This resource is intended for all Travis County staff and provides guidelines and best practices for generating written content. It covers tone, grammar, punctuation, formatting, and more.
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Do | Don’t | Notes |
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Learn more about our services. | Click here for more info. | Hyperlinking the text “our services” lets readers know they can expect to be taken to a page specific to services. On the other hand, the text “here” can refer to any number of topics or subject matter. |
Learn more about our services. | Learn more about our services. | Lengthy hyperlinked text can cause confusion and negatively impacts the discoverability of content. Short descriptive text helps improve the discoverability and readability of content. |
Once the affidavit is signed by a notary, please submit it to the District Clerk’s Office. | Once the affidavit is signed by a notary, please submit it to the District Clerk’s Office. Visit their website at https://www.traviscountytx.gov/district-clerk | The hyperlinked text “District Clerk’s Office” complies with accessibility standards as the text is easily picked up by users who rely on screen readers. A URL hyperlink impacts the readability of the text as it is not easily or immediately recognizable where the URL redirects. |
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To ensure clarity and consistency, follow the guidelines below to represent time.
Time
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format
Use a 12-hour clock format and indicate am or pm in lowercase letters without periods. For example, 2:00 pm. Only include minutes if necessary. If minutes are included, use this format for all times in the section.
Special
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cases
Write out "noon" or "midnight" instead of using numerical representation. E.g., The commission will stop accepting applications on Friday at noon.
Time
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range
Use "am" for times from 12:00 am (midnight) to 11:59 am. Use "pm" for times from 12:00 pm (noon) to 11:59 pm.
Hours of
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operation
When specifying hours of operation, include both the start and end times, along with the am or pm designation.
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Maintaining an appropriate tone in writing is critical for effective communication, particularly in the context of government organizations. The tone should reflect the values and standards of our organization while adhering to principles such as active voice and plain language. Consider the guidelines below when crafting your content.
Active
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voice
Travis County staff should always strive to write in active voice. Active voice makes the subject of the sentence perform the action, resulting in clearer and more direct communication. For example:
The department implemented the new policy to enhance public service efficiency.
Passive
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voice
While active voice is preferred, there may be situations where passive voice is more appropriate or necessary. However, use passive voice sparingly and only when it enhances clarity or emphasizes the receiver of the action.
The public input process began last March to gather feedback on the proposed development.
Plain
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language
Plain language is a writing style that emphasizes clarity, simplicity, and accessibility to a wide range of readers. While staff may be highly familiarized with specific subject matter, we must not assume the general public is. Information must be made accessible and easy to understand for all audiences. Consider the best practices below.
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The new policy will be effective starting next month. It means that residents can register their vehicles online.
Tone
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consistency
Maintain a consistent tone throughout your writing to establish a cohesive and professional voice, especially when communicating government policies and information.
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