Content style guide

Guidance for writing content for Camden services.

This style guide covers style, spelling and grammar conventions for published content, arranged alphabetically.

If there’s a point of style that is not covered here, check the Government Digital Service (GDS) style guide.

Suggest a change

You can suggest an addition, change or clarification to the style guide by emailing design-system@camden.gov.uk.

Abbreviations and acronyms

Avoid using most abbreviations and acronyms as they can be harder to read.

Spell out an acronym even if most users understand it. This is because not all users may understand the abbreviation.

If an acronym is pronounced as a word, spell out with initial capital for example, Nato, unless it's entered the language as an everyday word, like laser, pin number and pdf.

The first time you use an abbreviation explain it in full on each page followed by brackets, unless it’s commonly known. Then refer to it by initials on the rest of the page.

A controlled parking zone (CPZ) is an area where all streets are subject to parking controls. When you enter a CPZ you'll see a large sign.

Alternatively, use the abbreviation with a brief description, for example the conservation charity the RSPB.

Use all capitals if an abbreviation is pronounced as the individual letters (an initialism) for example: BBC, VAT.

Do not abbreviate days or months.

Above and below

Do not use directional language and avoid using ‘above’ or ‘below’ to refer to something on the page. Read guidance on creating accessible content.

Addresses

Start each part of the address on a new line. You should:

write the town and postcode on separate lines
use ‘to’ in address ranges: 49 to 53 Cherry Street
not use commas at the end of each line
write the country on the line after the postcode, not before
only include a country if there is a reasonable chance that the user will be writing to the address from a different country

12 Old Malvern Road Malvern Worcestershire WR1 1AA

Flat 3A Buckingham House 12 Old Malvern Road Malvern Worcestershire WR1 1AA

Ampersands

Use 'and' rather than '&', unless it’s part of a company name, like B&Q.

Asterisks

Do not use asterisks.

Bold, italics and underline

Avoid using bold text for emphasis and never as a substitute for correctly formatted headings.

To emphasise words or phrases, you can:

front-load sentences
use headings
use bullets

Do not use italics or underlined text.

Using bold for interface elements

Only use bold to indicate interface elements in the text, like dialogue box names and input field names, that explicitly tell users what to do. For example:

Select Start.
Enter your information then select Done.

Use inverted commas when referring to interface elements in non-instructional contexts, for example: “The ‘Done’ button will always be at the bottom of the page.

Brackets

Use (round brackets).

Avoid using brackets where possible, it can make it harder for someone to read and find the information they need.

Do not use round brackets to refer to something that could either be singular or plural, like ‘Check which document(s) you need to apply.’

Always use the plural instead, as this will cover each possibility: ‘Check which documents you need to apply.’

Bullet points and lists

You can use bullets to make text easier to read.

Make sure that:

you always use a lead-in line
you use more than one bullet
the bullets make sense running on from the lead-in line
you use lower case at the start of the bullet
you do not use more than one sentence per bullet, use commas to expand on an item
you do not put ‘or’ or ‘and’ after the bullets
you do not make the whole bullet a link if it’s a long phrase
you do not put a semicolon at the end of a bullet
there is no full stop after the last bullet

Bullets should form a complete sentence following from the lead text. But it’s sometimes necessary to add a short phrase to clarify whether all or some of the points apply. For example, ‘You can only register a pension scheme that is one of the following:’

The number and type of examples in a list may make the user think the list covers every condition. This can be dealt with by:

checking if there are other conditions (or if the list is actually complete)
listing the conditions which apply to the most users and removing the rest
link to more in-depth content to cover the remaining conditions

Numbered lists (or 'steps')

Use numbered lists instead of bullet points to guide a user through a process. Make sure you:

do not use a lead-in line
write each item as a complete sentence ending with a full stop
have only one instruction for each list item

Buttons

Use buttons to help users carry out an action like start an application or save their information.

Do not use a button to link to information, use a link instead.

You should use only one button on a page. If there's more than one primary action, consider splitting the content out onto a new page.

Clear and concise labels

Users need to know why they should select the button and what happens when they do.

