Attachment 2 FOI 2405 Revised Style Guide April 2024 Redacted Copy.PDF.pdf

TRIM: D24-11090

April 2024

Commission
Style Guide

Contents
Document Information .......................................................................................................... 2
Contents ................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction........................................................................................................................... 4
Writing for the Commission ................................................................................................. 5
Key reference guides ........................................................................................................... 6
Principles of good writing .................................................................................................... 6
Inclusion and recognition of Diversity ................................................................................ 8
Spelling, grammar and punctuation .................................................................................... 9
Naming conventions .......................................................................................................... 21
Legal material ..................................................................................................................... 23
Numbers and measurements ............................................................................................. 24
References .......................................................................................................................... 30
Footnotes ............................................................................................................................ 36
Formatting ........................................................................................................................... 36
Appendix 1: Types of standards ........................................................................................ 38
Appendix 2: Plain and accessible language ..................................................................... 41
Appendix 3: Diversity and inclusion.................................................................................. 48

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Introduction
This Style Guide (Guide) is for anyone who writes or edits documents on behalf of the
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission).
The Guide reflects the Australian Government Style Manual (AGSM) which is the standard
for Australian Government writing and editing.
The Commission Glossary (D24-11089) should also be used for consistent use of terms
and definitions.
For any areas not covered in this Guide and Glossary, follow the advice in the AGSM.
Throughout this document there are links to the AGSM for more detailed advice.

Writing with clear purpose
Before commencing writing the author must:
•  Clearly identify the primary audience - who do I want to read this document?
•  Establish the purpose of writing the document - why should they read this document?
What action do I want the audience to take?
•  Formulate the key messages - what messages do I want to stay with them?
•  Select style and tone - how can I best communicate to them? What length should the
document be? Is there a particular style, language and format I should use?

For more guidance on preparing documents see Tips for preparing documents (D24-11091).
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The Commission has also developed resources to assist in delivering health information to
consumers. See the Health Literacy Fact Sheet for advice on how to review and improve
content. See the Appendix 2 and AGSM for further advice on plain language.
Active voice
Active sentence construction is simpler, clearer and more concise than passive voice.
In active sentences, the subject goes first, performing the action described by the verb.
🗸 Active voice
The Commission | will launch | a report next month.
(subject)
(verb)
(object)
🗴 Passive voice
The report | will be launched | next month by the Commission.
(object)
(verb)
(subject)
See the AGSM for detailed advice on using active voice.

Tenses
Choose the correct tense and be consistent – do not switch between tenses.
🗸 The Minister said the report was ‘a textbook example of how a report should be written’.
(‘Said’ and ‘was’ are both past tense.)
🗴 The Minister said the report is ‘a textbook example’.
(‘Said’ is past tense and ‘is’ is present tense.)
Tenses and indirect speech
To paraphrase a speaker’s comment (that is, change direct quotes to indirect quotes), make
sure the tenses agree.
This usually means changing the tenses the speaker used: present tense becomes simple
past tense, and past tense becomes past perfect tense.
The following example shows how the tenses switch when changing a direct quote to an
indirect quote.
🗴 Speaking about the hospital’s decision to join the Cognitive Impairment Campaign, the
CEO of the Sydney Local Health District, John Smith, said the campaign ‘is a great
initiative and one we are proud to support. We have already made great strides
implementing the campaign’s key elements.’
to
🗸 Speaking about the hospital’s decision to join the Cognitive Impairment Campaign, the
CEO of the Sydney Local Health District, John Smith, said the campaign was a great
initiative and one the LHD was proud to support. He added that the LHD had already
made great strides implementing the campaign’s key elements.
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Inclusion and recognition of Diversity
Use inclusive and culturally appropriate language. Be familiar with current terms and
language preferences, as these can change over time. See Appendix 3.
Disability, impairment and illness
Only refer to a person’s disability when necessary and relevant. Do not define the person by
their physical or mental characteristics. Use language that recognises their identity.
See Appendix 3 for preferred language and terms.
Diseases and conditions
Do not write that people ‘suffer’ from diseases, and do not turn adjectives into nouns when
describing such people.
🗸 People with diabetes
🗸 People who have diabetes
🗴 People who suffer from diabetes
🗴 Diabetics
🗴 Diabetic people

Note: In the context of chronic disease, ‘people’ is usually preferable to ‘patients’. When
discussing acute il ness or injury, ‘patients’ may be more appropriate.
First Nations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people/s
Use culturally appropriate and respectful language. This language may change from
publication to publication and according to geographical area.
See Appendix 3 for guidance, including on terminology, naming conventions and
capitalisation. It explains when to use ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’,
‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ or ‘First Nations people’.
See also the AGSM for detailed advice on writing for and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples.
The Commission has a number of resources on the intranet to provide guidance on cultural
safety considerations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Culturally and linguistically diverse groups
People from other cultures whose first language is not English are often referred to as being
from a ‘culturally and linguistically diverse background’ (CALD).
The Commission’s communications must reflect and promote cross-cultural awareness.
When planning written content that may be used for particular cultural groups, consult with
members of the relevant community about the correct terminology to use.
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See Appendix 3 or the AGSM for advice on referring to culturally and linguistically diverse
groups.
Gender and sexual diversity
Use language inclusive of gender and sexual diversity. See the AGSM for detailed advice on
gender, gendered terms and sexual diversity.

Spelling, grammar and punctuation
Abbreviations
Try to restrict your use of abbreviations (shortened forms of words) to tables and graphs, or
wherever space is limited. Examples include ‘cont’ (for ‘continued’), ‘ed’ (for ‘edition’), ‘tel’ (for
‘telephone’), ‘e.g’ (for example) and ‘no’ (for ‘number’).
Note: Only use the abbreviation ‘n/a’ (for ‘not applicable’) in tables or the legends of graphs.
Spell it out in footnotes.
See the AGSM for detailed advice on abbreviations.

Acronyms and initialisms
Acronyms are the first letters (and sometimes other letters) of the words in a term strung
together and pronounced as a word (for example, ‘AIDS’). Initialisms are similar, but the
letters are pronounced individually (for example, ‘DNA’).
Try to avoid using acronyms, wherever possible.
If you do need to use acronyms or initialisms, spell the term out in full in the first reference
and put the short form in brackets. In longer documents, establish it in each chapter or
section.
Do not coin an acronym for a little-known organisation if you can avoid it. Instead, give the
name at first reference, and then refer to it with an appropriate label such as ‘the taskforce’ or
‘the commission’.
Note: If you use acronyms in a table or figure, spell them out in footnotes beneath the table
or figure, even if the acronyms are explained and appear in the text.
See the AGSM for detailed advice on acronyms and initialisms.

