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Department of Human Serviceswriting style guide

Published by the Operations Division,Victorian Government Department ofHuman Services, Melbourne Victoria.

January 2003

© Copyright State of Victoria,Department of Human Services, 2003.

This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by anyprocess except in accordance with theprovisions of the Copyright Act 1968.

Authorised by the State Government ofVictoria, 555 Collins Street, Melbourne.

Also published onintranet_1/communications/toolkit/index.htm

(0330702)

Department of Human Services writing style guide ii

Introduction 1

Preparing your documentfor publication 1

Department of HumanServices writing style 2

Headings 2

Capitals and italics 2

Punctuation 3

Slashes (/) 5

Lists 5

Numbers 5

And/or 5

Graphs, tables and figures 5

Using ‘example’ names 6

Abbreviations and acronyms 6

Citations and references 6

Examples of correct citations 6

References to publications,newspapers and magazines in text 7

Writing for the web 8

References 8

Appendixes 9

1 An outline of the publication process 9

2 Order of a document 10

3 Elements of good and poordocuments 12

4 Capitals 16

5 Italics 18

6 Hyphens 19

7 Apostrophes 21

8 Numbers 22

TablesTable 1 Writing dates 4

Table 2 Slashes 5

Table 3 Abbreviations and acronyms 6

Table 4 Citation order 7

Table 5 Order of a document 10

Table 6 Plain and specialised words 12

Table 7 Effective writing approaches 13

Table 8 Active and passive tense 13

Table 9 Using plain English 14

Table 10 Capitals 16

Table 11 Italics 18

Table 12 Preferred hyphenationand spelling 19

Table 13 Hyphenation varies according to sentence structure 20

Table 14 Apostrophes 21

Table 15 Numbers 22

Department of Human Services writing style guide iii

Contents

Department of Human Services writing style guide iv

The Writing style guide provides a guideto the Department of Human Services’corporate editorial style. It helps authorswithin the department maintaincorporate standards when presentinginformation in print, online or in other formats.

This guide is based on the Style manualfor authors, editors and printers (sixthedition) as recommended by theDepartment of Premier and Cabinet. It isnot exhaustive. For further informationon writing and editorial style, see theStyle manual or contact CorporateCommunications.

Preparing your documentfor publicationProducing good publications and clearand effective information takes time.

This guide will help you prepare a well-written and structured document.Use English and Australian dictionaries.The recommended dictionary for allAustralian Government publications isThe Macquarie dictionary.

The spell-check in Microsoft Word isusually set to American English. You canchange this throughTools/Options/Spelling andGrammar/Dictionaries/Language; thenchoose ‘English (Australian)’.

Corporate Communicationsrecommends that all documents beedited by a qualified editor prior to webor print publication. The editor willensure that your document meetscorporate style standards. The editor willalso check spelling, punctuation,grammar and meaning, and advise onthe structure of the document and itseffectiveness in communicating to thetarget audience.

The editing and design stages do taketime, but they are essential to producinga quality publication.

The following appendixes provide useful tools for preparing yourdocument for publication:

• Appendix 1. An outline of thepublication process

• Appendix 2. Order of a document

• Appendix 3. Elements of good and poor documents.

Department of Human Services writing style guide 1

Introduction

Headings

Effective headings

Readers want to access informationquickly without having to read throughsections they are not interested in.

Effective headings:

• are clear and brief

• convey the content concisely

• direct the reader to the requiredmaterial.

Headings should appear exactly in thetext as in the table of contents,navigation bar or search results.

When creating a heading, think aboutwhat the reader is looking for in thecontents list, then make sure youprovide the information that the headingimplies.

Heading hierarchy

You will also need to determine theheading hierarchy (the level ofheadings). Editors label headings as A,B, C and so on (for example, A is thechapter heading, B is a sub-heading).The designer will apply a different stylefor each level of heading (that is, eachlevel is in the same font and size and isset on the page in a consistent way).

Capitals and italics

Headings, contents, tables andtitles

Departmental style is to use minimal or initial capitals for headings,sub-headings, lists of contents and table titles and descriptors, asrecommended by the Style manual.

With minimal capitalisation, only thefirst word of the title and any propernouns and names (and theirderivatives) are capitalised.

Titles of published works are initalics; titles of unpublished worksand of articles or chapters within apublished work are set apart byquotation marks.

For example:

A town like Alice

Women ’s worth: pay equity and jobevaluation in Australia

…in the chapter entitled ‘ThreeAustralian engineers’.

…in the article ‘On the menu:organic food ’in last week ’s Bulletin.

(Snooks and Co., 2002)

Capitalisation within text

Capitalise proper nouns such as:

Department of Human ServicesEastern Metropolitan RegionUniversity of MelbourneMinister for Health

Use lower case for the defining term ofsuch names when used alone, eventhough you are referring to a specificorganisation:

The Department of Human Services,the department

Barwon-South Western Region,the region.

