NHMRC FOI 2024/25-005
Redaction made under s22 of the FOI Act
Writing and editing guide for the
NHMRC website
Prepared by Biotext
December 2017
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C o n t e n t s
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Overview ........................................................................................................ 3
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About the NHMRC website ............................................................................. 4
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Writing for the web ........................................................................................ 6
4
Language ...................................................................................................... 10
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Stylesheet .................................................................................................... 13
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Revision History ............................................................................................ 28
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1
O v e r vi e w
This guide is for writers and editors of the NHMRC website. It is based on the content
guide from the Australian Government Digital Transformation Agency (DTA). Writers and
editors should read the DTA content guide in addition to this writing and editing guide.
This writing and editing guide:
• explains various aspects of the NHRMC website, including site structure, content
types and audiences
• provides guidance on web writing, including headings and structure, language and
length, hyperlinks, search engine optimisation, web usability and accessibility
• describes the language of the NHMRC website and how to write readable content
• provides a stylesheet to ensure editorial consistency
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Ab o u t t h e N H M R C w e b s i t e
NHMRC is rebuilding its website to provide a fresh, innovative and user-friendly
experience to visitors, customers and stakeholders.
User experience research conducted as part of an information architecture review in
2017 found that website users were struggling to find the information they needed.
Report findings state that around 90% of the website content was outdated or
redundant.
The new website is expected to be ready for launch after March 2018. The new NHMRC
website will:
• be visually engaging
• be easy to navigate
• be simple to maintain and update
• narrate a story about medical research and the outcomes
• meet WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility requirements
Site structure
The new NHMRC website has 4 main navigation streams from the home page:
• Funding — information about finding funding and managing your funding
• Health advice — a range of topics for the public, for health professionals, and how
guidelines are developed
• Research policy and programs — including ethics and integrity, clinical trials reform,
collaborations and guideline development
• About us — including who we are, strategic priorities, media centre, committees and
contacts
Content types
Website planning identified the fol owing content types as a first iteration. Once writing
is under way, we may identify a need for further content types:
• standard page (general content, including health topics)
• article page (a clearly defined news item structure, enabling us to break up content
and repurpose it for different channels)
• media release page (an article page with ministerial information)
• grant information page (including both an overview of the grant and information on
how to apply)
• resource or publication page (we wil have a variety of styles ranging from fact
sheets to multi-chapter reports in HTML)
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Audiences
The NHMRC website needs to engage with a variety of audiences, including:
• researchers at different stages of their careers
• institutions (such as universities) and research administrators
• members of the public who are seeking credible health advice
• the media
User testing and research for the new website developed six personas who represent
key segments of website users:
• Claire, a research administration officer at a medium-sized research institute
• Tom, a mid to late career research officer
• Namita, a concerned parent looking for information about nutrition
• Jess, an early-career researcher
• Sam, an Aboriginal community leader
• Maya, a journalist for a national media organisation
These personas are available on the NHMRC Intranet:
http://intranet.nhmrc.gov.au/ files/documents/personas.pdf.
Think about these personas as you write content for the website, and tailor the
messages to meet their needs.
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W r i t i n g f o r t h e w e b
Web writing is different to other types of writing for a range of reasons. Web writing
must be brief and to the point because web users:
• are task-oriented and want actionable content
• want to construct their own experience, often by piecing together content from
multiple sources
• read very few words (around 30% of the words on a page in an average page view)
• can be confused or misled when landing on a web page from a search engine results
page
How people read onscreen
Studies that track users’ eyes as they read a web page show that people tend to read in
an ‘F’ pattern (Figure 1). They read the first paragraph or two, then skim down the left-
hand side of the content. Attention is also drawn to bul et lists and hyperlinks.
Figure 1
Heat map from user eyetracking study, showing the typical ‘F’ shape
Source: Nielsen Norman Group
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This means that:
• the most important information should be in the first two paragraphs (or at least be
compel ing enough to make people want to keep reading)
• headings, subheadings, paragraphs and lists should start with keywords
(information-carrying words) that users wil notice as they scan down the left-hand
side
Headings and structure
• Write short, clear and informative headings. Headings and page titles are often
displayed out of context on search engine results pages, so they need to contain
enough information for readers to identify the content. Delete leading articles (such
as ‘the’ or ‘an’) and start with keywords.
• Make sure all heading styles are applied appropriately to ensure content is correctly
structured. This means that each page starts with Heading 1 (H1), then H2, H3, etc.
Don’t skip heading levels, and make sure each page has only one H1.
