Style Guide for Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications

Authored by John Smith, Assistant Professor and Extension Weed Science Specialist, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech; and Mary Davis, Associate Professor and Extension Food Safety Specialist, Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech

Introduction

It is recommended that you print these instructions to use as a reference. Then paste your copy into this template.

Virginia Cooperative Extension is required to ensure that its digital content is accessible by everyone regardless of physical or technological readiness.

This includes all content that is posted online —websites, publications, social media, email, presentations, etc. This template has been designed to help you create a publication that meets this requirement. Please use this template and follow the guidelines below to create your publication. If your publication does not meet accessibility guidelines, it will not be published.

Formatting Your Publication

You should use the set styles that are found in this Word template when you create your publication. You should cut and paste your content into this template and then apply the appropriate style from the style list. Use only the styles that contain VCE (or one of the established Word styles). Styles can be found in the Word home tab on the main toolbar, by clicking the flyout icon in the lower right corner of the Styles pane (PC, figure 1), or by clicking on Styles Pane button (MAC). Highlight the text that you want to be a certain style then select the style to apply.

IMPORTANT: You must apply the style (see above). Do not simply change the copy style to match what is described. If you don’t apply the styles, the document will not be accessible.

Figure 1. Style Pane (PC).

Make sure you carefully review your copy after applying the style as special formatting that was in your original text will have to be applied, such as bold, italics, and subscript.

Title

Use title case format for you title (start each principal word with a capital letter). The title should be Arial bold, 24 point. This style is called VCE Heading 1 (title). Center the title at the top under the header (see example above). VCE Heading 1 (title) should only be used for the title.

Authors

The list of authors should be Times News Roman italic, 11 point. This style is called VCE Author List. Start the author list with Authored by. Center the text and use full titles. Separate authors with a semi-colon (see example above).

Columns

A two-column layout for a publication is recommended. Keep a consistent format. Do not switch between one and two-column formats.

Some content may work better in a one-column design. This is ok as long as your design is accessible. The content must be able to be read by a screen reader in the correct order and all the images and figures must have alt text.

Headings

Headings should be used to organize your content. It is important to use an outline structure so that a screen reader will know in what order to read your content. Headings should follow a logical order. VCE Heading 1 (title) should only be used for the title. Heading 2 through 4 should be aligned left.

VCE Heading 1 should be Arial bold, 24 point.

VCE Heading 2 should be Arial bold, 18 point

VCE Heading 3 should be Arial bold, 14 point.

VCE Heading 4 should be Arial bold, 12 point.

Body Copy

Body copy should be Times New Roman Regular, 11 point, aligned left. This is called VCE Body Copy. Do not justify your paragraphs. Make sure that you have taken into consideration color blindness when you are using color to convey meaning within your document. Make sure there is plenty of color contrast. Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning.

Lists

Use the style called VCE Bullet List for bulleted lists. Use the style called VCE Numbered List for numbered lists.

Links

Use concise and meaningful text for links. The text for links should be descriptive for where the link will go, and it should make sense if read out of context from the rest of the text on the page.

Hyperlink the words not the URL. A URL should be included in parentheses following the hyperlinked text, so that print readers will know how to visit the website. Make sure the link is underlined. Insert Screen Tip text that will show when you hover over the text.

Example: Visit the Virginia Cooperative Extension website (ext.vt.edu) for more information.

Font Treatments

Italics

Use italics for the list of authors at the beginning, the scientific (Latin) names of species, and the titles of books and the names of journals in reference lists only. Do not use italics for a heading style or to emphasize text.

Example: Multiple etiologic agents were confirmed, including Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli bacteria.

Boldface

Limit the use of boldface and do not add it to table numbers, captions, etc.

Miscellaneous

Hyphen

Hyphens are used between compound words and to indicate numerical changes. Hyphens should be “closed,” which means there is not a blank space on either side.

Example: full-time job, long-time friend, pages 10-12, 2-3 acres

En Dash

En dashes are equivalent to the width of the letter “n,” or two hyphens. Use spaced en dashes (with one blank space on either side) to separate a term from its definition in a glossary or used to separate an organization’s name from its URL in a list. Do not use the en dash to designate a range; use a hyphen for that.

