Context: I drafted this checklist for VicRoads when I was working for the Web Consultancy firm Bullseye. We were engaged to audit the then VicRoads Website and provide consultancy around developing more Web-friendly content. I edited their Web content extensively and provided this editorial check list to help the in-house Web writer develop better and more consistent content.
Outcome: VicRoads and the in-house Web writer responded very well to this checklist and to my editorial recommendations, and the guide was implemented as part of the Web refresh project.
Stylistic and Structural
- Choose active constructions over passive. Passive constructions are where a sentence’s grammatical subject serves as the object, receiving the verb. Here is an example of a passive sentence: “In 1853 an Act for making and improving roads in the Colony of Victoria was passed by the colonial government.” A more active formulation reads “in 1853 Victoria’s colonial government passed an act to make and improve the roads.” Active constructions tend to be less wordy and confusing than their passive equivalents. They also emphasise the role of the verb in the sentence.
- Keep the style verb–centric. The user is interested in actions and a logical structure. The clearer and stronger the verb form and the less encumbered by noun phrases, the more effective in terms of speedily conveying meaning. Nominalisations (where the verb is turned into a noun) can burden a clear prose style with nouns and noun phrases. For example “VicRoads is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of road rules” can be re-cast in a more verb-centric way: “VicRoads must implement and enforce road rules”
- Governmental style. Users will be unsympathetic to dry, bureaucratic prose. Where possible rewrite government PR in a more accessible and user-friendly way.
- Order ideas logically and chunk text where appropriate. For instructional writing users will tend to look for higher-level tasks and their related dependencies. For more conceptual writing users will expect like to be grouped with like. Thus, related concepts should be broken into easily-digestible chunks and grouped together. Processes should also be grouped chronologically where appropriate.
- Condense text where possible. The Web does not allow fast or extensive reading. Where possible condense large sections of text into smaller chunks. Favour shorter sentences over longer ones and pithier paragraphs over wordy ones. Use bullet lists, subheads and tables to aid this process.
- Keep summary text at the start of pages as pithy and descriptive as possible. Users are unlikely to dwell too much on summary text also too much summary information will lead to repetition.
- Use plain language. People with varying degrees of literacy and English proficiency use the web. Content needs to be cast in so that it is easily-understood by as wide a range of users as possible.
- Do not patronise readers. Information should be presented as simply and concisely as possible but not in a way that insults the reader’s intelligence. Superfluous information, self-evident statements and repetition can potentially insult and alienate the reader.
- Australian usage consistently prefers ‘our’ endings in words like ‘colour’ and ‘honour.’ Ditto ‘ise’ endings where the North American favours ‘ize’ in words like ‘digitalise’ and ‘organise.” Keep regional style consistent and refer to the Macquarie or Australian Oxford if in doubt.
- VicRoads is always used adjectivally so is rendered as ‘VicRoads’ even when it would normally take a genitive apostrophe
- ‘Licence’ is the preferred Australian usage
- Bullet lists (except full sentences) are not capitalised and only the final point takes a full stop. In the case of a full sentence punctuate as normal with an initial capital and full stop. Where possible try not to place fragments and full sentences in the same bullet list. Also ensure that if the bullet point continues a sentence that the full sentence makes sense when read as a whole.
- Do not place a comma between a subject and its verb or between a verb and its direct object.
- Always spell out acronyms first, with the acronym in parentheses. You may use an acronym as often as you like, provided the user can access the full rendering with ease.
- Hyperlinks should be coloured consistently and underlined. If the hyperlink is to a document (PDF, video file or Word file) indicate the type and size of the document.
- Keep hyperlinks descriptive, for example don’t just write “click here”
- Nouns and their verb/pronoun forms must agree. If you wish avoid gender-specific language user ‘his or her’ or re-cast so thatpronouns can be avoided altogether.Do not use constructions like “If a person wishes to change their licence details…”
- Hyphenate compound adjectives.
- Do not capitalise common nouns. Only capitalise nouns if they are proper nouns or refer very specifically to concepts or institutions, for example ‘the commonwealth vs. ‘The Commonwealth of Australia.’
- Keep editorial voice consistent, for instance use “you” or “we” or “they” consistently throughout a given page and do not shift mid-page.
- Do not split infinitives. For added emphasis writers often wedge adverbials between infinitives. For example the infinitive “to go” could be rendered as “to ponderously, meaningfully and boldly go” [adverbials bolded for emphasis]. In practice few writers insert enough adverbials between an infinitive to compromise the clarity of a sentence but it’s a construction that tends to provoke instinctively hostile emotions.
- Do not append an ‘s’ to acronyms to form plurals, also do not use apostrophes for plurals
- Capitalise ‘Internet’ but do not capitalise ‘web,’ except in the form of ‘World-Wide Web’
- Do not use a comma before ‘and.’
- Use genitive apostrophes consistently and correctly. Genitive apostrophes or apostrophes of ownership are chronically misused. The rules are fairly simple:
Editorial
o Add an apostrophe and an ‘s’ to the noun to form the genitive, for example ‘My aunt’s pen was on my uncle’s writing desk’
o If the noun already ends in an ‘s’ modern usage favours simply adding an apostrophe without an additional ‘s’ at the end, for example ‘We went home by the Jones’ house. Mr. and Mrs. Jones weren’t at home.’
o For plural nouns add an apostrophe after the final ‘s for example’ ‘It was the boys’ last chance to see their sick grandmother”
o For nouns that form plurals in an irregular way (i.e. without simply adding an ‘s’) and an apostrophe and an ‘s’ for example: ‘The children’s holidays were spent by the sea’
- Avoid over-used Latinate expressions. Expressions derived from Latin, for instance ‘prior to’ and ‘via’ have gained currency in business writing but create an overly-corporate or legalistic tone. Where appropriate these expressions should be replaced with plainer, English equivalents.
- ‘Practice’ is the noun form and ‘practise’ is the verb.
- Do not use title case for headings and subheads. Only capitalise the first word of a heading or subhead.
- keep spacing and point size consistent
- ensure that information is current and flag potentially out-of-date data.
General
- keep spacing and point size consistent
- ensure that information is current and flag potentially out-of-date data.
Alae Taule'alo 