With the goal of consistency within and across the OER developed through this course, we’ve developed a Style Guide to accompany our instructional design template.

In general

• Use the second person e.g., “You are responsible” rather than “The learner is responsible”.
• Use active voice instead of passive voice.
• Geographically localized examples are required.
• All language must be inclusive (e.g., folks not guys, humankind not mankind, a person with a disability not disabled person).

Spelling

• In general, follow Canadian spelling. Any spelling exceptions will be outlined in this guide.

Citation style

• All Open at Scale works will follow APA Style. Please refer to the OWL Purdue APA Formatting and Style Guide for details about in-text citations and reference lists, as well as headings, tables, figures, and captions.
• All OER require in-text citations and a full reference list at the end of each chapter.

Spacing

• Use only one space after a period (i.e., between sentences) and after a colon (:).

Punctuation

• Incorporate use of a serial comma (or, Oxford comma), i.e., a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjugative (and, or, nor).
• Follow e.g. (for example) and i.e. (in other words) with a comma.
• Do not use the ampersand (&); spell out and in full.
• Use double quotation marks for all quoted matters. Single quotation marks should be reserved to enclose quotes within quotes.
• Do not capitalize the first letter of the first word after a colon unless the colon introduces two or more sentences.
• With em dashes (-), insert a space on either side.
• For bullet points:
  • Always start the bullet point with a capital letter.
  • Use a period (full stop) after every bullet point that is a sentence (as these bullets do).
  • Use a period after every bullet point that completes the introductory stem.
  • Use no punctuation after bullets that are not sentences and that do not complete the stem.
  • Use either all sentences or all fragments, not a mixture.

Numbers

• Follow APA numbering:
  • Use words for numbers from one to nine.
  • Use numerals for numbers 10 and up.
  • Use commas in numerals over 999 (e.g., 1,000; 2,099).
  • Always use words for numbers that begin a sentence, title, or heading.
  • For fractions, spell out in text with a hyphen (e.g., three-fifths).
  • Use numerals with school grades (e.g., Grade 6).
  • For number ranges in text use “to” (50 to 100mg) except for years (e.g., 2017-2018) and pages (e.g., 199-200), for which you are to use en-dashes.
  • For number ranges in tables and parentheses, use an en-dash (e.g., 50-100 mg).
  • For percentages, use numerals and the % symbol. The symbol should be repeated with each number in a range or series (e.g., from 1% to 4%).
• Measurements:
  • Use numerals for any number followed by a unit of measurement; expressions of statistical or mathematical functions (5 times as many, the 77^th percentile); numbers that represent scores.
  • For temperatures, use Arabic numerals and the degree symbol (37.8°C).
• Times of day:
  • Use a colon only when a fraction of an hour is indicated (9:05 a.m.; or else 2 p.m.). Always specify a.m. or p.m.

Measurements

• Canadian metric measurements are to be used. As in, use kilometres, not miles; millimetres, centimetres, and metres instead of inches, feet, or yards; kilograms not pounds; and Celsius (C) not Farenheit (F).
• If an existing OER is being adapted, convert measurements to metric and round off the result. For example, 10 inches equals 25.4 centimetres, which should be recorded as 25 centimetres.
• Spell out units in parentheses after their first use. Afterwards, units may be recorded in their abbreviated form, with a space between the numeral and the unit (e.g., 50-100 mg).

Acronyms, abbreviations, initialisms

• Spell out acronyms and initialisms in parentheses after their first use and then use the short forms.
• Acronyms must be uppercase.
• Do not use periods in acronyms, abbreviations, or initialisms unless noted in this guide.

Links and URLs

• Do not open links in a new window or tab (accessibility) unless the link falls under one of these criteria.
•  If a link must open in a new window or tab, a textual reference must be included in the link information (e.g., [NewTab]).
• The link must be meaningful in context, without generic text such as “click here” or “read more.

Tables

• Before creating a table, refer to the APA Style Guide to 1) determine the necessity of conveying your information in a table, and 2) ensure that your table will be formatted according to APA guidelines.