Information for Contributors

 Information for Contributors

Standards for contributors:

• You must comply with the spirit of the following standards as well as the letter. The standards apply to each part of any contribution as well as to its whole

• These standards apply to all material which you contribute to our site, and to any interactive services associated with it

Contributions must:

• Be accurate (where they state facts)

• Be genuinely held (where they state opinions)

• Comply with applicable law in the UK and in any country from which they are posted

Contributions must not:

• Contain any material which is defamatory of anyone

• Contain any material which is obscene, offensive, hateful, or inflammatory

• Promote sexually explicit material

• Promote violence

• Promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age

• Promote or support modern slavery

• Infringe any copyright, database right or trademark of any other person

• Be likely to deceive any person

• Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence

• Promote any illegal activity

• Be threatening, abuse or invade another’s privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience, or needless anxiety

• Be likely to harass, upset, embarrass, alarm, or annoy any other person

• Be used to impersonate any person, or to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person

• Give the impression that they emanate from us if this is not the case

• Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse

Hints and Tips for Contributors and Reviewers.

Written Content: 

Most website developers agree that websites require a specific style of writing. Readers view websites in a different way to other forms of media: they generally don’t read in detail; they skim and move from page to page looking for key words and headlines. The guidance below, will help authors to write for the website and assist reviewers. 

Key points to consider when writing for the website:

• Write simply and be concise: You do not need to use 200 words when you could use 100. Avoid long complex sentences, and complicated terms – use links to supportive information if more detail is required 

• Spelling, Grammar, and Abbreviations: Grammar and spelling must be perfect

Style of writing:

• Put the essential and most interesting information at the beginning. Include additional information in order of diminishing importance

• Use keywords and terms that are commonly used to describe your topic. Avoid using proprietary terms and abbreviations as much as is possible

• Use links to connect to more in-depth complex information if required. Links should be a consistent colour and style. Do not change the colour of a link

• Use headings to break up your text and subheadings so users can find information faster

• Use paragraphs to break up different ideas, avoid long, dense blocks of text. Several short paragraphs are preferable to a single long paragraph

• Use bulleted lists in place of long series or text lists 

• Use bold very sparingly to draw attention or emphasize an important point 

• Use the proper case, sentence case is much easier to read than uppercase 

​​​Appropriate Use of Images and Video:

Images and videos can be used to add context, meaning or otherwise support the page text

Images:

• Images must be original, free of copyright or been granted permission for use

• Images should have little-to-no text in them and include an 'alt' description which conveys the meaning of the image, for accessibility

• Photos must be well-coloured and in focus

• Do not use flashing, flickering, blinking or otherwise animated images

• Use appropriate image format to ensure best image quality and smallest file size:

  • JPEG for photos and full-colour images

  • PNG for line drawings, low-mid colour images, and images with transparency

  • GIF for line drawings, low-colour images, and images with transparency

Videos:

• Video must be high quality, in focus and have clear audio.

Copyright: in cases where copyrighted material is posted with the permission of the content owner, that permission must be attained in writing and be available for verification if needed.

Thank you.