• Break up content with subheadings. Help users understand relationships between
blocks of text by writing short, interesting subheadings.
• Use an ‘inverted pyramid’ construction (also cal ed toploading and frontloading) —
load the most important information and keywords at the top of the page and at the
front of each paragraph or heading. You can also use the MADE formula to structure
your content
–
Main message
–
Action
–
Detail
–
Extra detail
• Write for scannability - create white space by using short paragraphs, lists and
subheadings.
• Avoid using tables, unless the information is truly tabular. Tables are often used for
layout purposes (eg to align text in columns) but this is not best practice.
Language and length
• Be succinct — online readers skim content, and wil quickly abandon long-winded
sites. If content is long (around 1000 words or more), add a short summary up front.
• Write short paragraphs — shorter paragraphs are easier to scan than long blocks of
text. Limit paragraphs to 2 or 3 sentences with 1 idea. Even single-sentence
paragraphs are okay because they can draw attention to key points that might
otherwise be buried. Change long sentences into bul et lists.
• Write in plain English — use the active voice and simple, familiar words that people
can relate to. See Section 4 for more details about language.
• Speak to users, not at them — have a conversation with users and help them engage
by using ‘we’ and ‘us’.
• Use numerals (1, 2, 3), not words (one, two, three) — numerals help people scan and
identify numbers. When reading online, users scan the page for clues that might
answer their question. If the answer they seek is a number, the numerals stand out
on the page and are easier to identify.
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Hyperlinks
• Write informative and descriptive hyperlinks — readers use hyperlinks (as wel as
headings and bolded keywords) as clues about page content and signposts for
potential directions. People using screen readers cannot scan the page with their
eyes, but they can tab through the links on a page to get an idea of the content.
Descriptive and unique hyperlinks encourage clicks and further engagement with the
content.
• Make links stand out — build hyperlinks into the text of the page and use them to
highlight key phrases. Make sure the link is several words long, if possible. People
mostly look at the first two words of a hyperlink, so avoid starting with ‘Click here…’,
‘For more information…’ or ‘Read more…’
• Tell users where they’re going — if a link wil open another program on the user’s
device, put this in brackets as part of the link text, along with the size of the file
[eg this is a hyperlink (PDF 50KB)].
• Link to credible sites — linking to other credible sources of information (such as
government websites, Cochrane Reviews, papers in high-impact journals and other
trusted websites) will increase the credibility of the NHMRC website. Credible links
keep readers engaged with the information and help to build a community of users.
Search engine optimisation
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is important because a search is the main resource
discovery strategy for most people. SEO is about attracting people to the site by
ensuring that its pages appear in search engine results pages.
Keep the fol owing in mind for SEO:
• Write clear, unique and informative summaries. These appear on a search engine
results page, and when URLs are shared on social media sites. The summary needs to
tel users what the page is about and encourage them to click through to the site.
Summaries should be 160 characters or less.
• Include keywords in all headings and page titles — this helps the search engine
understand the content on the page and how relevant it is to the search query.
However, don’t stuff content with keywords — this undermines the user experience
and makes pages harder to read.
• Speak the users’ language — use simple terms that people are likely to search for,
and avoid cute headlines, made-up phrases or vague wording.
• Offer stable URLs — ensure that other sites can link directly to each piece of content,
and make sure links remain up to date and functional.
• Update frequently — search engines prioritise content that has recently been
updated. Frequent or regular updates with new content help the site stay near the
top of the search engine results page, and also attract incoming links and social
chatter.
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Web usability
SEO also ties in with web usability, which relates to how people behave when they arrive
at the site. The main goal is to increase the conversion rate (eg click through to another
page, or download a file).
Usability is heavily influenced by the site’s information architecture and navigation
system. A designated main page for each item of interest and a clear navigation system
that points to these pages wil help search engines understand their central status.
Accessibility
Web accessibility means that web content is available to anyone who wants to access it,
including people with disabilities (such as low vision or limited motor skills), and people
using limited or mobile technology.
The DTA’s Digital Service Standard (DSS) ensures that digital teams build government
services that are simple, clear and fast.
The accessibility criteria in the standard states that we should ‘Ensure the service is
accessible to al users regardless of their ability and environment’.
Al government web content must comply with WCAG 2.0 Level AA for accessibility. This
should not be viewed as an additional burden for web writers — accessible content
makes the online experience better for everyone.
