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Information types and topics
Topics are the building blocks of modular documents, and organising topics by semantic information types is one of the architectural features of DITA.

Introduction
Information types and topics
Topics are the building blocks of modular documents, and organising topics by semantic information types is one of the architectural features of DITA.
- Content models and information types
  A content model is a framework that represents the structure of the information to be stored. In DITA, a content model is implemented as an information type, or topic type.
- Information types
  A fundamental principle of DITA is information typing, which categorises information according to the nature of the content. The three base DITA information types are concept, task and reference.
- What is a topic?
  A topic in DITA is an independent chunk of information covering a single idea or task, authored as a unit, and stored in its own file. Topics are categorised by information type. DITA's topic-based architecture enables the same topic to be used in different publications.
- Working with topics
- Specialised information types
  Specialised information types provide a topic architecture that closely matches the structure of your content.
- Topic exemplars
DITA map files
Syntax and mark-up
Language and punctuation
Graphics and figures
Cross-referencing
Cross-references are a means of binding individual topics into a coherent and navigable document.
Content re-use
Metadata, conditional processing, and indexing
The DITA documentation process
DITA authoring concepts
Moving from style-based authoring to a structured authoring methodology such as DITA requires a radically different approach to writing.

Information types and topics

Topics are the building blocks of modular documents, and organising topics by semantic information types is one of the architectural features of DITA.

Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth.
Frank Zappa