Ampersands
Do not use an ampersand (&) in a heading or body text unless it is part of an organisation’s
name or other proper noun (for example, ‘Johnson & Johnson’). Ampersands may be used in
tables, figures, charts, graphs, footnotes, citations and references, if necessary.
Apostrophes
Apostrophes are used to show possession (for example, ‘the Commission’s Style Guide’)
and in contractions to show omitted letters, such as in ‘we’re’ and ‘don’t’.
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See the AGSM for detailed advice on apostrophes.

Brackets
Brackets are used for adding references, introducing most acronyms or initialisms (for
example, ‘the Australian Medical Association (AMA)’) or inserting Lists

Run-on lists
Start with lead-in text and a colon. Start each point with a capital letter. Do not add any
punctuation at the end of each line, except for a full stop on the last line.
Ensure each point reads logically from the lead-in text.
🗸 Each organisation participating in the program must:
•  Register an intention to participate
•  Publish a statement on its website
•  Send the department a list of any conflicts of interest.
🗸 The program has a set of requirements, under which each participant must:
•  register your intention to participate
•  a statement should be put on its website
•  do not forget to send the department a list of any conflicts of interest.
Standalone sentences
If each point is a standalone sentence, the lead-in sentence ends with a full stop. Start each
point with a capital letter and end it with a full stop.
🗸 The process involved the following key steps.
•  Diseases, conditions and interventions were shortlisted, based on cost to the health
system, burden of disease and stakeholder priorities.
•  The criteria essential for success were identified in the framework.
•  A threshold was set to remove unsuitable diseases, conditions and interventions.
🗸 The process involved the following key steps:
•  Diseases, conditions and interventions were shortlisted, based on cost to the health
system, burden of disease and stakeholder priorities.
•  Identifying criteria in the framework that are essential for a successful framework
•  Applying threshold criteria for the removal of diseases, conditions and interventions
that are unsuitable.
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Note: Keep list points to a maximum of five lines.
Numbered lists
Use a numbered list if sequence, priority or chronology is important. Also use this type of list
if number is integral to the concept, such as in ‘the five most important steps to effective
report writing’.

You might also use a numbered list if the points won’t meet the five-line limit for each entry in
a bullet list. If the points are each two or more paragraphs, insert short headings above each
point and do not indent the text.

Use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4 …) and try to avoid using subordinate points. But if they are
necessary, use lower-case letters (a, b, c, d …).

Include a blank line between the lead-in paragraph and the first numbered point, and a blank
line after the final numbered point.

See the AGSM for detailed advice on lists.
Parentheses (to add an aside or additional information, like this).
See the AGSM for detailed advice on using brackets.
Capitalisation
Use capital letters for proper nouns (names of specific people, organisations or places) and
the first letter of a sentence. Do not use capitals for emphasis.
In second references to a policy, strategy or program, shorten the reference and use upper
case.
🗸 ‘My Aged Care Workforce Learning Strategy 2023’, then ‘the Strategy’ in subsequent
references
🗴 ‘My Aged Care Workforce Learning Strategy 2023’, not ‘the strategy’ in subsequent
references

Document titles
When creating and citing document titles for the Commission, there are rules to follow.
For short report titles, capitalise the first letter of each word (except for short words such as
‘of’, ‘at’, ‘and’ and ‘to’).
🗸 Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation
🗴 Australian atlas of healthcare variation

For longer report names with a subtitle (a colon followed by another phrase), only capitalise
the first letter of the first word after the colon, and any proper nouns or acronyms. In
subsequent references, drop the subtitle, leaving just the main title in italics.
🗸 Health Literacy: Taking action to improve safety and quality, then Health Literacy
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•  Lists and bullet points
•  Block quotes.

See the AGSM for detailed advice on colons.
Semicolons (;)
Use semicolons sparingly because they can make text appear complicated and hard to read.
Semicolons are used to:
•  Link two sentences with closely related information
•  Punctuate complex lists where commas won’t provide a long pause.
See the AGSM for detailed advice on semicolons.

Commas
Commas aid clarity by separating sentences into logical parts. They can be used in a list, to
mark a parenthetical clause, to set a subsidiary clause apart from a main clause, and to
create a signpost.
When deciding where to place commas consider the following:
•  Use commas sparingly. If the meaning of a sentence is clear without a comma, do not
insert one.
•  Rather than inserting a comma to break up a long sentence, create two shorter
sentences.
•  If two clauses can stand as sentences in their own right, do not link them with a comma
unless you can insert a conjunction such as ‘and’ or ‘but’

🗸 The Senate debated the Bill at length, but the party whips eventually called for a vote.
‘But’ is the coordinating conjunction. ‘The Senate’ and ‘the party whips’ are each the subjects
of a principal clause.
🗴 The company closed its Perth office and sacked the chief financial officer.

‘The company’ closed an office and sacked an executive officer. ‘The company’ is the subject
of both clauses, joined using ‘and’.

Separate items in lists of nouns or adjectives with commas

Use commas between items in a sentence list. Avoid using a comma before the last item in
the list.
🗸 The delegation visited Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide.
🗴 The delegation visited Brisbane, Canberra, and Adelaide.

Restrict the use of the Oxford comma

If the last item combines two words or phrases with the word ‘and’, use a comma before that
final item. This use of the comma is known as the ‘Oxford comma’ or ‘serial comma’.
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🗸 The industries most affected are retail trade, wholesale trade, and accommodation and
food services.

The Oxford comma can prevent ambiguity in complex sentence lists. For example, use the
Oxford comma before the last item if you are using a defining phrase applicable only to that
final item.

See the AGSM for detailed advice on commas.

Contractions
Do not use contractions, which are shortened words such as ‘can’t’ or ‘we’l ’ or
acronyms/initialisms without first spelling out the title.
There is no need, however, to spell out universally recognised shortened written
expressions.
🗸 HIV
🗴 human immunodeficiency virus
🗸 Pty Ltd
🗴 proprietary limited

If your main audience is the general public, you may use contractions to create a
conversational tone to get your message across.
Some contractions consist of the first and last letters of a word. Follow the capitalisation used
in the original word and do not insert a full stop at the end.
🗸 Dr
🗴 dr
🗴 Dr.