The previous advice in this section on headings and structure, language and length, and
hyperlinks, wil help to make your content accessible. In addition, web writers and
editors should consider the following for accessibility:
• Images that convey meaning must have alternative text (alt text). This is a text
description of what the image conveys, such as the trend in a graph. Images that are
purely decorative don’t need alt text.
• Colour should not be used alone to convey information or meaning. Similarly, don’t
use sensory descriptions (relating to size, colour, shape, visual location or
orientation) for instructions. For example, ‘the links on the left. .’ or ‘the green cel s
in the table...’ will have little meaning for visual y impaired users.
• Tables (where necessary) should be simple and avoid merged cel s. Be sure to make
all tables consistent in layout.
• Video and audio files should have titles and metadescriptions. Videos should be on
YouTube and have a transcript available.
Documents published on websites (such as PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets
and PowerPoint slides) also need to be accessible. In addition to al the previous advice
in this section, you may need to consider:
• adding the title, keywords and a short summary to the document properties
• setting the language of the document to ‘English (Australia)’
• checking that tables do not have merged cel s and that header rows are specified
• making sure that heading levels are correctly styled and no levels have been skipped;
this ensures the document can be tagged so users can navigate it easily
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4
L a n g u a g e
The most important thing to keep in mind when writing or editing NHMRC content is the
user. Remember that users will come from a variety of backgrounds and have different
levels of knowledge.
Writing in plain English improves readability for al users. Plain English uses simple, direct
language, which helps people make decisions and builds trust.
Avoid using overly complex language, or you risk alienating or offending your users. At
the same time, it is important not to use overly simplistic language or ‘dumb down’ the
content in an effort to increase readability. Simple, elegant writing is difficult to do, but
results in content that is much more likely to be read and remembered.
Voice and tone
The modern government tone is direct, calm and understated:
• Speak politely and use language that is positive but sensitive and respectful.
• Be aware who you are writing for.
• Be conscious of what the user needs to do.
• Tel the user what they need to know.
The NHMRC website should be an authoritative and credible source of information. This
doesn’t mean that the writing needs to be lofty or bureaucratic. Authority can be
achieved while still being conversational (but not too informal).
Use personal pronouns (‘we’, ‘us’, ‘you’), because it speaks directly to the reader and
implies col ective responsibility and ownership.
To meet the needs of al users — including nonspecialists and the general public — the
pages should be written succinctly, in plain English and with minimal jargon. However, it
is also important to retain scientific accuracy where required.
Tips for writing readable content
• Use the active voice, not passive (‘we did this’, not ‘this was done’).
• Use personal pronouns (‘we’, ‘us’, ‘you’), because it speaks directly to the reader and
implies col ective responsibility and ownership.
• Cut out unnecessary words (see Table 1). Unnecessary words are often hiding in
phrases such as ‘it is’ or ‘there are’, in nominalisations (turning verbs into nouns) and
in passive construction.
• Use several short sentences instead of a long sentence broken up with punctuation.
• Above al , use plain English and everyday words that users wil immediately
understand.
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Table 1
Shorter substitutes for common wordy phrases
Wordy phrase
Suggested shorter substitute
The reason for
For the reason that
Due to the fact that
Owing to the fact that
because, since, why, for
In light of the fact that
Considering the fact that
As a consequence of
On the grounds that
Despite the fact that
although, even, though
Regardless of the fact that
In the event that
If it should happen that
if
Under circumstances in which
On the occasion of
In a situation in which
when
Under circumstances in which
As regards
In reference to
In relation to
about, for
With regard to
Concerning the matter of
It is crucial that
It is necessary that
must, should
There is a need/necessity for
It is important that
Is able to
Is in a position to
Has the opportunity to
can
Has the capacity for
Has the ability to
It is possible that
There is a chance that
may, might, can, could
It could happen that
The possibility exists for
In order to
to
A number of
some, many, few
At the same time as
By the time
as, when
Simultaneously with
During the course of
during, while
In the process of
In anticipation of
before
Prior to
Subsequent to
after
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Wordy phrase
Suggested shorter substitute
Following on
At the time of writing
now
At this point in time
At a later date
later
Not different
similar
Not many
few
Not have
lack
Not include
omit
Not consider
ignore
Not the same
different
Not often
rarely
Not allow
prevent
Not admit
deny
Not accept
reject
Approximately
about
Adequate number of
enough
Give consideration to
think about, consider
It should be noted that
note that, remember that
Make an application
apply
Provide a response to
respond to
Provide assistance with
help
Reach a decision
decide
The way in which
how
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S t y l e s h e e t
This section contains the NHMRC stylesheet (sometimes called a word list). Use the
hyperlinks to quickly navigate the list.
