News Article Content Style Guidelines

The Article content type is commonly used by departments to produce and display news content relevant to the department's activities.

What distinguishes an Article from the standard Page content type:

The Article includes a date and time designation at the top of the page
Social media sharing icons are included at the top (users can click on them to share the Article)
Articles contain byline and blurb fields
Articles include syndication options (association by Section and Topic)
Articles can be embedded/displayed as part of an Article/News feed
Articles can have related content links added to them

For Reference

News Style Guide: This document outlines how Articles are produced in Drupal, and includes details on syndication and displaying articles on other pages.

Web Content and Writing Style Guide from Communications.

AP Style Guide. (Bryn Mawr College IP address required.) AP Style is used for many types of official Bryn Mawr communications, including web content. If you have a specific style question not covered by AP Style, reach out using our request form.

Best Practices

Keep headlines short. Tell readers what they need to know, but be aware that longer headlines are difficult to digest and look strange at the top of a page and in news feeds. Also, not all content will lend itself to a news-type headline, but when possible, include verbs in headlines and use active voice.
Remember that while an Article may be included with other similar content in a departmental web section, not everyone who comes to a particular article will be familiar with your department or even with Bryn Mawr College in general. Thus, be sure that you're not using abbreviations or shorthand that will be unfamiliar to an audience member who isn't well acquainted with your department.
Photos should be of good quality and proportional to the rest of your content. Large vertical photos are typically too overwhelming to be useful, so if you use a vertical photo, keep it to a smaller size. If you have questions about photo use, reach out using our request form.
News Articles should be written in complete sentences and a conversational tone.
Remember that web visitors are often quickly scanning a page for important information. If text can be reasonably shortened where appropriate, the most important points will stand out, making your article easier to navigate.
Syndication (associating content using Sections and Topics) should be used consistently and judiciously. If you have questions about using these tools, use our request form to reach out.
The Communications Office will typically produce News Articles on high-profile events and stories that have wide interest. If you're wondering whether Communications is covering a news story related to your department, reach out using our request form.