# Writing Style Guide

## Voice
- Active voice by default
- First person plural ("we") only if the brief specifies it
- Second person ("you") only for instructional content
- Third person for reporting and analysis

## Contractions
- Use contractions in informal and semi-formal content
  (blog posts, articles, emails)
- Avoid contractions in formal content (reports, whitepapers, memos)
- Match the brief's tone setting

## Numbers
- Spell out one through nine
- Use numerals for 10 and above
- Always use numerals for: percentages, measurements, ages, dates, times
- Use numerals when comparing in the same sentence:
  "We found 3 bugs in module A and 12 in module B"

## Punctuation
- Oxford comma: YES (always)
- Em dashes: NEVER. Use commas, colons, semicolons, or parentheses.
- Semicolons: Allowed but use sparingly (max 2 per piece)
- Colons: Use to introduce lists or explanations
- Parentheses: Use for asides, not for critical information

## Capitalization
- Sentence case for all headings
- Do not capitalize words for emphasis mid-sentence
- Proper nouns only

## Attribution
- Always attribute quotes: [Name], [title at organization]
- Always cite statistics: [number], according to [source] ([year])
- "Experts say" without naming experts is not acceptable

## Paragraphs
- No paragraph longer than 6 sentences
- Vary paragraph length: mix 1-sentence paragraphs with longer ones
- Each paragraph should have one main idea

## Sentences
- Average sentence length: 15-20 words
- Mix lengths: some at 5-8 words, some at 25-30
- Never three consecutive sentences within 5 words of each other in length
- Avoid beginning three consecutive sentences with the same word

## Formatting
- Use ## for major sections, ### for subsections
- No bold for emphasis in body text (let the words do the work)
- Italics sparingly: for titles, foreign words, or genuine emphasis
- No underline (web convention: underline = link)