This stylesheet is based on the content guide from the Australian Government Digital
Transformation Agency (DTA). Writers and editors should read the DTA content guide in
addition to this style guide.
The stylesheet is a useful resource for writers and editors. It contains details of preferred
spel ing, capitalisation, hyphenation and usage, as wel as principles to ensure
consistency across al NHMRC pages.
Variations in spel ing, hyphenation and word usage can look disorganised and distract
readers from the article’s message. Ensuring that NHMRC content is consistent in these
issues achieves a cohesive and professional presentation, and increases the credibility of
the site.
Note on terminology: the ‘A/N rule’
Some compound words are used differently depending on whether they are used before
or after the noun they modify. These words are usual y:
• hyphenated when they are used as an adjective and precede the noun they modify
• not hyphenated if they are used predicatively (ie they fol ow the noun they modify)
or as a noun
This rule is often referred to as the A/N (adjective/noun) rule, for short, thus:
• a well-known chemist BUT a chemist who is wel known
• a long-term goal BUT in the long term
Other terms that can be treated in the same way include out-of-date, case-by-case, low-
risk, day-to-day, drought-affected, government-owned and evidence-based.
Numbers and units are also treated in the same way:
• a 10-mL beaker BUT the beaker held 10 mL of water
• the 100-metre race BUT the distance was 100 metres
Authority for terms
An authority is listed for each term in this stylesheet:
• DTA = Digital Transformation Agency
• Aust Gov SM = Australian Government Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers
(6th edn)
• Macq = Macquarie Dictionary (online edition)
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Principles | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
10,000 (DTA): use a comma in 5-digit numbers and above
abbreviations (DTA): Spel out at first use on each page, unless the abbreviation is wel known to
an Australian audience (eg NSW). Only use abbreviations of general terms if the abbreviation is
the clearer and more common form (eg DNA, HIV)
Acts of Parliament (DTA): use title case, not italics
bold (DTA): avoid using bold. Bolding a word can help scannability, but blocks of bold text are
hard to read
bul ets (DTA): Write lead-in content that introduces the list and ends with a colon (:). Don’t add
a colon if it’s a heading. For lists of fragments, start each point with a lower-case letter and do
not use a ful stop on the last point. For lists of ful sentences, start each point with a capital
letter and end each point with a ful stop. Avoid using 2 or more levels of bul ets
capitalisation (DTA): use minimal capitalisation. Only capitalise proper nouns, the first letter of
headings and sentences, people’s titles and names of funding schemes.
chemicals (Aust Gov SM): In ful in text (eg carbon dioxide) but can be abbreviated in tables and
figures
commas (Aust Gov SM): do not use a comma before ‘and’ in a simple list (eg apples, pears and
oranges, not apples, pears, and oranges). This is also known as the Oxford comma. Try rewriting
the sentence if the meaning is not clear.
contractions (DTA): Contractions (can’t, it’s, don’t) can create a conversational tone, but may be
difficult to understand for people with low literacy or people who speak other languages.
Always consider the context. Avoid less common col oquial contractions such as ‘you’d’. Don’t
use contractions where a user may misunderstand what they are being asked to do
dates (DTA): 23 September 2017; nonbreaking space after day of month
hyperlinks: ensure links are several words long and link the keywords. Make the destination of
the link clear from the text. Hyperlink all email addresses, but do not use a ful stop after an
email address that ends a sentence (it can cause misreading). Use a ful stop after other links
that end sentences. If a link wil open another program on the user’s device, put this in brackets
as part of the link [eg this is a hyperlink (PDF)].
hyphens (Aust Gov SM): 2-week old; 10-year sentence; 25 years old; 10-year-olds. Set terms
with prefixes solid where possible (eg atherosclerosis, transurethral, cardiovascular, antenatal)
except when there is a double vowel — there are exceptions, check below
-ise endings (Aust Gov SM): Prefer to ‘-ize’
italics (DTA): avoid using italics, except for scientific names
Latin phrases (DTA): avoid; use a plain-English term instead
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numbers (DTA): use numerals (1, 2, 3) for most numbers; do not spel out. Exceptions are
ordinal numbers (first, second, etc), and if the number is used as a common expression (‘there
were one or two of them’). Use commas in numbers with more than four digits (10,000 and
above). Spel out the word ‘mil ion’ (eg $1.2 mil ion, not $1.2m). Use ‘to’ in time and date
ranges, not hyphens or en dashes.
numbered lists (DTA): only use a numbered list for ordered steps or to show priority
plurals (Aust Gov SM): Use English forms (eg appendixes, forums)
punctuating dash (DTA): spaced em rule
questions (DTA): don’t use questions in headings, and don’t use FAQs. Write the content as an
answer rather than a question.
quote marks (DTA): use single quote marks to indicate text from a person or source, or an
unusual expression. Use double quote marks for quotes within quotes
scientific species names (Aust Gov SM): Italicise and write in ful when first mentioned.