Acts of Parliament

When an Act of Parliament is firstmentioned, use the full title of the Actand the date it was passed and use

italics. Subsequent references shoulduse roman type and may omit the date.

Children and Young Persons Act 1998(first reference)

Children and Young Persons Act(subsequent reference)

Regulations are in roman:

the Pool Cleaning Regulations 1999

Children’s Services CentresRegulations 1989

Periodicals

Titles of periodicals (journals, magazinesand newspapers) appear in ‘maximalcapitals’ or ‘title case’ and italics. For example:

Business Review Weekly

the Journal of English Linguistics

Refer to Appendix 4 Capitals andAppendix 5 Italics for further examples of the correct use of capitals and italics.

Department ofHuman Serviceswriting style


Punctuation

Hyphens

Hyphens are used to join two wordstogether, as in compound adjectives:

non-government organisation

community-based service

Hyphens are also used to form wordsthat have two or more components:

re-enactment

step-parent

Hyphens can signify a combination ofadjectives. A term such as ‘smoke free’,when used as an adjective preceding a noun, is hyphenated, for example:

I like smoke-free restaurants.

Otherwise there is no hyphenation,for example:

Hotels or licensed clubs are requiredto be smoke free from 1 July 2001.

Refer to Appendix 6 Hyphens forfurther details. Dictionaries are also a useful guide to hyphenation.

Quotation marks

The departmental style is to use singlequotation marks.

If speech is quoted as part of asentence, the full stop should beoutside the quotation mark:

The Minister added, ‘This initiative will benefit all Victorians’.

Double quotation marks are used only for quotations within quotations:

I told the class: ‘The first words ofMelville’s Moby Dick are “Call meIshmael!” and these words are full of significance’.

A part of another publication or the title of a published article should be inquotation marks:

See the section on ‘Growing your own’in the guidelines.

Apostrophes

Apostrophes are used to:

• show possession

• indicate missing letters (contractions).

Do not use apostrophes in plurals,including plurals of acronyms.

Possession

The fundamental rule:

• write the word that owns something

• add an apostrophe

• then add an s—(only if needed).

Contraction

For shortened forms, or where twowords are commonly pronounced asone syllable and letters are missing, useapostrophes, for example:

we’re

aren’t

don’t

can’t

Professional documents should avoidcontractions as they can be ambiguous.

Refer to Appendix 7 Apostrophes forfurther details.


its and it’s

This contraction is the mostcommonly misused.

‘its’ indicates possessive

‘it’s’ is a shortened version of ‘it is’or ‘it has’—it never has any othermeaning

Semicolons (;)

Semicolons are used to indicate:

• the other half of a thought equation

• a related but contradictory thought

• a very strong division between items in a list.

Use the semicolon to show howphrases within a sentence contrast witheach other. Also use it to separate longlists of things that each contain acomma.

As I went to market I saw: a hen withtwo heads, one of them red; a smalldog with three legs; a yellow, brownand white cat; a purple goose; and allmanner of other creatures.

My father drove a tractor for a living;my mother drove a sewing machine.

The cancer had spread throughout herlower parts; she didn’t even know it.

Colons (:)

A good way to remember how to usethe colon is to think of it as meaning‘and here it is’:

She had two types of socks: white and purple.

The colon usually introduces a list.Colons are sometimes used to precedequoted speech.

Avoid multiple punctuation marks.Never use a colon with a dash like this ( :- ).

Introducing an example

A colon often takes the place of animplied ‘namely’.

In Chapter 2 you will learn three critical concepts: design, paginationand page layout.

Introducing a list

Use a colon to introduce a list.

These steps should be repeated:

1. Press the mouse button.

2. Drag the cursor to the right.

Dashes

En dash (–)

Use an en dash between wordsindicating duration, such as hours,months or years. In Word, find it underInsert/Symbol, and choose the medium length dash.

October–December

1995–96

pp. 57–95

The en dash is also used to show anassociation between words that retaintheir separate identity, such as:

Melbourne–Sydney flight

Commonwealth–State relations

Em dash (—)

The em dash is twice as long as the en dash. Use it to indicate an abruptchange in thought or where a full stop is too strong and a comma istoo weak. In Word, find it underInsert/Symbol, and select the em dash.

We went far away—far away from the cares and demands ofcity life—to write up our research.

I went to Rome to see the churches,to Paris to look at the galleries, toVienna to hear the opera—but I see I am boring you.

(Alternatively, an en dash with a spaceon either side may be used to performthis function.)

Dates

The department’s style is to presentthe date from smallest unit to largest.

When describing a financial year,use an en dash, not a slash.