Button labels should:

be short and aim for no more than 5 words
be in lower case not upper case
be meaningful and descriptive
lead with a verb, for example ‘pay parking ticket’

See button component.

Provide context

The content around the button needs to give context.

The heading and button should correspond, and the button should be placed in the order of when the user does the task.

For example:

Pay your parking ticket online How to pay, what you need to pay Button text: 'Pay online'

Start button headings

Make sure start buttons are under a related heading. If the start button is nested under a heading, that heading must relate to the start button’s task (for example, ‘Register online’). Otherwise, it will not be accessible.

See the button component for examples of button text.

Camden

In most cases, you can lead with ‘we’.

Click

Do not use 'click' when talking about user interfaces because not all users click. Use “select”.

You can use 'right-click' if the user needs to right-click to open up a list of options to progress through the user journey.

Capitals

Always use sentence case, even in page titles and service names. The exceptions to this are proper nouns, including:

buildings
place names
brand names
faculties, departments, institutes and schools
names of groups, directorates and organisations: Knowledge and Innovation Group
titles of specific acts or bills: Housing Reform Bill (but use ‘the act’ or ‘the bill’ after the first time you use the full act or bill title)
names of specific, named government schemes known to people outside government: Right to Buy, King’s Awards for Enterprise
titles of books (and within single quotes), for example, ‘The Study Skills Handbook’
header cells in tables: Annual profits
titles like Mr, Mrs, Dr
the Rt Hon (no full stops)

We only capitalise the first word in a sentence unless it is a proper noun. For example, ‘Find your nearest park’ and not ‘Find Your Nearest Park’.

Do not capitalise:

government
chief executive, never Chief Executive, unless part of a specific job title, like Chief Executive of Camden Council
sections or schedules within specific named acts, regulations or orders
executive board, the board
policy themes like sustainable communities, promoting economic growth, local enterprise zones

Contractions

Avoid negative contractions like can’t and don’t. Many users find them harder to read, or misread them as the opposite of what they say. Use cannot, instead of can’t.

Avoid should’ve, could’ve, would’ve, they’ve too. These can also be hard to read.

Dashes

Avoid using dashes except in compound words. When indicating a range, use ‘to’ instead.

When using as punctuation, use a comma or a suitable alternative. Commas are treated very naturally by text-to-speech software by default. That is, they are not read out.

If you must use a dash, use an en-dash, not a hyphen or an em-dash.

Dates

Follow the format: day, date, month.

For example:

Thursday 6 October Monday 21 January 2025

Only use the year if referring to a date outside of the current year, unless extra clarity is needed.

Do not include suffixes, for example 1st, 2nd.

You should also:

only use dates in content when necessary, as you'll need to review and update them regularly
abbreviate when space is an issue, in tables or publication titles, for example, you can use truncated months: Jan, Feb
use ‘to’ in date ranges - not hyphens, en rules or em dashes, for example:tax year 2011 to 2012, or Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
write the month once if the dates in a range are within the same month, for example Thursday 6 to Friday 14 October

Disabled people

Not ‘the disabled’ or ‘people with disabilities’.

Distances and measurements

Write in metric (kilometres, metres, centimetres) but provide conversions to imperial (miles, yards, inches) if it helps users understand a thing.

Do not use a space between the numeral and abbreviated measurement: 3,500kg not 3,500 kg.

Use numerals and spell out measurements at first mention. If it’s only mentioned once, do not abbreviate.

Abbreviating kilograms to kg is fine - you do not need to spell it out.

For example:

One kilometre 80 miles 20km

Eg, etc and ie

eg can sometimes be read aloud as ‘egg’ by screen reading software. Instead use ‘for example’ or ‘such as’ or ‘like’ or ‘including’ - whichever works best in the specific context.

etc can usually be avoided. Try using ‘for example’ or ‘such as’ or ‘like’ or ‘including’. Never use etc at the end of a list starting with these words.

ie - used to clarify a sentence - is not always well understood. Try writing sentences to avoid the need to use it. If that is not possible, use an alternative such as ‘meaning’ or ‘that is’.

Ensure

Use ‘make sure’ instead, it’s easier to understand.