Abbreviate genus name to first letter after that (when no confusion is possible)
spelling (DTA): use the most recent edition of the Macquarie Dictionary for spel ing
title case (DTA): use title case for legislation, Acts, publications, policies and programs; don’t use
italics
underline (DTA): do not underline or underscore any text that is not a link
units and measurements (DTA): use abbreviation if written with a number, with no space
between the number and the unit (6km, 80kg). Abbreviate the unit in headings, tables and
graphics, whether they use a number or not
Symbols | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
% (DTA): always use the symbol, not ‘per cent’
& (DTA): don’t use in a sentence, except where it’s part of an organisation’s name. Only use it
where the word ‘and’ makes it hard for users to understand or scan the content
A | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
acknowledgement (Aust Gov SM): note three ‘e’s
Act/Acts (legislation) (Aust Gov SM): initial cap
adviser (DTA): not advisor
aetiology (Aust Gov SM): not etiology
-affected words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule (eg disease-affected animals)
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age group (Aust Gov SM): two words (Macq)
ageing (Aust Gov SM): not aging (Macq)
age-standardised (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
airborne (Aust Gov SM): one word (Macq)
airconditioned (Aust Gov SM): one word; no hyphen
all right (Aust Gov SM): not alright or all-right
Alzheimer’s disease (Aust Gov SM): keep apostrophe
analog/analogue (Aust Gov SM): in electronics (eg analog computer); analogue — something
having analogy to something else (Macq)
anti- words (Aust Gov SM): solid where possible: antibloat, anticancer, anticoagulant,
antigenicity, antihypertensive, antileukaemic, antiglaucoma
appendixes (Aust Gov SM): not appendices
approx. (Aust Gov SM): spell out in full (‘approximately’)
Asperger’s syndrome (Aust Gov SM): Note use of caps, apostrophe; don’t use just 'Asperger’s'
at-risk (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
Australia-wide (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
Australian Government (DTA): not ‘Commonwealth’, ‘Government’ or ‘federal government’. Set
apart from other governments (eg ‘the Australian Government and state and territory
governments’)
auto- words (Aust Gov SM): solid where possible (eg autoimmune, autopilot, autoelectrician)
B | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
backup (Aust Gov SM): solid for adj or noun; two words for verb
-based words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule (eg hospital-based management)
bedrest (Aust Gov SM): one word
benefiting (Aust Gov SM): one t
best practice (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
Bill (legislation) (Aust Gov SM): initial cap, roman
birthweight (Aust Gov SM): one word
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bloodborne (Aust Gov SM): one word
body fluids (Aust Gov SM): not ‘bodily fluids’
bodyweight (Aust Gov SM): one word
breakdown (Aust Gov SM): solid noun and adj; two words verb
broad-spectrum (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
buildup (Aust Gov SM): solid adj or noun; two words verb
by-product (Macq): with hyphen
C | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
cannot (Aust Gov SM): one word (‘can not’ may be used for emphasis)
caregiver (Macq): one word
case notes (Aust Gov SM): two words
case-by-case (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
case–control (Aust Gov SM): en rule
case-series (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
check-up (Macq): hyphen noun and adj; 2 words for verb
childcare (Macq): one word adjective, two words noun
chi-square (Aust Gov SM): no cap, hyphen
clean-up (Aust Gov SM): hyphen adj and noun; two words verb
climate change (Aust Gov SM): always two words (adj or noun)
co-administer, co-administration (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
commas (DTA): use commas minimal y. Too many commas are a sign that the sentence should
be shorter or turned into a bul et list. Do not use Oxford commas (a comma before the last ‘and’
or ‘or’ in a sentence); rewrite the sentence instead
Commonwealth (Aust Gov SM): initial cap; abbrev. Cwlth. Don’t use ‘Commonwealth
Government’: term is ‘Australian Government’
coordinate (Aust Gov SM): no hyphen (breaks rule of using a hyphen between the prefix and
word stem when there is a double vowel)
co-payment (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
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cost analysis (Aust Gov SM): two words
cost–benefit (Aust Gov SM): use en rule; not benefit–cost
cost-effective (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
cost-efficient (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (Aust Gov SM): note t’s; en dash; abbreviation: CJD
cross-infect/ion (Aust Gov SM): always with hyphen
crossover (Aust Gov SM): solid adj and noun; two words verb
cross-reference (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
cross-resistant, cross-resistance (Aust Gov SM): always with hyphen
cut-off (Macq): hyphen for noun or adj/two words for verb
D | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
data (Aust Gov SM): always plural (ie ‘the data were robust’)
day-old (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule eg day-old chick
day-to-day (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule; day-to-day events happen from day to day
decision maker, making (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule (eg decision-making roles help with decision
making)
dose–response (Aust Gov SM): adjectival use: en dash
double-blind (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
double-stranded (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
Down syndrome (Aust Gov SM): note cap, not Down’s
drug resistant (Aust Gove SM): A/N rule (drug-resistant organisms are drug resistant)
E | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
eg (DTA): avoid in text; spel out ‘for example’ instead. You can use ‘eg’ in a table or other places
where space is limited. Note there are no stops in ‘eg’.