Note: The contraction for ‘Commonwealth’ is ‘Cth’.
See the AGSM for detailed advice on contractions.
En dashes and hyphens
En dashes (–)
En dashes are longer than hyphens and we use them in spans of figures, time and distance;
to set out a parenthetical phrase; or to introduce an explanatory clause.
For year spans, our style is consistent with other health agencies such as the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare. If the span is one year, use two numbers of the second part
of the span. For spans of more than one year, use all four numbers. Do not use hyphens or
slashes in number spans excepting the use of a slash for financial year statements and
reporting.
🗸 2022–23
🗴 2022–2023
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🗴 2022-2023
🗴 2022/23 (🗸acceptable for reference to financial year in finance reporting)
🗸 2022–2028
🗴 2022–28
🗴 2022-28
🗴 2022/28

Excluding the style for year spans, see the AGSM for detailed advice on en dashes.
Hyphens (-)
Hyphens are used in prefixes and to link compound adjectives before a noun. Usage of
hyphens, however, is subject to change. There is an increasing trend for hyphens to be
dropped.
Prefixes
Hyphens link prefixes in words.
🗸 Pre-cancerous
🗴 Precancerous
🗸 Post-operative
🗴 Postoperative

Some words that used to be hyphenated are now written without a break. Check the
Macquarie Dictionary if you are unsure about the latest usage.
🗸 Coordinate
🗴 Co-ordinate
🗸 Cooperate
🗴 Co-operate
Some words retain a hyphen to clarify meaning, or if vowels or consonants are repeated.
🗸 Re-sign (to sign again)
🗴 Resign (quit)
🗸 Co-opt
🗴 Coopt
🗸 Pre-empt
🗴 Preempt
🗸 Under-researched
🗴 Underresearched
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Compound adjectives
Use a hyphen to link compound adjectives before a noun.
🗸 Self-monitoring unit
🗴 Self monitoring unit
🗸 Disease-free region
🗴 Disease free region

Take care with compound adjectives that involve three or more words. For example, if
referring to a safety incident related to health IT, you could write ‘health-IT-related’, but it
looks cluttered. So, the best approach is to write ‘health IT-related safety incident’ or leave it
as ‘safety incident related to health IT’.
🗸 Non-English-speaking [background]
🗴 Non-English speaking [background]
🗴 Non English speaking [background]

Note: Do not use a hyphen in compound adjectives if the first word is an adverb ending in ‘ly’.
🗸 A highly personal choice
🗴 A highly-personal choice

See the AGSM for detailed advice on hyphens.

Data
Treat data as plural.
🗸 The data were …
🗴 The data was …
🗸 The data are …
🗴 The data is …

Ellipses
An ellipsis (…) is three points inserted in a quotation or sentence to show deleted words.
Insert a space either side when using an ellipsis in the middle of a sentence.
See the AGSM for detailed advice on ellipses.

Exclamation marks
Only use exclamation marks in a direct quote or in material aimed at a specific audience,
such as children. If you want to use exclamation marks in other text, discuss this with the
Communications team.
See the AGSM for additional advice on exclamation marks.
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Full stops
Insert full stops at the end of sentences and keep sentences as short as possible. This
makes content easy to read and understand.
🗸 Professional associations reacted negatively to the comments by the chair of the inquiry.
This presents a headache for the Australian Government because its rejection of previous
proposals is causing resentment and feeding perceptions that it is ignoring simpler
solutions.
🗴 Professional associations reacted negatively to the comments by the chair of the inquiry,
presenting a headache for the Australian Government because its rejection of previous
proposals is causing resentment and feeding perceptions that it is ignoring simpler
solutions.
Note:
•  Do not put a full stop after honorifics, initialisms, measurements or academic
qualifications.
•  Put a full stop after Latin and other shortened forms (for example, ‘etc.’, ‘e.g.’, ‘et al.’).

See the AGSM for detailed advice on full stops.

Italics
Text in italics is harder to read than roman (non-italic) text, so we limit its use to:
•  Titles of published works including books and periodicals
•  Acts of Parliament
•  Artistic works, including books, films and paintings
•  Bacterial and viral taxa at the level of genus and species when used together.
See the AGSM for detailed advice on italics.
Lists
Some bullet lists consist of standalone sentences. Others comprise partial sentences or
fragments that ‘run on’ seamlessly from introductory text. And some lists are numbered.
Use the following guidelines for every type of list.
•  Introduce the list with a lead-in sentence.
•  When possible, start each point with the same type of word: a noun or a verb (called
‘parallel structure’).
•  Ensure the use of tense is consistent throughout the list.

Run-on lists
Start with lead-in text and a colon. Start each point with a capital letter. Do not add any
punctuation at the end of each line, except for a full stop on the last line.
Ensure each point reads logically from the lead-in text.
🗸 Each organisation participating in the program must:
•  Register an intention to participate
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•  Publish a statement on its website
•  Send the department a list of any conflicts of interest.
🗴 The program has a set of requirements, under which each participant must:
•  register your intention to participate
•  a statement should be put on its website
•  do not forget to send the department a list of any conflicts of interest.
Standalone sentences
If each point is a standalone sentence, the lead-in sentence ends with a full stop. Start each
point with a capital letter and end it with a full stop.
🗸 The process involved the following key steps.
•  Diseases, conditions and interventions were shortlisted, based on cost to the health
system, burden of disease and stakeholder priorities.
•  The criteria essential for success were identified in the framework.
•  A threshold was set to remove unsuitable diseases, conditions and interventions.
🗴 The process involved the following key steps:
•  Diseases, conditions and interventions were shortlisted, based on cost to the health
system, burden of disease and stakeholder priorities.
•  Identifying criteria in the framework that are essential for a successful framework
•  Applying threshold criteria for the removal of diseases, conditions and interventions
that are unsuitable.

Note: Keep list points to a maximum of five lines.
Numbered lists
Use a numbered list if sequence, priority or chronology is important. Also use this type of list
if number is integral to the concept, such as in ‘the five most important steps to effective
report writing’.

You might also use a numbered list if the points won’t meet the five-line limit for each entry in
a bullet list. If the points are each two or more paragraphs, insert short headings above each
point and do not indent the text.

Use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4 …) and try to avoid using subordinate points. But if they are
necessary, use lower-case letters (a, b, c, d …).

Include a blank line between the lead-in paragraph and the first numbered point, and a blank
line after the final numbered point.

