VSO Editorial Guidelines

Editorial Guidelines
April 2012
Contents
Tone of voice Writing for VSO what to say and how to say it Tips for staying on tone Be specific General guidelines Common words/phrases that cause doubt Punctuation Numbers Terminology Web style Index 2 2 2 5 5 10 10 13 13 18 19
Tone of voice
Writing for VSO what to say and how to say it
Tone of voice simply means the way we speak. It helps bring our brand personality to life through words. In a large organisation like VSO, its easy to give out mixed messages because there are so many channels of communication; by defining our tone of voice it is easier to show what we stand for. By being consistent, we ensure that all VSO materials sit well together and are recognised as coming from the same organisation. We also present VSO as a well-run organisation in which staff, volunteers, donors and the public can have confidence. Getting our tone of voice right not just our prose style, but also our points of emphasis and the way we present issues will not only encourage readers to read on, it will also create a distinctive personality for VSO in their minds. Our personality The independent thinker The personality we want to create via our tone of voice is best summed up as the independent thinker. It means, roughly, that we want to position VSO as being a forward-thinking organisation thats not afraid to challenge the established way of doing things. We provide an alternative to more well known mainstream development brands. This personality makes us an attractive organisation to support the smart choice to invest your money or time in. Studies show that donors give more to organisations that they see as reflecting their own personality traits. Who doesnt like to see themselves as an independent thinker? It also gives us a platform to get peoples attention. VSO operates in a crowded market, so we need to reach out and grab people by being thought-provoking or surprising key characteristics of an independent thinker. What does the independent thinker sound like? The tone will vary depending upon the communications objective and the audience. What is appropriate for a youth audience in the UK may not be appropriate for partner organisations in Kenya. Use your judgment. Generally, we aim to be: thought-provoking surprising analytical (not polemic) considered( but not long-winded) inspiring (but not schmaltzy) warm (but not phony) professional (but not pompous) conversational (but not matey).
Tips for staying on tone

The independent thinker is about how we talk, not about what we do VSO is not a think tank. The people who support us want results, not opinions. We never come out and explicitly say the VSO is an independent thinker in so many words. Instead, the idea of the independent thinker is a handy internal summary of the way we talk about the things we do.
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Carlton House 27a Carlton Drive London SW15 2BS, UK t +44 (0)20 8780 7500 f +44 (0)20 8780 7300 www.vsointernational.org
Voluntary Service Overseas is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in London number: 703509 Registered charity number: England and Wales 313757, Scotland SC039117
The big idea - VSO is a catalyst The most successful brands stand for one, single-minded idea. Volvo = safety. Nike = competitiveness. Disney = family fun. Charities are no different. VSOs big idea is that we are a catalyst: we bring together the elements necessary for change to happen. Rather than trying to transplant a better way of doing things to a poor community, we bring people together to spark a chain reaction that will make life better not just for an individual or a family, but for a community or even a country. Its an interesting thought, and its one of the main reasons we can say were an independent thinker. It should underpin every communication that issues from VSO. Particularly, it should affect the way we talk about the difference we make, and the way we talk about the various people we work with. Briefly: The two things that make us different are scale and sustainability. Yes, we need to tell the stories of individuals to tug at the heartstrings. But those individual stories should always be placed in the context that the change they describe will endure, and that the impact will spark a chain reaction. Otherwise, why choose VSO over any other development charity? It is vital that the people who benefit from VSOs work are not portrayed as the passive recipients of aid. Where possible, the active part they play should be emphasised. Emphasise our heritage The independent thinker is only a compelling personality if our independent ideas are also good ones. Were not being different for the sake of it. Were being different because over 50 years of experience leads us to believe its the way we can best help the poorest people. Show how were different Where possible, we always try to frame your communications in terms of how what were doing is different. That doesnt just mean different from other development agencies. It can also mean different from peoples preconceptions about how development works. Or different from the way we used to do it. What counts as new or surprising will vary depending upon the reader. For a general audience, it may even be as simple as talking about how our core resource is people, rather than food or money. Dont be afraid to say what VSO is not. It will bring out how were different more clearly. These sample headlines give you an idea: We dont send money. We send you. We dont tell poor people what to do. We ask them. The antibiotics Oxfam gave us were vital. Now we need nurses to administer them. To help poor nations, we send people from the West. West Nairobi, for example. Be clear Clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought, and will be interpreted as doing so by your readers. To paraphrase George Orwells basic rules: Avoid metaphors, similes or other figures of speech that you are used to seeing in print. They make your work seem stale. Prefer short words. If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out. Where possible, use the active voice. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday equivalent. Break any of these rules rather than write something awkward or unclear.
