WR427/527 TECHNICAL

EDITING STYLE GUIDE

Technical Editing - PSU

Spring 2021

Last Updated: 05.13.2021

INTRODUCTION 3
What Is a Style Guide? 3
Why Is a Style Guide Important? 3
What Is the Purpose of Creating a Style Guide for Our Class? 3
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE 4
Overarching “key” points (from Introduction to Minimalism): 4
Organization for Performance: Task-Based Order (from Introduction to Minimalism): 4
THE BROAD STROKES OF “MINIMALISM” 4
What Is Minimalism? - From Wikipedia: 4
Applying Minimalism: Choose an Action-Oriented Approach 5
Before 5
After 5
Notes 5
Give users a chance to be successful 5
Respect the user’s activity 6
TOP 14 STYLISTIC RULES 6
Numerals vs. words 6
Use the active voice 6
Use the imperative mood in procedures 7
Use the subjunctive mood for hypothetical information 7
Use positive phrasing 8
Use parallel constructions 8
Use present tense instead of past or future tense 9
Use plurals to avoid awkward pronouns 9
Use "previous," "preceding," or "earlier" instead of "above" or "below" 10
Use "setup," "set up," "log in," "login" 10
Use hyphens correctly (to join compound modifiers) 11
Use Bold Text for Names of Fields, Buttons, etc., Indicating Action on the User’s Part 11
Use dashes correctly (en dashes and em dashes) 11
Rules for Complementary Illustrations 12
WRITING INSTRUCTIONS (Task-Based Authoring) 13
General guidelines for tasks 13
WRITING CONCEPTUAL INFORMATION 13
General guidelines for concepts 13
WRITING REFERENCE MATERIAL 14
DESCRIBING INTERACTIONS WITH USER INTERFACES 14
ADDITIONAL STYLISTIC CONVENTIONS 18
Acronyms 18
Capitalization 20
Cross-References 20
Note Types 21
Numbers and Ranges 21
Trademarks 22
FREQUENTLY MISUSED / MISSPELLED WORDS 22

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INTRODUCTION
The following section provides us with details on what a style guide is, exactly, why it’s important, and
what the purpose is for creating one for our class.

What Is a Style Guide?

A set of standards used by a particular group outlining all aspects of document creation, style, usage, and
formatting.

Why Is a Style Guide Important?

A style guide ensures consistency and cohesion. It provides an efficient way for the writer to locate
specific styling information in a single location.

What Is the Purpose of Creating a Style Guide for Our Class?

For the benefit of our readers/users, we want to ensure that we speak in a consistent manner—with
uniform diction, parallel phrasing, and an all-around technical-documentation architecture—so that our
technical documentation is uniform, comprehensive, scalable, and future-proof.

This guide provides "best practices" instructions for our technical documentation writing and editing
standards.

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

Overarching “key” points (from Introduction to Minimalism):

▪ Organization is the architecture of information.

▪ Organization that matches the inherent structure of the content helps a user recognize patterns

to make sense of the information. These include chronological, spatial, comparison-contrast,

cause-effect, and topical patterns.

▪ Grouping related ideas helps readers comprehend.

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 ▪ Documents may also be structured for reuse or may be structured according to organizational

templates.
o Note: Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is particularly helpful for
documentation reuse.

Organization for Performance: Task-Based Order (from Introduction to

Minimalism):
▪ Organize according to the tasks the users need to perform.

▪ The editor’s role in organizing\ tasks should take place in the planning stage.

▪ Identify the task that users need to do.

o Note: Use human-centered design (HCD) principles; know your audience.

▪ On all documentation, an editor provides the initial usability test.

▪ Use ‘related topics’ links to help users locate relevant information.

Consider the most important components when writing or creating technical documentation:
● Who is the audience?
● What is the purpose of the document?