See the AGSM for detailed advice on lists.
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Parentheses
Use commas, round brackets or en dashes for parentheses which are asides or extra
information. Typical uses include adding definitions, sources, comments, caveats or short
forms of terms or names to be used later.
Parentheses are not suitable for crucial information, and the sentence must still make sense
if you ignore the parenthesis.
See the AGSM for detailed advice on parentheses.

Quotation marks
Direct speech
Use single quote marks to show direct speech and double quote marks for quotes within
quotes. Introduce a quote with a comma.
🗸 The Minister said, ‘This is a worthwhile report that will be of immense benefit to many
people.’
🗴 The Minister said: ‘This is a worthwhile report that will be of immense benefit to many
people’.
🗴 The Minister said: “This is a worthwhile report that will be of immense benefit to many
people”.
See the AGSM for detailed advice on quotation marks.
Indented quotations (block quotes)
If a direct quote is more than three lines long or more than 30 words, create a separate block
quote by indenting the text and inserting a blank line either side. Do not use quote marks or
italics. Use single rather than double quote marks for a quote within the indented quote.

🗸 At a press conference, the Minister welcomed the report:
The report is of the highest quality and, although it has necessarily taken the expert
panel some months to interview the relevant people and establish exactly what
happened and why, the result more than justifies the Government’s decision to
investigate what the Prime Minister has described as ‘an alarming outcome’ for the
affected patients.
Slashes
Avoid using slashes in the Commission’s documents, except when:
•  Providing options such as ‘yes/no’ and ‘and/or’ (try to avoid these)
•  Signifying division in a mathematical expression
•  Abbreviating a unit of measurement (for example, ‘km/h’ for ‘kilometres per hour’)
•  Indicating a financial year in financial reports
•  Providing a URL.

See the AGSM for detailed advice on slashes.
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‘That’ and ‘which’
Use:
•  ‘that’ for essential information
•  ‘which’, with punctuation, for non-essential information.

It is important to show users whether information is essential or non-essential by using
punctuation, for example, commas.

•  The farm that produces oats is for sale. [The only farm that is for sale is the one that
produces oats.]
•  The farm, which produces oats, is for sale. [The farm, which happens to produce
oats, is for sale.]

Choosing between relative pronouns such as ‘that’ and ‘which’ can be a matter of style in
some situations, depending on voice and tone. It is the use of punctuation with the relative
pronoun that clarifies meaning.

See the AGSM for detailed advice on common misspellings and word confusion.
Naming conventions
Personal names
Naming systems are different around the world. For example, in some Asian cultures, the
family name comes first. If you are unsure about the naming convention, do some research
or find out from someone who knows.
🗸 Family name
🗴 Surname
🗴 Last name
🗸 Given name
🗴 First name
🗴 Christian name

See the AGSM for detailed advice on using personal names and on nouns.

Academic and clinical titles
When referring to academics, cite their job title and honorifics at first reference, then use the
relevant honorific (such as ‘Professor’, ‘Dr’ or ‘Mr’ for surgeons, depending on their
preference).
Clinical titles include the prefix Clinical, Conjoint and Adjunct e.g. ‘Clinical Lecturer’, ‘Clinical
Senior Lecturer’, ‘Clinical Associate Professor’ and ‘Clinical Professor’. Use the full title in
publications and minutes, then drop ‘Clinical’ and ‘Adjunct’ and/or shorten ‘Associate’.
🗸 ‘Clinical Associate Professor Jones’ then ‘A/Professor Jones’
🗸 ‘Clinical Adjunct Professor Jones’ then ‘Professor Jones’ not A/Professor as A/ refers to
Associate
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🗴  Prof Jones

In letters, use the full title for the address, and the shortened form for the salutation; for
example, in a letter, the address block would be ‘Clinical Senior Lecturer Jones’, followed by
‘Dear Ms Jones’.
Note:
•  Some state and territory health departments use the term ‘Chief Executive Officer’
instead of ‘Director-General’ or ‘Secretary’. Use the organisation’s preferred title.
•  In letter addresses and signature blocks, always spell out ‘Chief Executive Officer’ in
full.

See the AGSM for detailed advice on academic and professional titles.

Parliamentarians and ministers
When referring to ministers, shorten ‘Honourable’ to ‘Hon’ in all instances. Do not insert a full
stop after ‘Hon’.
🗸 The Hon Mark Butler, MP, Minister for Health
🗴 The Hon. Mark Butler, MP, Minister for Health
🗴 The Honourable Mark Butler, MP, Minister for Health

Note: The plural forms for Attorney-General and Director-General take an ‘s’ after the first
word not the last.
🗸 Attorneys-General
🗴 Attorney-Generals
🗸 Directors-General
🗴 Director-Generals

See the AGSM for detailed advice on referring to parliamentarians and councillors.

Government
Only capitalise ‘government’ when it is part of a proper noun. Use lower case for generic
references. See page 12 for state governments.
Only use the ‘Australian Government’.
🗸 Australian Government
🗴 Federal Government
🗴 Commonwealth Government

Formal names that are capitalised include:
🗸 The Cabinet
🗴 The cabinet
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🗸 The Treasury
🗴 The treasury
🗸 The Crown
🗴 The crown
🗸 The House (either chamber of Parliament)
🗴 The house
🗸 The [federal] Budget
🗴 The budget

Note: In adjectival or plural uses, use lower case; for example, ‘budget provisions’ and
‘successive federal budgets’.
See the AGSM for detailed advice on using government terms.
‘Federal’ and ‘federal’
Use a capital letter if it is part of an official title, but lower case in generic references.
🗸 The Federal Court of Australia
🗴 The federal Court of Australia
🗸 The federal Budget
🗴 The Federal Budget

