A style guide should be an essential part of your writing toolkit. If your group doesn’t have one, make a plan to create one. Some companies have a marketing style guide and a brand guide. Those are good resources, but you need a separate guide for technical publications. How do you answer questions about language and usage? Is it “click,” “tap,” “hit,” or “press” the button? Which tense is best? Can I address the reader?
If you don’t already have a style guide, get one. An easy way to start is to use an existing guide and build from it. Here are some industry standards to help you get started:
Each guide provides general and specific style and usage information for writing about technical issues; any of these is a good place to start.
For more questions, the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition edition , is available in print or online. It is a comprehensive reference on writing, including grammar, punctuation, and style. For example, if you’re looking for the order of footnote marks, you’ll find it here.
You may have a standard usage guide or word list in a regulated industry focusing on specific terms and terminology. A style guide, however, provides guidelines for your documentation’s overall style, tone, and structure, and you should start there.
What Should the Style Guide Include?
Voice and Tone Guidelines
Establishing a consistent voice and tone begins with defining the appropriate level of formality for your documentation. This foundation shapes how writers address their readers through direct statements. A rule of thumb for most user documentation is to use the second person, present tense, and active voice. Technical terminology requires particular attention. Set clear standards for when and how to introduce complex concepts to readers of varying expertise levels. Additionally, documentation must handle potentially biased language, establishing guidelines that promote inclusive and respectful communication while maintaining technical accuracy.
Content Structure
Document design and template information should be part of the style guide. A well-organized documentation system relies on carefully designed document templates — the backbone for all content creation. These templates support a clear section hierarchy that helps readers navigate from broad concepts to specific details. Page layout and formatting rules ensure visual consistency across all documents. At the same time, navigation and cross-referencing standards help readers move efficiently between related topics, creating an interconnected web of information that enhances understanding.
Language and Grammar
Language standardization begins with maintaining a list of preferred spellings and word choices, ensuring consistency, especially in technical fields where terminology variations can create confusion. Grammar and punctuation rules must be clearly defined, considering regional language preferences that might affect your global audience. The proper use of abbreviations and acronyms requires special attention, with guidelines for first-use definitions and subsequent references to maintain clarity throughout the documentation.
Technical Elements
Technical documentation demands precise standards for code presentation, including consistent formatting and syntax highlighting that makes code examples both readable and instructive. API documentation follows specific conventions that help developers quickly understand endpoints, parameters, and responses. Visual elements like screenshots and images require careful capture, annotation, and presentation guidelines. Similarly, diagrams and flowcharts follow established symbols, layouts, and labeling conventions to ensure clarity and professional appearance.
Accessibility Standards
Creating truly accessible documentation requires comprehensive standards that ensure content is available to all users. Alternative text requirements must be clearly defined for all non-text content, providing equivalent information for screen reader users. Color contrast guidelines ensure readability for users with various visual abilities. At the same time, strict heading hierarchy rules create logical document structures for visual and non-visual navigation. Link text requirements complete the accessibility framework by ensuring descriptive, meaningful navigation that makes sense even out of context.
Best Practices
Stakeholder Engagement
The success of your style guide depends on early and sustained collaboration across your organization. While technical writers often lead documentation efforts, product managers, marketing teams, developers, and support staff all contribute to or use documentation regularly. Each group brings unique insights about their audience’s needs and documentation challenges.
Start by meeting with representatives from each department to understand their specific requirements. Marketing teams can help align technical content with a brand voice where appropriate. Product teams provide insights into upcoming features that might affect documentation standards. Support teams understand common points of confusion in existing documentation that the style guide should address.
Form a cross-functional style committee with representatives from each stakeholder group to meet regularly, discuss changes, and review feedback. This ongoing dialogue ensures the guide evolves alongside your organization’s needs. Before finalizing major decisions, circulate drafts to all stakeholders for review, documenting the reasoning behind key decisions to maintain consistency in future updates.
Document Management
Effective management of your style guide begins with storing it in an easily accessible location where all team members can quickly find and reference it. I recommend an online version that all users can access. Confluence and SharePoint are two systems that are good for this.
Version control is crucial in tracking changes and maintaining a clear history of style decisions. Establish regular review and update cycles that align with documentation needs and industry changes to keep the guide relevant and valuable. These reviews feed into a structured change management process that ensures updates are thoughtfully considered, clearly communicated, and smoothly implemented across the organization. Any changes shouldn’t be a surprise. Include all team members in the discussions.
Team Training
Successful style guide adoption depends heavily on comprehensive training initiatives introducing team members to the guide’s principles and practical application. Beyond initial training, provide ongoing support and resources that help writers apply the guidelines effectively in their daily work. Quick reference guides are invaluable for common questions and scenarios. To maintain consistent quality, establish dedicated points of contact who can authoritatively answer questions and provide guidance on complex style decisions.
Quality Assurance
Implement systematic review processes that verify adherence to guidelines before content reaches its audience. Automated style-checking tools like Vale can streamline this process by identifying common issues early in the content development cycle. Regular audits of published documentation help identify areas needing additional training or guideline clarification. Establish clear review criteria to ensure consistent evaluation across all documentation.
Making Your Style Guide Successful
A successful style guide requires careful attention to several key factors. Focus initially on addressing the most common scenarios your team encounters rather than trying to cover every possible case. This targeted approach allows you to establish strong foundational guidelines before expanding to more specialized situations.
Provide abundant examples demonstrating both correct usage and common pitfalls. These real-world demonstrations help writers understand what to do and why certain approaches are preferred. Make the guide easily searchable so team members can quickly find relevant guidelines when needed.
Consistently enforce guidelines across all teams and projects to prevent confusion and maintain the guide’s authority. Regular updates ensure the guide remains current with evolving organizational needs and industry standards. Collect and incorporate feedback from the team to keep the guide practical and relevant—writers who feel their input is valued are more likely to follow the guidelines consistently.
Monitor the guide’s effectiveness through regular content audits and team feedback. This ongoing cycle of review and improvement helps maintain the style guide as a living document that truly serves.