Content guidelines

The new Physics website will look and feel different. It is intended that it will be:

  • Exciting
  • Engaging
  • Easy to use
  • Clear
  • Impressive
  • Comprehensive

The goal being to deliver:

  • A more accurate impression of the activities of the Department
  • A source of more up-to-date information on the department
  • A site that encourages site visitors to explore the department
  • A site that enthuses the able
  • A site that displays the breadth and depth of the department
  • A site that shows the department is open for business

All of this is great – the look and feel, and the underlying technology will be modern, attractive and adaptable. However, to make the most of this (indeed, to meet the design requirements and deliver the required outcomes), the site language must be equally:

  • Exciting
  • Engaging
  • Clear

Our current site does not meet these requirements, and - more importantly - it is not consistent in its language and tone of voice.

Language

We’ve agreed that the site will be in English, however we’re not the English department. We should focus on clarity. Our writing should be clear and correct. It is often counter-productive to be lyrical, witty or overly wordy.

A percentage of the department’s students are non-native English speakers, though all students are expected to meet an overall IELTS level of 7.0 or a TOEFL score of 600. We will accommodate these people by ensuring that our language is clear. We will not write specifically for non-native speakers.

The best possible guides for clear writing are produced by the Plain English society. There are many useful resources here:

Plain English Campaign

The site will not be multi-lingual. It will be possible to provide downloadable translations of key information in PDF form, if required.

Tone of voice

Tone of voice is important – it sets and reinforces the department’s personality. When we are writing for the web we must always ensure that our tone of voice is both correct and consistent.

In the same way that the colours we use and the pictures we choose for the site illustrate our personality, our tone of voice says a great deal about who we are, how we think and how we relate to people.

If we remind ourselves of our goals – to create a site that is:

  • Exciting
  • Engaging
  • Clear

Then it is clear that our writing must support these goals. This means:

Enthusiasm: we must try and inject enthusiasm into our writing (though without injecting needless or clichéd hyperbole). If we’re writing about something exciting, it is OK to be excited. If we want people to share our enthusiasm, then this enthusiasm must be visible in what we write.

Engaging: we must make sure our writing encourages the reader to carry on reading. Clearly, we are not in the same position as a shop site or a news site – our readers are expected to be intelligent and motivated, so we can expect them to want to read our words, but this does not mean that we have a right to make this task difficult.

Clarity: when we write we must always think about the reader. Will they understand what we are saying? Is our point being made as simply as possible? Writing clearly usually means that we should write concisely. We should try to express ourselves using the shortest possible sentence, composed of the shortest possible words.

What does this mean?

When we write, we should think about how we speak. Writing that is closer to speech is nearly always more engaging, and encourages the reader onward (plus it is also usually easier to inject enthusiasm into our writing if we write as we speak).

Clearly, this doesn’t mean we use slang, shorthand or jargon (unless we need to). It does mean that we don’t rely on pretentious, archaic or confusing figures of speech to express ourselves. So, we don’t say:

“The department resolved to implement a new policy regarding the storage of volatile substances and inaugurated a working party to monitor this matter going forward”

Instead, we might say:

“We created a team who will make sure we store volatile substances safely”

The main differences are:

  1. Active voice, not passive voice (“we created” instead of “the department resolved to”)
  2. It’s shorter (13 words, not 25)
  3. It’s personal (we are “we”, not “the department”)
  4. We’ve removed jargon (“going forward” is not allowed!)
  5. We’ve removed irrelevant information (it doesn’t matter that we resolved to do something, all that matters is that we’ve done it.

In short, we wrote a sentence that was more like the sentence we’d speak to someone.

George Orwell’s 12 Rules

The best and simplest rules for clear writing were written by George Orwell. They are as valid today as they were when he wrote them.

  • What am I trying to say?
  • What words will express it?
  • What image or idiom will make it clearer?
  • Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?
  • Could I put it more shortly?
  • Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?

One can often be in doubt about the effect of a word or a phrase, and one needs rules that one can rely on when instinct fails. I think the following rules will cover most cases:

  • Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
  • Never use a long word where a short one will do.
  • If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
  • Never use the passive where you can use the active.
  • Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
  • Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

These tips (which were written by Orwell to help journalists, not creative writers), can help anyone make sure that their writing is as clear as it can be.

Three sites, one presence

The new physics web estate (MPW) will be made up of three physical websites (though, of course, all parts of the MPW will be accessible from the site homepage – www.physics.ac.uk). The three sites are:

The public site
This is the marketing site. It is the shop window. Its main purpose is to talk to people who are not current students or staff.