Organisations
Spell out the full name of the organisation at the first reference, following the organisation’s
style for capitalisation. If you are using the name again, establish the short form in brackets
and use this consistently throughout. Use the organisations preferred short form name.
🗸  Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)
See the AGSM for detailed advice on organisation names.
Legal material
The AGSM has detailed guidance on citing legal material, ranging from Acts of Parliament to
delegated legislation such as by-laws.
See the AGSM for detailed advice on:
•  Acts of Parliament
•  Bills and explanatory material
•  Schedules
•  Delegated legislation.
Note: When referring to sections and subsections of Acts in body text, spell them out in full.
We prefer not to use the shortened form.
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To check the correct titles and short names of Acts and other legislation, go to:
•  Commonwealth – www.legislation.gov.au/
•  New South Wales – www.legislation.nsw.gov.au
•  Victoria – www.legislation.vic.gov.au/
•  Queensland – www.legislation.qld.gov.au/OQPChome.htm
•  South Australia – www.legislation.sa.gov.au/index.aspx
•  Western Australia – https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au/
•  Tasmania – http://www.thelaw.tas.gov.au
•  Northern Territory  – http://www.nt.gov.au/lant/parliamentary-business/legislation.shtml
•  Australian Capital Territory – www.legislation.act.gov.au
Numbers and measurements
Numerals or words
Spell out zero to nine and use numerals from 10 onwards, except at the start of a sentence.
🗸 The report will be released in two days’ time.
🗴 The report will be released in 2 days’ time.
🗸 The health service reported that 10 patients were affected by the incident.
🗴 The health service reported that ten patients were affected by the incident.
🗸 Ten patients were affected by the incident.
🗴 10 patients were affected by the incident.
Use numerals for rates and children’s ages.
🗸 Figures show about 1 in 5 children in the US lives in poverty.
🗴 Figures show about one in five children in the US lives in poverty.
🗸 2–4 years
🗴 two to four years
🗸 Aged 4 years
🗴 Aged four years

Note: When referring to decimal numbers below one, place a zero before the decimal point.
🗸 0.25
🗴 .25

Insert commas in amounts with four or more digits.
🗸 5,000
🗴 5000
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In millions and billions, use the numeral followed by the word.
🗸 10 million
🗴 Ten million
🗸 4 billion
🗴 Four billion

Ordinal numbers
Spell out ordinal numbers in text up to and including ‘ninth’, then use numerals for ‘10th’ or
more.
🗸 eighth
🗴 8th
🗴 8th
🗸 12th (do not use superscript for ‘th’)
🗴 12th
🗴 twelfth

See the AGSM for detailed advice on ordinals.

Percentages
Use the ‘%’ symbol and numbers, with no space between the number and symbol.
🗸 75%
🗴 75 per cent

Being clear
When citing a percentage, be clear about what you are referring to. For example, it is not
clear what has improved by 67% in this sentence:
🗴The benefits of the program have been rapid, with improvements of up to 67% seen in
some areas.
But it is clear here:
🗸 The benefits of the program have been rapid, with 67% of the 25 hospitals that
responded to a survey showing improvements.

Expressing large increases
In content aimed at the public, be careful when expressing increases in percentages when
the thing measured has more than doubled, and particularly if it has trebled or quadrupled.
While an increase of 150% means something has risen by 1.5 times, a 200% increase
means something has trebled. But some readers will wrongly interpret the ‘2’ as meaning a
doubling.
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In other instances, including when referring to non-Australian currencies, see the AGSM for
detailed advice.
Dates
The standard format is day date month year, without a comma, other punctuation or ‘th’
or st’.
🗸 Monday 6 February 2023
🗴 Monday 6 Feb 2023
🗴 Monday Feb 6th 2023

Note: Use a non-breaking space between the day and month so they stay on the same line.
If a short form is needed, use ‘0’ in front of the day and month, and the four-digit format for
the year.
🗸 06/02/2023
🗴 6/2/2023
🗴 6/2/23

Time
When showing the time, use a space before ‘am’ or ‘pm’, and a colon for anything other than
an exact hour.
🗸 1 pm
🗴 1pm
🗸 2:30 am
🗴 2:30am

See the AGSM for detailed advice on time.

Units of measurement
Always use numbers and symbols for units of measurement, inserting a non-breaking space
between the digit and symbol.
🗸 5 km
🗴 Five kilometres
🗸 7.2 kg
🗴 Seven-point-two kilograms
🗴 Seven-point-two kg

See the AGSM for detailed advice on units of measurement.
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Common mistakes with numbers
‘Higher than’ and ‘as high as’
When describing something as being ‘X times higher than’ something else, cite the correct
multiplication factor.
It is very common to forget to include the first number when calculating the multiplication
factor. Take the example of a geographic area with 28 private hospitals and 112 public
hospitals. As 28 is one-quarter of 112, it may seem correct to write ‘The number of public
hospitals is four times higher than the number of private hospitals’, but it is not. When making
such a calculation, exclude the first figure (28) which is not part of the increase. This leaves
the difference (84), which is only three times higher than 28.
Because this is easy to get wrong, it is safer to avoid the ‘X times higher than’ construction
and use ‘X times as high as’ instead for increases in which a number has more than doubled.
🗸 The number of public hospitals in this area is four times as high as the number of
private hospitals (112 compared with 28), reflecting successive governments’ support
for tertiary public health services in this region.
Rates
When referring to rates, avoid saying ‘rate per 100,000’ or any other number.
A rate is a number expressed as a proportion of a larger number over a specified time
period. For example, ‘The latest figures show 2 in 3 Australians will be diagnosed with skin
cancer by the age of 70’.
🗸 The age-standardised incidence rate for cancer in 2016 was 467 cases per 100,000
people.
🗴 The age-standardised incidence rate per 100,000 people for cancer in 2016 was 467.

Surveys and samples
If you are providing statistics from survey data, make sure you report the results accurately.
Surveys of a sample of a wider population or group offer insights into general experience,
assuming the sample is representative and the results apply to the wider population or group.
When reporting the results, attribute them to the surveyed group, not the wider population or
group. If the survey method relied on voluntary responses, attribute the results to
respondents, not the wider population or group invited to participate.
🗸 Of the 66 hospitals that participated in the research, 68% reported excellent results.
🗴 Of the 200 hospitals in the research, 68% reported excellent results.

Comparisons
Provide a point of comparison when making a statement.
When making a statement comparing one thing with another, include the comparator (the
thing being compared against) in the same statement. People often skim reports for parts
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they consider relevant to them. If the comparator is two paragraphs away or on the next
page, the statement could be read out of context, making it misleading.
🗸 Health services in western Victoria are more likely to report budget difficulties, compared
to health services in eastern Victoria.
🗴 Health services in western Victoria are more likely to report budget difficulties.

If you are unsure I your explanation of data, seek advice from a colleague with statistical
experience, or seek professional advice.

