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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37898
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Topic-based authoring is actually a particular form of Modular authoring. Modular authoring is most common in technical works but refers to any writing practice where-in different authors are given parts of a particular project based on their expertise and ability to bring that part to fruition most effectively.

Topic-based authoring is modulation based on the topic the author is an expert in. There are other ways to modulate a writing project where-in tasks are broken down, for example, based on the different environments that need to be covered (the environment may be physical or regulatory depending on the topic) or to cover differences in the time of operation where tasks differ on different shifts.

Using an aviation manual as an example in the topic based approach authors may be asked to provide their opinions on particular operations, the loading and unloading of goods, the "proper" settings to run a given aircraft at, navigation in the event of instrument failure, etc... Alternately the work may be modulated across multiple regulatory environments with authors asked to given their written opinions on a range of topics within a particular regulatory space, such as one author covering all operational standards in the EU, another covering Russia and a third for North America.

Original score: 3