style guide

StyleGuid

AusAID Style Guide

June 2002

The Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Program

Produced by the Publications Unit, Public Affairs Group, AusAID

Edited by Judy Fenelon, ByWord Services

Designed by Griffiths and Young Design

Set in Rotis

Printed in Australia by Goanna Print

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE i

Contents

Preface vii

A quick guide to publishing terms ix

Some typical AusAID publications xiii

1 Publishing for different audiences 1

Why publish? 1

To target our key external audiences 1

To promote Australia’s identity 2

To target internal audiences 2

Before you start 3

Should you publish? 3

What format should you use? 3

Who can help in your decision-making? 4

A simple publishing strategy 4

How long does the publishing process take? 6

Checklist and timeline 6

Advice 8

2 Writing and editing 9

Writing for your reader 9

Adopt a writing approach 9

Consider contracting a writer 9

Use plain English 10

Avoid jargon 11

Use non-discriminatory (inclusive) language 11

Consider tables and charts 11

Editing your work 12

Avoid bad habits with and 12

Watch some words 14

Avoid listing too much 14

Simplify tables and statistics 14

Sharpen textual references to tables 16

Writing for the Internet 16

Writing Minutes 17

Writing for Minister(s) and the Parliamentary Secretary 18

Writing emails 19

Writing for Focus 19

3 House style in written material 21

Shortened forms 21

Abbreviations, contractions and acronyms 21

Plurals of shortened forms 22

Months and days 22

States and Territories of Australia 22

Initials in names 22

Capitals 23

Government audience 23

Broad external audience 23

Publication titles 23

Punctuation 24

Full stops 24

Commas 24

Quotation marks 24

Apostrophes 25

Hyphens 25

En rules 26

En rules instead of dashes 27

Round brackets, square brackets and angle brackets 27

Colons and semicolons 27

Points of ellipsis 27

Slashes 27

Emphasis 27

Dot points (bulleted lists) 28

Punctuating dot points 28

Short lists 28

Long lists 29

ii AUSAID STYLE GUIDE

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE iii

Dates 29

Numbers and currency 30

Figures or words? 30

Thousands 30

Linking numbers 31

Telephone numbers 31

Electronic addresses 31

Footnotes and references 32

Spelling 32

4 Parts of a publication and layout 33

Cover (front and back) 33

Preliminary pages (prelims) 34

Title page 34

Reverse of title page 34

Copyright 34

Disclaimer, acknowledgment and contact information 35

ISBN and ISSN 36

Foreword 37

Contents list 38

Preface 38

Text 39

Headings 39

Text styles 40

Page breaks 40

Tables and charts 41

Photographs, illustrations, maps and diagrams 41

End matter 42

Appendixes 42

Glossary 42

Bibliography 42

Index 42

Headers and footers 43

Internal communications 43

External publications 43

Page numbers 43

iv AUSAID STYLE GUIDE

5 Publication and Ministerial clearances 45

Forward Publications Plan 45

Publication Advice Form 45

When does the Minister and/or the Parliamentary Secretary 46wish to clear publications?

Minister 46

Parliamentary Secretary 46

Other clearances 47

6 Corporate design 49

Rationale 49

Corporate colours 49

Primary suite 50

Secondary suite 50

Covers 50

Spine colours 51

Images and illustrations 51

Captions 51

Logos 52

AusAID logo 52

Colours for the AusAID logo 52

Use of the logo in computer templates 52

Acknowledgment and signage during projects 52

Australian identity (kangaroo logo) 53

Information for Posts 53

Typography 53

Publication sizes 53

Contracting a designer 54

Design brief 54

Design output 55

Example design schedule 55

7 Print production 57

Production specifications 57

Printer proofs 58

Paper 58

Recycled paper 58

Archival paper 59

Choosing paper 59

Print run 59

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE v

Distribution 60

Library Deposit and Free Issue Schemes 60

Canberra Mailing Centre 61

Fact sheets and leaflets 62

8 Electronic production 63

Internet 63

PDF files 64

Submit the required information and material 64

Procedures for publishing on the Internet 64

Obtain approval 64

Prepare your material appropriately 64

Allow enough time 66

CD-ROM 66

Appendixes 67

A Australian identity 67

B Example Scope of Services 70

C The Fog Index 73

D Writing and preparing information for AusAID’s website 74

E Writing for Focus 77

F Difficult and preferred spellings 81

G Sample designs 85

H Sample fonts 91

I Photography for print and Internet publishing 93

Bibliography 95

Publication Advice Form 96

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Preface vii

Preface

Welcome to the second, revised edition of AusAID’s corporate style guide.

Why does AusAID need a style guide?

In October 1998 AusAID commissioned a report to form the basis for a communications

strategy to enable the Agency to communicate its activities more effectively. The report

called for the development of a corporate style guide for all AusAID publishing, and for

all publications and the AusAID Internet site to conform to this guide.

The style guide and its purpose — to ensure that all AusAID published materials achieve

‘recognition, authority, clarity, credibility and impact’ — were endorsed by the Minister

and the Parliamentary Secretary in 1999.

Our public face

The Public Affairs Group (PAG) plays a key role in demonstrating the Government’s

commitment to transparency and accountability across the aid program.

Our approach to building public support for the aid program has been refined over

several years. The Communications Strategy for 2000–03 is based on substantial market

research and AusAID’s experience of implementing public affairs activities. These

activities are across five PAG units: Media, Publications, Outreach, Internet and Global

Education.

The AusAID Style Guide builds on the Communications Strategy in terms of our use of

language in corporate communications, both internal and external, our design and

output. It is not intended to be absolute in its coverage nor to set up laws carved in stone

because the communication process is continually evolving, as is good practice. This

guide does seek to encourage a rigorous, strategic perspective on communication, so that

all AusAID written material in all formats work together to achieve our core business

objectives, and time and money are not wasted.

viii AUSAID STYLE GUIDE

The words we use

The purpose of this guide is to provide stylistic, linguistic and visual format guidance that

will encourage consistency in our public face.

The dynamics of any living language mean that it is continually changing, with new

words being introduced and older ones lost or ascribed new meanings. Grammatical

usage, punctuation and the spelling of words are in flux as well.

While change is a healthy sign for a language, it can cause frustration and confusion

within organisations when the language changes and more than one expression is

available in a given situation.

Consistency is important in our corporate communications. We need to choose one form

when more than one is acceptable, and use it consistently. Although the use of a variety

of styles and forms may not impede the functioning of our organisation, it looks

unprofessional and reflects badly on us all if our external communications are

inconsistent and lack a corporate look. By adopting standard formats for our

communications and publications we are able to project a professional and unified image

of the organisation.

The main sources for this guide are the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers

(5th edition) and the Macquarie Dictionary (3rd edition). The AusAID Style Guide sets out

AusAID’s preferred style where the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers

provides alternatives. We have generally opted for the newer and simpler usage in

punctuation and language or for the style already established within AusAID.

We have also drawn on Spot on! Correspondence and Report Writing, with Guidelines on

Plain English, by George Stern (1996), and other federal government agency style guides.

If matters of style or spelling are not covered in the AusAID Style Guide the most recent

editions of the Style Manual and the Macquarie Dictionary should be your guide. While

this style guide was being prepared, the 6th edition of the Style Manual for Authors,

Editors and Printers was published by John Wiley & Sons Australia. PAG holds a

reference copy of this edition.

Feedback

While this guide should assist us to produce a unified face and excellent communications,

it is in the nature of language to change. The compilers of this guide are happy to receive

advice or suggestions on matters of usage, style or design. Email your comments to the

Publications Unit. They will be welcome.

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE A quick guide to publishing terms ix

A quick guide topublishing terms

audience AusAID has primary and secondary audiences identified in the Communications

Strategy. The primary audience is people who are predisposed to supporting overseas aid

as a matter of principle, but who are not strong supporters nor well-informed. Secondary

audiences are informed supporters of the aid program who require regular information

and acknowledgment to confirm their support for the program.

author corrections Changes made by the author(s).

bleed The part of an illustration or other design element that runs out to the edge of the

page (does not leave any margin showing).

blueprint See dyeline.

blurb A brief description of the book that appears on the jacket, outside back cover or in

publicity material.

cropping Trimming or masking off unwanted portions of an image.

design The designer’s input to publishing that covers, for example, page and screen

layout, fonts, line spacing, heading specifications, illustrations, headers, footers and

colours, all of which influence the readability and comprehension of the information

presented and reflect the client’s visual identity.

dyeline A single-colour proof made from the printer’s imposed film. Used for checking

that pagination is correct. See also imposition.

end matter Often includes appendixes, a glossary, a reference list or bibliography, and

an index.

flush left See ragged right.

flush right See ragged left.

font The complete assortment of type of one size and typeface, eg roman, italic, bold.

footers The words and/or numerals appearing at the bottom of pages to assist readers to

locate material.

format The size, styles, margins etc for a publication.

formatting Laying out or typesetting copy using computer software.

front matter See preliminary pages.

gsm Grams per square metre – a method of describing the mass of paper that gives a

constant figure regardless of the size of the sheet.

hard copy Paper output.

x AUSAID STYLE GUIDE

headers The words and/or numerals appearing at the top of pages to assist readers to

locate material.

house style Style guidelines that cover such matters as shortened forms, capitals,

hyphens, punctuation, en rules, bullets, quotations and italics, developed to suit the

material published – by AusAID in the case of this style guide.

HTML Hypertext markup language – a presentation language commonly used for

publishing on the Internet.

imposition The arrangement of pages so that they will be in the correct sequence when

printed, folded and trimmed.

imprint The name and address of the publisher or printer, or both, printed in a

publication usually on the reverse of the title page.

ISBN (International Standard Book Number) A 10-digit product number (eg ISBN 0 642

76305 4), used by publishers, booksellers and libraries for ordering, listing and stock

control purposes. It enables them to identify a particular publisher and a specific edition

of a specific title in a specific format.

ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) A unique code (eg ISSN 0813-4332) for

identifying serial publications. The ISSN is the serial equivalent of the ISBN.

justified Words and letters spaced to a given measure, producing vertical alignment at

both right and left margins. See also unjustified.

landscape A page or illustration that is wider than it is deep. See also portrait.

layout The plan of any publication, specifying the size, face and area of type, the

treatment of headings and the position of illustrations.

leading The spacing between lines of type, so called because originally typesetters used

strips of lead to achieve this space.

logo Any design for the purpose of identification.

lower case Small letters, as distinct from capitals.

margins The space surrounding the type area at the top, bottom and sides of a page.

mock-up A model of pages of a book, magazine, brochure, etc to show how the elements

will be combined.

orphan A divided word, the first line of a paragraph or a heading at the bottom of a

page. Typographically undesirable. See also widow.

pagination The sequential numbering of pages.

paper sizes For AusAID publications, generally A4 (297 x 210 mm), B5 (250 x 176 mm),

A5 (210 x 148 mm) and DL slip (one-third A4).

PDF file A portable document format file of any type of artwork or page layout that can

be opened and printed using a broad range of hardware and software. Such files are often

provided by designers for proofing purposes and published on the Internet.

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE A quick guide to publishing terms xi

perfect binding A bookbinding process in which the binding edge of the folded sections

of a book are trimmed (to separate the leaves) before being glued to the cover.

portrait A page or illustration deeper than it is wide. See also landscape.

preliminary pages (prelims) The title page and its reverse, the contents list and other

matter such as a foreword, a preface, a list of abbreviations and an introduction, all of

which helps the reader to understand the publication’s purpose.

printer The company that prints, binds, packs and delivers hard copies.

print run The number of copies printed.

process colours The standard colours used for four-colour (full-colour) printing – cyan,

magenta, yellow and black, abbreviated as CMYK.

proof A reproduction of type or illustration produced for the purpose of checking and

correction if necessary. Page proofs are provided after the work has been made up into

pages. These can be black and white or colour. A chemical proof has toner pigments to

simulate the printer’s process colours.

publisher The person, organisation or company that undertakes diverse operations that

can extend from commissioning some writing and identifying the market, to printing,

marketing and distributing the product. AusAID is the publisher of AusAID publications.

ragged left Type aligned on the right.

ragged right Type aligned on the left, as in this style guide.

rough A sketch or layout to be used as a guide for the designer.

saddle stitching (stapling) A bookbinding process in which pages are secured by means

of a thread or wire staple drawn or punched through the spine fold.

spine The binding edge of a book’s cover or jacket, visible when the book is stored on

a shelf.

stock Paper or other material (eg plastic) used for printing or binding.

typesetting The conversion of copy (in whatever form) into the typeface and size that are

to be used for the published work. This is usually done by designers using sophisticated

software on desktop computers.

unjustified Type set with even word spacing so that successive lines are of irregular

length, usually aligned on the left.

upper case Capital letters.

URLs Uniform resource locators – the Internet addresses of material on the World

Wide Web.

widow The part of a divided word that stands alone on the last line of a paragraph. Also

the final line of a paragraph at the top of a page or column. Typographically undesirable.

See also orphan.

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Some typical AusAID publications xiii

Some typical AusAID publications

brochure The most common AusAID publication produced by country program areas –

four- or two-colour cover, perfect bound, 8–120 pages, mainly text, often with some

four-colour illustrations. Audience: secondary.

fact sheet A two-sided, four colour, A4 leaflet presenting basic information in simple

language about particular aspects of the aid program, designed for the general public at

outreach events. Audience: primary.

flyer A DL (one-third A4) slip advertising or giving brief information and/or pointing to

further sources of information. Audience: primary and secondary.

leaflet A two-sided, four-colour, flat or folded sheet, DL with up to 12 panels, used for

outreach purposes, providing similar information to fact sheets but with more detail.

Audience: primary and secondary.

serials Evaluations, research findings, reports, etc presented in B5 brochure format with

two-colour cover and one-colour text, directed at expert internal and external audiences.

Audience: secondary.

Styles of publicationsaustere A publication with minimal use of colour – either one colour (black), two colours

(black plus one other) or three colours (black plus one other, plus AusAID gold on cover).

Audience: secondary.

general A publication with text, cover and illustrations printed in four colours.

Audience: primary.

1

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Publishing for different audiences 1

Publishing fordifferent audiences

Why publish?Publishing is a lot more than having a document printed. In AusAID it can encompass

identifying the market (audience) and the best way to reach it (eg report, brochure,

seminar, intranet, Internet, video, poster), writing, editing, designing, typesetting,

presenting, printing and distribution.

There are many reasons why AusAID publishes. As an organisation involved in

administering the delivery of overseas aid, we are also in the business of giving

information about our activities to a range of organisations and individuals in Australia

and partner countries and to other aid or aid-related bodies.

We assist the Minister and Parliamentary Secretary to inform the Parliament on what we

are doing. We communicate important information to tenderers, non-government

organisations and partner countries. We report on and evaluate the results of our aid

programs. We tell the Australian public what we are doing and why. And we inform the

Agency itself on, for example, policies, strategies and procedures for developing and

implementing its aid program.

To target our key external audiences

PAG has been tasked with building domestic support for the aid program. To perform this

crucial role it has used Australian research on community attitudes. Determining the

market and then successfully targeting it is not a simple exercise because methods to

reach various segments of the market can differ markedly. Communications theory

suggests it is advisable to focus primarily on people who are favourably predisposed to

the information being distributed and seek to persuade them to more strongly support the

aid program.

The following audiences have been identified as the key external audiences for

information about the Australian Government’s aid program.

➔ The primary audience is our ‘soft supporters’ – people who are predisposed to

supporting overseas aid as a matter of principle, but who are not strong supporters

nor well-informed. They are most likely to be non-professional women, rural people

and young people.

➔ Secondary audiences are supporters of the aid program, often development

professionals, who require regular information and acknowledgment to confirm their

support for the program. They are existing stakeholders, non-government

organisations and business contractors, as well as academics and professionals.

2 AUSAID STYLE GUIDE

The research indicates that women and rural and regional people generally support the

concept of overseas aid, but doubt the effectiveness of aid, particularly Government aid.

Our objective is to deepen this group’s understanding of and support for aid by making

available information about the impact of the Government aid program. This group

represents a middle ground of Australians who can be persuaded to be more supportive if

approached appropriately.

Young people also have been designated as a primary target audience. They are usually

interested in global issues and are frequently more open-minded than their seniors,

making them more likely to support aid. Building support for aid among this group is

critical to long-term public support of the aid program.

Secondary target audiences are the confirmed supporters of aid. AusAID’s intention is to

acknowledge and reinforce their commitment to overseas aid by providing information

about the long-term benefits of aid. The members of this group are broadly described as

educated professionals and are most likely to live in metropolitan areas.

The business community and the non-government sector are key stakeholders and

important secondary target audiences. While it is important that key messages reach this

group, it is essential that they reach beyond aid program stakeholders to the primary

target audiences, otherwise we risk preaching to the converted.

To achieve its overarching objective of increasing awareness of and building support for

the aid program, PAG initiates events in the broader community. The Outreach Unit

identifies outreach opportunities and participates in community events and aid-related

activities around the country.

This outreach approach serves to communicate information about the aid program to

metropolitan, regional and rural Australia in an accessible manner. The intention is to

attract and engage our key target audiences in order to increase their appreciation of how

aid works and build their support for the aid program. AusAID does this with a range of

printed materials including leaflets, brochures, bookmarks and other informational and

promotional products containing information sourced from country program areas. These

materials briefly provide facts about the aid program, but also give our website address

where people can access more detailed information.

To promote Australia’s identity

For important information on promoting Australia’s identity see appendix A,

‘Australian identity’.

To target internal audiences

As well as publishing for key external audiences, AusAID publishes for internal

audiences. For example, it produces reports (such as country strategies) and guidelines

(such as this style guide) to provide advice and guidance in developing, supporting and

promoting Australia’s aid program.

In addition, AusAID staff are required to produce letters, faxes, emails, Minutes and a

range of documents for the Minister(s) and the Parliamentary Secretary.

1


Before you startAt the start of any process to produce material for publication, there are some important

questions to answer and points to consider.

Should you publish?

➔ Is a publication the answer?

Does the proposed publication fit in with AusAID’s Communications Strategy and

Forward Publications Plan? Does it fit with your area’s publishing strategy? Will it

result in value for money? Does it form part of a series? (If so, it should look as if it

belongs within the series.) Are other desks producing similar publications? (Don’t

reinvent the wheel. Borrow freely from others’ experience and imitate successful

publications.) What role can the Internet play in disseminating your publication? Have

you thought about how your printed publication will adapt to an electronic format?

Producing a brochure is often the first thought on how to communicate a new policy

or provide new information. And often it is the best method to do that. But sometimes

new information might be conveyed better by, say, a series of seminars for AusAID

officers or senior managers of non-government organisations, a personal letter from

the Director General to major business partner CEOs, or articles in Focus. It all

depends on the message and the audience.

➔ Who is your audience?

Internal? Expert external? Speakers of a language other than English? The Australian

general public? If you cannot answer this you should not go any further. The question

of who your audience is should be foremost in your mind when you write anything at

all – from notes to Ministerial submissions to program strategies and profiles.

You should write so that your words will be understood by a person with average or

less than average knowledge within the targeted audience. If you have more than one

audience, you should write for the lowest common denominator within the targeted

audiences. Ideally you should not be writing for more than one audience.

➔ Is this audience already being served by other AusAID publications or products?

What has been published before? Was that output successful? Did it reach its

audience? How many publications were printed and are large numbers left over? If a

previous, similar publication did not reach its audience, you need to understand why

before committing to another publication.

What format should you use?

➔ What is the best way to reach your audience?

