UICC Communications Style Guide

Version 26 March 2012

2

3

Table of Contents 1.   Introduction................................................................................................................................... 5  

About this guide.................................................................................................................................. 5  What is a style guide and what are its advantages? .......................................................................... 5  Who should follow UICC house style ................................................................................................. 5  

2.   UICC Boiler Plate .......................................................................................................................... 6  3.   Tone of voice................................................................................................................................. 6  

Our principles ..................................................................................................................................... 6  Our personality ................................................................................................................................... 6  

Our principles and personality ........................................................................................................ 6  Our principles.................................................................................................................................. 6  Our personality ............................................................................................................................... 6  

4.   Be consistent, Concise, Clear and Considerate ........................................................................ 7  Tips..................................................................................................................................................... 7  Concise .............................................................................................................................................. 7  Check (Proof read) ............................................................................................................................. 7  Avoid prejudice, offensive and biased language ................................................................................ 7  Avoid Jargon and Vernacular (Slang) ................................................................................................ 7  

Jargon............................................................................................................................................. 7  The Vernacular (Slang) and Colloquialisms ................................................................................... 7  

5.   Third person.................................................................................................................................. 8  6.   UICC House Style ......................................................................................................................... 8  

Abbreviations and Acronyms.............................................................................................................. 8  UICC Acronyms .............................................................................................................................. 9  

Capitalisation...................................................................................................................................... 9  Contractions ....................................................................................................................................... 9  Copyright and Disclaimers ................................................................................................................. 9  Country Codes ................................................................................................................................. 10  Currency........................................................................................................................................... 10  Dates ................................................................................................................................................ 10  Decades ........................................................................................................................................... 10  Figures ............................................................................................................................................. 11  File Naming ...................................................................................................................................... 11  

Things to remember:..................................................................................................................... 11  Font .................................................................................................................................................. 12  Footnotes ......................................................................................................................................... 12  Headings .......................................................................................................................................... 12  Italics ................................................................................................................................................ 13  Lists .................................................................................................................................................. 13  

Format A ....................................................................................................................................... 13  Format B ....................................................................................................................................... 13  Format C....................................................................................................................................... 13  

Months.............................................................................................................................................. 14  Numbers........................................................................................................................................... 14  

Fractions, non-decimal ................................................................................................................. 14  Percentages.................................................................................................................................. 15  

Punctuation ...................................................................................................................................... 15  Ampersands (&) ............................................................................................................................ 15  Apostrophe (’) ............................................................................................................................... 15  Brackets ( [ ] ) ............................................................................................................................... 15  

4

Colon (:) ........................................................................................................................................ 15  Comma (,) ..................................................................................................................................... 16  Full stop (.) .................................................................................................................................... 16  Hyphen (-) ..................................................................................................................................... 16  Parentheses ( ) ............................................................................................................................. 17  Question mark (?) ......................................................................................................................... 17  Semicolon (;)................................................................................................................................. 17  

Quotations ........................................................................................................................................ 17  References ....................................................................................................................................... 18  

Citing the source – Vancouver Style............................................................................................. 18  Formatting items in a reference list............................................................................................... 19  Journal Articles ............................................................................................................................. 19  Books............................................................................................................................................ 19  Conferences ................................................................................................................................. 20  Electronic sources ........................................................................................................................ 20  Example of a Reference list .......................................................................................................... 21  Referencing Abbreviations............................................................................................................ 21  

Spacing ............................................................................................................................................ 21  Spelling............................................................................................................................................. 22  Symbols............................................................................................................................................ 23  Time ................................................................................................................................................. 23  Titles and Initials............................................................................................................................... 23  Units of Measurement ...................................................................................................................... 23  Notes ................................................................................................................................................ 24  

5

1. INTRODUCTION

ABOUT THIS GUIDE The UICC style guide outlines house style for use in all UICC printed and electronic materials. As well as including UICC’s boiler plate description of the organisation, and guidance on tone of voice, it also provides a series of alphabetical lists setting out general English language rules, information on easily confused and troublesome words, and preferred spelling, punctuation, abbreviations and UICC-specific terms. Suggestions on the use of non-discriminatory language is also included. The following document is an internal communications guideline which summarises the primary guideposts to ensure your writing is concise, clear, considerate and correct.

WHAT IS A STYLE GUIDE AND WHAT ARE ITS ADVANTAGES? A communications style guide is also known as ‘House style’ – It is the preferred spelling, punctuation, terminology and formatting to be used for the various information products published by an organisation – It offers three key advantages.

• House style ensures consistency. When authors use a consistent and established style, readers can focus on content and not be distracted by variations in spelling, punctuation, terminology and formatting. House style enables readers to obtain the information they are seeking with greater ease and speed.

• House style contributes to a corporate image of “one UICC”. In an organisation such as UICC, information is generated and distributed by various individuals and groups – all with their own styles and tones. By creating and adhering to a house style, a certain level of uniformity is achieved and, even though information is created and disseminated by several different groups, the information appears to be coming from a single, unified source.

• House style streamlines and increases the efficiency of the writing and editing process. By following a house style, authors do not have to clarify the preferred spelling, punctuation, terminology or formatting for every publication. Similarly, editors do not have to reinvent a rule for each different author and each publication.

WHO SHOULD FOLLOW UICC HOUSE STYLE An established house style benefits readers, authors, editors and UICC. All staff members, as well as external consultants engaged by UICC, such as freelance writers, editors and translators, who produce written information for the organisation – such as letters, brochures, fact sheets, reports, books, executive summaries, web pages, etc. – should therefore become familiar with and follow UICC house style.