Example: National Science Foundation – http://www.nsf.gov/

Em Dash

Em dashes are equivalent to the width of the letter “m,” or three hyphens. Use a spaced em dash (with one blank space on either side) to separate independent clauses within sentences or to set off a list or explanation at the end of a sentence.

Example: By far the most effort is spent detailing fertility programs for all the macronutrients — nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.

Components of Publications

Figures

Graphs, charts, photos, diagrams, drawings, and copies of documents (such as labels or instructions) are all considered figures. They are numbered consecutively in the order they are mentioned in the text. Every figure must be cited in the text.

If possible, place figures immediately following the paragraph where they are first cited. If this is not an option, place the figure as close to the citation as possible, but not before the figure is mentioned.

Formatting Figures

Please make figures either one or two columns wide. In the text wrap tool, click the “In Line with Text” option. Do not wrap text around the figure. When reproducing graphics such as pie charts and bar graphs, keep in mind that the publications will usually be printed in black and white. Make sure the colors chosen can be distinguishable in grayscale. Also spell out any special symbols or math operations.

Alt Text

Alt text must be added to each figure (graph, photo, pie chart, etc.). Alt text is a short description (<120 characters) used to explain what the figure shows to someone who cannot see the figure. For screen reader optimized readability, use correct punctuation. The alt text should be different than the caption. The alt text only shows if images are turned off, do not load properly online, or if the reader is using a screen reader.

Alt text can be added by clicking on the Alt Text button in the navigation panel (PC) or control clicking (Apple) on the image (make sure just the main image is selected). Select Edit Alt Text from the menu. A window will open with a text box where you can enter the alt text (figure 2). A figure can be marked as decorative only, if it is purely decorative and contains no contributing information. The alt text will not show up in the printed publication.

Color Contrast

Make sure that all figures, images, artwork, and text have adequate contrast between the background color and the foreground color.

WCAG 2.0 level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Large text is defined as 14 point (typically 18.66px) and bold or larger, or 18 point (typically 24px) or larger.

You are encouraged to check your color contrast using a color contrast checker such as Web Aim’s Color Contrast Checker (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/

Figure 2. The window that opens when Edit Alt Text is selected. (Apple version)

The alt text for Figure 3 reads, “Several hair sheep in a pasture grazing with a wire fence in the background,” and the caption for the example reads, “Figure 3. Katahdin sheep. (Lori Greiner, Virginia Cooperative Extension)”

Figure 3. Katahdin sheep. (Lori Greiner, Virginia Cooperative Extension)

Figure Captions

Each figure should have a caption. Figure captions go below figures and start with the figure number, followed by a period. Captions should be Arial, 10 point. Do not use boldface type. This style is VCE Figure Captions.

If the figure was originally produced by a source other than the publication’s author(s), permission must be granted by the original owner and credit must be given. This information is enclosed in parentheses and follows the caption in the same font/point size. The figure caption should not extend beyond the figure itself (figure 4).

Figure 4. Numbers of larval thrips in conventionally, reduced, or strip-tilled cotton in North Carolina, 2014. (Graph used with permission from John Smith.)

Photographs

Ensure proper use permissions have been granted for each photograph, figure, or artwork used in your publications. Horizontal/landscape orientation is preferred over vertical/portrait. Use photos that are at least 300 dpi or greater (ideally at least 1Mb in size). Images may be cropped, if necessary, to fit the design layout. However, be sure to maintain the main subject matter. JPG or TIF files work the best. PNG and GIF files should be avoided. Photographs, figures, and other artwork must be in line with the text. Avoid using text wrapping.

Illustrations

Do not include illustrations if they are not legible or helpful. If an illustration or diagram is provided as a jpg file, please refer to the guidelines above for photographs. Alt text must be added to all files that are added to the publication.

Tables

All tables should be mentioned (cited) in the text.

Tables should be created using the table tool in Word. Do not create a table freehand. Make tables as simple as possible to make them easy to read. Do not merge or split cells and columns. There should be no blank rows, columns, or cells. There should be only one header row, and one header column. Avoid putting what might be several tables in one. Just like the figures, tables should be numbered consecutively in the order that they are mentioned in the text.

