Subject-matter expert

A subject-matter expert (SME) is a person who has accumulated great expertise in a particular field or topic, which expertise is reflected by the person's degree, licensure, and/or years' occupational experience in the subject. For example, a PhD in chemistry may easily qualify as a SME in chemistry, a person with a Second Class Radiotelegraph License or equivalent issued by the national licensing body as a SME in radiotelegraphy, a person with a master's degree in electronic engineering as a SME in electronics, and a person with many years' experience in machining as a SME in that field.

The term is used when those developing materials about a topic (a book, an examination, a manual, etc.) need expertise on that topic. For example, tests are often created by a team of psychometricians and a team of SMEs. The psychometricians understand how to engineer a test, while the SMEs understand the actual content of the exam. Books, manuals, and technical documentation are developed by technical writers and instructional designers in conjunctions with SMEs. Technical communicators interview SMEs to extract information and convert it into a form suitable for the audience. SMEs are often required to sign off on the documents or training developed, checking it for technical accuracy. SMEs are also necessary for the development of training materials.

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