1.0 Writing principles: Canada.ca Content Style Guide
The rules in this guide reflect how people read and use web content.
1.1 Help people complete tasks
Most people come to a government website to complete a task and expect us to provide information that will help them. Tasks can be:
- transactional (submit a form or download a report)
- informational (find out how to collect a benefit or find a phone number)
People trying to complete a task online usually don't read word by word. They scan quickly for words and links related to what they want to do.
Government of Canada web content must be:
- intuitive: give people who have no previous knowledge of the topic or process just enough information to complete a task on their own
- comprehensive: give the appropriate details to specialists who have more knowledge of a topic or process
- targeted: present the most important information first, in a way that is tailored to the needs of the audience, instead of giving all the options and leaving people to figure out which ones apply to them
- consistent: use a standardized approach so that people can scan content quickly and easily with a sense of confidence and trust
1.2 Consider the needs of the audience
When planning web content, consider people's needs. Make sure that the content is accessible, clear and adapted to the widest audience.
Writing for accessibility
Making content accessible means a wide range of people can use it, including people with physical and cognitive disabilities (for example, reading disorders, attention deficit disorders, memory disorders).
To make your content accessible, consider how assistive technologies work and how some writing practices may impact people's ability to read or understand text. Remember to also refer to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.
Writing for inclusivity
Make gender-inclusive writing your standard practice.
For more guidance on inclusive writing, see the Language Portal of Canada’s guidelines and resources:
- Inclusive writing for English (only in English)
- Écriture inclusive – Lignes directrices et ressources, du Bureau de la traduction (only in French)
Writing for readability
Readability is the ease with which a person can read and understand a text. Readable content means better task completion and higher client satisfaction.
To make your content readable, consider your audience's reading level and literacy needs. Not everyone reads at the same level or understands content in the same way. Even when content is presented clearly and simply, people who have low literacy levels and other difficulties can find it hard to understand text.
According to Statistics Canada (2012) and Canadian literacy organizations, almost 50% of Canadians have literacy challenges. Research shows that people with literacy challenges:
- spend a lot of time trying to understand words that contain more than two syllables
- read word by word and slowly move their eyes across each line of text
- skip over large amounts of information when it contains many multi-syllable words, uncommon terms and long sentences
Techniques for improving and measuring readability are in the section on plain language.
Writing for specialized audiences
Sometimes, your content targets people who have in-depth knowledge of a subject.
When writing for a specialized audience, you can use terms they're familiar with, even if those terms aren't familiar to a general audience. Include a summary in plain language for:
- people who aren't familiar with the subject
- specialists who might be scanning the content to decide whether it's relevant to their task
Consider all screen sizes
People will view your content on different sizes of screens. Phone and tablet screens display less content than desktop and laptop screens. Readers who use small screens:
- have to go through more steps to access the same amount of information
- rely on their short-term memory to recall information that isn't visible on the screen
1.3 Provide equivalent content in both official languages
Official languages requirements
According to the Official Languages Act, you must publish communications and provide services to the public in both official languages.
Government content must:
- be professionally translated
- reflect Canadian writing conventions in English and French
- include fully bilingual images, multimedia files and transcripts, or contain equivalent information in both official languages
Persons responsible for official languages
The person responsible for official languages in your institution can help answer questions about your obligations and about exceptions.
Your communications team can help determine whether it's appropriate to communicate with audiences in other languages, in addition to Canada's official languages.
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