Understanding user needs

The digital Style Manual (DSM), version 1.0, introduces a new topic on user research and content.

It has a digital focus for:

• how people find information
• how people read.

DSM 1.0 has more detail and updated statistics on literacy and access.

Content formats

DSM version 1.1 fixes include:

• more examples on blogs
• more internal links on social media
• new internal links on video and audio
• minor edits, a definition of lower thirds and more internal links on requirements for audio and video
• a new example on alt text, captions and titles.

DSM 1.0 has new guidance on:

• blogs
• emails and letters
• forms
• social media.

It offers print considerations but focuses on digital-first formats for:

• newspapers, journals and magazines (periodicals)
• reports.

DSM 1.0 release:

• includes basic information on when and how to use images
• includes detailed information about accessibility and how to structure tables for digital content
• significantly updates and expands information about video and audio.

It has new and detailed content about alt text, captions and titles for images. It also gives an overview of technical standards and accessibility requirements for video and audio formats.

DSM 1.0 links to authoritative sources for compliance topics, such as security classifications and protective markings. Contextual links also cover:

• accessibility
• copyright
• information management requirements.

Clear language and writing style

DSM 1.2 fixes include added examples and minor edits to text and page structure on paragraphs.

DSM 1.1 fixes include:

• a structural adjustment on the page and relating inclusive language to plain language and word choice
• adjusted page structure, enhanced guidance and new examples on sentences
• a minor edit and an updated example on phrases
• minor edits, clarified examples and more internal links on clauses
• minor edits, more examples and internal links on verbs
• minor edits and updated examples on nouns
• minor edits, more internal links and an added reference on pronouns.

DSM 1.0:

• has practical guidance on plain language
• discusses plain English sentences
• has mostly new content on voice and tone.

It supports plain language guidance with grammatical information on parts of sentences (including clauses and phrases). It relates word choice to grammatical information about types of words.

DSM 1.0 also:

• removes the requirement to use full stops with non-Latin abbreviations
• does not use full stops with acronyms and initialisms, or contractions
• avoids using Latin shortened forms.

Inclusive language

DSM 1.1 fixes include adjusted examples and more internal links on cultural and linguistic diversity.

DSM 1.0:

• significantly revises and updates guidance on content that relates to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• includes a section on age diversity
• updates inclusive language guidance around cultural and linguistic diversity
• contains new guidance on inclusive language around gender and sexual diversity
• revises and expands inclusive terminology on the topic of people with disability.

Structure

DSM 1.1 fixes include:

• a minor edit on narrative structure
• a new internal link on parts of sentences.

DSM 1.0:

• includes print considerations, but focuses on writing headings for online content
• significantly updates and expands on information about links
• fleshes out the advice on topic sentences and other guidance on paragraphs
• provides information about text boxes and callouts
• has a new focus on the inverted pyramid, and narrative structure in types of structure.

Findable content

DSM 1.2 fixes include:

• minor edits to text and new supporting detail on understanding search engines
• new internal link and definition for URL on on-page optimisation
• minor edits and new internal link on keywords and search engines.

DSM 1.0 release expands information on understanding search engines.

It incorporates information from the Content Guide on:

• keywords and search engines
• on-page optimisation.

General conventions, editing and proofreading

DSM 1.0:

• provides an overview of editing and proofreading
• revises guidance on italics
• outlines how the principles of minimal punctuation and minimal capitalisation inform Style Manual topics.

The Australian concise Oxford dictionary, corpus data and consultation informs advice on spelling.

Names and terms

DSM 1.2 fixes include:

• minor edits to text, new internal link and extra reference list item on topographic terms
• minor edit with new internal link, and corrected and updated examples on ships, aircraft and other vehicles.

DSM 1.0:

• provides more direct advice about commercial terms
• makes changes to punctuation used with expressions of dates and time
• revises guidance on government terms
• clarifies the use of eponyms in disease names as medical terms
• significantly expands style advice for referring to natural phenomena
• includes a new section on hyphens in personal names
• links to external sources from basic style advice for the names of plants and animals
• expands on advice about ships, aircraft and other vehicles
• consolidates and expands information about topographic terms.

Guidance on personal names and cultural and linguistic diversity complements style advice for nationalities, peoples and places outside Australia.

The new general rule not to use full stops with abbreviations removes the requirement to use a full stop with abbreviated:

• Australian place names
• months and days of the week
• organisation names.

Numbers and measurements

DSM 1.1 fixes include more internal links on choosing words or numerals.

DSM 1.0:

• updates the rule for using words for numbers in paragraph text
• recommends using the dollar symbol and numerals in most cases for Australian currency
• updates guidance on fractions and decimals
• revises guidance on the expression of mathematical relationships
• consolidates information about measurement and units
• revises guidance on ordinal numbers
• recommends using a number with the symbol for percentages
• expands on information about telephone numbers.

Punctuation marks

DSM 1.0:

• updates guidance for using brackets and parentheses
• updates punctuation guidance for a bullet list
• revises guidance about the use of dashes
• revises advice about punctuation used with quotation marks
• is consistent with the sixth edition in its advice on semicolons.

Referencing and attribution

DSM 1.0:

• introduces stylistic changes to the author–date system for referencing
• has revised guidance on the documentary–note system for referencing
• has new and extensive advice on how to cite legal material
• expands information about citing plays and poetry
• expands and updates information about how to cite works of art.

It also covers citation style for:

• broadcast media and podcasts
• musical compositions.

DSM 1.0 consolidates information on shortened forms used in referencing. To support style guidance for citing legal material, it has new guidance on abbreviations for authorised and unauthorised reports.

Titles, honours, forms of address

DSM 1.0 gives updated guidance and examples on forms of address for royalty, vice-royalty and nobility. It gives detailed advice about titles and post-nominals related to awards and honours.

It also refreshes guidance on forms of address and titles for:

• academics and professionals
• Australian Defence Force
• diplomats
• the judiciary
• members of Australian parliaments and councils.