THE BROAD STROKES OF “MINIMALISM”

What Is Minimalism? - From Wikipedia:

“Minimalism in structured writing, topic-based authoring . . . [it] strives to reduce interference of
information delivery with the user's sense-making process . . . What they need is information to solve a
task at hand . . . documentation should encourage them to do this with a minimum of systematic
instruction.” Minimalism (Technical Communication) - Wikipedia

Applying Minimalism: Choose an Action-Oriented Approach

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 ● Avoid marketing “marcom”-speak (which emphasizes benefits over features)
● Eliminate distracting, cumbersome introductory material
● Emphasize tasks over concepts
○ Embed necessary small concepts at the beginning of tasks to provide context
○ Refer to larger concepts elsewhere in the documentation
○ Eliminate concepts that are not essential to the task or goal

Describe your product in the context of using it

● Remove sections dedicated to:
○ Long product descriptions
○ Pictures and descriptions of every button in the interface

For example:

Before After Notes

1. DISPLAY WINDOW. Custom English 1. Enter your user code. With Minimalism
Display Touchpads: 2-line, 32-character applied, the function
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) touchpads is action-oriented
that display protection point and includes only the
identification, system status, and necessary
messages. English Display Touchpads: information.
Display protection zone ID and system
status messages using pre-designated
words in the LCD display.

Give users a chance to be successful

● Let them jump into a task
● Start with basic actions and short procedures to help users feel good about their chance of
success
● Provide real-world tutorials

Respect the user’s activity

● Link tasks to the user’s workflow
● Provide a clear starting point for all process flows
● Keep procedures short and focused
● Use headings that reflect the user’s goals
● Assume the reader is qualified to perform a task

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TOP 14 STYLISTIC RULES
In terms of phrasing, please keep the following 13 stylistic rules in mind when authoring content for
our class.

Numerals vs. words

Use numerals for 10 and greater in body text. Spell out zero through nine if the number does not
precede a unit of measure or is not used as input. For 10 and above, use digits for numbers within
sentences unless the number begins the sentence.

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

In body text, use

numerals for 10 and
"3 centimeters" greater. Spell out zero
through nine if the
"Type 5 and then click
number does not
“The whiteboard store OK.
precede a unit of
is open seven days a “The whiteboard store "1-byte error value" measure or is not used
is open 7 days a week.”
week.” "24 hours a day" as input. For 10 and
above, use digits for
"seven days a week"
numbers within
"two years" sentences unless the
number begins the
sentence.

Use the active voice

Use the active voice to emphasize the action and establish responsibility.

INSTEAD OF (passive
USE (active voice) EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS
voice)

-Bob drew on the -establishes who is

whiteboard doing what
“On the white board, a -provides responsibility
“Bob wrote a to-do list -She attached magnets
to-do list was written -gives emphasis on the
on the whiteboard.” to the whiteboard
by Bob.” action
-They took notes on the
whiteboard -exception: readers

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 -He cleaned the might expect passive
whiteboard voice
-exception: if the agent
is not necessary to state

Use the imperative mood in procedures

Use the imperative mood for commands or directions.

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

Imperative mood
implies the “you”
-Hang the whiteboard
subject. Imperative
-Screw in the mood makes
“Write on the “You can write on the
whiteboard
whiteboard.” whiteboard.” instructions more
-Draw on the precise and concise by
whiteboard
guiding users toward
action.

Use the subjunctive mood for hypothetical information

For hypothetical situations, use the subjunctive mood rather than the imperative.

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

-makes requests and

“Your default suggestions more
microphone has ”We recommend approachable
changed to writing large on the -friendlier tone, polite,
Microphone (4- USB whiteboard so that the less demanding
Audio Device) and will student’s can see.” -don’t use when you
now be used." need someone to do
something

Use positive phrasing

Use positive phrasing to convey information in a straightforward, clear, and direct manner. Positive
phrasing tells the reader what something is, instead of telling them what something is not.

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 The school has few
whiteboards for
instruction. -Use positive phrasing
Feel free to use the to avoid using double
“The whiteboard the “The whiteboard the whiteboard. (or multiple) negatives
teacher purchased is teacher purchased isn’t NEGATIVE: We are not -Positive phrasing
expensive.” cheap.” used to using such old results in more concise
whiteboards. writing (and shorter

POSITIVE: We are used sentences).

to using newer
whiteboards.

Use parallel constructions

Use parallel constructions to create balance within paragraphs and sentences by using similar patterns of
ideas and words. For sentences with multiple clauses, use the same grammatical structure for each
clause. For documents with multiple sections, use the same structure for each section. Parallel
constructions increase the readability of a document and make it easier for readers to understand.

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

Hang the white board Parallel construction

under the light and next applies to lists and parts
“Use a white board for “Use a white board for
to the painting. of a sentence.
notes, reminders, and noting, reminders, and
drawings.” to draw.” White boards are easy, Pay special attention to
versatile, and fun. verb tenses.

