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Kansas State University
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IT news writing guidelines

This list of writing guidelines is for authors and editors of K-State’s InfoTech Tuesday newsletter. It defines standard practices to follow when creating articles. Send questions and suggestions to iteditor@k-state.edu.



abbreviations (see time, days, dates, months)

ampersand

  • Don't use as a replacement for "and".
  • Only use an ampersand when it's being discussed as a symbol or is part of an official name.
  • Doublecheck official names to ensure they really use an ampersand. Examples: AT&T is correct; Computing & Telecommunications Services is WRONG.

area code
Include the area code on all phone numbers. 785-532-7722 (see phone numbers)

colons

  • Avoid using colons on webpages as they’re difficult to see in digital form. More web gurus are now recommending an em dash or rephrasing to remove the colon.
  • In text, capitalize the first word after a colon when it’s a proper noun, the start of a sentence, or used as a subhead.
  • In headlines, always capitalize the first word after the colon unless it’s a proper noun with lowercase style. Reminder: eTips is April 2.

commas

  • In a series of three or more, use a comma before the final "and" (see Lists).
  • Place commas inside quotation marks on quoted speech. "I like it," said John.
  • Place commas outside quotation marks in all other instances, including on words and/or computer commands to be typed.

dates/events

  • Event details should be in this order: event name, time, day, date, location.
    The provost lecture is 10 a.m. Monday, April 21, in 501 Hale Library.
  • Don't use "held". The event will be held May 9. The event is May 9.
  • Use bold font on the time, day, date, location for easy finding by readers.
    Neal Wollenberg and Larry Havenstein will present "Second Life" at 1:15 p.m. Thursday, March 13, in 301A Hale Library.
  • Use a non-breaking space (   ) on time, date, and location combinations, so the number isn’t separated at the end of a line.
    1:15 p.m., March 13, Union 203.

days of the week

  • Spell out in text. My favorite day is Monday. The event is Friday, Aug. 20.
  • Use three-letter format in tabular data. Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri

DO’S DON’TS
Follow styleguides and double-check.
  1. See K-State's IT Style Guide.
  2. See the University Publications Style Guide.
  3. Check Merriam-Webster Online.
  4. Double-check brands and trademarks.
 Don't guess or assume about style.
  1. Don’t use what's "probably OK".
  2. Don’t assume a word or style is correct because someone else used it.
  3. Don’t expect English style to be static.
  4. Don’t expect brand names to be static.
Keep it factual.
Join us for the celebration.
A new website for the Office of X went live Tuesday, April 1. 		Don’t use "please" or "pleased".
Please join us for the celebration.
The Department of X is pleased to announce its new website, which went live on Tuesday.
Simply state the event, time, and place.
The meeting is 3 p.m. Monday.		 Don’t use "held" for events or meetings.
The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. Monday.
List the benefits of the project and what’s changed from the users’ view. Include new features as well as discontinued ones, to prevent unpleasant surprises. Don’t bore readers with gratuitous thank-yous on projects. If all units involved must be listed for political reasons, put the list at the bottom of the article.
Do include all the facts needed by the reader to get an adequate perspective. Don’t include personal opinions or phrases/sentences that add no real value.
Double-check all proper names, including those for people, buildings, organizational units, and products. Don’t assume anything where names are concerned. Names and titles change, too!

headlines

  • A headline serves as an accurate summary. It may be the only thing a reader sees. A good headline conveys the essence with a minimum of words.
  • Capitalize only the first word in the headline, proper names, and those after a colon.
  • Be concise; use only the words needed.
  • Omit a, an, the, and whenever possible.
  • Use a comma in place of and. New software for faculty, students
  • Use a semicolon for two ideas.
  • The word "is" can usually be deleted. Retain in the headline if necessary for clarity.
  • Include the article’s primary keywords (usually nouns).
  • Place keywords in the first three words of the headline when possible.
  • Avoid using question format in headlines unless it's a real question readers are asking (Feedback section Q/A is OK).
  • Reminders — If you must re-run an article, don't use the same headline and update the text if possible. Start the headline with "Reminder:" instead of using the same phrase twice (see reminders).
    First release: Mathematica 6 presentation scheduled April 2
    Second release: Reminder: Mathematica 6 presentation April 2
  • When a specific audience is the target, consider using that as the first word in the headline.
    Faculty/staff prices on Adobe Student Licensing end March 15
headline examples   (Test: By reading just the headline, can you know the article's intent?)