Has any testing been done that might help you decide? Would your audience’s needs

be best served by a detailed technical report, a leaflet, a brochure, a booklet, a poster,

an information kit and/or an electronic publication?

Printed output may not the answer. AusAID’s Internet site has become critical in the

overall Communications Strategy for the Agency. Sometimes well-written and well-

illustrated material on the web can more effectively communicate the information

than a hard-copy (paper) version (see chapter 8, ‘Electronic production’).


Who can help in your decision-making?

When thinking about publishing, talk to PAG about what you hope to achieve. Remember

that AusAID’s key target external audiences are women, youth and rural and regional

communities. The Publications Unit can provide advice on how to reach these target

audiences. Each year PAG prepares a Forward Publications Plan to ensure that AusAID

reaches its target audiences and helps each branch to develop a publishing strategy as

part of its annual work planning and budgeting process. This plan is also a critical

mechanism in clearance processes (see chapter 5, ‘Publication and Ministerial clearances’).

The Publications Unit can also provide advice on which medium to choose. You may find

that there is a better alternative to the printed leaflet you had in mind.

As a general rule, contact PAG to discuss your publishing proposal. This step in the

publishing process is especially important if you are planning a publication aimed at

non-AusAID readers. You will need to complete a Publication Advice Form (a copy of

which is located at the end of this guide) and submit it to the Publications Unit once you

are ready to start the publishing process. Among other things it allows PAG to see how

your publication meets AusAID’s Communications Strategy requirements (see chapter 5,

‘Publication and Ministerial clearances’).

Publications Unit staff can then assist you in formulating a design brief, engaging

writers, editors, designers, printers and HTML contractors, and arranging distribution.

You will need to budget for these costs.

A number of writers, editors and designers are now on period contract with AusAID.

Full details of these contractors are available on the intranet. The Contract Services Group

can help you with drafting a services order/EOL. See also appendix B, ‘Example Scope

of Services’.

A simple publishing strategyThe vast majority of AusAID publications are intended for one or more of three

audiences: internal, external expert or external general.

The AusAID internal audience is characterised by:

➔ expert knowledge of the subject

➔ access to restricted information

➔ expert knowledge of acronyms and specialist/technical language

➔ high motivation to read material.

The external expert audience (secondary audience) is characterised by:

➔ expert knowledge of the subject

➔ no access to restricted information

➔ some knowledge of acronyms and specialist/technical language

➔ possible English language difficulty

➔ motivation to read material.

1


The external general audience (primary audience) is characterised by:

➔ little or no knowledge of aid programs generally

➔ no access to restricted information

➔ little or no knowledge of acronyms and specialist/technical language

➔ a need for plain English to suit non-expert readers

➔ little motivation to read material.

A simple publishing strategy that encompasses all these levels of audience could be, for

example, a series of publications arising out of an original, internal document (figure 1).

Such a strategy could produce three related hard-copy publications, two intranet

documents and two Internet documents.

The document Detailed Technical Aid Info (A) is directed at an expert audience and is for

AusAID’s internal use only. In its hard-copy form it is likely to be produced in-house,

usually without input from an editor or designer (see chapter 4, ‘Parts of a publication

and layout’). It will also appear on the intranet (AA), so it also needs to be produced in a

form that people in AusAID can download easily. PDF format is ideal for this purpose

(see ‘PDF files’ in chapter 8, ‘Electronic production’).

Figure 1: A publication strategy to meet the needs of internal and external audiences

After producing the publication Detailed Technical Aid Info, you may extract key material

from it to produce Info for Partners (B). This publication would be for an expert external

audience, which might include non-government organisations, other government

agencies, partner country governments and organisations, contractors and other

interested and/or expert groups. It would normally be produced with input from an editor

and designer. This too could appear on the intranet (AA), linked to the Detailed Technical

Aid Info. But more importantly, it would also be provided on the Internet (BB).

You might decide you need to publish The Success Stories (C) – a more straightforward

leaflet to hand out to the public at outreach events, conferences, public meetings, etc.

You could extract the key information, graphs and photos, simplified for general

accessibility, from the already condensed Info for Partners. The leaflet could be

specifically geared toward one of the groups identified by the Communications Strategy

as target audiences – non-professional women, youth or rural and regional people.

t t tIntranet Internet 2 Internet 1

(A)Detailed Technical

Aid Info

(B)Info forPartners

(C)The Success

Stories

D(AA) (BB)


The information in the leaflet might then be used as an introductory, entry-level page on

the Internet (D). The more complex and detailed Info for Partners (BB) would be

accessible by link from the simple, entry level page.

How long does the publishing process take?The publishing process, on average, takes two to three months. This is from the initial

planning stage through to having the finished product mailed out to the people on your

mailing list and/or launched on the AusAID Internet site.

Checklist and timeline

The following checklist and timeline gives an overview of all the steps that may be

involved. Please note how long each step takes (bearing in mind that many steps can be

undertaken simultaneously) and plan accordingly. You will find the information you need

to complete all the steps in the following chapters.

Publications checklist and timeline

Step Process Working days

1 When planning your publication, use the AusAID Style Guide to 1

familiarise yourself with the publishing process – writing, editing,

house style, parts of a publication, clearance procedures, design,

production stages and distribution requirements. Complete a

Publication Advice Form (see a copy at the end of this guide) and

submit it to the Publications Unit.

2 At the start of planning, after determining what internal and 1/4Ministerial clearances you will need, check with MPSU on the

availability of the Minister and/or the Parliamentary Secretary

for clearances.

3 Prepare the required services orders (including Scope of Services and 4

Basis of Payment) for the publication’s editorial, design and print

production, and PDF/HTML conversion. The Basis of Payment should

reflect production milestones. See the Contract Services Group for

advice and their clearance the services orders. See also appendix B,

‘Example Scope of Services’.

4 Develop a schedule for the publication’s editorial, design and print 2

production stages. See ‘Example design schedule’ in chapter 6,

‘Corporate design’.

5 Seek quotes from:

• writer/editor (if applicable)

• designer

• printer 7

using the Public Affairs period contracts and including your scope

of services and production schedule in the request.

1


1Step Process Working days

6 Using the Public Affairs period contracts, engage writer/editor 1

(if necessary), designer, printer and HTML contractor, ensuring each

can meet your schedule and technical/quality requirements. Set

dates for the delivery of all editorial material to the designer and all

artwork to the printer.

7 Manage text and illustrative material during the writing and/or 20

editing processes. Draft a foreword if required. Identify and collect

illustrative material (photos, graphics, captions, acknowledgments, etc).

Check the AusAID photographic library on the intranet as a source.

8 Obtain the required internal clearances for your entire draft 15

document (including cover, preliminary pages, text, captions,

internal illustrative material and end matter).

9 Obtain the required Ministerial or Parliamentary Secretary clearances. 10

Submit your entire final (internally cleared) document, a similar

AusAID publication to show planned design (or a colour mock-up

of the publication including cover and four pages of internal design

as a sample), with a Ministerial submission if applicable, through the

Publications Unit and MPSU for Ministerial or Parliamentary Secretary

clearance. Upon return, address any concerns, revise and resubmit if

necessary. See chapter 5, ‘Publication and Ministerial clearances’.

10 Organise for cleared illustrative material (photos, drawings, etc) to 2

be saved to a CD or zip disk (available from Stores) for use by the

designers. Ensure scanned material is at correct resolution for

high-quality print production. Ask your designers whether they prefer

to scan from original photos/slides and, if they do, supply originals

clearly labelled. Deliver disk/originals of illustrative material to

the designers.

11 Obtain an ISBN (from the Publications Unit) or an ISSN 10

(if necessary). Give your designer the cleared final document for

design and layout. Either email it or supply it on a disk in both

Microsoft Word and Rich Text Format. The designer is likely to strip

out all formatting, so keep it to a minimum.

12 Once the designer has submitted a first (black and white laserprint) 5

proof and PDF file of the design and layout, manage the checking

and correction and any further clearance processes. Ensure that all

mandatory material is present (eg logo, Commonwealth Arms,

copyright details, ISBN, AusAID contact details, website address –

see chapter 4, ‘Parts of a publication and layout’, and chapter 6,

‘Corporate design’). Clearly mark corrections on proof and mark any

changes you wish to be made.

13 Return marked proofs to your designer for corrections/changes to 4

be typeset and, if necessary, re-brief the designer. Ask for a final,

colour proof (ask for accurate colour reproduction if possible) and/or

PDF file showing cover and internal pages.


Step Process Working days

14 Check the final proof provided by your designer, ensuring all of 1/2your earlier corrections/changes are done and no new errors are

present. When all is correct, and if hard copy publication is planned,

give the designer approval to submit the artwork to the printer.

15 Check printer’s chemical/colour proofs/dyelines. Consult the 1

designer about colour fidelity. Check page numbering and order of

material. No editorial changes should be made at this stage. If

everything is correct, give the printer approval to print. Ensure PDF

and (if the publication is large) HTML files are being prepared for

Internet publication. Supply your designer with two blank CD-ROMs

on which to save the web-ready files and all print-ready and

illustrative material for archiving. See chapter 8, ‘Electronic

production’, for technical requirements.

16 Ensure all correspondence, contract information, quotes, agreements, 1/4briefings, etc are correctly filed. Check whether the designer is

finished with photos. If so, retrieve and file or return them to owners.

Ensure that the designer has supplied all files of both web-ready and

print-ready material on CD-ROM.

17 Deliver the final PDF and/or HTML file to Internet Unit manager for 1/4publishing on AusAID’s Internet site. See chapter 8, ‘Electronic

production’, for standards to meet.

18 Finalise the publication’s distribution list (seek help from the 1/4Publications Unit). Advise the printer where the publications are to

be delivered. Advise Canberra Mailing how many publications will

be delivered to them and when. The bulk of publications should go

to Canberra Mailing for storage and distribution. See ‘Distribution’ in

chapter 7, ‘Print production’, for details of who should receive copies.

19 Ensure copies of the finished publication are sent to all 1/4necessary recipients.

Advice

The Publications Unit can help with advice on engaging the services of writers, editors,

designers and printers in general, as well as on Public Affairs service order contracts,

clearance processes, optimal media coverage, promotion and distribution, and publication

on the Internet.

2

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Writing and editing 9

Writing and editing

In the process of writing, you must continually make decisions about the particular words

you choose, how much detail is included, the tone of the document, whether to include

statistical information, and so on. Much of the material here is adapted from the internal

AusAID publication, English and Statistics, by Peter McCawley.

Writing for your readerBefore starting to write, it is useful to ask yourself:

➔ Who am I writing for?

➔ How much do they need to know?

➔ What information needs to be communicated?

➔ What medium will best meet the audience’s needs?

Adopt a writing approach

Sometimes it helps to write with a specific person in mind, even if you are preparing a

document to be read by several people or a large audience. Often if you write with a

specific person in mind, the whole document becomes much easier to write (and read).

Your approach to writing, say, a Minute or brochure will be different from writing a

detailed technical report. Likewise, your approach to writing for the Internet will be

different from writing for hard copy (see below ‘Writing for the Internet’).

Consider contracting a writer

Sometimes you may find it necessary to contract a skilled ‘outsider’ to write your text. A

professional writer or journalist can interview the person responsible for the content of

the communication, who will be encouraged to describe in simple, non-technical

language what the material is about. The writer can then write up this information in

plain English for the non-expert reader.

A number of writers are now on period contract. Full details of these contractors are

available on the intranet. The Contract Services Group can help you with drafting a

services order/EOL. See also appendix B, ‘Example Scope of Services’.


Use plain English

Writing in plain English works because you are able to communicate with your audience

(see appendix C, ‘The Fog Index’, to calculate whether your audience can understand your

writing). In his guide to plain English, George Stern recommends we use it because:

➔ plain English makes it easier for people to understand what we write

➔ it creates a friendlier relationship between organisations and their stakeholders

➔ these two in turn help improve an organisation’s corporate image, and

➔ it is the policy of the Australian Government.

There are five techniques that will help you to communicate in plain English.

➔ Write in short sentences, averaging fewer than two printed lines.

➔ Use the same sort of language that you would in a personal letter.

➔ Write in the active voice – put the agent of the action before the action (eg ‘we do it’,

not ‘it is done by us’).

➔ Use plenty of first and second person pronouns (I, we, you), especially in letters.

➔ Get rid of unnecessary – and intimidating – capital letters.

Sentences that are too long are often unclear. Use two short sentences instead of one

long one if possible. Many of us have the bad habit of using too many words to express

an idea, or fall into the trap of using habitual phrases. Here are some examples and some

useful substitutes for them:

due to the fact that because, since, as

have the capacity to can

in the event that if

we would be grateful if please

at the time of writing now

in relation to about

Verbs have two voices: active and passive. We speak mostly in the active voice, but often

write in the passive. If the subject does the action, the verb is active. If the action is done

to the subject, the verb is passive. For example:

Active The aid worker assisted local villagers.

Passive Local villagers were assisted by the aid worker.

Statements in the passive voice are often wordy, misleading (because they may be

incomplete) and hard to read. A common use of the passive voice is the ‘it is’

construction. For example:

It is recommended that the report be amended.

This construction conceals both who is making the recommendation and who should

amend the report, whereas using the active voice makes it clear who is doing what:

The committee recommends that the authors amend the report.

2


1Avoid jargon

Jargon is technical or specialist language that is peculiar to a profession or group,

understood by those on the inside but often unintelligible or meaningless to outsiders. It

can have many forms, for example, acronyms such as ‘SPA’, unfamiliar phrases such as

‘capacity building’ or conventional words with special meanings such as ‘sectoral’.

If you cannot avoid terms that are likely to be unfamiliar to your audience, clearly

explain them when they are first used or in a glossary.

Use non-discriminatory (inclusive) language

Language can be used to discriminate against individuals and groups on the basis of

gender, race or ethnic origin, physical or intellectual disability, sexual preference or age.

Sometimes rewriting or recasting a sentence may be a better solution than substituting

words to avoid discriminatory expressions.

AusAID has a particular requirement to be sensitive in the use of language where

communications are aimed at people in partner countries. Be aware of cultural

differences. For example, on a form you should ask for a given name rather than a

‘Christian’ name.

The Style Manual deals with inclusive language, and an AGPS Press publication,

Non-Discriminatory Language, by Anne Pauwels, covers it in detail.

Consider tables and charts

Tables are used to present numerical information that would be hard to understand when

presented in words only.

Good graphics add immediacy, focus attention, stimulate interest, save words and help to

communicate your ideas. Graphics should help the audience understand your meaning.

Usually a chart serves one of two purposes: it gives a specific example of a general point

being developed in the text, or it summarises a body of information that is being

commented on in the text. Does it make the text clearer? Does it show what you intended

it to show?

Graphics should never be an afterthought to writing – plan ahead to incorporate them

effectively. Make sure your text and graphics complement each other. Duplicating

information in text, graphics and tables is a waste of time.


Editing your workWhen you have finished writing, you will need to check (edit) your work.

➔ Are the facts right? (Check dates, names, references and statistics.)

➔ Have you included all the information the reader needs? Have you included

everything you were asked for?

➔ Is it clear and concise?

➔ Is there anything you can say more simply and directly?

➔ Are your sentences too long?

➔ Have you used technical or wordy terms or acronyms that may not be understood?

➔ Have you used the right words and spelt them correctly?

Edit your work carefully to achieve speedy clearances. Most text – whether for Minutes,

letters, reports or web pages, for example – need several rounds of editing, perhaps more.

The objectives of editing include ensuring that:

➔ the main purpose of the document is clear

➔ the language and tone of the writing is appropriate for the identified audience

➔ the main message of the document stands out

➔ information (both text and any accompanying material such as tables or graphs) is

presented in an effective way to reach the audience, and

➔ the conclusions or recommendations, if any, are clear.

How many drafts should a document go through? If a document is needed urgently there

may be time to check it quickly (and run it through the spelling checker) only once. If a

longer report is being prepared, and if the deadline is not pressing, put it through at least

two or three thorough edits. These should address structural problems, inaccuracies and

inconsistencies, correct grammar and spelling, and apply AusAID’s ‘house’ style for such

matters as numbers, dates, abbreviations, italics and lists (see chapter 3, ‘House style in

written material’).

Be sure to provide adequate time for this vital stage of publishing. It needs to be done

before the text goes to the graphic design stage and/or on AusAID’s website. A thorough

edit of a report can generally be done at a rate of 15–20 pages per day.

Avoid bad habits with and

Authors in AusAID tend to overuse and. It is not uncommon to find and used at least

three times in one sentence. Often and is used:

➔ to mean so, or

➔ in the rambling X and Y style, or

➔ to join two different points that are best set out in separate sentences (see table 1).

2


1

These strategies are developed and

discussed with partner governments

and are based on research and

discussion of their needs and priorities,

Australia’s own priorities and areas of

expertise and consultation with other

donors involved.

From now on, this basic approach will

be articulated in management

documents that identify policies and

associated planning approaches and

assist efficient and effective planning,

development, and implementation in

specific cases.

An initial $10 million was paid into

the UN system in early July and the

remaining two allotments will be paid

in two tranches in January and April

next year.

Accrual budgeting will be introduced.

Program managers will be responsible

and accountable for performance and

the focus will be on objectives and

outcomes rather than processes.

This aim cannot be achieved without

the close cooperation and

determination of the recipient country

to strengthen their own capacity to

identify, assess and resolve problems

requiring environmental protection

and natural resource management.

These strategies are developed in

cooperation with partner governments.

They reflect priorities of recipient

governments, Australian priorities and

expertise, and consultation with other

donors.


be articulated in management

documents. These will identify policies

and associated planning approaches

that will help to efficiently plan,

develop and implement AusAID’s

programs.

or


be set out in management documents.

These will identify policies that will

help to efficiently plan and implement

AusAID’s programs.

An initial $10 million was paid into

the UN system in early July. The

remaining two allotments will be paid

in two tranches in January and April

next year.

Accrual budgeting will be introduced.

Program managers will be responsible

for performance. The focus of reports

will be objectives and outcomes rather

than processes.

This aim cannot be achieved without

the close cooperation of the recipient

country. Local officials must be

determined to strengthen their

capacity to resolve problems of

environmental protection and natural

resource management.

The project aimed to achieve peace

and order in the province through a

program of infrastructure, agriculture

and social development, and to

strengthen the capacity and capability

of the provincial and national

agencies to sustain and expand

project development.

The project had two main aims. The

first was to encourage peace and order

in the province through a program of

infrastructure, agricultural and social

development. The second was to

strengthen the capability of both

provincial and national agencies to

expand project development.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Table 1 Ways to avoid overusing and

Example Original Better


Notice that in example 5 in table 1 and is used:

➔ to join two separate ideas that are clearer if set out in separate sentences, and

➔ in the rambling X and Y formulation.

Sometimes it is sensible to say X and Y, but often it is not. Other examples of the

rambling X and Y include:

first and foremost

complex and difficult

Watch some words

➔ Sometimes the can be omitted to good effect.

➔ Pronouns such as this and it and that can be quite confusing when it is not clear

which noun they refer to. It is usually better to be as direct as possible, using nouns

rather than pronouns unless the meaning is quite clear.

➔ Usually ongoing is superfluous.

➔ Often important is can be deleted.

➔ Often which is can be omitted to good effect:

Australia’s aid program, (which is) part of Australian foreign policy, ...

➔ Often appropriate is superfluous.

Avoid listing too much

Many sentences and paragraphs in AusAID documents consist essentially of lists. It is

best to avoid cramming long lists into a sentence. If you cannot write a balanced

sentence or paragraph containing all the items you need to mention, consider putting the

list into a table, a box or an appendix or presenting the information as a bulleted list (see

‘Dot points (bulleted lists)’ in chapter 3, ‘House style in written material’).

