Headings and Content Formatting

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Overview

Proper formatting ensures your content is clear, consistent, and accessible to all users. Using the editor tools correctly helps maintain a professional appearance across university websites. It is not just visual. It ensures that all users, including those using assistive technology, can navigate and understand your content.

Headings

Headings organize your content and are essential for accessibility. Screen readers use headings to help users navigate a page. Without proper headings, users cannot easily scan content. Headings are also used by Google and other search engines to rank the content of your pages in search results.

Heading Structure

Always use headings in order.

  • Heading 2 for main sections
  • Heading 3 for subsections
  • Heading 4 for supporting details

Do:

  • Break content into clear sections
  • Use headings to organize information

Do Not:

  • Bold headings
  • Skip heading levels (for example, H2 directly to H4)
  • Use headings just to make text larger
  • Replace headings with bold text

Content Formatting

Paragraphs

  • Keep paragraphs short if possible (2–4 sentences)
  • Avoid large blocks of text
  • Use one line break between paragraphs

Do not press Enter multiple times to create space. This creates inconsistent layout and accessibility issues.

Bold

Use bold to emphasize key words or short phrases.

Do:

  • Highlight important terms
  • Emphasize deadlines or key actions

Do Not:

  • Bold entire paragraphs
  • Use bold for large sections of content

Too much bold text reduces readability.

Italics

Use italics sparingly for:

  • Titles of publications
  • Subtle emphasis

Avoid overusing italics, as it can reduce readability.

Strikethrough

Strikethrough should rarely be used. It may be appropriate when showing a correction, such as a date change if a specific date was already known to the reader. Avoid using strikethrough on content that should be removed. It is better to delete outdated information.

Lists

Lists improve readability and accessibility.

  • Use bulleted lists for general information.
  • Use numbered lists for steps or processes.

Example of a bulleted list:

  • This is a bulleted list.
  • It has no particular order.
  • Use this to share general information.

Example of a numbered list:

  1. Log in.
  2. Navigate to your page.
  3. Click Edit.
  4. Save changes.

Do Not:

  • Manually type dashes instead of using the list tool
  • Create lists using repeated spaces