Style guide

Abbreviations and acronyms

The first time you use an abbreviation or acronym explain it in full on each page unless it’s well known, like UK, NHS or BBC. This includes government departments or schemes. Then refer to it by initials.

Do not use full stops in abbreviations: NHS, not N.H.S.

Do not use an acronym if you’re not going to use it again later in the text.

Active voice

Use the active rather than passive voice. This will help us write concise, clear content.

Addresses

Start each part of the address on a new line. You should:

• write the town and postcode on separate lines
• not use commas at the end of each line
• write the country on the line after the postcode, not before
• only include a country if there is a reasonable chance that the user will be writing to the address from a different country

For example:

Social Security Scotland
PO Box 10301
Dundee
DD1 9FW
United Kingdom

Addressing the user

Address the user as ‘you’ where possible. Content on the site often makes a direct appeal to get involved or take action: ‘You can apply for a blue badge by contacting your local council’, for example.

adviser

For example, special adviser. Not advisor, but advisory is the correct adjective.

Ages

Do not use hyphens in ages unless to avoid confusion, although it’s always best to write in a way that avoids ambiguity. For example, ‘a class of 15 16-year-old students took the A level course’ can be written as ‘15 students aged 16 took the A level course’. Use ‘aged 4 to 16 years’, not ‘4-16 years’.

Avoid using ‘the over 50s’ or ‘under-18s’. Instead, make it clear who’s included: ‘aged 50 years and over’ and ‘aged 17 and under’.

agile

Upper case when referring to the Agile Manifesto and principles and processes, otherwise use lower case.

allow list

Use allow list as the noun and allow as the verb. Do not use white list or whitelist.

alpha

Lower case.

American English

Use UK English spelling and grammar. For example, use ‘organise’ not ‘organize’, ‘modelling’ not ‘modeling’, and ‘fill in a form’, not ‘fill out a form’.

American proper nouns, like 4th Mechanized Brigade or Pearl Harbor, take American English spelling.

Ampersand

Use ‘and’ rather than ‘&’, unless it’s a department’s logo image or a company’s name as it appears on the Companies House register.

Bacs (Bankers Automated Clearing System)

Acronym should come first as it’s more widely known than the full name. Please note that this acronym has changed from BACS to Bacs.

Bank details

When adding bank details:

• do not use a table - use bullet points and a lead-in line instead
• use spaces rather than hyphens in sort codes - 60 70 80 (not 60-70-80)
• avoid using spaces in account numbers unless they are very long (like an International Bank Account Number)

For example:

Transfer the fee to the following account within 5 working days of emailing your form:

• sort code - 80 26 50
• account number - 10014069
• account name - The Public Trustee

beta

Lower case.

Billions

Always use billion in money (and million): £138 billion.

Use billions in phrases: billions of people.

Do not use £0.xx billion for amounts less than £1 billion, unless it’s in a sequence where you’re talking about amounts above £1 billion. For example: “There was £15.6 billion spent in August 2024, an increase of £0.2 billion”. If you’re using it outside of the sequence again, use £2 million. 

Do not abbreviate billion to b.

block list

Use block list as the noun and block as the verb. Do not use black list or blacklist.

Bold

Only use bold to indicate interface elements in text that are explicitly telling the user what to do, for example:

• Select Start.
• Enter your information then select Done.

Use inverted commas when referring to interface elements in non-instructional contexts, for example: “The ‘Done’ button will always be at the bottom of the page.”

Use bold sparingly - using too much will make it difficult for users to know which parts of your content they need to pay the most attention to.

Do not use bold in other situations, for example to emphasise text.

To emphasise words or phrases, you can:

• front-load sentences
• use headings
• use bullets

Brackets

Use (round brackets), not [square brackets]. The only acceptable use of square brackets is for explanatory notes in reported speech.

“Thank you [First Minister] Mr Smith.”

Do not use round brackets to refer to something that could either be singular or plural, like ‘Check which document(s) you need to send to Social Security Scotland’.

Always use the plural instead, as this will cover each possibility: ‘Check which documents you need to send to Social Security Scotland’.