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What does your reader want to know? People are at the centre of our values, so we should think first and foremost about our audience. What do they want to know (as opposed to what do we want them to know)? What knowledge can you assume? Put yourself in the readers shoes and ask whats in it for me? Then lead with that. Lose unnecessary words To quote The Economist: Some words add nothing but length to your prose. Use adjectives to make your meaning more precise and be cautious of those you find yourself using to make it more emphatic. The word very is a case in point. If it occurs in a sentence you have written, try leaving it out and see whether the meaning has changed. The omens were good may have more force than The omens were very good. Ask questions A willingness to ask questions shows were open-minded. Its also a useful way to include the sort of thought-provoking statements that entice people to read, without necessarily endorsing those statements. Use questions in headlines and subheads as often as you can. Dont be scared to point out the moral case underpinning our work VSO is not rooted in any one moral tradition, be it religious or humanist, but we not shy of that fact that if one person has a right, someone else has an obligation. Be careful not make our readers feel guilty though; that is counterproductive.
Be specific
Avoid vague words and phrases like often, many or some time ago. They dont paint a picture in the readers mind. They can even make it seem like were hiding something. If you can, say exactly what you mean. If we believe that knowledge is our most powerful tool, we should seek to transmit it accurately. Use short sentences Theyre more powerful emotionally. Theyre also easier for a reader to understand. The restrictions they place on you force you to think more consciously about how you structure information. That said, too many ultra-short sentences in a row can sound aggressive, so mix it up a bit. A good rule of thumb: if a sentence is over 25 words, split it in two. Write respectfully Be careful not to cross the line from being plainspoken into being rude. We do not portray people as victims, and we always seek to emphasise their essential humanity. We refer to: people living with HIV and AIDS, not AIDS sufferers people living in poverty or poor people, not the poor disabled people, not the disabled. Write about people in the developing world in the same way you would someone in the developed world. It can be just as patronising to put someone on a pedestal as it is to talk down to them. Let people speak for themselves Wherever possible, use the words of the people we work with. Not only does this approach gel with our values and with our role as a catalyst, its also much more compelling. Few things can compete with the immediacy of first-person testimony. One strategy that can work well is to make the beneficiary the hero of the story and the volunteer the storyteller. Finally, remember: we aim to inspire empathy, rather than guilt; identification, rather than pity. The outcome should never be look at that poor soul. It should be that person is just like me.
