This guide establishes standards for grammar, tone, punctuation, formatting, and accessibility across public-facing Travis County websites. It ensures clarity, consistency, and inclusivity in communication. The guide draws from the AP Stylebook, 57th Edition and the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition, while incorporating digital content best practices and accessibility standards.
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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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Periods and commas go inside quotation marks
Colons and semicolons go outside
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6. Numbers, Dates
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, and Time
Why this matters: Consistent formatting ensures information is easy to understand at a glance.
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