en dash (DTA): avoid en dashes; use a spaced em dash to break up sentences, or use ‘to’ in time
and date ranges instead of en dashes. Do use en dashes to join words of equal weight
(eg patient–clinician communication)
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end point (Macq): two words
end product (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
end user (Macq): two words
end-use (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
energy use (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
enquiry (Macq): do not use; see ‘inquiry’
Escherichia (Aust Gov SM): note spel ing;
Escherichia coli O157:H7
et al (DTA): no italics, no ful stop
etc (DTA): no stop, comma before (use sparingly)
eukaryote (Aust Gov SM): not eucaryote
euthanase, euthanasia (Macq6): not euthanise
evidence-based (NHMRC): A/N rule (evidence-based policies are evidence based)
exclamation marks (DTA): do not use
F | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
face-to-face (NHMRC): A/N rule (face-to-face meetings are held face to face)
false positive/false negative (Aust Gov SM): no hyphens
far north Queensland (Aust Gov SM): no caps or hyphen (northernmost part of the state; actual
area covered by term varies between agencies)
fee-for-service (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
fetus/fetal (Macq): not foetus/foetal; ‘e’ used by health organisations, Medical Journal of
Australia, etc
flow rate (Aust Gov SM): two words
flow chart (Macq): two words
focused, focusing (DTA): one s (not ‘focussed’)
foetus/foetal (Macq): don’t use; use fetus/fetal
follow-up (Macq): hyphen for adj and noun; two words verb
foodborne (Aust Gov SM): one word
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food-producing (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
foot-and-mouth disease (Aust Gov SM): abbreviate as FMD
forums (Aust Gov SM): not fora
-free words (Aust Gov SM): always hyphenate (eg disease-free)
free-range (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
front line (Macq): A/N rule: front line (n), front-line (adj)
ful -time (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule (ful -time work but working ful time)
G | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
gender-equal (NHMRC): A/N rule
good laboratory practice (Aust Gov SM): lower case, can abbreviate to GLP
good manufacturing practice (Aust Gov SM): lower case, can abbreviate to GMP
government (generic) (Aust Gov SM): no cap: eg local and state governments
Government (specific) (Aust Gov SM): initial caps for Australian/NSW/Spanish Government; but
‘NSW and Victorian governments’
grade (tumours) (Aust Gov SM): lower case
Gram stain (Aust Gov SM): cap ‘G’ (only when referring to stain; named after the Danish
bacteriologist who originally devised it, Hans Christian Gram)
gram-negative (Aust Gov SM): lower-case initial, hyphen
gram-positive (Aust Gov SM): lower-case initial, hyphen
greywater (Macq): one word
group B streptococcus (Aust Gov SM): lower case ‘g’ but cap B
H | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
haematology (Aust Gov SM): ae, and related words
Haemophilus influenzae type b: note ‘e’ at end of ‘influenzae’; lower case b; italics and roman
haemorrhage (Macq): note spel ing
half-life, half-lives (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
20
hard copy (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule; two words (noun), adjective: hard-copy
healthcare: one word adj, two words n
high- words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule; high-risk, high-density, high-grade, high-dose, high-
temperature
humankind (Aust Gov SM): not mankind; one word
I | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
ie (DTA): avoid using ‘ie’. Also avoid using ‘that is’ or ‘meaning’ to replace ‘ie’ – rewrite your
sentence instead
immunosorbent (Aust Gov SM): not immunosorbant
in situ (Aust Gov SM): not italics
in vitro (Aust Gov SM): not italics; no hyphen for adj
in vivo (Aust Gov SM): not italics; no hyphen for adj
in-country (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
index (Aust Gov SM): plural indexes
indices (Aust Gov SM): mathematical/scientific context only
Indigenous (Aust Gov SM): initial cap when referring to the original inhabitants of Australia, but
try to use ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ or ‘First Australians’ instead
-induced words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule eg alcohol-induced
-infected words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule eg anthrax-infected cattle
in-house (Macq): hyphen
inpatient (Aust Gov SM): one word
inquiry (Macq): use for both a formal investigation and a general question
insectborne (Aust Gov SM): one word for consistency with other -borne words
inter- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid where possible: interagency, intergovernmental,
interrelationship
intra- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid where possible, inc intraoral, intrauterine, intraoperative
