WRITING
STYLE GUIDE
VERSION 1
April 2018
Writing style guide
The aim of this writing style guide is to help employees
communicate more clearly, accurately and easily. It should be
used by anyone who writes on behalf of our organisation as part of
our internal and external communications.
The major reference used in creating this document is the
Australian Government’s style manual. However, our in-house
style does occasionally differ from the Government manual.
If you have any questions or feedback about this guide please
contact our Internal Communications Manager or the Chief
Executive Officer’s Executive Assistant.
Contents
How to write clearly and concisely ..................................... 3
Understanding your audience.................................................. 3
Voice and tone ....................................................................... 3
Say only what you need to ..................................................... 4
Organise your text in a logical sequence .................................. 4
Punctuation ........................................................................ 5
A minimalist approach ............................................................ 5
Commas ................................................................................ 5
Apostrophes .......................................................................... 6
Possessive pronouns .............................................................. 6
Quotation marks and emphasising words ................................. 7
Brackets ................................................................................ 8
Dashes and hyphens .............................................................. 8
Numbers, percentages, time, dates and currency .............. 9
Numbers and percentages ...................................................... 9
Time ..................................................................................... 9
Dates .................................................................................. 10
Currency.............................................................................. 10
Acronyms, abbreviations and footnotes ........................... 11
Acronyms and abbreviations ................................................. 11
Using footnotes and end notes.............................................. 11
Key terms .......................................................................... 12
Understanding the structure of our organisation .................... 12
How to refer to our organisation and various groups within it . 12
Common mistakes checklist ............................................. 14
Look out for… ...................................................................... 14
How to write clearly and concisely
Understanding your audience
One of the most important tasks as a writer is to ensure you are writing for your readers.
Before you start typing, there are a few key questions you should ask yourself:
• What are you trying to achieve with your communication?;
• Who are you trying to connect with?;
• What is their level of understanding of the topic?;
• What do they need to know?; and
• What do you want them to think, feel and importantly do with the information?
Voice and tone
The voice and tone of your content can dramatically change how your readers feel about it. Our
communications are:
• professional
• knowledgeable
• expert
• thoughtful
• trustworthy.
Use active rather than passive voice
Where possible use an active voice not a passive voice. This is about ensuring that the subject of your
sentence performs the action.
Passive
Active
This form is being provided.
We are providing this form.
Five different public asset Funds are invested on
We invest five different public asset Funds on
behalf of future generations of Australians.
behalf of future generations of Australians.
Use familiar words
Try to explain complex ideas using short, common words. Always avoid jargon and avoid technical terms as
much as possible:
• Jargon is a form of shorthand that is only understood by a particular group of people.
• Technical terms are different and are sometimes required, but you should try and limit their use.
Sometimes you can use a simpler word for certain expressions.
Complex
Simple
As a consequence of
Because
Erroneous
Wrong
In order to
To
Underwrite
Guarantee
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 3
Say only what you need to
Use short sentences
Avoid having too many messages in a single sentence. Short sentences:
• are easier to write and to read; and
• remove ambiguity because they are more direct.
A good rule of thumb is to cut long sentences into several short sentences using a maximum of 25 to 30
words.
Remove redundant information
Use enough words to make your point precisely. Don’t clutter your content with superfluous words.
Long
Short
We are currently of the opinion that…
We believe that…
This time around…
This time…
Any time soon…
Soon…
Organise your text in a logical sequence
We should generally write as journalists do using an inverted pyramid style. This is where you have the
most important information at the start of the content with less important information fol owing.
How to structure a document
Step 1
Establish a logical sequence by grouping and ordering your advice and the related information.
This will also help you avoid repetition.
Step 2
Put the key advice/information up front.
Step 3
Use informative headings to break up large sections of text, but make sure the headings are not
too long.
Step 4
Use bullet points and numbered lists to make key information and lists easier to skim-read.
Step 5
Ensure the document clearly follows the logical sequence you established upfront in terms of its
headings and numbering.
Step 6
Express your information simply and succinctly, taking into account the needs of the actual and
possible readers.
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 4
Punctuation
A minimalist approach
We use a minimalist approach (less is more) in terms of capitalisation. This approach tries to minimise
capitalisation in writing because it’s often distracting for the reader.
Minimalism makes language and messages clearer and more easily understood. It’s also suited to the
Internet Age where audiences are seeking concise information that is to the point.
When considering capitalisation you need to know:
• whether the capitalisation is needed
• where to correctly place the capitalisation.