It contains information on how to come and study with us, how to work with us commercially. It also talks about our history, our vision of our future, and it reaches out to young people who may choose to study Physics at school, helping them decide whether to pursue an academic career in Physics.

The research site
This is the site where we talk about the practice of physics. Its main purpose is to talk to physicists (whether current or potential).

It is a window onto our research activity, and gives site visitors access to the vast quantity of ground-breaking work that we do.

The extranet
This is the site where we share information on how to be a member of the department, whether undergraduate, postgraduate or staff. Its sole purpose is to talk to current members of the department.

It is a reference site, and is the place where students and staff can find the information they need to operate effectively.

Each of these sites has a distinct audience, and each therefore requires a distinct tone of voice. We can summarise the differences between them very simply:

Public site

Must be clear, confident and competent. Its main job is to provide information, and it must do this in a way that is unambiguous and easy-to-follow. As the public face of a University department it must also speak with:

  • authority
  • gravitas

This does not mean that it will speak in an archaic or dusty way. It simply means that the language we will use when we speak on the public site will be more measured. We will still write as we speak, but we will be speaking as a representative of the department.

Admissions

We must also make sure that what we say and how we say it shows site visitors that our work is not trivial and that becoming a member of the department (whether as a student or as a member of staff) is not trivial. We work hard, and we expect our colleagues to work hard. Physics is not easy, and only the most able will blossom. Our writing must therefore perform the twin jobs of:

  • Enthusing the able
  • Eliminating those unlikely to succeed.

In practice, this means that we must be honest about the amount and quality of work that we expect from our students, and make it clear that only those people who already live and breathe their subject will prosper.

We won’t be aggressive or off-putting. Our language will be part of our selection process. It is OK to say “you will” or “you must”.

Examples

Before
“Everyone who applies to study Physics or Physics and Philosophy at Oxford must sit the Physics Aptitude Test. There are no exceptions.

In 2010, the test is set for the morning of Wednesday 3rd November. The test may be sat at different times only in exceptional circumstances and only with the prior permission of the Physics Department.

Candidates are strongly advised to familiarise themselves with the format of the test and the syllabus.”

After
“Everyone who applies to study Physics or Physics and Philosophy at Oxford must sit the Physics Aptitude Test. There are no exceptions. The test helps us understand your potential as a student and as a physicist. If you want to do well, you must study the syllabus and understand the format of the test.

This year, the test is on Wednesday November 3rd at 9am. In rare and exceptional circumstances we may be able to allow you to sit the test at another time.”

It’s perfectly appropriate to be authoritarian. This is a procedure that all must follow, so it’s OK to be direct. The revision is, if anything, more direct that the original. Note that the revision explains why we have an aptitude test.

Examples

Before

“Physics is concerned with the study of the Universe from the smallest to the largest scale, why it is the way it is and how it works. Oxford has one of the largest physics departments in the UK and hosts an outstanding and broad research programme. Our students benefit from this exceptional concentration of experts through daily contact with leaders in their field, and a broad curriculum that covers all areas of physics. New discoveries and developments continually influence the content of our courses, the experiments in our practical laboratories and in our student's project work.

The Physics Department admits about 195 students each year to three degree streams: a three-year BA Honours and a four-year MPhys in Physics and a four-year joint course in Physics and Philosophy. For more information see…”

After

“Studying Physics at Oxford gives you a unique opportunity to work with some of the finest minds in world Physics. New discoveries and developments continually influence the content of our courses, the experiments in our practical laboratories and in our student's project work.

We admit around 200 students each year to our three undergraduate streams:

3-year BA Physics
4-year MPhys
4-year joint BA Physics and Philosophy…”

Shorter. More clear.

Our history, schools outreach and commercial services

Our tone of voice for these sections will be softer. It will inform and encourage.

Please remember that www.physics.ac.uk will be edited infrequently, and will be controlled by a limited number of people. This means that it should be relatively easy to maintain a consistent tone of voice.

Before

“The Oxford Physics Department is keen to establish links with schools throughout Oxfordshire and the country as a whole.

For further information about events and programmes for schools, please contact…”

After

“We live and breathe Physics. Physics is the tool that helps us unlock the secrets of the Universe, and there’s nothing we like better than telling people about the things we find out.

