Splash's Written Style

Splash uses US English conventions for most communications but will use UK English grammar and spelling for our UK- and Australia-based donors.

When creating materials for programmatic use, please use the most appropriate local language(s).

Splash is conscious of linguistic purity being used as a tool to further white supremacy and encourages using descriptive (not prescriptive) grammar in most situations. The goal of written communication is to be clear, consistent, and accurate to what is being represented.

Body text should be left-aligned (or right-aligned for a right-to-left script). Never align text for full justification as this decreases accessibility and readability. Titles and section headers may be centered or fully justified if they are only a few lines tall.

Do not use small caps. All-caps are allowed for titles & section headers only, if desired. Words in all caps are harder to read as there is less differentiation between letters.

Hyperlink accessibility is extremely important! When hyperlinking text, ensure that the written (display) text describes the destination. For details, check out this article on accessible hyperlinks. See what we did there?

Splash generally follows the AP style guide when possible for English (US) communications.

Here are some common rules to keep in mind:

• Generally, spell out numbers below 10 and use Arabic numerals for numbers 10 and above. We installed three stations today. Tomorrow we will install 32.
• When used instead of "and," "as well as" adds emphasis. Use this instead of "and" only if you want to draw attention to it. Otherwise, stick with "and" for brevity.
  
• Does Splash use the Oxford (serial) comma? The answer is yes, yes, and yes! Some exceptions are made for documents exclusively going to UK donors.
• When referencing a city and country or city and state, the country or state name needs commas on both sides. We work in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to improve WASH conditions. Our US office in Seattle, Washington, is on the third floor.
• Job titles are not capitalized unless they immediately precede someone's name. Come to the event to see Vice President Sam Samston speaking. Sam Samston, vice president, will lead the meeting. Here's a useful guide on capitalization.

• Only capitalize proper nouns. Splash is a small enough organization where we do not have official departments. If a program has an official name, it should be capitalized. Follow this guide on capitalizing departments and divisions. I'd love to talk to you about Splash's menstrual health program, "Rosie's World." Our behavior change work is ongoing. Scroll down for more details.

• Dates: For full dates, years must be set off with commas on either side. Do not use st, nd, rd, or th with dates (unless you are using the date alone) (and yes, even when using British English). Always use Arabic numerals for the day of the month. The gala is on Thursday, October 5, 2020, and will be a wild night of fun. They were founded in December 2008. We are meeting on the 5th to plan the party happening on the 14th.
  
• Compound adjectives are usually hyphenated. Exceptions: Adverbs (-ly) should never be hyphenated to the word that follows. That is a well-lit photo. This is a nicely lit photo.
• Ages: Always use Arabic numerals. If the age is used as an adjective or as a substitute for a noun, then it should be hyphenated (as a compound adjective). A 16-year-old student. The student is 16 years old. The child, 6, has an older brother, 11. The contest is for 16-year-olds. She is in her 20s.
• Commas (,) and periods (.) go inside quotation marks. Colons (:), semicolons (;), and dashes (—) go outside quotes. Question marks (?) and exclamation marks (!) go inside if they are part of the original quote and outside if they are not part of the quote. Use single quotation marks (') for quotes within quotes.
• For words like toward(s), drop the -s in US writings and include the -s in UK writings.
• Currencies: Keep in mind that dollar is a generic term for a unit of currency, and many countries use it. Splash uses the format {symbol, if applicable}{amount} {ISO three-letter currency code} (e.g. £316.73 GBP — no space between the symbol, but use a space between the amount and code). When describing a ballpark amount of currency or using figurative speech, spell amounts out (this will cost millions of dollars). For amounts above one million, use up to two decimal places ($1.2M USD or $1.2 million USD). This is a slight departure from AP style.

- Hyphens -

The shortest of the dashes, hyphens are used to create compound terms (a well-loved toilet). Do not add space around a hyphen.

– En dashes –

In the middle, en dashes are mostly used like the words "through" or "to." They are occasionally used in compound adjectives. Do not use spaces on either side of an en dash.
This meeting will last from 3–5 p.m. The score was 20–4. The north–south rail connects these cities.

— Em dashes —

The longest and most versatile dash, em dashes can serve as commas, parentheses, or colons. Please add a space before and after the em dash.
The em dash is extremely useful — it demands attention.

Do not capitalize common nouns. Proper nouns — people, places, and some things — should be capitalized. Some common nouns and phrases may become proper nouns over time, especially as our programmatic offerings continue to develop. (Some proper nouns also become common enough that they become common nouns.) Check back for updates.

• E. coli (note that E. coli should always be in italics)
• WASH (not WaSH)
  
• WinS

Abbreviations are almost always capitalized (e.g. MH program). Abbreviations should be spelled out in full upon first use.

• Well-being should be hyphenated (not wellbeing).
• In Addis Ababa, we use "sub-city" (hyphenated). "District" is also appropriate if preferred.
• In Addis Ababa, we refer to specific woredas as "Woreda 5" (note that this departs from the convention for other numbers — it is preferred to have woreda numbers as digits instead of written out).