1.
Poor: Joke programs at K-State [Is K-State creating joke programs? Is Joke a type of program?]
Fair: When is a joke considered malware? [This implies there's no answer]
Better: How Trend Micro handles joke programs [Are joke programs OK? Why should we care how TM handles them?]
Best: Joke programs not funny to Trend Micro

2.
Poor: Technology open forums [For whom? Why? At K-State or elsewhere?]
Fair: Students, faculty, staff invited to share their technology needs ["share" implies informality; no urgency]
Better: K-Staters invited to share technology needs [Shorter is better]
Best: Technology open forums seek input from all K-Staters

3.
Poor: Samba webpage updated [Is it a K-State service? What was changed? Why is this important?]
Fair: University's Samba service has new web space, Mac info [Better detail. But the page moved; it didn't get more space]
Better: Samba network-connection webpage moved; Mac info added


hyphens

  • Use on compound adjectives. 30-foot house, small-business owners
  • Use to prevent misinterpretation: high school smokers, high-school smokers
  • Follow University Publications’ dash/hyphen guidelines for NO hyphenation on vice president, continuing education, student services, and financial aid.

K-State, KSU

  • Use K-State in all instances; only use KSU if it’s part of an entity’s official name.
  • Use @k-state.edu in all e-mail references to central e-mail addresses.
  • Use k-state.edu in all references to webpages on the university’s central web server.
  • Descriptive link text is preferred over the URL, because it is less disruptive to the reader.
  • Use the URL as a link if your goal is one of the following:
    • To publicize the URL as an important website. antivirus.k-state.edu
    • To help the reader remember the URL. www.k-state.edu/infotech
    • To emphasize the security/source of a URL. ftc.gov; symantec.com
  • If you must point to the URL, use the shortest one possible. The longer the URL is, the harder it is to remember and the more disruptive it is to the reading pace.

lists

  • Use a comma before the final "and" in a series of three or more. This is proper English style and ensures clarity. The colors were red, white, and blue.
  • Use a semicolon when a list contains phrases, the word "and", or an awkward or unclear grouping. The menu included meat and potatoes; a vegetable medley; and a selection of cakes and pies. She earned degrees from the College of Agriculture; the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design; and the College of Business Administration.

formatting (for readability)

  • Break text into smaller, shorter paragraphs for faster skimming.
  • Use bold font on critical points; event times, dates, and locations; and on subheads to help readers mentally organize and see related data.
  • Generally, put contact information at the bottom of an article.
  • For critical or emergency-related information, put contact information in the first paragraph.

months

  • Use the full name when standing alone in text. Halloween is in October.
  • In text with a date, abbreviate months of six characters or more. Jan. 1 is the start of another year. The celebration is Aug. 25.
  • In text, do not abbreviate March, April, May, June, or July.
  • In tabular data, all months can either be spelled out if there’s space, or abbreviated to three characters (no period). Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.

phone numbers

  • Include the area code on all phone numbers. 785-532-7722
  • Instead of parentheses, use a dash after the area code. IT Help Desk, 785-532-7722
  • Include toll-free numbers when those are available.

reminders
If you’re repeating an article that’s already been advertised, recast the headline and start with "Reminder:" instead of using the same headline twice.
First time: Mathematica 6 presentation scheduled April 2.
Second time: Reminder: Mathematica 6 presentation April 2

tables

  • A table must function as a stand-alone item, because readers may look at it and nothing else.
  • Make tables as concise and brief as possible.
  • Cut out extraneous words, no matter how small.
  • Put table headers in bold font.
  • Format line breaks for reading/skimming.
  • Use tabular format on month listings: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr (without a period)
  • Use tabular format on day of week listings: Mon, Tue, Wed (without a period)
  • When the data is date-sensitive, include the date or date range in the header.

table formats
NOTE: Need to include table examples that can be copied easily, including TechBytes lineup, open forums, IT statistics, plus guidelines for table creation (size, column widths, etc.).

time of day

  • Use a.m. and p.m. The meeting is 3:30-4:30 p.m. The time is 5:45 p.m.
  • Don’t use :00 with the hour. The event is at 10 a.m. The deadline is 5 p.m.
  • Use midnight (not 12 a.m.).
  • Use noon (not 12 p.m.).
  • Use descriptive text for the link text instead of a URL, to facilitate faster reading.
    See the CHECK website.
  • Exception: Use the URL when you want readers to learn/remember it.
    K-State's antivirus software is at antivirus.k-state.edu.
  • Ensure the wording on a link matches the headline on the destination website.
  • Don’t use http:// before a URL.
    The www.k-state.edu/infotech site is for K-State IT.
  • Use relative links only for internal anchor links in the same page.
  • Use absolute links for all else, including graphic files and CSS files, because each issue is virtually displayed at www.k-state.edu/infotech/news/tuesday.
  • Links to a K-State central webpage or site don’t need the full web address ("http://www.k-state.edu") in the HREF code. <a href="/infotech/">www.k-state.edu/infotech</a>
  • Internal anchor links should use "id=" instead of "name=". Most web browsers now recognize the former, and browsers that don’t are very old and should be updated. (source: Brian McKinney, April 2008)
    <a name="topic"></a>    <h3 id="topic">Topic</h3>