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General guidelines
abbreviations/acronyms Think carefully before using acronyms. Too many can be off-putting. An acronym should be introduced initially in brackets, following the name to which it refers. For example: The Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa (RAISA) is embarking on a project RAISA aims to Use all capitals if an abbreviation is read as initials. For example: WHO, UN. Although initial letters may be capitalised in an acronym/abbreviation, this does not always follow through when written out in full. For example: non-governmental organisation. For acronyms use an initial capital followed by lower case. For example: Nato. AIDS is an exception to this rule. See also: HIV and AIDS. If you are unsure of how to write an acronym, check the organisations website to see how they write it. No apostrophes in plural abbreviations and acronyms. For example: NGOs, MDGs. Abbreviations describing categories of people. For example: PLWHA (people living with HIV and AIDS) should generally not be used. (There may be exceptions for internal VSO content. For example: RVs for returned volunteers.) However, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) is acceptable. A list of commonly used acronyms and abbreviations can be found on Vision. acknowledgements General acknowledgements of help should be included in a preface or an acknowledgements page. If you are reproducing a significant amount of material from another source (eg a lengthy quotation or a chapter of a paper), contact the publisher to gain permission. If the publisher does not stipulate particular wording of an acknowledgement, list the source material information (see referencing) followed by Reproduced by kind permission of [publishers name]. active voice Use for the active voice where possible (Sylvia learnt to read, as opposed to Sylvia was taught to read). It gives your writing more energy. It also turns the beneficiaries into the heroes of the story, rather than the passive recipients of help, which is what a catalyst does. adjectives Using adjectives sparingly will give your language more vigour, make it more direct. Adjectives draw a readers conclusions for them, which is patronising. They summarise, and so drain immediacy. Instead, try and pick a detail that will lead a reader gently to that conclusion. It is these details that bring our peoples stories to life. Instead of: Life is hard for Mary. Her family is extremely poor and often they go hungry. Try: Today, Mary will eat only one meal. and/& Use and not & unless youre trying to fit words in to small space, or it is part of an official name. contractions
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Contractions mirror the way we speak, and so give your work a conversational tone. In all but the most formal settings, you are can not that is will sound stilted and lacking in confidence. Youre, cant and thats put people at ease.
compound words Hyphenate if they are adjectives preceding a noun, but do not hyphenate after a noun. For example: smallscale industry, but industry on a small scale. copyright Use a copyright notice on all publications for external audiences in this format: VSO [year of publication] For photographs from the VSO image library, use: VSO/[name of photographer] Standard permission phrase for publications: Unless indicated otherwise, any part of this publication may be reproduced without permission for nonprofit and educational purposes on the condition that VSO is acknowledged. Please send VSO a copy of any materials in which VSO material has been used. For any reproduction with commercial ends, permission must first be obtained from VSO. euphemisms Avoid. They run the risk of making us look woolly-minded, as if were afraid to confront reality. But dont sensationalise either. Prefer died to passed away and killed to slaughtered. footnotes Try to keep footnotes to a minimum as they disrupt the readers flow. Where it is necessary to provide footnotes use superscript numbers at the end of the sentence that requires a footnote, like this. 1 List the footnotes at the bottom of each page (if space is an issue they can be listed at the end of the document or section/chapter). Use a full-size number followed by a full stop/period and space in the note itself, then provide the details. For example: 1. Author, Initials., Year. Title of Book. Edition. (only include this if not the first edition) Place of publication (this must be a town or city, not a country): Publisher. foreign words Italicise, use accents and provide a translation or explanation in brackets after the first occurrence. No italics or accents if the words have been absorbed into English. For example: cafe, niche. headings Use minimum caps in headings (ie first letter of title and any proper nouns only), except for main title of document. he or she Use he or she rather than (s)he or he/she, but try to avoid using it altogether by repeating the subject or making it plural. It is also acceptable to use the plural pronoun they with a singular subject. If you have a series of examples, try alternating 'he' and 'she'. So 'If an entrepreneur wants seed funds, she may have to pay up to 120% Interest could be followed a paragraph later with By the time a nurse finishes training, he will typically be the equivalent of two-years' salary In debt. italics
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Use italics for titles of books and reports, magazines, newspapers, films, plays, operas, song titles, television and radio shows, and names (not types or makes) of aeroplanes and ships. Use italics for foreign words that have not been absorbed into the English language. Main titles are italics. Chapter headings within publications and so on, are not and should be in quotation marks. Do not use italics and quotation marks together. Do not use italics for quotes or for emphasis. If the body text piece is in italics, switch to regular text for titles of books and reports, magazines, newspapers, etc. jargon Avoid it. Unless, of-course, youre writing exclusively to an audience you are certain understands it. In that case, it may be useful (after all, jargon evolves for a reason). Cutting the jargon from your writing can be time-consuming, but its worth it if you want people to understand and be persuaded by you. job titles Job titles on their own are lower case, unless followed by the post-holders name. For example: Marg Mayne is the chief executive of VSO International, but Chief Executive Marg Mayne. medical terms All medical and health terms are lower case. For example: tuberculosis (TB), malaria, diphtheria, hepatitis B, yellow fever but it is Parkinsons disease. photography Captions should contain the names (and job titles, where relevant) of all people in a photograph. When using VSO photographs, the credit should be in the format: VSO/[photographer] and/or [agency] places The Gambia (capital T). the Maldives (lower case t). the Netherlands (lower case t). the Philippines (lower case t). Inhabitants are Filipinos (male) or Filipinas (female) and Filipino is the adjective for both sexes. Use Philippine as an adjective for everything else. sub-Saharan (use hyphen and lower case s for sub). the Republic of Ireland (capital R). (Great) Britain = England, Wales and Scotland. the UK = England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. British Isles = England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. Capitalise names of countries, recognised areas and political regions, but not descriptions in general terms: South Korea, the West, but southern Scotland, the north of Canada. quoted material Use double quotation marks for quoted material or dialogue. Use single quotation marks inside these where necessary. Do not italicise.