References
The Commission uses the Vancouver style. This format is widely used in medical literature
and is a variant of the requirements specified by the International Committee of Medical
Journal Editors.
To align with the Vancouver style, place the citation number as close as possible to the text
being referenced. Enter the source details in a bibliographic ‘References’ section at the back
of the document.
Do not put explanations or elaborations in the References list. If you need to elaborate on the
information you have referenced and cannot do so in the body text, use a footnote. Note that
having too many footnotes can clutter up a document and make it look forbidding. Limit their
use and try to avoid them in content aimed at the public.
Guidelines for attribution
Documents we publish are attributed in different ways.
The Commission can be the attributed author of a publication that reflects our internal
expertise and thinking even if the document was written, edited or designed externally. Spell
out the Commission’s name in full.
For publications that reflect the expertise and thinking of commissioned external authors,
whose names appear on the title page, cite those people as the authors. Importantly, this
should also be done when an externally written document is placed behind a Commission-
written ‘Overlay’ document and preface.
Note that when the Commission is cited as the publisher rather than the author, its name
appears as ‘ACSQHC’.
Sometimes, it is necessary to refer in text, footnotes or endnotes to Commission documents
that are yet been published. In this case, use the standard approach for author, title and
publisher, but write ‘(unpublished)’ in place of the year (see below for example).
Authors: Give authors in the format family name then initials. Use a maximum of two initials.
If two authors have the same family name, use full given names.
Document titles: Capitalise only acronyms and initialisms, and the first letter of the title,
proper nouns and proper adjectives.
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Title unknown: If an item does not have a title (for example, a photograph), create a title
and enter it in square brackets in place of the title.
Article titles: Capitalise only the first word of the title and proper nouns, proper adjectives,
acronyms and initialisms.
Journal names: Use initialisms or acronyms as used elsewhere in the literature (for
example, use ‘NEJM’ rather than ‘New England Journal of Medicine’). Abbreviate significant
words in a journal name (following precedent), and omit definite and indefinite articles (‘A’,
‘An’, ‘The’), conjunctions and prepositions. For example, the ‘New Zealand Medical Journal’
becomes the ‘NZ Med J’. Capitalise all words in the journal title.
Note: The names of journals and other publications are not italicised in the Vancouver style.
Publishers: Give one location, usually the first named, as the place of publication. In
Australia, if it is a capital city, only cite the city; for example, ‘Sydney’. If it is not a capital city,
cite the state or territory; for example, ‘Newcastle (NSW)’. (To abbreviate the names of states
and territories, use the advice in the section on ‘States and territories’.
For the United States and Canada, use the city and abbreviated name of the state (in round
brackets) as the location.
For other countries, give the anglicised name of the city where possible and, if clarification is
needed, add the name of the country or its ISO country code in round brackets. You can
abbreviate the names of well-known publishers and commonly used words in publisher
names if desired. If there is more than one publisher, name subsequent publishers in a note
at the end.
Year: Year of publication.

In-text citations
Provide an in-text reference if you use:
•  A long direct quote
•  A short direct quote
•  An indirect quote
•  Data or research

Vancouver uses Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3 …), uses superscript – not brackets – and uses the
same typeface as the body text.
On 29 November 1973, Bill Hayden, Australia’s then Minister for Social Security, rose
in the federal Parliament to introduce the second reading of the Health Insurance Bill
that would usher in Australia’s first universal health insurance system.3
Place citations:
•  Before any punctuation mid-sentence (such as commas, semicolons, colons or
dashes)
•  After the full stop at the end of a sentence, with no space either side.
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Separate multiple citation numbers in the same spot with commas, with no space between
the comma and the next digit.
On 29 November 1973, Bil Hayden, Australia’s then Minister for Social Security,
introduced the second reading of the Health Insurance Bill3, which would turn out to
be a pivotal piece of legislation for the Australian health system.4,5,6
Examples of citations
Commission documents
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Vital Signs 2016: The
State of Safety and Quality in Australian Health Care. Sydney: ACSQHC; 2016.
Baysari M, Richardson L, Zheng WY, Westbrook J. Implementation of Electronic
Medication Management Systems in hospitals – A literature scan. Sydney: ACSQHC;
2016.
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Hip Fracture Care
Clinical Care Standard. Sydney: ACSQHC; 2016.
Documents not in the public domain
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Cataract Care Clinical
Care Standard - Consultation draft. Sydney: ACSQHC (unpublished).
Articles in journals
List no more than three authors, followed by ‘et al.’.
Two authors:
Hebert LA, Rovin B. Uric acid and cardiovascular risk. N Engl J Med 2009;
360:540–1.

