Writing

Most importantly, keep it simple. Avoid unnecessarily long words; use the shorter equivalents, where possible.

Write in complete sentences that are correctly punctuated. Sentences begin with a capital letter and end in a full stop, exclamation mark or question mark. A complete sentence always contains a verb – an action word – and makes sense on its own.

Avoid jargon, buzz words, unnecessary abbreviations and unexplained acronyms.

Avoid long paragraphs. As a rule, each paragraph should contain only one piece of pertinent information.

Avoid duplicating material from other CIBSE publications, or from other sections of your publication; reference or cross-reference instead.

Strength of instruction

CIBSE publications are NOT regulations. While a few of our publications – notably, our Codes of Practice – use the word ‘shall’, most do not (unless quoting regulations). In most types of CIBSE Guidance, ‘should’ is more appropriate.

Voice

Use the third-person point of view, rather than the first- or second-person:

‘The designer should consult local illuminance data’

(NOT ‘I would consult local illuminance data’, and NOT ‘You should consult local illuminance data’).

Use the informal third person, rather than the formal:

‘The designer should consult local illuminance data’

(NOT ‘One should consult local illuminance data’).

Where responsibility for a task is clear, use the active voice rather than the passive:

'The designer should consult local illuminance data’

(NOT ‘Local illuminance data should be consulted’).

Note: Use of the active voice is usually preferable in this type of writing; however in CIBSE guidance, we must not imply that a particular person or position is liable when they may not be, which is why the above recommendation is in the passive voice.

Capital letters

Capital letters may be the single most time-consuming issue for any editor; when in doubt, do not use them. Please! Your editor will thank you.

The first letter of a word should capitalised when (and only when) it is:

1. The first word of a sentence, heading, or caption

2. A proper noun (name of a person, city, region or country)

3. Referring to the title of a particular figure, table, or appendix; however, not to a section or chapter. So, for example:

'See Figure 7.14 and Table 7.2, which can be found in section 7.4 of chapter 7. Further information is also available in Appendix B.’

4. The name of a government department – but only when the name is used in full, and not when the department is simply referred to. So:

‘A new plan was proposed by the Department for Education’

but:

‘A new plan was proposed by the department responsible for education’.

Here are some examples of capital letters being used when they should not be:

1. Every word of a heading:

This is a heading

(NOT 'This Is A Heading')

2. Every word of a book or article title:

Health and wellbeing in building services

(NOT 'Health and Wellbeing in Building Services')

3. Most job titles:

‘the designer’

(NOT ‘the Designer’)

‘the engineer’

(NOT ‘the Engineer’)

Note that some job titles are capitalised, but only when used in full as a title. So:

‘Prime Minister Clement Attlee was in Parliament today.’

but:

‘The prime minister, Mr Clement Attlee, was in Parliament today.’

4. Things which, when abbreviated, have capital letters:

uninterruptable power supplies (UPS)

(NOT Uninterruptable Power Supplies (UPS))

Abbreviations

Full stops are used in Latin abbreviations:

• et al. (and others)
• e.g. (for instance)
• i.e. (that is)
• etc. (and other things)

However as Latin abbreviations often have such clear and easy translations into English, are they really required? Please use only if necessary.

Full stops are not used in titles, academic degrees, post-nominals or acronyms:

• Ms Jane Smith BSc CEng FCIBSE
• BSI
• HVAC

Acronyms

Acronyms may only be used from the second instance onwards; the first time something is mentioned, it must be written out in full, followed by the acronym in brackets. This paragraph from CIBSE’s TM40 provides a good example:

‘Guidance on best practice on construction sites is available from the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). In the UK, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is the primary reference for training and skills in the construction industry. Opportunities should be identified where possible on projects in order to foster good relationships with the local community and encourage long-term interest and skills in the built environment. The CCS and CITB provide examples and guidance.’

Bulleted lists

Please use your word processing program’s standard format for bulleted lists, as all formatting will be stripped out when the text is transferred to our publishing program.

Where individual items in a list form complete sentences, they should be punctuated as normal, beginning with a capital letter and finishing with a full stop. Where they do not form complete sentences, no initial capital letter is required, and only the final point should be closed with a full stop.

For example, these points form complete sentences:

The following points should be noted in relation to energy invoices:

• Collect copies of all monthly and quarterly invoices for energy used during the full audit year.

• Check that all metering or supply points can be identified.

• Ensure that the data for each type of energy refer, as closely as possible, to the same period.

Whereas these points do not form complete sentences, so are not closed with full stops:

The main steps can be summarised as:

• collection of data

• analysis of data

• establishing priorities.

Language and inclusivity

All language should be gender-neutral: for example, use ‘chair’, not ‘chairman’.

When using pronouns, use ‘they’, not ‘he or she’. Use ‘theirs’, not ‘his or hers’.

Avoid labels; where possible, put the person first. For example, ‘people with disabilities’; ‘people who are deaf’; ‘people with dementia’.

For further information on incorporating inclusive language and images into your work, see CIBSE’s Inclusivity Guidelines.