How to Write “Single Source”

So, what's behind these new authoring requirements? It all boils down to three things: 1. Modularization 2. Multichannel capability (media neutrality) and 3. Automation. Let's take a look at each of these in turn to see which aspects of single source produce which changes in writing habits.
 

Modularization

The core principle underpinning every CCMS (component content management system) is to break down the text into smaller, reusable units. The objective is to only create these units once, and then to use them in different contexts as often as possible. However, the problem here is that the effort involved in organizing the reusable aspect increases exponentially the smaller the units become. By contrast, very large units can hardly ever be reused. The ideal module size depends on a whole range of individual factors. Sometimes, meaningful modules are very small, consisting of just a single sentence, but in most cases a manageable size is two to three paragraphs. In some cases modules may even be complete chapters, as with the warranty commitments in a manual.

Beside the question of how large the modules should be, modularization places another requirement on editorial writing. The sentences in passages of text are linked together internally. This is usually something we're completely oblivious to. But every “it” and every “therefore” refers back to something mentioned earlier in the text (as does every “but”, by the way). Words like these weave a dense web of relationships that bind the text as a whole together. It's therefore very important when formulating modular text units not to refer to text that might not even exist in the final version of the manual. Modules must be self-contained and only in very rare cases (e.g., explicit links) reference other text strings.
 

Media Neutrality

The information in a CCMS should be reused as often as possible. What this means in practice is that content must be equally suitable for a printed manual as for a website, a documentation app or as a content element in an augmented reality application. Modular content management creates a basis for this, but is in itself insufficient, as text strings also contain many terms that are media-specific: “page”, “link”, “footnote”, “click”, “chapter”, etc. The list can be extended to your heart's content.

In single source writing, terms like these must first be identified. Only then can the technical writers decide whether the terms can simply be avoided, which is the better option if there is any doubt. In the few instances where this is not possible, the respective media-specific term can be stored in a variable in a CCMS and then replaced during the production process with one appropriate for the media in question. In addition, it is advisable to include media-specific terms as stop words in the terminology databases used by technical writers to warn the authors whenever they use such a term.
 

Automation

Single source also means rapid dissemination across various media channels, short update cycles for information products, and large content databases that have to be made available. It is obvious that these requirements cannot always be met by manual input alone, which is why the publication of an information product should, as far as possible, be automated. Both when collating the content and designing the layout, automation provides the means to produce a targeted publication within the shortest possible timeframe. The key to this is to carefully select the metadata that will control the automation process. In other words, single source writing involves not just the authoring of the content, it also relies on correct tagging with various items of metadata.

Single source writing changes how we write. There are some new aspects that a technical writer needs to take into account, but which, in return, will enable information products to be produced much more rapidly. They will also give writers the ability to handle comprehensive content databases and tailor their contents to specific target groups. The upshot is that both technical writers and customers gain from single source writing.