Bullet points

You can use bullets to make text easier to read. Make sure that:

• you always use a lead-in line
• you use more than one bullet
• the bullets make sense running on from the lead-in line
• you use lower case at the start of the bullet
• you do not use more than one sentence per bullet - use commas or dashes to expand on an item
• you do not put ‘or’ or ‘and’ after the bullets
• you do not make the whole bullet a link if it’s a long phrase
• you do not put a semicolon at the end of a bullet
• there is no full stop after the last bullet

Bullets should normally form a complete sentence following from the lead text. But it’s sometimes necessary to add a short phrase to clarify whether all or some of the points apply. For example, ‘You can only register a pension scheme that is one of the following:’

The number and type of examples in a list may lead the user to believe the list is exhaustive. This can be dealt with by:

• checking if there are other conditions (or if the list is actually complete)
• listing the conditions which apply to the most users and removing the rest
• consider broader terms in the list which capture more scenarios (and could make the list exhaustive)
• creating a journey to specialist content to cover the remaining conditions

Cabinet Secretary

Use upper case for the full title, like Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, or when used with a name, as a title, like Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop.

When used without the name, shortened titles are lower case: The cabinet secretary welcomed the research team.

Capital letters

DO NOT USE BLOCK CAPITALS FOR LARGE AMOUNTS OF TEXT AS IT’S QUITE HARD TO READ.

Always use sentence case, even in page titles and service names. The exceptions to this are proper nouns, including:

• departments (specific government departments - see below)
• the Civil Service, with lower case for ‘the’
• specific job titles
• titles like Mr, Mrs, Dr, the Duke of Cambridge (the duke at second mention); Pope Francis, but the pope
• Rt Hon (no full stops)
• buildings
• place names
• brand names
• faculties, departments, institutes and schools
• names of groups, directorates and organisations: Knowledge and Innovation Group
• Parliament, the House
• titles of specific acts or bills: Housing Reform Bill (but use ‘the act’ or ‘the bill’ after the first time you use the full act or bill title)
• names of specific, named government schemes known to people outside government: Right to Buy, King’s Awards for Enterprise
• specific select committees: Public Administration Select Committee
• header cells in tables: Annual profits
• titles of books (and within single quotes), for example, ‘The Study Skills Handbook’
• World War 1 and World War 2 (note caps and numbers)

Do not capitalise:

• government
• minister, never Minister, unless part of a specific job title, like Minister for the Cabinet Office
• department or ministry - never Department or Ministry, unless referring to a specific one: Ministry of Justice, for example
• white paper, green paper, command paper, House of Commons paper
• budget, autumn statement, spring statement, unless referring to and using the full name of a specific statement - for example, “2016 Budget”
• sections or schedules within specific named acts, regulations or orders
• director general (no hyphen), deputy director, director, unless in a specific job title
• group and directorate, unless referring to a specific group or directorate: the Commercial Directorate, for example
• departmental board, executive board, the board
• policy themes like sustainable communities, promoting economic growth, local enterprise zones
• general mention of select committees (but do cap specific ones - see above)
• the military

Civil Service

Upper case.

civil servants

Lower case.

Click

Do not use 'click' when talking about user interfaces because not all users click. Use 'select'.

Colons

Use a colon to:

• lead into direct quotes
• introduce bullets
• start a list

In other circumstances, break up your content into separate sentences.

If you need to in offline content, you can use a single dash instead. However, you should avoid using dashes in online content as they are not compatible with screen readers.

Commas

If a comma is required in a sentence it suggests it may be too long and you should consider rewriting the sentence.

A comma can be used to break up items in a list but using bullet points would be a better way to display the content.

Avoid Oxford commas.

Contractions

Avoid negative contractions like can’t and don’t. Many users find them harder to read, or misread them as the opposite of what they say. Use cannot, instead of can’t.

Avoid should’ve, could’ve, would’ve and they’ve too. These can also be hard to read.

Council Tax

Upper case.

Covid

Always capitalise ‘Covid.’

Do not use:

• ‘Covid-19’
• ‘coronavirus’

Dashes

Dashes are used to separate words which are added as an explanation after the initial statement.

Avoid using dashes wherever possible, particularly in any online content. Screen reading applications read out “en dash” for every “–”. Replace dashes with commas where you can.

Use ‘to’, not a dash for:

• date ranges 
• time ranges

Dashes are different from hyphens.

Data

Treat as a singular noun: The data is stored on a secure server.

