Professionals articles

Writing Professionals articles

Professionals articles describe how various health, allied health, education, disability and other professionals help children and teenagers.

Although Professionals articles often deal with specialist content, you should nevertheless write them in plain English. Guidelines for writing in plain English are explained in the chapter on Writing for our audience.

Asset type

Professionals articles use a standard article asset. You should use the article template when developing these articles.

Titles

Main titles of Professionals articles usually consist only of the professional title in the singular form:

Allergy and immunology specialist

Orthotist-prosthetist

Special education teacher

When writing main titles for Professionals articles, note our capitalisation guidelines, in particular our preference for minimal capitalisation.

Browser titles for Professional articles are determined by SEO research, which the editorial team undertakes. Browser titles might include common synonyms for the name of the professional and/or might be written in the plural form, depending on SEO considerations:

Main title: Dentist

Browser title: Dentists

Main title: Neurologist

Browser title: About neurologists

Main title: Respiratory physician

Browser title: What is a respiratory physician?

Short titles follow the usual rules.

Read more about Titles.

Structure: body content

The body copy for Professionals articles usually follows a standard structure. Use the following as subheadings:

What is a/an [name of professional]?

Why your child might see a/an [name of professional]

[Name of professional specialism] tests and treatments [not always used]

Before going to a/n [name of professional]

You won't need to use all the sections above for every Professionals article. But the sections that you do use should appear in the order indicated above.

Section: What is a/an [name of professional]?

This section of Professionals articles usually includes a version of the following paragraph in a callout at the end of the section:

If your child has health or development concerns, [allied] health professionals like [name of professional] are there to care for your child and help you understand your child’s condition and treatment. With the support and expertise of these professionals, you can help your child thrive. 

Section: Why your child might see a/an [name of specialist]

This section of Professionals articles usually includes a version of one of the following paragraphs in a callout at the end of the section:

You don’t need a GP referral to see a/n [name of professional], but your GP [or child and family health nurse] is always a good place to start if you’re worried about your child’s health or development. They can help you decide about seeing a/n [name of professional] and help you find someone who’s right for your child.

To see a/n [name of professional], you’ll need a referral from your GP. Your GP is always a good place to start if you’re worried about your child’s health or development. Your GP can help you decide about seeing a/n [name of professional] and help you find someone who’s right for your child.

Please add as appropriate.

Section: Before going to an [name of specialist]

This section of Professionals articles usually includes the following copy:

Before seeing the [name of professional], it’s a good idea to find out about the following things:

• • • Why you’re going to the [name of professional]: talk with your GP or child and family health nurse about why your child needs to see a/an [name of professional].

    • Waiting lists: how long before you can get an appointment to see the [name of professional]?

    • Is there anything you can do while you’re waiting to get an appointment – for example, can your child start some treatment or therapy?

    • Making an appointment: it might take you more than one phone call to make an appointment.

    • Costs: how much will the appointment with the [name of professional] cost? It might be expensive, so you could check whether you can get money back from Medicare or private health insurance or whether you can get some other kind of financial help.

    • Locations: find out where you have to go to see the [name of professional] – for example, a public or private hospital, or consulting rooms. You might have to travel further than you expect, depending on your child’s needs.

You might want to talk about these things and any other questions you have with your GP before you go to the [name of professional]. You could also ask the [name of professional clinic] when you make the appointment. It’s a good idea to write down any questions you have, so you don’t forget.

Examples

Here are some examples of articles that use this structure:

• • Audiologist

  • Paediatrician

  • Psychiatrist.

You might also like links

Include no more than 6 links to relevant raisingchildren.net.au content. Leave this field blank if there is no relevant content.

External weblinks

If possible, include no more than 6 links to relevant external sites. If you have more than 6 links, discuss them with a member of the editorial team. 

It's often appropriate to include links to reputable and credible national support organisations or to professional associations if their websites offer parent-friendly content. For example, our Dietitian article includes links to Dietitians Association of Australia and Nutrition Australia.

Leave this field blank if there are no relevant external sites.

See our guidelines on Links and linking.

References

If possible supply some relevant and recent references, although this can be difficult with Professionals articles. Ideally, references should be no more than 3 years old. You may include older, seminal references when no recent references are available. For advice on formatting different sources, see our References chapter.

Acknowledgments

Enter any acknowledgments. We have a standard format for writing acknowledgments. Some Professionals articles acknowledge the contributions of organisations as reviewers, in which case follow this guideline for writing the acknowledgments copy:

Write this: raisingchildren.net.au thanks [name of organisation] for its help in reviewing this article.

Not this: raisingchildren.net.au would like to thank [name of organisation] for their help in reviewing this article.

Dates and reviewers 

Supply the Last reviewed date and Next review date. The Last updated date will be added at the time of publication.

Supply the name of the content reviewer(s).

Age range

Supply both a lower and upper age, even if it's 0-18 years. Read more on age ranges.