(From the former Victorian Board of Studies)
· one space after a full stop
· one space after all punctuation
· consistency with capitalisation of headings and names
· consistency with margin widths, page numbering, column spacing, indention
· minimal use of font sizes
· Australia-Post preferred style for envelopes (no underscore, no punctuation in final line)
· consistency with dates, for example, 27 April 2001. Note: no punctuation; date/month/year in full
· use a serif font (has small strokes at the end of the character) for paragraph text
· use a sans-serif font for headings, tables and diagrams.
· money values usually have two decimal places or none
· numbers are right-aligned in columns
· align decimal points (within a column and in totals)
· numbers that appear in text use a space or comma to separate number of 10,000
· numbers that appear in text and are less than 10 are written out in full
· when a number starts a sentence it is written out in full
· position labels next to single numbers, for example, $5
· position labels for of columns of numbers at the top of the column
· percentages in text are written out in full, for example, 25 per cent
· percentages in columns appear at the top of the columns, for example, %
· telephone area codes should be in brackets, with one space after the first four digits.
· graphs and charts have titles
· x-axis and y-axis must be labelled
· use a key if more than one set of data is provided on the same graph or chart
· include author identification and/or source of data, date and a file name (if appropriate)
· include unit of measurement on relevant axis
· label each segment of a pie chart
· arrange segments (starting a 12 o'clock position) from largest to smallest
· include absolute figures as well as percentages
· choose colours that match the information being discussed.
Presentation Formats and Conventions
· minimise punctuation, for example, no commas at the end of each line in the inside address or salutation and complimentary close
· text is usually left aligned
· leave between 3-8 cm at the top of page (depends on length of letter)
· date written in full, for example 8 May 2000
· if more than one page, include page number on additional pages but not on the first page
· use Australia-Post preferred style for envelopes.
· use a heading hierarchy
· position column headings appropriately, for example, use a left-aligned heading for text that is left-justified in the column
· if columns contain figures, then right-align headings and column information
· usually have equal spacing between columns
· subtotals have a single line above the total
· grand totals have a single line above and below the total, with the totals set in bold.
· use a space or comma to separate numbers of 999
· use italics to indicate addition or subtraction
· subtotals have a single line above the totals
· grand totals have a single or double line below the totals
· grand totals are in bold
· include $ sign in column headings rather than next to each money value
· right-align dates to allow for double figures.
· highlight key words in bold
· use comments at the beginning of procedures or functions to briefly describe their purpose
· use comments at the beginning of program to identify the program, its purpose and any special conditions
· use meaningful names for all constants, variables, procedures and functions
· use named constants for any constant other than zero (0) or one (1)
· use indentation to emphasise the structure of program control statements, making sure that the level of indentation matches the level of the structure
· use blank lines to separate groups of statements.
· use bar charts to show the differences between values or to show changes over a period of time
· use pie charts to compare parts of a whole or relationships between segments
· use graphs to show trends or relationships between values on each axis
· if more than one line is used in a line graph, vary the thickness or line type of each one
· limit the number of items represented in a chart to five or six.
Reports consists of:
· a title page (stating an appropriate title, the author, the name of the person commissioning the report, and the date)
· a contents page (indicates content segments and page numbers)
· an introduction (states the purpose of the report)
· the body of the report, which can contain text, tables, graphics
· conclusions
· a list of references or a bibliography.
· all pages of a report are numbered except the title page
· consistent application of a heading hierarchy
· single quotation marks when quoting work from another author
· quotations exceeding 50-60 words are indented and single spaced
· appropriate entries for books in a list of references (or bibliography) - name of author; first initial; date of publication; title of publication (in italics); publisher; place of publication
· appropriate entries for articles from newspapers, journals and magazines in a list of references (or bibliography), - name of author, first initial, date of publication, the title of the article (in quotation marks); title of publication (in italics), publisher; place of publication; date and page number, if appropriate
· if no author is identified begin with the title of the publication followed by the year.
· use a dark-coloured background for slides
· use a light-coloured background for slides if printing as a handout
· use a light-coloured background if making overhead transparencies from the slides
· use sans-serif font for headings (48 point)
· use 32 point for text
· limit the number of points on a slide to five or six
· enhance slides with graphics.
· use standard symbols
· show the version number, creation number and author
· show the direction of the program flow by using arrows
· minimise text within a symbol; write explanatory notes alongside the chart if necessary
· use only one page to represent the program
· show only one entry into and one exit from program control statements.
· treat a spreadsheet printout as a report, hence report conventions apply
· suitably centre a sheet on a page
· briefly explain the purpose of the spreadsheet and identify the author
· where cells require user input, clearly label what has to be entered (left side of cell)
· group input cells, frame them or use a suitable colour to distinguish them
· where cells display results, clearly indicate the cell (and the unit of measurement)
· group output cells, frame them or use a suitable colour (but different to input cells) to distinguish them
· group/frame cells that will be printed, with cells not for printout located outside
· list all equations in a separate document.
· page layout should direct the reader from the top left corner down to the bottom right
· use a restricted number of typefaces
· use column widths of between 20 and 40 characters
· minimise the use of uppercase letters in headlines
· restrict the number of consecutive line endings with a hyphen
· avoid widows and orphans.
The following list of formats and conventions are suggestions only. Electronic publishing is in its infancy, and as a consequence a set of mandatory formats and conventions has not been developed. Identify those that you feel are appropriate to a solution, and expect students to apply them consistently.
· only centre short units of text (usually left justify)
· sans-serif font for main text to ensure readability
· consistent fonts, type sizes (usually 9-12 pt)
· no longer than 60-character line length (10-11 words)
· limit paragraph size (4-8 lines)
· use wide margins
· avoid using all capitals
· no underscore
· consistent headings
· use bold and italics sparingly.
· clarity of sound
· length - not too long
· indicate length of sound track, file type and size such as WAVE (type), 645K (size), 1 minute (length)
· for hearing-impaired people, also include a transcript of speeches, etc.
· keep videos short/images small to reduce transfer time
· give a description of the video and file size and type, for example AVI (.avi), MPEG (.mpg; mpe), QUICKTIME (.qt; .mov)
· make images less than 480 pixels
· small coloured graphics can be used as organisation and navigation buttons.
· personal
· commercial
· other (sharing information, entertaining readers, creating a fun club, sharing knowledge).
· avoid red text on blue background
· most text is in black
· most backgrounds are white or grey
· avoid red and green together (difficult to distinguish for colour-blind people)
· be colour consistent
· use negative space (white space)
· use links as the source of colour
· limit the number of colours used in text and figures to four.
· each page should contain a different concept or idea
· display the most important information first
· each segment should fill a single screen - if not enough text, combine with another
· if page is longer than five screens, break into smaller segments
· at the end of each page include name, email address, and date of last modification
· home page/core page should not take more than 15 seconds to load
· provide common element/theme/look such as logo
· 3 hops/clicks is maximum number to get to important information
· 4-5 hops should take users to 80 per cent of the documents they may want to view
· placement of navigation bar depends on length of page - at top usually, unless page warrants a couple of scrolls
· create one main frame.
Source: Extract from Resource material to assist in the implementation of VCE Information Technology May 2000