Pediatrics

PEDS WEB STYLE GUIDE

Publishing Standards for Department of PEDIATRICS Web Sites

Include the official UF&SHANDS logos on every department’s home/hub page, whether as part of the header or footer. The logo must be in accordance with the colors and design appropriate to either a public or a private enterprise web site.

Official department name must also appear on the home/hub page.

Subsequent pages within the site must display both the UF & SHANDS logos and the department name.

Each site should include links to the main PEDS Internet home page (http://www.peds.ufl.edu), or to other sites of particular need for readers such as the UF Health Science Center or other department sites.

Where appropriate, each site should provide the most recent content revision date, whether on the department home page or on any subsequent page(s) where information accuracy is important to readers of that information.

Check your site regularly for broken or non-operational links.

Footer information at the bottom of the site's home page should include a link to the department web manager.

Recognize some users' special needs, acknowledge varying levels of technical knowledge and accommodate different hardware capability.

Provide tags for graphics so special users can receive a complete description and a navigation alternative.

Personal information (home address and phone number, hobbies, etc.) regarding employees, medical staff and volunteers of UF & SHANDS, University of Florida, or Shands approved affiliates is confidential. Published disclosure is strictly prohibited.

Professional information regarding a specific individual (position, credentials, specialty, residency, salary info, etc.) is permitted when appropriate. Individuals are rarely identified by name.

As a general rule, public Internet pages should not provide links to secure data because external users cannot access internal, secure UF & SHANDS sites without appropriate security and authorization. However, when patients/referring physicians/business partners need access to secure data, they can be provided authorized access to a secure server.

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Types of Pages - Hub Pages and Branch Pages

Hub pages are generally a department’s home page.

Hub pages point to other pages and generally contain links to all main pages or topics within the site.

These pages serve as a table of contents or index of links that identify all topics on the site.

These pages contain little narrative information.

Hub pages should provide a link to the site-wide search engine so that users can go directly to other pages/sites.

Branch pages contain information and function as the secondary pages within a web site.

These pages do not function as pointers to other pages, but they can include links to other pages and sites.

Branch pages should include links to higher level hub pages so that users who go directly to select branch pages can return easily to the department’s home page.

Page Size and Layout

To facilitate reasonable load time, the file size of the home page should not exceed 60KB; other pages generally should not exceed 30KB, including inline graphics.

To ensure full page display on the most common 14-inch VGA monitor, fixed-width pages should not exceed 600 pixels.

Frames, complicated scripts and other advanced formats or browser-specific capabilities should be avoided until these capabilities are widely accepted by typical home-based installations.

Links to Other Web Sites

Any link to an external site must open a new browser, so that visitors can return easily to your site.

When providing a link to another server, such as a UF Health Science Center site, the information on your site should not duplicate or repeat information on the external site. Links to UF, HSC and other external sites are encouraged, but make sure the link opens a new browser.

Including links to other Internet sites is appropriate as long as these sites are not competing, commercial organizations. These links do not endorse any official association with UF & SHANDS.

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General Guidelines for Writing for the Web

Refer to the AP Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, 2000 (with Internet guide and glossary), for questions of grammar and usage. Consider these helpful guidelines:

The web is more informal and conversational than print. Present info in a simple, direct and brief style.

Each page must stand alone. Do not presume that your readers have seen the previous page.

Present information in easily recognized "chunks."

Start with your conclusion - most important info first; the farther down a page or a site, the less important the information.

Highlight key words, phrases, heads and subheads; consider making them bold.

Phrases and lists work better than sentences and paragraphs.

Avoid long paragraphs - readers scan text for what they want.

Avoid long pages of text on hub/home pages. Provide links that index all the topics on the site.

Use sub-heads and bullets to separate text on a content-heavy page.

Avoid description and detail; provide links to background, explanatory information.

Links to other relevant information/sites add credibility to your site.

Don't make your readers scroll; web readers are impatient and want info quickly.

Avoid ALL CAPS, combining CAPS and underline, and too many italics; they are difficult to read. Especially avoid underlining, ALL CAPS and italics at the same time!

Avoid underlining in general; in the web environment, readers will associate an underlined word or phrase with a hyperlink.

Word counts on web pages should be half the words on a printed page.

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