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If quotes are more than one paragraph long, open quotation marks at the start of each paragraph, but only close them at the very end. When quoting large sections of text or a number of diagrams/illustrations from the same source, it is wise to gain permission from the publisher or copyright holder. referencing Use the Harvard system of referencing which includes authors last name, year of publication and page number written in brackets within the text directly after the referenced section ie (name, year, page). Full references are then listed in alphabetical order at the end of the document: Author, Initials., Year. Title of Book. Edition. (only include this if not the first edition) Place of publication (this must be a town or city, not a country): Publisher. To reference online content use the following format: Author or editor. Website copyright date Title of post, web page or information, Name of organisation [online] available at address of website [date accessed]. For example: Lee, A. 2012, The Future of Volunteerism VSO. Available at www.vsointernational.org [Accessed 24 July 2012]. regions VSO works in the following regions: west and central Africa north and east Africa southern Africa south Asia south-east Asia east and central Asia Pacific. that/which The rule is that defines, which informs: The donor funded the second project that VSO proposed. This specifies that the second project proposed by VSO was funded, ie not the first or third that VSO proposed. The government funded the second project, which VSO proposed. This provides extra information: that the project that received funding happened to be proposed by VSO. Note that punctuation (a comma before which in this example) makes the meaning clear. titles Use italics for titles of books, films, journals, magazines, newsletters, newspapers, programmes (TV and radio), reports and so on. Use quotation marks for titles of articles and essays. web addresses Leave out http:// To prevent confusion, do not put any punctuation at the end of web/email addresses, including full stops/periods at the end of sentences. who or whom? Check which to use by splitting the sentence in two. If your second sentence includes he, she or they, use who. If it contains him, her or them, use whom:
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The children thought they would miss the volunteer, whom they liked. (The children thought they would miss the volunteer. They liked him or her.) The children preferred the new volunteer, who they thought was more fun. (The children preferred the new volunteer. They thought he or she was more fun.)
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Common words/phrases that cause doubt

adviser -er not -or. affect/effect Affect is a verb but effect is a noun. For example: Climate change affects us all. It can have a devastating effect on the environment. benefited, benefiting One t. cooperate, coordinate No hyphen. focusing/focused One s. independence -ence not -ance. its or its? Its and its are commonly confused: the apostrophe of omission (its) is confused with the possessive (its). Its always means it is or it has. For example: its a beautiful country. Its (the possessive) takes no apostrophe. For example: our accommodation had its own charm. liaise Spell with two is. practice/practise Practice = noun; practise = verb. (He practised daily, but his practice only lasted ten minutes.) principal/principle principal (adjective) = main principal (noun) = headteacher principle (noun) = general theory, rule guiding behaviour stationary/stationery Stationary = static; stationery = writing materials whose or whos? Whose shows ownership, while whos is a short form of who is or who has: Whos the person responsible for transport? asked the volunteer, whose bicycle was broken.