Dates

Use upper case for months: January, February

Do not use a comma between the month and year: 4 June 2017

When space is an issue - in tables or publication titles, for example - you can use truncated months: Jan, Feb

We use ‘to’ in date ranges - not hyphens, en rules or em dashes. For example:

• tax year 2011 to 2012
• Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (put different days on a new line, do not separate with a comma)
• 10 November to 21 December
• do not use quarter for dates, use the months: ‘department expenses, Jan to Mar 2013’
• when referring to today (as in a news article) include the date: ‘The minister announced today (14 June 2012) that…’

Dependant

A person reliant on another (usually financially). For example, a person’s child or an adult who relies on a person financially.

Use 'dependant' for the noun (British English version), not the American English version 'dependent'.

Disability

The things which society, the environment, or policy do to a person with an impairment which disadvantages them.

Disabled people or disabled person

Not ‘the disabled’ or ‘people with disabilities’.

discovery

Lower case.

Dropdown

The selectable menu choices in a system.

All one word, no hyphen.

Earth

Upper case for the Earth, Planet Earth and Earth sciences.

E.g., etc. and i.e.

e.g. can sometimes be read aloud as ‘egg’ by screen reading software. Instead use ‘for example’ or ‘such as’ or ‘like’ or ‘including’ - whichever works best in the specific context.

etc. can usually be avoided. Try using ‘for example’ or ‘such as’ or ‘like’ or ‘including’. Never use etc. at the end of a list starting with these words.

i.e. - used to clarify a sentence - is not always well understood. Try writing sentences to avoid the need to use it. If that is not possible, use an alternative such as ‘meaning’ or ‘that is’.

Email

One word.

Email addresses

Write email addresses in full, in lower case and as active links. Do not include any other words in the link text.

For example, name@domain.gov.uk

European Economic Area (EEA)

Avoid using as it is not widely understood. Say ‘the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein’.

When rules covering the EEA also cover Switzerland, say ‘the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein’.

European Union vs European Community

Use EU when you mean EU member states: EU countries, EU businesses, EU consumers, goods exported from the EU, EU VAT numbers.

EC should be used when it’s EC directives, EC Sales List

FAQs

Do not use FAQs on mygov.scot. If you write content by starting with user needs, you will not need to use FAQs.

First Minister

Use First Minister [name] and the First Minister.

Freedom of Information (FOI)

You can make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, but not a request under the FOI Act.

Geography and regions

Use lower case for north, south, east and west, except when they’re part of a name or recognised region.

So, the south-west (compass direction), but the South West (administrative region).

Use lower case for north-east Scotland, western Europe, south-east Asia.

Use upper case for ‘the Highlands’ and ‘the Lowlands’ but not ‘The’.  

government

Lower case unless it’s a full title. For example: ‘UK government’, but ‘His Majesty’s Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’.

Also ‘Scottish Government’, as it’s the full title.

Hyphenation

Hyphenate:

• re- words starting with e, like re-evaluate
• co-ordinate
• co-operate
• user-centred design

Do not hyphenate:

• reuse
• reinvent
• reorder
• reopen
• email

Do not use a hyphen unless it’s confusing without it, for example, a little used-car is different from a little-used car. You can also refer to The Guardian style guide for advice on hyphenation.

Use ‘to’ for time and date ranges, not hyphens.

Identity verification

Use ‘identity verification’.

Avoid using:

• identity and verification
• ID&V

Idioms

Avoid idioms and figures of speech.

Idioms like ‘wear and tear’ may not be understood by users with limited English. For example, they may read each word individually and not understand ‘wear and tear’ to mean damage. They may also not translate well into other languages.

Income

Only refer to income if it's relevant. If you need to describe someone's income, be specific. Rather than using words such as 'high' or 'low', use relevant income ranges (‘between £X - £Y’). If you’re talking about a benefits service, you may be able to use specific qualifying benefits to explain what services a user can access rather than making reference to income.

In person

Use ‘in person’ instead of ‘face-to-face’ when describing meeting clients.

This is because ‘face-to-face’ could also refer to video calls with clients.

Italics

Do not use italics. Use ‘single quotation marks’ if referring to a document, scheme or initiative.

Job titles

Specific job titles and ministers’ role titles are upper case: Minister for Science and Skills.

Generic job titles and ministers’ role titles are lower case: director, minister, cabinet secretary.

the King

Upper case K, lower case t.

law

Lower case.

lawyer

Lower case. Use ‘solicitor’ instead of lawyer.

