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Writing guide
Digital Transformation Agency writing guide
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Digital Transformation Agency
Writing guide
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Digital Transformation Agency
© Commonwealth of Australia (Digital Transformation Agency) 2019
With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and where otherwise noted, this
product is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode)
The Digital Transformation Agency has tried to make the information in this product as
accurate as possible. However, it does not guarantee that the information is totally accurate
or complete. Therefore, you should not solely rely on this information when making a
commercial decision.
Digital Transformation Agency is committed to providing web accessible content wherever
possible. If you are having difficulties with accessing this document, please email
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xx.
Version: 1.0
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Contents
Voice and writing style ............................................................................................................ 6
DTA voice .............................................................................................................................. 7
Clear, direct and transparent ............................................................................................ 7
Expert, impartial and balanced ......................................................................................... 7
Respectful, supportive, friendly and empowering ............................................................ 7
Active voice............................................................................................................................ 8
Our tone ................................................................................................................................. 8
Risks of inconsistent messaging ........................................................................................... 8
Monotonous content ......................................................................................................... 8
Reduced trust and credibility ............................................................................................ 8
Disjointed and confusing messaging ................................................................................ 9
Phishing risks .................................................................................................................... 9
Legal issues and regulatory problems.............................................................................. 9
Plain language ........................................................................................................................ 10
Plain language is for everyone, even experts ..................................................................... 11
Reading ability in Australia ............................................................................................. 11
Experts prefer plain language ......................................................................................... 11
Plain language is more professional............................................................................... 11
Benefits of plain language ................................................................................................... 12
Reduce cal s and enquiries............................................................................................. 12
Save money .................................................................................................................... 12
Improve user feedback ................................................................................................... 12
Risks of unclear language ................................................................................................... 13
Write in plain language ........................................................................................................ 13
Use simple words and phrases ...................................................................................... 13
Text length ...................................................................................................................... 13
Use words people understand ........................................................................................ 14
Avoid filler words ............................................................................................................. 17
Acronyms and abbreviations................................................................................................ 19
Understand the difference ................................................................................................... 20
Acronyms ........................................................................................................................ 20
Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. 20
Familiar acronyms........................................................................................................... 20
Unfamiliar acronyms ....................................................................................................... 20
Avoid unfamiliar acronyms .................................................................................................. 21
Use acronyms and abbreviations ........................................................................................ 22
Don't use abbreviations .................................................................................................. 22
Don't make up new acronyms ........................................................................................ 22
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Don't use too many acronyms ........................................................................................ 22
Consider the context ....................................................................................................... 22
Format acronyms................................................................................................................. 23
Spell it out on first use..................................................................................................... 23
Repeat the full term......................................................................................................... 23
Include a glossary ........................................................................................................... 23
Don't use full stops .......................................................................................................... 23
Capitalise acronyms........................................................................................................ 23
Avoid plural and possessive forms on first use .............................................................. 24
Accessible links ..................................................................................................................... 25
Only include necessary links ............................................................................................... 26
Be descriptive ...................................................................................................................... 26
Create accessible link text................................................................................................... 26
Include key words at the start.............................................................................................. 27
Link to documents ............................................................................................................... 27
Inclusive language ................................................................................................................. 28
Plan your content................................................................................................................. 29
Consider the purpose...................................................................................................... 29
Consult with users........................................................................................................... 29
Research ......................................................................................................................... 29
Create a method for feedback ........................................................................................ 29
Plan for constant improvement ....................................................................................... 29
Context matters ............................................................................................................... 30
Dimensions of diversity and identity .................................................................................... 30
Age stereotypes .............................................................................................................. 30
Language, race, ethnicity, nationality and culture .......................................................... 30
First Nations people ........................................................................................................ 31
People with mental illness .............................................................................................. 31
People with disability or chronic health conditions ......................................................... 31
Gender and gender diversity .......................................................................................... 32
Stay up to date..................................................................................................................... 32
Government terms and capitalisation ................................................................................. 33
Correct ways to write government terms ............................................................................ 34
Australian Government ................................................................................................... 34
Government on its own ................................................................................................... 34
Government as a formal title........................................................................................... 34
The Commonwealth of Australia .................................................................................... 34
Government programs, agreements and organisations................................................. 34
Government entities and job titles .................................................................................. 35
Whole-of-government ..................................................................................................... 35
Measure content success ..................................................................................................... 36
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User needs .......................................................................................................................... 37
Quality not quantity .............................................................................................................. 37
Criteria ................................................................................................................................. 37
Collect data .......................................................................................................................... 37
Discoverability...................................................................................................................... 38
Improving your content ........................................................................................................ 38
Use the Digital Experience Toolkit ...................................................................................... 38
PDF content and documents ................................................................................................ 39
HTML by default .................................................................................................................. 40
PDF usability........................................................................................................................ 40
Using PDF documents......................................................................................................... 40
Creating accessible PDF documents .................................................................................. 42
Content in multidisciplinary teams ...................................................................................... 43
Content roles ....................................................................................................................... 44
Copywriters and content writers ..................................................................................... 44
Content designer............................................................................................................. 44
Content strategist ............................................................................................................ 45
Working in a multidisciplinary team ..................................................................................... 45
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Voice and writing style
Plain language creates clarity and increases trust. Make
sure your writing is easy to understand — even when
you’re writing for a specialist audience.