Punctuation
accents Use accents on foreign words (and italicise the full word). If they have been absorbed into English, omit the accent: cafe, role See foreign words apostrophe Plurals of decades and abbreviations have no apostrophe: 1990s (not 1990s), NGOs.
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Where the subject of the sentence is singular, the apostrophe comes before the "s". Where the subject is a plural that ends in an "s", it comes after. So if the books belong to one boy, they are the boy's books. If they belong to several, they are the boys' books. Apostrophes are also used in time-related expressions such as "three years insurance". In such an expression, the apostrophe is positioned before the s for single units of time and after for multiple units of time. For example: one years experience, in five years pay. Alternatively, you can avoid having to use apostrophes in such expressions by adding the word of. For example: one year of experience, five years of pay. See also: it's/its. bullet points Where the bullet points comprise a list of single words or short statements that follow on from the introductory sentence, start each in lower case with a full stop/period at the end of the final line. For example: This guide was created to: provide staff with an easy-to-use reference tool make our communications clear and consistent save everyone time and effort. If the text in each bullet point is a discrete sentence that can stand alone, start each with a capital and finish with a full stop/period. (In some countries, usage dictates a semi-colon at the end of each bullet, with a period at the end of the last entry, but do not use this style for shared VSO content.) For example: A quick overview to give you an idea of what were all about: VSO is an international development charity that brings people together to create lasting change. Our volunteers are skilled professionals. We recruit volunteers from all over the world. capitalisation Avoid capitalising words unless they are proper nouns or official titles. Examples: VSO works through volunteers not VSO works through Volunteers. Board of Directors/Board of Trustees not board of directors. Department of Foreign Affairs, but the Foreign Affairs department. Generally, do not capitalise the word government as in government of Rwanda, but do in Rwandan Government spokesperson The same rule applies to the word parliament, so Parliament voted today but our advocacy activities involve petitioning parliaments. Job titles are lower case except in officialdom. For example: programme manager but Secretary of Defence Use minimum caps in headings (ie first letter of title and any proper nouns only), except for main title of document. Capitalise all significant words in the title of a book or report. For example: The Grapes of Wrath. Lower case for east, west, south and north unless part of a proper name, so South Korea but southern Africa. Do not capitalise phrases simply because they are set phrases. In the VSO context, none of the following should be capitalised: national volunteering, older volunteers, disabled volunteers, volunteers with accompanying or home-based partners, volunteers with accompanying children, volunteering couples, programme area plans, returned volunteers (although the abbreviation for returned volunteers RVs should be in capitals). Capitalise religions. For example: He was brought up to believe in Christianity, but was attracted to Buddhist teachings.
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VSO always capitalise. Never use Voluntary Service Overseas unless it is a legal requirement that you do so. Specialised VSO programmes should be capitalised. For example: Youth for Development; VSO Business Partnerships, but business partner Corp X). Specific VSO bodies should be capitalised. For example: the International Board, the Board of Trustees, the Council, the Global Leadership Team, the UK Management Team). Goal areas are not capitalised. For example: secure livelihoods, health, participation and governance. commas Use two commas, or none at all, when inserting a clause in the middle of a sentence. So write: Bor bor, a local maize-based porridge, formed the basis of their diet, not Bor bor, a local maize-based porridge formed the basis of their diet, or Bor bor a local maize-based porridge, formed the basis of their diet. dash For a dash, use an en-dash () rather than a hyphen (-). An en-dash (sometimes called an en-rule) is usually the width of the letter N in the typeface you are using. On a PC, press Ctrl + the numeric key pad minus sign (or hold down Alt and press 0150 on the numeric keypad) to obtain an en-dash. On a Mac, press Option + the hyphen key. Two en-dashes with spaces either side may be used as punctuation in a similar manner to commas or parentheses (brackets) either side of a phrase or clause. Use an en-dash (with no spaces either side) to convey the meaning of to in a range. For example: 1958 2008, 710 Old Street. An en-dash (with no spaces either side) can also be used to convey the meaning of and. For example: stop go policy, the HardyWeinberg law. email No hyphen. To prevent confusion, omit the full stop/period after an email address if it comes at the end of a sentence. exclamation marks Avoid using! hyphens Hyphens are used to prevent ambiguity. In practice, this means that adjectives before nouns are often hyphenated. In the deep blue sea, is the sea deep or is it dark blue? The deep-blue sea clarifies that the sea is dark blue. There is no need to hyphenate words ending in ly followed by an adjective, because the meaning is clear. For example: the freshly mown grass. Hyphens can be used to group together phrases before nouns to make it easier for readers to navigate text. For example: a face-to-face talk about the soon-to-be-finished building. Avoid floating hyphens where possible: pre- and post-war could be expressed as before and after the war. semi-colon Use a semi-colon to connect two independent clauses (series of words that could stand alone as complete sentences) together into one sentence. For example: Twelve workers started the project; only five remain. Do not use a semi-colon to connect two complete sentences if theres a conjunction (such as and or but) between the clauses. In that case, use a comma: Twelve workers started the project, but only five remain.