Table1 Writing dates

Correct Incorrect

12 May 1998 May 12 1998

12th of May 1998

1997–98 1997/98

1997 – 1998

4 May 1971 to 4 May 1971–

30 June 2000 30 June 2000


Slashes (/)Use the slash to indicate alternatives,

such as ‘and/or’, but avoid this

whenever possible. The slash can

also be used to express the words

‘per’, ‘a’ or ‘an’.

The solidus is not the same as afraction bar, and should not be used forcreating numbers. Spell out fractions.

The slash should not be used to replaceother punctuation.

ListsThe use of capitals and punctuation inlists depends on the type of list.

Lists featuring bullet points that are fullsentences, use initial capitals and a fullstop at the end of each point.

Some key issues for the endorsementprocess identified by nursepractitioner candidates were:

• Clinical practice guidelines shouldfocus primarily on areas of advancedand extended practice of the nursepractitioner role, rather than onprocedures or protocols related tomechanisms of services provision.

• The written presentation of alldocumentation to the Nurses Board ofVictoria for endorsement should becarefully checked for grammar, spellingand formatting.

Lists which contain sentence fragmentsuse lower case to begin each point and afull stop at the end of the last item only.

Symptoms may include:

• fever

• headache

• pale or blotchy complexion.

NumbersSpell out numbers one to ten, exceptwhen the number is connected to ameasurement.

Refer to Appendix 8 which outlines how numerals should appear in text.

And/orThere is often no need to use ‘and/or’.It looks clumsy and implies complexitythat is not warranted. Simply ‘and’ or ‘or’is usually sufficient to convey meaning.For instance, readers will not beconfused if we write:

Parents or guardians can accompany children.

rather than

Parents and/or guardians mayaccompany child(ren).

‘And/or’ should only be used if there ispotential for confusion in the text. Inthese circumstances, it is better torestructure the whole sentence.

‘Or’ does not necessarily exclude thepossibility of ‘and’, except where thesentence structure weights a choice:

Bring either skis or skates, because weoffer you a choice of sports on the day.

Apply to the office or the registrarfor your permit.

The only time that ‘or’ will exclude ‘and’ is when the construction of thesentence specifically gives a choice:

You can take the red tabletor you can take the blue.

Graphs, tables and figures

Editing graphs, tables and figures

Graphs, tables and figures need editingfor the same reasons that text does.There are often errors, inconsistencies,incorrect units of measurement andwrong descriptors in non-text material.It is tempting to use abbreviations, butthey are often confusing and inaccurate.Abbreviations can be confused withother units of measurement orconcepts.

Accuracy in data reporting

Specialised skills are needed to usescientific, statistical and technical data. Graphs and figures should bescrutinised and tested for accuracy.

Always keep a database of the originaldata, figures, sources, labels and so on. This is also useful for thedesigner as they often need to redraw figures produced on desktop software like Excel.


Table 2 Slashes

Correct Incorrect

Sydney–Brisbane flights Sydney/Brisbane flights

the 1995–96 financial year the 1995/96 financial year

A’asia A/asia

three-quarters 3/4

Titles and labels

All figures and graphs need titles.

The title of a graph is a product,combination or relationship of the labelsof the two axes. For example, ‘Numberof target hits per participant’; not‘Target hits’.

The title should describe what orhowmuch the graph shows ormeasures,compared to the otheraxis types specified.

Using ‘example’ namesDo not use ‘real’ sounding names,numbers, addresses or other personaldetails as ‘examples’ in publications.Many readers will believe your exampleand take it as real.

This is a legal and copyright issue. The Department of Human Services isliable for unauthorised use of namesand other identifying numbers ordesignations in its publications. Make itclear that it is an example.

Abbreviations and acronyms‘DHS’ is not acceptable in departmentaldocuments. Spell out ‘Department ofHuman Services’ in full, or use ‘thedepartment’.

Refer to Table 3 for further examples.

Citations and referencesWhen compiling your list of referencesor bibliography, items should be placedin alphabetical order, according toauthor, separated by commas.

Refer to Table 4 for the correct order.

Examples of correct citations

Article

Shonky, P., 1967, ‘From sand to sea’, inNew Zealand Journal of Oceanography,Volume 5, no 59, pp. 677–777.

Adams, P., 1987, ‘Black and white andread no more?’, Weekend AustralianMagazine, 7–8 February, p. 2.

Blaxter, M. 1976, ‘Social class andhealth inequalities’, in C. Carter and J.Peel (Eds), Equalities and Inequalities inHealth, Academic Press, London.

Book or document

Franklin, L. and Barry, J. (Eds) , 1998,Other things, Second 2nd edn, NationalPress, Washington DC.

Adam-Smythe, Q., 1978, The ANZACS,Nelson Publishing, Melbourne.

Ansett Transport Industries Ltd, 1984,Annual Report 1983–84, ATI, Melbourne.