Commas
Try to use fewer commas and only when they are necessary.
Ask yourself whether the comma is helping the reader understand your sentence better. If it’s not, you
should delete it. We try to limit use of a comma to:
• list information (if you’re not using bullets);
• avoid ambiguity (eg a short time after, the fire began to lose its fury); and
• enclose a parenthetic expression (eg in the meantime, despite negotiations with the investment
manager, all transfers must be stopped).
Our organisation does not use an oxford comma – this is a comma used after the second last item in a list of
items before and/or (eg the options are red, blue, and green).
The more commas you use the more ambiguous your writing will be. Instead of commas you could use:
• brackets – to help you separate information that’s not essential to the meaning of your sentence; and
• full stops – to help break your writing into shorter and more easily digestible sentences.
Avoid long sentences with unnecessary commas
The Future Fund was established by the
The Future Fund was established by the Future
Future Fund Act 2006 (Cth), to strengthen the
Fund Act 2006 (Cth). Its objective is to strengthen
Australian Government’s long-term financial
the Australian Government's long-term financial
position, by making provision for unfunded
position by making provision for unfunded
Commonwealth superannuation liabilities.
Commonwealth superannuation liabilities.
Consider other forms of punctuation
Under the Future Fund Act 2006 (Cth),
Under the Future Fund Act 2006 (Cth) withdrawals
withdrawals may not be made from the Fund,
may not be made from the Fund (apart from
apart from meeting operating costs, until at
meeting operating costs) until at least 1 July 2020.
least 1 July 2020.
Don’t use oxford commas
This includes a focus on alignment between
This includes a focus on alignment between the
the Board and management team, regular
Board and management team, regular reviews of
reviews of objectives, shared responsibility,
objectives, shared responsibility and innovation.
and innovation.
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 5
Apostrophes
Placing the apostrophe before the s
Placing the apostrophe after the s
If there is only
one owner, place the apostrophe If you are describing an object or objects that belong to
before the s:
several owners, place the apostrophe
• The government’s plan.
after the s:
• The portfolio manager’s report.
• The managers’ fees (several managers have a
When a person’s name ends with an s, you place
combined fee).
the apostrophe before the second s:
• The governments’ response (where more than one
•
government prepared the response).
Angus’s presentation.
The only time it’s has an apostrophe is to shorten
the words it is.
The organisation and it’s employees
The organisation and its employees
Its the portfolio managers responsibility
It’s the portfolio manager’s responsibility
FAQ’s
FAQs
1990’s
1990s
One hours time
One hour’s time (singular)
Three month’s time
Three months’ time (plural)
Possessive pronouns
A possessive pronoun is a word that helps demonstrate ownership. Possessive pronouns don’t use an
apostrophe.
How to use possessive pronouns
Pronoun Possessive pronoun Example usage
Usage
It
Its
An investment manager
It recommended
(organisation) is non-animate and
Its recommendation
singular
He/she
His/hers
A portfolio manager is animate and He or she recommended
His/her
singular
His or her recommendation
The recommendation was hers
They
Theirs
Our portfolio managers are animate They recommended
Their
and plural
Their recommendation
The recommendation was theirs
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 6
Quotation marks and emphasising words
When you need to quote, for example newspaper articles or legislation, use single quote marks.
Quoting direct speech and newspaper articles
Only use double quote marks for quotes within quotes.
“I’m going to the meeting room,” he said.
‘I’m going to the meeting room,’ he said.
“He saw me and asked, “where is the meeting
‘He saw me and asked, “where is the meeting
room?” so I walked with him.”
room?” so I walked with him.’
The article in Investment Magazine on
The article in Investment Magazine on
22 June 2016 said, “the Future Fund model
22 June 2016 said, ‘the Future Fund model
provides a hint of how the relationships with fund
provides a hint of how the relationships with fund
managers may look”.
managers may look’.
Begin paragraphs of direct speech with quotation marks, even if they have not been closed in the previous
paragraph (eg in media releases).
‘Jane’s local and international experience and her ‘Jane’s local and international experience and her
understanding of our one portfolio approach to
understanding of our one portfolio approach to
investing marked her out.
investing marked her out.
I thank John, our Head of Property, who has
‘I thank John, our Head of Property, who has
been acting Head of Infrastructure & Timberland
been acting Head of Infrastructure & Timberland
since September, for his leadership and capable
since September, for his leadership and capable
management of the portfolio.’
management of the portfolio.’