Legal content

Legal content can still be written in plain English. It’s important that users understand content and that we present complicated information simply.

If you’re talking about a legal requirement, use ‘must’. For example, ‘your employer must pay you the National Minimum Wage (NMW)’.

If you feel that ‘must’ does not have enough emphasis, then use ‘legal requirement’, ‘legally entitled’ or similar. For example: ‘Once your child is registered at school, you’re legally responsible for making sure they attend regularly’.

When deciding whether to use ‘must’ or ‘legally entitled’ or similar, consider how important it is for us to talk about the legal aspect, as well as the overall tone of voice.

If a requirement is legal, but administrative, or part of a process that will not have criminal repercussions, then use: ‘need to’. For example: ‘You will need to provide copies of your marriage certificate’.

This may be a legal requirement but not completing it would just stop the person from moving on to the next stage of a process, rather than committing a more serious offence.

Links

Front-load your link text with the relevant terms and make them active and specific. Always link to online services first. Offer offline alternatives afterwards, when possible.

Lists

Lists should be bulleted to make them easier to read. Refer to bullets and steps.

Very long lists can be written as a paragraph with a lead-in sentence if it looks better: ‘The following countries are in the EU: Spain, France, Italy…’

In an alphanumeric list:

• put entries that start with numbers before entries that start with letters
• order the numbers numerically in the correct order for the whole number

live

Lower case.

local authority

Lower case. Do not use acronym LA.

When referring to local government, use local council instead of local authority where possible. 

local council

Lower case.

When referring to local government, use local council instead of local authority where possible. 

Use the following names when referring to specific local councils:

• Argyll and Bute Council
• Edinburgh Council
• Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
• Dumfries and Galloway Council
• Dundee City Council
• Highland Council
• Orkney Islands Council
• Perth and Kinross Council
• Shetland Islands Council

Maths content

Use a minus sign for negative numbers: –6

Ratios have no space either side of the colon: 5:12

One space each side of symbols: +, –, ×, ÷ and = (so: 2 + 2 = 4)

Use the minus sign for subtraction. Use the correct symbol for the multiplication sign (×), not the letter x.

Write out and hyphenate fractions: two-thirds, three-quarters.

Write out decimal fractions as numerals. Use the same number format for a sequence: 0.75 and 0.45

Measurements

Use numerals and spell out measurements at first mention:

• 4 metres
• 10 kilometres per hour

Do not use a space between the numeral and abbreviated measurement: 3,500kg not 3,500 kg.

Abbreviating kilograms to kg is fine - you do not need to spell it out.

If the measurement is more than one word, for example ‘kilometres per hour’ then spell it out the first time it is used with the abbreviation. From then on, abbreviate. If it is only mentioned once, do not abbreviate.

Use Celsius for temperature, for example 37°C.

Millions

Always use million in money (and billion): £138 million.

Use millions in phrases: millions of people.

Do not use £0.xx million for amounts less than £1 million, unless it’s in a sequence where you’re talking about amounts above £1 million. For example: “There was £15.6 million spent in August 2024, an increase of £0.2 million”. If you’re using it outside of the sequence again, use £200,000.

Do not abbreviate million to m.

Minister

Use upper case for the full title, like Minister for Business and Employment, or when used with a name like Minister for Public Finance Joe Bloggs.

Do not use the shortened title with a name, like Minister Bloggs.

When used without the name, shortened titles are lower case: The health minister welcomed the research team.

Money

Use the £ symbol: £75

Do not use decimals unless pence are included: £75.50 but not £75.00

Do not use £0.xx million for amounts less than £1 million.

Write out pence in full: calls will cost 4 pence per minute from a landline.

MP

Do not use Member of Parliament, just MP

MSP

Do not use Member of the Scottish Parliament, just MSP.

mygov.scot

Lower case.

N/A

Do not use N/A in empty cells in tables. Use ‘no data’ or ‘not applicable’ instead.

Names and personal titles

Use a person’s full name the first time you mention them. Only include personal titles if they’re relevant to your content.

For example, it might be relevant to include:

• their job title beforehand, like ‘Prime Minister’
• an academic title like ‘Dr’ or ‘Professor’
• an honorary title like ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’
• a military title like ‘Admiral’ or ‘General’
• letters like ‘OBE’, ‘MP’ or ‘KC’ after their name
• If they’re a member of the House of Lords, use their official title instead. You can search the members of the House of Lords to find that information.