Table 3 Abbreviations and acronyms

Item Direction Correct Incorrect

& Spell out ‘and—do not use an ampersand. and &

Acronyms If you use an acronym, spell out the title in full for the UNESCO U.N.E.S.C.O.first usage, with the acronym following in parentheses. WA W.A.Afterwards, make sure you use the acronym AIDS A.I.D.S.consistently throughout the text. Acronyms should PhD P.h.D.not use full stops.

Time The abbreviations ‘am’ and ‘pm’ do not have full stops. am a.m.pm p.m.

Common abbreviations The abbreviations ‘ie’ and ‘eg’ are not acceptable. that is, i.e.Spell these words in full. for example, e.g.

References to publications,newspapers and magazinesin textUse the Harvard (author–date) systemof references. Wherever possible, thedetails of the authority should be placedat the end of the sentence, before theconcluding punctuation:

Larsen first propounded the theory(Larsen, 1970).

If the reference is to a newspaper ormagazine article and the author isknown, the above principles apply, butwhere the author is not known, thetextual citation should appear asfollows:

They admitted that case was handledperfectly (‘Justice Department does itagain’, The Age, 15 October 1991, p. 24).


Table 4 Citation order

Item Description Example

Author Family name, first name or initial (even if this is, for example, Citizen, Jthe Department of Human Services).

Date (year) Not in parentheses. 1999

Article title In single quotation marks. ‘The article’

Journal or book title Italicised. Do not give abbreviated titles, like Aust. Chem. J. Phil. Journal of ArticlesThese are often incorrect and impossible for the editor to guess. The big book of

lists

Edition of book Editions are not simply reprints. They often correct errors and Fifth editionupdate information. Second reprint

Number of journal and issue number The name of the journal is insufficient. Volume 3,or other identifier number 34

Editor, reviser, complier or translator Include this information if it differs from the author. J. Rowl, trans.

Compiled by Jack Rowl

Publisher The publisher is usually the commissioner of the text, and has City Publishers responsibility for it.

Place of publication This information is very important, but often omitted. The source Cityof the publication is relevant to its veracity and possible biases,similar to the way readers position a work by its date.

Page numbers If the whole text was read, then this information is unnecessary. pp. 13–48 However, if only a section of the journal or book was consulted orreferred to, then the exact page numbers are necessary.

Online or electronic text is very differentfrom printed material. This section ofthe Writing style guide suggests ways touse the medium to your advantage, andshows how to avoid common errorswhen writing for the online environment.

Understand readers’ needsReaders take about 25 per cent moretime to read text on screen.

Eighty per cent of readers scan pages.They do not read word by word, or frombeginning to end.

• Keep web information simple.

• Great, long slabs of text are daunting.Break up text into sections underheadings.

Prioritise your contentMake sure what readers scan—

particularly the headings—delivers the important information.

Place the most important information atthe top of your site.

Use headings to guide your readerGuide your reader through theinformation. Headings should besnappy, descriptive summaries of theparagraph.

• Choose a heading that accuratelysummarises the content of the sectionor page.

• Use subheadings to create differentlevels of information.

• Avoid using a question in a heading.

Use hypertext links to guide your readerLinks guide your reader through thedocument, and take them to:

• detailed background information

• information for specialist readers

• contact information

• further reading (use a ‘see also’ format).

Links can also direct the reader downthe page to the section that is relevant.

Links should also be key words thatcatch the reader’s eye.

Highlight words

Limit the words you highlight to:

• four or five words in each page

• words that summarise the page contentor important ideas.

Use bullet pointsBullets:

• slow down the scanning eye

• draw attention to important points

• help readers follow a list

• identify discrete points.

Avoid capitals, italics and underlinesIn online publishing, WORDS IN ALL CAPITALS SEEM TO SHOUT. They are difficult to read.

Italics are also hard to read on screen.

Underlines are used to designate linksand should be avoided in other text.

Be accurate and currentAll the information you provide must beaccurate. Readers rely on governmentsources and expect them to carryauthority. Regularly check content foraccuracy and currency.

References Nielson, J, 1996, Inverted pyramids in cyberspace,www.useit.com/alertbox/9606.html

Snooks and Co., 2002, Style manual for authors, editors and printers, sixthedition, John Wiley and Sons, Australia.

For further information on producinggovernment publications please visit:

intranet_1/communications/toolkit/index.htm

www.commstoolkit.dpc.vic.gov.au/

Writing for the web



1. Prepare first draft.

Author prepares the first draft of the textusing this Writing style guide and otherrecommended references.

2. Manuscript assessment.

Editor reviews the draft text for majorstructural issues.

3. Second draft prepared.

Author prepares next draft based oneditorial advice.

4. Editing.

It is recommended that all governmentpublications are edited by a professionaleditor.

The editor:

• edits the copy for corporate style,grammar and punctuation, accuracy,consistency and readability

• highlights gaps and inconsistencies ininformation and raises queries

• advises about material that needs to beincluded or supplemented.