6

2. UICC BOILER PLATE Please find as follows a short and medium summary of UICC to be used to describe the organisation in a snapshot.

Short UICC is a membership organisation that exists to help the global health community accelerate the fight against cancer.

Medium UICC is a membership organisation that exists to help the global health community accelerate the fight against cancer. Founded in 1933 and based in Geneva, UICC’s growing membership of over 460 organisations across 120 countries, features the world’s major cancer societies, ministries of health, research institutes and patient groups. Together with its members, the World Health Organization, World Economic Forum and other key partners, UICC is tackling the growing cancer crisis on a global scale.

Long Version Please refer to the Introduction to UICC text, which can be found in the UICC shared files and online www.uicc.org/aboutuicc.

3. TONE OF VOICE Our tone of voice is the way in which we write and speak, what we say and how we say it. Like a person, what we say is dictated by our principles, experiences and aspirations, how we say it is informed by our personality.

OUR PRINCIPLES What are principles? These are beliefs that you hold dear and would stick to no matter what, even if it cost you money. Just like a person. How do they influence what we say? Our principles inform what we say. They should come through in the content of our language and the messages we try to communicate.

OUR PERSONALITY What is a personality? Your personality traits inform how you express yourself, how you do things. How does it influence what we say? Our personality guides how we talk and write for UICC.

Our principles and personality The following words describe UICC and how our members and network view UICC as an organisation. This should help you position the tone of voice in all your UICC documentation.

Our principles • Authority • International • Partnership

Our personality • Collaborative • Confident • Professional

7

4. BE CONSISTENT, CONCISE, CLEAR AND CONSIDERATE Consistent terminology promotes learning and a better understanding of technical concepts. Inconsistency forces users to figure out whether different words and actions mean the same thing.

TIPS • Avoid convoluted (and lengthy) sentences with multiple clauses. • Avoid the use of jargon and vernacular (slang) • Use abbreviations sparingly. • Steer clear of imprecise word choices (don't say "feel" when you mean "think"). • Using section headings, based on an outline of your document, to organise your discussion. • Section headings help your readers understand the main points, and will help you present

your ideas in a lucid manner.

CONCISE Giving a lot of information clearly and in as few words as possible; always aim to be brief but comprehensive. And remember ‘Good writing is saying the most with the fewest words’.

CHECK (PROOF READ) Always proof read your document to ensure that it is grammatically correct and always ask at least one other person to read over your document before you submit it to the Communications Team.

AVOID PREJUDICE, OFFENSIVE AND BIASED LANGUAGE A good general rule to follow, in describing any group, is to avoid using language that could cause offense. Here are some basic guidelines to help you make clear references to populations, groups, and conditions:

• Use "older persons" (not "elderly") • Do not use general labels (Asian) when you can use a geographically based reference, be

specific i.e. Chinese, Chinese Australian, Japanese, Indonesian, Filipino, American Indian. • Use currently accepted and non-biased references to populations of differing race and

ethnicity: i.e. "African Americans", "Native Americans", "Asian Americans". • When referring to any population, be as specific as possible. Capitalise all references to

ethnic and racially based populations. • Use “people living with cancer” and “people living with a disease” (not “cancer victims”,

'disease victims' or sufferers). In general, it is both wise and kind to avoid language that would equate a person with their condition.

• Avoid gender stereotyping. Do not use "men" to refer to adult humans; do not make references to "standard male reactions."

• "Gender" refers to culturally based behaviour, and should be used in discussions of men and women in social groups. "Sex" is a biological distinction, and should be used in discussions emphasising biological factors, such as "sexual hormones."

• Use "lesbians" and "gay men" (not "homosexuals"), "sexual orientation" (not "sexual preference").

• Use “low- and middle-income countries” (not “third world”, “poor” or “developing” countries).

AVOID JARGON AND VERNACULAR (SLANG)

Jargon The use of obscure technical terms - sometimes called jargon - that may be unfamiliar to your readers is in direct opposition to your primary goal in writing the document. If you find that technical terms are necessary, make sure you define your terms for your readers.

The Vernacular (Slang) and Colloquialisms Vernacular and colloquial phrases may be terms that are quite familiar to your readers, but are not appropriate in formal writing that requires wording with precise definitions (e.g., We "sized up" the participants; "practically everyone"). Colloquialisms, too, often have "affective" connotations that are unacceptable in formal writing (e.g., "cops")

8

Find terms and observations that are explicit – so that they will be understood clearly by your readers.

5. THIRD PERSON When writing about UICC please refer to the organisation in the third person: Below are statements in the first-person point of view:

• “I think UICC should reconsider its recent vote on the cancer outcomes statement.” • “Together with our members and other key partners, we are tackling the growing cancer

crisis on a global scale.” Below are the same statements in the third-person objective point of view. The first person, “I”, “we” and “our” have been eliminated.

• “UICC should reconsider its recent vote on the Cancer Outcome statement”. • “Together with its members and other key partners, UICC is tackling the growing cancer

crisis on a global scale.” The second statement has a more objective tone, and it has the added benefit of presenting the same message with fewer words.

6. UICC HOUSE STYLE

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS The purpose of abbreviations is to save space in figures and tables or when the same word or phrase occurs many times in an article. Abbreviations may be formed in any one of the following ways:

• By omitting the end of a word, which should be replaced by a full stop: Jan., Co.

• By suppressing the middle of a word:

Dr, Mr (a full stop is not usually required).

• By combining the initial letters of the main words, or components of words, in expressions such as titles of organisations or certain medical terms:

Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) HPV (Human papillomavirus) WHO (World Health Organization).