Simplify tables and statistics

Tables and statistics in text need to be edited in the same way that text needs to be

edited. Just as clearly setting out your ideas in sentences in paragraphs takes some effort,

so does presenting statistics, especially tables. Keep statistics and tables simple. The

number of figures and symbols on a page should be kept to a minimum. There are some

common faults in presenting statistics.

➔ Data are presented with too many decimal places.

➔ Tables are cluttered with too many symbols.

➔ Text is cluttered with too many numbers:

Australia’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 1998–99 was expected to be $1480 million. This is a $50 million increase over the 1997–98 budget figure of $1430million, and a real increase of 0.5 per cent.

The following numerals are crowded into these two sentences:

199899148050199798143005

2


Another common problem is that effort is not made to present data in a meaningful way.

Often, data (such as information in tables) are ordered alphabetically rather than by some

useful analytical criteria. It is almost never useful analytically to order data

alphabetically.

As a general rule, two or three significant figures are enough. It is often a good idea to

round figures fairly ruthlessly, both in the text and in tables. Thus the table on the left

can be edited to look like the table on the right.

GDP ($US million)

Aust $182,170 4.29%

Sweden $91,880 2.16%

Canada $334,110 7.87%

US $3634,600 85.67%

Total $4242.760 100.00%

GDPUS$ billion % of total

Australia 182 4

Sweden 92 2

Canada 334 8

United States 3 635 86

Total 4 242 100

GDPUS$ billion % of total

United States 3 635 86

Canada 334 8

Australia 182 4

Sweden 92 2

Total 4 242 100

Depending on the purpose of the table, it would probably be more helpful to rank the

data like this:

As well as the purely presentational advantages of editing a table, there are analytical

advantages. When editing statistics you are obliged to decide what points are to be

emphasised, and why you are including the data at all. Since there is sometimes a

tendency to include data for its own sake, the editing process introduces an element of

self-discipline.

The World Bank’s World Development Report is a good example of a publication that uses

tables and diagrams in an imaginative way. The Economist also does a good job. It is

worthwhile looking at these publications to pick up ideas.


Sharpen textual references to tables

A common practice in AusAID when referring in the text to accompanying tables or

diagrams is to begin the discussion in a rather leisurely fashion by noting what the tables

or diagrams show:

Table 5 shows that GDP in the Philippines rose by approximately 5 per cent during the year.

Or even more leisurely:

Table 5 below shows data from the World Bank on growth rates, inflation and foreignexchange rates in the Philippines between 1986 and 1974.

It is generally quite unnecessary to refer to tables in this way (and is even vaguely

insulting to the intelligence of readers because they can presumably see what is in table

5). Putting an appropriate cross-reference in brackets is often much better:

During the year, gross domestic product in the Philippines rose by around 5 per cent(table 5).

This is not only crisper, but also encourages readers to focus on what is significant in the

table rather than merely describing what the table contains.

The Office of Review and Evaluation can provide advice on preparing tables and

statistics.

Writing for the InternetWriting for the Internet and writing for hard-copy publications are similar in that all

writing should be clear, easy to understand and jargon-free and should adhere to house

style (see chapter 3, ‘House style in written material’). But your approach will differ as the

structure of material on the Internet should be different because of the different ways

people use the Internet to access information. Sophisticated navigational aids, indexes,

hypertext links and intelligent searching enable users to quickly and accurately locate the

information they require.

Before you start writing, talk to the Internet Unit about your Internet publishing plans.

This is likely to save a lot of time later and ensure that your web pages are read.

Also, before you start there are some questions you should answer, as you should before

any writing. What do the users or audience need? How can I design the information to

suit their needs rather than mine? How can I plan the information and create the subject

or topic headings? And has sufficient testing of the information been done to ensure a

high access success rate?

2


Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing for electronic media.

➔ Consider writing in the ‘inverted pyramid style’ – start with your conclusion, then

give the most important supporting information, and end with the background. This

has been proven to be the most effective method of writing for the Internet.

➔ Consider using half the amount of text you would have used in a hard-copy

publication.

➔ Bear in mind that readers will be scanning text for the main points of the message.

Internet users tend not to read all text until they have determined that it is exactly

what they are looking for.

➔ Break text into manageable chunks suitable to be read on screen. Use subheadings

and bulleted lists.

➔ Keep your text simple – use short, concise sentences and paragraphs. Paragraphs

should not exceed eight lines. Include the main idea in the first sentence of the

paragraph. Use following sentences to expand the main idea – as in media releases.

➔ Any text that exceeds three A4 pages should include a short summary or abstract of

three to five sentences that can be published as a web page. The full text can then be

published as a PDF file suitable for readers to download and print rather than read

from the screen.

➔ Use links cleverly. Internal linking should be used as part of a logical structure, not

just because it is possible. Keep your links to other sites toward the end, as you do not

want your reader to leave your text too early.

➔ Use images (photos and graphics) sparingly as they slow down the speed at which

users can view web pages. The Internet is essentially a text-based medium so use

images only where necessary to provide interest or to illustrate the text.

➔ Always include a title. This should be a concise, meaningful, plainly worded reminder

of the contents as it will be used as the title for any bookmark the reader makes to

your page.

For important information on writing and preparing information for publishing on the

Internet, including feature stories and slide shows, see appendix D, ‘Writing and

preparing information for AusAID’s website’. For information on Internet publishing, see

‘Internet’ in chapter 8, ‘Electronic production’.

Writing MinutesThe Minute is one of the most important means of communication throughout AusAID. It

has many purposes, including to inform or advise, to discuss issues, to explain reasons

for activities, and to request or recommend action. The keys to a well-written Minute are

intelligible brevity and an understanding of the needs of the recipient. Minutes should

not exceed one page unless absolutely necessary.

A Minute should be correctly addressed, start with concise description of the matter of

the Minute in the subject header, and be free of unnecessary information. For example,

do not include background information if you know the recipient is completely familiar

with the subject. Because they have many purposes, not all Minutes will need the detail

suggested below. Use the template found in Microsoft Word on your computer.


➔ Under the first heading, Purpose (set in bold), write a succinct description of why you

are sending the Minute. This forms paragraph 1 but is not usually numbered. The

purpose should link logically with the recommendations.

➔ Under the heading Background, and numbering the first paragraph ‘2’, write a

succinct, one- or two-paragraph history of what has gone on before in relation to

the subject.

➔ Under the heading Issues, consecutively numbering each paragraph, describe the

important factors that will help the recipient to see the whole picture or inform them

of new developments, cost implications, etc.

➔ If you wish the recipient to take some action, the issues section should logically argue

your case for the final part of the Minute, ie Action or Recommendation.

➔ Under the heading Action or Recommendation, state clearly what you wish the

recipient to do, and the time frame where relevant.

➔ If the Minute is for information only, omit the final heading and write, ‘For your

information’.

➔ Recommendation/Action and signature block should be on the same page.

➔ If you are using attachments, be sure they are necessary. Consider whether a summary

of the material would be sufficient.

As appropriate, sign the Minute, including your position, section/branch and contact

details if necessary.

Writing for Minister(s) and the Parliamentary SecretaryThe AusAID intranet has extensive information on format, wording and other details

specific to written material for the Ministers and the Parliamentary Secretary.

If you are drafting a document for the Minister(s) and/or the Parliamentary Secretary, the

content will be quite different from material written for an AusAID audience. Documents

frequently prepared for the Minister(s) and the Parliamentary Secretary include:

➔ possible parliamentary questions (PPQs)

➔ responses to correspondence

➔ meeting briefs

➔ submissions.

While the format and style requirements for these documents differ, there are general

principles that apply to all material prepared for the Minister(s)/Parliamentary Secretary.

It is important to be concise and efficient in presenting information. The volume of

written material arriving on a Minister’s desk is immense. Yet many of us seem to find it

almost impossible to exercise self-discipline in preparing documents for the

Minister(s)/Parliamentary Secretary.

2


In writing for the Minister(s)/Parliamentary Secretary, remember the 20-second rule – the

reader should be able to ascertain the main points in just 20 seconds. Keep sentences

short. Omit surplus words. Be ruthless: cut, cut and cut again.

Strive for simplicity. Work out exactly what you want to say. Use simple words and

sentences rather than complicated ones. Use direct speech wherever possible.

Templates for Ministerial submissions, correspondence, briefings, speeches and possible

parliamentary questions can be found in Microsoft Word on your computer. Templates are

available under File/New/Min-Parl}Corro for correspondence and File/New/Min-

Parl}Other for all other templates.

MPSU officers are available for help and advice. If you wish to contact MPSU, check the

intranet for updated MPSU staff details and contact numbers. All Ministerial material

must be processed through MPSU. See chapter 5, ‘Publication and Ministerial clearances’.

Writing emailsEmail is often treated as an informal means of communication. And sometimes it is. But

you should be aware that email is increasingly a major record of activity and should

reflect that importance. Moreover, email is subject to the same Freedom of Information

requirements as other documentation. Remember, too, that you cannot control where

your email may go after you send it.

On receiving correspondence by email, you should consider (as with other

correspondence) whether you should reply yourself or if it would be more appropriate for

another officer to reply by email or formal letter. Consider also the writing style – level

of formality (or otherwise) – appropriate to the reply.

When making a formal reply to a request, for instance, you should set up your signature

block in the same way as you would in formal correspondence, rather than using only

your first name.

Writing for FocusFocus is the key news magazine of AusAID. For important information on writing and

preparing information for Focus, see appendix E, ‘Writing for Focus’.

3

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE House style in written material 21

House style in written material

As well as establishing a recognisable corporate standard in design (see chapter 6,

‘Corporate design’) AusAID has established some guiding principles for written material.

When preparing any formal written communication, whether your audience is internal or

external and whether your output will be hard copy or electronic, you need to use

AusAID’s ‘house’ style for such matters as shortened forms, capitals, hyphens,

punctuation, en rules, bullets, quotations and italics. This house style largely reflects the

Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers (5th edition).

Shortened formsWe use shortened forms to make reading easier by eliminating needless repetition.

Shortened forms should not be used for the convenience of the writer. Always remember

that some abbreviations, contractions and acronyms may be unfamiliar to some readers.

So keep your audience in mind when considering which, if any, shortened forms to use.

For example, if you are writing about electronic information for a technical audience and

use the abbreviation ‘IT’ you probably do not need to explain it, but if you are writing

for the general public you should explain the term.

When writing for an external audience you should always explain any shortened forms

in full at first use. The name, term or expression should be written in full at first

mention, followed by the shortened form in parentheses:

Activity Management System (AMS)

Use shortened forms only if they are subsequently used at least twice or are standard

metric abbreviations.

Some shortened forms are not appropriate in formal writing. For instance, ‘wouldn’t’ and

‘they’re’ should be written out in full.

The Style Manual covers shortened forms in detail.

Abbreviations, contractions and acronyms

Abbreviations that do not include the last letter of the word are given full stops:

vol. ed. co.

Exceptions to this are abbreviations of Latin terms where the trend in current usage is to

discard the full stops:

ie eg etc 10 am


Contractions that include the first and last letters of a word do not have a full stop:

Dept Pty Ltd Cwlth Dr

One exception to this rule is ‘no.’, which is a contraction of numero. It is given a full stop

to distinguish it from the word ‘no’. Another is for the contraction of ‘honourable’.

AusAID style is to omit the full stop, eg the Hon Alexander Downer MP, Minister for

Foreign Affairs.

Abbreviations that consist of capital letters are written without full stops:

ACT IMF WTO GPO

An acronym is the word formed from the initial letters of a set of words. It is written

without full stops:

Anzac (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps)

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation)

NGO (non-government organisation)

Common acronyms, such as ‘Anzac’ and ‘radar’ do not require expansion, but less well-

known ones should be expanded when first used.

Plurals of shortened forms

Plurals of most shortened forms are formed by adding ‘s’ without an apostrophe:

EL2s NGOs vols nos

When plurals are indicated by repeating a letter, a full stop is used after the final letter,

eg ‘pp.’ for ‘pages’.

Months and days

In general usage, neither months nor days should be abbreviated.

States and Territories of Australia

The names of Australia’s States and Territories are abbreviated in general usage, including

correspondence and reports:

NSW Vic Qld WA SA

Tas NT ACT

Initials in names

It is now common practice to omit full stops and spaces between initials in names:

HJW Stokes VS Naipaul

3


CapitalsThe tendency in modern English is to avoid initial capitals where possible. Use initial

capitals for personal names, nationalities, languages, organisations, titles, places, events,

conferences, brand names and legislation, but test your use of capitals in other contexts

to see if they are really needed. See the Style Manual for detailed advice.

Government audience

AusAID’s preferred practice is to use initial capitals for the following words in material

aimed at a Government audience:

Cabinet

Commonwealth department, but Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Director General

Federal

Government

Minister

Ministerial

Minute

Parliamentary Secretary

Parliament

Post

Prime Minister

State

Territory

Broad external audience

When writing for an external audience, some of the words listed above need not be

capitalised:

a federal government initiative

several government departments

the Australian and New Zealand governments

Brochures were distributed throughout the state.

Publication titles

There are two main systems for capitalising the titles of books and similar publications:

maximal (the capitalisation of the first letter of all the main words in the title except for

articles, prepositions and conjunctions); and minimal (the capitalisation of the first letter of

the first word of the title and any other words that would normally bear an initial capital).


AusAID’s preferred style is to use maximal capitalisation for titles of publications and

minimal capitalisation for subtitles, chapters and articles:

Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 5th edition, chapter 9, ‘Notes, references and bibliographies’

PunctuationPunctuation helps to make the meaning of your text as clear as possible. Too little or too

much may mislead or distract your reader. The current trend is towards less punctuation

rather than more.

Full stops

Following are some examples of when full stops should not be used:

➔ at the end of a title of a book or chapter

➔ after headings and subheadings

➔ after captions that are not complete sentences

➔ after dates or signatures

➔ within or after abbreviations consisting of more than one capital letter

➔ after contractions (see above ‘Abbreviations, contractions and acronyms’).

The Style Manual gives a more comprehensive list.

The correct typographical style is to type only one space after full stops. The practice of

two spaces derives from the days of manual typewriters, which used monospaced

characters (ie all characters took up the same amount of space – eg Courier). Electronic

typesetting can use proportionally spaced fonts such as Times New Roman, so that a

full stop uses only a small space (compared with, say, a W). This allows the eye to easily

recognise a single space after a full stop as the end of a sentence.

Commas

It is sometimes tempting to use a comma when it is not strictly necessary. You should use

a comma only to indicate a definite pause or where it is needed to aid meaning by

separating text.

The Style Manual describes the use of commas in detail.

Commas should be used before and not after ‘eg’ and ‘ie’:

Sometimes the situation may dictate otherwise, eg in PNG and Pacific programs.

Quotation marks

Single quotation marks should be used in all AusAID communications and publications.

Double quotation marks should be reserved for quotations within quotations.

3


In all internal and external writing ‘smart’ or ‘curly’ quotes are preferred. You can set

Microsoft Word to produce smart quotes automatically. If you do not have smart quotes

set as a default, under the Tools menu select AutoCorrect, and then click on the tab

AutoFormat As You Type. Under Replace As You Type, check the box Straight quotes

with Smart quotes. Smart quotes will then appear automatically for apostrophes and

quotation marks when you use the ‘ key.

In general writing, technical terms, colloquial words, nicknames, slang and humorous

words are enclosed in quotation marks when first used:

Economists describe this as the ‘trickle-down effect’.

Following the civil unrest, John’s project was a ‘hot potato’.

Overuse of this practice should be avoided.

Italics rather than quotation marks or underlining should be used for titles of books,

journals, exhibitions and newspapers. Quotation marks are used when citing titles of

chapters and articles.

For further advice on the use of quotation marks and their position in relation to

punctuation marks, see the Style Manual.

Apostrophes

Great uncertainty surrounds the use of the apostrophe. Its principal use is to indicate

possession:

the director’s desk (the desk of one director)

the directors’ desks (the desks of several directors)

The apostrophe is needed to indicate possession with nouns only. The pronouns his, hers,

its, theirs and yours are already possessive and do not need an apostrophe. A common

error is to write it’s for its, or vice versa. It’s is a contraction for ‘it is’, and its is a

possessive pronoun as in ‘the dog slipped its collar’.

The other use for the apostrophe is to indicate a contraction, eg don’t for ‘do not’.

Another common error is to include apostrophes in numerical plurals and in plural

abbreviations:

1990s not 1990’s

NGOs not NGO’s

For other examples of the use of apostrophes, see the Style Manual.

Hyphens

AusAID follows the trend to minimal hyphenation. Use the Macquarie Dictionary to

confirm the correct spelling.

The Style Manual covers in detail when to use hyphens in complex and compound words.


Hyphens should be used in compound constructions, such as:

a 30-year-old man

a three-year project

a government-owned facility

disease-free status

For some compound words, a hyphen is used when the term is used as an adjective, but

not used when the term is used adverbially:

long-term projects require … (adjectival use)

in the long term some projects will … (adverbial use)

General rules on hyphenation and word division can be found in the Style Manual and

the Collins Gem Dictionary of Spelling & Word Division, Collins, London, 1988.

En rules

An en rule (–) is the width of the letter ‘N’ in the font being used (slightly longer than a

hyphen). The shortcut key to insert an en rule is Ctrl+Num- (press Ctrl and the minus key

on the number pad section of your keyboard at the same time). If Microsoft Word is set

up to do so, you can also obtain the en rule by pressing the hyphen key twice, followed

by a space.

En rules should be used to indicate ranges in spans of figures and in expressions relating

to time or distance, and to join subjects of equal weight:

pages 306–7

in the period April–June

2000–01 financial year (not 2000/01)

federal–state agreement (for external audiences)

For spans of more than one calendar year, use an en rule or words:

the period 2000–03

from 1992 to 1998

between 1998 and 2001

For spans of more than one financial year, use words:

from 1992–93 to 1998–99

between 1998–99 and 2000–01

Spaced en rules (an en rule with a space each side) should be used to link subjects of two

or more words expressing a single entity:

Commonwealth – New South Wales agreement

Liberal Party – National Party coalition

Viet Nam – Australia agreement

3


En rules instead of dashes

An em rule (—) is a dash the width of the letter ‘M’ that is traditionally used in sentences

to signify an abrupt change, to introduce an amplification or explanation and to set apart

parenthetical elements. AusAID style is to use a spaced en rule instead of an em rule:

Some projects – such as the women’s health initiative in Sri Lanka – would be ofinterest to several program areas.

Round brackets, square brackets and angle brackets

(Round brackets) or parentheses should be used to enclose information that could be left

out of the text without affecting the clarity, but when included provides further

explanation.

[Square brackets] are used to indicate additions, usually by someone other than the

author, eg explanations of terms or corrections.

<Angle brackets> have gained prominence in recent years as a distinctive device for

enclosing email and web addresses:

For details of the program, contact Radio National <abc.net.au/rn>.

Colons and semicolons

Colons and semicolons are in decline, although they have their uses. Often colons and

semicolons are used to break up long sentences. Shorter sentences eliminate the need for

them. See below ‘Dot points (bulleted lists)’ for advice on using colons in lists. For advice

on other uses of colons and semicolons, see the Style Manual.

Points of ellipsis

The three points of ellipsis (…) are used mostly to mark the omission of words in quoted

material. Only three points are used and no punctuation mark precedes or follows them.

