Abbreviations
The first time we refer to something that can be abbreviated, we spell it out in full. For example, we would talk about “a debt management plan (DMP)”. When we refer to it again in the same communication, we use the abbreviation. An example:
"We can help you set up your debt management plan (DMP). Once it’s up and running, you can always check your DMP online to see how it’s going.”
Advice and advisors
- We advise (verb), and we give advice (noun)
- We employ advisors, not advisers. However, in Scotland the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) uses ‘money advisers’. As that’s a specific title, we shouldn’t use ‘money advisors’.
Americanisms
- Criticise not criticize
- Centre not center
- Colour not color
- Focussed not focused
And, &
We always use ‘and’, not ‘&’. This is true in body text, headers and acronyms.
Archaic language
Try to avoid unnecessarily archaic language. For example, use “while” rather than “whilst”, “among” rather than “amongst”, “from then on” rather than “thereafter” and so on.
Capitalisation
- Do capitalise the start of a sentence and the first word of a heading
- Don't capitalise any words after the first word of a heading unless it’s a proper noun or is referenced as an exception in this document. The charity’s agreed approach is to write in lower case
- Only capitalise the word charity when using the full brand name StepChange Debt Charity
- Don't capitalise the names of debt solutions such as ‘debt management plan’
- Don't capitalise the job title if you’re referring to a group, such as ‘we have specialist debt advisors’
- Do capitalise if you’re talking about a named individual such as ‘Lorraine Davies, Debt Advisor’
- We spell coronavirus with a lowercase ‘c’ and don’t use ‘covid-10’ or ‘covid’ unless using the brand name ‘Covid payment plan'
Collective nouns
- These are usually singular such as ‘Marks and Spencer is launching’ or ‘the government has announced’
- We use the singular when referring to the charity: ‘StepChange Debt Charity is the largest provider of debt advice’
- The main exceptions are sports teams and the police, which are treated as plural
- ‘Family’ should be treated as singular except when unity is intended, such as ‘the family are angry over claims’
Council tax
Council tax is always lower case (‘council tax’), unless it’s at the start of a sentence or a title.
Credit file
We use the term ‘credit file’ rather than ‘credit record’ or ‘credit history’. The exception is in web content, where it is acceptable to use the phrase ‘credit score’ if it has specific SEO relevance
Digital terms and syntax
- Login/logout: The verb is ‘log in’, the noun is ‘login’. The same is true of log out / logout. Examples as follows:
- ‘I forgot to log in this morning’
- ‘I forgot my login this morning’
- ‘I log out last thing at night’
- ‘I follow the logout process at night’
- Web/internet: The web and the internet are not the same thing, and the terms should be used appropriately:
- The internet refers to a global network of networks, primarily the infrastructure. In practical terms it includes a number of systems and services, including email
- The web (short for World Wide Web) is a collection of information that’s accessed via the internet
- Website and email are both one word (not web-site or e-mail)
- Web addresses and email addresses are always, all, lower case
- We list any website addresses starting with www, for example www.stepchange.org we leave off the prefix ‘https://’
- Webchat: one of the ways for our clients to contact us is via webchat – so not ‘livechat’ or ‘web chat’
Direct Debit
Direct Debit is always upper case. The same is true for ‘Direct Debit mandate form’
Fill in / Fill out
We always ask our clients to fill in a form, agreement or other document (not ‘fill out’)
Inquire/enquire
Although these terms are widely used interchangeably, we use inquire and inquiry (rather than enquire and enquiry)
Judgment
- The spelling judgment is always used rather than judgement
- 'County Court judgment (CCJ)' is the correct way to refer to CCJs
Last and past
Last or past? If there’s a finality about the end of the time period in question, then it’s ‘last’; if there’s more time to come then ‘past’
Examples:
- “In the last six months of their DMP the client doesn’t do a review” talks about the client’s behaviour in the final six months of their debt solution
- “In the past six months of their DMP the client hasn’t done a review” is about the six months to today
Lasting power of attorney
Lasting power of attorney (LPA) is always written in lower case unless at the start of a sentence.
Latin abbreviations
We avoid using Latin terms wherever possible, and especially abbreviations, unless it is the name of a legal document or process.
Specifically, and especially in client communications:
- Don’t use e.g. and i.e. Always find a suitable longform alternative like ‘for example’, ‘in other words…’ or ‘that is to say…’
- Don't use etc.
- Don't use N.B.
- Use 'per head' rather than 'per capita'
Ongoing
Ongoing is always the correct spelling. It’s never on-going or on going
Or (at the start of a sentence)
While ‘alternatively’ is OK to introduce a second option, it is acceptable to use ‘or’ instead. Example:
- You can email us your documents to [xxxxxxx]. Or you can send them to us at [xxxxxxxxx].
Post office
Post office is always lower case (‘post office’) unless it’s at the start of a sentence or a title
Up to date or up-to-date
An item can be up to date, but if something is being described by a prior adjective, it’s up-to-date. Correct examples:
- The client’s paperwork is up to date
- We need to request up-to-date bank statements
You (not yourself)
- We do not use ‘yourself’ or ‘yourselves’ where it would be acceptable to say ‘you’
- A rogue wrong example: ‘We will send this document to yourself.’
- The same applies to “myself” – do not use “myself” where you could use “I”. “Dave and I are going to lunch” is fine, but “Dave and myself are going to lunch” is incorrect