5. Revising the copy.

Author incorporates accepted editingsuggestions, provides additionalinformation required and updates asnecessary.

6. Final check/preparing for design and layout.

Author, and editor if required, checksfinal draft for errors and prepares copyand instructions for layout and design.

7. Layout and design.

Once final text and all content isapproved, a graphic designer lays outthe text and prepares any graphics anddesign elements required. The designerproduces a proof version for the authorto check.

8. Final proofread.

The author checks the design proof.Sometimes odd characters areintroduced during file transfers, arewrongly set or parts are missing. Thisfinal ‘once over’ is often overlooked butis very worthwhile. Even ‘flipping’through a printout can turn upunexpected errors that other readersmay have missed.

9. Final approval

The author signs off the final proof asready for print and instructs thedesigner to prepare the files for print.

10. Prepare for print.

Designer corrects any errors identifiedand incorporates any changes requestedby the author. A final version isproduced ready for print or publication.

11. Printing.

A printer is contracted to print anddeliver the publication.

12. Distribution.

This may be done internally orcontracted to a distribution house,depending on the quantities, timelinesand budget.

13. Feedback/evaluation.

The author/unit should always seekfeedback on the publication to ensureits effectiveness and to inform futurecommunications.

For further information on producinggovernment publications please visit:

intranet_1/communications/toolkit/index.htm

www.commstoolkit.dpc.vic.gov.au/

Appendix 1. An outline of thepublication process

Table 5 Order of a document

Element Description and contents

Title page Title only, similar to the cover.

Imprint page Includes copyright details. For example: Published by the Disability Services DivisionVictorian Government Department of Human ServicesMelbourne VictoriaFebruary 2003© Copyright State of Victoria, Department of Human Services, 2003This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.Authorised by the State Government of Victoria, 555 Collins Street, Melbourne. Printed by [include printer’s name and address]. This document may also be downloaded from the Department of Human Services web site at: www.dhs.vic.gov.au

Foreword Someone other than the author generally writes a foreword. In the case of departmentalpublications, this may take the form of a letter from a minister or a chairperson of an advisory committee.

Contents The contents lists the major sections of the document to help the reader find informationquickly. The contents is created once the document has been laid out so that the page numbers are accurate.

List of tables These lists give table and figure titles. Lists are only required if the document includesList of figures several tables and figures. These complement the contents listing and help readers find

the information they need quickly.

Preface The preface provides the rationale behind the publication and the method employed to produce it. It is usually written by the author and can include acknowledgments if they are brief. It should only be one to two pages long; otherwise it should be treated as an introduction.

Acknowledgments An opportunity for the author to acknowledge those persons or organisations that helped in the preparation of the publication.

The reader is used to looking for certainsections in their proper places andworking within this framework helpsreaders access information quickly.

See table below for further details.

Appendix 2. Order of a document



Summary The summary (or conclusions and recommendations) is a succinct summary of the main points contained in the text and should only be about one or two pages long. It may contain text lifted from other sections, but should avoid explanations, unnecessary background, extensive details and other descriptive tracts. As a basic guide, it mightcontain brief statements about:• what the document covers• what the text achieves• an outline of the processes involved in the research, project or initiative• the objectives of the program, research or initiative (perhaps including the terms

of reference)• major findings or recommendations from the project.

Introduction The introduction sets out the background to a project and outlines how the textwas prepared.

Text The main body of the work.

Conclusion This includes the outcome of research, guides or instructions that readers should followand generally sums up the content of the document.

Appendixes Appendixes provide additional information that supports the text but is too technical ordetailed to be contained therein. Appendix may contain graphs or tables. When theappendices contain matter that is essential reading, then it is unwise to separate it fromthe main body of the text. The reader often assumes that appendices are extraneous orirrelevant and they do not have time to read them. Consider naming back sections ‘Resources’, or ‘Tools’.

List of abbreviations Includes lists of acronyms and other abbreviations and conventions.

Reference list, endnotes or bibliography A bibliography contains only those references that have been referred to by the author in the text, or consulted during the preparation of the publication. A reference list includesmaterial intended for further reading. Useful headings in a reference list may be: ‘Furtherreading’, ‘Web sites’ or ‘Industry organisations’.

Index An index is a detailed list of topics with associated page numbers. While desktop word processing packages can generate an index, the layout and design process changes the pagination. Different software also loses formatting. Indexing is an expensive and independent task, usually undertaken by a person separate from the editing and design processes. A comprehensive table of contents can overcome the need for an index.

This section gives examples ofsuccessful approaches to writingcorporate documents and contraststhem with ineffective methods. These examples are all drawn from realexperiences with corporate documents.

Write for your audience — not for yourself

Keep the needs of your audience inmind at all times. Use language theyuse and avoid jargon. Generally, short,simple words will have more impacton your reader and allow your messagesto be clearly understood.