Use present tense instead of past or future tense

Use present tense to describe what is currently happening or occuring instead of past or future tense.
Present tense is more simple and direct to help readers to understand the content than past or future
tense. In the body text and headings use present tense instead of past or future tense. Present tense
refers to a current state to maintain consistency of time frame within the document. Past or future tense
refer to an action or state that has already happened or will happen later.

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 USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

-Creates sense of
“She is erasing the immediacy and is more
“He copied the
whiteboard.” direct
sentence onto the
-Important to use in
“He copies the whiteboard.” “I am writing on the
instructions, as the
sentence onto the whiteboard.”
tasks will take place in
“He will copy the “They are attaching
whiteboard.” the present
sentence onto the magnets to the -most of descriptive
whiteboard.” whiteboard.” writing is in present
tense

Use plurals to avoid awkward pronouns

Use plural pronouns like “they” instead of phrases like “his or hers”.

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

In generic references,
Pluralizing nouns: you can use the second
“Professors may use person (“you”) or refer
their whiteboards to to the person’s role
A professor may use A professor may use make notes.” (“professor,” “student,”
their whiteboard to his/her whiteboard to “writer”).
make notes. make notes. Second person:
“You may use your When talking about a
whiteboard to make specific person, you can
notes.” use “he,” ”she,” or
“they.”

Use "previous," "preceding," or "earlier" instead of "above" or "below"

Above and below indicate specific locations. If information is added to or omitted from a document,
above and below may no longer be accurate indicators.

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

Earlier “See whiteboard-safe “The products Hyperlinks can replace

“See whiteboard-safe cleaning products in the mentioned earlier in location indicators
cleaning products, above section” this section are all safe Ex: See Caring for Your

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 listed earlier in this for cleaning Whiteboard
article” whiteboards.”

Previous “The previous section

“See the above list of
“See previous section has recommended
whiteboard-safe n/a
on whiteboard-safe products for
cleaning products”
cleaning products” whiteboard care.”

Preceding “The preceding section

“Use the below
“Use the preceding has tips for keeping
recommended products n/a
recommended your whiteboard streak
for cleaning.”
products for cleaning” free.”

Use "setup," "set up," "login," "log in," “opt-in,” “opt in”
"Set up" and "log in" are verbs; "setup" and "login" are nouns.

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

Setup time is about 20

setup (n.)
minutes.
To start your To start your
whiteboard set up... We recommend that
whiteboard setup,
your setup area be
gather your tools.
clean.

Lay out all your tools

set up (v.)
before you set up your Being a phrasal verb,
To set up your To set up your whiteboard. The past tense is also
whiteboard, gather whiteboard...
Set up your whiteboard “set up.”
your tools
in good light.

The past tense changes

Log in to your account the first word of this
log in (v.)
In order to login, you’ll to change your settings. phrasal verb to “logged
In order to log in, need your password. in,” the present to “logs
Once you have logged
you’ll need your in,” and the present
in, you will be sent an
password. continuous to “logging
email.
in.”

login (n.) Your log in information The login to your n/a

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 Your login information should be kept private. account will be sent to
should be kept private. you in an email.
Do not give your login
information to anyone.

There was a new health The past tense changes

plan at work so the first word of this
opt in (v.) You will need to opt-in
personnel would opt in. phrasal verb to “opted
You will need to opt in to the higher tier to
receive these perks. You should have opted in,” the present to “opts
to the higher tier to in,” and the present
in to receive the
receive these perks. continuous to “opting
benefits of choosing
whiteboards. in.”

Complete the opt-in

form to receive
opt-in (adj.)
promotional deals from
They set up an opt-in They set up an opt in whiteboardpros.com.
mailing list, so that mailing list, so that
You are receiving this Not a noun.
those who wanted the those who wanted the
notices could subscribe. because you agreed to
notices could
the opt-in email of our
subscribe.
site. Click here to
unsubscribe.

Use hyphens correctly (to join compound modifiers)

Use hyphens to join compound modifiers (or phrasal adjectives) that precede the noun they modify.
When the modifier follows the noun, a hyphen is not necessary.

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

I am searching for a
Compound adj. good-looking, clean
whiteboard.

The pre-arranged sale

To join prefixes to
of the whiteboard was
other words
suspicious.