If a table is provided as a jpg file, please refer to the guidelines above for photographs and provide alt text. Just like figures, tables should be placed on the page following the paragraph where they are first cited.

Rows and columns can be divided using bands of color, but keep in mind that most publications will be printed in black and white.

Do not use a table to format text.

Table Titles

Table titles go above the table and start with the table number, are in sentence-style caps, followed by a period. Table titles should be Arial, 10 point, aligned left. This style is VCE Table Title.

Table Headers

Table column and row headers should be Arial bold, 10 point. This style is VCE Table Header. Table content should be Arial, 10 point. This style is VCE Table Content (table 1).

Make sure Header Row and First Column are checked in the table design, when appropriate.

Table Notes

Table notes should be placed below a table and include information that will add clarity for the reader. There are of three types: (1) source information (where the data came from an outside source rather than from the authors(s), (2) notes that apply to the entire table, and (3) footnote-style notes, or table notes that apply to a particular cell or part of the table. Table notes are superscript and may use numbers (when the data is made up of words or letters), letters (when the data is numerical), or symbols such as an asterisk (when the table includes only a handful of notes). Table notes should be Arial, 8 point, aligned left. This style is VCE Table Notes. See table 1.

Table 1. Space requirement and life expectancy of small-fruit plants.

Fruit Expectancy	Min. distance between rows (feet)	Min. distance between plants (feet)	Life Expectancy (years)
Blackberry (trailing)	8a	6	5-12
Blueberry	6	5	20-30b
Grape (American)	8	6	20-30
Strawberry	3	1	1-2

Source: Information about the source of the table or the data in the table if it does not originally come from the author(s).

Note: Additional information that applies to the entire table (e.g., a definition of small-fruit plants in this table).

aTable note that applies only to cells with the superscript “a”.

bTable note that applies only to cells with the superscript “b”.

References

The References section is a list of all the sources that are cited in the publication. The list is alphabetized by the author’s last name. Most references include some italicized text (journal and book titles). References are formatted with a hanging indent. Use the VCE Hanging Indent style. VCE uses the Chicago Manual of Style’s author-date style for reference lists and text citations. For more information, see the Virginia Cooperative Extension Style Guide.

Example:

Aljoudi, A.S., A. Al-Mazam, and A.J. Choudhry. 2010. “Outbreak of Food Borne Salmonella Among Guests of a Wedding Ceremony: The Role of Cultural Factors.” Journal of Family & Community Medicine 17: 29-34

Additional Resources

If there is an Additional Resources section, the items are similar to references, but they should be formatted flush left, without the hanging indent. Use the VCE Body Copy style.

Nondiscrimination Statement and Publication Number

Every Extension publication must include the nondiscrimination statement specific to VCE. The statement should be included at the very end of the publication. Use the VCE Nondiscrimination Statement style. It was previously placed at the bottom of the first page but has been moved so that it is not read by screen readers in the middle of the publication. The VCE nondiscrimination statement is routinely updated, so make sure you are using the most recent template. Use the statement at the end of this template. Do not retype.

The year and publication number will be added to the bottom of the publication before it is published. See example at the end of this document.

Meta Data/Properties

Meta data makes a file easier to find. To add meta data, click on File and Properties in the main navigation. Add any data to the fields that you think would help your file be found easier online. Most importantly add the title and tags (keywords). Please enter Virginia Cooperative Extension as the author.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will be optimized with targeted keywords. Include keywords from your publication (don't forget acronyms and institutions mentioned such as USDA), but also include words that readers would use to search for your publication. Also don't forget about related terms/synonyms.

Check Accessibility

Before you finalize your publication, make sure that you run the Word Accessibility Checker. You can find the checker under Review in the main navigation. Please remediate any warnings before submitting your publication.

Saving your Publication

After you have finalized your publication, you will need to save it as a .docx file. Click Save As in the File menu. Change the file name to the title of your publication and then click save. Make sure that Word Document (.docx) is selected.

Visit Virginia Cooperative Extension: ext.vt.edu

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or any other basis protected by law.

2025	VCE-946NP (VCE-1214NP)