If you are writing a policy document oraddressing a specialised audience, suchas health professionals, you may needto use more specialised language.

Be briefLong sentences and paragraphs can lose a reader’s attention. Short paragraphs are appealing to theeye and are absorbed more readily.

Sentences should communicate one idea or a couple of closelyconnected ideas.

When we try to write in the way wespeak, the result can be long,convoluted sentences. Writtenmessages are easier to absorb thanspeech and should be concise.

Avoid compound or superlativeadjectives and complex constructionsas they overload the reader.

Active voice

Use the active voice; it uses fewerwords and is easier to read than thepassive voice. The passive voice oftenleaves out the subject of the verb andprompts readers to ask: ‘Who did it?’

Non-sexist writing

Avoid sexist language (language thatdiscriminates on the basis of gender).For a complete description strategies toavoid sexist language, see the Stylemanual.

The Style manual suggests several waysto avoid using gender-specific pronounssuch as ‘he’, ‘him’ and ‘his’.

For example, instead of:

The applicant should fill in thedocument using his or her ownhandwriting

• Recast the sentence in the plural:

Applicants should fill in the documentusing their own handwriting.

• Rephrase the sentence so the subjectis inanimate or there is no subject:

The document should be filled in by hand.

• Eliminate the pronoun altogether:

The applicant should fill in thedocument using handwriting.

• Recast the sentence so that ‘you’ or‘their’ is the pronoun:

You should fill in the form in your own handwriting.

Avoid using the clumsy construction‘his/her’ or ‘he/she’; use ‘their’ instead.

Appendix 3. Elements of good andpoor documents


Table 6 Plain and specialised words

Plain English Unnecessarilytechnical words

aid facilitate

help

assist

buy purchase

consume

stop terminate

end

finish

try attempt

can may

might

on upon

while whilst

among amongst


Table 8 Active and passive tense

Active tense Passive tense

Our clients need this information This information is needed by our clients.

The literature reports that… It is reported in the literature that…

We acknowledge that… It is acknowledged that…Practitioners acknowledge that…

When drawing conclusions, researchers should take into The limitations of the data must be taken into account whenaccount the limitations of the data. drawing any conclusions.

The Department of Infrastructure gives clients a choice of services. Clients may be given choices between services.

Parents should fill in forms in private. The forms should be filled in by parents in private.

Table 7 Effective writing approaches

Features of documents that work Features of documents that fail to communicate

Written to meet the needs of the audience. Focuses on what the author knows about the subject.

Focuses on the topic. Includes unnecessary background information.

Considers readers’ needs. Designed to fulfil the writer’s obligations to their superiors.

Uses language that the audience Uses jargon and specialist phrases.is familiar with.

Clearly explains key items. Uses abbreviations and acronyms.

Uses plain language. Written in a complicated, flowery or academic style.

Is divided into headed sections Contains long, unbroken tracts of text.that are easy to negotiate.

Adapts layout and style to suit the Rigorously follows a formal, academic or professional style.readers’ needs.

Highlights important information. Assumes that the audience will read through the entire document from beginning to end in one session.

Table 9 Using plain English

Plain English Difficult phrases

tends to has a tendency tocan has the capacity tois able to has the ability to

affects impacts uponcan affect can have an enormous impact uponcan hinder/stifle/delay/rob/stunt (use a specific verb) has a significant effect upon

agree come to an agreementreach a consensus

must are required toshould

for on behalf offor the purposes of

cannot lacks the ability tois unable to is deficient in the resources to achieve

regarding with regards topertaining toapropos

soon in the near futurequickly as soon as possibleimmediately as soon as you are able toby return mail within a minimum timeframe

as expediently as possible

aims to aims to ensure thathas the objective ofseeks toaims to help to

before prior toin a previous timeframe

alternatively on the other handin other situations

is without does not havelacks in the absence of

is deficient in

despite despite the fact thatregardless even though


Plain English Difficult phrases

when in the event of

if when the occasion arises thatunder circumstances in whichin the case of

and in addition toplus as well asalso

we expect it is anticipated thatit is expected that

about in relation toconcerning with respect to

: the following

probably it is likely thatin the expected circumstances of

is should be seen asshould be understood asshould be taken to meancould be described ashas been seen ashas been found to be

so in order forin order that

to achieve so as to achieve the outcome of

some a number of(use the actual number)

studies show for many years it has been recognised thatresearch indicates it is commonly understood that(state fact without preamble)

research concludes/found/shows it has been found in a number of studies that

‘s role is to… has a role to play in the … of…

usually in most casesmostly in the predominance of incidentsgenerallycommonly

for in relation toto with regards to

in respect of


Table10 Capitals


Special species, Writers often capitalise the The rare and endangered lyrebird The specially designed items, places and tools names of things that are frightened the ranger away. Model helps Obstetricians

important in their field, predict birth dates.however this is often No one was present in the emergencyincorrect. department.Commonly used acronyms might encourage writers to believe that the spelled-outversion should also be capitalised.

