UNSW Writing Style Guide UNSW Writing Style Guide | Page 13

Fact-checking

All information on University websites , in printed publications or otherwise distributed must be factually correct .

Before publishing any content , ensure that you use reliable sources to rigorously verify your information , and that the content is legally sound .

Exercise extreme caution with social media and do not rely solely on it for fact-checking .

Plain English

Using plain English is essential to good writing because it makes text easy to understand . Writing in plain English means choosing simple , everyday words over jargon , technical language , scientific terms and bureaucratic phrases .

You ’ ll find writing in plain English easier if you use simple sentence structures and phrasing . For example :

These courses represent two exciting firsts that align with our 2025 Strategy .

Aligning with our 2025 Strategy , these courses provide two new exciting firsts .

If you need to explain something complicated , break it down into short , sharp , clear sentences . Try to write sentences of 15 to 20 words and no more than 35 words .

Don ’ t cram too much information into one sentence . If you limit yourself to one idea per sentence , or two related ideas , your message will be clearer and easier to digest . The same goes for paragraphs . Don ’ t overload them . Give your audience some breathing space to absorb your message .

Start off with the most important information for your target audience , and avoid repetition and padding .

Active voice

Writing in the active voice will make your writing far more compelling . Put the subject first , then the action . A good rule of thumb : if you can finish the sentence with ‘… by UNSW ’, it ’ s passive and you need to reword it . For example :

We provide a broad range of high-quality teaching programs .

A broad range of high-quality teaching programs is provided by UNSW .

Be wary of using sentences without a subject , like ‘ UNSW is seen as one of Australia ’ s premier universities ’ and ‘ The campaign led to a surge in enquiries , which is expected to drive up international student numbers ’. Specify who is seeing and who expects growth .

Use short sentences with active verbs . This makes sentences clear , succinct and less ‘ corporate ’. Wherever possible , avoid turning a verb into a noun . For example :

Discover the values that inspired our Open Day campaign .

Discover the values that were the inspiration for our Open Day campaign .

UNSW has launched the initiative in partnership with the Australian government .

UNSW , in partnership with the Australian government , completed the launch of the initiative .

AGSM is launching four new courses today .

Today four new courses are being launched at AGSM .

If you can say it with a verb , do . And look for the simplest verb that suits the context .

Use

Don ’ t use apply lodge your application

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