<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (December 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (December 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A subject - matter expert (SME) or domain expert is a person who is an authority in a particular area or topic . The term domain expert is frequently used in expert systems software development, and there the term always refers to the domain other than the software domain . A domain expert is a person with special knowledge or skills in a particular area of endeavour . (An accountant is an expert in the domain of accountancy, for example .) The development of accounting software requires knowledge in two different domains: accounting and software . Some of the development workers may be experts in one domain and not the other . A SME should also have basic knowledge of other technical subjects . </P> <P> In general, the term is used when developing materials (a book, an examination, a manual, etc .) about a topic, and expertise on the topic is needed by the personnel developing the material . For example, tests are often created by a team of psychometricians and a team of subject - matter experts . The psychometricians understand how to engineer a test while the subject - matter experts 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 . </P>

What does it mean to be a subject matter expert
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