Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Microsoft Manual of Style

The Microsoft Manual of Style is a reference guide for technical writers, technical editors, and content managers. Primarily the Microsoft Manual of Style is written and used to write content pertaining to Microsoft products but this guide is so well written and easy to grasp, it has been adopted by a large number of companies as a technical writing standard guide. Microsoft Manual of Style (Microsoft Manual of Style) presents a detailed guide to clear definitions and concepts with screenshots. The MSTP has been released in several versions since its first release in the year 1995. The latest Microsoft Manual of Style edition is the fourth edition according to Wikipedia. The last version was published in the year 2012.

The Microsoft Manual of Style sets standards for all the writers so that everyone writes the content in the same way. The content written without following the MSTP is not incorrect but it's just not Microsoft Style. And now, since MSTP is used and referenced by many organizations to keep the tone and usage of terms in sync with each other, it is being accepted as a general standard.

For a technical writer, the knowledge of Microsoft Manual of Style standards is always a plus point. If you are aware of MSTP, you know a lot about consistency and many technical writing principles. The knowledge of MSTP becomes all the more important when we know that most of the computers are loaded with Windows Operating Systems and then applications are generally written to be run on Microsoft Personal Computers and devices.

Some organizations use their in-house style guides but if you are aware of Microsoft Manual of Style, you would be knowing most of the style guides without even seeing them. The popularity of the MSTP is one of the main reasons why technical writers prefer MSTP over other style guides developed and maintained by other publishers.

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