To show word breaks Dis-abled

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Use Bold Text for Names of Fields, Buttons, etc., Indicating Action on the User’s Part
Bold the names of panes, screens, tabs, windows pages - as well as the names of buttons, etc. - so that
they stand out from regular/body text, and indicate orientation/action for the user.

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

Visit Click on About Bolding text for names

Visit Whiteboards.com
Whiteboards.com for Whiteboards on of fields directly
for more information.
more information. Whiteboards.com. addresses the task.

[field name example]

Click Whiteboard Click Whiteboard FAQs Click Subscribe for
FAQs for more for more information. more whiteboard news.
information.

[button name
example] Press Play to start
Press Menu to view
whiteboard
Press Menu to view whiteboard selection.
instructions.
whiteboard selection.

Use Quotation Marks for “Areas” that Don’t Require Action

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

Read the preceding

“Whiteboard Tips and
Tricks” section to learn
See the “Whiteboard See the whiteboard more about long-term
care. Areas or Fields that
Care” section to learn care section to learn
require an action to
more about safe more about safe
navigate to should be
products for your products for your Review bolded.
whiteboard. whiteboard. “Whiteboard-Safe
Markers” before writing
anything on your new
whiteboard.

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Use dashes correctly (en dashes and em dashes)
Use em dashes to separate a phrase from the rest of the sentence; use en dashes to show a range in
numbers or to show a relationship (e.g., “the New York–London flight.”)

USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

Parenthesis to make an
aside when you want to
create emphasis,
drama, and less
The stick figures on the
separation between the
whiteboard—which
sectioned-off clause
were drawn in red Don’t put spaces
and the rest of the
marker—were difficult around an em dash.
sentence.
Em dash (—) to erase.

Don’t use em dashes as

A semicolon to
I lost my eraser — I bullet points for lists.
separate a phrase at
need it for cleaning the
the end of a sentence.
whiteboard.
An em dash in this
instance will also create
emphasis and minimize
separation.

Don’t put spaces

around an en dash
A hyphen for unless you’re using it as
subtraction, negative I need 2–3 whiteboards a subtraction sign in an
En dash (–) equation.
numbers, and ranges of in my classroom.
numbers.
Don’t use en dashes as
bullet points for lists.

Rules for Complementary Illustrations

Use complementary illustrations by introducing visuals in the body text and inserting captions under
images with appropriate page references.

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USE INSTEAD OF EXAMPLES NOTES/EXCEPTIONS

References to Illustrations without Illustrations should

illustration labels in introductions in body (See Table 1.2) follow body text
body text text introducing them and
Figure 2.1: Whiteboard appear on the same
Illustration numbers in Illustrations without Statistics page (or as closely as
captions below images captions possible)

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WRITING INSTRUCTIONS (Task-Based Authoring)
A task topic documents the result a user wants to achieve, instead of the product/feature they are using.
Product capabilities should be presented in context of the task they support so that users can
understand how the capabilities relate to their performance.
For example: If there is a Properties function in your product, instead of creating a task topic for
“Specify Properties,” create a task topic for a specific property, “Determine Your Hard Drive
Space,” because this is an actual task that a user must perform.

General guidelines for tasks

● Set individual steps as separate, numbered entries for numbered steps; set steps that can be
performed in any order as unordered steps.
● Each step should address an action that the user takes or a series of actions meant to achieve
the same result.
Here are some single, unrelated steps, as examples:
○ "Right-click on the record and select Edit."
○ "Click OK. "
○ "Go to More > System Libraries > Causes."
● To describe a navigation in a path that consists of multiple selections, describe the fastpath
version of the steps.
For example: "You can delete one or more white boards from your queue by going to Projects >
Lightbulbs > Actions > Delete."
● In general, within a given step, tell the user where the action should take place before describing
the action to take. This matches the user’s thought processes.
Use: "On the Light Bulbs menu, click Options”
Instead of: "Click Options on the Tools menu."

WRITING CONCEPTUAL INFORMATION

A concept topic explains how something works, or defines/explains an idea.
Concept topics also often include background information that users might need to understand before
they start a task.
Tip: As most users read documentation to accomplish a task, write concept topics to enable
users to easily comprehend the conceptual information so that they can easily perform a task.