Ethnic minorities

When writing about ethnicity, refer to ethnic minority groups individually, rather than as a single group. Where it’s absolutely necessary to group people from different ethnic minority backgrounds, use ‘ethnic minorities’ or ‘people from ethnic minority backgrounds.’

Do not use the terms BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) and BME (black and minority ethnic). These terms emphasise certain ethnic minority groups and exclude others.

Exclamation mark

Avoid using exclamation marks.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do not use Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). The FAQ format has structural problems that make information hard to find and read.

Footnotes

Avoid footnotes where possible. Provide explanations inline instead.

Forward slash

Do not use forward slash in between 2 words as the meaning can be ambiguous. Use ‘and’ or ‘or’ instead.

Gender

Avoid gendered language like 'he/she/his/hers' and use gender-neutral language like 'they/them/theirs' instead.

If you do need to refer to gender, use ‘women’ and ‘men’ rather than ‘males’ and ‘females’. For example, ‘33% of our senior leaders are women’.

Headings

Use headings to structure your content and help users understand:

what the page covers
where to find the information they need

Never use bold or a different size of text instead of a heading. This is not accessible because a screen reader will not recognise these as headings.

Writing good headings

Headings should:

be written in sentence case
be clear and concise
use the same words as your users do
have keywords at the beginning, if possible
be action-orientated, if possible
not be questions

Heading order

A webpage should have only one heading level 1 (H1), which is the page title. Find out more about writing page titles.

After the title, use heading levels (H2 to H4) to break up your content into sections.

Move down a heading level for a subheading, for example H2 to H3. Move back up to H2 if you are starting a new section of content.

Never skip heading levels as you move down, for example H2 to H4. This may be confusing for screen reader users.

An example heading structure for a page about parking fines might be:

H1 – Parking fines
H2 – Pay your parking fine
H3 – Pay online
H3 – Pay by bank transfer
H2 – Challenge a parking fine

Watch this GOV.UK video about why using correct heading structure is important.

Text between headings

You do not always need to have text between headings, for example between the H1 and H2. Missing text between headings is not necessarily an accessibility problem, but it is often helpful to include text for context.

For example, you should include text between a H2 and H3 if the relationship between the headings is not obvious.

Link text

Make sure your links:

are descriptive and front-loaded with relevant terms instead of generic terms like ‘more’
make sense out of context and tell users where a link will take them - descriptive links help people using screen readers, who often scan through a list of links to navigate a page
do not include a full stop within a link at the end of a sentence
start with a verb if you're taking uses to a page where they can start a task for example, ‘send a tax return’

If your link leads to information rather than starting a task, use the text about that information as the link.

For example:

Trade permits are also available for builders, trades and other service providers.

Opening in a new tab or window

Links should open in the same window or tab unless:

the page that opens contains contextual information, like help content, that would disrupt a multi-step journey, like filling out a form
a user is logged in, and leaving the page would log them out

If links open in a different window or tab, we should explicitly tell users.

Money

Use the £ symbol: £75.

Do not include decimal places for whole numbers for example, £5 not £5.00.

Write amounts under £1 in pennies for example, 55 pence not £0.55.

Write out million for example, £1.5 million.

Numbers

Use ‘one’ unless you’re talking about a step or a point in a list.

Write all other numbers in numerals (including 2 to 9) except where it’s part of a common expression like ‘one or two of them’ where numerals would look strange.

If a number starts a sentence, write it out in full (Thirty-four, for example) except where it starts a title or subheading.

For numerals over 999, use comma, for example 9,000.

Use a % sign for percentages: 50%.

Use ‘500 to 900’ and not ‘500-900’ (except in tables).

Addresses: use ‘to’ in address ranges: 49 to 53 Cherry Street.

Page titles

Page titles should clearly describe what a page is for or about, without a user needing extra context.

For example, ‘Repairs’ is a bad page title because it does not describe the type of repair or what the user can do. A better title would be ‘Report a housing repair’.

Use words your users use, rather than what we call things at Camden. For example, ‘Help with childcare costs’, not ‘Free Early Education and Childcare Scheme’.

