Introduction   (Back to Table of Contents)

Everyone who works with words can use a little help managing the minutiae, whether they’re just starting out or have years of experience. The tools on this CD were designed to provide that help, quickly, easily, and immediately. You’ll find everything from style sheet templates to tips and reminders to checklists that will jog your memory as you make any writing the best it can be.

You can use these tools electronically, or print them out to use in hard copy, whichever you prefer. Some of them—such as the test and the style sheet templates—are designed so that you can electronically alter them or add your own entries. Simply open these files and save them to your own hard drive with a new name, and then use them for the project at hand. If you’re working in hard copy, you can just print out a new tool from the CD whenever you want one. For the Project Information Checklist, the style sheets, and the Electronic Reporting Form, you can add extra space wherever you’d like within them before you print.

All you’ll need to use this collection of editorial aids are two applications familiar to nearly everyone who works with words—Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you have those, you’re ready to let this CD make your work better and your life easier, starting right now.