Written style

-wide

Do not use a hyphen for commonly recognized terms such as governmentwide and agencywide. At GSA, we have an exception where there is a hyphen in Office of Government-wide Policy.

The AP Stylebook has an entry on suffixes with some guidance and examples for other words. If the word is not listed in their entry, use Merriam-Webster’s. In general, we do not hyphenate.

Source: AP Stylebook — hyphen | AP Stylebook — suffixes

Abbreviations

An abbreviation is any shortened form, like St. for Street, or MD for Maryland. You can use accepted abbreviations in lengthy navigation titles, forms, charts, and tables.

Avoid using them where you can, including Latin abbreviations and in headlines (unless your audience will know it). If you must use them, define them and follow the guidelines that make copy easier to read.

Use abbreviations with full names, dates and numbers and with numbered addresses.

Sources: AP Stylebook — abbreviations and acronyms | AP Stylebook — avoid awkward constructions | PlainLanguage.gov — Acronyms and abbreviations

Acronyms

An acronym is a word formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words: MAS stands for Multiple Award Schedule.

Since you cannot assume users have seen other pages on our site, spell out the acronym the first time you use it in body copy on the page. Then use the acronym in all other references that follow. Using acronyms in page titles or headings is OK, but try to rephrase them soon in the body copy.

Remember:

• Do not follow first references with the acronym, parentheses, quote marks, or all of the above.
• Do not capitalize acronyms or initialisms when they are spelled out, unless it is a proper noun.

Also, avoid spelling out U.S. General Services Administration or using third-person language, except in products like news items that are designed to be reused outside our site where first person language would not be effective. See GSA, U.S. General Services Administration entry.

Sources: AP Stylebook — abbreviations and acronyms | AP Stylebook — avoid awkward constructions | PlainLanguage.gov — Acronyms and abbreviations

Addresses

Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd., and St. with a numbered address. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number.

Always spell out the others (drive, road, terrace, highway, etc.).

Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names; use figures for 10th and above.

In a list or table, follow what Google displays (do not add periods, abbreviate all street types).

Do not use ZIP 4 Codes in web content.

Sources: AP Stylebook — addresses | GSA local style

Button text and form labels

Treat them as headings — use sentence case (capitalize first letter and proper nouns only).

Source: GSA local style

Capitalization

For page titles and headings (using HTML tags h2, h3, h4) use sentence case, which means to capitalize only the first word, proper nouns and the first word following a colon. Do not use ending punctuation in headlines, headings or page titles, unless required for abbreviation or clarity.  

In body copy, only capitalize the first word after a colon if it is a proper noun or would be a complete sentence.

Do not capitalize acronyms or initialisms when they are spelled out, unless it is a proper noun.

Capitalize all acronyms and initialisms on subsequent references, but do not put the acronym directly after the first reference with parenthesis or comma.

See our glossary for more capitalization examples.

Source: AP Stylebook — capitalization

Contacts

When you need to include a contact, use a single generic contact (phone number, email or both) that feeds into a group inbox or customer relationship management system. Avoid putting the contact information on the right rail; put it in the body of the page instead.

If you must use more than one contact, clarify the specific purpose for each contact. Avoid using contact information that names individuals. This means you might need to establish a Google Group to have a generic email address with members that can be switched out.

Source: GSA local style

Contractions

Use contractions where they sound natural, but spell out the words for emphasis. Avoid negative contractions (can’t, won’t, don’t) because English language learners and people with learning disabilities can have trouble understanding the sentence without “not.”

Source: PlainLanguage.gov — Use contractions

Create an account

Use “create account” to describe getting started on a digital service that requires an account. Do not use “register” to describe creating an account.

See also sign in, sign out and sign up or register.

Source: USWDS — Create account

Dates

Abbreviate months with more than five letters when using the month and day or month, day, and year. Do not abbreviate any months if the day is not included.

Use commas to separate the day and year, or to set off the year in a sentence.

Always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd or th.

If you use numbered dates such as 02/16/2022 in a table, consider formatting as YYYY/MM/DD if the table is sortable or exportable.

If you use dates with the month as a word in a table, use the first three letters of the word without periods.