Page titles should:

be 65 characters or less
Be written in sentence case
be unique, clear and descriptive
be front-loaded and optimised for search
use a colon to break up longer titles
not contain dashes or slashes
not have a full stop at the end
not be questions
not use acronyms unless they are well-known, like EU

For example:

Pay your Council Tax’ not ‘How can I pay my council tax?’

Using 'ing' in titles

Use the active verb (‘Pay’) if you use the page to do the thing.

Use the present participle (‘Paying’) if the page is about doing the thing, but you do it elsewhere.

For example:

Page title with options to pay: Paying your Council Tax

Form title: Pay your Council Tax

PDFs

Use upper case. No need to explain the acronym.

See how to make documents accessible.

Percentages

Use per cent not percent. Percentage is one word. Always use % with a number.

Plain English

Lower case plain and upper case English unless in a title: the Plain English Campaign.

All content on should be written in plain English. You should also make sure you use language your audience will understand - check which words you should avoid.

Please

There’s usually no need to say ‘please’ or ‘please note’. This includes when giving an instruction or explaining what a user needs to do (for example, please contact us).

Race and ethnicity

Avoid using broad terms like 'people of colour' if you mean 'Black people'. It's important to be specific about who we are writing about as not all communities of colour share the same lived experience.

If you collect data on race and ethnicity, provide inclusive categories that do not homogenise groups. For example, instead of 'Asian', consider adding 'East Asian' and 'South Asian' as these groups have different lived experiences,

Use content warnings when writing about racist incidents. This can help make sure that Black, Indigenous, and communities of colour are not re-triggered or re-traumatised.

Tables

Use tables to present data or information that can be organised in a structured way. This could consist of numbers, text or statistics. Only use tables for data.

A table should make it easy to:

understand the relationship between different types of data
examine a range of possibilities at a glance

Keep tables simple: avoid splitting or merging cells.

Avoid footnotes where possible. Provide explanations inline instead.

Do not use tables for cosmetic reasons or when you can use normal page structure to present the information, for example headers or lists.

Use headers and captions

Tables must always have a header row that includes a header explaining the content of each column in your table.

Headers help users understand the table’s structure.

Table headers should:

accurately describe the content in the relevant row or column
be unique and not repeated within the table
be capitalised

You can use links in row and column headers.

Tables should also include a <caption> element which summarises the overall purpose of the table. See the tables component for details on how captions are applied.

Making tables accessible

To make tables accessible, you must have:

a descriptive header for every column
a single header row
only one item per row cell
‘no data’ or ‘not applicable’ instead of empty cells

You should not have any split, merged or empty cells.

You can have an empty cell in the top left cell if you have a header row that does not need a column header.

Empty cells make it difficult for users of assistive technology to navigate the table.

Watch how screen readers use headers to make table content accessible

Telephone numbers

Use:

'Telephone' or 'Mobile' before adding a number
spaces between the city and local exchange, if you're writing a landline number

When a number is memorable, group the numbers into easily remembered units: 0800 80 70 60.

Spacing examples:

01273 800 900 (if you need to add a mobile number)

020 7450 4000 (if you need to add a landline number)

0800 890 567

07771 900 900

077718 300 300

Times

Use ‘to’ in time ranges. Not hyphens, en rules or em dashes.

10am to 11am (not 10-11am)

5.30pm (not 1730hrs)

midnight (not 00:00)

midday (not 12 noon, noon or 12pm)

2 hours 10 minutes

Consider using '11.59pm' to avoid confusion about which day the time refers to.

For example:

'You must register by 11.59pm on Tuesday 12 September' not ‘You must register by midnight on Tuesday 12 September’ which can be read in two ways (the end of Monday 11, or end of Tuesday 12).

We

In most cases you can lead with ‘we’ – when it is obvious who the ‘we’ is on this page.

Consider where users arrive from when deciding whether to use 'we'. For example, in a publication, users might enter the content in the middle of a page. They can also arrive on a form landing page. In these cases, use 'Camden' or 'Camden Council' instead.

Never assume the audience will know who the ‘we’ is.

Words to avoid

We should only use plain English words.

See GOV.UK for words you should avoid

You or my

Use 'you' and 'your' not 'my'. For example, ‘Pay your Council Tax’ rather than ‘Pay my Council Tax’.