Filenames and paths
• Class, method, and function names
• Keywords, variables, and parameters
• HTTP status codes and methods

Don't use code font for:

• Product names and services
• URLs meant to be followed in a browser
• Domain names

Grammar: Don't inflect code elements. Write "send a POST request" not "POST the data."

Word Choices

Avoid	Use Instead
aka	also known as, or use parentheses
allows you to	lets you
config	configuration
admin	administrator
click on	click
check (checkbox)	select
uncheck	clear
higher/lower (versions)	later/earlier

Formatting

• UI elements: Bold (File > Save)
• User input: Code font or bold, depending on context
• New terms: Italics on first use
• Emphasis: Use sparingly; prefer restructuring sentences

Links

• Use descriptive link text that makes sense out of context
• Avoid "click here" or "this page"
• Good: "See the authentication guide."
• Bad: "Click here for more information."

Reference Hierarchy

When style questions arise, consult in order:

1. Project-specific guidelines
2. Google Developer Documentation Style Guide
3. Merriam-Webster (spelling)
4. Chicago Manual of Style (general)
5. Microsoft Writing Style Guide (technical)