Style and writing guide
Systems terms
Words and phrases related to digital systems.
- Dropdown
- Global Unique Identifier
- i-Movo (New Payment Exception Service)
- inSight
- Page titles
- Sign in
- SPM screen names and buttons
- Summaries
- System names
- Tab
- Webchat
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
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
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
Example
Select 'Save & Exit’.
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.