The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Editorial Style Guide establishes editorial, structural, and writing guidelines to ensure consistency in all written products.
The guide covers Content Structure and Formatting, Style and Mechanics, and Words and Usage.
If a style is not outlined in this sections of this guide, refer to the AP style guide. Reference copies are available in the Digital Communications office, or much of it can be found online.
This guide speaks to some aspects of plain language, but the Plain Language page has more information about how to apply these principles to your writing.
Why is a Style Guide Important?
Content is written, audio, and visual information. Style is how we convey that content.
Style has a major impact on whether people perceive content as authoritative, reliable, and believable, and how well they understand what they are reading. Being consistent is key — every document that comes from ACF should have the same style so that it holds the same authority.
What Does This Guide Apply To?
These standards apply to any piece of content that will be available to the public in print or online.
The only exceptions are legal/regulatory documents and press releases which have their own guidelines.
For readability and consistency, we also recommend that you follow these guidelines and principles of plain language for internal messages.
Content Structure and Formatting
On the web, users scan when reading web pages. Good content structure and formatting increases the ability to scan web content.
Style and Mechanics
Consistent style is crucial to a good experience for the reader. This section covers grammar, spelling, and mechanics.
Words and Usage
Words and how we use them at ACF.