Category 2 of 8 · 29 terms
Editorial craft
Writing, editing, accessibility, voice. The making of the thing itself, and the standards that hold it up.
All 29 terms in this category
- AccessibilityMaking content and services usable by as many people as possible, including disabled people.
- Alt textA short description attached to an image so people and systems that cannot see it still get the meaning.
- AudioContent people hear rather than read: podcasts, voice notes, interviews, narration, audio clips and spoken interfaces.
- Call to actionThe specific next step content invites the reader to take.
- Content designDesigning content around user needs, tasks and evidence.
- Conversational designDesigning how an interaction unfolds in language, especially in chat, voice and other back-and-forth interfaces.
- Copy editingEditing a draft for clarity, consistency and correctness within an agreed scope.
- CopywritingWriting persuasive messages that help people understand an offer and decide whether to act.
- EditingImproving a draft or published piece so that it says what it needs to, clearly and correctly, for its intended reader.
- Front-loadingPutting the information readers need most at the start of a sentence, section or page.
- GlossaryA set of definitions for terms used in a particular subject, organisation or body of content.
- GrammarThe patterns and conventions that govern how words form meaningful sentences.
- Inclusive languageLanguage that avoids exclusion, stereotype and unnecessary assumptions about the people being addressed.
- JargonSpecialist language that can make communication efficient for insiders and difficult for other readers.
- LongformContent that takes as long as it needs to – essays, features, reports, deep dives – as opposed to the soundbite and the listicle.
- Lorem ipsumScrambled Latin used as placeholder text, so that a layout can be judged before the real words exist.
- MicrocopyThe short pieces of interface text, such as labels, hints and error messages, that help people complete tasks.
- Pair writingTwo people writing together, usually combining subject knowledge with content craft.
- Plain languageWriting that helps people understand what they need quickly and clearly, the first time they read it.
- ProofreadingThe final check for typos, formatting mistakes and small errors before publication.
- PunctuationMarks that help show sentence structure, relationships and emphasis.
- ReadabilityHow easy content is to read and process for its intended audience.
- Sentence caseCapitalising only the first word and any proper nouns in a heading or label.
- StorytellingConveying ideas or experience through an account of particular people and events unfolding over time, shaped so that an audience can follow, imagine and care about what happens.
- ToneHow an organisation's voice adjusts to suit the audience, context and moment.
- TypographyThe design of text on a page: typeface, size, spacing, hierarchy and the other choices that shape how readable content feels.
- VoiceAn organisation's recognisable personality in words.
- WCAGThe Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: the main international standard for accessible digital content.
- Word listA record of an organisation's decisions on how to spell, capitalise, hyphenate and use particular words and terms.