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Activity: Judge conceptual content and decide which is best

Last updated: Jan 22, 2020

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With each of the conceptual topics in this section, you’ve been analyzing the topic in the context of the open-source project you identified.

Now broaden your analysis to see how these conceptual topics appear in other API documentation sites.

Remember that sometimes the best way to learn how to create API documentation is to carefully observe how it’s done on sites you admire. Following standard practices in the industry helps you create more predictable, easy-to-follow patterns in your own documentation.

Activity: Judge conceptual content and decide which is best

The following are 7 common conceptual topics in API documentation. For each topic, examine the three examples and decide which one is best. This is an activity we’ll do together as a group.

Product overview

API getting started

API authentication and authorization

API status and error codes

API rate limiting and thresholds

API quick reference

SDKs

About Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle area. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, plain language, tech comm careers, and more. Check out my API documentation course if you're looking for more info about documenting APIs. Or see my posts on AI and AI course section for more on the latest in AI and tech comm.

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