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 |
|---|---|---|
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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The public input process began last March to gather feedback on the proposed development.
Plain 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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