Part IV
From Web Management Committee Policies and Procedures
Part IV. Guidelines for Formatting of Web pages
Web pages should not only look correct, but also function correctly. The underlying HTML markup of a web page is important for ensuring that the page can be read by a variety of devices, from screenreaders for the visually impaired to handheld devices. It is important to use formatting tags for the purpose for which they were intended, not to manipulate the appearance of the finished product. For example, blockquote tags make blocks of text appear indented, but a screen reader will tell a user that the blockquoted text is actually a quotation; blockquote should therefore be used only for long quotations, and an indented style should be used for other indented text.
If at any point you are having difficulty formating text on a page, please submit a Web Help Desk ticket with the page attached. The Web Services staff will work with you to get the text both properly formatted and properly tagged in HTML.
A. Cutting and Pasting from Other Documents, Including Word Documents
If you need to cut and paste from Word then you must use the "Paste from Word" button. 
Cutting and pasting from Word without using the Word paste button adds unnecessary HTML and mangles the page formatting. Additionally, cutting and pasting from Word can change the font on the page. Please double-check after cutting and pasting from Word to make sure the font is still Arial and matches the rest of the site. If you want to paste from another kind of document and remove all the existing formatting, use the "Paste as Plain Text "button. 
B. Page Title
Page titles are rendered in the site's normal font-face, are the site's highlight color, and are capitalized (ie. first letter of each word capitalized except for prepositions and articles). All page title changes need to be submitted via the Web Help Desk and approved by the Metadata Coordinator and the Head of the Web Services.
C. Use of Color
Web pages will use a consistent color scheme throughout the site. This means that the main text will be black in color with a white background. The site's highlight color (currently #990000) may be used for section headings (h1, h2, h3, h4). Text within paragraphs should not be in the highlight color unless that text is a hyperlink.
D. Font-face, Size, and Style
The standard font-face for the Libraries website is Arial. The main text on all pages on the Libraries website must be in this font. Do not change the font-face on the web page! Additionally, do not underline text that is not a link; underlining is reserved for hyperlinks.
E. Labels for Hyperlinks
When at all possible, link text should match the title of the page to which it is linking. For example, notice how each of the links on the Research Help page uses the name of the page to which the link points.
The primary exception to this rule is when a link is in a paragraph of text. For example, notice how the section on Workshops on the Instructional Services page links to a schedule from within a paragraph of text. Because of the textual context, the full title of the page is not needed.
F. Proper Use of Formatting Tags
Text in pages should be marked-up based on what the the text is. Paragraphs should be marked as paragraphs and lists as lists. Headers are reserved for section headers. Please do not use headers solely to make text bold or larger. Additionally, tables should only be used for tabular data, not to change the layout of the page.
There are several preset formats which should be used on particular kinds of text. To select a particular format, highlight the text you want to apply that style to, and then choose the appropriate style from the Format dropdown menu. Below are a few less-common formats:
- The citation format should be used to indicate book or journal titles. To do this, highlight the text which is a citation and click on the "Citation" button.
- The emphasis format should be used to indicate the emphasis placed on text. To do this, highlight the text which you want to emphasize and click on the Italics button.
- The quotation format should be used for short quotes that appear within a page. To apply this format, highlight the text which is a quotation and click on the "Quotation" button.
Additionally, you can add a url in the cite field of the quotation popup window that links to the document that is the source of the quotation. - The blockquote format should be used for quotations longer than a single line that need to be offset from the main text. To apply this format, highlight the text which is a blockquote and select "Blockquote" from the Format dropdown.
- The acronym format should be used for acronyms such as NATO. To apply this format, highlight the text which is an acronym and click on the acronym button.
This will bring up a popup window. Type what the acronym stands for in the "title" field and then click on the "Update" button. - The abbreviation format should be used for acronyms such as p., qt., Ms., etc. To apply this format, highlight the text which is an abbreviation and click the abbreviation button.
This will bring up a popup window. Type what the abbreviation stands for in the "title" field and then click on the "Update" button.
- The bibliography style should be used for lines in a bibliography with hanging indentation.
- The hide style should be used for text that you want to show up only when the page prints, not when the page displays to the screen.
G. Indentation and Spacing
Please do not insert additional spacing between lines of text. This inserts unnecessary HTML code. To indent text, highlight the text you want to indent, and choose the appropriate indent level from the Style dropdown.
If you have questions, the sample document uses all of the proper formatting and styling. You may also contact the Web Services staff or members of the WMC.