4.0 Style: Canada.ca Content Style Guide

4.1 Capitalization and punctuation

Use these styles for capitalization and punctuation of content in text, links and applications.

Capitalize the main words of:

• titles of official publications (such as reports, frameworks, strategies and plans)
• institution names
• program names
• titles of policy instruments
• titles of legislation (in other words, acts and regulations)
• Government of Canada

Lowercase the short form of proper names.

Example of proper names and their short forms

Full names: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada Pension Plan, the Public Service of Canada
Short form: the department, the plan, the public service

All caps

Don't capitalize all the letters in a word.

Exceptions

• Abbreviations (although avoid them unless they're necessary)
• Military exercise or operation names (for example, Operation PROVISION)

Titles, headings and subheadings

• Capitalize the first letter of the first word (sentence case) of all page titles, headings, subheadings, table captions and table headers
• Capitalize proper nouns in page titles, headings and subheadings
• Don't use punctuation at the end of page titles, headings and subheadings

Exceptions

• You may use punctuation at the end of page titles, headings and subheadings for campaign slogans
• Only use question marks when asking for information in a form, wizard, survey or quiz

Example of question marks being used in forms, wizards, surveys or quizzes

The example shows a page containing a heading with a question mark.

• Title of page
  • Find out if you need to charge GST/HST
• Plain language summary of page
  • Answer a few questions to find out if you need to charge or collect the tax and register to get a GST/HST account number. Businesses with lower revenue and those that deal in certain goods and services might not need to charge tax.
• Heading
  • Do you or your organization already have a GST/HST account?
• 2 clickable options
  • Yes
  • No
• Action button to continue process
  • Next

See how this rule applies in French

• 4.1 Majuscules et ponctuation

4.2 Underlining, bold and italics

Formatting must support the most important information on the page.

Don't combine styles, like underlining and bold formatting, unless it's part of the hyperlinked text found on a topic page.

Underlining

Use underlining for links only.

Bold

Use bold for emphasis, but use it sparingly: the more you use it, the less effective it is.

Italics

People with dyslexia or other reading disorders may find it difficult to read italicized text.

Don't use italics:

• for design or decorative purposes
• to emphasize a word or phrase (use bold sparingly instead)
• for long passages of text, such as quotations
• in page titles

Follow The Canadian Style's rules for applying italics for the following:

• French and foreign words (article 6.03)
• Latin terms and abbreviations (article 6.04)
• titles of publications (including acts and legislation) and works of art (article 6.05)
• legal references (article 6.06)
• mathematical, statistical and scientific material (article 6.11)

See how this rule applies in French

• 4.2 Soulignement, caractères gras et italique

4.3 Symbols

Some symbols make web content more difficult to read while others improve readability. Research whether they're understood by a wide audience before using them.

Ampersand

• Spell out the word "and" instead of using an ampersand (&)
• Use the ampersand only for proper names when it's part of a company name and in certain abbreviations, including:
  • R&D (research and development)
  • O&M (operating and maintenance)

Percent

• 20% (not 20 percent)
• A quarter or one quarter (not ¼)
• Half (not ½)

Currency

• $100 per month

See how this rule applies in French

• 4.3 Symboles

4.4 Abbreviations and acronyms

Don't use an abbreviation or acronym unless it's better known to the widest audience than its long-form equivalent. For example:

• EI
• RCMP
• T4

Research common keywords

Check your analytics to find out what keywords your audiences are using to find your content.

If you have to use a multi-word term more than once on a web page, use the full term the first time you use it. For any further uses of the term:

• use a short form such as "the program" or "the plan," in lower case instead of repeating the full term or using an abbreviation
• only use an abbreviation for a secondary reference if analytics data or usability testing determines that people often use and search for the abbreviation

Always spell out an abbreviation the first time you use it on a page. 

Example of statements that avoid the use of abbreviations and acronyms

Write: There are 15 client contact centres across Canada.
Instead of: There are 15 CCCs across Canada.

Write: The act strengthens the Government of Canada's commitment to…
Instead of: The EEA strengthens the Government of Canada's commitment to…

Include abbreviations that your audience uses in your metadata (for example, in the description field) to help search engines find your page more easily.

