Writing Style Guide
Thank you for contributing your content to the Learning Commons!
The Learning Commons website’s mission is to be a resource-hub for students, written in a student voice, with a student perspective in mind. In past focus groups, students consistently said that they valued the site’s student-centered tone, and preferred it over a more formal, administrative style.
To help us maintain the website’s personal voice and identity, please consider the following writing guidelines when contributing:
- Conversational and Casual Tone
Write as you would speak to a student who comes to you for help. Avoid jargon-y words and acronyms when possible, and opt for more common vocabulary. - Limit Organizational Details
Instead of introducing your dept/organization/unit in official terms (for example, “The Disability Resource Centre (DRC), a component of Access and Diversity, works with the University community to determine reasonable accommodation…”) tell the students, what can you do for them first. Ie. “The Disability Resource Centre (DRC) helps students with …” - Bullet Points and Numbered List Are Your Friend
Using bullet points and numbered lists help keep information organized and easy to read. - KISS: Keep It Short and Simple
Your page is meant to be a summary of what you offer students (along with important times and dates, if relevant), and should link to your website, but does not need to be as comprehensive as your own website. Focus on the “need to knows” and try to keep your paragraphs limited to a max of 4-5 sentences. Research shows that web audiences have a very short attention span. - Who, What, When Where, How and Why?
Journalists use this simple rubric to keep them on track. It can be useful to keep a mental checklist about if you’ve answered the Who, What, When, Where and How (and Why) in a clear way.