•
Accessibility requirement: Under the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG) and
Disability Discrimination Act 1992, we’re required to make information
accessible.
•
Australian Government Style Manual: Al government content should fol ow
the
Australian Government Style Manual.
•
Web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG): Aim for the highest level of
accessibility for online content WCAG 2.1 Level AAA.
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DTA voice
Our brand voice is our persona, it captures who we are and makes our content
easy to identify.
Our brand voice is:
1. clear, direct and transparent
2. expert, impartial and balanced
3. respectful, supportive, friendly and empowering.
Clear, direct and transparent
• We use plain language.
• We write in an active voice.
• We are open and honest.
• We keep our content concise.
• We structure our ideas to make information easy to read.
Expert, impartial and balanced
• We are evidence based and rely on facts.
• We don't include our opinion.
• We are balanced and non-biased.
Respectful, supportive, friendly and
empowering
• We use inclusive and accessible language.
• We don't speak down.
• We express ideas in everyday words, not jargon.
• We use inviting language that is supportive and inspiring.
• We speak to people using first-person pronouns, for example ‘you’ and ‘your’.
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Active voice
Use active voice rather than passive voice. It’s more direct, clear and easy to understand.
•
Don't say: The event wil be attended by Sarah.
•
Do say: Sarah is attending the event.
Our tone
Tone is how formal we are. We should aim for a standard tone in most of our
communication. Most people find a standard tone easiest to understand.
• We are literal and use words based on their dictionary meaning, we don't use
metaphors, slang or idioms.
• We use contractions or shortened words when appropriate, for example ‘
do not’
becomes ‘
don't’
• We limit unnecessary acronyms. When we do use acronyms, we write them in full,
unless the acronym is more familiar than the word itself, for example
HTML is more
common than
HyperText Markup Language.
Risks of inconsistent
messaging
To gain trust we need to build and maintain credibility through consistent content.
Monotonous content
When we don't use a consistent voice and tone, we risk sounding monotonous and robotic.
Reduced trust and credibility
When we don't speak consistently it reduces our trust and credibility, and increases the risk
of negative feedback and scrutiny.
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Disjointed and confusing messaging
When our content sounds disjointed or like it is written by different people it confuses and
demotivates stakeholders, agencies, the public and employees.
Phishing risks
When we don't speak consistently, it's easy for people to get tricked into thinking they're
talking to us. An inconsistent voice and tone makes it harder for people to differentiate our
communication from someone pretending to be us. This can leave the public and staff at risk
of email scams and phishing attacks.
Legal issues and regulatory problems
If the information we provide is inconsistent, unclear or hard to follow it can lead to legal
issues.
Phishing: A Phishing Attack is when cyber criminals use emails, text messages or
phone calls to pretend to be a business or organisation. They do this to trick people into
providing sensitive information.
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Plain language
Plain English is direct, clear, everyday language. Plain
language helps users find and understand our
information, regardless of their ability, age, background or
location.
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Plain language is for everyone,
even experts
A common misconception is that experts prefer academic or complex
language.
Reading ability in Australia
44% of Australian adults read at a primary school equivalent level. Adults who read at this
level understand short sentences.
Experts prefer plain language
Professionals and experts need information that’s easy to read, understand and scan.