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General guidelines for concepts
A concept topic is intended to capture content that tells you “what something is” or "how something
works." The information is typically presented as paragraphs that describe the background and context
of a single subject. Use a concept topic to describe the core knowledge that someone needs to
understand how a product works or how pieces relate.
Keep the following guidelines in mind when authoring concept topics:
● Describe one concept per topic
Tip: The advantage of separating your concepts is that users can find and read only what they
need, and we can more easily reuse those concept topics elsewhere in our documentation.
● Create a concept topic only if the idea can't be covered more concisely elsewhere
Tip: Create a concept topic to cover an idea that requires something more than a glossary
definition or a passing mention in a task topic.
● Separate task information from conceptual information
Tip: Write conceptual information as concept topics; task-oriented information as task topics.

WRITING REFERENCE MATERIAL

A reference topic provides additional reference information for users to refer to.
"A reference topic is a collection of facts. Those facts might be a list or description of parts, commands,
application programming interfaces (APIs), . . . or any other object that you can organize into a table or
list." -DITA Best Practices
Tip: Follow these guidelines when you write reference topics:
● Describe one type of reference material per topic.
● Organize reference information logically.
● Format reference information consistently." -DITA Best Practices

DESCRIBING INTERACTIONS WITH USER INTERFACES

As some of our light-bulb company’s help files / documentation is shared between desktop, web, and
mobile, we want to use input-neutral terms (eliminating, "click" unless it's necessary, etc.).

By adopting input-neutral terms, users can universally follow any given set of our instructions, regardless
of how they are accessing the help or what device they are using (e.g., they might be on a mobile device
where “swipe” and “tap” come into play).

Tip: Minimize directional terms (left, right, up, down) as the only clue to location. This is problematic

15
because UI arrangement changes relatively frequently; orientation is different on mobile; etc. Instead:
focus on giving direction based on the UI's components, instead of where something is located.

UI Text
● Fastpath - Use to direct the user to their desired destination by calling out each breadcrumb on
a sitemap. It’s useful when the path through navigation is long or complicated somehow.

○ Press Ctrl+C to copy

○ To add a lightbulb to your cart, go to Store > Lightbulb > Actions > Add.

UI Elements - Windows, Screens, Tabs, Panes, Pages

● Pane - Use ‘pane’ to refer to the split, independently scrollable areas in a single window.
● Screen - Use 'screen' to refer to what the reader sees on their screen.
● Tab - Use ‘tab’ as a noun to refer to tabs in a browser, ribbon, or webpage. Don’t use ‘tab’ as a
verb.
● Window - Use ‘window’ as a noun to refer to an open instance of an application.
● Page - Use ‘page’ to refer to a specific section of a website, such as a home page or the page the
reader is currently viewing.

UI Elements - Verbs
VERB USE FOR EXAMPLES NOTES / EXCEPTIONS

To select desired action Choosing a search

Choose
or content result

To delete or remove Selecting text and

Clear
content from document removing content

To select content or
Click action using computer Clicking on a tab
mouse

To exit or cancel a tab,

Close Exiting out of a program
window or page

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 To move content by Dragging files onto a
Drag clicking and moving
USB interface
with mouse

To enter content,
Opening Google
Enter initiate action or edit
Chrome
text

Go to Search content for (X) Website search bar

Hitting the ‘back’

Leave To exit the page
button

Selecting a block of text

To select something to
Move, drag and dragging it to
change location
another area

Closing a window,
Open and Close To..open and close double clicking a link to
open a window

To select option by How options are often

Press and hold
pressing and holding selected on mobile.

Access to additional
Access to Copy + Paste
Right-click functionality on the
function
mouse

Using the mouse to

Select Select content
highlight text to select

Page functions that

Zoom, zoom in, zoom allow for accessibility Changing the page
out through increasing or zoom to 150%
decreasing

Mobile-Specific UI Navigation
[note: “Select” might be a good universal word instead of “click” (web) and “tap” (mobile)]

VERB USE FOR EXAMPLES NOTES / EXCEPTIONS

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 “Swipe the icon
selected and move it to
To move items around the bottom of the
on a screen. screen.”
“Swipe ripe when he
Swipe To select an option on looks all right.”
screen.

To initiate an action, “Swipe the phone icon

command, or function. to accept a phone call
on an Android device.”

To select an icon on a
screen. “Tap on the icon to
open the application.”
To initiate or open an “Tap on the link to get
Tap application or more information about
webpage. our organization.”
“Tap the play button on
To initiate a function or the Spotify app.”
command.

