Writing Guidelines for Expedition or Project Web Coverage

Specific guidelines have been developed for writing plans, expedition, summaries, and other pieces that accompany expeditions or projects covered on the website.

All expedition/project content on the oceanexplorer.noaa.gov website should follow the writing guidelines outlined below.

Audience. Content should be written for the ocean-interested general public, with a high school level of science understanding, comparable to what you might find in a major publication such as USA Today or the Washington Post. Specifically:

All technical and scientific terms must be defined and use of jargon should be limited.
Assumptions should not be made about knowledge of previous expeditions or projects; links can be added as appropriate to help fill in gaps.
All acronyms must be defined when used for the first time in an essay.

Web friendly. Content should be web friendly, meaning that:

The most important information should be placed in the first paragraph, followed by supporting paragraphs (“top-down” or “pyramid” style). In other words, don't "bury the lead."
Paragraphs should be short, with only one main idea per paragraph. The main idea of each paragraph should be stated clearly in a strong topic sentence.
Sentences should be short, with only one idea per sentence.
Headings and subheadings should be used to break up text and to help the reader skim the essay.
A summary paragraph at the end should reaffirm the main point or intent of the essay. It is fine to leave questions unanswered.

Fact based. Content must avoid offering (self) promotional materials or content that could be misconstrued as endorsements; all content should be based on facts and informative, not promotional. Promotional, inflammatory, distasteful, or accusatory content will not be accepted. If an essay presents personal opinions or positions of the author, this fact should be clearly stated in the introductory paragraph, with follow-on paragraphs used to substantiate the position. Personal opinions should not have political overtones. Avoid making promises or discussing plans for future site content.

Engaging content. Content will be interesting, engaging, and updated regularly and will avoid bureaucratic or programmatic content and language. Content should be narrative. It is fine to write in the first person.

Openness. All content should be written for and made available to the general public. No material will be restricted. All content resides in the public domain, except where noted.

Collaborative. Many contributors are encouraged to submit content, with a broad and diverse range of contributors writing materials. Essays will carry a byline, including name, title, and organization of each author.

Supporting materials. Citations and references are not required, but can be included. Links to supporting websites can be used to offer additional information that supports the original content piece, but the overall number of external links will be limited.

Content will be edited to meet the guidelines outlined above, to ensure that content is accessible to all site visitors. The goal is to ensure that writing is informative and engaging, telling the story of expeditions and projects in a way that provides all visitors with a good understanding of how ocean exploration and research impact and are important to their lives and the nation, beyond just being interesting or cool.