Editorial Guide

Ampersand

  • Use the ampersand in department names and titles.
  • Use the word “and” in Heading II sentence case and link text (exceptions may be warranted if there are space issues).

Commas

  • Following AP Style, do not use the serial comma before “and” or “or” when this conjunction precedes the last item in a series. For example: residents, business owners or visitors.

Content expanders

  • Use content expanders judiciously to break up long blocks of content that have clear sub-sections. Short blocks of content often can be better presented as a sub-heading directly on the page.
  • Only use expanders when at least three will be used together on the page.
  • All content expanders should be Heading 2s. Headings within expanders should flow in order, starting with H3.
  • Use short headings (average 4-7 words) and do not use punctuation.
  • Within a content expander, the content should be brief and lists should be kept to 5-8 items so that users don’t get lost. When the content becomes too lengthy, users may forget that they’re in an expander. If the content cannot be condensed, you should consider creating a separate child page.

Headings

  • Heading I – use title case (e.g., Public Safety & Law).
  • All other heading levels – use sentence case (e.g., Post bail or bond).
  • For accessibility, headings always need to flow in numerical order (H2 must follow H1, H3 must follow H2 and so on).

Landing pages

  • Plain – Most landing pages on the site use the plain landing page style. Use only a list of links for plain landing pages. Do not preface the list of links with lead-in text. These links should align with the UXA unless a conscious change is made to update the site map.
  • Visual – In limited instances, it is appropriate to use the visual landing page style. On these pages, brief lead-in text is allowed prior to the links. Photos should be of Ramsey County services and facilities; stock images should not be used.

Lists of links

Use the caret style for a list of two or more links (in edit mode, use the styles dropdown to apply the caret list). Do not use punctuation in a caret list of links.

Navigation Links

  • Left navigation links should use title case.
  • Internal page navigation links should use sentence case for better usability.

Using bulleted lists

  • End bullet list item with a period in accordance with AP style.

Using ordered lists

  1. End numerical list item with a period in accordance with AP style.

Photography

  • The photographic style reinforces the diverse communities we serve in a warm, personal manner. For more information, visit www.ramseybrand.com.
  • Photos should support the headline of the content.
  • For accessibility, all photos should have alt text -- a word or phrase used by screen readers to inform visitors with low vision of the nature or contents of an image.
  • When appropriate to provide context, an image caption may be used. See the home page photo as an example.
  • To ensure countywide consistency, all photography should be taken by a professional photographer and be approved for use by Communications.

Writing with AP style in mind

  • a.m. and p.m.: Lowercase, with periods: Today’s event is from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Avoid redundancies such as “5 p.m. tonight” or “between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.” 
  • Capitol vs. capital: The Capitol is the building where the House and Senate are located. The capital is the city or area where the government is situated: Saint Paul is Minnesota’s capital city. Policymakers met at the State Capitol.
  • city: Unless it is at the beginning of a sentence, city is not capitalized: the city of Saint Paul.
  • commissioner: Capitalize when paired with a formal title: Commissioner Jim McDonough; do not capitalize when used without a commissioner’s name or referring to multiple commissioners: The commissioner represents District 1. The commissioners rode the Green Line to their meeting.
  • county: Unless it is at the beginning of a sentence or used with the term Ramsey County, county is not capitalized: the county’s style guide, county government, the county.
  • County board: Capitalize when part of a proper name: the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners. Board is not capitalized when it is used alone: The board of commissioners voted…
  • date formats: Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept. Oct., Nov., and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone. Always use dates with Arabic figures (avoid 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th): The Truth in Taxation event occurs in December. The next board meeting is Nov. 18. January 2014 had record low temperatures. On May 27, 2014, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase agreement for the Vadnais Sports Center.
  • days of the week: Capitalize them. Do not abbreviate, except when needed in a table: Sun., Mon., Tue., Wed., Thu., Fri., Sat. Example: Board meetings are always held on Tuesdays.
  • Italics and bold: Avoid using italics for emphasis. Use bold instead, but use it sparingly. Never use ALL UPPER CASE letters.
  • numerals: Spell out the words for numbers one through nine. Use numerals for 10 and above. Use the same guidelines for ordinal numbers. The county manager joined six partner groups at the ribbon cutting. The library gave away 50 books. He was first in line. He was 11th to receive the prize.
  • Saint Paul: Always spell out. Never use the abbreviation.
  • slash (/): Avoid if possible and use “and” or “or” instead. If it must be used, do not include a space on either side of the slash.
  • spacing: Include one space between sentences.

Writing principles and resources

Keep these general style principles in mind:

  • Write simply, directly and accurately.
  • Focus on the needs of the audience and anticipate how readers will receive the information.
  • Avoid long sentences and long paragraphs.
  • Use the active voice whenever possible.
  • Use plain language. Avoid jargon and highly technical language.
  • Use the Purdue University AP style research guide to learn more about AP style.
  • Visit ramseybrand.com, an online repository for logos, templates and writing guidelines.

Need help? Contact the [email protected]. 

Last revised: January 11, 2016