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If you're having trouble getting rid of a previous style, highlight the affected text and select Clear All at the top of the list, which should remove all formatting.
Front page main title
The front page should have a clear title titled as Front page main title.
Underneath goes Front page title second level (if required – if not, delete the guide text).
There is also a Front page sub-title style, if a sub-title is required.
Front cover image panel
The shaded area on the cover can be used for an image providing:
- it is relevant to the subject matter or content
- you have copyright permissions to use the image
- it is a professional image of sufficient resolution
- it does not display information (such as a graph or chart)
- you do not change the dimensions or location of the image panel
- your title is not more than 3 lines long (including subtitle)
If no image is available or a cover image is not required, delete the image box by highlighting it and clicking Delete.
Table of contents
The table of contents should be the last thing you finalise in a document.
Do not manually create a table of contents. The template automatically generates a table of contents as you work through the document.
The table of contents has been set up so that any text with the style Heading 1 and Heading 2 will be automatically included in the table of contents when it is updated.
To update the table of content right-click anywhere on it to open a dialogue box and select Update field.
This opens a further dialogue box with two options:
- if your table of contents is mostly finished and you just want to alter a few page numbers, select Update page numbers only
- if you have made major changes to the document and, therefore, to the contents, select Update entire table
Header text
Header text must be added to the document. Usually this is the title of the document or an abbreviated version of it, since best practice is to keep the header text on one line.
To add header text:
- double click on the template text at the top of any page, 'Main title goes here as running header' to make the header section editable
- write the desired header text
- double-click anywhere on the main part of the page and the header section closes, now displaying your title
Portrait and landscape orientation of pages
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- when you want to revert to Portrait layout, repeat the process and select the 'Portrait' option
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- use the headings in sequence – a Heading 3 needs to be preceded by a Heading 2
- headings should be clear and concise and fit into a single line in the table of contents
- a page break will automatically be added before each new Chapter header
- the styles are set up to create a space before and after headings or paragraphs – do not add extra paragraph returns to increase the space between headings or paragraphs
Table of contents
The table of contents should be the last thing you finalise in a document.
Do not manually create a table of contents. The template automatically generates a table of contents as you work through the document.
The table of contents has been set up so that any text with the style Heading 1 and Heading 2 will be automatically included in the table of contents when it is updated.
To update the table of content right-click anywhere on it to open a dialogue box and select Update field.
This opens a further dialogue box with two options:
- if your table of contents is mostly finished and you just want to alter a few page numbers, select Update page numbers only
- if you have made major changes to the document and, therefore, to the contents, select Update entire table
PHE style dos and don’ts
- use sentence case
- don’t manually create headers (use the preset styles)
- avoid using italics for emphasis (and only use for valid scientific terms such as scientific binomials, such as Escherichia coli)
- use single quotation marks for publication titles or hyperlinks for online publications
- do not italicise quotes – use the blockquote style for quotes longer than a few sentences
- do not use footnotes at the foot of page – incorporate footnote text into the main body of the document
PHE uses the GDS style guide with certain exemptions, for example third party content, non-branded publications and some Easy Read and translated materials.
Text boxes
Don't use manually generated text boxes. Use the style panel options:
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Alternatively, paste the destination URL into the document and click a space and the link should automatically become live.
Email addresses
To add a live email address, cut and paste it the address into the template, then click the space bar. The link should automatically become live but if it doesn't, highlight the text and select Hyperlink from the Style menu.
Front cover image panel
The shaded area on the cover can be used for an image providing:
- it is relevant to the subject matter or content
- you have copyright permissions to use the image
- it is a professional image of sufficient resolution
- it does not display information (such as a graph or chart)
- you do not change the dimensions or location of the image panel
- your title is not more than 3 lines long (including subtitle)
If no image is available or a cover image is not required, delete the image box by highlighting it and clicking Delete.
Images, charts and other visual content
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Do not use colour as the only means of conveying information.
Read our guide to making charts and tables accessible.
Images
Images should only be used if they help to demonstrate the meaning of your content. They shouldn’t be used just for decoration.
If an image is purely decorative, it doesn't need alt text.
If an image is relevant to the text, use alt text.
Alt text
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Alternative text – ‘alt text’ – must be applied to any charts, figures or images. Alt text provides a description for people who can’t see the screen and use assistive software to listen to pdfs.
Alt text should describe what graphs or charts show. It is not a replacement for a caption. Charts and tables still require a caption or title.
Alt text for charts:
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- right-click on the chart
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- making sure you do so inside the frame that surrounds the entire chart, not inside one of its parts
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- select Edit alt text...
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- this opens the
- Alt Text pane
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- on the right side of the document
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- type your alt text
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Alt text for images:
- Rightright-click on the image.
- Select ‘Edit alt text’. The select Edit alt text... to open the Alt Text pane opens on the right side of the document body.
- Type type 1 to 2 sentences to describe the image and its context to someone who cannot see it.
Colour contrast
All text in the template, including that in charts and tables, should strive for the maximum contrast between the text and the background.
WCAG 2.0 level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between text colour and background colour for normal text and 3:1 for large text (large text is defined as 14 point and larger).
The highest contrast i.e. the most readable format, is black text on a white backgroundCharts should use the maximum possible contrast between text and background and adhere where possible to the PHE colour palette (see brand guidelines). The highest contrast is black on white.
Check your report for Accessibility
Ensure your report meets accessibility requirements.
To check your MS Word content completed PHE template document for accessibility:
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- go to the Review tab
- select Check Accessibility
- results will appear in an Accessibility Checker panel to the right, displaying a list of errors, warnings and tips
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- note the 'Read more about making documents accessible' link which opens Microsoft's guidance about accessible Word documents
TIPTip: Do a quick ‘save as PDF’ test to view whether any of the content is disrupted by the conversion to PDF.
Read our guide to making your charts and tables more accessible.
Using citation software
If you have a citation tool such as EndNote or Mendeley, the template may not accommodate the citation assembly within the doc.
If so, assemble the bibliography or references ‘offline’ and then import into the template and format appropriately.
PHE style: dos and don’ts
- use sentence case
- don’t manually create headers (use the preset styles)
- avoid using italics for emphasis (and only use for valid scientific terms such as scientific binomials, such as Escherichia coli)
- use single quotation marks for publication titles or hyperlinks for online publications
- don’t italicise quotes: use the blockquote style for quotes longer than a few sentences
- don’t use footnotes at foot of page, incorporate footnote text into the main body of the document
PHE uses the GDS style guide with certain exemptions (in PDFs), such as third party content, non-branded publications and some Easy Read and translated materials.
Contact the Publications team
For all queries, contact Contact Publications@PHE.gov.uk if you have any specific exemption query.