Slashes

A slash (/) is used to indicate alternatives, a fraction in mathematical expressions and the

words per, a or an:

yes/no male/female video tapes and/or CD-ROMs

(x + y)/(a + b) 60 km/h 1800 kJ/d $25 000/yr

EmphasisEmphasis of particular words is sometimes necessary to aid a reader’s understanding. A

number of typographic devices can be used to emphasise words. Upper-case text

(especially bold upper case) and larger point size can make text difficult to read, so using

these character styles for emphasis may defeat your purpose.


AusAID style in publications for external audiences is to emphasise by using italics or,

where the text is already in italics, bold italics. Underlining should not be used in hard-

copy publications as this is now a standard way to indicate a hyperlink. Bold type may

be used to draw attention to a word in, for example, a speech.

Repeated use of any emphasising device can become laborious for the reader, so use such

devices with care. Emphasis can often be conveyed by the structure of the sentence rather

than typographical devices.

Use italics to indicate when a word is being used as an example:

To search by keyword:

Type Vanuatu and press Enter.

Quotation marks can be used to draw attention to technical terms:

The new guide will define publishing terms such as ‘print run’ and ‘mock-up’.

In internal communications, to draw attention to particular words make them bold such

as ‘Attachment A’. Bold can also be used for headings and warnings:

ATTENTION

This document case contains classified material.

Do not leave it on an unattended desk. Pass by hand only.

Such emphasis should always be used sparingly. Avoid making entire paragraphs bold. To

do so detracts from readability. It is better to use bold for select words, phrases or, at

most, sentences.

Dot points (bulleted lists)When you need to present a lot of interconnected information in correspondence or

reports, setting it out in bulleted lists makes it easier to understand. But do not overuse

lists. Sometimes it is better to write a series of short sentences.

Try to limit lists to a readable five or six points. You may need to rewrite sections and

regroup points to do this. There is no need to use letters or roman numerals in

parentheses to enumerate the items in the list – ie do not use (a), (b), (c) or (i), (ii), (iii).

Create a List Bullet style and apply it consistently (see ‘List Bullet’ in chapter 4, ‘Parts of

a publication and layout’).

Punctuating dot points

SHORT LISTS

A list of points that are short phrases or clauses and form part of a lead-in sentence is

introduced by a colon and finished with a full stop, with each point starting with lower

case (unless the first word requires an initial capital):

3


In 1997–98 the objectives of the program were to:

• promote sustainable development

• alleviate poverty

• promote understanding of the program.

LONG LISTS

A list of points that are longer than one line and form part of a lead-in sentence are also

introduced by a colon and finished with a full stop, with each point starting with lower

case (unless the first word requires an initial capital). But in this case ‘and’ preceded by a

comma appears at the end of the second-last point:

To further strengthen the contracting and tendering function, AusAID:

• consolidated the major contracting sections into a branch to ensure quality andconsistency

• initiated a comprehensive review of its contracts and related documentation to ensurethey reflect best practice and current legal requirements

• introduced financial assessment of firms’ (due diligence) procedures into the tenderassessment process to ensure firms are financially capable of implementing AusAIDprojects, and

• established a process of consultation with a group of major private sector contractors tofacilitate interaction on AusAID’s contracting arrangements.

For a list on points that are single sentences or short paragraphs, each point should start

with an initial capital letter and finish with a full stop:

There are a number of simple rules you can follow when you are using IT equipment.

• Make sure that your hands are clean and free from grease from food and hand creams.

• Make sure your hands are never wet when you handle CD-ROMs.

• Make sure you back up large files or files with a large number of graphics embedded inthem just in case they get corrupted.

If necessary rewrite your text to ensure that each item in a list is structured in the same

way. A list should not have a mixture of full sentences, single words and short phrases.

DatesDates should be written in the following format:

3 February 2000

The word ‘the’ should not precede the date, nor should you use ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd,

3rd, etc). If the name of the day is included it should precede the date and be followed by

a comma:

The appointment was for Thursday, 21 March 2002.

If you need to express a date entirely in figures, such as in a table, use full stops rather

than slashes (8.3.02 not 8/3/02). Keep in mind that a North American audience may

misinterpret the date if written in this format, so spelling out the date in full is preferred

to avoid confusion. For more detail, see the Style Manual.


Numbers and currencyFigures or words?

Whether numbers are expressed in figures or in words depends on the context. The aim is

to be clear and consistent. If you are providing statistical information it is better to use

figures. If your work is of a descriptive or narrative nature, words might be more

appropriate.

Generally, smaller numbers are spelt out and larger numbers are given as figures, but the

context may dictate otherwise. For example, in narrative or descriptive work it is

preferable to use words instead of figures. A sentence should never begin with a figure:

Twenty-five years ago such an approach was unheard of.

As a general rule, spell out words up to and including nine, and use figures thereafter. To

avoid confusion you should use figures in the text if you are using several numbers or if

you want the numbers to stand out for the sake of comparison:

AusAID administered 40 aid projects in Papua New Guinea and 9 in Bangladesh.

Where numbers occur consecutively, expressing one as a word and one as a figure will

aid comprehension:

There are three 5-year projects.

In any kind of writing, the following should almost always be given in figures:

Sums of money: $45.50, 52c, $10.00 or $10, $10 000, US$5 million

Percentages: 5 per cent (5% in a table)

Dates: 7 August 2001

Times: 10.30 am, 72 hours

Weights and measures: 120 kg, 50 g, 16 metres, 5 mm

Dollar amounts are taken to be Australian dollars unless specified otherwise. If other

dollar currencies are mentioned, distinguish the dollars:

A$5000 US$52 000

For Ministerial information, amounts should always be given in Australian dollars.

Thousands

As budget documents used by AusAID do not consistently follow any style either

internally or across documents, we recommend using the Style Manual for guidance.

Following a recommendation by the Metric Conversion Board in 1974, the use of spaces

instead of commas to separate groups of digits was accepted as the general standard for

use in Commonwealth government publications.

When figures need to line up as in tables, numbers with four or more digits are set with a

space before each group of three figures:

1 000 19 920 1 220 000

3


In text, four-digit numbers are set without a space. For numbers with more that four

digits include a non-breaking space (Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar) between the groups of digits:

The project directly influenced 4500 people out of a target group of 10 250.

In contractual documents AusAID separates each group of three digits with a comma.

Linking numbers

Expressions that link numbers and nouns should be hyphenated:

four-stage program

30-year-old unexploded ordnance

11/2-year-old (not one-and-a-half-year-old)

one-third

Telephone numbers

Telephone and fax numbers should be written with the following spacing and punctuation:

STD numbers (02) 6206 1234

Mobile 0418 123 456

Special networks 132 345

Freecall 1800 123 456

International code +61 2 6206 1234

For more detail on how to express numbers, see the Style Manual.

Electronic addressesInternet addresses are commonly known as ‘URLs’ (uniform resource locators). They

consist of the method of access (eg http (hypertext transfer protocol) or ftp (file transfer

protocol)), a colon followed by a double slash, the online source (eg www), then the

address of the computer in which the data or service is located.

For brevity, AusAID style is to omit the http:// prefix from all URLs. Whenever you type a

URL beginning with www, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator

automatically enter the http:// prefix.

When citing Internet and email addresses, the spelling, spacing and punctuation of the

addresses should be reproduced exactly:

www.ausaid.gov.au

[email protected]

Full stops should not be used to close a sentence that ends with an email or Internet

address because this can confuse inexperienced users – they may think the full stop is

part of the address. It is a good idea to enclose an email or Internet address in angle

brackets (see above ‘Round brackets, square brackets and angle brackets’). Internet and

email addresses enclosed in angle brackets can be broken at the end of a line after a

punctuation mark.


Internet and email addresses that are hyperlinked can be highlighted in colour, bold – not

italics – or underlined. Do not use underlining in hard-copy publications. See ‘Style and

format’ in appendix D, ‘Writing and preparing information for AusAID’s website’, for

guidelines on how to prepare text files to be converted to HTML.

Footnotes and referencesThe preferred system for referencing within AusAID is the note system. This places full

acknowledgment of sources within footnotes (or endnotes). The Style Manual explains

this system.

Generally speaking, promotional material has endnotes so that they do not interfere with

the overall design, whereas reports and scholarly works have footnotes where the

evidence supporting a statement can be seen immediately.

Numbering may run consecutively through the whole publication or restart in each

chapter. The system you adopt will depend on the size of the document and the number

of notes.

The note identifiers should be placed at the end of the sentence to which they relate (after

the full stop) rather than immediately after the particular word or phrase.

SpellingNowhere is the instability of the English language more evident than in spelling. A few

years ago the word ‘barbecue’ was regarded as the correct spelling. Now, ‘barbeque’ has

found its way into dictionaries as an alternative spelling.

Spelling should be consistent within a document and follow the most recent edition of

the Macquarie Dictionary, which reflects common Australian usage. If there are

alternative spellings in the dictionary, use the first. In particular you should note the

preference for ‘-ise’ rather than ‘-ize’ in words such as ‘realise’, and for ‘-our’ rather than

‘or’ in words such as ‘colour’ and ‘harbour’.

The full name of any official body should always be spelt exactly as the body itself spells

it. For example, in the title ‘the Australian Security Intelligence Organization’ the ‘z’

should not be replaced by an ‘s’. Use the Commonwealth Government Directory or the

Government On-Line Directory (GOLD) <gold.directory.gov.au/tmpl/s.html> to check the

spelling of Commonwealth department names, and the names of officers and Members of

Parliament.

Always check the spelling in your draft before printing. The spelling tool in software can

be used but ensure it is set to Australian English. Note that this tool will not distinguish

between your text and quotations, and will not identify wrong but correctly spelled

words (eg alternate instead of alternative, or practise instead of practice). Also, it is not

based on the Macquarie Dictionary. See appendix F, ‘Difficult and preferred spellings’.

http://www.gold.directory.gov.au/tmpl/s.html

4

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Parts of a publication and layout 33

Parts of a publicationand layout

Conventionally, a publication consists of a cover enclosing preliminary pages (prelims),

the text and end matter. The prelims may include the title page and its reverse, the

contents list and other matter such as a foreword, a preface, a list of abbreviations and

an introduction/summary, all of which helps the reader to understand the publication’s

purpose. The text is the key part of the publication and is usually divided into chapters

and sections within chapters, which include paragraphs, tables, charts and other graphic

material. The end matter may consist of appendixes, a glossary, a bibliography and

an index.

For most publications with an external audience, a designer will make layout and type

decisions in accordance with AusAID’s corporate design (see chapter 6, ‘Corporate

design’). But sometimes the content of a publication is produced in-house and only the

cover is designed externally. Whatever the case the following general guidelines will

assist you to produce a good document that will suit internal readers and assist your

designer to come up with an appropriate design covering all parts of a publication.

Cover (front and back)In general, the front cover carries title details, the Commonwealth Arms, the AusAID logo

and alongside the logo, the following text:

The Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Agency

The AusAID logo can also appear on the back cover. The back cover should also have a

short, simple paragraph or two about the contents of the publication (even if it is a

standard paragraph about AusAID and its role), the ISBN, the full name of the Agency,

AusAID’s contact information including the Internet address, and Canberra Mailing’s

contact details.

If the publication has a spine width of 5 mm or more, its title and the AusAID logo

should appear on the spine (logo at the bottom). Your designer will advise on setting.

For more information on the use of colour, logos and the Commonwealth Arms, see

chapter 6, ‘Corporate design’. For examples of covers, see appendix G, ‘Sample designs’.


Preliminary pages (prelims)You need to consider the number and type of prelims (eg title page, contents list,

foreword, preface and introduction/summary) needed. They should not outweigh the text

of the publication. For further advice on preliminary pages, see the Style Manual.

Title page

A title page should include the title and subtitle if there is one, the date of publication

(month and year) and, at the bottom of the page, the AusAID logo and beside it the

Agency’s full name, Australian Agency for International Development, as the publisher’s

imprint.

The names of staff members involved in writing text in AusAID publications should not

normally appear on the title page (or the cover or the reverse of the title page), so that

AusAID is identified as the author. The content is the Agency’s statement of its activities,

policy or advice, not that of individuals employed by the Agency. PAG can provide

advice on these issues.

If AusAID commissioned outside authors to write the material, their names and

affiliation(s) are included on the title page.

A title page may not be necessary if the final number of pages in the document does not

warrant one.

Reverse of title page

The next page following the title page (or the cover if there is no title page) should

normally include:

➔ a copyright statement

➔ if necessary, the standard AusAID disclaimer for publications funded by AusAID but

produced by non-AusAID bodies

➔ an acknowledgment of author(s) if not AusAID staff

➔ the ISSN (if appropriate) and the ISBN

➔ AusAID’s contact information including its Internet address

➔ acknowledgment of the editor, designer and printer.

COPYRIGHT

The Commonwealth claims copyright on all material written by its employees in the

course of their employment whether published or unpublished. Contracts prepared for

people or organisations who produce written work for AusAID should include a

requirement to this effect.

All copies of a work published with the authority of the copyright owner are required to

include the symbol © accompanied by the name of the copyright owner and the year of

publication. This should be located so that it is noticeable. The Commonwealth of

Australia conforms to this requirement.

AusAID publications should carry a full copyright notice. There are several variations.

4


The standard notice follows.

© Commonwealth of Australia [year]

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, nopart may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from theCommonwealth available from the Department of Communications, Information Technologyand the Arts. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressedto the Manager, Copyright Services, Info Access, GPO Box 2154, Canberra ACT 2601 or [email protected].

The following variation of the standard copyright notice protects the interests of the

Commonwealth of Australia and allows Internet users to use the information.


This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material inunaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or usewithin your organisation. All other rights are reserved. Requests and inquiries concerningreproduction and rights should be addressed to the Manager, Copyright Services, Info Access,GPO Box 2154, Canberra ACT 2601 or email [email protected].

The following variation of the standard copyright notice protects the interests of the

Commonwealth of Australia and allows free access to the information, particularly for

educational purposes.


This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or trainingpurposes subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source and no commercialusage or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than those indicated above require the priorwritten permission from the Commonwealth available from the Department ofCommunications, Information Technology and the Arts. Requests and inquiries concerningreproduction and rights should be addressed to the Manager, Copyright Services, Info Access,GPO Box 2154, Canberra ACT 2601 or email [email protected].

For updates and variations to copyright notices, contact Copyright Services of Info Access

<[email protected]>. The Style Manual provides an explanation of the

law relating to publishing.

DISCLAIMER, ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND CONTACT INFORMATION

If a disclaimer is appropriate, use the following wording:

The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those ofthe Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

If an acknowledgment is appropriate, use the following wording:

A [project implemented or publication produced] by the [name of non-AusAID body] andsupported by funding from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID),the Australian Government’s overseas aid agency.

http://[email protected]


The remaining text for the reverse of the title page is as follows:

ISBN [insert number here – see below]

Published by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Canberra,[month, year]Edited by [name of editor, if any]Designed by [name of designer, if any]Set in [typefaces used – designer to complete]Printed in [country] by [name of printer – printer to complete]

For further information, contact:[Authoring section name]GPO Box 887Canberra ACT 2601

Phone 02 6206 xxxx [authoring section phone number]Fax 02 6206 xxxx [authoring section fax number]Internet www.ausaid.gov.au

ISBN AND ISSN

An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 10-digit product number (eg ISBN 0

642 76305 4) used by publishers, booksellers and libraries for ordering, listing and stock

control purposes. It enables them to identify a particular publisher and a specific edition

of a specific title in a specific format.

An ISBN should be allocated to printed books and pamphlets; microfiche publications;

book readings on cassette and educational videos; multimedia kits containing printed

material; educational computer software; and online publications. In general, a

publication must be ‘book-like’ to receive an ISBN. Websites do not qualify. A publicity

brochure does not need an ISBN.

An ISBN must be allocated to whole kits (eg a CD-ROM with accompanying booklet). If

any part is available separately, a separate ISBN must be allocated to each part and to the

kit as a whole.

Reprints do not require new ISBNs, but new editions do. In general, new ISBNs should be

allocated when there will be:

➔ a new title

➔ a new publisher

➔ a new format (eg hardback to paperback, or A4 to A5 size)

➔ more than 5 per cent change in content.

New ISBNs should not be allocated when there will be:

➔ a new cover design

➔ a new price

➔ a new marketing strategy.

An ISBN should appear on the back cover as well as the reverse of the title page. PAG

has purchased a block of ISBNs for AusAID. To obtain an ISBN, see the Publications Unit

manager.

4


To obtain more information on ISBNs, contact:

ISBN Agency

18 Salmon Street (Locked Bag 20)

Port Melbourne Victoria 3207 Australia

Phone: (03) 9245 7385

Fax: (03) 9245 7393

Email: [email protected]

Internet: www.thorpe.com.au/isbn/isbn.htm

The ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is a unique code for identifying serial

publications. The ISSN is the serial equivalent of the ISBN.

A serial is a publication made up of a number of parts issued in sequence and linked by a

common title. Usually each part bears an issue number and/or date. Serials are intended

to continue indefinitely, and include periodicals (eg Business Review Weekly), newspapers,

newsletters, annual reports, yearbooks, directories and journals.

Monographs that have their own titles as well as a collective or series title (eg

International Development Issues) are also a type of serial. Normally all books in the

series are issued by the same publisher in a uniform style and usually in a numerical

sequence. The series title of a monographic series is eligible for an ISSN.

Serials can be published in printed form or in a range of alternative formats including

microfiche, microfilm, CD-ROM and online. Serials in all formats are eligible for the

allocation of an ISSN. Where a serial is published in more than one medium, a separate

ISSN is required for each format.

The ISSN should appear in a prominent position on each issue, ie near the title or

publisher details. The number should always be printed in two groups of four digits

separated by a hyphen.

For monographic series the ISSN should appear with the ISBN, usually on the reverse of

the title page, in the following order:

ISSN 0813-4332ISBN 0 642 99255 X

To obtain more information on ISSNs, contact:

Australian ISSN Agency

National Library of Australia

Canberra ACT 2600

Phone: (02) 6262 1213

Fax: (02) 6273 4492


Internet: www.nla.gov.au/services/issn.html

Foreword

Many AusAID publications require a foreword by either the Minister or the Parliamentary

Secretary. In general, the Minister signs forewords. The Parliamentary Secretary will,

however, wish to sign some forewords. The Minister’s or Parliamentary Secretary’s

photograph and signature should accompany a foreword. These can be obtained

electronically from PAG.


Types of publication requiring a foreword

Ministerial forewords Parliamentary Secretary forewords

Overviews on the aid program Demining

Strategy publications NGO issues

Sectoral policy statements Volunteers

Program profiles Literacy/education

Business publications Outreach

Other priority policy issues

Types of publication that do not require a foreword

Evaluations

Research

Briefing documents

Country profiles

Internet-only publications

Small leaflets and flyers

Posts’ publications (which are not to be cleared by the Parliamentary Secretary but aresubmitted for information prior to distribution to external audiences)

Global education curriculum texts

General outreach materials, calendars, etc

The Minister’s office will need to clear a foreword and authorise the use of the Minister’s

or the Parliamentary Secretary’s signature block. For details of clearance processes, see

chapter 5, ‘Publication and Ministerial clearances’.

Contents list

The list (or table) of contents needs only the simple heading ‘Contents’. It sets out the

publication’s main divisions and subdivisions as a broad guide to the reader. Its detail

generally should not extend beyond three heading levels.

Preface

A preface is usually written by the authors. It contains any information about the

preparation of the report that the authors consider necessary for readers, including

acknowledgments if these are not extensive.

4


TextHeadings

Headings are used to guide readers to the contents that follow. They should aid readers’

comprehension rather than confuse or intrigue them. Headings should be short and clear,

relevant to the text that follows, and presented in a clear typographical hierarchy that

indicates order of importance.