Four authors:
You CH, Lee KY, Chey RY, et al. Electrogastrographic study of patients with
unexplained nausea, bloating and vomiting. Gastroenterology 1980 Aug; 79(2):311–
4.
If a journal carries continuous pagination throughout a volume, the month and issue number
may be omitted.
You CH, Lee KY, Chey RY, et al. Electrogastrographic study of patients with
unexplained nausea, bloating and vomiting. Gastroenterology 1980; 79:311–4.
Group/organisation as author
The Royal Marsden Hospital Bone-marrow Transplantation Team. Failure of
syngeneic bone-marrow graft without preconditioning in post-hepatitis marrow
aplasia. Lancet 1977;2:742–4.
No author given
Coffee drinking and cancer of the pancreas [editorial]. BMJ 1981; 283: 628.
ACSQHC Style Manual
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Grey literature, books and other sources
Reports
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s health 2016. Canberra: AIHW;
2016.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2004 National Drug Strategy household
survey: detailed findings. Canberra: AIHW, 2005. (AIHW Cat. No. PHE 66; Drug
Statistics Series No. 16.)
http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/phe/ndshsdf04/ndshsdf04.pdf (accessed Jan
2009).
Duckett S, Griffiths K. Perils of place: identifying hotspots of health inequalities.
Melbourne: Grattan Institute; 2016.
Organisation as author and publisher
Virginia Law Foundation. The medical and legal implications of AIDS. Charlottesville: The
Foundation, 1987.
Chapter in a book
Weinstein L, Swartz MN. Pathologic properties of invading microorganisms. In: Sodeman WA
Jr, Sodeman WA, editors. Pathologic physiology: mechanisms of disease. Philadelphia:
Saunders, 1974: 457–72.
Conference proceedings
Vivian VL, editor. Child abuse and neglect: a medical community response. Proceedings of
the First AMA National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect; 1984 Mar 30–31; Chicago:
American Medical Association, 1985.
Conference paper
Harley NH. Comparing radon daughter dosimetric and risk models. In: Gammage RB, Kaye
SV, editors. Indoor air and human health. Proceedings of the Seventh Life Sciences
Symposium; 1984 Oct 29–31; Knoxville (TN). Chelsea (MI): Lewis, 1985: 69–78.
Scientific and technical report
Akutsu T. Total heart replacement device. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health,
National Heart and Lung Institute; 1974 Apr. Report No.: NIH-NHLI-69-2185-4.
Dissertation/Thesis
Youssef NM. School adjustment of children with congenital heart disease [dissertation or
thesis]. Pittsburgh (PA): Univ of Pittsburgh, 1988.
Patent
Harred JF, Knight AR, McIntyre JS, inventors. Dow Chemical Company, assignee.
Epoxidation process. US patent 3,654,317. 1972 Apr 4.
Web content
Web page – organisation as author
Heart Foundation (AU). Information for carers [Internet]. Canberra: Heart Foundation (AU);
2008 [updated 2006 Jul 8; cited 2009 Apr 8].
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http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/Heart Information/Carers/Pages/default.aspx (accessed
Jan 2009).
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (US). High blood cholesterol: what you need to know
[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes
of Health; 2001 May [updated 2003 Apr 4; cited 2009 Apr 3].
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.htm (accessed Dec 2009).
Note: When citing organisations that are national bodies, such as government agencies, if a
nationality is not part of the name, place the country in brackets after the name, using the
two-letter ISO country code available online.
Web page
Do not just give URLs. Give the authors if available, the organisation, the title of the
webpage, the relevant section on the webpage, and a date if relevant or known. Provide the
month and year the webpage was visited.
Britt H, Miller GC, Charles J, et al. General practice activity in Australia 1999–2000.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2000. (AIHW Cat. No. GEP 5; General
Practice Series No. 5.) http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/gep/gpaa99-00/gpaa99-00.pdf
(accessed Oct 2002).
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s health 2010. Canberra: AIHW, 2010.
(AIHW Cat. No. AUS 122.) http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=6442468376&tab=2
(accessed Oct 2011).
Heart Foundation. Information for professionals. Melbourne: Heart Foundation, 2011.
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/Information-for-professionals/pages/information-
professionals.aspx (accessed Sep 2011).
Cancer Council Australia [website]. http://www.cancer.org.au (accessed Oct 2011).
Other published material
Newspaper article
Rensberger B, Specter B. CFCs may be destroyed by natural process. The Washington Post
1989 Aug 7; Sect A: 2 (col 5).
Audiovisual
AIDS epidemic: the physician’s role [video recording]. Cleveland (OH): Academy of Medicine
of Cleveland, 1987.
Computer file
Renal system [computer program]. MS-DOS version. Edwardsville (KS): Medi-Sim, 1988.
Map
Scotland [topographic map]. Washington: National Geograpic Society (US), 1981.
Dictionary and similar references
Ectasia. Dorland’s illustrated medical dictionary. 27th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1988: 527.
ACSQHC Style Manual
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Classical material
The Winter’s Tale: act 5, scene I, lines 13–16. The complete works of William Shakespeare.
London: Rex, 1973.
Unpublished material
In press
Lillywhite HB, Donald JA. Pulmonary blood flow regulation in an aquatic snake. Science. In
press.
Examples of less common citations
Journal articles
Article in a foreign language
Massone L, Borghi S, Pestarino A, et al. Localisations palmaires purpuriques de la dermatite
herpetiforme. Ann Dermatol Venerol 1987;1 14:1545–7.
Volume with supplement
Magni F, Rossoni G, Berti F. BN-52021 protects guinea-pig from heart anaphylaxis.
Pharmacol Res Commun 1988;20 Suppl 5:75–8.
Issue with supplement
Gardos G, Cole JO, Haskell D, et al. The natural history of tardive dyskinesia. J Clin
Psychopharmacol 1988;8(4 Suppl):3 1 S–37S.
Volume with part
Hanly C. Metaphysics and innateness: a psychoanalytic perspective. Int J Psychoanal
1988;69(Pt 3):389–99.
Issue with part
Edwards L, Meyskens F, Levine N. Effect of oral isotretinoin on dysplastic nevi. J Am Acad
Dermatol 1989;20(2 Pt 1): 257–60.
Issue with no volume
Baumeister AA. Origins and control of stereotyped movements. Monogr Am Assoc Ment
Defic 1978;(3):353–84.
No issue or volume
Danoek K. Skiing in and through the history of medicine. Nord Medicinhist Arsb 1982:86–
100.
Pagination in roman numerals
Ronne Y. Anssarsfall. Blodtransfusion till fel patient. Vardfacket 1989;13: XvI–XXVII.
Type of article indicated as needed
Spargo PM, Manners JM. DDAVP and open heart surgery [letter]. Anaesthesia 1989;44:363–
4.
Fuhrman SA, Joiner KA. Binding of the third component of complement C3 by Toxoplasma
gondii [abstract]. Clin Res 1987;35:475A.
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Article containing retraction
Shishido A. Retraction notice: Effect of platinum compounds on murine lymphocyte
mitogenesis [Retraction of Alsabti EA, Ghalib ON, Salem MH. In: Jpn J Med Sci Biol
1979;32:53-651. Jpn J Med Sci Biol 1980;33:235–7.
Article retracted
Alsabti EA, Ghalib ON, Salem MH. Effect of platinum compounds on murine lymphocyte
mitogenesis [Retracted by Shishido A. In: Jpn J Med Sci Biol 1980;33: 235–7]. Jpn J Med Sci
Biol 1979;32:53–65.
Article containing comment
Piccoli A, Bossatti A. Early steroid therapy in IgA neuropathy: still an open question
[comment]. Nephron 1989;51:289–91. Comment on: Nephron 1988;48:12–7.
Article commented on
Kobayashi Y, Fujii K, Hiki Y, et al. Steroid therapy in IgA nephropathy: a retrospective study
in heavy proteinuric cases [see comments]. Nephron 1988;48:12–7. Comment in: Nephron
1989;51:289–91.
Article with published erratum
Schofield A. The CAGE questionnaire and psychological health [published erratum appears
in Br J Addict 1989;84: 7011. Br J Addict 1988;83:761–4.