Emphasis
The use of italics or inverted commas to provide emphasis or to indicate nuance or an unconventional
meaning is acceptable. Bear in mind that the intended nuance or meaning may not be as clear to the reader
as it is to you, so you should think about whether your meaning could be more clearly expressed using more
precise language.
Italics and inverted commas should be used sparingly to avoid distracting to the reader. You should not use
underlining for emphasis at all and italics and inverted commas should not be used together for additional
emphasis.
Publications and regulations
When stating the name of a publication (eg The Australian Financial Review) or regulations (eg Income Tax
Assessment Regulations 1997) use capital letters only. Do not use quotation marks or italicise these names.
The Chair was quoted in ‘The Australian’
The Chair was quoted in The Australian
newspaper.
newspaper.
A media release was sent to The Age newspaper.
A media release was sent to The Age newspaper.
This is stated in the Income Assessment
This is stated in the Income Assessment
Regulations 1997.
Regulations 1997.
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 7
Legislation
Do not use quotation marks around legislation. Legislation is italicised:
• The name of the legislation, its year of enactment and the jurisdiction must be included
• The name and year are italicised, and the jurisdiction (eg Cth) must be enclosed in brackets.
The Future Fund Act states: “The Future Fund
The Future Fund Act 2006 (Cth) states, ‘the
Board of Guardians is responsible for deciding
Future Fund Board of Guardians is responsible
how to invest the Future Fund”.
for deciding how to invest the Future Fund’.
Brackets
If a sentence is entirely within brackets the punctuation is inside the bracket. Only use a comma after a
bracket if you would have used the comma anyway. Don’t use brackets within brackets.
• Its objective was to achieve a return of at
• Its objective was to achieve a return of at
least 3% per annum over the long term (the
least 3% pa over the long term (the
benchmark return.)
benchmark return).
• It aimed to achieve a return of at least the
• It aimed to achieve a return of at least the
benchmark return. (The benchmark return
benchmark return. (The benchmark return
was 5%).
was 5%.)
Dashes and hyphens
Dashes and hyphens are not interchangeable. A dash (–) is longer than a hyphen (-). Hyphens can be an
important device to avoid ambiguity, but otherwise there is no need to overuse them.
Use a dash (–) to:
• signify an abrupt change;
• amplify or further explain something; and
• link two or more separate thoughts.
Use a hyphen (-) to:
• link prefixes with what follows in specific circumstances (eg pre-2016);
• join some types of compound adjectives (eg long-term investment);
• show spans of figures, time and distance (eg April–June);and
• prevent misreading or clarify meaning (eg re-cover and recover).
deemphasise
de-emphasise
It is a long term investment
It is a long-term investment
We invest for the long-term
We invest for the long term
2016–2017
2016-2017
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 8
Numbers, percentages, time, dates and currency
Numbers and percentages
Rule
Example
Use words for numbers below 10
Zero to nine
Use numerals for numbers above nine
10, 11, 12
Use numerals if listing a combination of numbers below and There were children aged 5, 10 and 11
above 10
Use words when opening a sentence
Twenty employees are employed full time
Always use numerals for measurements, even where the
8°C
number is below 10
3km
45m2
20.5ha
60hz
850mm
Always use numerals for mathematical relationships
5 + 37 = 42
The ratio was 5:1
Use numerals for large numbers and ensure commas are
200
used to make numbers easier to read
5,000
Use abbreviations to describe the value of a number when
A$10m
you are not writing a number in ful
A$5bn
A$14tn
Use numerals for statistical figures and comparisons
1 in 5
16 of 30
When using symbols with numbers (eg %) ensure the
10%
number is stated as a numeral except where it is used at the Sixty per cent of hotel employees are casual
start of a sentence
CIP + 4.0%
Use numerals and symbols to express percentages in tables
60%
(although often the % symbol should be placed in the column
heading)
Use numerals for measurements, years, days, months, pages 6 months
or sections
3 years
Use words when writing a hyphenated compound that uses a Six-monthly
number
Twelve-monthly
Time
You can show ful hours with or without 00 depending on what time you are showing:
• Hours without minutes – do not use 00 (eg 9am to 10am).
• Hours with minutes – use 00 in both cases to be consistent (eg 9.00am to 10.15am).
Do not use a space between the number and the am/pm reference. Do not use a colon between the hour
and minutes. Use full stops to separate hours and minutes (10.15am) in place of a colon.
