How to use the style guide
Discover what the style guide is for, and why you should use it when creating documents, blogs and more.
The Sightsavers style guide sets out rules governing the language used by Sightsavers in official documents, printed materials and online.
It explains how we write certain words and phrases to ensure we maintain consistency across the organisation. For anything not covered by this guide, refer to the Guardian online style guide, then the Oxford English Dictionary.
To learn how we write a particular word or phrase, search the A-Z list of terms. You can click the alphabetised headings to jump to the different sections, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/F to search the entire page for the word you’re looking for.
For guidelines on writing about disability, including preferred words/phrases, as well as terms to avoid, see How we write about disability.
For details about our tone of voice and writing style, including how we adjust our tone for different audiences, see How we speak.
Our default language
The default language of sightsavers.org and our publications is British English. All spellings should be British English, unless they are part of an official title or brand/organisation name (for example the World Health Organization or The Carter Center).
In international publications in English-speaking countries outside the UK, content should be written in a recognised variety of Standard English. This usually means the version of English that is accepted by academic and publishing convention in that country, which will be the most familiar to audiences within the country (for example, in the US spellings like ‘color’, ‘favor’ and ‘realize’ are appropriate for the audience).
This also allows for minor style differences where required based on the needs and understanding of the specific audience (for example, in Ireland the titles for the country’s leader and deputy are capped up – Taoiseach and Tánaiste).
Sharing personal information
To comply with Sightsavers’ ethical content and safeguarding policies, when writing about our programme participants, we will never include any more than two of the following pieces of information in the same story:
- A person’s full name (use first name only)
- Their image
- Their precise location (region/district level is fine; village, town or school is not)
This does not apply to staff, partners or health workers, but does apply to teachers who are linked to children in materials.
As standard we avoid using a person’s full name or precise location at all (regardless of whether they are used together) in any external materials, including reports, unless there is a very compelling reason to do so, and it is agreed there is no risk to the person concerned.
General writing tips
- We should always write about blindness in a way that doesn’t patronise blind and visually impaired people, but we don’t ignore the negative impact avoidable blindness can have, especially for people living in developing countries where access to specialist care and support is scarce.
- Don’t describe eye/eyelid surgery as simple or easy (straightforward is fine, if you’re talking about something that is actually straightforward).
- Always keep in mind that our mission is to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality for people with disabilities. All our content should reflect this.
- Keep your writing simple – try to minimise the use of overly formal-sounding words such as therefore, thereby, thus, shall and hence, particularly if a simpler word such as so, will, like, or but will do the job just as well.
- Unclear, flowery or confusing writing is an accessibility barrier to all readers, but can be especially difficult for people with reading or cognitive disabilities (more about this on the WebAIM website).
Need help?
If you have any queries, suggested additions or amendments to the style guide, contact Sarah Bourn, Rebecca Tromans, Rachel Pulham or Cat Ansell-Jones or email editors@sightsavers.org
