Capitalization

FEWS NET uses sentence case for most writing. Sentence case only capitalizes the first word of each string of text and any proper nouns. Using sentence case makes it easy to scan FEWS NET writing for important proper nouns like countries or organization names.

Use title case for titles and subtitles that have 6 or fewer words on web pages and documents only. Title case capitalizes all words except for non-initial articles like “a, the, and”, etc. When counting the number of words, “FEWS NET” counts as 1 word, and non-initial articles do not count.

Do

• Use sentence case for page and document titles that are longer than 6 words. Example: “Historic high needs anticipated across Southern Africa through early 2025”

• Use title case for web page and document titles that are shorter than 6 words. Example: “Acute Food Insecurity Data” as a web page title

• Use sentence case for visualization titles. Example: “Kilograms of maize that a goat can purchase in Gode, Somalia”

• Use sentence case for text describing actions in a user interface. Example: “Submit form” on a button used to submit a form entry

Don’t

• Capitalize words for emphasis.

• Capitalize words that are not the first word in a text string or a proper noun.

• Use title case for section headings. Use sentence case for all headings other than short titles or subtitles at the beginning of web pages or documents.

Rules for technical writing

Technical writing for FEWS NET documentation and FEWS NET product user interfaces should follow additional rules for the types of terms included in the table below. Don’t use these rules for communication or reporting products.

Above all, use your judgment. These rules should not be used so stringently that it looks like we have made a mistake.

Contact us if you have an application question or recommended addition to these standards.