We’d love to help you or your school do more physics, so if you’d like to visit us, look through our telescope or come to one of our lectures, please get in touch…”

The existing text (which is the landing page for our Physics Outreach site) doesn’t enthuse, engage or attempt any form of communication. The revision takes the opportunity to talk with enthusiasm about what we do.

Research site

Must be enthusiastic, exciting and engaging. This site is the place where our science is most visible.

The site is intended to speak to physicists. This means that it is more than just OK to use scientific language – it is necessary. The purpose of the site is to show site visitors the breadth and depth of our work, and this cannot be done without talking as a physicist would talk.

Again, we will write as we speak, but as we can assume that our audience is made up of people physicists, we can talk to them as a physicist.

This doesn’t mean we can forget the rules of grammar, or write turgid, boring prose that excites nobody. It simply means that we can assume that our audience will be interested in hearing what we have to say, giving us an opportunity to express ourselves fully and completely.

All researchers and academics will be responsible for their own content. This is likely to mean that tone of voice will unavoidably inconsistent. It would make sense to periodically review research site content and suggest improvements to content owners where their writing is not good.

Examples

Before

“Atomic physics concerns the study of the smallest stable entities of matter, and the precise manipulation of their quantum properties. The energy scales associated with the internal structure of atoms and molecules mean that lasers provide an important means to examine and control them. Research in the Department involves both theory and experiment aimed at understanding the nature of quantum interactions mediated by light and developing them for use in the study of novel non-classical phenomena and quantum-based technologies.

There are sixteen research groups working in some of the most rapidly developing areas of physical science. These include quantum information processing, ultracold matter, high-intensity laser matter interactions and ultrafast, non-linear and quantum optics.”

After (largely unchanged)

“Atomic physics is the study of the smallest stable entities of matter, and the precise manipulation of their quantum properties. The energy scales associated with the internal structure of atoms and molecules mean that lasers provide an important means to examine and control them. Our research involves both theory and experiment aimed at understanding the nature of quantum interactions mediated by light and developing them for use in the study of novel non-classical phenomena and quantum-based technologies.

There are sixteen research groups working in some of the most rapidly-developing areas of physical science. These include quantum information processing, ultracold matter, high-intensity laser matter interactions and ultrafast, nonlinear and quantum optics.”

As you can see from this example, it’s perfectly appropriate to write as a physicist. It is important, however, to remember to try to write using active language (“our research” rather than “research in the department”).

Extranet

This is a different sort of site. It is an online resource for current staff and members of the department. It is not intended to be a work of literature that people read for pleasure. Instead, it is a reference tool that gives people the information they need to work or study efficiently.

The department is a complex place, and some of its procedures are necessarily (or maybe even un-necessarily) complex. A simple-to-use resource that helps people understand these processes will be a valuable tool for all department members.

The language we use will emphasise clarity and accessibility. We will work as hard as we can to help people understand complex processes, and we will simplify those processes wherever we can. As well as making our extranet better and more effective, site language that emphasises openness and clarity will help support the Department’s Project Juno work.

We will present information using plain English, and we will ask and answer questions. The basic principle of the site should be “how to”, and the focus of all content creators should be to answer a question.

Examples

Before

Health and Safety
Energy Saving in the department
Staff Development and Training
Merit Review
Finance Office (requires physics login)
Request To Order (RTO) Web form (requires physics login). Please Note: This system is used to raise purchase orders, but the form must be printed off and signed by a budget holder before being passed on to the Finance Office. The system does not automatically raise Purchase Order on your behalf.
Physics Management Committee (requires physics login)
Accommodation Required/Available (requires physics login).
Rooms available for meetings and lectures.
Space Committee (and request for space form) (requires physics login)
University Cards
Careers Advice for University Research Staff
Demonstrating Claim Forms

After

“How do I:
See our health and safety policy?
Save energy?
Find a training course?
Prepare for my review?
Make an expenses claim?
Order equipment or services?
Book accommodation?
Book lab or equipment space?
Get a new University card?”

Much simpler, and much easier to read and understand. Most of us prefer task-oriented help.

Capitalisation in titles/headings

We have decided to use sentence case in our page titles and headings/subheadings as it feels more natural to read. An example of this would be:

How we capitalise headings in Oxford Physics

rather than

How We Capitalise Headings in Oxford Physics

Note that proper nouns such as "Oxford Physics" are still capitalised.

We are aiming to be consistent with our language across the site, so if you see some errant capitalisation, please let someone know!

Categories: Policy | Web