Managing review comments and feedback within DITA for automotive technical content is essential for maintaining document quality and ensuring that all stakeholders’ inputs are considered. DITA provides structured mechanisms for capturing, tracking, and addressing comments and feedback efficiently.

Comment Elements

In DITA, comments and feedback are typically captured using specialized elements. The <review-comment> element is commonly used to insert comments within the content. It allows reviewers, technical writers, and subject matter experts to provide feedback directly in the document. These comments can address issues, suggest improvements, or seek clarifications.

Feedback Tracking

Managing comments and feedback often involves a structured process. DITA supports the tracking of comments by including attributes like author, date, and status. This information helps identify who made the comment, when it was made, and its current status (e.g., open, resolved). Reviewers and content creators can collaborate more effectively by referring to these attributes.

Example:

Here’s an HTML coding example that demonstrates how DITA can be used to manage review comments and feedback within automotive technical content:

<topic id="engine_repair">
  <title>Engine Repair Procedures</title>
  <content>...
  <review-comments>
    <review-comment author="Jane Smith" date="2023-09-20" status="open">
      <p>This section needs additional details regarding torque specifications.</p>
    </review-comment>
    <review-comment author="John Doe" date="2023-09-21" status="resolved">
      <p>Added torque specifications for clarity.</p>
    </review-comment>
  </review-comments>

In this example, the “engine_repair” topic contains <review-comment> elements with details about the comments, including the author, date, and status. This structured approach ensures that comments are effectively tracked and addressed during the content development process.