Is the text free of grammatical and punctuation errors and ambiguities?
Before publication, a document should go through a final proofreading, by someone other than the writer. Even the most thorough writer will miss the odd typographical error (typo), misspelling and so on. Spelling checkers are useful but may simply replace a misspelling with a correctly spelt but incorrect word, making it harder to discover. Such typos may not impact on the comprehension of what is written but it is surprising how irked readers can become on discovering one. Is the style of writing consistent throughout the documentation? This may be a problem where more than two writers are involved. Even if this is the case, at least one writer should do a final edit to ensure that the material reads the same throughout. If a document reads like it has been written by a committee then it probably has! Is jargon avoided, or where used, explained effectively If the writer knows that the audience will understand a piece of jargon then there is no need for them to define the word again. H