Job titles Generic job titles are always Don’t forget to see the doctor. General Practitionerlower case. There is a risk The unit manager was away. the Managerthat capitalising some Speak to the chair if you need to. Chief Executive Officer

items (for example, The relevant minister will help you. All the Head Paediatricians‘paediatrician’), but not Avoid annoying the control were at the conference.others (‘nurse’), implies management supervisor unnecessarily.a hierarchy. This is the responsibility of the local

general practitioner (GP).

Capitalise a specific John Smith, Headperson’s job position. Paediatrician, was the

keynote speaker.The whole board was there,including the Chair, Mr Citizen. John Citizen, Minister ofParliament, spoke to us.

Proper nouns Capitalise proper nouns. Department of Human Services It was next to the bayside Eastern Metropolitan Region medical centre.University of Melbourne The state theatre held 300 Minister for Health people.

Institutions Capitalise components of Australian Institute of Managementthe names of societies, The University of Melbourne institutions, companies, the Third International Conference conferences and so on. on the Aged

Parts of a book Parts of a book are These terms are explained in the capitalised when mentioned Glossary, page 162.in the text. The book’s glossary is barely adequate.

Appendix 4. Capitals



Government Most state items are All the states and territories were asked. You know that all States andcapitalised, but some federal The Victorian State Government funds Territories are included on matters are lower case. this project. the list.

Any government acting in Victoria in We followed the advice of thethe 1990s would have known. Victorian state government.The federal highway was a successful example.

Some words are always The Treasury, the Budget, the Crown,capitalised. the Constitution, the Cabinet, the

Senate, the House (of Representatives),the Territory (Australian Capital Territory or Northern Territory)Act or Bill (when referring to legislation)

Foreign terms Capitalise Latin scientific Legionella bacteria were found in the Measlesnames, such as bacteria. cooling towers. DiphtheriaDo not capitalise names E. Coli is rife in waterways. of diseases, except if The poor man had legionnaire’s disease.named after a person. Twenty per cent of the population had

Down’s syndrome.

Plurals Use lower case for the The University of Melbourne; defining term of such names the universitywhen used alone, even The Ministerial Task Force onthough referering to a Inequality; the task forcespecific organisation.

Use lower case for the Crossing the Atlantic Ocean is difficult.defining term of proper nouns We all rely on the Atlantic and Pacific when used in the plural. oceans for fish.



Appendix 5. Italics

Table11 Italics

Correct use of italics Example of correct use Words that are written in Correct examples of words of italics roman (not italics) that are written in roman

(not italics)

Books The getting of wisdom Short stories ‘Peelings’, by Peter Carey

Plays The seventeenth doll Regulations and guidelines The Pool Cleaning Regulations, 1998

Films BreakerMorant Committees, working groups The Maternity Services Working PartyThe Quality Control Committee

Television programs ‘Special People’, on Projects The Future Schools Project(but not the individual episode) The 7.30 Report

Magazines The Journal of Health Studies Concepts and theories De Bono’s ‘Six Hats’ theoryThe Food Pyramid (note that this is a copyrighted concept)Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Newspapers Argus

Planes Enola Gay

Ships HMAS Enterprize

Trains The Overlander

Note: Avoid using italics for online text as it is difficult to read; use singular apostrophe marks or bolding.

This list shows the preferredhyphenation and spelling in Departmentof Human Services’ documents. Otherpublishing houses and governmentdepartments may use differentconventions. This list is not exhaustive.

The Macquarie dictionary is a goodsource of further information onhyphenations and compound words.


Appendix 6. Hyphens

Hyphenatedwords

anti-blood-bornebroad-basedcommunity-basedcontra-indicationcost-effectivecost-efficientcross-contaminationcross-infectioncross-referencefit-outhalf-lifehigh-risehome-based

home-likehospital-acquiredhospital-basedhospital-specificin-homein-housemedico-legalmicro-organismmulti-storeyneeds-basednon-acceptancenon-arrivalnon-clinicalnon-prescriptionnon-specificnon-tolerantnon-toxic

opiate-freeout-of-homeperformance-basedpick-uppoly-drugpost-mortempost-operativepre-emptpre-existingpre-operativepre-trialsame-day patientself-esteemself-confidenceself-containedself-harmself-help

self-ratingself-reportedself-sufficientsemi-urgentsub-acutetake-upuser-friendlywell-definedwell-intendedre-enactmentstep-parent

Words withouthyphens

antenatalat riskbreak upbreastfeedingbreast screeningcare giverchildbearingchild carecollocatedcooperatecoordinatedecision making

drug freeemailen suitefirst aidflexitimehealth carehealth workerhigh riskinpatientleftoverlifelonglong termlow costlow riskmass media

marketplacemultidisciplinarymultipurposeno oneongoingoutpatientoutreachoverreactoverridingper centpercentagepostgraduatepostnatalpreschoolprintout

proactivepsychogeriatricreadmissionreinfectionshort termstillbornsubgroupthroughputundergraduateunderwayupgradewellbeingworkforce

Table12 Preferred hyphenation and spelling


Table13 Hyphenation varies according to sentence structure

Used as an adjective Used in the predicate

We’re sick of these 12-hour days. The shop is open 24 hours a day.