ADDITIONAL STYLISTIC CONVENTIONS

ITEM ASPECT / COMPONENT RULE EXAMPLES / NOTES

The first presentation of

the multi word term
Do not introduce an
will be written out,
First introduction acronym if it will only
followed by the
be used once
acronym in
parentheses.
Acronyms
An acronym is made of
the first letter of each
Spelling word in the multi word
term, all capitalized
without period.

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 Non-text elements
need brief, accurate alt
Bad alt text: woman
text that describes the
and whiteboard
useful information
Non-text elements: presented in the Better alt text: woman
Graphics, audio, video, standing in front of
Alternative Text element.
whiteboard
animations, GIFs, and
pictures of text Best alt text: woman
If the element is pointing dry-erase
complex, link additional marker at blank
whiteboard
details to a separate
page

Monday
Capitalize days,
months, and holidays. Capitalize the first word August
Capitalize titles of of a sentence. Christmas
publications and The New York Times
people.

Paul Castellano
Federal Bureau of
Investigation
Capitalize proper nouns The Tang Dynasty
Capitalization (including names of
Capitalize nouns that The Civil War
people, organizations,
refer to specific people
historical periods and Charleston
and places but not
events, places, rivers, Amazon River
general references.
lakes, mountains, and
nationalities) Lake Titicaca
Sierra Nevada
Mountains
Vietnamese

Capitalize a title when it Capitalize names of President Biden

precedes a name. specific regions the Midwest/the South

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 Capitalize adjectives French cuisine vs.
derived from french fries
geographic names
when referring to a
specific place but not
when the term has a
specialized meaning not
directly related to the
place.

Use commas to
separate independent
clauses that are joined The man could not see
by a conjunction (and, the whiteboard, so he
Separating independent but, for, nor, so, yet)
decided to sit closer.
clauses
Commas
Use commas to The student bought
Separating lists; oxford separate lists. Use the erasers, markers, and
comma Oxford comma before a sticky notes to use on
conjunction to separate the whiteboard.
the last item in a list.

Concrete Language Use

Internal
Cross-Reference:
Consists of page For more information
Points users to a number and subject on whiteboard sizes,
different place in the matter see page 13.
document for
additional information
Cross-References
External Consists of name of
Cross-Reference: referenced document For more information
Points users to a place Page number/chapter on whiteboard sizes see
in a different document title Whiteboards are Cool
for additional
information Subject matter

Cultural High context vs. Low Globalization vs. Translation

Considerations Context Cultures: Localization Writers and editors can
(Conventions / (i.e. direct vs. indirect Globalization: plan for translation in

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“Globalization”) communication) developing advance by minimizing
HIgh context: documentation for ambiguity in
dependent more on international users. documentation by:
contextual information Localization: adapting -using short sentences
than words to documentation for the -avoiding jargon
communicate meaning local culture
-eliminating
Low context: Words (or culturally-specific
direct language) more metaphors
important than
contextual infomration -avoiding acronyms and
to communicate abbreviations
meaning -Avoiding humor

Date / Month

Use either serif or sans

serif fonts for body text
and sans serif fonts for
headers and titles. Times New Roman and
Helvetica are common
After you have selected default fonts for print;
Fonts (Typefaces) Font choice fonts and font sizes for Verdana and Georgia
body text, headers, and are common default
titles, use them fonts for online text.
consistently in those
fields throughout the
document.

Tacos and burritos are

Italicize foreign words very commonplace,
that are not in though lengua is still
Italics for foreign words Merriam-Webster strange to some
(mw.com). Americans.

Italicization / Italics
[emphasis, foreign
words, etc.] Italics for emphasis Use italics for emphasis Incorrect: It is on the
only as an occasional whiteboard!
adjunct to efficient
sentence structure. Correct: It is on the
Overused, italics quickly whiteboard!
lose their force. Note: More of a
guideline than a hard

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 rule.

Incorrect: They made

A nominalization is the the decision to write on
Avoid nominalizations
noun form of a verb. It the white board.
when possible, as they
is also called nouning
Nominalizations weaken writing by Correct: They decided
and they often end in
taking power from to write on the
-ance, -ence, -tion, and
verbs. whiteboard.
-ness.