Sources: AP Stylebook — months | AP Stylebook — dates

District of Columbia

Use Washington, D.C., with the added abbreviation only if the city might be confused with the state.

Remove the periods when including a ZIP code. Do not use D.C. standing alone other than in quotations.

Source: AP Stylebook — District of Columbia

Documents, including PDFs

When publishing digital content, use HTML whenever possible. Burying key information inside documents, such as PDFs and Microsoft or Google products, makes it hard for users to find information or complete a task. Do not force users to browse documents online. Instead, pull out important information and place it directly on the webpage.

Why you should not use PDFs or other documents

• OMB says to use HTML as the default when creating and publishing content online and not to use PDF or DOCX formats that are designed for printing or preserving and protecting the content and layout of the document.
• They are difficult to read on a screen because they were typically planned for a printed sheet of paper. These layouts are jarring to users and hard to navigate in a different layout from the webpages where there is standard navigation to stay oriented with where they are or how to get back to where they were before.
• Users tend to ignore content in PDFs. When users must find information they need in them, you put the burden on them to follow the link, get the browser to open or download the file, and pore over the document to find what they need. They may also be slower to load, which is frustrating to users.
• PDF content may not show up in search results because search engines prioritize webpage results over PDFs or may not be able to search them at all.
• They are more difficult to keep updated and compliant with Section 508. PDFs need special remediation in order for assistive technology to read the content of the PDF correctly. If you need to make a change to a PDF, you need to remediate the document all over again. You don’t need to do this if the information is simply in HTML.
• It can be harder to see how users interact with them (clicks inside of them or reading them).
• GSA.gov and InSite content management systems do not flag them to be updated regularly like webpages, which leads to outdated, inaccurate, or conflicting info. We do not keep records or standard procedures regarding PDF maintenance or content.
• It can be harder to control versions and stop unauthorized access and distribution of outdated content or revoked document access. Once a user downloads a file, they can distribute it to others as they see fit. To combat this, consider QR codes or short URLs to point to your webpage for physical meetings instead of printing marketing material and other leave-behinds. It’s easy to update a page with the latest info, and hard copies you hand out can quickly become inaccurate.

PDFs or other documents may be suitable when

• Documents that should not be converted to HTML and must be posted for legislative compliance, transparency, or posterity. For example, memorandums of understanding, leases, contracts, reports, or other documents. This does not include meeting agendas, minutes, discussion papers, or other documents that can be converted to HTML for better user experience.
• Necessary for the target audience to have in a printed format. For example, if your target audience does not work in front of a screen or have ready internet access.
• A user needs to complete a task, such as printing out a list or submitting an official form.

Avoid publishing the following types of content on public-facing sites:

• Internal memos, except for:
  • Freedom of Information Act documents posted in the FOIA section.
  • GSA internal directives, which are published in the directives library as public information.
• Documents
  • Old or outdated documents. Use our records retention schedule to determine when it should be deleted from the site.
  • Duplicate copies of documents, directives, or forms. Instead link directly to the original source.
• Forms
  • Do not link to Google forms or publish PDF versions of forms that are not available in the GSA Forms Library. If you’ve created a fillable PDF that you’d like added to our forms library, contact forms@gsa.gov.
  • Design forms in HTML whenever possible.

Sources: NN/g — PDF: Still Unfit for Human Consumption, 20 Years Later  and Avoid PDF for On-Screen Reading | Gov.UK — Why GOV.UK content should be published in HTML and not PDF | GitHub GSA / wg-web-modernization — PDFs #46 | Digital.gov — PDFs: A Digital Content Detour | WhiteHouse.gov — M-24-08 Strengthening Digital Accessibility and the Management of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act

FAQs

Avoid FAQs, and instead incorporate answers to common questions within context for readers. Include important information, like which services are available and how people can get them, into page content where it makes the most sense for readers and helps them answer their own questions.

Reasons to avoid FAQs

• FAQs require more cognitive load to process the extra words. For example, it takes 21 words to say Q: How long will it take to hear from you? A: It usually takes us 1–2 business days to hear from us. If you write it in the content, it only takes 10 words to say: It usually takes us 1–2 business days to contact you.
• FAQs that reiterate information already on the page increase cognitive load for users.
• Users may spend extra effort looking for their question in a list and become frustrated when you have not listed every possible question. 
• If they are in accordions, the content is hidden for users that use a find command, and deprioritized for search engines.
• FAQs do not follow user-centered design or plain language principles.
• FAQs can become a lengthy repository where content accumulates without standard reviews to remove irrelevant, duplicative, or inaccurate information.
• The questions are often not phrased in the way a user would ask.