When you mention a person again, use one of the following:

• their job title
• a title and their surname (like ‘Mr’, ‘Ms’, ‘Lord,’ ‘Baroness’ or ‘Dr’) - use ‘Ms’ for women without another title, unless they’ve expressed a preference for ‘Mrs’ or ‘Miss’
• a title and their first name, if you previously used their honorary title and they have a knighthood or damehood (like ‘Sir Mark’ or ‘Dame Helen’)
• just their first name, in more informal content

Avoid using titles from other languages, like ‘Herr’ or ‘Madame’.

National Insurance

Upper case. But following words are lower case, for example National Insurance number.

Numbers

Use ‘one’ unless you’re talking about a step, a point in a list or another situation where using the numeral makes more sense: ‘in point 1 of the design instructions’, for example. Or this:

You’ll be shown 14 clips that feature everyday road scenes.

There will be:

• 1 developing hazard in 13 clips
• 2 developing hazards in the other clip

Write all other numbers in numerals (including 2 to 9) except where it’s part of a common expression like ‘one or two of them’ where numerals would look strange.

Write numerals up to 999,999. Thereafter use million, billion and trillion in full. For example 2 million, 3 billion. 

Do not use 'k' to abbreviate. For example 1,000 and not 1k. 

If a number starts a sentence, write it out in full (Thirty-four, for example) except where it starts a title or subheading.

For numerals over 999 - insert a comma for clarity: 9,000

Spell out common fractions like one-half.

Use a % sign for percentages: 50%

Use a 0 where there’s no digit before the decimal point (for example, 0.5 not .5).

Use ‘zero degrees’ not ‘0 degrees’ or 0°.

Use ‘500 to 900’ and not ‘500-900’ (except in tables).

Use MB for anything over 1MB: 4MB not 4096KB.

Use KB for anything under 1MB: 569KB not 0.55MB.

Keep it as accurate as possible and up to 2 decimal places: 4.03MB.

Addresses: use ‘to’ in address ranges: 49 to 53 Cherry Street

Or

Do not use slashes instead of “or”. For example, “Do this 3/4 times” should be “Do this 3 or 4 times.”

Ordinal numbers

Spell out first to ninth. After that use 10th, 11th and so on.

In tables, use numbers throughout. 

Organisations

All organisations are singular: The government has decided to sell assets.

Use the singular verb form when referring to organisations by name. Use ‘they’ when replacing an organisation name with a pronoun.

The definite article can be used when referring to the organisation by its full name, but should not be used with the organisation’s acronym: ‘You should contact the Student Awards Agency Scotland if…’ but ‘You should contact SAAS if…’

Other parent

Use ‘other parent’ when referring to someone who shares parental responsibility for a child, especially in contexts involving separation or co-parenting. This term is inclusive, neutral and child focused. It helps to avoid emotional or relationship based labels like ‘ex-partner.’

Use:

• when the focus is on the child and parental roles
• in content about parenting arrangements, mediation or family support
• where clarity is needed in complex family situations.

Avoid:

• using ‘ex-partner’ or ‘former partner’ when the relationship is not the focus
• assuming the ‘other parent’ is actively involved – use care in sensitive contexts.

For example: ‘You can make arrangements with your child’s other parent through mediation’.

If the content is about collaboration or shared responsibilities, consider using ‘co-parent’ instead.

Pages and screens

You should usually be able to use statements like ‘when you continue’ or refer to an interaction as a ‘step’ if you need to help users understand where they are in their journey.

If you ever need to describe what the user is actually interacting with, use ‘page’. This applies to both web and app interfaces.

For example:

• ‘Keep this page open’
• ‘You’ll need to come back to this page later’
• ‘Go back to the page you had open on your computer or tablet’
• ‘Report a problem with this page’

Do not use ‘screen’ unless you’re referring to part of a device, for example ‘the oval on your screen’.

User research by GDS noticed users use and understand the word ‘page’, even in the context of a mobile app. For example, they talk about the ‘home page’ of the app, and not the ‘home screen’.

You can use ‘window’ or ‘tab’ if you ever need to describe how a page will be shown in a user’s web browser. For example, if you need a link to open in a new tab, include the words ‘opens in new tab’ as part of the link text.