In abbreviations of this type, capitals should be used without full stops. A good rule of thumb for abbreviations is this: use them sparingly. Clarity of expression is hampered by an excessive use of abbreviations or terms that might be unfamiliar to your readers. Some general rules regarding abbreviations are provided below:

• All abbreviations should be defined and spelt out the first time they are used, then use the abbreviation for the remainder of the document.

The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is a membership organisation. • A few abbreviations, such as e.g., i.e., etc. URL, HIV, are so widely used that the complete

words are almost never given. These kinds of abbreviations are commonly accepted as words, so if you feel that these are likely to be familiar to readers, they do not need to be spelt out.

• Do not begin a sentence with a lower case abbreviation e.g., hr

• To be clear, always spell out these units of time: day, week, month, year • Abbreviate second as s, meter as m • To indicate a plural of an abbreviation, add an “s”, without an apostrophe

PhDs, lbs, URLs. • Do not create plurals for measurements;

9

100 meters should be abbreviated as 100 m, 10 seconds as 10 s. • Do not use full stops for degree titles

PhD, MFA • Keep the number of abbreviations to a minimum and avoid using any that may be confusing.

E.g., Do not use the acronym WCD to describe World Cancer Day and the World Cancer Declaration in the same document.

• If the text includes many abbreviations, a separate list of the abbreviations and their definitions should be provided.

• Where an abbreviation requiring a full stop falls at the end of a sentence, a second full stop is not needed.

UICC Acronyms • Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) • World Cancer Declaration (WCD) • World Cancer Congress (WCC) • World Cancer Day (WCD) • Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) • Board of Directors (BOD)

CAPITALISATION Use of initial capital letters for words should be limited and consistent throughout a document or publication.

• Proper names, titles and institutions should have an initial capital, but descriptive appellations

should not, unless the result would appear odd or confusing: the French Government but a government leader the New Zealand Ministry of Health but she reviewed the policies and programmes of various ministries of health the Department of the Environment but government departments.

• The following words and expressions used frequently within UICC documents normally require

capitalisation: Membership Organisation President Board Member Chief Executive Officer President-elect Immediate Past-President

For information on capitalisation in headings, see “Headings”.

CONTRACTIONS Contractions should be avoided in UICC formal documents and publications:

do not instead of don’t is not instead of isn’t it is instead of it’s.

COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMERS All printed, electronic and audiovisual materials issued by UICC should bear a copyright notice, including the standard copyright line:

© UICC [year] Where possible, credit both the photographer and the organisation, but as a minimum, the organisation.

© UICC / C.Adams 2011 If UICC is not the owner/author, then please ensure that the correct individual/organisation is credited in the same format.

10

Please ask the Communications Team if you need a copyright notices or disclaimer for inclusion in printed and electronic materials. A copyright/disclaimer notice also appears on the UICC web site, accessible from the home page. This notice is not strictly necessary in all countries, but it is always useful in establishing copyright and avoiding copyright infringement.

COUNTRY CODES UICC’s internal policy follows the standards outlined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), we refer to the ISO 3166-1 list of codes, which defines the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. This list is publicly accessible on www.iso.org. The UICC Membership and Communications teams will endeavour to keep the member list up-to-date, but if in doubt please refer to the www.iso.org/iso/country_names_and_code_elements listing.

CURRENCY • When two or more countries use the same name for their currencies, the appropriate

distinguishing adjective should be used at first mention, or throughout the text if confusion is possible:

100 US dollars, 200 Canadian dollars 100 Irish pounds, 300 pounds sterling.

• When the monetary unit is written in full, it should follow the number for the amount, as in the

examples above, but when the abbreviation is used, it should always precede the amount. Where a symbol is used to represent the monetary unit, there should be no space between the symbol and the amount:

$200 £19.95 €15.50

• Where the abbreviation is a letter or letters or a combination of letter(s) and symbol, there should

be one space between the abbreviation and the amount: US$ 6000.

• When a three-letter currency code is used (CHF, GBP, USD, etc.) this should then be the method

of writing currency for the entire document.

DATES Write dates in the following order, with no commas:

day, month (spell out in full), year. Avoid beginning a sentence with a year.

The meeting was held on 4 February 2011. Nineteen ninety-nine was the first year in which data on participants were gathered. becomes Data on participants were first gathered in 1999.

The following styles may also be accepted, but must remain consistent throughout a document:

• The meeting is scheduled for June 30. • The meeting is scheduled for the 30th of June. • We have had tricks played on us on April 1. • The 1st of April puts some people on edge. • The event will take place on September 9, 2011.

DECADES When expressing decades, you should spell them out and lowercase them.

During the eighties and nineties, the British economy grew.

11

Whether you express decades using incomplete or complete numerals, do not use an apostrophe between the year and the “s”. When using an incomplete numeral, use an apostrophe to replace the first two numbers.

During the ’80s, the world’s economy grew. During the 1980s, the world’s economy grew.

FIGURES Figures should be kept as simple as possible, with brief titles. Figures that contain too much information can confuse rather than clarify issues. Graphs should have their axes clearly labelled with the relevant units of measurement included in parentheses.

• Figures should be clearly labelled, using the same font and style of heading as that used for tables (see Tables). The abbreviation “Fig.” may be used in the figure title:

Fig. 3 An example of the use of T,N and M categories in a patient with breast cancer

• The abbreviation “Fig.” may also be used in the text to refer to a specific figure; however, it

should not be used when referring to a generic figure. This trend is illustrated in Fig. 1. The figure below illustrates this trend.

• Figures must agree with, and be referred to in, the body of the text and should appear in the

order in which they are cited.

• If figures are reduced for publication purposes, care should be taken to ensure that any text and labels are legible in the final version.