Reasons to use question format

Consider using a question format only if:

• You have actual questions that the target audience repeatedly asks.
• The content would be more clear and scannable for the user, due to the nature or number of questions.
• You formulate a written answer that is helpful to the user.

Limit the number of FAQs to only what is truly required. Divide long lists into sublists with user-centered subheadings.

If your content meets the above criteria, use a heading style to display the question and normal style for the answer. See an example on the federal ID card contact page.

Sources: PlainLanguage.gov — Avoid FAQs | GatherContent — FAQs and FAQ Design: Helpful For Your Audience or Not?

federal

Only use a capital letter when referring to the architectural style and proper nouns (names). Lowercase federal in all other instances.

See also the capitalization entry.

Source: AP Stylebook — federal

fewer, less

Less means not as much. Use less when referring to things that you cannot count. Fewer means not as many. Use fewer when referring to things you can count.

Source: AP Stylebook — fewer than vs. less than

fiscal year, quarters

On first reference, use fiscal year 2023 (as an example). On subsequent references, use FY 2023. Use Q1, Q2, etc., in headings if it would be clear to your audience.

Sources: AP Stylebook — fiscal year | AP Stylebook Ask the Editors — When including a fiscal year in story, which format is correct: FY20, FY 20, FY 2020, or FY2020?

forms

When writing about forms, match the form name as the agency that owns the form has it. If the form has the word form in its proper name, capitalize it. If you are talking about the form in your content, but not calling it by its proper name, do not capitalize the word form.

For example, referring to Standard Form 91 is correct, as is writing about the SF-91 form.

Sources: 18F Content Guide — Capitalization | USA.gov style

GPS

Acceptable in all references to a global positioning system. If a descriptive word is used after GPS, lowercase it.

Source: AP Stylebook — GPS

GSA, U.S. General Services Administration

On GSA sites, users understand the context to be all things GSA by default. Most of the time, you do not need to specify GSA as the agency that owns the program, product, service, policy, and so on. On most pages we should talk to our audience rather than about our agency.

When we need to talk about the agency, simply use GSA. If the full agency name appears in the global header, consider it to be the first reference on every page. In news releases, speeches and biographies spell out the full agency name on first reference, since they may be consumed outside GSA.gov.

To write with a more conversational style, use pronouns “we,” “us,” and “our.”

Avoid making GSA possessive. AP style considers the agency name an adjunct noun modifier acting as a descriptive, rather than a possessive, so you do not need an apostrophe.

Do not add “the” before GSA, because there are General Services Administrations in some states. Also “GSA” is more concise than “the GSA” is more concise without losing clarity. You can use “the GSA” as a modifier.

When discussing GSA in the context of divisions, where the first person is unclear, you can reference the division as us or we and reference GSA as our agency. Agency should be lowercase.

In instances where you reference multiple organizations or agencies, you can replace mentions of GSA with our agency and mentions of a single other agency as your agency.  If you reference multiple agencies, you can still reference GSA as our agency and reference other agencies by their name.

Sources: AP stylebook — possessives | AP Stylebook Ask the Editors

GSA-specific terms

Visit the glossary on GSA.gov to find the right style for GSA-specific terms.

When using the term in digital content, consider adding an adjacent link to the glossary definition for the convenience of users who may be unfamiliar with the term.

How to build a link to a specific glossary entry

• Select a term in the glossary.
• Locate the anchor ID in the source code associated with the term.
• To build a direct link to a glossary term
• From outside GSA.gov, use: gsa.gov/glossary#[anchorID]. For example, a direct link to our multiple award schedule information technology entry is: gsa.gov/glossary#MAS-IT. 
• From other GSA.gov pages, remember to format it as a link to a GSA page (node/139462#[anchorID]).

Source: GSA local style

Headings, including page titles and headlines

A heading is the title or topic of a content item such as a page, document, article, chapter or section.