People with the highest levels of English literacy and the greatest expertise tend to be time
poor and have the most to read. They don’t have time for lengthy, dry or complicated
information.
Plain language is more professional
If you can't explain it to a 6-year-old, you don't understand it yourself.
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Benefits of plain language
Plain language reduces costs and improves productivity and trust. Findings
from Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please show some of the real-world benefits
of plain language.
Reduce calls and enquiries
The Veterans Benefits Administration revised a single letter. As a result, from one year to the
next their phone cal s dropped from about 1,110 to about 200.
Save money
After simplifying a billing statement, the Cleveland Clinic recovered an additional $1 million a
month and an 80% increase in patient payments.
Improve user feedback
In Canada, the Digital Transformation Office worked with different agencies to improve
website design and content. In prototype testing, the user success jumped from 40% to 85%
in one instance.
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Risks of unclear language
When people do not understand our content, it doesn't just impact our reputation, it can also
lead to legal issues.
Write in plain language
Get rid of what you don't need:
• Eliminate
unnecessary words.
• Exp
lain technical terms and avoid jargon.
Do say
• High quality government digital services are necessary to provide a positive
experience to all Australians.
Don’t say
• Australians need high quality digital services from government.
Use simple words and phrases
• Write using phrases most people understand.
• Choose simple words, not complicated expressions.
• Use short, descriptive headings to make content easy to scan.
• Write to a lower secondary reading level, year 7 or between 12 and 14 years old.
Text length
• Limit each paragraph to one idea and keep paragraphs to 2 to 3 sentences.
• Keep sentences to an average of 15 words and no more than 25 words.
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Use words people understand
Use the simplest terms and phrases to get your point
across.
Table 1 Provides a list of complex words we should not say and compares them with simpler alternatives we can
use.
Don’t say
Do say
at a later date
later, soon
a number of
many, some, few
accommodate, assist
help, support
acquire
get
additional
more
adequate
enough
adjudicate
decide, judge
advising in relation to
letting know
aformentioned
mentioned earlier, mentioned previously
amongst
among
authorise
allow, permit
appropriate
set aside, allocate
approximately
about, nearly
as a consequence of
because
ascertain
find out, learn
at this point in time
now
attempt
try
advancing
moving forward
cease
stop
cognisant of
know, aware of
collaborate
work with
commence
start
commensurate
equal, matching, in proportion
comply
follow, do
conceive
think of, imagine
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Don’t say
Do say
concerning
about
concur
agree
conduct
do
consequence
result, because of
considerable
a lot, large
consist
made up of
contemplate
think about
contradict
do the opposite
contribute
add, give
convey
show, communicate
create dialogue
talk, discuss
deem
consider
demonstrate
show
depict
show, describe
derive
get, come from
designate
name, assign
delegate
responsible for
deregulate
remove regulations
desire
want, prefer
discretionary
optional
determine
decide, figure out
detrimental
harmful, damaging
deviate
turn away, stray from
dialogue
discussion, conversation
discontinue
stop
disincentivise
discourage
dispatch
send
disseminate
share
distinguish
see, make out, tell apart
drive, drive out
let go, get rid of
elicit
bring out
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Don’t say
Do say
eliminate
get rid of, remove
emphasise
highlight, draw attention to
employ
hire, take on, appoint
endeavour
try, attempt, seek to
encounter
experience, come across
engage
involve, take on
enhance
improve, make better
ensure
make sure
entrain
draw in, incorporate
enumerate
list, set out, identify, specify
erroneous
wrong, incorrect, inaccurate, false
establish
set up, begin, create, prove, show
expedite
quickly, hurry, speed up
enquire
ask
give consideration to
consider
implement
do, apply, put into action
incentivise
encourage
in order to
to
in receipt of
receive, get, have
in the event that
if, when
initiate
if, when
inaugural
first
is unable to
can't, cannot
it is requested you declare
declare
leverage
influence
liaise, liaison
work with, go between
make a complaint
complaint
make an application
apply
mandate
require, must
manner
way, approach
methodology
method
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Don’t say
Do say
negotiate
discuss, reach an agreement
notwithstanding
despite, although
oversight
supervise, watch over
obtain
get
perceive
think, recognise, understand
perform
do
possess
has, have
reinstate
bring back
transparency
clarity, openness
Avoid fil er words
Filler words are words or phrases that don't add meaning to a sentence or
emphasise a point.
