DITA topics are the basic units of DITA content.

Topics are the basis for high-quality information. Each topic is organized around a single subject or answers a single question.

Each topic is typically authored as a unit. It consists of a title, which captures the subject of the topic, and further content.

As stated in the essay paper: Introduction to the DITA architecture, DITA topics are organized by DITA maps. It is also possible to nest sub-topics within a topic. Specialization enables the creation of specialized topics and other units of content that are tailored to particular structural requirements. Content referencing (conref) enables fragments of content to be reused from a single source. Conditional processing permits a single source to support the needs of multiple audiences.

The architectural specification describes topics and information typing at

• http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.1/CS01/archspec/topicover.html.

A 5-minute tutorial on DITA Topics is available as a Flash animation.

Editors for the Architecture area:

• Bruce Esrig
• Michael Priestley