• As in the case of tables, if a figure is reproduced from material previously published by

another publisher, permission must be obtained from the author(s) and/or publisher(s) and a footnote acknowledging the source included.

FILE NAMING A file name is the chief identifier for a record. In the world of electronic files, the file name provides metadata that places the record in context with other records. With each staff member consistently naming their files, other colleagues will be able to look at a file name and use that information to recognise the contents and characteristics of the file and to make decisions about it. For example, a staff member could see that “120326_CCI_OnePager_FINAL.pdf” is the most recent version of the Cervical Cancer Initiative’s one pager in PDF format, last saved on 26 March 2012. All filenames should contain the following elements (where relevant):

• Last saved dated (eg YYMMDD) • Version number/type (eg v1, Final, Draft, MIedits) • Description of content (eg AboutUICC) • Resolution (eg HR, LR, MR) • Colours (eg CMYK, RGB, Web, Mono)

Having a file name policy in place will assist with managing your electronic records.

Things to remember: • Create unique file names. Duplicate file names will cause problems. • File names should be simple and easy to understand. • Dates should follow the ISO 8601 standard of YYMMDD. This maintains chronological order.

If dates of creation are used, these can make following retention schedules easier. • Use only alpha-numeric characters. Avoid using special characters such as: ? / $ % & ^ # . \ :

< >. Special characters are often reserved for use by the operating system. • Use underscores (_) and dashes (-) to represent spaces and separate elements. Spaces are

often reserved for operating system functions and might be misread. • Use leading zeros with the numbers 0-9 to facilitate proper sorting and file management.

12

• Keep the file name as short as possible and always include the three-character file extension preceded with a period (Ex: .jpg or .doc).

• Include the version number in the file name by using ‘v’ or ‘V’ and the version number at the end of the document. (Ex: 120321_Case_for_Support_v01.doc) Avoid using the word version or draft and the beginning of the file name for access purposes (Ex: v01_Mar21_Case for Support.doc).

FONT The default font for UICC is Arial size 10. For variations, please see the section on ‘Headings’. Any other formatting should be done in conjunction with the Communications Team.

FOOTNOTES Footnotes are used to provide additional details, such as references or explanations of unfamiliar terms, which would disrupt continuity if included in the body of the text. They should be kept to a minimum. As a general rule, very short notes, such as cross-references to other sections or pages in the same work, should be given in parentheses in the text.

• Place footnotes at the bottom of the page on which the footnote reference appears.

• Use superscript Arabic numerals to identify footnotes. When this may cause confusion, such as in scientific text containing mathematical exponents, lower-case letters should be used.

• Number footnotes to the text consecutively, beginning with “1”, throughout each page of a book or journal article. If two or more passages appearing on the same page require the same footnote, the footnote should appear only once and the reference mark should be repeated. Note that the footnote numbering should restart on each page.

• Place the reference mark after any punctuation that immediately follows the word, part of a

sentence, or sentence to which the footnote refers. The reference mark should be placed after the closing parenthesis if it refers to the text within the parentheses; otherwise, it should be placed immediately after the word or phrase to which it refers.

The World Book Encyclopaedia defines Taboo as "an action, object, person, or place forbidden by law or culture."1 An encyclopaedia of the occult points out that taboo is found among many other cultures including the ancient Egyptians others.2

Mary Douglas has analysed the many facets and interpretations of taboos across various cultures. She points out that the word "taboo" originates from the Polynesian languages meaning a religious restriction.3 She finds that "taboos flow from social boundaries and support the social structure."4 In reference to Freak Shows at circuses, Rothenberg makes the observation that people who possess uncommon features and who willingly go out in public to display such oddities to onlookers are acting as "modern-day taboo breakers" by crossing the "final boundary between societal acceptance and ostracism."5

HEADINGS Headings ensure the consistency of and provide clarity in a publication by indicating the hierarchy and structure. When preparing a manuscript for publication, keep a record of the font type and size used for each level of heading.

• Where possible, limit the number of heading levels to three. • Heading levels are as follows

HEADING 1 – ARIAL 12 + BOLD + UPPERCASE + UICC ORANGE HEADING 2 – ARIAL 11 + UPPERCASE + UICC BLUE Heading 3 – Arial 10 + Bold

• Any other formatting should be done by or in conjunction with the Communications Team.

13

ITALICS Use italics sparingly to indicate emphasis. Italics are used in texts, reference lists and bibliographies in UICC documents for:

• the titles of books, journals and documents • foreign words and expressions not in common use, • variables in mathematical expressions • certain letters, prefixes and terms in scientific use.

Italics should not be used for foreign words and expressions that are in common use, such as ex officio, fait accompli, in situ and in vitro.

LISTS Lists, which draw the reader’s eye to particularly important text, should be used sparingly to maximise their impact. To increase clarity and add emphasis, items in a list should be set apart by bullets. Dashes or “em rules” may also be used for short items or incomplete sentences (Formats A and B below). If the list highlights sequential steps, numbers should be used. It is also easier to refer to a number if one of the items listed is mentioned in the text. The formatting of a list depends on the nature of the items. Examples of the three most frequently used formats are provided below. Variations on these formats may be used, provided the style is used consistently throughout the document.

Format A If each item comprises less than a complete sentence, the list is actually a single large sentence. In this case, use a colon to start the list, begin each bulleted item with a lower-case letter, and place a full stop at the end of the last item.

Your cancer risk can be significantly reduced through simple measures: • stopping tobacco use and avoiding exposure to passive smoke • limiting alcohol consumption • avoiding excessive sun exposure • regular physical activity • eating healthily and maintaining a healthy weight • protecting against cancer causing infections.