Use sentence case (capitalize first letter and proper nouns only), not title case. Do not put periods or other punctuation, such as a colon, at the end. You can put a question mark if the heading is a question.

Headings communicate the organization of the content on the page. They must follow a logical order to be compliant with web accessibility requirements. There are six different levels of headings: H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6. A heading 1, or H1, is the largest and most important heading. An H6 is the smallest and least important heading. When creating pages, you must properly rank headings to structure the page so that web browsers, plug-ins, and assistive technologies can use them to provide in-page navigation.

When transferring content from a word processing program to the web, your CMS likely relies on starting with plain text. You may need to reapply your heading styles again.

In a Microsoft Word or Google document, do not introduce Heading 1 style before Title style — if your document has a Title style which is usually reserved for separate title pages.

See also the titles entry.

Sources: Microsoft Style Guide — Headings | W3C — Headings | AP Stylebook — headlines

life cycle

Use life cycle as two words, even when referring to information technology.

Source: AP Stylebook Ask the Editors — life cycle

Links

Use short, clear, and descriptive link language so readers understand what they’ll get if they click, and people who use assistive technology can better scan and use the information.

Link noun phrases (without the article) instead of verbs.

Avoid duplicating content. Link to content in its original location.

Do not:

• Use “click here,” “read more” or other vague phrases. Instead, consider using the title of the page you’re linking to as the clickable link.
• Link a full sentence.
• Link to a destination more than once in the same paragraph.
• Link from a GSA.gov page to the GSA.gov homepage.
• Link to a GSA shortcut URL, as it can change or expire without warning.
• Link to Google docs, sheets, slides, or forms from GSA.gov.
• Link to an intranet site from an internet site.
• Underline phrases that are not links.

When transferring content from a word processing program to the web, your CMS likely relies on starting with plain text. You may need to rebuild your links again.

External website links

Do not add “non-government site” for external website links. The GSA.gov CMS automatically displays an external link icon for links you designate as external. For other sites, follow USWDS style or local style for designating external links.

Document links

GSA.gov

The GSA.gov CMS automatically displays the document type and size alongside links you designate as internal documents.

If you add a link to a document on an external site, you will need to manually add the document type inside the link like this: [PDF].

Non-GSA.gov sites

Functionality varies depending on the CMS you use. Use whatever means are appropriate to your CMS to ensure the type and size is annotated for internal documents and the type is annotated for external documents.

See also navigation instructions.

Sources: USWDS — Link | Smashing Magazine — Link to nouns | NN/g — Writing Hyperlinks | 18F — URLs and filenames: Link text | W3.org — Don’t use click here

Lists using bullets and numbers

We do not follow AP style for lists, which uses dashes instead of bullets in front of list items.

Format list items (using the bulleted list tool provided in your CMS editor) as follows:

• Capitalize the first word following the bullet (this is called sentence case) and proper nouns.
• Use periods, not semicolons or commas, at the end of each list item, if it is a full sentence. Do not use a period if the list item is a phrase or single word.
• Use parallel construction for each item in a list (parallel verbs are boldface):
  • Start with the same part of speech for each item (in this example, a verb).
  • Use the same voice (active or passive) for each item.
  • Use the same verb tense for each item.
  • Use the same sentence type (statement, question, exclamation) for each item.
  • Use just a phrase for each item, if desired.
• If you need to include more than one sentence, preferably make it a paragraph.
• Using other punctuation is OK as needed.
• Order dated lists from the most current to the oldest.
• Use numbered lists only for steps or counting. Otherwise choose bulleted lists. Do not use parentheses.

See also Numbers.

Source: AP Stylebook — lists, bulleted lists

more than, over

Over is acceptable in all uses to indicate greater numerical value. You can also use more than if you prefer it and have space.

Source: AP Stylebook — more than or over

Navigation instructions

Do not burden users by forcing them to mentally process instructions about where to go to click on something. Just provide the link in the proper context to make it easy for users.

Source: NN/g — Minimize Cognitive Load to Maximize Usability

Numbers

Spell out numbers one through nine, and use figures for 10 or above.