The town needs a 24-hour service.

Our doctor gives after-hours treatment. The office is closed after hours.

We have age-specific activities for them. Make sure the games are age specific.

It was an AIDS-related illness. The cause was AIDS related.

It was an Australia-wide survey. The survey was Australia wide.

Don’t go past the cut-off point. That is the third cut off.

I dislike face-to-face meetings. We met face to face.

Turn off the facility-wide resources. The system operates facility wide.

We had a hospital-wide break-out. The damage was hospital wide.

The church offered a one-off payment. The win was just a one off.

Not enough on-site resources were available. The meeting will be on site.

Another person-to-person infection was confirmed. The germs spread from garment to garment, person to person.

They live in purpose-built houses. It didn’t work because it wasn’t purpose built.

Too many ready-to-eat meals will make you fat. The dinner needs to be ready to eat.

We need a site-specific plan in place. The art installation is site specific.

An up-to-date report is coming in now. Is that information up to date?

It’s just a short-term contract. In the short term, we will need more coffee.

It’s a medium-term project. Over the longer term, we will encounter more failures.

They gave him a full-time salary. She’s only at the desk part time.


Appendix 7.Apostrophes

Table14 Apostrophes

Item Correct Incorrect

Numbers 1990s 1990’sthey came in twos and threes they came in two’s and three’s

they came in 2’s and 3’s

Acronyms AIDS AID’sGPs GP’sWe have three CEOs. We have three CEO’s.The CEOs’ offices are next to each other. (plural people)The CEO’s office was closed. (single person)

Other plurals potatoes and tomatoes potato’s and tomato’son successive Januarys on successive January’sthe haves and have-nots the have’s and have-not’s

Possession One kid’s parents’ car was wrecked. The department’s attitude The departments attitudeJuvenile Justice’s policy Juvenile Justices policy

Its and it’s It’s on the other side. No one knows it’s whereabouts.It’s useless. Its only rock ’n’ roll.Place it on its side.

Pronoun possessives theirs their’shers, his her’sours ours’

our’s

Verb contractions Frank’s in the garden. Franks in the garden. (Frank is in the garden.)

We would’ve gone already if we’d known. (This construction is too informal for business documents,but it is correct.)

She’s got it. (She has got it.) Shes got it.

He’s already read the papers. (He has already read the papers.)

Table15 Numbers


Units of measurement Use a space between a numeral and a 780 Hz 780Hzmeasurement, except when measuring degrees. 3 tbsp 3tbsp

If the item might separate over a line or page, 37.5°C 37.5 °Cinsert a non-breaking space (Shift/Ctrl + space, 13 kg 13kgor Insert/Symbol/Special Characters). 7 cm 7cm

Symbols for units of measurement do not use full stops. 43.5 ha 43.5 h.a.

Units of measurement are never plural. 20 kg 20 kgs

Many units of measurement mix upper and lower cases. 1.9 mL 1.9 mlAlways check if you are unsure. Many diaries contain 64 Mb 64 mblists of measurement and conversion tables.

Some units of measurement couple two physical 80 km/h 80 kphquantities. These are often incorrectly written.

Numbers at the beginning Never start a sentence with a numeral. Thirty-four per cent 34 per cent ofof a sentence If the number is too unwieldy to spell out, of clients refused clients refused

try restructuring your sentence. to make an to make anappointment. appointment.

There were 764 764 of thesuperfluous examples wereexamples. superfluous.

One thousand 1000 lives were lost.lives were lost.

Large numbers ‘M’ or ‘m’ for million is not acceptable. 20 million 20m$7 million 7M$14.8 billion 7m dollars

$7m seven $M

Use comma separators for numbers over 999. 1,000 10003,899 3899100,000 100000

Appendix 8. Numbers



Spans of figures Spans of figures should be separated by an en dash (–). pp. 402–05 pp402-405Use as few figures as possible. rows 1321–36 rows 1321-1336

use the band 531–621 MHz

Years Years never contain commas. the four-year project 2000/01

Financial year spans use an en dash, not a slash. 1999–2003

the financial year 1998/19991978–79

the year 1 July 1956 the year 1 July 1956to 30 June 1957 30 June 1957

Percentages Departmental style is to use ‘per cent’ rather than seven per cent 7%‘percent’ or a percentage sign (%), except in tables, 100 per cent 7 percentgraphs and on buttons on web pages, where space 25 percentage may be limited. points

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