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When you have a series of three or more items that normally would be separated by commas but each individual item already has a comma in it, you use the semicolon between items. For example: We visited Dhaka, Bangladesh; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Numbers
As a general rule, spell out one to nine and use figures for 10 and above. Don't mix and match though. 'Aged 9-12' is preferable to 'aged nine-12'. Numbers starting a new sentence or paragraph should be spelt out in full. If the number is large, try rewriting the sentence to avoid starting with it. Use commas to break up numbers over a thousand. For example: 1,000 and 250,000. (Note that 1 billion = a thousand million.) Spell out million and billion in full. For example: 1 million, 1 billion, but abbreviate in tables to m and bn (eg 1m, 1bn). Use figures in tables. Also use figures for parts of a document (page numbers, section and chapters) time and date The order is day, month, year. For example: 4 February 2011. Write the time with no full stops/periods and no space after figure: 3pm. Do not use the 24-hour clock. Avoid using 12am and 12pm to prevent confusion. Use midnight and noon respectively instead. Note the following format: three four-hour sessions; a three-day conference. money If youre writing for a global audience, use a country indicator to communicate which currency youre talking about (eg US$20, GB). For large sums of money use the format GB1.5 million or US$ 3 billion. Use a hyphen when writing out fractions. For example: two-thirds, three-quarters. measurements Use figures for measurements (no space between figure and abbreviation; no full stops/periods, eg 30km, 6ml, 25kg). percentages Write percentages as figures and symbol. For example: 8%. If you have to start a sentence or paragraph with a percentage, write in out in full. For example: Twenty-one per cent of people would like to volunteer abroad some day. age Use figures. For example: Maly is 35 years old. Carsten is 9 years old. Roxanne has a 1-year-old daughter.
Terminology
annual programme review (APR) Lower case unless part of a document title, such as Papua New Guinea Annual Programme Review 2011. antiretroviral No hyphen.
