STYLE GUIDE WRITING

Overview

Please consult this Guide before adding content to the site. The Guide is divided into section topics. Each topic specifies the principles that underpin the recommended style, followed by the related practice/actions.

Adding or Editing Content

Principles

  • Content needs to have a clear, unambiguous purpose – it needs to be relevant and justifiable.
  • It is useful to consider the following checklist when creating or updating content:
    • Why does the topic matter to the audience?
    • Is it useful/relevant?
    • Is it timely?
    • Is there a clear takeaway?
    • Will the content survive unchanged for a long time?
  • Content should be accessible and easy to understand regardless of the identity or professional experience of the reader.
  • Content should be referenced, where appropriate.
  • Content should be long-lived (ie. it should be able to survive without constant updating to check its accuracy and relevance).
  • Content should be spell-checked and grammar-checked.

Practice

  • Outline proposed content first before commencing writing:
    • Jot down the important points you want to make and arrange them in the order you want to make them.
    • Use sub-headings to divide your information into sections.
    • Show/discuss a draft of your outline to/with the Site Editor prior to adding any content.
    • Let the Site Editor know when you have uploaded new content so she can review/edit it.
  • Write purposefully:
    • Consider the purpose of each page, each paragraph and each sentence.
    • Avoid superfluous (ie. ‘filler’ or ‘padding’) text or images.
  • Define concepts – do not assume reader knowledge (eg. ‘Digital Literacy’).
  • When adding/linking to resources, always use MQ-authored resources where available.
  • Be careful when adding/linking to external resources (eg. from UNSW), as the resource may refer to information/processes that are not applicable to MQ.
  • Complex content (eg. theoretical content):
    • Define concepts - do not assume reader knowledge.
    • Should be scaffolded in terms of the knowledge the reader is expected to acquire as they make their way through the information presented.
    • Do not start with high-level theory and information with the assumption that readers will understand.
    • If content increases in complexity, it should assume the reader is a novice when they begin, and then provide them with the opportunity to advance their understanding if they choose (ie. the ‘opt in’ approach).
    • Ensure that readers who do not progress beyond initial content will still have sufficient, basic understanding of a topic (eg. defining the concept and importance of academic integrity, before explaining how to promote it in a unit or in assessment design).

Style and Tone of Writing

Principles

  • Write to suit the intended main target audience – MQ FOA academics.
  • Write as if a group of readers is being addressed, rather than writing to a particular person or identity.

Practice

  • Use British English, not American English.
  • The tone should be conversational and friendly. As a significant portion of the site is instructional, the language should be confident and persuasive, but not authoritative.
  • Point of view:
    • Do not use the first person (‘I’), second person (‘you’) or third person (‘them’).
    • Refer to parties by their lowest applicable stakeholder category relevant to the context that is being written about (eg. ‘unit convenors’, ‘students’, ‘academics’).

Referencing and Attribution

Principle

  • Model good attribution practice: always attribute information, artifacts, articles and resources, regardless of where they come from (even if they belong to FOA L&T).

Practice

  • Always add an academic reference when citing an academic article or external (non-MQ) resource:
    • Use APA style.
  • Add references via an accordion section at the end of the page (eg. see this page).
  • Images:
    • Attribution for images is not required if they are sourced from the public domain (see Michael's 'STYLE GUIDE: DESIGN' page for further instructions).
    • Attribution for images can be added to the ‘References’ section at the bottom of the page.
  • Hyperlinking is not a substitute for referencing (and can be used in conjunction).

Jargon, Terminology and Abbreviations

Principle

  • Content should be accessible and easy to understand regardless of the identity or professional experience of the reader.

Practice

  • Avoid abbreviations:
    • Unless they are widely accepted, public nomenclature (eg. ‘ATM’ is fine, ‘FoA’ is not).
    • If abbreviations are occasionally used when referring to an MQ-specific artifact (eg. ‘MUIC’), include the abbreviation in parentheses after the term is written in full.
  • Define concepts – do not assume reader knowledge (eg. ‘Digital Literacy’).