DEC STD 146

This document, DEC Standard 146, establishes a standardized order for the pages in both hardware and software manuals.

Its primary goals are to enhance readability, ease of writing, and ensure a uniform appearance across all DIGITAL manuals. The standard applies to all new hardware and software manuals, as well as other corporate manuals and revisions where practicable, but does not dictate the content or format of individual pages.

The document defines and specifies the sequence of "preliminaries" (pages preceding the main text) and "back matter" (pages following the text). It lists a core set of required pages for both hardware and software manuals (e.g., Title page, Copyright page, Contents, main Text, Reader's Comments, and Mailer), with software manuals additionally requiring a Preface and Index.

Furthermore, it provides a comprehensive list of all potential preliminary and back matter pages, detailing their specific placement (recto/right-hand or verso/left-hand) and defining the purpose and content of each section (e.g., Foreword, Appendixes, Glossary, Bibliography). It also defines key terminology used throughout the standard.