-ize endings (Aust Gov SM): Do not use. Prefer ‘-ise’
21
J | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
judgement (Macq): two ‘e’s
K | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
knowledgeable (Macq): note three ‘e’s
L | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
labelling, labelled (Macq): note double ‘l’
labour-saving (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
large- words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule; large-scale effect, large-bodied thing
legionella, legionellosis (Aust Gov SM): lower case when used generical y; plural legionel as; but
Legionel a spp.
licence (Aust Gov SM): noun
license (Aust Gov SM): verb
life-threatening (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
liveborn (Aust Gov SM): one word
lodgement (Aust Gov SM): two ‘e’s
login, log in (DTA): one word noun, two words verb (eg use your login to log in to the site)
long- words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule: long-term effects in the long term; long-winded text
low- words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule: low-density, low-dose, low-grade, low-risk
M | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
matrix (Aust Gov SM): plural matrixes (but use matrices for mathematical term)
meta-analysis (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
meta-regression (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
micro- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid where possible: microorganism, microeconomic
millilitres (Aust Gov SM): abbreviation = mL (NOT ml)
million (Aust Gov SM): do not abbreviate to m
22
minister (Aust Gov SM): lower case unless specific (eg Minister for Health, the Minister, the
ministers had a meeting)
mucous, mucus (Macq): adjective ‘mucous membrane’; noun ‘globs of mucus’
multi- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid where possible: multiuse, multicentre, multiresistant,
multiorgan, etc.
multiple-use (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
N | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
n (Aust Gov SM): in stats; italic
n;
n = 5 use non-breaking spaces
nationwide (Macq): one word
NHMRC (NHMRC preference): not ‘the NHMRC’ (eg ‘The guidelines were released by NHMRC’)
non- words (Aust Gov SM): usual y without hyphen (noncompliant, nondividing) but with one if
confused with ‘none’ (non-endemic, non-enveloped), or looks very strange
no-one (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
Northern Hemisphere (Macq): initial caps
north-west, south-east etc (Macq): lower case, hyphen
O | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
oedema (Aust Gov SM): not edema
oesophagus (Aust Gov SM): not esophagus
off-site (Aust Gov SM): always hyphenate (whether noun or adjective)
off-the-record (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
onboard (Macq): one word (adj), two words (noun)
one-to-one (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
ONHMRC (NHMRC): Office of NHMRC can be abbreviated to ONHMRC
on-site (Aust Gov SM): always hyphenated, whether noun or adjective
on-the-record (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
ophthalmology (Macq): note two h’s
out-of-date (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
23
out-of-session (NHMRC): A/N rule
over- words (Aust Gov SM): solid where possible (eg overrepresentation)
over-the-counter (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
P | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
Parkinson’s disease (Aust Gov SM): keep apostrophe
part-time (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule (eg part-time work, working part time)
per annum (Aust Gov SM): do not use (use per year)
percentage (Aust Gov SM): statement of quantity, not a unit
peri-urban (Aust Gov SM): hyphen
phosphorus (Aust Gov SM): same spel ing for noun and adjective
post- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid if possible: postmortem, postdate, postdoctoral, postlarval,
postnatal; but post-test, post-entry
practice (Aust Gov SM): noun
practise (Aust Gov SM): verb
pre- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid whenever possible (preprinted, prerequisite, pretest) but
avoid double vowel (pre-existing, pre-emptive)
prior to (Aust Gov SM): use ‘before’
program (DTA): not programme (except for titles of existing programs or legislation that use this
spelling)
prokaryote (Macq): not procaryote
Q | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
quality-adjusted (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule (quality-adjusted life years)
quality-of-life (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule (quality-of-life measures can indicate quality of life)
R | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
re- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid where possible (relocate, rearrange, reassure, reinfection,