Avoid words like:
• like
• that
• right
• in terms of
• somehow
• just
• very
• really
• quite
• basically
• of course
• somehow
• anyway
• in order to
• in fact
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• clearly
• general y
• indeed
• therefore
• however
• as well as
• in terms of
• needless to say
• for all intents and purposes
• for the most part
• in light of the fact that
• given the fact that
• in regard to
• in the event that
• under the circumstances
• by means of.
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Acronyms and
abbreviations
Acronyms and abbreviations are common in government
content. It's important to consider when and how to use
them.
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Understand the difference
Acronyms
Acronyms are a way to shorten a multi-word term or phrase. Acronyms are usually made up
of the first letter of each word, written in capitals. For example, the Digital Transformation
Agency's acronym is DTA.
Abbreviations
Abbreviations are a shortened form of a word. For example, ‘misc.’ is commonly used in
place of the word 'miscel aneous'.
Familiar acronyms
A familiar acronym is where the shortened form is easier to understand than the word itself.
For example, the acronyms HTML, DVD and PDF are familiar because they're more common
than the full terms. These kinds of acronyms are encouraged and can be used without a
definition.
Unfamiliar acronyms
Acronyms that aren't well known slow readers down and make content harder to understand.
When you use unfamiliar acronyms, you force readers to divide their attention between the
content and remembering what each acronym means.
Familiar: if the acronym started out as a shortened form but is now considered the
most recognisable form of the word to general audiences.
Unfamiliar or ‘specialised’: if the acronym is only recognisable to a specific user
group or specialised audience.
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Avoid unfamiliar acronyms
• Acronyms are mentally taxing. Unfamiliar acronyms make information hard to read,
skim and understand.
• Unfamiliar acronyms may force readers to scour for definitions on another page or
section, such as the glossary or the first place an acronym was used. In most cases,
the full term is a better option as people will understand it straight away.
• Most screen readers don't know there's a difference between an acronym and a word.
For example, 'ITS' would be read as the word ‘It’s' and the acronym ‘NASA’ may be
heard as ‘Nahsah’.
• Acronyms and abbreviations make life more difficult for people entering a new
workplace, changing careers or learning something new. While the meaning of an
acronym might be second nature to you, think about the impact it has on others.
• Acronyms can make people feel confused, frustrated and excluded.
• Unfamiliar acronyms can be an obstacle for people with cognitive disabilities or
impairments and situational barriers. Consider the impact acronyms have on users.
Such as:
– culturally and linguistically diverse groups
– people with disability or chronic illness
– people who are time poor
– people in a distracting or busy workplace environment
– people who are new to a topic, role or process.
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Use acronyms and
abbreviations
Before you use an acronym or abbreviation, consider if it benefits the user.
Don't use abbreviations
Abbreviations are not good for readability and can be misunderstood. Avoid using
abbreviations in content.
Don't make up new acronyms
Don't create new acronyms. It's easier for users to read a word in full, than it is to remember
a new acronym. Instead of creating an acronym, aim for short and easy to remember naming
conventions for new projects, processes or services.
Don't use too many acronyms
Acronyms are mentally taxing. If you include lots of unfamiliar acronyms in your content the
information wil be hard to read and understand.
Consider the context
Don't use an acronym if it can be confused with a similar word or holds another meaning.
Consider the context of what you're writing to decide if an acronym is appropriate or may
offend. For example, you shouldn't turn a title like ‘Success Happiness Integrity Team' into an
acronym.
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Format acronyms
If you can't avoid specialised acronyms, make sure you format them correctly.
Spell it out on first use
In most cases, you should explain the term in full the first time you use it. Do this by writing
the ful word first and including the acronym in round brackets beside it. You don't need to do
this if the acronym is familiar.
Spell an acronym in full: Digital Transformation Agency (DTA)
Repeat the full term
Consider writing out the ful term more than once. People may come across the shortened
form without reading the text where it is first defined.
Include a glossary
If you're using a lot of specialised acronyms, provide a glossary with a list of terms and their
meaning. Don't use a glossary if there are only a few abbreviations or acronyms.
Don't use full stops
Don’t place a full stop after the acronym or initialism unless it's at the end of a sentence.