Page titles

Page titles should:

• be 65 characters or less
• be unique, clear and descriptive
• be front-loaded and optimised for search
• use a colon to break up longer titles
• not contain dashes or slashes
• not have a full stop at the end
• not use acronyms unless they are well-known, like EU

Parliament

Upper case.

Pay by bank

Use for the open banking payment method when a user pays directly, using their banking app or website without giving any bank details.

Do not use the name of the payment provider, like ‘pay by [provider name]’.

PDF

Upper case. No need to explain the acronym.

Per cent

Use per cent not percent. Percentage is one word. Always use % with a number.

Phone numbers

For example use ‘phone: 011 111 111’.

Use spaces between city and local exchange. Here are the different formats to use:

• 01273 800 900
• 020 7450 4000
• 0800 890 567
• 07771 900 900
• 077718 300 300
• +44 (0)20 7450 4000
• +39 1 33 45 70 90

When a number is memorable, group the numbers into easily remembered units: 0800 80 70 60.

plain English

Lower case plain and upper case English unless in a name, for example the Plain English Campaign.

Use plain English, it’s easier for users to read and understand.

Do not use formal or long words when easy or short ones will do. Use ‘buy’ instead of ‘purchase’, ‘help’ instead of ‘assist’, and ‘about’ instead of ‘approximately’. Also use shorter sentences.

We also lose trust from people if we write government buzzwords and jargon. Often, these words are too general and vague and can lead to misinterpretation or meaningless text.

Please

Do not use please, for example, ‘please select the correct option from the list...’ Start the sentence with ‘select’ instead.

Popup

All one word, no hyphen.

Pre-election period (purdah)

Use 'pre-election period'. Do not use 'purdah'.

Prime Minister

Use Prime Minister [name] and the Prime Minister.

public sector

Lower case.

Quotes and speech marks

In long passages of speech, open quotes for every new paragraph, but close quotes only at the end of the final paragraph.

Use single quotes:

• in headlines
• for links
• for unusual terms
• when referring to words or publications, for example 'View 'understanding Capital Gains Tax'.'

Use double quotes in body text for direct quotations.

‘Regular’ versus ‘recurring’ payments

In relation to benefit payment frequency.

Use ‘regular' for ongoing payments.

Do not use 'recurring’.

Where payments are made once a year or on only one occasion, these can be called ‘one-off payments’.

Scientific names

Capitalise the first letter of the first part of the scientific name. Do not use italics.

Scottish Government

Upper case.

Scottish Parliament

Upper case.

Select and switch

Use ‘select’ when users choose a specific item.

Do not use ‘click.’

Use ‘switch’ when users move between 2 binary options.

Do not use ‘toggle’.

Semicolons

Do not use semicolons as they are often mis-read. Long sentences using semicolons should be broken up into separate sentences instead.

Sentence length

Do not use long sentences. Check sentences with more than 25 words to see if you can split them to make them clearer.

Sign in

Use ‘sign in’ rather than ‘log in’ or ‘login’ to describe users entering their details to access a service.

However, if a system button is titled 'log in', then you can use that term. This is because we refer to system buttons exactly as they appear.

Do not use login as a noun. Say what the user actually needs to enter (like username, password, National Insurance number).

Slashes

Do not use forward slashes (/) instead of 'or'.

Social Security Scotland

For mygov content use ‘Social Security Scotland’.

Social Security Scotland should be referred to as a singular entity: “Social Security Scotland is…” rather than “Social Security Scotland are…”

Never abbreviate to ‘SSS’ or refer to ‘agency’.

solicitor

Lower case. Use solicitor instead of ‘lawyer’.

Spaces

One space after a full stop, not 2.

Technical terms

Use technical terms where you need to. They’re not jargon. You just need to explain what they mean the first time you use them.

Temperature

Use Celsius: 37°C

Tick boxes and checkboxes

An action on online systems and forms.

Use:

• ‘tick the box’ if the box populates with a tick
• ‘select the box’ if the box does not populate with a tick

Do not use ‘check the box’.

Times

Use the 12-hour clock, unless you have evidence that your users find the 24-hour clock easier.

Use a colon to separate hours and minutes.

Use minutes instead of fractions of hours.

Do not include minutes when they are 00.