reintroduce, relocation, repopulate, renegotiate, reopen, reroute, restock, revaccinate,
revegetate) but avoid ree-, real- (re-establish, re-align)
ready-to-use (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
24
-related words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule eg dose-related test
re-use (Macq): hyphen
rule-of-thumb (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
run-off (Macq): hyphen adj and noun; two words verb
S | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
salmonellas (Aust Gov SM): plural, not ‘salmonellae’ as given by Macq
semi- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid where possible (semiarid, semicolon, semitransverse) but
avoid double i (semi-independent) (Aust Gov SM)
semicolons (DTA): do not use; try a shorter sentence, an em dash or a bullet list instead
sero- words (Aust Gov SM): one word (seroconvert, seroconversion, seropositive, seronegative,
serotype)
set-up (Aust Gov SM): hyphen adj and noun; two words verb
short- words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule: short-term effects in the short term
shut-off, shut off (Aust Gov SM): hyphen adj and noun; two words verb
sign in (DTA): always two words (eg use your sign in to sign in to the site)
single-blind (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
sociodemographic (Aust Gov SM): one word
socioeconomic (Aust Gov SM): one word
soilborne (Aust Gov SM): one word, as for other -borne words
South-east Asia (Macq): caps and hyphen
south-east, north-east etc (Macq): hyphen and lower case
Southern Hemisphere (Macq): initial caps
sp., spp. (Aust Gov SM): species (sp. = singular, spp. = plural), with ful stops, do not italicise
-specific words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
stand-alone (Macq): A/N rule
state (Australian) (Aust Gov SM): lower case for generic reference (eg the states and territories)
25
states and territories (DTA): Spell out names in full unless space is limited (eg in a table) or to
avoid lengthy repetition. List in alphabetical order unless another order is needed
statewide (Aust Gov SM): no hyphen
sub- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid where possible (subclinical, sublethal, subpopulation,
subtype), except for official words (eg Economics Sub-Committee)
sulfur (Aust Gov SM): and al derivatives: ‘f’ not ‘ph’ (sulfuric, sulfonate, sulfite, endosulfan, etc.)
T | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
taskforce (Aust Gov SM): one word
territory (Australian) (Aust Gov SM): lower case for generic reference (eg states and territories)
time point (Aust Gov SM): two words
time series (Aust Gov SM): two words (noun); hyphen if adj (eg time-series data) or with
qualifier (a small time-series)
time frame (Aust Gov SM): two words
time lag (Aust Gov SM): two words
time line (Aust Gov SM): two words
timescale (Macq): one word
time span (Aust Gov SM): two words
timetable (Aust Gov SM): one word
toolkit (Aust Gov SM): one word
Top End (Aust Gov SM): caps
trade-off (Aust Gov SM): hypen adj and noun; two words verb
traditional owners (Aust Gov SM): lower case
transgene (Aust Gov SM): one word
-treated words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule eg heat-treated cells
true positive, true negative (Aust Gov SM): no hyphen
type 2 diabetes (Aust Gov SM): no caps, no hyphen
U | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
26
ultra- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid where possible (ultrasonic, ultraviolet) but avoid double ‘a’
under way (Aust Gov SM): always two words
under- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid where possible (underestimate, underutilise)
uni- words (Aust Gov SM): set solid where possible (unidirectional, unimodal)
up-to-date (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
user-pays (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule (a user-pays system is where the user pays)
V | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
varicella zoster (Aust Gov SM): two words
Vice-Chancellor (NHMRC): always hyphenate
W | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
warm-blooded (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule
wastewater (Aust Gov SM): one word
water source (Aust Gov SM): two words
waterborne (Aust Gov SM): one word
well- words (Aust Gov SM): A/N rule (eg a well-run centre, but the centre was wel run)
wel being (Aust Gov SM): one word
widespread (Aust Gov SM):
worldwide (Aust Gov SM): BUT Australia-wide
X | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
x axis (Aust Gov SM): no hyphen
X-ray, X-irradiation (Aust Gov SM): cap 'X', nonbreaking hyphen
Y | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Principles | Top
y axis (Aust Gov SM): no hyphen
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6
R e v i s i o n H i s t o r y
Date
Ver
Summary of Changes
Approved By
Next Review Date
10/1/2018 1.0
First release
10/3/2018
Director - Communications
28
