Context: This is an excerpt of a much longer general usage style guide I developed for the Australasian Podiatry Council during my time there as a sub-editor, member resources officer and communications officer. I wrote it after I identified that there was no existing, current style guide. It applied to all content produced by the APodC but particularly to the Podiatry Bulletin, of which I was sub-editor. This guide was prepared after a process of extensive consultation with all levels of management and my colleagues.
Outcome: The guide is representative of both Australian best practice and managerial/organisational requirements and was adopted enthusiastically by the organisation. It has guided the sub-editing of the Podiatry Bulletin since it was implemented.
[Note, below is an excerpt only]
| ITEM | RULE | EXAMPLE/S |
| Acronyms | Should be written out in full in first instance, followed by the acronym in parentheses.For subsequent references the acronym only should be used.Exception: lengthy documents divided into separate chapters/sections, where one section may be read in isolation. Acronym should be introduced at beginning of each section.In a longer document a list of the acronyms should be included.Full stops should not be used in acronyms. | During the year the Australasian Podiatry Council (APodC) improved its operation.Next year the APodC will improve even more.The APodC CORRECTThe A.Pod.C. WRONG |
| Apostrophes | Apostrophes are frequently and unnecessarily misused.Despite some common misconceptions, correct apostrophe usage is clearly defined:
Apostrophes should not be used:
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The man’s dog seemed to chase its tail CORRECT The man’s dog seemed to chase it’s tail WRONG The Girls’ Own Annual. The Children’s Bach CORRECT International Womens’ Day WRONG The greengrocer sold banana’s and orange’s for 20 cents a pop WRONG |
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En and em rules |
There are two types of dashes, also known as rules – the en rule and em rule. The APodC prefers to use the en rule. Ensure that en rules are used and not hyphens. Except in certain instances (see Dates) the en rule is always “open” ie spaced on both sides. The en rule can be used to signify a change in the direction of a sentence, or it can replace a colon or semicolon. It may also be used in place of parentheses. The en rule is also used to separate job titles from places of work or departments. Avoid using hyphens instead of dashes. A hyphen (-) is the shortest line and should only be used for hyphenating words. An en rule (–) is longer than a hyphen but shorter than an em rule. An em rule (—) is the longest dash |
Regulations cover staff for specified types of transport – including qualifications and clinical accreditation. CORRECT (open en rule) Regulations cover podiatrists–including qualifications and clinical accreditation WRONG (unspaced – or closed – en rule) Regulations cover podiatrists-including qualifications and clinical accreditation. WRONG (hyphen) Regulations cover staff for specified types of transport—including qualifications and clinical accreditation. WRONG (em rule) Head of Podiatry – Royal Melbourne Hospital CORRECT from 2005 to 2006; from 5 August to 17 September CORRECT from 2005 – 2006; from 5 August – 17 September WRONG |
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Font (Typeface) |
For all Web and some print applications (documents 10 pages or less) the APodC uses the gothic font Arial as its default. NB on Mac platforms Arial generally displays as Neue Helvetica. For longer documents (11 pages or more) the APodC uses Palatino/Palatino Linotype as its default serif font. Note Arial is APodC’s default display font, which means it is used for Titles and all Headers (excepting some sub-heads that are rendered in body text style) irrespective of document length. In effect, Palatino is a font for body text styles only. NB business letters are to be rendered in Palatino. |
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Language – U.S. v British English |
In almost all cases, the APodC uses British English except where convention dictates Australian usage. For instance, “ize” endings are still acceptable in Oxford spelling, but Australian convention tends to prefer “ise” in all cases. U.S. spelling and conventions may be retained when directly reproducing quotes from U.S. sources. These should be appropriately referenced or indented, if appropriate.Where possible, however, longer extracts should be styled for Australian audiences. |
Organisation CORRECT Organization WRONG Realise CORRECT Realize WRONG Colour CORRECT Color WRONG Programme CORRECT Program WRONG NB However, “program” is always used in relation to computer programs. |
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Styles and templates |
Styles All but the most informal documents or personal memoranda should be styled, that is to say, text hierarchies (for instance headers, opening and body paragraphs) should be formally assigned a style within Word. This ensures, amongst other things:
Styles are inbuilt in the APodC templates, and may be accessed by selecting the “Home” or “Format” tab, depending on the version of Word you’re using. Templates Client-facing documentation, for example business letters, internal communications (for instance memoranda to MA) requires use of the APodC templates. These ensure stylistic and visual consistency and are essential from a public relations and branding perspective. |
Miscellaneous Issues
| Client vs. Patient | Client must never be used in lieu of “patient” particularly when the condition under consideration is life threatening. Be mindful of using the word “client” outside of explicitly commercial settings. |
| Indigenous issues | According to the Australian Government Style Guide, the most precise term for Indigenous Australians is “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”.The APodC uses this expression in formal contexts but in most circumstances generally abbreviates to “Indigenous” or “Aboriginal”, differentiating Torres Strait Islanders where necessary. NB Both words are always capitalised when used in this context. Torres Strait Islanders are a discrete racial and cultural group and must never be simply conflated with mainland Indigenous peoples.
Aborigine, with or without the “Australian” prefix, has lost considerable ground to “Indigenous” and “Aboriginal”. It is therefore (whilst not offensive) not a favoured term.Avoid using local terms for Indigenous groups such as “Koorie” as they can be a cause of some controversy between different nations. “Black” can be a politically charged term in the context of Aboriginal issues and should generally be avoided. In the unlikely event of references to colonial history, the early colonists are to be referred to as British or where known, Irish. “European” is an imprecise term. When in doubt, consult to ensure that your discussion of historical events is accurate. |
Alae Taule'alo 