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awareness raising/awareness-raising Hyphenate the adjective, not the noun. For example: The volunteer ran an awareness-raising workshop. Her placement involved a lot of awareness raising. biannual/biennial Avoid using both terms to prevent confusion (biannual = twice a year; biennial = every two years). Instead, try to avoid the terms altogether and use every two years or twice a year. braille Lower case b. capacity-building Hyphenate the adjective, not the noun. So Although Jims placement focused on capacity building, he did a lot of service delivery too. Together, they formulated a capacity-building strategy. childcare One word. community-based organisation (CBO) Lower case, with hyphen; also accepted as an acronym (CBO), but only after it has been introduced in brackets following the full version. continuous learning in country (CLIC) Lower case when referred to generally, but capitals when referred to as a specific VSO strategy (ie VSOs Continuous Learning in Country Strategy). Also accepted as an acronym (CLIC), but only after it has been introduced in brackets following the full version. cooperate, coordinate No hyphen. country plan Lower case unless part of a document title, such as Papua New Guinea Country Plan 2011-15. criterion/criteria One criterion, two or more criteria. deaf Lower case d decision-making Use hyphen. dependant/dependent A dependant is a person who depends on someone else; dependent describes a situation or state of being. development goals Use lower case when referring to the six VSO development goals. For example: In the area of secure livelihoods, VSO has 10 programmes. education HIV and AIDS disability health and social wellbeing
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secure livelihoods participation and governance. diaspora Lower case d disability People are disabled people. They have impairments. They are not people with disabilities. Refer to deaf people rather than hearing-impaired people. Use children/people/adults with learning difficulties. Abbreviations for people such as PLWHAs (for people living with HIV and AIDS), CWLDs (for children with learning difficulties) and IDPs (for internally displaced people) should not be used, as they can detract from a persons humanity. Use wheelchair user rather than wheelchair-bound, because for the person concerned the wheelchair means freedom to move. Do not use victim of terminology. For example, use landmine survivors and not landmine victims. dos and donts Note the apostrophes. eg No full stops/periods and preceded by (but not followed by) a comma, eg like this. Spell out for example if space is not limited. everyday/every day One word as an adjective before a noun: an everyday occurrence. Two words in all other situations: His confidence is growing every day. expat, expatriate Not ex-pat/ex-patriate (as this is ex meaning out of rather than ex- meaning former). focusing/focused One s. fundraising One word. gender/sex Gender refers to the social, cultural, economic or political expectations or roles that are associated with people because of their sex. For example, a project providing seed to farmers may have unforeseen gender implications: Local women farm, but they are not allowed to speak with men who are not relatives. As a result, they cannot meet the male agricultural extension workers and so do not benefit from the seed, which means only male farmers benefit. Use gender-neutral language. Repeated use of he or she is clumsy and can almost always be avoided, either by using the plural they or by rephrasing the sentence. It is acceptable to use the plural pronoun they with a singular subject. Use chair or chairperson, not chairman. See also: he or she. Global Xchange No e and capital X
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healthcare One word. HIV and AIDS Not HIV & AIDS or HIV/AIDS ie No full stops/periods. Spell out that is if space is not limited. in-country training (ICT) Lower case, with hyphen; also accepted as an acronym (ICT), but only after it has been introduced in brackets following the full version. International Citizen Service (ICS) Capitals for both the abbreviation (ICS) and the full title. internet Lower case i. local partner group names Capitals, as in Women of the North Microcredit Alliance. long-term Hyphenate. MICs Middle-income countries (requires a hyphen and lower case). But spell out in full unless youre certain the audience is familiar with the term. microcredit No hyphen (also microfinance, microenterprise). non-governmental organisation (NGO) Requires a hyphen; also accepted as an acronym (NGO), but only after it has been introduced in brackets following the full version. North/South Avoid using to describe country development status. Use instead developing/developed world/countries. operational plan Lower case unless part of a document title, such as Papua New Guinea Operation Plan. overseas Make sure that you use this accurately. Every developing country is overseas from a UK, European or North American perspective, but a Kenyan volunteer does not go overseas to work in Zambia. As an alternative, use terms such as worldwide, around the world, in a developing/different country, etc. people Take care to use language that describes people positively and respects their humanity. people living with HIV not HIV victims or AIDS sufferers. older people not the old/aged/elderly.
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people with disabilities or disabled people not the disabled or the handicapped. blind people or people with a visual impairment not the blind. deaf people or people with impaired hearing not the deaf. wheelchair user not wheelchair bound.