Avoid abbreviations and acronyms by rethinking the content

If your content contains a lot of abbreviations and acronyms, rethink its structure. Consider placing related content under distinct headings and sections.

For example, when introducing legal requirements, use the title of the act once, if necessary, and then talk about what people "must" do. The context will make it clear that the things they "must" do are requirements under the act. Don't use the abbreviation for the act, because it makes the text harder to follow.

Close the topic before referring to other obligations under different legislation.

See how this rule applies in French

• 4.4 Abréviations, acronymes et référence

4.5 Contractions

Use contractions that people use when they speak. They're easier to scan than the full form.

Use most positive contractions of auxiliary verbs. For example:

• you've (you have), you're (you are), you'll (you will) or you'd (you would)
• we've (we have), we're (we are), we'll (we will) or we'd (we would)

Use some negative contractions of auxiliary verbs. For example:

• can't (cannot)
• don't (do not) or didn't (did not)
• won't (will not)
• isn't (is not)
• weren't (were not) or wasn't (was not)
• aren't (are not)

Use, but don't confuse:

• its (possessive) and it's (it is)
• they're (they are) and their (possessive)

Uncommon or more complex contractions can be harder for people with low literacy skills to understand.

Don't use:

• should've (should have) or could've (could have)
• shouldn't (should not), couldn't (could not) or wouldn't (would not)
• mightn't (might not)
• mustn't (must not)
• it'll (it will)

Negative contractions: exceptions

Don't use contractions when there is a critical difference between two things, for example, between doing and not doing something.

See how this rule applies in French

• 4.5 Forme contractée

4.6 Numbers

General

• Write numbers as numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, etc.), except in:
  • proper names (First Baptist Church)
  • titles (Three Men in a Boat)
  • figurative expressions (one day, things will be better)
• Keep Roman numerals when used in proper names (Canada Gazette, Part II)
• Place a non-breaking space (Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar) between all numeral and word combinations ($5 million, 20 years)
• Write first, second, third, and so on, up to and including ninth
• Use the ordinal indicator in the same text size (not in superscript) for numbers 10 and above (10th, 50th, 150th)
• Use "to" instead of an en dash in number ranges (for example, $4,000 to $10,000, 4 to 10 years)

Ages

• Adults aged 30 or more
• People 30 to 65 years old
• A 10-year-old child

See how this rule applies in French

• 4.6 Nombres

4.7 Dates

• Write dates without an ordinal indicator ("st," "nd," "rd," "th")

Write: July 31, 2016, or just July 31 if the year is already clear
Instead of: July 31st, 2016, or July 31st

• Use non-breaking spaces between the month and the day
• Use the numeric date format only when space is limited (for example, in a table)
  • write yyyy-mm-dd
  • explain the format in surrounding text (for example, notes, legends)
• Capitalize the first letter of the month (for example, January, February, March)
• Abbreviate month names when space is limited (for example, Jan, Feb, Mar)

Date ranges

• Use "to" instead of an en dash in date ranges. For example:
  • calendar year 2014
  • Monday to Friday
  • March 29 to April 4
  • fiscal year 2015 to 2016
  • January to March 2016 (instead of Q1, Q2, Q3 or Q4)
• For date ranges like fiscal years, explain what period the range covers in surrounding text. For example:
  • This report covers the 2015 to 2016 fiscal year. A fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31.

See how this rule applies in French

• 4.7 Dates

4.8 Times

• 4:30 pm
• 9 am to 5 pm

4.9 Phone numbers

Use non-breaking hyphens (Ctrl+Shift+Hyphen) in phone numbers. For example:

• if you need help, call 1-800-622-6232
• 613-999-9900 ext. 123

4.10 Addresses

• 4.10 Addresses

4.11 Words and expressions in transition

Words and expressions in transition are those written commonly in 2 or more different ways. Reduce confusion by using the following spellings:

• website (not "web site")
• web page (not "webpage")
• web (not "Web")
• email (not "e-mail")
• online (not "on line")

See how this rule applies in French

This rule doesn't apply to content in French.