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 9
Dates
Dates are expressed as DD Month YYYY (eg 19 September 2016). The month must be spelt out in ful . If
the date does not have a day, ensure you stil supply the month and year.
Monday September 21st 2016
Monday, 21 September 2016
The October Board report
The October 2016 Board report
13/6/16
13/06/2016
Currency
The approach to the treatment of currencies wil depend on the audience you are writing for and the context
in which you are writing.
The focus should be on making the material easy to read and understand for the intended audience and on
producing a document that applies as consistent an approach as possible, both within a document and
across multiple documents.
There are three ways of referring to currencies:
•
writing it in full (eg Australian dollar);
•
using a symbol (eg €); and
•
using an international standard currency code (eg USD).
In general, our preference is to write in simple, non-technical language that can be understood by the
informed lay person. This is the style that is suitable for Board papers and committee papers.
This leads to the following preferences:
1.
When referring to a currency it should be written in ful . This improves the flow and readability of a
sentence.
The investment in AUD-denominated paper fits our strategy and removes the need to hedge the BRL.
The investment in Australian dollar-denominated paper fits our strategy and removes the need to hedge
the Brazilian real.
2.
When referring to an amount, you should general y use the commonly used currency symbol. Again,
this improves the flow and readability of a sentence.
To reduce ambiguity, we prefer to use the A$ symbol to represent the Australian dol ar, except
where the audience is the general public or media where $ will be used as is convention in Australia.
Where the currency symbol is not likely to be readily recognised by the reader, you should define it
in a footnote.
We intend to commit A$750 million and US$500 million to fund A and fund B respectively.
3.
The use of international standard currency codes should general y be avoided except where clarity
will be improved for the audience.
This might be appropriate in a discussion document to be shared with a global partner or in a paper on
currency for the Board. In these documents repeated and extensive discussion of currencies and their inter-
relationships may be more clearly communicated by using the international standard currency codes.
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 10
Acronyms, abbreviations and footnotes
Acronyms and abbreviations
Acronyms and abbreviations are an important part of keeping your writing simple and there’s a lot of overlap
between them. Acronyms are strings of initial letters (and sometimes other letters) pronounced as a word.
Acronyms must be written out in full when first used, followed by the acronym in bold, in quotations and in
brackets. So it would be Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“
ASIC”). Thereafter just use
the acronym ASIC.
Don’t use full stops in acronyms unless this actually forms part of the official entity name.
Note - there are some instances where the Legal team is exempt from this guideline.
A.T.O
Australian Tax Office (“
ATO”) first and then
ATO thereafter.
APAX IX USD GP LP INC
APAX IX USD GP L.P. INC. (as the full stops
form part of the official entity name and must
not be left out).
Write the full word (eg Professor Jane Wilkins) the first time people’s names are mentioned and abbreviate
thereafter (eg Prof Jane Wilkins). Professional titles do not need full stops after the abbreviation.
Where space is limited (such as in tables and graphs) the shortened form is acceptable.
Long form
Shortened form
that is
ie
for example
eg
per annum
pa
Using footnotes and end notes
Please use footnotes and end notes only when necessary and with minimal content. Lengthy footnotes can
suggest a poorly developed argument.
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 11
Key terms
Understanding the structure of our organisation
The Future Fund Board of Guardians, supported by a management team, invests for the benefit of future
generations of Australians.
Future Fund Board of Guardians
Future Fund Management Agency
The Board of Guardians is an independent
The Board of Guardians is supported by the
body comprising individuals selected for their
Future Fund Management Agency, which is
expertise in investing in financial assets,
an Australian Government agency.
managing investments and corporate
governance.
How to refer to our organisation and various groups within it
Referring to our organisation
When we were established Future Fund was used to refer to both our organisation, and the Fund itself.
Since then, the organisation has evolved and we are now responsible for managing five different public
asset Funds. Today, we aim to provide a clear distinction between the organisation, the Future Fund and
then the other four Funds.
At the same time we should strive to present ourselves, both the Future Fund Board of Guardians and the
Future Fund Management Agency, as a single aligned and joined-up organisation. Accordingly, general y
speaking you shouldn’t emphasise a distinction between the Future Fund Board of Guardians and the Future
Fund Management Agency.
We recognise that our organisation’s logo often positions us as the Future Fund, and that employees will
likely describe themselves (and be described by others) as working for the Future Fund.
In written communications, and to reduce the confusion of having the words Future Fund describe our
organisation and a portfolio, we can refer to ourselves as:
• the/our organisation;
• we; and
• us.