Format B If some of the bulleted items are longer than one line, end each bulleted item with a semicolon and place a full stop at the end of the final bulleted item.

The advantages of being a UICC member include:

• influence at high-level global meetings; • opportunity for extensive networking with other UICC members around the world; • privileged and discounted access to the World Cancer Congress.

Format C If the items in the list comprise one or more complete sentences, each sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop.

Fuerstein has written a seminal work on participatory evaluation, and suggests that a participatory evaluation in the development context include certain steps.

• All those involved in a programme decide jointly to use a participatory approach. They decide exactly what the objectives of the evaluation are. This can turn out to be far harder than originally thought.

• When agreement is reached, a small group of coordinators is elected to plan and organise the details.

• The best methods for attaining the objectives are chosen. The capabilities of the people involved and the available time and other resources will influence this choice.

14

MONTHS Spell out the names of months in full when they appear in text.

The last World Cancer Congress was held in August 2010. If necessary, months may be abbreviated in tables.

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

NUMBERS • In text, the general rule is to spell out whole numbers that are less than 10 and to use figures

for 10 or more World Cancer Day was supported by five key members The World Cancer Day map was populated with 245 events.

• Figures should always be used in specific numerical contexts, such as with unit symbols and abbreviations; the figure should be separated from the unit by a non-breaking space.

The Congress Centre is 8 km from the airport. The budget for the programme was US$ 1 million. Samples were collected on day 3 of the study. For further information, see Chapter 5.

• If a sentence begins with a number, spell it out or rewrite the sentence. Eleven of the 15 local members came to the event.

becomes Of the 15 local members, 11 were at the event.

• In a series of numbers, use figures for every item of the list. The results of the study will be included in Chapters 2, 5 and 12. A total of 19 patients were treated with drug A and 7 with drug B.

• Numbers of four digits or more should be split by means of a comma after every three digits to the left of the decimal point

1000000 becomes 1,000,000 • A four-digit number is not normally split unless it appears in a column of a table that contains

larger numbers when a split is used to maintain alignment. When a number has more than four digits, it should be split by means of a non-breaking space, not a comma, after every three digits to the left or right of the decimal point:

10 000 or 0.234 56 • Spell out frequently used fractions and common expressions

one-third fifth of May

• Use metric abbreviations with figures 9 km

But not when written out several meters from the wall

Fractions, non-decimal Write non-decimal fractions in words, not figures, and do not hyphenate.

Two thirds of the patients exhibited symptoms of the disease. Four fifths of the participants were female.

15

Percentages • Use numbers and the percentage symbol to express percentages, not “per cent”. There

should be no space between the figure and the symbol. Membership saw a growth rate of 20%.

PUNCTUATION Punctuation eases reading and clarifies meaning. Well-written text should require only the minimum of punctuation. If a great deal of punctuation is required for clarification, the text should be revised. Punctuation marks should be printed in the same style and type font as the text in which they appear.

Ampersands (&) An ampersand (&) should not be used as a substitute for the conjunction “and”. Reserve the use of the ampersand (&) only in official business names, movie and book titles, names of couples on envelopes, and some other special situations. For example: In the name of a business (e.g., “Smith & Jones”); When addressing an envelope to a couple (e.g., “Dr. & Mrs. Johnson”); In book and movie titles (e.g., “Harry & Tonto”); When citing sources in text, per certain style guides (e.g., “(Watson & Crick, 1955)”).

Apostrophe (’) Apostrophes are most commonly used to show possession. They may also be used to form contractions, but as this use is informal, it is not described here.

• Add an apostrophe followed by the letter “s” to the singular form of nouns, even if they end in an “s”.

The doctor’s patients were asked to complete a questionnaire. James’s research project will be completed by the end of the month.

• Add an apostrophe followed by the letter “s” to plural forms of nouns that do not end in an “s”. The doctor asked the children’s mother to stay behind for a moment.

• Add an apostrophe to plural forms of nouns that end in an “s”. The mothers’ group meets every Tuesday afternoon.

• Add an apostrophe followed by the letter “s” to the last noun to show joint possession. Strunk & White’s book on style is very popular with writers.

• It is not correct to use apostrophes with possessive pronouns as these already show possession.

The Executive Board made its decision. They said that the books were theirs.

Brackets ( [ ] ) The word brackets usually signifies square brackets; round brackets are parentheses and curly brackets, sometimes used to group items in a table, are braces. Square brackets are used to indicate words interpolated in quotations. Their contents do not affect the punctuation of the quotation. Similarly, square brackets may be used to enclose an explanation within the text by someone other than the author. Square brackets are also used in reference lists, to enclose English translations of non- English language references.

Jordan JR. Desarrollo psicomotor del niño [Psychomotor development of the child]. In: Temas de pediatría [Aspects of paediatrics]. Havana, Editora Universitária, 1976.

Colon (:) The colon has three main uses:

• to mark the antithesis between two statements more sharply than a semicolon • to introduce a list or series – never followed by a dash • to indicate that the second statement is an explanation or amplification of the first.

16

Colons are also used to indicate a ratio. When used in this manner, there should be a non-breaking space on either side of the colon.

Comma (,) Correct usage of the comma is often a question of judgement. Commas are now used much less frequently than in the past, and their main purpose is to indicate a pause or to avoid ambiguity.

• In a list of three or more items, a comma should, in general, be consistently omitted or inserted before the final “and”.

Patients were prescribed a combination of drug treatment, light exercise and a special diet. or Patients were prescribed a combination of drug treatment, light exercise, and a special diet.

• Care should be taken to ensure that each text is internally consistent in this respect.