The following are some general principles for formatting headings.

➔ Other than in Ministerials, do not use underlining – bold or italic are better ways to

draw attention.

➔ Use upper case sparingly and only for short headings.

➔ Do not use large point sizes (ie above 16 pt) except on signs and notices that need to

be read at a distance.

➔ Use a layout that reduces the need for punctuation:

Department of Government Business

ANNUAL REPORT

2000–01

rather than:

Department of Government Business: Annual Report – 2000–01

Establish a hierarchy of headings by setting styles in Microsoft Word to give your work a

consistent structure. A style sheet will enable you to produce a consistently formatted

document faster and to generate a table of contents. It will also greatly assist the Internet

Unit if your text is to be converted to web pages.

All five levels of heading below in the example of a very simple style sheet that you

could establish will rarely be required, because in most written work only two or three

levels of heading are necessary. The first three heading styles are the default heading

styles in a document generated from Word’s Normal template.

Heading 1 Font: Arial, 14 pt, bold, lower case, minimalcapitalisationParagraph: Alignment left, spacing before 12 pt, spacing after 3 pt, line spacingsingle, keep with next

Heading 2 Font: Arial, 12 pt, bold italic, lower case, minimalcapitalisationParagraph: Alignment left, spacing before 12 pt, spacing after 3 pt, line spacingsingle, keep with next

Heading 3 Font: Arial, 12 pt, lower case, minimal capitalisationParagraph: Alignment left, spacing before 12 pt, spacing after 3 pt, line spacingsingle, keep with next

Heading 4 Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, bold, lower case,minimal capitalisationParagraph: Alignment left, spacing before 12 pt, spacing after 0 pt, line spacingsingle, keep with next


Heading 5 Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, italic, lower case,minimal capitalisationParagraph: Alignment left, spacing before 12 pt, spacing after 0 pt, line

spacing single, keep with next

Body Text Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, regularParagraph: Alignment left, spacing before 9 pt, spacing after 0 pt, line

spacing at least 15 pt, Widow/Orphan control

List Bullet • Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, regularParagraph: Alignment left, hanging 0.6 cm, spacing before 4 pt, spacing

after 0 pt, line spacing at least 15 pt, bulleted, tab 0.6 cm, Widow/Orphan

control

‘Minimal capitalisation’ means you should capitalise only the first letter of the first word

and any noun that is normally capitalised, eg names.

Always use the headings in a consistent and hierarchical way. Do not use full stops after

headings and subheadings. Do not use underlining in headings.

Larger sizes can be used for titles and subtitles and in signs and notices. A contrasting

typeface, eg Arial black, may also be appropriate for signs and posters. For further

information on typography, see the Style Manual.

Text styles

For the majority of documents, AusAID style is for text to be set flush on the left (no first

line indent) and ragged right, and presented in one column only. Two or more columns

may be necessary in tables, graphs and other special content.

When preparing a document – whether for internal distribution only or ultimately for

external audiences (after design input), body text should be in Times New Roman, 12

point (see above Body Text style). Smaller point sizes may be used in address lists,

diagrams, tables, spreadsheets, indexes and captions, but no smaller than 8 point.

When documents are to be published for external audiences, all text should be typeset –

usually through a design studio – in the corporate fonts (see chapter 6, ‘Corporate

design’, and appendix H, ‘Sample fonts’).

Page breaks

A page should not begin with the last line of a paragraph that begins on the previous

page or end with the first line of a new paragraph. To prevent this in Microsoft Word,

under the Format menu select Paragraph and then the tab Line and Page Break where you

check Widow/Orphan Control. When you use templates paragraph formatting will

automatically prevent ‘widows’ (the final line of a paragraph at the top of a page) and

‘orphans’ (divided words, single lines or headings at the end of a page).

4


The last page of a letter should not begin with the closing salutation and signature block.

If it does, you will have to manipulate the formatted text on the first page of the letter

and add more space between the address and opening salutation. In Minutes, the

Recommendation/Action paragraph should be on the same page as the signature block.

Often it is possible to reduce the number of lines by editing the text and deleting

superfluous words.

MPSU has strict guidelines on formatting Ministerial correspondence, and can advise on

this. See also ‘Writing for Minister(s) and the Parliamentary Secretary’ in chapter 2,

‘Writing and editing’.

Tables and charts

When preparing tables and charts, remove unnecessary clutter such as vertical borders

and grid lines (which are rarely needed) and shading. The advantage of doing this is that

your reader can focus on the key items of data without the distraction of sundry

presentational features.

A sans serif font such as Arial or Helvetica will improve legibility in tables and charts.

Use a smaller font (eg 9 point) than the body of the text and plenty of white space in

tables. See also ‘Simplify tables and statistics’ in chapter 2, ‘Writing and editing’.

Photographs, illustrations, maps and diagrams

The inclusion of graphic material such as photographs, illustrations, maps and diagrams

will greatly improve the appearance of a publication and should be discussed with the

designer at an early stage. Remember to provide any captions required. It is AusAID

publications policy to use captions wherever possible. To avoid gratuitous appropriation

of people’s images, whenever a person’s face is clearly visible in a photograph, that

person should be named in the caption. Generally, captions should be meaningful,

enhancing the reader’s understanding of both the image and the text it illustrates.

AusAID staff wishing to use photographic images in publications can browse the

AusAID photographic library on the intranet. Previews and image details such as caption,

comments, date taken, photographer and source are available for every image. Images

can be searched by subject (categories), eg computers, health care, monsoons and

women’s rights, as well as by custom search words, country, date, etc. For further

information about accessing the photographic library, contact the photographic library

manager in PAG.

All AusAID publications require high-quality images. For information on the technical

requirements of photographic images in AusAID publications, see appendix I,

‘Photography for print and Internet publishing’. See also ‘Images and illustrations’ in

chapter 6, ‘Corporate design’.


End matterAppendixes

Appendixes are generally used for material that is related directly to the text but that is

placed at the end of the text because of its technical or secondary nature. The

typographical style and conventions adopted for appendixes are normally the same as for

the text.

Glossary

A glossary lists and explains technical or unfamiliar words and phrases used in the

publication.

If a glossary is only one page, it may be placed at the end of the preliminary pages (just

before the summary if it is in the preliminary pages) or in the relevant part of the text as

a box. If the glossary is more than a page, it should be included just before the

bibliography.

Bibliography

A bibliography is a list of sources that have been referred to, but not necessarily cited by,

the author(s). If all sources have been acknowledged throughout the work within

footnotes or endnotes, it may not be necessary to include a bibliography. See ‘Footnotes

and references’ in chapter 3, ‘House style in written material’.

If a bibliography is prepared, it should be sorted alphabetically by author’s surname or

institution responsible for the publication. Unlike in footnotes, in bibliographies the

author’s surname precedes the first name or initials. For details, see the Style Manual.

A standard way of citing material sourced from the Internet is to include author or

organisation, title of source and location (URL). See the Style Manual for details on citing

electronic material. See also ‘Electronic addresses’ in chapter 3, ‘House style in written

material’.

Index

An index is an efficient means of locating particular information in a publication. If

readers can find subject matter easily, an index may not be needed. But the value and

usefulness of a publication is enhanced if information can be found quickly and easily

through a good index.

For details on indexing, see the Style Manual.

4


Headers and footersHeaders and footers are the words and/or numerals appearing at the top and bottom of

pages to assist readers to locate material.

Internal communications

In internal communications headers are often used to indicate classification (eg

Unclassified, Confidential, etc). In some cases a header is included in a template, eg

Ministerial submissions). To create a header in a Word document, under the View menu

select Header and Footer.

To assist with version control and the location of documents at draft stage, always create

a footer (View menu, Header and Footer) that includes the autotext ‘Filename and path’.

Remember to delete this information at final draft stage if the document is to be designed

and produced externally or published on the intranet.

Text in headers and footers should be in the same typeface as either body text or

headings, but in italics or smaller sized capitals.

Headers and footers should be at least 1 cm from the top and bottom margins. It is not

necessary to use a horizontal rule (line) to separate headers and footers from the text, but

this device is often used as a design element. Remember to leave at least three points of

space between the header or footer and the rule.

External publications

For external publications, the following is general advice that applies in most instances.

➔ Unless design considerations preclude it, each page should include ‘AusAID’ and the

title of the publication in either the header or footer. This ensures that the source

remains evident when portions are printed/copied and distributed.

➔ The date it was published may be included.

➔ The convention for running headers in books is to put the title of the book or part

title on the left-hand pages and the chapter title on the right-hand pages (the

principle being that the larger part goes on the left). For preliminary pages, the section

(eg Preface) is shown on both left-hand and right-hand pages. But with all printed

AusAID publications now being published electronically it is good practice to include

both the publication’s title and the chapter title on each page.

Page numbers

Page numbers are best placed in the right-justified position on right-hand pages and left-

justified on left-hand pages, although it is acceptable to have them centred. They should

appear in the footer of any document longer than one page.

For page numbering purposes, pages are counted from the title page. (For self-covered

brochures, which do not have a title page, counting begins with the cover.) The number

should not be printed on either the title page or the reverse of title page although these

pages are counted. Preliminary pages are numbered using Roman numerals (iii, iv, v, …)

and other pages are numbered with Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, …). Right-hand pages have

odd numbers and left-hand pages have even numbers.

5

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Publication and Ministerial clearances 45

Publication andMinisterial clearances

The authoring section is responsible for the passage of the publication through the

publishing processes. To facilitate clearances, you should discuss all publications with

PAG at the start of the planning process. If there is any possible sensitivity about the

publication’s content, be sure you inform PAG and your branch head.

You are responsible for getting your publication’s content cleared within your

branch/division prior to the Minister’s or the Parliamentary Secretary’s clearance.

Forward Publications PlanAll publications are subject to approval as part of AusAID’s annual Forward Publications

Plan. PAG prepares this plan (which is revised quarterly) to ensure the optimal mix of

publications to realise the aims of the Agency’s Communications Strategy.

The plan is endorsed by AusAID’s Executive and submitted to the Minister and the

Parliamentary Secretary for information and for their agreement to specific publication

clearances. This agreement constitutes advance Ministerial clearance for all publications

denoted as not recommended for forewords or further Ministerial clearance. That is, most

publications without Ministerial forewords that are approved at this stage will not need to

be resubmitted for clearance.

This simplified clearance process addresses the concerns of the Minister and the

Parliamentary Secretary, reduces the chance of expensive and time-consuming late

changes to publications, and makes the job of publishing easier.

If you wish to add a publication to the Forward Publications Plan, you must have your

branch head’s support, and the relevant branch head and/or DDG approval to publish.

Also you must advise PAG of your intentions by completing and submitting a Publication

Advice Form (see below ‘Publication Advice Form’). PAG will then include the publication

when it revises the Forward Publications Plan.

It is preferable, however, for publications to be planned well in advance of the start of the

publishing process so that they appear in the Forward Publications Plan submitted to the

Executive, the Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary.

Publication Advice FormThe start of the publishing process is marked by the submission of a completed Publication

Advice Form (see a copy at the end of this guide) to the Publications Unit (see also

‘Checklist and timeline’ in chapter 1, ‘Publishing for different audiences’). PAG will retain


this form. Its purpose is to help ensure that AusAID publications are consistent with the

Communications Strategy and correspond to the approved Forward Publications Plan.

When does the Minister and/or the Parliamentary Secretarywish to clear publications? Publications that have forewords by the Minister or the Parliamentary Secretary require

their respective clearance, as do other publications noted specifically for clearance by the

Minister or the Parliamentary Secretary in the Forward Publications Plan. All proposed

publications submitted to the Minister for clearance are also submitted to the

Parliamentary Secretary for information.

Minister

The Minister/Minister’s office wishes to clear all publications requiring a Ministerial

foreword as well as those addressing sensitive or highly visible issues. Branch heads

should decide whether a Ministerial foreword/clearance is necessary. After determining

what clearances you will need, check with MPSU on the availability of the Minister for

clearances.

For information on which publications require a foreword, see ‘Foreword’ in chapter 4,

‘Parts of a publication and layout’.

If a Ministerial foreword is required/proposed, prepare a Ministerial submission,

attaching:

➔ black and white laserprints of the entire text, including the foreword, cleared at

branch or division head level

➔ colour or black and white photocopies of sample illustrative material, and

➔ a similar AusAID publication to show the proposed design style or a colour mock-up

(eg cover and at least four pages).

Forward the submission to MPSU and a copy to PAG, ensuring that tight deadlines are

clearly detailed. MPSU will manage document transfers between AusAID and the

Minister’s office. (Copies are sent to the Parliamentary Secretary and the Trade Minister

through MPSU.)

Allow at least 10 days for clearance by the Minister – longer if the Minister is overseas.

If the Minister does not clear your publication, you should address the noted problems

and make a new submission through MPSU, providing PAG with a copy of the

submission.

Parliamentary Secretary

The Parliamentary Secretary wishes to clear publications prepared for external audiences

that have forewords or quotes by the Parliamentary Secretary as well as those specifically

noted for clearance in the Publications Plan, including all outreach materials. After

determining what clearances you will need, check with MPSU on the availability of the

Parliamentary Secretary for clearances.

5

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Publication and Ministerial clearances 47

For information on which publications require a foreword by the Parliamentary Secretary,

see ‘Foreword’ in chapter 4, ‘Parts of a publication and layout’.

If a Parliamentary Secretary’s foreword is required/proposed, prepare a submission to the

Parliamentary Secretary, attaching:

➔ black and white laserprints of the entire text, including the foreword, cleared at

branch or division head level

➔ colour or black and white photocopies of sample illustrative material

➔ a similar AusAID publication to show the proposed design style or a colour mock-up

(eg cover and at least four pages), and

➔ any additional information on the publication such as a launch/outreach proposal and

relevant documentation (which MPSU will return after clearance).

Forward the submission to MPSU and a copy to PAG, ensuring that tight deadlines are

clearly detailed. MPSU will manage document transfers between AusAID and the office of

the Parliamentary Secretary. (Copies are sent to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the

Trade Minister through MPSU.)

Allow at least 10 days for clearance by the Parliamentary Secretary and a further 10 days

if Ministerial clearance is also required.

If the Parliamentary Secretary does not clear your publication, you should address the

noted problems and make a new submission through MPSU, providing PAG with a copy

of the submission.

Other clearancesAny significant material published by overseas posts should be cleared by the Head of

Mission. PAG should be advised of publishing plans early in the process and be provided

with samples of the publication when completed.

If in doubt about what clearances are required, talk to PAG.

6

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Corporate Design 49

Corporate design

AusAID produces many kinds of publication. It is not practicable to set up design styles

for every kind. For this reason, design parameters have been developed to be adaptable to

different needs.

The design parameters cover such elements as the dimensions of publications; ranges of

colours appropriate to the different kinds of material AusAID publishes; suitable fonts

and font styles; the use and positioning of the AusAID logo, other logos and the

Commonwealth Arms; and other design issues. They allow generic use of corporate colour

schemes and font ranges to accomplish the task of achieving a corporate look (see

appendix G, ‘Sample designs’, and appendix H, ‘Sample fonts’). You use the design

parameters to brief designers and printers.

RationaleThe range of design used for AusAID publications for external audiences shows how

uniformity of style has created a ‘look’ that enables AusAID publications to stand out in

their field. This uniformity should not be seen as a constraint to creativity. It should free

authors and editors to focus on the task of producing relevant and accurate documents.

The consistency and continuity of design style has become an asset to the

Communications Strategy, as has AusAID’s approach to writing, editing and house style

covered in other chapters in this guide. AusAID’s corporate style overall aims to promote

the feeling within readers that they are being given the best information available.

Corporate coloursAusAID’s corporate colours are demonstrated in recent publications and outreach material

including fact sheets, interactive displays and info cubes.

The colour palette for AusAID has a primary suite of six harmonious colours and a

secondary suite of five colours, providing great flexibility. They were selected to ensure

that best results are achieved in terms of AusAID branding.

The designer you elect to work with will help you to select good colour combinations.

The colours allow considerable variation in tint and tone.


Primary suite

PMS 131 (AusAID gold) C0, M27, Y100, K9

PMS 174 (rust red) C0, M69, Y100, K38

PMS 5275 (blue/purple) C72, M56, Y0, K38

PMS 5405 (AusAID blue/teal) C72, M15, Y0, K56

PMS 5753 (olive) C27, M0, Y79, K65

PMS Warm Gray 10 (grey/bronze) C0, M15, Y27, K56

Secondary suite

PMS 166 (orange) C0, M67, Y100, K0

PMS 215 (deep pink) C0, M100, Y35, K27

PMS 383 (green) C20, M0, Y100, K25

PMS 633 (aqua blue) C100, M0, Y10, K25

PMS 258 (purple) C43, M76, Y0, K0

CoversThe integrity of the corporate look is associated with quality, not excess. The front cover

designs allocate a position for each element – the Commonwealth Arms, the title, a

subtitle, a series title, image(s), a date, the AusAID logo and the tagline ‘The Australian

Government’s Overseas Aid Agency’. These elements are given a position that relates to

their importance in understanding the function of the publication. Each has been

accommodated for several different sizes of publication encompassing a considerable

range of copy lengths.

The Commonwealth Arms, logo and tagline cannot be moved. The Commonwealth Arms

should always be in its defined position (upper left of page) and the AusAID logo in its

(bottom of page, right of centre). The tagline must always appear with the logo, which

should be placed in a box and printed either solid on a tint or reversed out. Both the

Commonwealth Arms and the logo should always appear in the proportions with which

they were designed – never skewed or stretched.

See appendix G, ‘Sample designs’ for more information about positioning the

Commonwealth Arms and the logo.

The AusAID logo may appear on the back cover of the publication as well as the front

cover, along with other details (see ‘Cover (front and back)’ in chapter 4, ‘Parts of a

publication and layout’).

6


Spine colours

AusAID publications have been divided into five representative groups and each has been

allocated a distinguishing spine colour from the primary suite:

Policy Government/AusAID statements of intention PMS 5275 (blue/purple)

policy, including publications arising out of

or country strategy documents

Outcomes Statements of outcomes/activities, including PMS 174 (rust red)

program profiles

General General information on aid for the general PMS 5405

public/stakeholders (AusAID blue/teal)

Research Research studies on sectoral and specific PMS 5753 (olive)

regional program issues

Evaluation and Evaluations and quality control issues for PMS Warm Gray 10

quality issues agency/stakeholders (grey/bronze)

A colour bar runs the length of the spine of a publication, wrapping around from the

front to the back cover. This adds a distinctive feature to the publication when it appears

on the bookshelf, distinguishing one group of publications from another.

The bar is in two parts. The top smaller bar is a constant colour – AusAID gold

(PMS 131) if printing full colour or black if printing two colours. The longer bar is the

colour that defines a particular publication group – policy, outcomes, etc.

Images and illustrations

It is preferable to use a single illustration or photograph on the cover. Its subject should

be carefully defined and be the focus of attention. The image can be cropped if necessary.

A single image is both striking and memorable. It encourages the reader to remember a

particular publication on a particular subject.

AusAID has a good photographic library and this should be accessed whenever possible.

See ‘Photographs, illustrations, maps and diagrams’ in chapter 4, ‘Parts of a publication

and layout’.

The use of illustrations should be carefully monitored to avoid overuse and to ensure a

reasonable standard of quality. The artwork for AusAID’s 1999 and 2001 calendars was

produced by Franki Sparke, a Canberra-based professional illustrator. AusAID owns the

copyright to the Sparke artwork that is reproduced in AusAID’s publications and outreach

material. This artwork is available for use by the Agency.

