Style and writing guide
Systems terms
Words and phrases related to digital systems.
- Allow list and block list
- Dropdown
- Global Unique Identifier
- i-Movo (New Payment Exception Service)
- inSight
- Magnifying glass
- Manual letters
- on SPM
- Page titles
- Popup
- R: drive
- Select and Switch
- Sign in
- SPM screen names and buttons
- Straight-through processing
- Summaries
- System names
- Tab
- Text message
- Tick boxes and checkboxes
Allow list and block list
Allow list is the noun and allow is the verb.
Block list is the noun and block is the verb.
Example
Do use:
- allow list or allow
- block list or block
Do not use:
- white list or whitelist
- black list or blacklist
Dropdown
The selectable menu choices in a system.
All one word, no hyphen.
Example
Use: dropdown.
Avoid:
- drop-down
- drop down
Global Unique Identifier
This is how it is displayed on SPM.
Use title case. Avoid the acronyms GUI or GUID.
Example
Use: Global Unique Identifier.
Avoid:
- global unique identifier
- GUI
i-Movo (New Payment Exception Service)
Do not capitalise the initial ‘i', but do capitalise 'Movo’.
When you mention i-Movo, always follow with (New Payment Exception Service). This should be in brackets and title case.
Example
Use: i-Movo (New Payment Exception Service).
Avoid:
- I-Movo
- IMOVO
- IMOVO account
inSight
The system that will be used instead of Searchlight for disability benefits.
Do not capitalise the initial ‘i’ but do capitalise the ‘S’ in ‘Sight’. There is no space between ‘in’ and ‘Sight’.
Example
Use: inSight.
Avoid:
- Insight
- insight
- in Sight
Magnifying glass
The icon in a search bar on a system.
Example
Select the magnifying glass.
Avoid:
- Spyglass
Manual letters
Letters which are not automated or system generated.
Do not use: Clerical
Example
Find manual letters for this benefit in the R: drive.
On SPM
Use ‘on’ SPM.
Do not use ‘in’ SPM.
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
Popup
A window that appears in the user interface of a system.
All one word, no hyphen.
Example
Use: popup.
Avoid:
- Pop-up
- Pop up
R: drive
A shared drive for documents. We store manual letters here.
Capitalise the ‘R’ but do not capitalise the ‘d’ in ‘R: drive’.
Avoid:
- R:drive
- R drive
- R-drive
- R:Drive
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.
Example:
- Select the supervisor’s name from the list.
- Switch the supervisor’s status from ‘Unavailable’ to ‘Available’.
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).
Example
Use:
- sign in to Storm with your username and password
- select the ‘log in’ button
Avoid:
- log in to Storm with your username and password
- use your login details
SPM screen names and buttons
Write SPM screen names and buttons:
- exactly as they are shown on the system
- in single quotation marks
Straight-through processing
Processing done automatically by the system.
Use: straight-through processing
Do not use:
- Straight-Through Processing
- Straight Through Processing
- Straight-through Processing
- STP
Summaries
All summaries should:
- end with a full stop
- not repeat the title or body text
- be clear and specific
Mygov summaries
Summaries should be 140 characters or less.
Operational guidance summaries
Summaries should be between 3 and 255 characters.
System names
Use title case for specific system names.
Example
Use:
- Application Capture Tool
- Appointment Booking Tool
Avoid:
- application capture tool
- Application Capture tool
Tab
Do not use ‘tab’ when describing steps for navigating SPM.
Example
Use: Select ‘Evidence’.
Avoid: Select the ‘Evidence’ tab.
Text message
Do not use ‘SMS message’.
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