The Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC) is the UK's professional association for those involved in technical communication

Technical communication

Technical communication is a method of researching and creating information about technical processes or products directed to an audience through media. The information must be relevant to the intended audience. Technical communicators often work collaboratively to create products for various...

. It encourages professional education and standards, provides guidance about the value of using professional communicators, and provides research resources and networking opportunities for its members and affiliates.

History

The ISTC as it is today was created in 1972 from an amalgamation of three associations: the Presentation of Technical Information Group (founded in 1948), the Technical Publications Association and the Institute of Technical Publicity & Publications. The institute was incorporated as a limited company on 19 July 1972.

Governance

The ISTC is managed by its Council, with day-to-day running handled by a professional administration company. Members have the opportunity to contribute their ideas, skills and time to specific Steering Groups and can stand for Council.

The ISTC is a member of the Professional Associations Research Network

Professional Associations Research Network

The Professional Associations Research Network is a non-profit, member-led organisation with the mission statement;'to increase the profile of issues relating to professionals, professionalism and professional bodies through research and networking with the aim of determining and promoting...

 (PARN). This organisation provides a network for professional bodies and offers services and events on subjects such as governance, Continuing Professional Development

Continuing Professional Development

Continuing professional development or Continuing professional education is the means by which people maintain their knowledge and skills related to their professional lives.-CPD research:...

, ethics and standards, and member relations. The ISTC was one of the sponsors of a project in 2006 to explore the issues affecting professional associations as they grow.

The ISTC has a Code of Professional Practice, with which it expects its members to comply. This was developed in accordance with research carried out by PARN and its author was cited in PARN's third book on ethics.

Membership

Technical communication encompasses a wide range of activities, all with the common thread of communicating complex or important information in the most effective way for the reader. Technical communicators create information that has an impact on people in virtually every industry and area of society. Examples of roles that may be involved in technical communication are:

• Technical writing
  Technical writer
  A technical writer is a professional writer who designs, creates, and maintains technical documentation...
  
  
• Technical illustration
  Technical illustration
  Technical Illustration is the use of illustration to visually communicate information of a technical nature. Technical illustrations can be components of technical drawings or diagrams...
  
  
• Indexing
  Index (publishing)
  An index is a list of words or phrases and associated pointers to where useful material relating to that heading can be found in a document...
  
  
• Editing
  Editing
  Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
  
  
• Instructional design
  Instructional design
  Instructional Design is the practice of creating "instructional experiences which make the acquisition of knowledge and skill more efficient, effective, and appealing." The process consists broadly of determining the current state and needs of the learner, defining the end goal of instruction, and...
  
  
• Information architecture
  Information Architecture
  Information architecture is the art of expressing a model or concept of information used in activities that require explicit details of complex systems. Among these activities are library systems, Content Management Systems, web development, user interactions, database development, programming,...
  
  
• Single source publishing
  Single source publishing
  Single source publishing, also known as single sourcing, allows the same content to be used in different documents or in various formats. The labour-intensive and expensive work of editing need only be carried out once, on one document. Further transformations are carried out mechanistically, by...
  
  
• Environmental
  Environmental policy
  Environmental policy is any [course of] action deliberately taken [or not taken] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on...
  
  , safety
  Safety
  Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
  
   and health
  Health
  Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
  
   communication
• Management
  Management
  Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
  
  

The ISTC offers several grades of individual membership. There are two corporate grades, Member (MISTC) and Fellow (FISTC), and two non-corporate grades, Associate and Student. Corporate grades are entitled to vote at the ISTC's AGM. Members cite a sense of community as an important factor in their continued membership.

Organisations can join the ISTC as Business Affiliates.

Publications

The ISTC publishes periodicals and books:

• a quarterly journal, Communicator (ISSN 0953-3699)
• a monthly newsletter, InfoPlus+
• a handbook comprising essays from a range of practitioners, Professional Communication and Information Design (ISBN 0-9506459-5-8)
• an overview of the role of XML in the profession, XML in Technical Communication.(ISBN 978-0-9506459-7-1)

Events

The ISTC organises an annual conference, Technical Communication UK, which is held in September.

Awards

The ISTC makes annual awards:

• UK Technical Communication Awards (formerly the ISTC Documentation Awards) for deliverables in five classes
• Horace Hockley Award for contribution to the profession
• Mike Austin Award for contribution to the ISTC

International

The ISTC participates in the international technical communication profession through its membership of two umbrella organisations:

• INTECOM
• TCeurope

The ISTC was one of the founder members of both organisations, INTECOM in 1970 and TCeurope in 2002.

External links

• Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators
• Technical Communication UK