Captions

It is AusAID policy to caption photographs where possible. Captions should be

meaningful, enhancing the reader’s understanding of both the image and the text it

illustrates (see ‘Photographs, illustrations, maps and diagrams’ in chapter 4, ‘Parts of a

publication and layout’.


LogosAusAID logo

The AusAID logo consists of two arcs and title. The arcs should never appear without

‘AusAID’ except as a design element.

All material AusAID publishes for external use should include the AusAID logo as well as

the Commonwealth Arms to identify its source. Electronic versions of the logo, in colour

and black and white, in various formats and resolutions, can be found on the World

Drive in the AusAID_Digital_Masters directory.

The logo should never be traced, redrawn, retypeset or modified in any form, including

adding additional words such as the country or program name. PAG can supply

contractors with digital versions of the AusAID logo.

COLOURS FOR THE AUSAID LOGO

The standard logo colours are PMS 5405 (lettering, blue) and PMS 131 (arcs, gold). The

logo may be reproduced in the range of corporate colours and any of the following

styles:

➔ solid

➔ as a percentage of the colour

➔ ‘reversed out’ (ie white on a solid colour)

➔ black.

The logo should be printed in the specified PMS colours wherever possible. The reverse

logo is a white encapsulated postscript file that can be used against any colour

background. Talk to PAG if you wish to use the logo in this format.

If a designer wishes to alter the colour of the logo to fit in with the design of a

publication, you should obtain prior approval from PAG. PAG should also check the logo

artwork to ensure that it is the correct resolution for the intended medium. Care should

be taken that the correct electronic version of the logo is supplied to the printer.

USE OF THE LOGO IN COMPUTER TEMPLATES

A bitmapped black and white version of the logo is on every personal computer in

AusAID. This is automatically used by the computer to generate the logo image when you

print out any of the forms or templates available on your computer.

The logo used in these templates is not of high enough resolution to be used in

documents that are to be professionally printed.

For any other electronic use of the logo (eg on CD-ROM or the website), PAG can supply

a 72 dpi version at the appropriate size.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND SIGNAGE DURING PROJECTS

All project materials produced by a contractor in the course of conducting a project

should have some form of acknowledgment of the Australian Government as the funding

body/co-funder/supporter of the project. These materials include project signage, any

publications produced in the course of or as part of the contract, and all stationery

including business cards, fax and letterhead that is created for the project.

6


All that is required is the AusAID logo, accompanied by the tagline, ‘The Australian

Government’s Overseas Aid Agency’, or the acknowledgment ‘A project implemented by

[name of contractor] and supported by funding from the Australian Agency for

International Development (AusAID), the Australian Government’s overseas aid agency’,

plus the AusAID logo, depending on the space available on the document, sign, card, etc.

Project contractors may put their logo/insignia on the project materials in addition to the

Australian Government acknowledgment, but not in such a way that the contractor’s

identity masks or diminishes AusAID’s.

Because the Commonwealth Arms is difficult to reproduce with any accuracy it should

not be used in such materials.

AUSTRALIAN IDENTITY (KANGAROO LOGO)

To comply with the expressed wish of the Minister that AusAID projects, activities,

supplies and products be strongly identified as Australian, a new logo has been designed.

It is a stylised outline of a kangaroo and joey, and may be used as a stencil as well as a

logo. To obtain an electronic version of the kangaroo logo or to obtain kangaroo stickers

in a range of sizes, contact the Publications Unit.

INFORMATION FOR POSTS

Posts are entitled to devise their own signage, stickers, etc (but not new logos) for

projects, and are strongly encouraged to do so where this is not a matter of political

sensitivity. As well, it is often appropriate to have signage in the language of the country

concerned.

All signage must use the AusAID logo accompanied by the tagline ‘The Australian

Government’s Overseas Aid Agency’ (this can also appear in the language of the country

concerned) and/or the kangaroo logo. Locally devised logos/emblems may be used where

they have already been developed and are well recognised (eg North Asia’s panda). The

key message of all signage should be that the project, product, structure or vehicle is

from the Australian Government.

The Publications Unit can supply Posts with digital versions of both the AusAID logo and

the kangaroo logo.

TypographyThe typeface Rotis and its associated families are the corporate fonts used in AusAID

publications for external audiences (see appendix H, ‘Sample fonts’). See also ‘Text’ in

chapter 4, ‘Parts of a publication and layout’.

Publication sizesAusAID generally uses the standard range of publication sizes used by the Australian

Government – A4 (297 x 210 mm), B5 (250 x 176 mm) and A5 (210 x 148 mm). We have

introduced one other size, which would be used in the policy range of documents. This is

297 mm high x 200 mm wide. This format is a good cut from standard full sheet paper

but should be used only when the publication is to be printed and bound by a recognised

printing establishment. It is not suitable for instant print or laser printing.


Avoid landscape publications because they are difficult to shelve and difficult to

guillotine accurately because the pages can twist in the collating stage of binding. They

are often awkward to handle when reading.

Contracting a designerBefore engaging a designer, it is important that the content of all parts of the publication

is edited, finalised and cleared, including the cover, preliminary pages, contents list, text,

illustrations and captions, tables, charts and maps, and end matter (see chapter 4, ‘Parts

of a publication and layout’).

The design stage of publishing is not the time for changing text as costs can quickly

escalate and schedules fall over.

A number of graphic designers are now on period contract with AusAID. Full details of

these contractors are available on the intranet. The Contract Services Group can help you

with drafting a services order/EOL. See also appendix B, ‘Example Scope of Services’.

Design brief

Once you have the text cleared for publishing, you can brief the designer, ensuring that

your requirements are fully understood.

PAG can assist you in preparing a design brief. The purpose of the brief is to inform the

designer about the project so that the resulting design meets your requirements and

communicates with your target audience. The brief needs to cover objectives, target

audience, format, content, the number of colours, whether photos/illustrations will be

used, and the standard of printing and the number of copies needed if hard copies are

being produced. It should also include a timetable with payment milestones. The brief will

be the basis for a contract.

It is important that you give your designer the format details for the publication to

ensure that the design meets the set corporate styles for A4, B5, gatefold leaflets and

other sizes. The designers must meet specifications relating to sizes, proportions,

positioning of the logo and the Commonwealth Arms, typography and colour schemes.

See appendix G, ‘Sample designs’, and seek advice from the Publications Unit.

Consider whether hard copies are necessary at all. In many cases, a message can be

conveyed electronically, giving the recipient the choice of printing it out or reading it on

screen.

If hard copies are being produced, you will also engage your designer to assist you with

the selection of a printer and to manage the printing process, as the Public Affairs period

contracts do not include separate printing services (see chapter 7, ‘Print production’).

Talk to the Internet Unit about your Internet publishing plans at an early stage. It is

mandatory that printed AusAID publications be posted on the Internet. You should

instruct your designer to ensure that any electronic files supplied for the Internet meet

AusAID’s requirements. For more information, see chapter 8, ‘Electronic production’, and

appendix D, ‘Writing and preparing information for AusAID’s website’.

6


Design output

The designer will supply you with a mock-up of the publication so that you can see the

main elements that the designer has chosen – cover, layout, colours (if any), typography,

styles of headings and positioning of illustrative matter (if any). Check this work

carefully, as changes after this output has been approved become very time-consuming

and expensive. Amendments may also mean a complete recasting of the publication so

that this stage has to be repeated.

If there are no amendments to the mock-up, the designer will proceed with typesetting

and laying out all parts of the publication and then provide page proofs. These show you

how the body of the publication, containing all the text and graphics, will look in their

final form. Be especially careful to proofread all the material (see the Style Manual for

detailed advice). If possible, get someone with a fresh perspective to look at it. There are

usually several proofing steps (see below ‘Example design schedule’).

When there are no further changes and you have given the designer approval to proceed,

the designer will deliver a disk containing the entire publication in digital form to the

printing firm you have selected from print quotes provided (see chapter 7, ‘Print

production’). In some cases, illustrative material will be scanned by the printer. The

designer should check to ensure that this is done correctly.

Example design schedule

Depending on complexity, the design and print process can take several weeks and

involve close liaison with the designer. An example design schedule follows:

Content of all parts of the publication cleared by Desk/Post/branch Wednesday, 3 Julyhead by

Designer mock-up of representative internal pages provided as Wednesday, 10 JulyPDF file and/or colour laserprints by

Content cleared by Parliamentary Secretary/Minister by Wednesday, 17 July

(Build in time for further clearance stages if necessary.)

Cleared content, photos & captions to designer Wednesday, 17 July

Page proofs (PDF file including cover art plus black and white Friday, 26 Julylaserprints of complete layout) to AusAID for proofing. Forward PDF file to PAG for comment/approval

Corrected proofs returned to designer Thursday, 1 August

Final proofs received, checked, cleared and returned to designer Tuesday, 6 August

(Time before next proof received will depend on size of document.)

Printer’s chemical proof and/or dyeline received and checked by Monday, 19 Augustauthor area (to ensure that pages are correctly ordered and aligned) and designer, and returned to printer by

Finished copies delivered Monday, 2 September

7

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Print Production 57

Print production

If you are reading this chapter you are likely to have already considered, discussed and

sought advice on the best medium to use to reach your audience (see chapter 1,

‘Publishing for different audiences’).

Production specificationsIf the agreed publishing strategy for your document involves using a printer there are

production specifications you and your designer need to be aware of as the Public Affairs

period contracts do not include separate printing services. You will engage your designer

to assist you with the selection of a printer and to manage the printing process.

Below is an example of the production specifications your designer will need to know:

Size: A4 portrait (297 x 210 mm)

Extent: Text 16 pp + cover

Stock: Text 115 gsm part-recycled stock (Monza Satin or equivalent)Cover 250 gsm celloglaze part-recycled stock (Monza or equivalent)

Colour: Four-colour throughout including cover

Illustrations: Approx. 20 colour photographs/graphics; designer to scan

Finish: Text folded, saddle-stitched 2 wires into cover & trimmed

Artwork: Pre-formatted disk supplied

Proofs: Supply digital colour

Print run: 2000 Please cost run-on to 5000 (cost per 1000)

Delivery: Two points ACT:200 to AusAID, 62 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra City1800 to Canberra Mailing, Cnr Johns Place & Sheppard Street, Hume (Tel 6269 1230, Fax 6269 1229)

Black print on a medium quality paper stock would generally be specified unless there

were particular reasons to do otherwise. It is usually worthwhile to select a stock of

greater weight for the cover to give the publication more substance (and to prevent it

becoming dog-eared). Booklets under 56 pages would generally be saddle stitched

(stapled); publications of 56 pages or more should be perfect-bound (glued).


If the print quote your designer or printer gives you specifies different stock (paper) or

binding specifications, ask to see a sample. If you are going for a short print run (up to

300 copies – economical if most of your target audience will access your publication on

the Internet), digital printing is a good option. Ask the Publications Unit for advice on this.

Printer proofsAfter the designer delivers the entire publication in digital form to the printing firm you

have selected, but before the commercial printing process begins, you will receive the

dyeline and/or colour proofs (if you have specified colour) of the text and cover art (see

‘Example design schedule’ in chapter 6, ‘Corporate design’, and see the Style Manual).

Check these proofs with care. This is not the time to make major changes, but it is your

final opportunity to find and correct mistakes. If no corrections are required, you will

give the printer approval to proceed with printing. If corrections are required, check the

corrected proofs before giving approval to print.

In due course, you will receive bulk copies of the printed publication ready for

distribution (see below ‘Distribution’).

PaperIf you have decided that the best medium for reaching your audience is a printed

publication, you will need to consider what paper to use.

As part of the Government’s environmental and waste minimisation policies, departments

are encouraged to use recycled paper as much as possible. Recycled paper is suitable

when hard-wearing and lasting qualities are not important. Because recycled paper

deteriorates over time, if used in the wrong situation it can cause costly problems in

the future.

Recycled paper

Recycled paper may be used for:

➔ documents to be retained less than 30 years

➔ documents that are not used intensively or do not require durability (eg internal

Minutes and forms)

➔ short-term or frequently updated office manuals

➔ writing, message and scribble pads, and

➔ printed materials and publications for bulk distribution.

7


Archival paper

The National Archives of Australia has developed specifications for archival paper.

Archival paper is to be used for:

➔ records to be kept for more than 30 years (eg files containing policy and procedural

development in relation to continuing functions)

➔ high-level policy records and any records likely to have continuing governmental or

historical interest (eg Cabinet submissions, memoranda, Minutes and Ministerial briefings)

➔ publications needed for long-term reference, and

➔ documents provided by the Commonwealth to members of the public or other

governments for commemorative or legal reasons (eg legal documents, title deeds and

gifts to foreign countries).

Choosing paper

There are many considerations when deciding on a paper stock for a publication. The

purpose of the publication, the cost and the format are just a few. The Style Manual

covers this topic in detail. Your designer can also help you. In general, for AusAID

publications aimed at an external audience, an all-purpose stock such as Monza or

Bonart Matt is suitable for text (115–150 gsm) and covers (250 gsm).

The standard weight for internal publications and for letters is 80 gsm.

Print runIt is a good idea to think carefully about the number of copies of the publication you will

need, as copies surplus to requirements are expensive to store and additional print runs

are more expensive on a unit basis than run-on copies.

The number of copies to print arises out of the target audience you are planning to reach.

Are the majority of the intended readers experts, professionals and stakeholders? Perhaps

your audience’s needs would be met by a web-only publication or a minimal print-run

of, say, 200 copies.

Will the publication be distributed at outreach events such as rural shows? See below

‘Fact sheets and leaflets’ and consult the Outreach Unit for advice.

Is there a ready-made mailing list for the distribution of publications? PAG has an

extensive database of addressees who have answered a questionnaire stating interest in

particular areas of the aid program. You can use this list when calculating your print run.

If additional copies of a publication are required after its initial print run, the following

process should be followed.

➔ Check a copy of the publication to find out who designed the publication.

➔ Contact the designer and obtain a print-ready CD-Rom version of the artwork of the

publication.

➔ Obtain quote(s) from printer(s) for the print run you require.

➔ Select a printer, supply the artwork and check proofs (see above ‘Printer proofs’).


DistributionWhen a publication is being planned, the author section should consult PAG about its

distribution, as this section is responsible for both internal and external distribution of

that publication.

The main source of all current AusAID publications for both external and internal audiences

is the AusAID Internet site. The author section provides the publication in electronic form to

PAG for publishing on the Internet (see chapter 8, ‘Electronic production’).

When planning the external distribution of printed publications, CDs and videos, for

example, you should take into account the costs involved, including gathering or hiring

address lists of targeted groups, purchasing and printing labels and non-standard size

envelopes, and postage.

You will need to distribute copies of your publication to:

➔ all AusAID Senior Executive staff

➔ all AusAID Directors (Canberra, State and Post)

➔ all members of the Aid Advisory Council

➔ the Parliamentary Secretary (20 copies)

➔ the editor, designer, indexer and any others involved in production

➔ all staff who need the publication in their day-to-day work

➔ the AusAID Library (2 copies)

➔ all overseas Posts

➔ the Public Affairs Group (100 copies)

➔ Info Access (44 copies required for the Commonwealth Library Deposit and Free Issue

Schemes – see below).

If a publication has a small print run (less than 500 copies) you may need to tailor its

distribution. Discuss the appropriate distribution strategy for small print runs with the

Publications Unit.

Library Deposit and Free Issue Schemes

The purpose of the combined Commonwealth Library Deposit and Free Issue Schemes is

to create collections of Commonwealth Government publications that are freely available

to the public through the library system.

All Commonwealth departments, agencies and entities are requested to provide copies

(44) of each publication they produce to fulfil the schemes’ requirements. Info Access (the

Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) has responsibility

for administering the schemes and arranges for the recording of document details and

delivery to participating Commonwealth and State Libraries. One copy is held by the

department in the Copyright Collection to assist in copyright administration. The

department liaises with author agencies and the library community.

7


To ensure AusAID publications are included in the Commonwealth Library Deposit Scheme

and Free Issue Scheme, the Canberra Mailing Centre (see below) sends 44 copies to:

Library Deposit

Publications Warehouse

16 Nyrang Street

Fyshwick ACT 2609

For more information go to the website

<www.dcita.gov.au/infoaccess/publishing_information.html>.

Canberra Mailing Centre

Canberra Mailing is contracted by AusAID for routine distribution outside the Agency

and stock warehousing services. This contractor provides a distribution service for use by

all AusAID officers and the general public.

All requests for hard copies of AusAID publications should be referred directly to

Canberra Mailing. The AusAID Internet site, Focus magazine and other publications

advertise Canberra Mailing as the contact point for anyone wanting copies of AusAID

publications.

Staff should contact Canberra Mailing at least one week in advance of printing to

arrange for delivery by the printer.

Canberra Mailing provides the following services:

➔ sends free copies of AusAID publications to the general public in response to routine

requests

➔ bulk mails regular publications, including Focus

➔ maintains mailing lists for regular publications such as Focus

➔ maintains mailing list databases for other AusAID publications

➔ stores bulk stocks of current publications in its Hume warehouse.

All publications are sent out free of charge to the public. For most distribution jobs,

Canberra Mailing’s costs are met by PAG through the contract.

Canberra Mailing can be contacted in the following ways:

Telephone: (02) 6269 1230

Fax: (02) 6269 1229


Mailing address: PO Box 650, Fyshwick ACT 2609

Street address: Cnr Johns Place & Sheppard Street, Hume

Canberra Mailing does not store or distribute publications funded by AusAID but

produced by a third party (eg an academic institution).

http://www.dcita.gov.au/infoaccess/publishing_information.html


Fact sheets and leaflets

The Outreach and Publications Units have worked together to produce a variety of fact

sheets and leaflets for distribution to the Australian public at outreach events.

Standard designs for the fact sheets and leaflets were developed using a new range of

corporate colours to create an identifiable corporate theme. The fact sheets cover such

topics as human rights, HIV/AIDS, microfinance and the environment. Each major

country program now also has a fact sheet that highlights major aid initiatives within

that country. Another important addition is fact sheets on each State and Territory in

Australia that include a breakdown of each region’s contribution to the aid program.

These are available for distribution at a variety of outreach events held throughout

the country.

The leaflets cover such topics as gender, landmines, emergencies and the Australian

Youth Ambassadors Development Program.

If you would like to distribute any of these fact sheets or leaflets to your key audiences,

discuss your ideas with PAG.

8

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Electronic production 63

Electronic production

Through the use of powerful searching and viewing facilities, electronic publishing can

transform your information into highly accessible, user-friendly documents.

Electronic publishing can be used for a wide range of information, including both internal

documents (manuals, legislation and regulations, administrative material, handbooks,

technical and user documentation, and forms) and information for external publication

(annual reports, government reports, directories and catalogues, guides and handbooks,

legislation, reference material, media releases, tender documents, and general publications).

Typically, electronic internal documents are distributed internally over the intranet,

although they could also be delivered through fixed media such as CD-ROM (or diskette).

Electronic external documents are usually distributed via the Internet, which can facilitate

widespread, cost-effective dissemination of public information, although CD-ROMs can

also have a role.

Knowledge of the audience and their needs and expectations, as well as the nature of

your information, will help determine the choice of medium for your electronic

publication. Short time frames will limit your choice.

InternetPublishing on the Internet is becoming the norm for a great deal of internal, as well as

external, AusAID communication. The AusAID Internet site is one of our primary vehicles

for communicating with clients and colleagues in government, universities, schools, other

aid organisations, contractors and the general public. The Communications Strategy

identifies the Internet as a key means of transmitting the AusAID message. We are

required to publish all of our printed products for external audiences on the Internet.