Not necessarily needed

Note (when to use a side information that
note v. anything else) provides user with
context

Not necessarily needed

side information that
Tip can help the user
complete the task in an
easier manner

Note Types
Needed side
Important information that needs
emphasizing

Needed side
information that
provides warnings and
Whiteboard may fall if
Caution needs emphasizing. (If
not hung correctly.
something dangerous
or mistakes are easy to
make)

An en dash (–) should

be used instead of a
hyphen (-) to indicate a In a table or UI using
when do we use en
range of numbers. “pages 46–50” will take
Numbers and Ranges dashes instead of
up less room than
dashes?
A range of numbers “pages 46 through 50”
should use an en dash
when space is an issue.

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 Oxford Commas

When referring to a
company, Whiteboards
Unlimited, LLC®, use the
Introducing a company trademark sign in the
or products in print or first instance, whether
digital it is digital or in print. If
in print in multiple
chapters, use the ® for
the first instance per
chapter.
Whiteboards Unlimited,
LLC® is an amazing
company.
The best whiteboards
come from WU®, a
subsidiary of Classroom
Unbound.

Trademarks Trademark symbol with When mentioning the
parentheses full name of a company
and its shorthand in
text, place the ® outside
the parentheses.
In early 2021,
Whiteboards Unlimited,
LLC (WU)® emerged as
the forerunner for
amazing whiteboards.

When mentioning the [at bottom of page]

Attribution at the company along with the Whiteboards Unlimited,
bottom of the page ®, add an attribution to LLC (WU)® is a
the bottom of the page. registered trademark of
Classroom Unbound.

Common Era should be

notated as “CE” after
the year.
Common Era and 400 CE
Year Dating Before the Common Era
Before the Common Era 400 BCE
should be notated as
“BCE” after the year.

FREQUENTLY MISUSED / MISSPELLED WORDS

Here’s a list of frequently misused/misspelled words for easy reference.

23
FREQUENTLY MISUSED EXPLANATION /
EXAMPLES NOTES
WORDS DIFFERENTIATION

Your whiteboard will

have an effect on the
Usually, “affect” is a
visual learning of your
verb, meaning “to
students.
influence.” Both can be nouns and
affect, effect
both can be verbs.
The whiteboard will
Usually, “effect” is a
affect the visual
noun, meaning “result.”
learning of your
students.

Assure is to convince
someone.

Insure is to take action

assure, insure, ensure to guarantee
something.

Ensure is to guarantee
an action happens

Complement: how -remember

something relates to a complement=complete
“The blue jacket
thing in terms of ness
complemented their
completing/benefiting -compliment does not
eyes.”
complement, each other always mean praise,
compliment such as “As
“He complimented her
Compliment: when compliments of the
for her nice
someone praises hotel, the guests
handwriting.”
another person for received a free
something breakfast.”

Continually describes
an action that takes
place frequently.
continually,
continuously
Continuously describes
an action that happens
without ending.

Discreet is carefulness You need to be discreet

discreet, discrete in one’s speech or when making
action. anonymous cartoons

24
 on the whiteboard.
Discrete is being non
continuous and finite. Use different colored
markers to divide the
board into discrete
boxes.

The student is farther

“Farther” can be used
from the whiteboard
“Farther” is used for as an adjective or an
than the professor.
physical distances. adverb.
farther, further
To further their
“Further” is used for “Further” can be used
research, the graduate
figurative distances. as an adjective, an
student wrote notes on
adverb, or a verb.
their whiteboard.

My note on the
whiteboard was not to
“Imply” means to state imply an error, but
something indirectly. rather a suggestion. Imply and infer are both
imply, infer verbs used in indirect
“Infer” means to come The student inferred communication.
to a conclusion. the note on the
whiteboard meant they
had made an error.

“Personal” is an The whiteboard is not

“Personal” is also a
adjective meaning your personal property;
noun: a section or
“private.” it belongs to the school.
paragraph in a
newspaper or
personal, personnel “Personnel” is a All personnel should
periodical relating to
collective noun take note of the
the activities of a
referring to the persons whiteboards for specific
person or group of
employed or active in directions and
personal matters.
an organization. upcoming tasks.

principle, principal

I went to the office

“Stationery” means store for whiteboards
“Stationery” is a noun;
letter-writing paper. and stationery.
stationery, stationary “stationary” is an
“Stationary” means
adjective.
unmoving or fixed. My whiteboard is
stationary on the wall.

“Your” is a possessive “This is your first year “Your” is a noun

your, you’re
pronoun at the club.” “You’re” is a verb

25
 “You’re” is the “You’re a member of (contraction)
contraction of “you” the club.”
and “are”

26