Capitalise acronyms
Acronyms are usually all capitals but use lower case for some familiar acronyms (taser,
captcha, laser). Use an initial capital for familiar acronyms that are proper nouns (Qantas,
Anzac).
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Avoid plural and possessive forms on first
use
Avoid using the plural or possessive of an acronym or initialism when you define it. This
makes it easy for users to recognise the shortened form in later content.
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Accessible links
Create descriptive links. Links help people navigate
digital services or products. When creating links always
use descriptive text.
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Only include necessary links
Links can reduce readability and increase cognitive load, only use them when there is a user
need:
• use text links in most cases
• use images for links only if they meet a user need.
Be descriptive
We're required to create accessible links. Our link text must be specific and descriptive, so it
makes sense when read out of the context of the surrounding information.
Create accessible link text
Write link text that describes the destination in clear language. Match the content on the
linked page so the user knows they have reached the right place. Links like ‘click here’ or
‘more information’ don’t give the user any information about the destination.
Do say
Find out more about digital security on the cyber security page.
Don’t say
• click here
• read more
• find out more
• click to download.
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Include key words at the start
When you format a text link:
• keep links concise
• put the important or most relevant words at the start of the link
• put the link at the end of the sentence
• if the link makes more sense at the start of a sentence, consider if everything in the
sentence is essential.
Link to documents
Where you need to link to a PDF, include:
• the document title
• file type
• the file size in kilobytes (kB) or megabytes (MB).
Example: You can read more about our financial position in the Digital Transformation
Agency Annual Report 2019–20 [PDF 1.96MB].
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Inclusive language
Inclusive language shows respect. Language is a
powerful tool. It's not about being ‘political y correct’, it is
about making sure everyone feels welcomed, valued and
respected in al communications and interactions.
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Plan your content
Inclusive language makes readers feel valued, respected and understood.
When we create content that's not inclusive, we perpetuate stereotypes, cause
harm and make readers feel like an ‘outsider’.
Consider the purpose
Consider the purpose of your content and only include what's necessary.
Consult with users
Don't make assumptions. Consult with:
• people with lived experience
• organisations, support services and communities.
Research
Use inclusive language guides, including the Australian Government Style Manual
Create a method for feedback
Make sure people with lived experience can provide anonymous feedback. This should
include both generic feedback mechanisms such as a thumbs up or thumbs down and
written feedback fields for open comments. It's also helpful to create a plan to monitor, review
and prioritise feedback.
Plan for constant improvement
Language is constantly evolving. To make sure your content remains inclusive, plan to
review, improve and adapt your content on a regular basis.
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Context matters
Be mindful of context. Some people, communities and cultural groups have a range of terms
they use for themselves, but the terms are not to be used by people outside these groups.
Dimensions of diversity and
identity
No matter who you're writing for use people-centric language, which focuses
on the person and reflects the individuality of people. Only mention diversity
and identity if it's relevant and necessary.
Age stereotypes
Words that carry stereotypes are not acceptable:
• use the term young people, don't say juniors
• use the term older people or older Australians, don't say elderly or old people
• refer to the level of study when talking about students, for example postgraduate
students.
Language, race, ethnicity, nationality and
culture
People writing for government sometimes use the term culturally and linguistically
diverse (CALD). Avoid using the acronym unless you’re speaking to a specialist
audience.
• Refer to people living in Australia as Australians.
• Use the general term multicultural communities to write about people from different
cultural backgrounds.
• When you specify dual identity, include the term ‘Australian’ with an en dash. For
example the Japanese–Australian community.
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• Use the terms given and family name, don't say first and last name. Some cultures
write the family name first, so this language can be confusing.
First Nations people
First Nations people are often called Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
There is significant diversity within these 2 groups.
Respectful language use depends on what different communities find appropriate.
• Use specific terms, like the name of a community, before using broader terms.
• Use plurals when speaking about collectives peoples, nations, cultures, languages.
• Use present tense, unless speaking about a past event.
• Use empowering, strengths-based language.
People with mental il ness
Mental il ness is a broad term that covers many different conditions that influence the
way people act, think, feel or see the world.
• Say people with mental illness, don't say the mentally ill.
• Describe the person as having a mental illness, for example Alice has bipolar disorder,
don't say Alice is bipolar.
People with disability or chronic health
conditions
• Use person-first language, unless user research says otherwise.
