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Sentence case

Write in sentence case

Sentence case capitalises the first letter of the first word, most other words are lower case as you would write them when writing a sentence. Some exceptions include proper nouns/terms/product names. Title case capitalises the first letter of every word, preposition and conjunction. 

A Heading in Title Case Looks Like This

A heading in sentence case looks like this

When writing for Turas apps or NES websites always use sentence case, even in page titles, headings and buttons.

Why write in sentence case?

Depending on which style you follow there are multiple ways to write in title case. Different writers often capitalise in their own way. This can lead to inconsistency. Title case can make text more difficult to read because it breaks the reading flow, making users stop and process every word.

We recommend using sentence case because:

  • it is easier to define and teach
  • it is easier to apply quality control to our writing
  • the shape of sentence case words are familiar and distinct
  • people with cognitive or visual impairments can rely on the shape of words to help identify them
  • people skim through content online and sentence case makes it easier for them to read
  • there is a wide range of people creating content across NES products, so using sentence case avoids any confusion and supports a consistent writing style

Exceptions

Some exceptions include:

  • Health Board names, including NHS Fife, NHS Western Isles (also capitalise Health Board, Health Boards, Board and Boards when using as a singular or plural collective noun)
  • titles of specific acts or bills: Equality Act 2010
  • product names, such as Vaccination Management, Data Intelligence
  • Titles and honorifics
  • You should also use capitals for titles like Dr, Miss, Mr, Mrs and Ms

Job titles

Specific job titles for named individuals (the post holder) are capitalised. For example, Jeane Freeman, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport. Don’t use capitals when referring to a job role in general terms. Examples include:

  • adviser (not advisor, but advisory is the correct adjective)
  • chair or chairperson
  • dentist
  • doctor
  • employee
  • healthcare professional
  • manager
  • nurse
  • occupational therapist
  • paramedic
  • trade union representative
  • worker

Professions

When writing generally, professions like nursing, midwifery, healthcare science and allied health professions are not capitalised. The acronym AHP is commonly used for allied health professions.

Places

Building names and place names are title case.

Brand names

NHS Scotland is title case (and two words).

Organisations, services and departments

The names of organisations, services and departments, like the Scottish Government, Acas and Occupational Health Service, are title case. All generic names are in lower case. Examples include:

  • human resources (it’s common to use the acronym HR)
  • occupational therapy
  • trade union

File extensions

When referring to a file extension type, use all uppercase without a full stop. There is no need to explain the acronym. Add a lowercase s to make plural:

  • DOC
  • DOCX
  • PDF
  • JPGs

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