However, even when a comma is consistently omitted before the final “and”, an additional comma should be inserted wherever necessary to avoid ambiguity.

The plan should include elements such as the review and reform of existing legislation and policy, building data collection and research capacity, strengthening services for victims, and developing and evaluating prevention responses.

• Commas can often be used instead of parentheses and when separating relative clauses

within a sentence. By exercising for 30 minutes three times a week, you will improve your general health. Participants kept a record of their exercise routines, which ranged from walking to running to swimming, and reported the results to the researchers.

• A comma should be used to introduce a quotation.

At the press conference, the chief researcher reported, “The results of the study were encouraging, but more work is needed in the area”.

• A comma should be used to set off phrases that express contrast.

Some participants reported feeling more tired, not less.

Full stop (.) A full point, or period, should be used to separate statements between which there is no continuity of thought. This results in shorter, more concise sentences, and helps to avoid including too much information in a single sentence. No full point is required for column headings, running heads, chapter titles and leg- ends, or after abbreviations ending with the final letter of the word (see Abbreviations for examples). An abbreviating full point, as at the end of etc. and Co., is omitted before a full point ending a sentence. Similarly, a stronger punctuation mark, such as a question mark or an exclamation mark, will replace a full point at the end of a sentence.

Hyphen (-) Hyphens are used to connect words that are more closely linked to each other than to the surrounding syntax and to avoid ambiguity. There are no hard and fast rules about their use. Certain conventions exist, but if there is a choice it is better to introduce hyphens only to avoid ambiguity. There is an overall tendency to use hyphens less than in the past and a few general rules are applicable, as follows.

• Do not hyphenate common prefixes (i.e. multilingual, nontoxic) unless needed for clarity (i.e. pre-existing).

• Hyphenate adjectival phrases (role-playing exercises, low-energy group, high-anxiety analysis, low-and middle-income countries).

17

• Hyphenate if the words could be misunderstood without a hyphen (re-creation is not the same as recreation).

• When in doubt, use a dictionary - usage rules evolve! • Do not hyphenate if a noun comes first (our study was client centered).

Hyphen after a prefix A hyphen should be used after a prefix to prevent the word being mistaken for another one,

co-op, coop (but cooperate needs no hyphen); re-cover, recover; re-treat, retreat. Prefixes such as anti- and semi- can often be used without a hyphen,

antihypertensive, antidysrhythmic, semiconductor, semicircular. However, a hyphen is required to avoid doubling a vowel or a consonant,

anti-inflammatory, anti-infective. A hyphen is also required when the prefix is to a word beginning with a capital letter,

anti-Darwinian, sub-Saharan. Hyphens with compound nouns and adjectives Some compound words remain hyphenated irrespective of their grammatical use,

well-being, side-effect, extra-articular and Director-General Others are hyphenated according to whether they are used as nouns or adjectives,

breast milk (n.) but breast-milk substitutes (adj.), low cost (n.) but low-cost treatment (adj.), or whether they are used attributively or as predicates,

up-to-date data but the data are up to date. It is usually unnecessary to insert a hyphen after an adverb, e.g. carefully developed plan, but a hyphen is appropriate when an adverb might be mistaken for an adjective, e.g. compare little-used car and little used car.

Parentheses ( ) Parentheses should be used sparingly since they tend to break up sentence structure and can too often be used to avoid having to organize one’s thoughts. A parenthesis can be marked off by commas, dashes or brackets, depending upon the closeness of its relationship to the sentence. See also “Brackets”.

Question mark (?) Question marks are necessary at the end of direct questions. Requests in question form for the sake of politeness, e.g. “would you kindly tell me whether ...”, usually have question marks, although they are not strictly necessary.

Semicolon (;) The semicolon marks a longer pause or more definite break than the comma. It links clauses or sentences too closely related to be cut off by a full point, but not closely enough related to be joined by a conjunction. The semicolon is also used to separate two or more linked clauses of more or less equal importance. In a sentence containing long clauses with commas, the semicolon is used to indicate major breaks or appropriate pauses. The first word following a semicolon always starts with a lower-case letter, unless it is a proper noun.

This could be a complete sentence; this could be another one.

QUOTATIONS All quotations from printed material should correspond exactly to the original in wording, spelling, punctuation, use of capital letters, etc. Punctuation of quotations

• If a question mark or an exclamation mark is part of the sentence quoted, put the punctuation mark within the quotation marks. If the punctuation mark is part of a longer sentence within which the quotation stands, put the punctuation mark out- side the quotation marks. If the

18

quotation and the sentence containing the quote end together, place a single full stop outside the closing quotation mark. Do not put a full stop at the end of the sentence when the question or exclamation mark is merely inside the quotation mark.

I asked him, “Are you feeling better?” Why did you ask him, “Are you feeling better”? She said, “I asked him if he was feeling better”.

• If the quotation is part of a dialogue and is a sentence, put the full stop inside the closing

quotation mark. “I suppose,” she said, “that he admires your work.”

• When giving only a partial quotation or citing expressions as examples, put the full stop

outside. You should use hyphens in “easy-to-understand directions” but not in “the directions are easy to understand”.

Long quotations Short quotations should be enclosed in quotation marks and incorporated in the body of the text. Quotations that are longer than three typed lines should be indented or placed in smaller type; quotation marks are not needed. Omitting and adding words When part of the original text is omitted from a quotation, the text in question should be replaced by an ellipsis, with a space on either side ( ... ). When an ellipsis is used at the end of an incomplete sentence, a full point should not be added. However, where the sentence is complete, the closing point is set close up, followed by an ellipsis for omission. Omissions should not change the meaning of the quotation.