Do not use abbreviations to describe groups of people (people living with HIV not PLWHA). Avoid gender-specific words that describe roles carried out by men and women. Generally, use developing countries rather than Third World or under-developed countries. Avoid using North and South unless you are sure your audience is familiar with development terminology. People First The name of VSOs current strategy. Italicise. pre-departure training (PDT) Lower case, with hyphen; also accepted as an acronym (PDT), but only after it has been introduced in brackets following the full version. Preparing for Change (PfC) course Upper case P and C, lower case f; also accepted as an acronym (PfC), but only after it has been introduced in brackets following the full version. Preparing to Volunteer (P2V) course Upper case P and V, lower case t; also accepted as an acronym (P2V), but only after it has been introduced in brackets following the full version. programme Double m, not program. programme office Lower case. For example: Our programme office in Vietnam. Programme offices are called VSO +Country not VSO + Country Programme Office. So, VSO Bangladesh not VSO Bangladesh Programme Office. Secretary-General (of United Nations) With a hyphen. short-term Hyphenate Skills for Working in Development (SKWID) course A mix of upper and lower case as shown; also accepted as an acronym (SKWID), but only after it has been introduced in brackets following the full version. Volzone Capital V but lower case z. VSO VSO is always singular: VSO is an international not VSO are aiming to
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Use VSO, not Voluntary Service Overseas. If you need to explain, instead use either VSO, a development organisation that fights poverty through volunteers or VSO, a charity that fights poverty through volunteers. Use we instead of VSO in the third-person, where possible. website One word. wellbeing One word. the West Capitalise when used as a geopolitical term. Youth for Development (YfD) Capital Y and D, with a lower case f; also accepted as an acronym (YfD), but only after it has been introduced in brackets following the full version.
Web style
emphasis Dont use italics for emphasis, use bold. This should also be applied to print documents. links Dont italicise links, even if name of an official document/title. Dont make headings links as its not obvious it is a link. Include text in the link name, and the URL in the underlying link. For example: See VSO International volunteer roles rather than See http://www.vsointernational.org/volunteer/current-roles.asp. For external websites, include target blank to open up page in a separate window. headings Use lower case for all headings, except for the first letter. Use heading 1 for the main heading, heading 2 and heading 3 for sub headings.
18
Index
abbreviations/acronyms accents acknowledgements active voice adjectives adviser age annual programme review (APR) antiretroviral apostrophe awareness raiding/awareness-raising benefited, benefiting biannual/biennial braille bullet points capacity-building capitalisation childcare commas common words community-based organisation (CBO) compound words continuous learning organisation (CLIC) contractions cooperate, coordinate country plan copyright criterion/criteria dash deaf decision-making dependant/dependent development goals disability do's and don'ts eg/example email emphasis euphemisms everyday/every day exclamation marks expat, expatriate focusing/focused footnotes (see referencing ) foreign words fundraising gender/sex general guidelines
Carlton House 27a Carlton Drive London SW15 2BS, UK
5 10 5 5 5 10 13 13 13 10 14 10 14 14 11 14 11 14 12 10 14 6 14 5 10 14 6 14 12 14 14 14 14 15 15 15 12 18 6 15 12 15 15 6 6 15 15 5
19
t +44 (0)20 8780 7500 f +44 (0)20 8780 7300 www.vsointernational.org
Global Xchange he or she headings headings (web) healthcare HIV and AIDS hyphens ie in-country training (ICT) independence International Citizen Service (ICS) internet italics its or its? jargon job titles liaise links (web) local partner group measurements medical terms microcredit MICs money non-governmental organisation (NGO) North/South numbers operational plan overseas people People First percentages photography phrases that cause doubt places (see also regions) practice/practise pre-departure training (PDT) Preparing for Change (PfC) course Preparing to Volunteer (P2V) course principal/principle programme programme office punctuation quoted material referencing regions (see also places) Secretary-General (of United Nations) semi-colon Skills for Working in Development (SKWID) course stationary/stationery terminology that/which
Carlton House 27a Carlton Drive London SW15 2BS, UK
15 6 6 18 16 16 12 16 16 10 16 16 6 10 7 7 10 18 16 13 7 16 16 13 16 16 13 16 16 16 17 13 7 10 8 10 17 17 17 10 17 17 10 7 8 8 17 12 17 10 13 8
20
t +44 (0)20 8780 7500 f +44 (0)20 8780 7300 www.vsointernational.org
the West time and date titles tone of voice Volzone VSO web addresses web style writing for VSO website wellbeing Youth for Development (YfD)
18 13 8 2 17 17 8 18 2 18 18 18
21

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