Because our Internet site plays a key role in establishing our image as the Australian

Government’s overseas aid agency, its content and design must be of a high quality. All

material published on the site must therefore conform to the standards set down in this

style guide. Publishing on the Internet should be part of your publication planning

processes.

The Internet is a relatively inexpensive means of disseminating information to a

worldwide audience. It allows hypertext linking both within documents and to other

documents/sites around the world, and allows the use of video, audio, text and graphics

(although access considerations strictly limit the use of memory-intensive files). Other

advantages include the ability of users to communicate and offer feedback, the ability to

gather statistics on usage, and the ability to make users pay for services or information.


PDF files

Because all printed AusAID publications must appear on the Internet you will need to

provide the Internet Unit with a PDF file of the text and/or graphic material prepared for

the printer. Usually this means that you will have to ask the designers involved in your

publication to prepare the file (which means you will need to include this task as part of

the design brief).

All PDF files prepared for the AusAID Internet site must meet the following standards.

➔ A single, high-quality PC-compatible PDF file should be provided via email or on a

PC-compatible ZIP disk or CD-ROM.

➔ The file should be web-ready, ie optimised at 72 dpi.

➔ The file should be readable in Acrobat Version 3.

➔ The file should contain the total publication, starting with the cover and followed by

the remainder of the document in its correct order.

➔ The cover must include the Commonwealth Arms, a title and an approved AusAID

logo and tagline.

➔ The PDF file can be created directly from the QuarkXPress, InDesign, PageMaker or

Word file in agreement with AusAID.

➔ The PDF file must contain a bookmarks column to the left of the screen linked to all

relevant sections/pages. These bookmarks must appear when the file is opened.

➔ The ‘Contents’ of the publication should be hyperlinked to all relevant sections/pages.

➔ The file must open in ‘one page’ only – not ‘readable spread’.

➔ The file’s display setting should be ‘fit to width’ and the bookmarks setting should be

‘fit to width’, ie all bookmarks should retain fit to width when navigated.

➔ AusAID is to be included in the document General box within the Acrobat Document

Info box after conversion or in the Word document Properties before file conversion.

➔ The document should include appropriate copyright details, date of publication and

ISBN (see ‘Preliminary pages (prelims)’ in chapter 4, ‘Parts of a publication and

layout’).

➔ All text, graphics, images and colours must be clear, colour-balanced and of high

print quality.

➔ The PDF should not be locked and should be available for future editing, including

graphics, text and images.

For further information, contact the Internet Unit manager.

SUBMIT THE REQUIRED INFORMATION AND MATERIAL

To have material published on the Internet AusAID staff should send an email request to

the Internet Unit manager and include:

➔ the material to be published – Word, Excel or PDF files

➔ details of where the document should be located on the site, if known

➔ details of the person, their position and the section responsible for the publication

➔ a paragraph of two or three sentences that succinctly describes the purpose and

content of the document, and

➔ a date, if any, that the document should be deleted from the Internet site.

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AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Electronic production 65

The Internet Unit manages the AusAID Internet site. Before you write and/or submit

material to be published on it, consult the Internet Unit manager to discuss options and

standards to be met. Also see ‘Writing for the Internet’ in chapter 2, ‘Writing and editing’,

and appendix D, ‘Writing and preparing information for AusAID’s website’.

Procedures for publishing on the Internet

Much of the process of electronic publishing is the same as for any other form of

publishing.

OBTAIN APPROVAL

Information cannot be published on the AusAID Internet site without prior approval by

the relevant director or branch head. It is the responsibility of the author or section

producing the material to ensure that a document has been approved for publication.

All information that appears on the AusAID Internet site is published as HTML files (web

pages) or PDF (portable document format) files. Web pages are usually published from

Word and Excel files. PDF files are usually prepared by the designer of a hard-copy

publication.

If a document has been approved for publication as a hard copy, no further approval is

required for electronic production.

PREPARE YOUR MATERIAL APPROPRIATELY

Web pages

Explanatory material, texts of speeches and press releases, background statistics and

figures, items to promote current or new programs and other general public

communications material can all be made available via the Internet.

Before submitting files for publishing as web pages:

➔ run a spelling check using Australian English (see ‘Spelling’ in chapter 3, ‘House style

in written material’)

➔ delete page numbers and any headers and footers, especially those that describe file

names, disk drives, authors, etc

➔ ensure that Word pages are formatted to print A4, not ‘US letter’

➔ ensure that pages in Word documents are not formatted in columns – although this

may not be possible if the document has already been prepared for print production

➔ use underlined text to indicate where a link is required and indicate the link

destination in angle brackets and red text – preferably as a URL and not a page

heading, and

➔ ensure that Excel charts and spreadsheets are formatted to A4 size paper and not ‘US

letter’. There are ways of making a spreadsheet fit the page size. Give the Internet Unit

a call for advice on how to do this.


ALLOW ENOUGH TIME

Preparing documents for publishing on the Internet can be time-consuming. Allow at

least five days for material to be scanned, coded, tested and published.

You will be notified by email when your publication becomes available on the

Internet site.

CD-ROMCD-ROM is an ideal medium to disseminate large volumes of information. With access

speeds much faster than the vast majority of Internet connections, it is currently the best

vehicle for graphic-intensive or multimedia content (video, audio, animations, games).

Disadvantages include limited space (especially if you need to produce one version of the

CD-ROM to play on both PC and Macintosh platforms); immutability of content; a

relatively long production cycle; and the need for physical distribution. CD-ROM

replication alone can take 15–17 working days.

Distribution through CD-ROM (or diskette) may be more appropriate when the target

audience is quite narrowly focused, or where Internet access may not be freely available.

AUSAID STYLE GUIDE Appendixes 67

AppendixesA Australian identity

In order to meet the Government’s requirement for effective promotion of Australian

identity, these guidelines were developed in September 1999 for posts and desks to follow

when producing project signage and other forms of promotional material. The guidelines,

which cover requirements for signage on aid projects, and the use of the AusAID logo

and Commonwealth coat of arms and other emblems on a range of materials, have now

been updated as follows.

The Government places importance on the effective promotion of the Australian identity

of our aid program. It is one of the six key principles that underpin Australia’s aid

program, as outlined in Better Aid for a Better Future: Our aid program will remain

identifiably Australian – it is a reflection of Australian values and is a projection of those

values abroad. These guidelines are intended to help AusAID officers successfully meet

the Government’s requirements for the promotion of Australian identity.

The objective of the promotion of Australian identity is to highlight the support of the

Australian Government, through its overseas aid program, for a particular project or

activity, and to demonstrate Australian partnership with a community or country.

Opportunities for the promotion of Australian identity take many shapes and forms. They

can include:

➔ labeling or badging of project materials (ranging from water tanks through to

computers and training manuals)

➔ the recognisable participation of Australian advisers in project activities, visits by

Australian officials

➔ signage.

Judgment should be exercised in promoting Australian identity. For instance, reports or

publications that are prepared with AusAID funding but over which we have no editorial

control should not be strongly badged or otherwise labeled to give the impression they

are Australian Government documents or endorsed by Australia. Project documentation,

reports and the like produced by contractors as part of a funded project should not

display the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, and should carry the standard AusAID

disclaimer.


Signage

Flexibility is needed in creating signs that suit local conditions and reflect the

partnerships through which the aid program is delivered. These guidelines are not

intended to be prescriptive but aim to provide a framework for ensuring effective signage.

Signs should feature as a minimum requirement:

➔ the words ‘Australia’ or ‘Australian Government’

➔ only if appropriate, the AusAID logo, accompanied by the words ‘The Australian

Government’s overseas aid program’

➔ if appropriate, the Gift of Australia kangaroo logo

➔ information about the project in the language of the country concerned.

Coat of Arms

Posts should strongly discourage the incorporation of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms in

any signage. There may be some occasions where Posts consider this appropriate, but

experience suggests that efforts to replicate the intricate design of the Coat of Arms often

fail, especially in the case of well-intentioned but hand-painted jobs. It is far better to

have no Coat of Arms than a poor rendition.

Country specific emblems

Where Posts have developed logos or emblems for bilateral development cooperation

programs or logos that have wide local recognition, these may be used, but only in

conjunction with the kangaroo motif. No new logos for signage, new programs,

inauguration ceremonies or the like should be developed.

Precedence of logos/emblems

The kangaroo motif and wording highlighting Australian Government support for the

project should take precedence over the AusAID logo and those of contractors.

Implementing partner agency logos or emblems should be equivalent in prominence to

the main Australian identification element, for instance, Beijing Post’s kangaroo and

panda motif side-by-side.

It is important that signage reflects the substance of Australian Government support for

an activity, and that reference to contractors and NGOs engaged to implement it does not

obfuscate the main message: that this is an Australian-funded activity.

Use of the AusAID logo

The AusAID logo on its own is not sufficient in terms of promotion of Australian

identity. Where the AusAID logo is used, it should be accompanied by the words ‘The

Australian Government’s overseas aid program’


National flags

The use of flags on signs is allowable, as long as the renditions are accurate. Again, it

would be better to have no flag than a poorly painted one. The Australian flag and that

of the partner country must be of the same size.

Wording

Posts and desks should use their judgment when applying wording. The following words

are suggested as examples:

➔ Funded by Australia / Funded by the Australian Government

➔ Constructed with the help of Australia

➔ Supported by the Australian Government

➔ Gift of Australia / Gift of the Australian Government / Gift of the People of Australia

Avoid using project acronyms – it is preferable to spell them out. Project titles can be

used where they reflect the joint involvement of the Australian and other governments.

The language of the country concerned should always be used either in addition to

English or on its own.

Costs of signage and promotional materials

The costs of developing signage and other materials to promote Australian identity

should be borne out of project funds or PASU funds managed by Posts.

Assistance and advice on Australian identity

For further advice on Australian identity issues, contact PAG.


B Example Scope of Services

The following example is a Scope of Services order for designers. You can adapt it for

other publishing services if necessary. The Contract Services Group can help you with

drafting a services order/EOL.

SCHEDULE 1Scope of Services

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE TASK

1.1 The project involves the design of the AusAID publication [insert publication

name]. The audience for the publication is [could be business, the media,

politicians, overseas governments, people in developing countries or the general

public, particularly Australians in rural and regional areas, women and youth].

1.2 The publication plays a key role in communicating AusAID’s activities to this

audience.

1.3 The Contractor is required to work closely with AusAID to develop the

publication’s design.

2. DESIGN TASKS TO BE PERFORMED

2.1 The Contractor shall attend a meeting at the beginning of production of the

publication to be held at the Contractor’s office to discuss content and design of

the publication. The Contractor shall attend meetings at first proof stage and at

final proof stage in the production of the publication, and at other stages during

the design and production process as required by AusAID.

2.2 The Contractor shall design the artwork for the entire publication. This includes the

cover plus […] pages of text [and graphics/illustrations].

2.3 The design is to highlight key corporate messages in the document. [The design

will also include photos, graphics and/or other illustrations consistent with the

corporate messages of AusAID].

2.4 The Contractor shall provide AusAID with one or more complete sets of black and

white laser print proofs of the initial design for approval and carry out corrections

and/or amendments according to AusAID’s requirements as instructed in writing.

2.5 The Contractor shall include in the work up to 5 hours of author’s corrections to

the design, as instructed by AusAID. After all initial author’s corrections have been

completed satisfactorily, the Contractor shall make further author’s corrections

beyond the 5 hours allocated as instructed in writing by AusAID at the rate of $95

per hour. The Contractor shall not charge for correction of errors made by the


Contractor. The Contractor shall not charge for failure to meet AusAID’s quality

standards. AusAID will reimburse the Contractor at the agreed rate for a reasonable

time only in undertaking corrections as instructed by AusAID.

2.6 The Contractor shall develop additional design as instructed by AusAID in writing

at a rate of $120 per hour up to a limit agreed in writing by AusAID.

2.7 The Contractor shall arrange high resolution scans of all photographs and other

relevant graphical elements during the design stage.

2.8 The Contractor shall arrange necessary couriers to courier material to AusAID and

to the printers as required.

2.9 The Contractor shall arrange for delivery to AusAID of a colour proof of the final

fully designed publication incorporating all corrections and amendments for

approval by AusAID in writing before the artwork is provided to the printer.

2.10 The Contractor shall provide the final artwork for the cover and all internal

material that has been given written approval by AusAID for printing to the

printer on disk.

2.11 The Contractor shall check final colour printing proofs supplied by the printer and

identify any errors in colour, any problems with photos or other marks or

blemishes on the proofs. The Contractor shall make proofing marks to enable

AusAID to instruct the printer to make necessary corrections.

2.12 The Contractor will take full responsibility for pre-press management. The

Contractor will keep AusAID informed of progress and finalisation of the printing

of the publication.

2.13 The Contractor will supply AusAID with a PC-compatible PDF file. This file shall

be web-ready and shall contain the total publication, starting with the cover page

and followed by the remainder of the document in its correct order.

2.14 The PDF file shall be web ready, ie 72 dpi and:

(i) be readable in Acrobat Version 3

(ii) contain a bookmarks column to the left of the screen, linked to all relevant

sections/pages and visible on opening the file.

(iii) where there is a contents page in the publication then the main headings of the

contents will be hyperlinked to their relevant sections within the document.

(iv) All graphics, images, and colours shall be clear, colour-balanced and of good print

quality.

(iv) The PDF shall not be locked and should be available for future editing, including

graphics, text and images.

2.15 AusAID will not accept the following:

(i) Separate files for cover, text, and other sections, unless otherwise agreed to in

writing (for example, in the case of very large documents)

(ii) PDFs laid out in printer-ready order (for example, combined front and back covers,

combined inside-front and inside-back covers, etc)


(iii) Macintosh format files or disks

(iv) Unicode fonts in document titles or document index information.

3. TIMELINES

3.1 The Contractor shall strictly meet the deadlines of the AusAID timetable as set out

as in Attachment [ ].

3.2 The Contractor shall keep AusAID regularly informed of the progress of the design

and printing of the publication.

4. QUALITY

4.1 The quality benchmark for the design will be samples of previous AusAID

publications as supplied by AusAID for reference. The Contractor shall ensure that

the high design quality standards demonstrated by [insert name of benchmark

publication] are upheld throughout the life of the contract.

SCHEDULE 2Basis of Payment*

1. TOTAL FEES

1.1 The total fees payable by the Commonwealth to the Contractor shall not exceed

the sum of $A….

2. PAYMENT OF FEES

2.1 The fees payable by the Commonwealth to the Contractor shall be paid as follows:

(a) the sum of $A…. within thirty (30) days from:

Written acceptance by AusAID of the satisfactory completion of the initial

design

(b) the sum of $A…. within thirty (30) days from:

Written acceptance by AusAID of the satisfactory completion of the first proof

stage

(c) the sum of $A…. plus any additional monies payable pursuant to clauses 2.5

and 2.6 within thirty (30) days from:

Written acceptance by AusAID of the satisfactory completion of the final proof

stage

(d) a final payment of $A…. within thirty (30) days from the date of delivery of

[….] copies of the publication that satisfies AusAID’s required specifications as

described in Schedule 1.

(e) additional copies will be at an agreed rate.

*Note: It is not essential to stagger payment throughout the production stage. It may be

more convenient for both parties to pay a lump sum at the conclusion of the contract

when the publication has been completed and delivered.


C The Fog Index

Can your audience understand your writing and message? To answer this question, use a

small segment of your latest writing to calculate the Fog Index. Four or five paragraphs

will do.

How to calculate your Fog Index➔ Count the number of sentences and the number of words in each sentence.

➔ Work out the average number of words in a sentence.

➔ Count the number of words of three or more syllables (called the ‘hard word count’).

➔ Add the average sentence length to the hard word count and multiply this figure

by 0.4.

This gives you the Fog Index – the number of years of schooling needed to understand

text. It allows you to assess whether your readers will be able to understand your writing.

Tabloid newspapers aim for a Fog Index of 8. The Reader’s Digest aims for 10.

Time magazine’s aim is 8–15.

How to interpret your Fog Index➔ Average: 6 years primary and 4 years secondary schooling = 10

➔ Higher school certificate = 12

➔ University graduate = 15

➔ Postgraduate = 17+

To reach the general public successfully, your Fog Index should be 10 or less.


D Writing andpreparinginformation forAusAID’s website

AusAID has developed guidelines to assist those preparing content for publication on its

Internet site.

PrinciplesUseability testing has found that:

➔ reading from computer screens is about 25 per cent slower than reading from hard

copy

➔ many people often feel ‘unpleasant’ reading online text, probably due to the poor

resolution of computer screens

➔ reading large amounts of text makes users impatient

➔ users tend to scan the screen, rather than read from left to right, and pick out

keywords, sentences and paragraphs of interest, and

➔ users don’t like to scroll when reading.

Conclusion: keep text short and simple.

Style and formatThe following style and formatting guidelines are intended to ensure that users of

AusAID’s website have positive experiences and that text files can be easily converted

into browser-readable HTML. Remember to use house style (see chapter 3, ‘House style in

written material’).

➔ Ensure pages are formatted to print to A4 paper size, not ‘US Letter’, especially when

using Excel charts.

➔ Write no more than 50 per cent of the text you would have written to cover the same

material in a printed publication.

➔ Keep text concise and simple.

➔ Use short sentences and paragraphs, headings and bulleted lists. Don’t require users to

read long continuous blocks of text.


➔ Include the main idea in the first sentence of a paragraph. Use following sentences to

expand the main idea as in media releases.

➔ Any text that exceeds three A4 pages should include a short summary or abstract of

three to five sentences.

➔ Always include a title. This should be a concise, meaningful, plainly worded reminder

of the page contents as it will be used as the title for any bookmark the reader makes

to your page.

➔ Do not use columns or coloured text.

➔ Do not use page numbers.

➔ Do not use headers and footers, especially those that describe file names, disc drives,

authors etc.

➔ Where a link is to be included, underline the text to be linked and indicate the link

destination in red text between angle brackets – preferably a URL address and not a

page heading.

➔ Photos and graphics should be used sparingly as they slow down the speed at which

users can view Internet pages.

➔ Charts should be accompanied by a table of the data contained within it and include

table headers.

➔ Article length should be kept to no more than three A4 pages, if possible. See below

‘Feature stories’.

➔ Do not use underlined text for emphasis as this will be presumed to indicate a

hyperlink. Use italics for emphasis.

➔ Avoid using forced page breaks or line breaks.

➔ Avoid using tabs and do not use spaces to format. Instead use the ruler or table

options provided in your word processing application.

➔ Assign styles to consistently headings and body text.

➔ When preparing documents for conversion into PDF files it is important that the

heading styles are applied in the correct hierarchical order (ie Heading 3 after Heading

2) and not chosen for appearance purposes only.

Feature storiesSeveral formats are available for preparing feature stories for the Internet. Choosing the

most appropriate format will depend on the subject, the amount of content, and the

quality and subject matter of available images.

Note that the Internet is essentially a text-based medium. Images are generally used only

to provide interest or to illustrate the text.

Single page feature

The single page feature is best suited to a single story or event. Its hard-copy equivalent

is an article in a magazine.

➔ Word count: 300–400 words.

➔ Images: no more than three images; captions to be provided.


➔ Relevant links to further information may be included.

➔ Production timeline: allow at least one week.

➔ Examples: Aid Close Up: PNG Disaster Remembered; Peace in Bougainville

<www.ausaid.gov.au/closeup/default.cfm>.

Multipage feature

A multipage feature consists of several single pages linked to a common entry page. Each

page elaborates different aspects of a single theme and should be self-contained. The

hard-copy equivalent is a collection of articles on a single topic. An entry page provides

links to the collection of pages and should include two or three sentences to introduce

the theme. Each individual page will have its own heading and may contain further

subheadings.