“The goal,” said Dr Smith, “is to enhance health by supporting countries and partners in identifying ... evidence-based approaches that foster health development”.

Words added to a quotation for clarity should be enclosed in square brackets.

She said, “I go to my favourite country [Italy] every year on vacation”. Quotations of material from a foreign language Quotations from a foreign language should be translated into English, with the words “(translation from [the original language])” inserted at the end of the quotation. If a quotation contains only a few foreign words, they may be left in the original language.

REFERENCES A reference list should contain only those unrestricted works cited in the text as sources of data or information. Because much of the publications produced by UICC builds on existing research and opinion, it is imperative that the Organisation fulfils its ethical and legal requirements to acknowledge sources. It is also important that UICC provides readers with accurate and consistent links to additional information on a topic. Creating a reference list is a two-step process: citing the source and informing the reader that more information is available; and creating the reference list that includes the necessary information for each citation. Responsibility for the accuracy of references Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, completeness and correct presentation of all material in reference lists and bibliographies. An editor may check any details that are obviously wrong or that appear doubtful, but the primary responsibility rests with the author.

Citing the source – Vancouver Style Vancouver is a numbered referencing style commonly used in medicine and science, and consists of:

• citations in the text, using numbers • a numbered reference list at the end of the document

19

It follows rules established by the International committee of Medical Journal Editors, now maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It is also knows as Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals. Citations should be referenced either at the end of the chapter or at the end of a publication. In UICC information materials (brochures, flyers, PowerPoints, etc.) discretion can be used as to the placement of the references, which is appropriate to the design. In all cases, a numerical system is preferred.

Formatting items in a reference list The format for presenting items in a reference list in UICC publications is based on the “Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals” (the so-called Vancouver style), formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, but with certain adaptations.

• List all authors when there are three or fewer; when there are four or more, give only the first author’s name and add “et al.”.

• Write out journal names in full – this is particularly helpful to readers whose mother tongue is not English.

• Use punctuation as given in the examples below – note that in some cases there is no space between the colon and the numbers.

Journal Articles Elements of a Citation: non continuous pagination Author's surname Initials, Author's surname Initials. Title of article. Title of Journal. [abbreviated] Year of publication Month date;Volume Number(Issue number):page numbers. Example: Smithline HA, Mader TJ, Ali FM, Cocchi MN. Determining pretest probability of DVT: clinical intuition vs. validated scoring systems. N Engl J Med. 2003 Apr 4;21(2):161-2.

• Journal titles are abbreviated (to decipher abbreviations see: PubMed Journals Database <www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=journals>)

• Only first words of article title and words that normally begin with a capital letter are capitalised.

• First 6 authors are listed; thereafter add an et al. after the sixth author. • If the journal has continuous page numbering, you may omit month/issue number

Example: continuous pagination; more than 4 authors Gao SR, McGarry M, Ferrier TL, Pallante B, et al. Effect of cell confluence on production of cloned mice using an inbred embryonic stem cell line. Biol Reprod. 2003;68(2):595-603.

Books Elements of a Citation: Author/Editor/Compiler's surname Initials. Title of the book. # ed.[if not 1st] Place of publication: Publisher's name; Year of publication.

• Only first words of the article title and words that normally begin with a capital letter are capitalised.

Personal author: Example: Carlson BM. Human embryology and developmental biology. 3rd ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2004.

Edited book: • add editor or editors after the name/s

Example: Brown AM, Stubbs DW, editors. Medical physiology. New York: Wiley; 1983.

Chapter in a book:

20

Elements of a Citation: Author's surname Initials. Title of chapter. In: Editor's surname Initials, editor. Title of the book. # ed.[if not 1st] Place of publication: Publisher's name; Year of publication. p. #. [page numbers of chapter]

• Abbreviate page numbers to p. eg p. 12-25. • Abbreviate numbers where appropriate eg p. 122-8.

Example: Blaxter PS, Farnsworth TP. Social health and class inequalities. In: Carter C, Peel JR, editors. Equalities and inequalities in health. 2nd ed. London: Academic Press; 1976. p. 165-78.

Conferences

Conference paper: Elements of a citation: Author's surname Initials. Title of paper. In: Editor's surname Initials, editor. Title of the Conference; Date of conference; Place of publication: Publisher's name; Year of Publication. p. page numbers.

Example: Anderson JC. Current status of chorion villus biopsy. In: Tudenhope D, Chenoweth J, editors. Proceedings of the 4th Congress of the Australian Perinatal Society; 1986: Brisbane, Queensland: Australian Perinatal Society; 1987. p. 190-6.

Conference proceedings: Example: Harris AH, editor. Economics and health: 1997: Proceedings of the 19th Australian Conference of Health Economists; 1997 Sep 13-14; Sydney, Australia. Kensington, N.S.W.: School of Health Services Management, University of New South Wales; 1998.

Electronic sources

CD-Rom / DVD: • The format is added after the title eg. [DVD]

Example: Collier L, Balows A, Sussman M, editors. Topley and Wilson's microbiology and microbial infections [CD-ROM]. 9th ed. London: Arnold; 1998.

Journal article on the internet: Elements of a Citation: Author's surname Initials, Author's surname Initials. Title of article. Abbreviated Title of Journal [serial on the Internet]. Year of publication Month day [cited Year Month Day];Volume Number(Issue number):[about number of pages or screens]. Available from: URL

• Only cite month/day if applicable • Can list either pages or screens

Example: Aylin P, Bottle A, Jarman B, Elliott, P. Paediatric cardiac surgical mortality in England after Bristol: descriptive analysis of hospital episode statistics 1991-2002. BMJ [serial on the Internet]. 2004 Oct 9;[cited 2004 October 15]; 329:[about 10 screens]. Available from: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329/7470/825

21

Book/Monograph on the Internet: Example: Donaldson MS, editor. Measuring the quality of health care [monograph on the internet]. Washington: National Academy Press; 1999 [cited 2004 Oct 8]. Available from: http://legacy.netlibrary.com/.