• Describe the person before the characteristic.
• Don't describe people with disability as inspirational.
• Say person with disability or person living with disability, don't say person with a
disability or disabled person.
• When making comparisons write person without disability, don't say able-bodied.
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Gender and gender diversity
Use terms that recognise gender equality. Avoid terms that discriminate on the
basis of a person’s gender or sexual identity.
• Respect peoples’ preferences around gender and sexual identity with pronoun choice,
job titles and personal titles.
• Learn the user’s preferred pronoun. If it’s not clear and you can’t ask them, choose
gender-neutral pronouns.
• Don't use gender-specific job titles, for example say police officer not policeman.
• Don't use job terms that specify women, for example say actor not actress.
• Ms is now widely used instead of Mrs or Miss. It does not disclose marital status.
• Mx refers to non-binary people and those who do not wish to be referred to by their
gender.
Stay up to date
Don't rely on this guide alone, always conduct user research and check the latest
requirements for inclusive language in Australian Government Style Manual.
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Government terms and
capitalisation
Using and formatting government terms
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Correct ways to write
government terms
Australian Government
Refer to the national government of Australia as the ‘Australian Government’. Use an initial
capital for both words only when they occur together.
When you write Australian Government, be clear about whether this means corporate or non-
corporate Commonwealth entities or both.
Government on its own
When you write ‘government’ on its own, use a lowercase ‘g’.
Government as a formal title
When you write government as part of a formal name, write each word with a capital letter.
For example, Victorian Government.
The Commonwealth of Australia
‘The Commonwealth of Australia’ is the name of Australia in the Constitution. Use an initial
capital for ‘Commonwealth’.
Do not use the phrase ‘Commonwealth’ when you mean ‘Australian Government’.
Government programs, agreements and
organisations
Use initial capitals for the full names of government programs, protocols and similar
agreements.
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Government entities and job titles
Use initial capitals only for the formal names and titles of government entities and office
holders. Use lower case letters for generic references.
Example of a generic reference:
• the agency
• the authority
• the commission
• the department.
Whole-of-government
Whole-of-government is jargon. Only use ‘whole-of-government’ when it makes your content
clearer. It’s important for people to know which of the following you are referring to:
• local
• state
• territory
• Australian Government entities.
When you do write whole-of-government, use lower case letters unless it is the start of a
sentence.
Important: Instead of writing whole-of-government initiative, write Australian
Government initiative.
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Measure content
success
Measure the success of your content
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User needs
Before you create content, it's important to understand and prioritise user needs. If you do
not understand what your users need you can't understand if your content is successful.
Quality not quantity
Don't measure success by the amount of content you produce or the speed that you deliver
content. Instead think about the value your content brings to the audience.
Quality content meets user needs. It is also accessible and inclusive, readable, consistent
and accurate. One way to refine your content is through highlighter testing.
Criteria
Content should have clear success and value criteria based on user research. Not traffic, but
tangible user-centred metrics. Once you've outlined what's important, write down specific and
measurable goals for success. This can include things like task completion and user
satisfaction.
Collect data
Establish a baseline so you can track how your content has improved. Data sources can
include:
• website performance
• user feedback
• surveys
• cal centre data.
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Discoverability
Consider how users find your content. You can test the discoverability of your content by
doing:
• tree testing
• card sorting
• click testing.
Improving your content
It’s important to use the data you’ve collected to find ways to improve your content. This can
help you identify where there may be gaps in your content or where content may be too hard
to read or understand.
Use the Digital Experience
Toolkit
You can learn more about user research and data by visiting the Digital Experience Toolkit
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PDF content and
documents
PDFs should be used when there is a specific need,
determined through research and in line with
the
Australian Government Style Manual.
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HTML by default
When publishing content, the Australian Government should prioritise HTML.
This means wherever possible, publishing content on a webpage, rather than PDFs or Word
documents. This is because HTML works better for most users, especially people who use
assistive technology.
PDFs should only be used when there is a specific need for this format, determined through
research and in line with the Australian Government Style Manual.
PDF usability
Common issues with PDFs:
• Scalability: PDFs don't reflow to fit the user's screen or browser window.
• Speed: PDF files are much larger than optimised HTML pages. They can be harder to
use by people with slow internet access.