Exceptions when you use figures for 0-9 are:

• Starting a sentence, unless it’s a year.
• In headlines, headings and subheads.
• Preceding a unit of measure.
• Referring to ages of people, animals, events or things.
• Talking about very small (cents) or very large (one million or above) monetary amounts.

Use numbered lists only for steps or counting. Otherwise choose bulleted lists. Do not use parentheses.

Source: AP Stylebook — numerals

Ordinals

Numbers used to indicate order (first, second, 10th, 25th, etc.) are called ordinal numbers. Spell out first through ninth (fourth grade, first base) and use figures starting with 10th. If in a series, consider recasting to be tighter.

Source: AP Stylebook — numerals

Percentages

Use the % sign when paired with a number, with no space, in most cases (an AP change in 2019). Also use figures, even under 10.

Source: AP Stylebook — percent, percentage, percentage points

Placeholder or coming soon

Do not put “coming soon” or “under construction” pages on live sites. Publishing pages that are empty creates credibility issues. Just wait until the new content is complete, and post it then.

There are also SEO repercussions to posting “coming soon.” Publishing pages that are empty can also affect an established page’s ranking in search engines. When search crawlers discover that a page with previously rich content is now blank, it can drop it at the bottom of its search engine results ranking or exclude it altogether. Without the ranking, a site could lose organic traffic.

Sources: Paige Brunton — Building a ‘COMING SOON’ page? Think again. | Alan Fair — Can We Please Stop Doing Coming Soon/Under Construction Pages

Plain language for clarity and task completion

Plain language law requires that anyone who needs our web content can find, understand, and use it the first time. Plain language also helps us reach more people with our missions, messages, products, and services. When creating information for web distribution:

• Focus on the user and their top tasks. Only include information that helps users complete those tasks and use clear, intentional calls to action.
• Keep it simple and meet the user’s level of understanding of the topic.
• Use clear page titles and headings. Skip the acronyms and government jargon.
• Use files and formats that allow all users to access information.
• Use short sentences and words for easy scanning.

Just because information is out there does not mean your intended audiences can find it.

• Consider a content audit to clean up, clear out, move, and relabel content to make it easier for users to find. Email webstyleguide@gsa.gov if you have questions or need more information about content audits.
• Use analytics to see if users are engaging and following calls to action.
• Regularly remind users that they can find up-to-date information on your webpage.

Readability

There is not a standard readability level your content must meet. Where possible, try to incrementally lower it from where it started. Email us at webstyleguide@gsa.gov if you need access to Siteimprove, a tool for quality assurance.

Sources: Plainlanguage.gov — At a glance | 18F — Looking at different ways to test content

Point of view

Identify your audience and address them directly. Use pronouns such as “you” or ”your” to refer to the reader and use “we” or “our” when referring to GSA or our organization. Using pronouns makes the actor clear and makes the tone more conversational.

When the use of FAQs is warranted, use:

• First person (I, we, me) for questions.
• Second person (you) for responses.

Use GSA when:

• Referring to proper names that include GSA in them, such as GSA Advantage, GSA Global Supply or GSA eLibrary.
• Creating parallel construction.
• Writing products such as a news release, speech, or congressional testimony that are consumed outside of the GSA context.

Source: PlainLanguage.gov — Address the user

Punctuation

Ampersand (&)

Use the ampersand when it is part of an organization’s formal name or composition title: American Bar Association Debarment & Suspension.

Do not use it in place of the word “and” except in accepted abbreviations.

Source: AP Stylebook — ampersand

Apostrophe (’)

Use an apostrophe to create possessives, plural nouns, omitted letters (contractions), and omitted figures. Use only an apostrophe (without s) when making a possessive out of a singular proper name, such as PBS or FAS.

Use an apostrophe (not an open single quote) when omitting characters. Type the apostrophe key twice and delete the first entry to get an apostrophe, or type Alt 0146 for a closing single quote).

Source: AP Stylebook — apostrophe

Comma (,)

If a comma does not help clarify what is being said, it should not be there. If omitting a comma could lead to confusion or misinterpretation, then use the comma.

We do not follow AP Style so we use a comma before “and” or “or” in a series of three or more items — unless it’s a very simple series and a comma would not provide clarity.

