Editorial quality checklist
This checklist is for editors and approvers in a public body, for every page before it is published. It is short on purpose; print it or keep it next to the editor. The features it mentions are explained in Editing content and Publishing and versions.
Contents
- Content
- Structure and accessibility
- Links, images and documents
- Metadata and placement
- Review and publish
- After publishing
Content
- To do: Facts, dates, amounts, names and contact details checked against the source.
- To do: The most important information comes first.
- To do: Written in plain language for the intended audience (Plain language checklist).
- To do: No personal data that does not need to be public.
- To do: Spelling and style as your organization's guide says.
Structure and accessibility
- To do: One main heading; sub-headings in order, not chosen for their size.
- To do: Lists for lists, tables only for data, with header rows.
- To do: Link texts that say where they lead ("Apply for a permit", not "click here").
- To do: No information by color alone; no text in images.
- To do: More in Editors 201, Module 8: quality and accessibility.
Links, images and documents
- To do: Every link tested in the preview.
- To do: Images: informative ones have alternative text; decorative ones are marked so; sizes fit (Images and image variations). Nothing in the software forces the field to be filled (Accessibility standards).
- To do: Documents are accessible, current and named clearly; consider an HTML page instead of a PDF (Files and downloads).
- To do: Rights to use every image and document are clear.
Metadata and placement
- To do: Title and summary make sense in search results and on social media (Metadata and social sharing).
- To do: Tags set where your site uses them (Tagging with eztags).
- To do: Placed in the right section and location; extra locations added where readers will look (Relations and reuse).
- To do: The address (URL alias) is readable (URL aliases and nice URLs).
Review and publish
- To do: Previewed in the site's design, and on a phone width.
- To do: Translations ready, or the page marked as available in one language only (Multilingual checklist).
- To do: Sent for approval where a workflow requires it; the approver checks this list too (Workflows).
- To do: A version note or comment explains a significant change, for the history (Versions of an object).
After publishing
- To do: Check the published page as a visitor (signed out).
- To do: If an old page is replaced, redirect or link it (Redirects and moved content).
- To do: Unfinished drafts cleaned up (My drafts and my pending items).
- To do: A review date set for content that will go out of date.
Related pages
- Government checklists
- Editors 101
- Accessibility checklist
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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