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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Acronyms, while beneficial for audiences familiar with the subject matter, can pose challenges for first-time readers and may carry different meanings in diverse contexts. For instance , “ADU” in the case of the City of San Francisco can , their Planning Department may refer to “Accessory Dwelling Unit” for the Planning Department or “Addictive Diseases Unit” for the as “ADU” but their Department of Public Health .To enhance clarity, spell out the acronym and use the the acronym may recognize that acronym as the “Addictive Diseases Unit”. In this case “ADU” doesn’t have a universally accepted meaning.
To enhance clarity, spell out the acronym and use the the acronym in parentheses upon the first mention on a page, omitting periods. Afterward, use the acronym only throughout the rest of the content. For example:
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There are different formats for bulleted lists and you staff should consider which structure would best represent your content online.
Formal content
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In these examples, bulleted lists should start with an introductory stem sentence that ends in a colon, like this:
Your bulleted The first word of every bulleted item must be capitalized.
Bulleted items should then end with a period.
Never use semicolons to end punctuation of a bulleted item.
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Informal or otherwise low-impact content, such as text on flyers, may not require the same punctuation standards. Periods at the end of a bulleted item may not be required if the item is either only one word or a short phrase that feels like an inventory or shopping list. Study the example below.The charity is in need ofWhile punctuation may differ for informal content, the same rule of capitalizing the first word of each bulleted item remains. Study the example below.
The charity is in need of:
Boxed cereals
Canned food
Feminine hygiene products
Small toiletries
Socks and undergarments
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The Oxford comma is placed right after the word "two"."
Contractions
Shortening two words into one can provide a more informal and friendly tone to your writing. However, negative contractions, like “don’t” and “shouldn’t,” can be occasionally misread, especially in instructional contexts. For that reason, staff should avoid using contractions in service or instructional content. In these instances, keep the words separate, as shown below:
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This a possessive pronoun indicating ownership or association. It is used when referring to something belonging to or associated with an inanimate object or animal. For example:
The dog wagged its tail.
It's
This is a contraction merging the pronoun "it" with the verb "is" or "has." It is used to represent "it is" or "it has." Examples:
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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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Remember to add an extra "s" after the possessive apostrophe for singular common nouns ending in "s." In all other cases, including plural common nouns and singular proper nouns, only use the apostrophe after the final "s."
Parentheses
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Comma
A comma is a punctuation mark used to indicate a pause in a sentence, separate items in a list, set off introductory elements, and clarify the meaning of a sentence.
See the entry for oxford commas near the top of this guide.
Parentheses
The overuse of parentheses often indicates that a sentence is becoming convoluted. Whenever possible, try to rephrase the sentence. If incidental information is necessary, commas or two dashes are often more effective alternatives. Use these alternatives whenever feasible.
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Place a period outside the closing parenthesis if the material inside is not a complete sentence (such as this fragment). (An independent parenthetical sentence, like this one, takes a period before the closing parenthesis.)
When a phrase placed in parentheses (like this one) could qualify as a complete sentence but depends on the surrounding material, do not capitalize the first word or end with a period.
Do not use parentheses to denote a political figure's party affiliation and jurisdiction. Instead, set them off with commas.
Quotation marks
Punctuation, such as periods and commas, always go within quotation marks. For example:
“Justice will be served for the victims of this crime,” the District Attorney said.
There are certain situations where a period may be placed outside the quotation mark, and this usually occurs when the quoted material is just a part of the sentence and not a complete sentence itself. For example:
Applicants must file an affidavit called "Legal Artifact Affidavit".
Time
To ensure clarity and consistency, follow the guidelines below to represent time.
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