Or you may refer to the relevant employee group (see below), where appropriate.
Of course sometimes you wil need to refer to the Future Fund Board of Guardians and sometimes to the
Future Fund Management Agency (eg in legal contexts or where the formal distinction is important).
Referring to employees of our organisation
If you need to speak about our employees you can refer to the relevant group:
• The Board of Guardians (you can refer simply to the Board if you first define it).
• Management.
• The Management Committee.
• The staff.
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 12
Referring to the various portfolios we manage
Please take care not to confuse our organisation with different portfolios our organisation manages. When
referring to a specific portfolio, you should refer to:
• Future Fund (“
FF”)
• Medical Research Future Fund (“
MRFF”)
• DisabilityCare Australia Fund (“
DCAF”)
• Building Australia Fund (“
BAF”)
• Education Investment Fund (“
EIF”).
You can also refer to the BAF and EIF col ectively as the Nation-building Funds (“
NBFs”).
If you are writing an internal document, you can use abbreviations for each of the portfolios, as long as
these are defined in the first instance (see page 12). Do not use these abbreviations external y.
Please note:
• each of the above portfolios is a Fund;
• collectively these portfolios are the Funds (eg we manage six Funds); and
• other pools of assets (eg vehicles our organisation invests in) are funds (without any capitalisation).
How should our organisation be referenced in legal documents?
Where there is a legal need (eg in contracts and in some formal or statutory reporting situations) please
ensure you use the correct legal description of the entities. For example:
• Future Fund Board of Guardians.
• Future Fund Management Agency as represented by the Commonwealth of Australia.
These legal terms should only be used where they are legal y required. If you are unsure, please contact
the Legal team for advice on naming conventions to be used.
Can you refer to our organisation as a firm?
No. Our organisation is not a firm – please refer to it as an organisation.
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 13
Common mistakes checklist
There are some common mistakes that people make in communications. Use this quick-reference checklist
to avoid making these common mistakes in your writing. More details can be found in this guide.
Look out for…
Incorrect abbreviation formatting
Incorrect dates
Abbreviations should be spelt out in the first
Dates should always be complete with the year
instance fol owed by the acronym or abbreviation
included (eg the 14 July 2016 meeting concluded
in brackets and quotations, in bold – Australian
or the August 2016 report stated).
Tax Office (“
ATO”).
See page 10.
See page 11.
Incorrect abbreviations
Incorrect currency and symbols
Don’t use full stops in abbreviations unless it
Currency should use its correct symbol, rather
forms part of the official entity name (eg APAX IX
than being spelt out in text. When referring to
USD GP L.P. INC.).
millions and billions these should be abbreviated
See page 11.
(eg billion is A$100bn and million is A$100m).
See page 10.
Incorrect pronoun usage
Incorrect symbols in tables
Make sure you use the correct pronoun (eg it,
If a table has figures in it, ensure you add the
you, we). See page 6.
appropriate symbols in the column headings to
show whether these figures are currency (eg A$)
or percentages (eg %).
Using amongst instead of among
Incorrect usage of ampersands (&)
Among and amongst? Use among rather than
Use and in al text and only use an ampersand
amongst.
(&) in tables, where there is very limited space or
where it’s a name or title.
Using a z instead of an s
Using form instead of from
Don’t let autocorrect add the letter z to words like Don’t confuse form with from. It happens a lot!
organise and recognise.
Using a instead of an
Using hyphens instead of dashes
A or an? Use the correct word based on the
Dashes and hyphens are not interchangeable. A
sound of the first letter not whether it is a vowel
dash (–) is longer than a hyphen (-).
or consonant (eg a union but an ASIC
See page 8.
investigation).
Using whilst instead of while
Using an oxford comma
While and whilst? Use while rather than whilst.
Do not use oxford commas. These are commas
before and/or at the end of a list.
Incorrectly referencing legislation
Refer to our organisation
Legislation must include the name of the
Avoid referring to our organisation as the Future
legislation, its year of enactment and the
Fund. You can refer to the Future Fund Board or
jurisdiction. The name and year are italicised and
Guardians or simply our organisation.
the jurisdiction must be enclosed in brackets –
Future Fund Act 2006 (Cth).
Using manger instead of manager
Refer to our employees
Don’t confuse manger with manager. It’s easy to Try to avoid referring to the Future Fund
do!
Management Agency or the Agency. It’s simply
our organisation and our employees.
Writing Style Guide
Confidential
Page 14
Document Outline