• Navigation: A webpage cannot link to a section of a PDF. PDFs can cause
disorientation when they open in a new tab or different tool.
• Search engine optimisation: When PDFs aren't tagged appropriately it makes it hard
for search engines to find the content.
• Maintenance: People can download and share PDFs, which makes version control
difficult.
Using PDF documents
You should use a PDF in addition to a webpage, if:
• there is a clear user need for a PDF document
• the content is in an Easy Read format
• the user can’t easily navigate the web content, for example where there's no option to
sort by chapter or section, or if previous and next buttons are not available
• there is no clean print or ‘print this page’ option on the website.
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Clean printing includes page heading structures and excludes distracting web
elements like headers, footers and navigation bars. Users should be able to choose if
they prefer to read the information on their screen or cleanly print a single page or
multiple related pages.
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Creating accessible PDF
documents
PDF requirements:
• be PDF/UA compliant
• meet current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at level AA
• be tagged and structured correctly
• contain text that is inclusive, accessible and written in plain language
• contain the correct metadata, including a document title
• include descriptive text or alternative text for non-text elements, such as images,
charts, infographics and logos
• provide full URLs and email addresses, so links can still be viewed and accessed if the
document is printed.
Do not:
• convey information using visual elements alone, for example colour coded images or
graphs
• include elements that are small, blurry or otherwise not accessible or legible
• include colours or contrasts that aren't accessible.
Important: PDF documents and non-text elements must also meet brand guidelines.
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Content in
multidisciplinary teams
Understand different content roles and how they
contribute to government content.
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Content roles
Content roles and responsibilities can differ by agency, team or business need.
While there is no hard line that's drawn between duties, understanding how
these roles differ can help you plan and work well in a multidisciplinary team.
Copywriters and content writers
Copywriters and content writers edit and sometimes create content and may
work to tight deadlines.
They are often told where the content wil appear and the goal of the content. Copywriters
conduct research and follow best practice for content, including search engine optimisation
and abiding by style guides. They mainly focus on creating content that wil appeal to the
audience or help them make a decision. They don't typically address what's best for the user
journey, however they may at times take on this type of work.
Content designer
Content designers focus on a problem users have, typically this revolves
around a product or service the users already use or need.
Unlike a copywriter, a content designer's job isn't to edit final copy or create content to
promote an agency, product or service. Content designers champion the user experience
and work with subject matter experts to design and iterate content, promoting quality,
simplicity and plain language. They understand content patterns and use evidence, data and
research to make decisions and find gaps. Content designers typical y require longer
timeframes to complete their work, as they research, plan, generate user stories and create
artefacts like journey maps before they develop, test and revise content.
Like content strategist, content designers may be responsible for developing content
strategies and overseeing and steering content alignment within a project or agency.
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Content strategist
Content strategists develop a content strategy that steers the creation of
unambiguous, meaningful, cohesive, engaging and sustainable content.
They focus on planning, structure, process, creation, delivery and governance of content.
Unlike content designers, they usually aren't involved in content creation or content delivery.
However, they may sometimes take on these duties.
Working in a multidisciplinary
team
Content designers sometimes work in multidisciplinary teams. Their main task
is to set up a clear path for the user to achieve their goal.
Tips for working well with a content designer:
• Engage early: A content designer should contribute from the start of a project through
its life cycle. This includes the project phases of planning, discovery, designing,
iterating and improving.
• Provide information and data: Provide data, evidence and information and work with
content designers to understand the problem that needs to be addressed on behalf of
the user.
• Share user feedback: Share outcomes and playbacks from usability testing and user
research sessions to help the content designer determine how the content needs to
change.
• Be receptive: Content designers often give feedback on proposed and existing
solutions and content. Understand that this feedback is based on data and is not
personal — their job is to identify gaps, understand what's not working and champion
user needs and plain English content.
• Ways of working: Not all content designers work in sprints. It's a good idea to talk
through your ways of working and ask how the content designer works.
• Fact check, don't content check: Content designers decide the best way to develop and
present content based on what the user needs, subject matter experts fact check the
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copy before it's published. Subject experts should not change how the content is
written or the style or structure.
• Get the basics early: Content designers often provide basic details of the content early,
so when it comes time for subject experts to fact check content, they're already familiar
with the aim. This basic information may include:
– a user or job story
– high-level page structure
– acceptance criteria.
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Document Outline