Source: AP Stylebook — comma

Colon (:)

Colons may be used for emphasis, lists, dialogue, Q and A, and with quotes. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. If you apply bold to the word or phrase before the colon, make the colon bold too.

Do not use colons when you have a heading style.

Do not put a space before the colon, but put one space after the colon.

Source: AP Stylebook — colon

Em dash, en dash, and hyphen (— – -)

Use em dashes (the width of the letter M):

• To signal abrupt change.
• To set off a series within a phrase.
• Before attribution to an author or composer.
• After datelines.

In lists (on GSA.gov and InSite), we use bullets; not dashes.

Put a space on both sides of an em dash in all uses.

AP does not use en dashes (the width of the letter N).

Use hyphens as joiners, such as for compound modifiers and ranges. To decide whether or which words to hyphenate in compound modifiers, first look up the phrase in Merriam-Webster’s.

Here are general guidelines for hyphens:

• Usually the verb form is not hyphenated, but the noun form is.
• Usually a compound modifier that follows a noun does not take a hyphen.
• Be aware that hyphenating compound modifiers makes them multi-syllable “words” that drive up readability scores.

Do not hyphenate compound modifiers that end in -ly.

There should be no spaces surrounding a hyphen.

Sources: AP Stylebook — em dash, en dash, hyphen | AP Stylebook -ly

Quotation marks (“ ”)

Use them in the following situations:

• To surround the exact words of a speaker or writer.
• In composition titles.
• For irony or unfamiliar terms.

Use single quotes if quoting within a quote or a headline.

Do not put quotes in Q-and-A dialogue.

Source: AP Stylebook — quotation marks

Semicolon (;)

Use them in the following situations:

• To separate information more than a comma can convey but less than a period can.
• To clarify a series.
• To link independent clauses.

When they are used with quotation marks, place them outside the quote mark.

Source: AP Stylebook — semicolon

Slash (/)

Avoid them. If you must use one, there is no space on either side.

Note: a slash or forward slash (/) is different from a backslash (\).

Sources: AP Stylebook — slash | PlainLanguage.gov — Don’t use slashes

Special characters

Curly quotes and apostrophes

Use curly (also known as smart) quotes and apostrophes instead of straight. If the font uses straight quotes, use the table below to manually adjust them to curly.

Vertical bar (|)

Also called a pipe, this symbol was used in math, computing and physics. You can use it to separate content where appropriate. Put a space on either side.

Source: AP Stylebook Ask the Editors — Is it OK to use the pipe, or vertical bar, in a company name on second reference?

register

Use register when it’s part of a proper noun or to describe enrolling in training or tracking vehicles. Do not use register to describe creating an account.

Sources: AP Stylebook Ask the Editors — second reference to the National Register of Historic Places 

Sentence spacing

Use one space between sentences.

Sources: AP Stylebook — sentences | AP Stylebook — periods

shall, must

Use “must,” not “shall” or “should,” to impart an obligation or requirement.

Source: PlainLanguage.gov — Use ‘must’ to indicate requirements

sign in, sign out

Use sign in or sign out to describe starting or ending a digital session that requires a username and password.

Do not use other variations like log in, login, log into, log on, logon, log onto, log off, log out, logout, sign into, sign-in, signoff, sign off or sign on unless these terms appear in the user interface (and you’re writing instructions).

See also Create an account.

Sources: USWDS | Microsoft style guide

sign up, register

Use “sign up” as a verb to describe adding oneself to a mailing list.

Use “register” when describing the act of enrolling (such as in training), according to Merriam-Webster.

Source: Merriam Webster — register

State names

The names of the 50 U.S. states should be spelled out. Communication specialists who create news products follow AP’s guidance on datelines.

Use postal code abbreviations in tables, lists, or with complete addresses with ZIP codes.

Source: AP Stylebook — state names

Telephone numbers

Use figures and hyphens (not parentheses or dots).

The form for toll-free numbers is the same.

If extension numbers are needed, use a comma to separate the main number from the extension: 212-621-1500, ext. 2.

Source: AP Stylebook — telephone numbers

Text styling (bold, italics, color, etc.)

In general, avoid adding text styling, such as bold, italics, color, font, or size. Your website’s content management and design systems are automatically programmed to provide a consistent style and user experience.