For example:

• 3:30pm not 3.30pm or 15:30
• 5 hours and 30 minutes not 5.5 hours
• 10am not 10:00am
• midnight not 00:00
• midday not 12 noon or 12pm

Midnight is the first minute of the day, not the last. You should consider using ‘11:59pm’ to avoid confusion about a single, specific time. For example, ‘you must register by 11:59pm on Tuesday 14 June’ can only be read 1 way. But ‘you must register by midnight on Tuesday 14 June’ can be read in 2 ways (the end of Monday 13, or end of Tuesday 14).

UK government

Never HM government.

URL

Upper case. No need to explain the acronym.

user-centred design

Hyphenate ‘user-centred’.

VPN

Upper case. No need to explain the acronym. When describing a VPN that is always on, write it like this: ‘always-on’ VPN. Note the single quotes and hyphen.

wifi

Lower case, no hyphen.

Words to avoid

We use plain English on mygov.scot so avoid using these words:

• agenda (unless it’s for a meeting), use ‘plan’ instead
• advance, use ‘improve’ or something more specific
• collaborate, use ‘work with’
• combat (unless military), use ‘solve’, ‘fix’ or something more specific
• commit/pledge, use ‘plan to x’, or ‘we’re going to x’ where ‘x’ is a specific verb
• counter, use ‘prevent’ or try to rephrase a solution to a problem
• deliver, use ‘make’, ‘create’, ‘provide’ or a more specific term (pizzas, post and services are delivered - not abstract concepts like improvements)
• deploy (unless it’s military or software), use ‘use’ or if putting something somewhere use ‘build’, ‘create’ or ‘put into place’
• dialogue, use ‘spoke to’ or ‘discussion’
• disincentivise, use ‘discourage’ or ‘deter’
• empower, use ‘allow’ or ‘give permission’
• facilitate, say something specific about how you’re helping - for example, use ‘run’ if talking about a workshop
• focus, use ‘work on’ or ‘concentrate on’
• foster (unless it’s children), use ‘encourage’ or ‘help’
• impact (unless talking about a collision), use ‘have an effect on’ or ‘influence’
• incentivise, use ‘encourage’ or ‘motivate’
• initiate, use ‘start’ or ‘begin’
• key (unless it unlocks something), usually not needed but can use ‘important’ or ‘significant’
• land (unless you’re talking about aircraft), depending on context, use ‘get’ or ‘achieve’
• leverage (unless in the financial sense), use ‘influence’ or ‘use’
• liaise, use ‘work with’ or ‘work alongside’
• overarching, usually superfluous but can use ‘encompassing’
• progress, use ‘work on’ or ‘develop’ or ‘make progress’
• promote (unless talking about an ad campaign or career advancement), use ‘recommend’ or ‘support’
• robust (unless talking about a sturdy object), depending on context, use ‘well thought out’ or ‘comprehensive’
• slim down (unless talking about one’s waistline), use ‘make smaller’ or ‘reduce the size’
• streamline, use ‘simplify’ or ‘remove unnecessary administration’
• strengthening (unless it’s strengthening bridges or other structures), depending on context, use ‘increasing funding’ or ‘concentrating on’ or ‘adding more staff’
• tackle (unless talking about fishing tackle or a physical tackle, like in rugby), use ‘stop’, ‘solve’ or ‘deal with’
• transform, describe what you’re doing to change the thing
• utilise, use ‘use’

Avoid using metaphors - they do not say what you actually mean and lead to slower comprehension of your content. For example:

• drive, use ‘create’, ‘cause’ or ‘encourage’ instead (you can only drive vehicles, not schemes or people)
• drive out (unless it’s cattle), use ‘stop’, ‘avoid’ or ‘prevent’
• going/moving forward, use ‘from now on’ or ‘in the future’ (it’s unlikely we are giving travel directions)
• in order to, usually not needed - do not use it
• one-stop shop, use ‘website’ (we are government, not a retail outlet)
• ring fencing, use ‘separate’ or when talking about budgets use ‘money that will be spent on x’

With all of these words you can generally replace them by breaking the term into what you’re actually doing. Be open and specific.

Yours faithfully, yours sincerely

Valediction at end of letter notifications.

When we're writing to a named person and the letter begins ‘Dear <name>’, use ‘Yours sincerely.’

When we're writing to someone whose name we do not know and the letter begins ‘Dear Sir/Madam,’ use ‘Yours faithfully.’

Zero-hours contract

Not 'zero-hour contract' or 'zero hours contract'.