In a FAQ, should a question header take the form "Why does blah blah?" or "Blah blah happens, Why?" And why?

Whilst writing technical documentation, there is commonly a section on troubleshooting or frequently asked questions.

I know a FAQ should be real questions - not ones the publisher thinks might be asked.

But when wording the question header, should it take the form:

Why does blah blah happen? 

or

Blah blah happens, Why?

The former might be a more natural way of simply asking the question.

In the latter the thing that is happening appears earlier in the phrase making it easier for readers to recognize relevance earlier. That's especially the case if there's a long list of questions, where it might appear odd to have every question starting Why, How, etc.

I'm also wondering about 'a third way'!

Blah blah is happening.

I can't find the blah blah.

The fact that it's in a FAQ implicitly suggests this is a question, so maybe it's enough to say what is happening, without explicitly wording it as a question.

What would be recommended, and why?

posted over 10 years ago

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Roger Attrill‭

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