Communicator (ISTC)

Entries are now open for 2026 through the ISTC website and will close at the end of August. Please check here for details. Then fill out the entry form to nominate yourself, your team or someone else. If you need any help with your online submission, contact us at istc@istc.org.uk. We are keeping the established guidelines. The Awards are open to any individual or team, whether employed, self-employed, contracting, volunteering, permanent, temporary, full-time, or part-time.

The ISTC is looking for volunteers to act as judges for the UK Technical Communication Awards in 2026. The ISTC Awards recognise the value of clear, concise and effective information products across our profession. From traditional documentation to modern digital formats, they celebrate the impact that high-quality technical communication has on organisations and, most importantly, on users. Why volunteer as an ISTC Judge?

Ed. T Villas Boas, ISSN 0953-3699. Logged in members can download this issue in PDF format. This issue includes content about careers and skills, docs-as-product and leadership traits as well as the regular columns. What is Docs-as-Product, and Why Should I Care? Treating documentation as products. David Bailey Plough Through Rough Cough – Why English Spelling Doesn’t Play Fair. Jo Stichbury Navigating Your Career – The Technical Writer’s Skill Tree.

The ISTC (Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators) is exploring the possibility of organising the next edition of the ISTC’s conference TCUK for 2027. TCUK has always been shaped by the people who attend it, and your feedback will help guide what happens next. Your views are extremely valuable.

The ISTC (Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators) is exploring the possibility of organising the next edition of the ISTC’s conference TCUK for 2027. TCUK has always been shaped by the people who attend it, and your feedback will help guide what happens next. Your views are extremely valuable.

Thanks to all of you who have continued your membership or have joined as new members this year. If you’re one of the latter, then welcome to InfoPlus. MadCap Flare are going to be publishing a few articles in the forthcoming issues of InfoPlus. The first one will appear in the April edition. Feedback is always welcome on our ISTC Slack channel or by email (newsletter.editor@istc.org.uk) about our new look and feel of InfoPlus.

Renewals for ISTC members are now available and payment can be made via the website or by contacting the ISTC office (istc@istc.org.uk). Payment was due by 31 January 2026 and should be made as soon as possible. Members have received an email with details and can check the renewals page of the ISTC website.

ISTC News ISTC Community A bit of AI … poking and prodding Upcoming events Training courses About InfoPlus Back Page Welcome all to 2026! We hope you had a relaxing time over the festive period and, like us, are raring to go in this new year. The newsletter might be a bit thin, but there’s not been a great deal of ISTC news updates from us to pass on to you. There will be more information in the next edition which will feature a new look and feel.

ISTC Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators

Ed. T Villas Boas, ISSN 0953-3699. Logged in members can download this issue in PDF format. This issue brings to you content about chatbots, editing skills, content integrity, XML and much more. Stop writing – When subtraction becomes a skill. David Bailey Ask the right questions – Testing documentation chatbot tools. Ivana Isadora Devcic and Tamara Rajić Going down memory lane. Jyotika R Mehra Combining contributions from multiple sources – Reflecting on the combination of different contributions.