When transferring content from a word processing program to the web, your CMS likely relies on starting with plain text. If you had bold or italics in your word processing version, you will need to reapply it in the CMS.

In the rare cases where you need to manually add bold or italics in the source code, make sure the HTML uses <strong> and <em> (not <b> or <i>). In Microsoft Word, use the Styles pane “Strong” and “Emphasis,” rather than using the Bold or Italic buttons in the Font pane. These are better for accessibility.

AP style does not use italics. As with all style guidance, the author can choose to use italics as appropriate.

Do not underline any words or phrases that are not links. Use the links guidance when creating links.

If you need to change text color, ensure minimum color contrast for accessibility.

Source: W3C Guideline 3.1 — Make text readable and understandable | AP Stylebook tweet

Time and time zones

Use figures except for noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes only when displaying a time other than the beginning of the hour (do not use a colon or following 00 with a time at the beginning of an hour). Also use a hyphen with no spaces before and after for time ranges.

Capitalize the full name of the time in force within a particular zone. Lowercase all but the region in short forms.

The abbreviations EST, CDT, etc., are acceptable on first reference for zones used within the continental United States, Canada and Mexico only if the abbreviation is linked with a clock reading.

Sources: AP Stylebook — times | AP Stylebook — time zones | AP Stylebook Ask the Editors — time span

Titles

Page titles, headlines, and headings

• Use sentence case (capitalize first letter and proper nouns only), not title case, and not all caps.
• Do not use ending punctuation unless required for abbreviation or clarity. 
• Use parallel construction (start all with nouns or verbs).
• Use the heading-level styles in sequential order, and do not use other styling like bold or italics.
• Do not hyperlink headings.
• Do not use “Contact us.” It is reserved for the main GSA contact page.
• Describe the service — not the program name —in active voice.

Sources: AP Stylebook — headlines | USAGov — Making the case for sentence case on USAGov’s websites

Formal titles

Only capitalize when they directly precede someone’s name. Do not capitalize titles that:

• Follow a name, unless there is only one of that job
• Are used generically
• Describe occupations

Source: AP Stylebook — titles

Composition titles

• Capitalize all words except articles (a, an, the), prepositions of three or fewer letters (for, of, on, up, etc.) and conjunctions of three or fewer letters (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet, etc.) —unless they start or end the title.
• Put quotation marks around books, movies, plays, poems, albums, songs, operas, radio and television programs, lectures, speeches, and works of art.
• Do not use quotation marks for sculptures.
• Do not use quotation marks for reports, guides, handbooks, and guidance documents.

Source: AP Stylebook — composition titles

URLs and addresses

• Most of the time, use lowercase for URLs, email addresses, and newsgroup addresses. Do not use a title case format, such as John.Doe@gsa.gov or AcquisitionGateway.gov.
• To refer to an entire website or top-level domain, such as Microsoft.com, omit https://www from the URL.
• If the website name uses an acronym, write the acronym in all caps — except if the acronym is in the middle of other words. For example, write GSA.gov but buy.gsa.gov.
• For other websites, capitalize according to the context of the use. If in a list or starting a sentence, capitalize the first letter; otherwise, follow the proper noun for the name of the site. For example, Plainlanguage.gov.

This style allows screen readers to distinctly pronounce every word in the address (as they do in hashtags) instead of reading it as one long jumbled word. This pattern helps visually impaired screen reader users, as well as someone with dyslexia or an intellectual disability.

Sources: AP Stylebook — capitalization | Perkins Access— Accessibility tips for social media: how to create content that everyone will ‘like’ | Microsoft Style Guide — URLs and web addresses

U.S., United States

The abbreviation is acceptable as a noun or adjective for United States. In body copy you can write U.S. (with periods) or United States. In headlines, refer to proper nouns as they are named. Even though AP Stylebook guidance is to remove periods from “U.S.” in headlines, we keep them in.

Sources: AP Stylebook — U.S. | AP Stylebook — United States

Welcome messages

Do not use welcome messages on web pages. They were common in the 1990s but are no longer necessary. Today’s web users expect actionable content.

You can use “welcome” in an interaction design, such as an app where a user must sign in, because it is a natural response to a successful sign-in.

Source: Mity Digital — Don’t welcome your visitors to your website