Appendix B: Technical Writing Style Guide

Layout

• Set one-inch margins on all pages.

Font Family

• Use ‘Arial Bold’ for titles and headings.

• Use ‘Times New Roman’ for the body text.

Font Size and Typestyle

• Title: Arial 16 black bold

• Heading 1: Arial 14 black bold

• Heading 2: Arial 12 black bold

• Heading 3: Arial 12 dark gray bold

• Body text: Times New Roman 12

• Captions: Arial 10 black

Text

• Left align all content elements, including titles, headings, paragraphs, tables, figures, and lists.

• Maintain consistent spacing between content elements, including titles, headings, paragraphs, tables, figures, and lists.

• Leave consistent space between content elements through formatting, not by adding extra blank lines manually.

Indentation

• Set the formatting to 0 indentation for all content elements.

Sentence Length

• Aim for a maximum of two messages in a sentence.

• Avoid lengthy sentences.

Headings

• Ensure headings are grammatically parallel.

• Write descriptive headings.

• Avoid ALL CAPS for titles and headings.

• Don’t use colons after headings.

• Don’t underline headings or titles.

Lists

• Ensure all list elements are grammatically parallel.

• Use consistent punctuation.

• Use bullets for non-sequential lists, such as equipment and tools.

• Use numbered lists for sequences, such as steps to complete a task.

Acronyms and Abbreviations

• Spell out abbreviations and acronyms in full upon first use, followed by the abbreviations and acronyms in parentheses.

• Use the abbreviation/acronym only on second and subsequent use.

Clarity

• Avoid vague pronouns and imprecise terms.

• Avoid broad statements.

Conciseness

• Eliminate wordy phrases.

• Remove filler words.

Contractions

• Avoid contractions for a formal tone.

Gender-Neutral Terms

• Use neutral pronouns (use they instead of s/he).

Tone

• Maintain a professional tone.

Voice

• Privilege active voice for clarity and conciseness.

• Use passive voice when only when required by format or flow.

Word Choice

• Privilege shorter, well-known terms.

Numbers

• For quantity, spell out single-digit numbers (0-9) and use numerals for numbers 10 and greater.

• Always express measurements as numerals.

• Don’t start sentences with numerals.

Placement

• Avoid placing tables and figures immediately after headings. Instead, introduce them with text.

• Include tables or figures as near as possible to first mention in the document.

• Do not split figures or tables across pages.

• Maintain consistent size and style for multiple figures or tables.

Captions

• Use Arial for captions.

• Write descriptive captions for all tables and figures.

• Place table captions above tables.

• Place figure captions below figures.

• Do not place captions within tables or figures themselves.

• Use “Table” for table captions, and use all-caps roman numerals (e.g.,Table I. Description… ).

• Use “Fig.” for figure captions, along with a number (e.g., Fig. 1. Description… ).

• In the caption, include a number and title if you create the table/figure yourself. Include a number, title, and citation if you have taken it from another source.

• Number tables and figures sequentially in the document.

• Tables or figures that are not central to the discussion can be placed in an appendix at the end of the article with a note directing the reader to them (e.g., “See Appendix A”).

Text references

•  Always refer to tables/figures in the text before they appear.

In-text citations

• Cite all sources within the text using square brackets [1] inline with text, and inside punctuation. Use one number per reference. (Do not combine references.)

Reference list

• Use Zotero or ZoteroBib to generate the reference list.

Citation style

• Set Zotero to IEEE citation style.