Footnotes
The Commission's preference is to use a single reference list at the end of the document,
rather than footnotes. However, if using footnotes is necessary use numbers within text and
symbols for tables and graphics in documents with a lot of footnotes.
When using symbols, follow this sequence:
* – asterisk
† – dagger
§ – section mark
# – hash
** – double asterisk
‡ – double dagger
§§ – double section mark
## – double hash

Formatting
Captions
We tailor our captions according to the content of the image. Stock and decorative photos do
not need captions. Photographs of identifiable people do need a caption.
Place a caption beneath the image, including details about those present and/or the location.
End with a full stop, followed by ‘L–R:’, then list the people, including honorifics. For example:
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The Minister for Health launches the Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation at
Parliament House in Canberra in November 2015. L–R: Dr Roderick McKay,
Professor Villis Marshall, the Hon Sussan Ley, Professor Anne Duggan, Dr Liz Marles
and Ms Leanne Wells.
Some images do not need an explanation (such as a picture of the Board), so just provide
the names, starting with ‘L–R:’.
If a photograph includes a member of the public, get a signed release granting consent to
use the image. Find consent forms in the Communications section of the Commission
intranet.
The AGSM has more guidance on images and on captions and alternative text (alt text). It is
best practice to include alt text for people with a visual impairment who use a screen reader.
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Appendix 1: Types of standards
Under the National Health Reform Act 2011 (Cth), it is a function of the Commission to
formulate, in writing, standards relating to health care safety and quality matters.
Standards are explicit statements of expected quality in the performance of a healthcare
activity. For most standards, the expected quality is based on evidence and best practice.
Standards may take the form of procedures, treatment protocols, critical paths, algorithms,
standard operating procedures, or statements of expected health care outcomes, among
other formats. Clinical practice guidelines may be used to set standards of care or practice.
The Commission uses the word ‘standards’ in numerous ways. The following are definitions
for different types of standards developed by the Commission and notes about how to refer
to standards.
Any substantial reference to standards from outside the relevant program area should
be checked with that program area for currency and consistency.
Safety and quality standards
The purpose of safety and quality standards is to provide frameworks for quality
improvement and risk management for relevant sectors in the health system.

Standards provide a framework against which an assessment of performance can be
undertaken.
•  National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
•  National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare Standards
•  The National Clinical Trials Governance Framework
•  National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards
•  National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed
Organisations
•  Diagnostic Imaging Accreditation Scheme Standards
•  Pathology Accreditation Standards
•  Aged Care Quality Standards – Clinical Care
•  Cosmetic Surgery Project

When referring to the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
Follow this format:
🗸 National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (first reference)
🗸 NSQHS Standards (subsequent references)
🗴 National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) standards (with a lowercase ‘s’ in
‘standards’)
🗴 National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHSS)
🗴 the Standards
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First edition
If you need to specify the first edition, follow this format:
🗸 National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (first edition) (first
reference)
🗸 NSQHS Standards (1st ed.) (subsequent references)
🗴 National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (1st ed.)
🗴 NSQHS Standards (first edition)
Second edition
If you need to specify the second edition, follow this format:
🗸 National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (second edition) (first
reference)
🗸 NSQHS Standards (2nd ed) (subsequent references)
🗴 National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (2nd ed)
🗴 NSQHS Standards (second edition)

The second edition moved away from using numbers when referring to a particular standard.
Use the title or the abbreviation, depending on whether it is the first or a subsequent
reference, and do not use italics.
🗸 Clinical Governance for Health Service Organisations Standard (first reference)
🗸 Clinical Governance Standard (subsequent references)
🗴 Standard 1: Clinical Governance for Health Service Organisations
🗴 Standard 1

Clinical Care Standards
Clinical Care Standards consist of a small number of quality statements describing the care
patients should be offered by health professionals and health services for a specified clinical
condition, or defined clinical pathway, in line with current best evidence.

Clinical Care Standards are included in specific actions within both the National Safety and
Quality Health Service Standards and the National Safety and Quality Primary and
Community Healthcare Standards.

When referring to Clinical Care Standards
Clinical Care Standards are capitalised whenever referring to the Commission’s Clinical Care
Standards team or program, and in the title of individual standards.
🗸 The Clinical Care Standards developed by the Commission
🗸 The Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard
Lower case should be used when referring to clinical care standards more generically,
including those developed by other organisations.
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🗸 The Australian Rheumatology Association is developing a clinical care standard for
Rheumatoid Arthritis
🗸 A clinical care standard is a quality improvement tool
After first use of the title of a specific Clinical Care Standard, abbreviation to either ‘the
Clinical Care Standard’ or ‘the standard’ is acceptable. In some instances, formal nomination
of the ‘the Standard’ may be desirable.

For example:
🗸 The Sepsis Clinical Care Standard has been widely adopted. The standard is expected to
improve pathways of care for sepsis.
🗸 The Stillbirth Clinical Care Standard (the Standard) has been developed by the
Commission with funding from the Australian Government. The Standard is part of a national
plan.
🗸 The Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard has been very successful. The Clinical Care
Standard includes 8 quality statements.
Do not use the acronym ‘CCS’ in external communications.
🗴 The Sepsis CCS has been widely adopted

Technical standards
Technical standards are developed by technical experts to support improved standardisation
of practices in particular areas. Technical expertise is required to understand, interpret and
assess against technical standards. These may sometimes be tools or resources and may
be used for auditing purposes.

Example: National Standard for User-applied Labelling of Injectable Medicines, Fluids and
Lines

Metadata and data standards
Metadata provides meaning and context by describing how data is defined, structured and
represented. It can be used to explain how data are captured and support the accurate
interpretation of data. Metadata endorsed for use across Australia are referred to as data
standards. As a national registration authority, the Commission has the ability to endorse
national data standards.

The Commission has developed a number of standard definitions for indicators and other
forms of metadata. These are housed on the Metadata Online Registry (METeOR)
administered by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Example: Standard definition for the collection of staphylococcus bacteraemia, and Acute
Anaphylaxis Clinical Care Standard indicators.
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🗸 Organisations that include ‘Indigenous’ in their name; for example, the ‘Indigenous
Australians Health Program’
🗸 Beliefs and knowledge
🗸 Data sovereignty
🗸 Wellbeing methods and practices
🗸 Languages
When referring to indigenous peoples in other countries, use lower case, for example
‘indigenous peoples of the Americas’.
Using ‘non-Indigenous Australians’
When referring to the rest of the population, and if the comparison group doesn’t include
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, you can write ‘non-Indigenous Australians’.
If the comparison group does include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, you can
write ‘al Australians’.
Capitalisation
Use capitals for:
🗸 Welcome to Country
🗸 Acknowledgement of Country
🗸 Voice to Parliament
🗸 Elders
🗸 Traditional Custodians
🗸 Traditional Owners
Use lower case for:
🗸 country
🗸 culture
🗸 cultural determinants of health
🗸 social determinants of health
Job titles
Use lower case:
🗸 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker
🗴 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker
🗸 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner
🗴 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner
Organisations
Follow the styles in Table 2 when referring to organisations, plans and programs.
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