Writing Examples

Global Water Partnership 2008-2011.

Scriptoria has been working with the Global Water Partnership for more than four years and now produces most of GWP’s major publications – including its annual reports.

Other publications produced for GWP include a range of large reports and technical documents – such as the 108-page “Handbook for Integrated Water Resources Management in Basins”. For documents like these, Scriptoria now handles the entire process for GWP, including liaising with authors, editing and rewriting where necessary, finalising and proofing the draft, and designing and laying out the final product.

To see the 2010 annual report written by Scriptoria for the Global Water Partnership, click here (PDF 2.7 MB).

CAADP 2006-2011.

CAADP (the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme) is another client for whom Scriptoria handles all external publications of international standard.

Over the last four years, services for CAADP have ranged from creating their brand and producing exhibition displays for international meetings, to writing and editing all major publications such as brochures and flyers, international reports and annual reports. Many of these documents are produced in both French and English.

To see an example of  the 2011 "Success Stories" flyers we wrote for CAADP, click here (PDF 0.3 MB).

ICARDA 2001-2011.

Scriptoria has been working closely with ICARDA (the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) to produce its international publications for the last 10 years. We now handle all of its major international editorial and publication needs.

Our services range from editing hundreds of thousands of words of text for reports and journal articles for the Center each year, to organising, writing, editing and laying out their annual report. This year’s annual report is the tenth we have written for ICARDA.

To see the 2009 annual report we wrote for ICARDA,
click here (PDF 5.3 MB).

SPARC 2008-2011.

SPARC is a major DFID programme in Nigeria, for which Scriptoria has provided a full range of communications services since it began in 2008. Services for SPARC range from communication strategy and graphical policy development, to writing all flyers, brochures and other documentation explaining the programme.

We have also produced a complete web and social media programme for SPARC, including an online photobank and over 25 video interviews which will be released this year. Work to date also includes SPARC’s website, which is available in both a ‘corporate version’ and as a text-only fast loading version for Africa.

To see an example of an issue brief we wrote for SPARC,
click here (PDF 3.9 MB).

Annual Report. Centre for Health and Population Research (ICDDR,B), 2006.

Famous for inventing the oral rehydration salts that have saved countless lives over the last few decades, ICDDR,B undertakes globally important health-related research in some of the poorest areas of the world.

This year, the Centre asked SCRIPTORIA to rewrite and simplify the highly technical entries that its medical researchers submit for its Annual Report. Covering a huge range of subjects, from HIV/AIDS and TB to family health and cholera prevention, this report is a showcase for cutting-edge research under the toughest conditions. We were glad to be able to contribute and pleased to receive so much praise from the Centre.

European Regional Document: Europe, Water, and the World.
4th World Water Forum, 2006.

We felt honoured to be asked to help to produce Europe's submission to the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico. With inputs from many key organizations in Europe, this document makes clear some of the most important water-related issues facing the region.

As well as rewriting, condensing and harmonizing the 100-page document within a very tight deadline, we also wrote summaries for each of its chapters, to ensure that busy readers could grasp the major points at a glance.

Video Script. The Rewarding the Upland Poor for Environmental Services
(RUPES) Project, 2006.

RUPES asked SCRIPTORIA to help them to produce a video explaining their work. As part of this project, therefore, our writer advised them on the best length for the film, and wrote a guide for shooting as well as the final script for the video.

Annual Report. International Centre for Underutilised Crops (ICUC), 2006.

We were very pleased to be asked to write the inaugural report for ICUC, which has achieved an enormous amount in its first year alone.

ICUC asked us for something "modern" and "easy to read'. Based on this, our designers produced a very clean, white format while our writers produced 16 pages of punchy text based around the work ICUC is doing to champion underutilised crops.

WorldFish Policy Briefing, 2006. English and Bangla.

WorldFish asked us to write and design a striking policy briefing that would really capture decision-makers' attention.

So, while our writers got to grips with producing a really persuasive and scientifically sound write-up, our designers worked hard to optimize the pictures WorldFish sent us and incorporate them into an eye-catching design.

Water Policy Briefing series. International Water Management Institute (IWMI), 2002-2007.

We've been working with IWMI to produce briefings for their well-respected water policy series since 2002.

The 3,000-word briefings we produce are based on technical reports of around 30,000 words. They provide a reliable, unbiased source of research-based information to support sound policy decisions. Six more briefings are due out soon.

The African Agricultural Technology Association (AATF) Brochure. 2005.

AATF asked us to produce a short brochure summing up their innovative work in Africa. So, based on the documents they provided, we produced a four-page A4 brochure designed to showcase their work to donors and potential partners.

Written, designed and laid out by SCRIPTORIA, the piece was printed by AATF in Nairobi.

Flyer for The Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP). 2006.

The Netherlands Water Partnership asked us to update their flyer. NWP was happy with the design. So, we simply wrote new text to fit their template using the materials they provided.

Working like this can be very cost-effective, as it minimizes design and layout costs while ensuring that the information being provided is as up-to-date as possible.

Pro-poor Interventions in Irrigated Agriculture: Issues, Options and Proposed Actions. International Water Management Institute (IWMI), 2004.

IWMI needed to sum up research results from six countries, so that it could capture funds to continue an important project. The senior researcher was busy, the background information was complicated and bulky, and the deadline was very short.

SCRIPTORIA's writers quickly extracted the key messages from 115,000 words of research and data, to produce six concise briefings. The briefings were a success, and the project received more funding.

Learning While Doing: Monitoring and Evaluation. Harvest Help, 2005.

As part of its "Good Practice Guides" series, Harvest Help asked us to produce a short extension manual which would inspire extension staff and farmer groups to undertake participatory monitoring.

The key was to condense the 15,000 words of text written by Harvest Help's expert into a form that extension workers in Africa would easily understand and would enjoy reading. The final product was very well received, and SCRIPTORIA will be working with Harvest Help to produce more of these guides later in the year.

Our brief was to produce a 10,000-word report which summarized the main messages of a 25,000-word research report.

The report synthesized the lessons learned about the economic, cultural, and social factors that aid the uptake of new technologies by the poor. Because it was aimed at researchers from many disciplines, we had to ensure that it was authoritative, but interesting and easy to read.

Fungal Contamination: A Manual for Investigation, Remediation & Control. H.S. Bailey, Bailey Engineering. 2005.

For nearly a year, SCRIPTORIA worked closely with Holly Bailey, an acknowledged industry expert, to help her produce exactly the book she wanted.

As well as rewriting and editing all 26 chapters of this manual and writing its cover piece, we worked with the author to ensure that even the most complicated issues were expressed in a way which made them easy to understand. This involved various cycles of rewriting, review and discussion.

The book has been hailed in the USA as "the nation's premier manual on mold investigation, remediation and control", and was a hit at the April 2005 Building Service Contractor's Association international tradeshow.

Alternatives to Slash and Burn Lecture Notes Series.
International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), 2001.

This set of teaching materials makes widely available - both online and in print - the latest thinking in integrated natural resource management.

During a four-month consultancy for ICRAF, a consultant from SCRIPTORIA wrote and co-authored several of the lecture notes. The same consultant also finalised and substantially rewrote parts of the first 12 lecture notes in the series, and addressed all reviewers' comments.

A Lasting Catch. E. Schiøler, WorldFish Center, 138 pp. 2002.

As well as revising and editing the text of this book, intended to promote the impact of the WorldFish Center's 25 years of work, SCRIPTORIA was commissioned to write a synopsis of each of the book's chapters.

These synopses were given pride of place on display boards at the Center's 25th anniversary celebrations, and appeared in the Center's Annual Report.