Writer’s Guideline

UFO Digest Family of Websites’ Writing Guidelines

1. Please do not add formatting to your articles as it will cause a conflict with the website’s style sheet and your article will not display properly.
2. When adding photographs or artwork please ensure that you have the right (copyright) to use the photos/art etc.
3. When using photographs and art please ensure that the resolution is at least 72 dpi (dots per inch).
4. It is a good idea and improves the article to add a description line and photo/art credit under the photos or art.
5. When adding a website address or link to a specific website or URL please add the following:
   <a href=”(address of website)” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>Name of website or address</a>.
6. When referring to UFOs please use capital letters for the first 3 letters only. This will also apply to all words using the root UFO, such as: UFOlogy, UFOlogists, UFOs and so on. Please note unless the use of UFOs is possessive do not hyphenate between the “O” and the “s”.
7. English language. Although we are based in Canada our websites  are tailored for international audiences with the largest audience being the United States. Keeping that in mind try to use American spelling when possible such as, honor vs honour, favor vs favour etc. (See: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/american-british-english.html)
8. Abbreviations: Only Americans are going to be familiar with state abbreviations: PA=Pennsylvania? Always spell it out the first time the word is used and then use abbreviations.
9. When beginning a paragraph or a sentence do not use numerical characters, for example: 7 days ago…, should read: Seven days ago… Anytime numbers are referenced use the whole words up to ten, thereafter use numerical 11, 12, 13 and so on.
10. Use numerals with the time of day when exact times are being emphasized or when using A.M. or P.M.
    Examples:
    Monib’s flight leaves at 6:22 A.M.
    Please arrive by 12:30 sharp.
    She had a 7:00 P.M. deadline.
11. Use noon and midnight rather than 12:00 P.M. and 12:00 A.M.
12. Hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine.
    Examples:
    Forty-three persons were injured in the train wreck.
    Twenty-three of them were hospitalized.
13. Write out a number if it begins a sentence. Consistency:  If you are using various numbers in your article stay consistent.  If you mention ten cats and then go on to comment on their thirty-six kittens, use the words not the numbers. (See: http://www.grammarbook.com/numbers/numbers.asp)
    Examples:
    Twenty-nine people won an award for helping their communities.
    That 29 people won an award for helping their communities was fantastic! OR
    That twenty-nine people won an award for helping their communities was fantastic!