Writing Tips
Style guidance, general tips and how to determine whether you have a policy or procedure.
Sidebar
Policy versus Procedure
- Policy: states a mandatory rule or official position, states what to do and why, is generally brief, and has longevity.
- Procedure: states the steps to meet the rule or position, answers how, when, who and sometimes what, is generally more detailed (than a policy), may change frequently as processes continue to improve.
General tips on writing a policy or procedure
- Use direct and simple language that is easy to understand
- Define new and uncommon terminology and terms that can have more than one meaning
- Spell out acronyms when used for the first time
- Avoid using an individual's name (to help eliminate information from becoming outdated)
- Link to related policies, procedures, guidelines
- Check for consistency with other documents (no contradictions)
- If it's not mandatory, it may be guidance/best practice
- Refer to the University Editorial Styleguide for editorial questions, including abbreviations and capitalization