Titles:
- Omit extra text such as "The University of Arizona", "UA", "The", "Office of", "Department", "Center
for". These terms may be added as alternative titles for cross indexing, but should not be
used in the main website title. Exception: "College of".
- Capitalize all words in titles, except for articles, conjunctions, and prepositions of
fewer than four letters ("at," "by," "for," etc.), as in "Today at the UA" or
"Volunteer Opportunities at the UA" The first and last words of the title are
always capitalized, including articles and prepositions. Capitalize all prepositions
that are four or more letters long ("Between," "Above," etc.). Note that verbs,
pronouns, and other words are always capitalized, even if they are less than four
letters ("Is," "Are," "I," "It").
Annotations:
- Annotations should be no longer than 40 words in length.
- Be informative: Users are reading your annotation to decide whether to visit a given
site.
Explain the important features of the site and specifically describe what it offers to users.
- Language: Use simple and straightforward language. Avoid jargon and limit the use of
technical language to appropriate areas, such as computing. Avoid using university jargon and
acronyms that may not be familiar to outside users (SABIO, OSCAR, Outreach). Also avoid using
slang, which may not be understandable to all users, or may become outdated quickly.
- Be objective: Describe the site without making a claim or using promotional language as in
"best", "exceptional", "top", or
"most popular".
- Be concise:
- Due to limited space, annotations must be brief. Fit as much information as
possible into
the space allotted, while still writing in a sensible and grammatical way. The annotations
should be limited to 1 -2 sentences.
- To save space, use "UA" in place of "The University of Arizona".
- Do not repeat the title within the annotation. It is already in the title and
would take up valuable space that can
instead be used to describe the site.
- Time-sensitive information: Write annotations that will stay current for a long
time.
Avoid describing information that will be outdated soon, such as the dates of upcoming events.
- Ampersands: Only use an ampersand (&) in commonly accepted terms, such as "Q&A," or
"R&B." Do not use ampersands to save space in annotations.
- In a sentence that contains a list, do not use a serial comma before the word "and" or
"or" at the end of the list.
- The first sentence of the annotation does not necessarily need to contain a subject or
repeat the subject from the title. Verb usage is acceptable as the first word of an
annotation. Examples:
- Helps determine how many hours of good grades are needed to achieve a target GPA.
- Provides qualified support and continuity for the University's undergraduate,
graduate,
continuing professional and technical education endeavors.
- The terms 'online', 'website' and 'resource' are not necessary and should not be used
within the annotation. Examples:
- Incorrect: This website helps determine how many hours of good grades are
needed
to achieve a target GPA.
- Correct: Helps determine how many hours of good grades are needed to achieve a
target GPA.
- Incorrect: An online resource that gives advisors access to Student Academic
Progress Reports (SAPRs).
- Correct: Gives advisors access to Student Academic Progress
Reports (SAPRs).
- Annotations must be checked for spelling and grammar.
For more information, contact the UAWeb
Team at:
uaweb-team@listserv.arizona.edu