Web site / homepage: Elements of a citation: Author/Editor/Organisation's name . Title of the page [homepage on the Internet]. Place of publication: Publisher's name; [updated yr month day; cited yr month day]. Available from: (url)

Example: HeartCentreOnline [homepage on the Internet]. Boca Raton, FL: HeartCentreOnline, Inc.; c2000-2004 [updated 2004 May 23; cited 2004 Oct 15]. Available from: http://www.heartcenteronline.com/

Web Site/part of a Homepage: • Add number of screens and title of page Example: American Medical Association [homepage on the Internet]. Chicago: The Association; c1995-2002 [cited 2005 Apr 20]. Group and Faculty Practice Physicians; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/1736.html

Example of a Reference list 1. Miller DM, The wisdom of the eye. San Diego: Academic Press; 2000

2. Rau JG, Wooten DC. Environmental impact analysis handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill;

1980.

3. Richardson AJ. Traffic planning and modelling: a twenty year perspective. Aust Road Res. 1990;20(1):9-21.

4. Meyer MD. Public transportation in the 21st century. In: Gray GE, Hoel LA, editors. Public

transportation. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall; 1992. p. 636-653.

Referencing Abbreviations These are commonly used abbreviations:

c. = circa (about, approximately) ch. = Chapter ed. = edition et al.. = and others fig; figs = figure(s) ill ills = illustrator(s) p. = page(s) para paras = paragraph(s) pt pts = part(s) rev = revised suppl = Supplement

Check journal abbreviations in: PubMed Journals Database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=journals)

SPACING In all cases, only single spacing is permitted after terminal punctuation (punctuation marks used to identify the end of a portion of text) for all documents and publications (draft and final).

22

SPELLING UICC follows the rules of the British English language (rather than American). The general rule is to follow the spelling listed in the latest edition of The Concise Oxford dictionary and to use this if in doubt http://oxforddictionaries.com. Please ensure that your version of Microsoft Office has been set to British English as the default language.

Exceptions • Where there is a need to respect the recommendations of international nomenclature-setting

bodies; • Quoted materials, where the original spelling must be reproduced exactly; • Book and article titles and organisation names, such as the World Health Organization,

where the original spelling must be reproduced. There are several areas in which British and American spelling is different. These are the main ones to be aware of:

Words ending in –our Words ending in -ize or -ise

British English words ending in -our usually end in -or in American English:

Verbs in British English that can be spelt with -ise at the end are spelt with -ize at the end in American English:

British American British American Colour Labour Neighbour

Color Labor Neighbor

Organise Recognise

Organize Recognize

Words ending in -yse Words ending in a vowel plus ‘l’ Verbs in British English that end in -yse are always spelt -yze in American English:

In British spelling, verbs ending in a vowel plus l double the l when adding endings that begin with a vowel. In American English, the l is not doubled:

British American British American Analyse Finalise

Analyze Finalize

Travelled Travelling

Traveled Traveling

Words spelt with double vowels Nouns ending with -ence British English words that are spelt with the double vowels ae or oe are just spelt with an e in American English:

Some nouns that end with -ence in British English are spelt -ense in American English:

British American British American Leukaemia Paediatric Oestrogen

Leukemia Pediatric Estrogen

Offence Licence

Offense License

Nouns ending with –ogue Words ending in –re Some nouns that end with -ogue in British English end with either -og or -ogue in American English:

British English words that end in -re often end in -er in American English:

British American British American Analogue Catalogue Dialogue

Analog Catalog Dialog

Centre Metre Litre

Center Meter Liter

23

SYMBOLS Symbols, which can be alphabetic, alphanumeric or graphic in form, are used to rep- resent quantities, units, substances, chromosomes and mathematical operations. They are often, but not necessarily, abbreviations. Figures should always be used with unit symbols and abbreviations. The figure should be separated from the unit symbol by a non-breaking space. To avoid ambiguity, no more than one solidus should be used to divide units: 7 kg not seven kg

TIME • For the time of day, the 24-hour clock should be used:

16:30 (not 4:30 pm) 12:00 06:00.

Exceptions may be made where appropriate to allow for other formats.

• If using “o’clock” the number is always spelt out, even with half and quarter hours.

She gets up at four thirty before the baby wakes up. The baby wakes up at five o’clock in the morning.

• Use numerals with the time of day when exact times are being emphasised.

Her flight leaves at 6:22 a.m. Please arrive by 12:30 p.m. sharp.

• Use noon and midnight rather than 12:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m.

• You may use AM and PM rather than a.m. and p.m.

TITLES AND INITIALS A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification.

• Use initial capitals for formal titles, such as President, President-elect, Chairman, Director, when they appear immediately before a name.

Please write out the exact title in formal documentation for example: • Professor not Prof. • Chief Executive Officer not CEO • Vice President not VP

Exceptions • Signature sign off in a formal letter – the acronym can be used in this instance

i.e. Cary Adams UICC, CEO • Use the abbreviation when addressing a letter and in lists.

UNITS OF MEASUREMENT A list of the most commonly used symbols, including those used for the SI base units, is given below. These symbols should be used only after a quantity expressed in figures, in tables, and in graphs.

centimetre cm degrees Celcius C gram g hour h kilogram kg kilometer km litre l metre m milligram mg minute (of time) m second (of time) s

24

NOTES