Get help with content design
Help with writing and sharing content
The GOV.UK style guide covers the style, spelling and grammar conventions for all content published on GOV.UK.
If you want details about the word count and estimated reading time of published content, you can use Content Data.
Reading time is calculated by dividing the word count for the page by an average reading speed of 200 words per minute. The time it takes to read the page is rounded up to the nearest minute. This calculation does not take into account how complicated the content is or include any of the page’s attachments.
If you want help with avoiding common writing mistakes, you can use Hemingway Editor to identify long sentences, adverbs, passive voice and complicated words.
If you want to spot jargon, you can use the Jargone bookmarklet. This is a browser bookmarklet for highlighting jargon words on any page. Just because Jargone flags something does not necessarily mean it’s banned in that context – check the GOV.UK style guide.
If you want to easily take and share screenshots, Awesome screenshot is a Google Chrome application that can capture, annotate, save and share screenshots.
Help with searching content
Use Govsearch if you want to search GOV.UK content for:
- specific keywords or phrases
- specific links
- relationships to organisations, topic tags, publishing applications and language
Help with finding content on Whitehall Publisher
If you want to go straight from a page on GOV.UK to its corresponding admin page on Whitehall Publisher, you can use the ‘Find in admin’ bookmarklet.
You’ll need a [Signon account with access to Whitehall Publisher](link tbc) to use this bookmarklet.
Get insights into content design approaches
To understand the GOV.UK approach to content design, read the GOV.UK content principles: conventions and research background by the University of Reading.
For wider reading about content strategy, see:
- Letting Go of the Words by Janice Redish
- Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach
- Clout: the Art and Science of Influential Web Content by Coleen Jones
- The Web Content Style Guide by Gerry McGovern, Rob Norton and Catherine O’Dowd
For wider reading about user experience, see:
- Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
- Nielsen Norman Group research by Jakob Nielsen and others