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LibGuides Best Practices: Writing for the Web

Reading on the web

Fountain pen writing (literacy)

People don't read...they skim

As a result, Web pages have to employ scannable text, using

  • highlighted keywords (hypertext links serve as one form of highlighting; typeface variations and color are others)
  • meaningful sub-headings (not "clever" ones)
  • bulleted lists
  • one idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph)
  • the inverted pyramid style, starting with the conclusion
  • half the word count (or less) than conventional writing

Put Assessments at the end of each LibGuide so that the students can tell you if they like the guide or not

Jargon

Avoid Jargon

Examples of Library Jargon Terms

OPAC Bibliographic Periodicals
Reference Circulation Inter-Library Loan
Database E-Journals Index
Government Documents stacks  

Click Here

Avoid "Click here"

  • People know what a link looks like
  • Avoid underlining
Link Click here
Link Click here

Serif Fonts

Font Types

  • Avoid customizing font size in an individual box - fonts should be defined at a system-wide level
  • Use sans serif fonts - serif fonts are harder to read on screens
  • Steer clear of Comic Sans - it's widely considered to be unprofessional
Serif font Aa  
sans-serif font Aa

 

Centered Text

Centered text is harder to read than left-aligned text

Example:

No: Yes:

Join us to celebrate all of the hard work that has been done by our Public Services team in reorganizing the reading room!

Join us to celebrate all of the hard work that has been done by our Public Services team in reorganizing the reading room!

Even for menus, a straight margin helps users to scan quickly:

No: Yes:

Main page

Visitor Information

The Collection

Exhibits

School Programs

Special Events

Store

Membership

Renting the Museum
for an Event

Publications

Main page

Visitor Information

The Collection

Exhibits

School Programs

Special Events

Store

Membership

Renting the Museum
for an Event

Publications

Color

Colouring pencils

Color

Color is one of the first things people will notice on your page. Whether it is a font color or a box color, be selective in your color schemes. Yes, you want certain parts of the page to pop, but being selective and using colors sparingly helps prevent your page from becoming an eyesore.

Use color with purpose

  1. Think about accessibility
  2. Think about appropriate color contrast

Use Natural Language

Be human! Lose the formality.

No need to be too formal! Write what you would say to your users if you were talking on the phone. 

Think in short stories (scenarios):

  • Write in terms of "who does what to whom."
  • Use active voice, personal pronouns, action verbs, & contractions.

When users "think aloud" through a paragraph in typical academic style, they translate the passive, noun-based writing into scenarios.

No: Yes:
An acknowledgement of the order will be issued via an e-mail message when payment is made by credit card. If you pay by credit card, we'll send you an e-mail acknowledging your order.
It is, we will, you are. It's, we'll, you're.

Use Imperitives

Use imperatives--action verbs

To make instructions easy for users to follow:

  • Use numbered lists
  • Use imperatives: "Do this."
  • Put some space between the steps.

Example:

How to Follow Springshare on Twitter

  1. Go to the Springshare website at http://www.springshare.com/
  2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and look for the box titled Tweets
  3. Click the Follow button
  4. Login to Twitter (or create an account if you don't already have one).

AVOID USING CAPS!

Text in all caps takes up extra space and slows reading

Readers scan more quickly when they can see the letter shapes:

No Yes
WRITING FOR THE WEB:
GUIDELINES FOR UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES		 Writing for the web:
Guidelines For University Libraries