➔ Total word count: 500–2000 words.

➔ Each individual page: 200–400 words.

➔ Images: generally one image per page. Images need not be included on all pages.

➔ Relevant links to further information may be included.

➔ Production timeline: up to three weeks.

➔ Examples: Aid Close Up: Vietnam – 10 Years of Aid.

Slide showA slide show consists of a series of images with limited text associated with each image.

Its hard-copy equivalent is the photo-essay. All images must be of high technical and

compositional quality. The image subject matter should form a sequential, ie

chronological, narrative or demonstrate multiple examples of a single theme. The images

must have some intrinsic interest beyond their associated text, ie they should stand alone

as a story in their own right.

➔ Text = 30–60 words per image. The text component may be expanded with additional

supporting text of 150–250 words per image. This will be presented on a separate text

page.

➔ Images: at least 5 but no more than 10 images per slide show (including opening and

closing screens).

➔ A subtitle for each image should be provided.

➔ All images should include captions.

➔ Story format:

– Opening screen: introduction of subject matter of slide show

– Body screens: elaboration of subject matter

– Closing screen: summary of subject matter or role of aid program in general,

including links to related information.

➔ Production timeline: up to three weeks.

➔ Examples: Aid Close Up: East Timor Community Assistance Scheme; Youth

Ambassador at Work.

Please note that slide show development should be undertaken only after approval by the

Internet Unit manager.

http://www.ausaid.gov.au/closeup/default.cfm


E Writing for Focus

The key messages we are trying to get across to our target audiences are that

➔ aid works

➔ it helps to reduce poverty

➔ it makes a lasting difference

➔ it improves regional security, and

➔ it creates jobs for Australians and opportunities for people to get involved hands-on

if they want to.

General writing tips

➔ Be mindful of your audience. You are not writing for your peers. You are writing for

readers who have little knowledge of the aid program, and you want them to go away

feeling that some real good is being done in the world by their aid program with their

taxes.

➔ Avoid technical terms, jargon, acronyms and lists of statistics. If you must use a

technical term, explain it in simple language.

➔ Write short sentences.

➔ Use an interesting, lively style of writing to engage readers from a range of

backgrounds and interests.

➔ A story should focus on project outcomes and how the project has improved the

quality of life for a particular person or community.

➔ Facts (eg statistics) about the project should be provided separately as sidebar

information or as a pie graph.

➔ Keep your headings brief and catchy.

➔ Don’t start your story with the title of the project.

➔ Interview people, put their words in quotes and use those interesting quotes upfront in

the first few paragraphs. Describe the benefits that have made real differences to the

lives of real people – and name them.

➔ Remember that most people will read only the first three or four paragraphs of a story,

and the picture captions – sometimes only the latter. Short sentences, short paragraphs

and good captions will help get your message across more effectively.

➔ Provide high quality film photos (reflective or slide) with captions to accompany your

story wherever possible. Digital images should be avoided as they are rarely of high

enough quality.


StylesAcronyms and abbreviations

Avoid using if possible. Always spell out what the acronym stands for (unless it is

extremely well-known, eg UNICEF). Where the acronym appears more than twice in the

story, use it, otherwise use an abbreviated reference, using upper case.

eg ‘The Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) was funded by …’

[where this organisation is referred to more than twice in the story] … BUT ‘The Society

for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres promotes … The Society also has input in …’

Especially try not to use numbers of acronyms in the one story.

No full stop after Mr, Dr or any abbreviated word that ends in its original final letter.

AusAID vis a vis Australian Government

Use of the word ‘AusAID’: AusAID does not fund, support or pay for anything: the

Australian Government does. ‘AusAID’ should only be used when referring to the agency

as the manager of an activity or information about the organisation itself. All attributions

of funding, support, aid etc must be to the Australian Government, or Australia.

eg ‘The Australian Government supported the project with funding of $1 million.

Australia funds an ongoing project aimed at improving infrastructure’ (NOT ‘AusAID

supported …’ or ‘AusAID funds …’).

Capitalisation

Avoid excessive use of capitals. Cap G for Government (all Governments). Only use

capitals for titles if clearly necessary, eg in most cases the title ‘coordinator’ would be

lower case, but ‘Manager of Reafforestation Projects’ would be upper case in the first

instance.

Captions

Captions run at the end of the story. They should be clearly connected to the photograph

they refer to, and should be full sentences with full stops. They should supplement and

enhance the content of the photograph, not simply describe what is shown.

Credits

Almost all stories have the initials of the writer at the end. Some stories have a byline

within the standfirst par. Photos should be credited eg: Photo: Mary Brown, courtesy

UNICEF.

Dashes and hyphens

These are not the same thing. A dash separates parts of sentences. A hyphen joins words

or parts of words.


Foreign words

All unfamiliar foreign words or phrases should be italicised and the English meaning

given next to the word/phrase in brackets.

Formatting

➔ Single space after full stops.

➔ Minimise formatting (all formatting done by designer). BUT:

➔ Use two levels of heading: main head and crossheads in story.

Heading and standfirst par

Heading should be no more than six words and should contain a verb. Avoid adverbs if

possible. The standfirst is not the first par of the story. It is an invitation to read the

story, giving a taste of the contents. It should be between 20 and 36 words.

Lists

Dot-point lists should be used sparingly and are more appropriate as sidebar information.

Money

All sums are to be in Australian dollars and not specified as Australian dollars.

‘The project, worth $300,000, was …’ (NOT ‘The project, worth A$300,000, was …’ and NOT‘The project, worth US$220,000 …’)

Comma after thousands,

$8,500; $50,000; a population of 200,000.

Generally speaking, amounts of money spent on projects should be provided briefly as

sidebar information, eg: ‘Australian aid projects helped more than 300,000 people in

Cambodia to learn about landmines and unexploded ordnance. These projects also helped

nearly 90,000 people to walk again with artificial limbs. During 1998 and 2002, projects

worth $2 million were successfully completed …’

Numbers

➔ Spell out one to nine, thereafter 10 etc. Spell out all numbers where they fall at the

beginning of a sentence. Avoid using figures in crossheads.

➔ Percentages always in numerals, and spell per cent, not %, eg 5 per cent, 38 per cent.

➔ ‘A five-year-old girl’, but ‘the girl was five years old’.

➔ Where possible, use words rather than figures, eg ‘one third’ rather than ‘33 per cent’,

‘almost half’ rather than ‘49,820 of a population of 102,500’

Oddities

Solomon Islands (not The). Sudan (not The). Ni-Vanuatu (not Vanuatuan).


Punctuation

Use punctuation where sense and clarity require it. Minimal use of commas, avoid

semicolons if possible. Make shorter sentences rather than using dashes.

Quotes

Single quotes except for quotes within quotes. Punctuation with quotes: generally

punctuation falls inside the quote marks, eg ‘The project was very successful,’ said John,

‘even though we had terrible weather to contend with.’

Spelling

Use the first spelling choice in the Macquarie Dictionary where two or more spellings are

possible. Use s not z, -our not -or. Program not programme (except for UN programmes).

Typography

Always italicise Focus when referring to the journal.

Use italics for emphasis if necessary, not bold.


F Difficult andpreferred spellings

The following is a list of difficult spellings and AusAID’s preferred spellings. If you are

using a hard copy of this list, you will find it useful to continue adding unfamiliar or

difficult words for your own reference. The compilers of this guide would appreciate

advice on additions.

A

Aboriginal (adj.)

Aboriginal person (n.)

(do not use Aborigine)

accessible

accession

accommodation

acknowledgment

advice (n.)

advise (v.), adviser, advisory

affect (v. influence) (see also effect)

ageing

airconditioning

all right

alphanumeric

annotate

anomaly

Antarctica

apparent

appendixes

appraisal

arguable

ascertain

audiovisual

B

bankruptcy

battalion

benefited, benefiting

bracketed

budgeted

C

calendar

cancellation, cancelled, cancelling

catalogue, catalogued,

cataloguer, cataloguing

CD-ROM, CD-ROMs

centre

commitment

complement (which makes complete)

compliment (praise)

contemporary

contractual

cooperate

coordinate

correspondence

council (assembly)

councillor (member of council)

counsel (n. advice, opinion)

counsellor (adviser)


D

database

day-to-day (adj.)

decision-maker

decision-making

defence

dependant (n.)

dependent (adj.)

develop

development

Director General

disc (gramophone)

discreet (prudent)

discrete (distinct)

disk (floppy, computer)

dispatch

E

effect (v. bring about, n. result)

(see also affect)

eg (for example)

eligible

email

etc (et cetera)

Excel (software)

extant (in existence)

extent (range)

F

facsimile

fact sheet

film-maker

flyer

focuses, focused, focusing

fulfil, fulfilled, fulfilment

full-time (adj.)

G

Gopher (computer search software)

grassroots

H

handwritten

hard copy

home page

HTML (computer markup language)

I

ie (that is)

implementer

inquire, inquiry

inaccessible

Internet

intranet

it’s (it is)

its (possessive)

J

judgment

K

keyword

L

labelled, labelling

labour (but Australian Labor Party)

licence (n.)

license (v.)

life cycle

life span

lifetime

likelihood

long-term (adj.)

long term (adv.)


M

metadata

movable

minuscule

multimedia

N

naturalise

necessary

O

occasion, occasionally

occur, occurred, occurrence

offence

omitted

ongoing

online

on-screen (adj.)

organisation (but use ‘z’ if it is in names)

outsource

P

paper-based

part-time (adj.)

PDF (portable document format)

per cent

percentage

permissible

personal (individual)

personnel (staff)

possessive

postwar

practice (n.)

practise (v.)

preventable

preventive

principal (chief)

principle (general law)

printout

program (but World Food Programme)

Q

questionnaire

R

receipt

receive

recommend

reconcilable

regrettable

relevant

resourcing

S

schedule

secrecy

seize

self-service

separate

service, servicing

short-term (adj.)

short term (adv.)

sincerely

sizeable

Solomon Islands (not the Solomon Islands)

spreadsheet

stationary (not moving)

stationery (paper)

succinct

Sudan (not the Sudan)

superhighway

supersede

susceptible


T

targeted, targeting

technique

temporarily

their (possessive pronoun)

there (place)

they’re (they are)

transferable, transferred

U

under way

unmistakable

unnecessary

until

URL (uniform resource locator)

usage

useable

V

Viet Nam

Vietnamese (adj.)

W

website

wholly

withhold

work plan

worldwide

World Wide Web (www)


G Sample designs

A4 publication4 colour

Size297 x 210mm

Commonwealth ArmsWidth 15mmCentred in 20 x 20mm boxCrest to print Black onbox filled with a 60% tint ofPantone Warm Gray 10

AusAID logoWidth 15mmPlaced in 20 x 20mm boxAllow 3mm for bleed

Typeface A36pt on 38pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Extra Bold

Typeface B24pt on 28pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Regular

Typeface C10pt on 14pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Regular

Rule1pt60% tint of Pantone WarmGray 10

ColoursSee colour palette information

Image boxDepth 126mm


Australiaand Viet Nam

A better futurethrough partnership1999–2001

0mm

26mmA

64mmB

Scale 50%

50mm

106mm

277mm

290mmC

112m

m

136m

m

12m

m

0mm

112m

m


A4 publicationback cover

Size297 x 210mm

Typeface A14pt on 18pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Extra Bold3mm space before next line

Typeface B10pt on 16pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Regular2mm space betweenparagraphs

Typeface C8.5pt on 14pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Regular2mm space betweenparagraphs


Scale 50%

0mm

26m

m

198m

m

50mm54mmA

B

0mm

C

Australia and Viet NamA better future through partnership1999-2001

Viet Nam faces many challenges in today’s changing

world to ensure the future well being of its people.

Australia, as a relatively wealthy nation, is well placed

to work as a partner with Viet Nam in its quest for

development and poverty reduction. This brochure

provides an overview of Australia’s development

cooperation program, which assists Viet Nam to reduce

poverty and achieve sustainable economic and social

development for its people.

For more information on Australian-assisted projects in Viet Nam,

please contact:

The Director

Viet Nam Section

AusAID

GPO Box 887

Canberra ACT 2601

Fax (02) 6206 4696

E-mail [email protected]

www.ausaid.gov.au

For hardcopies of AusAID publications, contact:

Canberra Mailing Centre

PO Box 650

Canberra ACT 2609

Telephone 02 6269 1230, Fax 02 6269 1229

E-mail [email protected]

AusAID’s corporate publications from November 1997 onward are

available in full on the AusAID internet site at www.ausaid.gov.au

ISBN – 0642 41427 0



Size297 x 210mm





Typeface C16pt on 21pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Extra Bold

Typeface D11pt on 21pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Extra Bold

Typeface E10pt on 14pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Regular

Rule1pt 60% tint of Black



China

0mm

40mmA

C

86mmD

67mmB

Scale 50%

50mm

277mm

290mmE

112m

m

136m

m

12m

m

0mm

112m

mRestrictedNot for externalcirculation21 December 1998

Country program strategy1998–1999



Size297 x 210mm

Commonwealth ArmsWidth 15mmCentred in 20 x 20mm boxBox filled with a 30% tint ofspine colourCrest prints 100% spine colour





Rule1pt30% tint of the second colour


China

Program profiles1998–1999

0mm

40mmA

67mmB

Scale 60%

50mm

277mm

290mmC

112m

m

136m

m

12m

m

0mm

112m

m



B5 publication

Size250 x 176mm




Subtitle (if appropriate)16pt on 20pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Regular

Typeface B14pt on 18pt leadingRotis Sans Serif Extra Bold




International Development Issues No.50

HIV/AIDSTreatment and CareEvaluation of theThailand-AustraliaHIV/AIDS AmbulatoryCare Project


0mm

243mmC

66mmB

26mmA

90mm

12m

m

32m

m

104m

m10

4mm

128m

m

40mm

Scale 70%


DL brochure

Size210mm x 100mm (folded size)







Scale 80%

Australia’soverseas aidprogram


0mm

32mmA

68mm

203mmB

46mm

30m

m30

mm

52m

m

0mm


H Sample fonts

Adobe Rotis Sans Serif

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789()$%&!?

Adobe Rotis Sans Serif Light


Adobe Rotis Sans Serif Bold


Adobe Rotis Sans Serif Extra Bold


Adobe Rotis Sans Serif Italic



Adobe Rotis Serif

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

0123456789()$%&!?

Adobe Rotis Serif Bold



0123456789()$%&!?

Adobe Rotis Serif Italic



0123456789()$%&!?


I Photography forprint and Internetpublishing

All AusAID publications require high-quality images.

Quality requirementsFilm negatives or slides should be used where possible as they are easiest to scan and

provide the highest quality images. Prints from negatives or slides lack the quality of the

original. But first-generation copies of negatives and slides are as good as the originals.

Printers usually scan negatives or slides and save them in digital format. These digital

files are of a much higher quality than files produced by a digital camera.

Most digital camera output does not provide the level of detail required for AusAID

publications. The quality of images taken by digital cameras can be measured in

‘Megapixels’. This is the number of dots of information that the camera can capture in

the image. An average digital camera will take an image of 3.5 Megapixels (3.5 million

dots of information in the image). This produces an image of about 2000 x 1750 pixels.

AusAID requires images to be at least 6 Megapixels (about 3000 x 2000 pixels) for

print purposes. This far exceeds the capability of most digital cameras (except the

very expensive).

Digital images suitable for high-quality publications – created by scanning original

negatives or slides – are measured by ‘dots per inch’ (dpi). The minimum resolution

considered acceptable is 300 dpi at A4 size (297 mm x 210 mm).

For publishing on the Internet, images down to 72 dpi are acceptable, as the Web is a

very low-resolution environment. The output of most digital cameras is adequate for

this purpose.

Images from the Web are no good for print reproduction as they are usually 72 dpi. Web

images will appear grainy if used directly in a high-quality print publication. If you

require web images (such as a snapshot of a website or application) to be included in a

publication, speak to your designer or printer, as they may have suggestions for capturing

a screen image of suitable resolution.

Generally, the quality of digital images you receive via email will be too low for print

production. The size of the file you receive can be an indication of its quality. A JPEG file

(with the file extension ‘.jpg’) will usually be of minimum suitable quality if it is about

1.5 MB or more at compression level 10. A TIFF file (with the extension ‘.tif’) will usually

be of minimum suitable quality if it is about 18 MB or more. Anything smaller is suitable


for preview purposes only. Check whether you can obtain copies of the original negatives

or slides the images came from.

The general rule for providing any image for reproduction – either on the Web or in print

– is that the better it is to begin with, the better the result will be.

For printed publication purposes, a film camera of reasonable quality will produce images

of superior quality to the output of the best digital camera. Fully automatic film cameras

are easier to use than digital cameras and are less likely to fail. And you will rarely run

out of space for new images as you can buy rolls of film in almost every country.

(Additional memory cards for digital cameras are not so readily available.)

If you must use a digital camera, and need to buy one, ease of use is a key attribute to

look for as many of them are harder to program and use than a VCR. Also the cost,

storage and transport of image memory cards can be expensive compared with film. Find

a digital camera best suited for the sort of photographs you are likely to take. For

example, if you take outdoor photos you will need to be able to view the image on the

display screen in bright light.

The ease of transferring images to computer also varies considerably between digital

cameras. Images can be transferred from camera to PC via a memory card reader that

takes the different storage media and plugs into a USB port. If you have a camera that

uses the Flashcard memory system, you can put the Flashcard into a carrier that looks

like a floppy disk to insert into your PC’s floppy drive. Ask your dealer to demonstrate

this function to you before you buy.

For advice and further information about photographs for AusAID publications, contact

the photographic library manager in PAG.

Supplying images to the photographic libraryAll images included in AusAID’s photographic library must be aid-related, meet the

quality requirements and be accompanied by the following details:

➔ caption – details about what the image is showing, who is in the image, where the

image was taken and what AusAID project the image relates to (if relevant)

➔ country – where the image was taken, including province or state where possible

➔ photographer – name and contact details where possible

➔ source – the organisation the image was obtained from

➔ date – the date the image was taken.

All images must be provided as a negative, transparency or print. Digital-only images are

not accepted due to quality issues.

All images must be legally reproducible by AusAID without further need to contact the

photographer or source for permission.

Because the photographic library is a resource to be used for promoting the aid program

it is not a repository for all aid project images. It is not intended to be a full documentary

archive of the aid program.

If you have any images that meet AusAID’s technical and detail requirements and could

be useful in promoting the Australian aid program, contact the photographic library

manager in PAG.


Bibliography

AusInfo, Guidelines for Commonwealth Information Published in Electronic Formats,

Version: 1.1, Department of Finance and Administration, Canberra, January 2000.

Collins Gem Dictionary of Spelling & Word Division, Collins, London, 1988.

McCawley, P, English and Statistics, internal AusAID publication, Canberra

The Macquarie Dictionary, 3rd edn, Macquarie Library, Sydney.

Pauwels, A, Non-discriminatory Language, AGPS Press, Canberra, 1991.

Stern, G, Spot on! Correspondence and Report Writing, with Guidelines on Plain English,

AGPS Press, Canberra, 1996.

Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 5th edn, AusInfo, Canberra, 1988.

Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 6th edn, John Wiley & Sons Australia,

2002.

AusAID Public Affairs Group

GPO Box 887

Canberra ACT 2601

Phone (02) 6206 4960

Fax (02) 6206 4695

www.ausaid.gov.au

style guide

Documents

ausaid publishing

ausaid style guide i

ausaid logo use

typical ausaid publications

ausaid internet site

quick guide

house style

writing approach