Student Academic blog

Here are some guidelines to help you to write clear instructions:

• Prefix the instructions with a clear heading that summarises the task.
• Show clearly who does what. If a process involves more than one person, write a different set of instructions for each person.
• Start each instruction with a verb that tells the reader to do something. Examples: "Open the valve…", "Press the emergency button…", "Tell your supervisor…"
• Use a numbered list when the order is important. Use a bulleted list (like this list) when the order is not important (for example, when the reader can choose between different options).
• Put notes and warnings at the start of the instructions, or before the list item to which they refer.
• Specify conditions before the primary part of the instructions. For example, at step 5 of some stocktaking instructions, do not write, "Before you start the stocktake, make sure that…" (This type of problem frequently occurs.)
• Do not mix instructions with conceptual information. Give the necessary background information before the instructions.
• Write for your audience and use a level of detail that is suitable to their skill level.
• Avoid lists of more than approximately ten steps. If possible, divide a long list of instructions into two or more different tasks.
• Specify what the reader does when the task is complete. If a reader asks, "Now what?", the instructions are not complete.

ALL software write instructions