Language and Spelling

Readable Font: Calibri

Advice:
  • Use a readable font for your written study materials. At Artevelde University College Ghent, there is an agreement to use Calibri for all publications, in accordance with the corporate identity guide. This sans-serif font is also recommended for students with reading difficulties.
  • The font size is at least 10 point and at most 14 point. When the study materials are provided digitally, students can adjust the font and font size to their needs.
  • It is best to use the same font (Calibri) for headers and footers, but with a point size of 8.
  • Black on white is much more readable than coloured text.

Spelling and Language

  • Avoid hyphenation or word breaks at the end of a line. If you do want to hyphenate, do so correctly and never at the end of a page.
  • Try to have an eye for the ideal line length. Experienced readers read about 65 characters in one eye movement. Therefore, shorter lines are read less fluently because you read less text per eye movement.
  • Follow the official spelling rules.
  • Use a consistent spelling if different spelling options exist for the same word.
  • Indicate the spelling of common technical terms in your syllabus to the students.
  • Make sure to use British English.
  • Formulate (sub)headings and enumerations uniformly. This implies that all parts must be in the same form. All parts are questions or declarative sentences, but not a combination of both. If, for example, the first part starts with an article, the same must be done for the following parts.
  • Put all verbs in the title in the same form: infinitive, present tense third person, or imperative. Pay attention to capital letters as well.
  • Keep you sentences short. Long sentences with many subordinate clauses are difficult for readers. Turn the long sentence into a short one or divide it into shorter sentences.
  • Avoid discontinuity. Discontinuity occurs when words or phrases that belong together are separated from each other. As a result, the short-term memory of readers is unnecessarily burdened. For example, not: 'Economists, who should also focus their analysis on the processes between people, pay too much attention to material issues.' Better: 'Economists pay too much attention to material issues. They should also focus their analysis on the processes between people.’
  • Use the active voice. Try to turn passive constructions into active ones or use a different verb to avoid using the passive construction. However, the passive voice is appropriate sometimes, e.g. when the acting person is not known or not important. Your writing style also becomes more appealing if you occasionally alternate between passive and active sentences.
  • Address the reader personally. Use 'you' and occasionally formulate a sentence in the imperative mood.
  • Add a glossary of technical terms and academic words at the end of the syllabus.
  • Avoid too formal, archaic or colloquial words. They seem unnatural, too formal and dated and therefore hardly appeal to the reader.
  • Use gender-neutral language.
As a lecturer, you play an exemplary role and you can only expect correct language from the students if your own language is flawless. Furthermore, some readers/students stumble over wrong word choices and ungrammatical sentences.

Background Information

Readable font
Wheildon, C. (2005). Type & Lay-out, Are you communicating or just making pretty Shapes? Hastings: The Worsley Press.
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