Guidelines for Content Development

DO

  • Consider content and Web page organization/layout on a mobile platform when designing (i.e. how it looks with limited screen space)
  • Balance text with visual elements such as images, photography, and/or snippets
  • Intentionally design and organize Web page architecture
  • Maintain consistent design elements from page to page
  • Know users and their needs, anticipating why they will be visiting the Web page and how they will use the information presented
  • Establish credibility by presenting relevant and correct information
  • Omit unnecessary and repetitive words
  • Make use of subheads, bullet points, and lists

DON’T

  • Rely exclusively on text to communicate information
  • Bury important information further down the page; instead, organize information in the “inverted pyramid” style in which the point is presented first and then support and details follow
  • Highlight more than one main idea per block of text (or paragraph)
  • Use the words “click here” for hyperlinked text; instead, hyperlink between one and three words of relevant text

Dates and Numbers

  • In instances where a number begins a sentence, the numeral must be spelled out or the sentence reworded.
  • Because of the ease of locating and interpreting numerals, only numbers one – ten should be spelled out; all other numbers will be represented with numerical figures.
  • Use numerical figures and the percent symbol to represent percentages: 97%, not 97 percent or ninety-seven percent
  • Use numerical figures in reference to years and do not abbreviate years in body text: 1985, not nineteen eighty-five; 1985, not ’85*
  • Treatment of decades: the 1980s, the mid-1980s, or the late 1990s, depending on context
  • Treatment of academic years: 1995-97, 2013-14, but 1999-2000
  • The preferred format for dates is June 1, 2015*
  • The preferred format for time is 9:00 am (note that for events displayed in snippets, time is displayed as 03:00 pm)*
  • The preferred format for displaying phone numbers is (470) 123-4567*
  • The preferred format for displaying monetary amounts is $900,000, $1.2 million

*Variations may appear on advertising material that is not consistently part of the permanent Web page.

Punctuation

  • With programs in teaching, nursing, architecture, science and math, KSU is a world-class institution.

    Here, audiences can understand that each program is separate, thus they would not be confused whether the science and math program was one program or two.

    However, in the following sentence, a comma is necessary for clarity:

    KSU offers over 100 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. (Is the sentence referring to three separate programs, or two?)
  • an exciting, challenging course

    But not between noncoordinate adjectives, which do not modify a noun independently:

    short semester break

  • She was not only kind but also intelligent.

  • Use instead of a period to show a connection (such as cause/effect) between two independent clauses:

    The registration deadline is approaching; prospective students should submit materials as soon as possible.

    May also be used in a complex series that involves commas within elements:

    The combination of courses include English, math, and science; English, first-year seminar, and math; or science, first-year seminar, and a foreign language.
  • Ensure that what precedes the colon is an independent clause:

    Students may choose from a variety of course: English, math, science, foreign languages, and culinary arts.
  • Two-word attributive adjectives require hyphenation:

    third-largest university

  • No end punctuation (e.g. period, question mark, semi colon) is necessary

  • Plural common noun not ending in “s”, add an apostrophe and “s”

    women’s

    Plural common noun ending in “s”, add apostrophe only

    students’

    Singular proper nouns ending in “s”, add an apostrophe and “s”

    Professor Jones’s course

    Plural proper nouns ending in “s”, add apostrophe only

    the Jones’ daughters

Usage

  • Department and office names: treat as proper nouns with appropriate capitalization
    Department of Architecture
  • Kennesaw Campus: use when referring to Kennesaw location
  • Kennesaw State University: use the full name of University upon first reference within body text on a Web page; subsequent references may alternate between Kennesaw State and KSU for the sake of variety
  • Marietta Campus: use when referring to Marietta location
  • Owl(s): in reference to KSU’s mascot, treat as proper noun
  • Southern Polytechnic State University: may be used in reference to the consolidation; otherwise, refer to the University as Kennesaw State University
  • The Owl Nation: treat as proper noun
  • the University: a third way to refer to KSU is “the University”; note that “University” is capitalized (see also Section 3.6, Alphabetical Entries)
  • titles of academic degrees: Web designers may use both “bachelor’s degree,” (no capitalization in general reference) or, more specifically, “Bachelor of ______” (see Section 3.5, Abbreviations and Acronyms for guidance on how to abbreviate academic degrees). Similarly,“master’s degree“ or“Master of ______“ may be utilized.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

    • BCOE: Bagwell College of Education
    • CACM: College of Architecture and Construction Management
    • CCSE: College of Computing and Software Engineering
    • COTA: College of the Arts
    • CSM: College of Science and Mathematics
    • HHS: WellStar College of Health and Human Services
    • RCHSS: Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences
    • SPCEET: Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering & Engineering Technology
    • BA: Bachelor of Arts
    • BAS: Bachelor of Applied Science
    • BBA: Bachelor of Business Administration
    • BFA: Bachelor of Fine Arts
    • BS: Bachelor of Science
    • MA: Master of Arts
    • MBA: Master of Business Administration
    • MED: Master of Education
    • MS: Master of Science
    • MSN: Master of Science in Nursing
    • MSW: Master of Social Work
    • TESOL: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
    • PDF: Portable Document Format
    • USG: University System of Georgia
    • KSU: Kennesaw State University
    • NCAA: National Collegiate Athletic Association
    • STEM: acronym referring to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
    • SACS: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Alphabetical Entries

Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (n)

co-curricular (a)

co-sponsor (n)

distance learning (n)

email (n, v)

faculty-led (a)

interconnected (a)

interdisciplinary (a)

Internet (n)

KSU NetID (n)

log in (v)

login (n)

multicultural (a)

on-campus (a)

online (a)

OwlLife (n)

Owl Nation (n)

PowerPoint (n)

sign in (v)

University (n, in direct reference to KSU)

university (n, in general reference to a higher education institution)

Web (n, a)