All articles in the ITS Knowledge Base must follow a consistent style and tone. This style guide is intended to provide a set of standards for content and formatting that should be applied to all articles. See Creating Articles for descriptions of various types of articles present in the Knowledge Base.
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Do not mix the macros and their names, like, for example, adding an info macro and titling it "Note."
2.0 Article Formatting
The formatting of the articles should enable readers to skim the article easily and assess relevance.
2.1 – Bold Words
When you are instructing the reader to perform an action, such as clicking or entering, bold the word that corresponds to the on-screen buttons/clickable elements.
EXAMPLE 1: Click Save My Information to continue to the next screen.
EXAMPLE 2: Enter a personal email address (not your @uconn.edu) in the "Secondary Email Address" field, and click Save Changes.
2.2 – Quotation Marks
When instructing a reader to look for text on their screen, use quotation marks around the words they should be looking for.
EXAMPLE 1: Quotation marks should not be used when looking for text within a button/clickable element (see "Bold Words" above).
EXAMPLE 2: Un-check the box next to "Show Labels for Each Page."
2.3 – Headings
All headings should specifically describe what is in that section of the article. Usually in how-to articles, headings are a re-iteration of the article title. (i.e., if the article title is "Accessing Email in Windows," then the heading should be the same thing instead of something like "Accessing Email" or "Email in Windows." When applied consistently, headings help readers skim content and understand the article's organization quickly. It also enables macros within our KB to work correctly.
All article titles should be formatted as Heading 1.
All second level headings within the article, which mark the different sections within an article (e.g., Article Content), should be formatted as Heading 2.
Any subheadings underneath a level 2 heading should be formatted as Heading 3, then Heading 4, and so on.
To create headings,
Highlight the text.
In the toolbar, click the dropdown menu that by default says "Paragraph."
Add headings as you see fit. Ensure that the heading style is appropriate for the level of your heading.
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All headings, regardless of type (i.e., Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.) should follow standard capitalization practices for titles – such that the major words in the title are capitalized. For example, a heading should read "Helpful Functionalities of the Confluence Editing Window" instead of "Helpful functionalities of the confluence editing window." |
2.4 – Numbers and Bullets
Numbers and bullets are an effective way to highlight key steps or information and break up blocks of text into meaningful units.
Use numbers for the steps of a process. Most how-to and troubleshooting articles have numbered steps.
Use bullets when listing items that do not need to be performed in a certain order or when simply providing information.
For consistent and easy formatting, use the toolbar to set these styles.
2.5 – Spacing
Use spacing to show what information belongs together and what is separate.
Insert one line's worth of space between steps and paragraphs.
For screenshots, leave no space between the image and text it illustrates, but do leave a space after the screenshot to distinguish it from the next step.
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If you are trying to get lines of text to not have any spacing between them,
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3.0 Writing and Editing
3.1 – Language
The majority of the articles in the public-facing Knowledge Base are intended for a lay audience and should be written in plain language. Focus on the task they are trying to accomplish from their perspective and less on the technical language used to describe it.
EXAMPLE:
Use task-oriented, plain language: Log in on the Single Sign On screen with your NetID and NetID password.
Avoid an overly technical description: Authenticate into CAS with your NetID credentials.
3.3 – Definitions
If you have to include a technical word to make sense of the topic, find a way to define it for the reader. Some strategies include:
Use context to imply the meaning.
EXAMPLE: With two-factor authentication, you will log into a service with your NetID and password and then verify your identify on a second device.
Explain the term in a clause following its mention.
EXAMPLE: You can create an email alias (the portion of your email address to the left of @uconn.edu) that is different from the name originally assigned by the University.
3.4 – Acronyms
On the first mention of an acronym, spell out the phrase, and then follow it with the acronym in parentheses. Once you have spelled out the phrase, you can continue to use the acronym.
EXAMPLE: Many services are behind the Central Authentication Service (CAS).
3.5 – Contractions
Avoid using contractions. We use a more formal tone, and contractions are more informal.
3.6 – Capitalization
Capitalize names and proper nouns (names used for an individual person, place, or organization). Words like 'faculty' and 'staff' should not be capitalized.
When writing instructions and referring to a word that is capitalized on the screen or device, you can capitalize the word to be consistent with the user's experience.
EXAMPLE: Go to the "My Settings & Devices" section to add a backup device.
If the words you are referring to on the screen or device are in lowercase, write the instructions accordingly.
3.7 – Punctuation
In general, use commas, periods, semi-colons, and hyphens appropriately. Avoid exclamation marks, which do not fit the tone of a Knowledge Base article.
One common punctuation mistake is to separate two complete sentences with a comma. Make sure to use a period or join with a comma and conjunction.
Mistake: Enter your full name, then click OK.
Correct: Enter your full name. Then click OK. OR Enter your full name, and then click OK.
For lists and numbered steps, use a period if it is a complete sentence or completes a sentence started by the lead-in phrase.
EXAMPLE 1: Use a period.
You can verify your identity on the Duo Mobile App by
getting a Push Notification and selecting Approve.
entering the passcode on the app.
having the service call you.
EXAMPLE 2. No period
Stop by the front desk of the ITS Help Center for onboarding assistance.
Software access and installation
Virus detection and removal
Email set up
Wireless connectivity
Static IP assignment
3.8 – Standardized Terms and Phrases
The following words or phrases should be written or used in the following, standard ways when referring to them in your articles. For example, refer to the help center as the "ITS Help Center" or "Help Center," but do not refer to it as the "help desk" or "Husky Tech."
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Category
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Correct Term or Phrase
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Do not use
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Notes
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UConn Terms
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UConn
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UCONN, Uconn, uconn
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NetID
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netid, Netid, netID
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use "NetID" for all instances, including within emails: NetID#####@uconn.edu
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ITS Technology Support Center
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Husky Tech, Help Desk,
Service Desk
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ITS
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UITS
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Outlook
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Office 365 Web Access
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Office 365 Online
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When referring to outlook and its services – "Office 365 Web Access" and "Outlook Desktop Client" are two different ways to access the same service called "Outlook."
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Outlook Desktop Client
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Giving Examples
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(i.e., ________), or (e.g., _______)
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(example, ____)
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In Article Titles When Referring
to Things That Happen in Outlook or Windows
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"on Windows"
"on Mac"
"in Windows/Mac"
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"
3.9 – Article Length
Articles should be kept short and require minimal scrolling. If there are multiple sub-sections in the article and the article is long (scrolling required), consider adding anchors to the subheadings to facilitate quick access to relevant information.
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