XML Project

A concept topic written in XML (Extensible Markup Language). I developed a document that explains plagiarism and how to avoid it.  

(Completed April 2020)

Task

The task was to use XML to produce a short topic for technical communicators who need to learn about an aspect of ethics or intellectual property. We had to separate content from structure and adhere to information design principles when using CSS (cascading style sheets) to style the content. The output had to be a simple, well-formed XML document for online use that includes an XML declaration, metadata, ten various elements, processing instructions, and topic type (either a concept, task, or reference topic). In addition, we had to use the online discussion forum and post at least once either asking a question or providing an answer to a question.

View the project

• XML code

• Project output

Why I chose this project

As this task was very multifaceted, I was able to showcase many different skills. Although XML was new to me and I was completely out of my comfort zone, I pushed myself and it became the assignment I enjoyed the most in the programme. While I encountered several issues, I was able to work them out and demonstrate problem-solving skills. I showed that I can learn effectively when presented with an unfamiliar tool and produce a desired output. The result adheres to information design principles, e.g., alignment, space, colour, contrast, and legibility. Moreover, the content is clear, well structured, and correctly referenced.

Skills demonstrated

• Topic-based authoring

• XML

• CSS

• Applying information design principles

• Producing precise and consistent content

• Referencing

• Problem-solving

• Collaboration

What I learned

Apart from our lectures, Pringle and O’Keefe (2009) helped me to understand the concepts of Structured Authoring and XML. While structured authoring is “a publishing workflow that defines and enforces consistent organization of information” (Pringle and O’Keefe 2009, p.222) and is based on a hierarchy of elements, XML defines rules for storing and encoding structured content. Unlike with HTML, I learned that you define your own tags and the relationships between them. I had prior experience with tags, as I had worked with HTML when creating an online course on Blackboard at the University of Florida.

I thoroughly enjoyed both the logical aspects of XML and applying the CSS, which allowed me to be creative and play around with the design of the document. When I ran into issues, I was able to solve the problems with the help of online tutorials and discussion forums. Moreover, I reached out to my classmates who were able to help. The main thing I learned from this project was that new tools are indeed learnable.

Read my blog

Read my blog post on this assignment to learn how I stepped out of my comfort zone.

References

Pringle, A.S. and O’Keefe S.S. (2009) Technical writing 101: a real-world guide to planning and writing technical content. 3rd edition. Research Triangle Park, NC: Scriptorium.

Photo by Wright Studio on Shutterstock.