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Editorial style guide: G

Editorial guidance for terms beginning with 'G'. Use the style guide to help make your content clear, accessible, and consistent with the rest of the website.

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Read about why we need an editorial style guide.

Gender

Avoid using gender-binary language. Ideally, you should address the reader directly as 'you'.

If you are writing in the third person, use 'they', 'their' and 'them' instead of 'he' or 'she', 'his' or 'hers', or 'him' or 'her'.

For example:

  • Good: 'You must submit your dissertation by 13 March'
  • Okay: 'Every student must submit their dissertation by 13 March'
  • Bad: 'Every student must submit his dissertation by 13 March'

If you're talking about a particular person, it's fine to use pronouns that match their gender. For example, 'Laura submitted her dissertation on 13 March'.

Geographic terms

Use capitals when you write about a geographical region, for example, 'The University is located in the South West of England'.

Government

Use lower case even when being specific, so ‘the UK government’, not ‘the UK Government’. Only use ‘Government’ when writing the full title, like, ‘His Majesty’s Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ or ‘Welsh Government’.

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