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GSA SmartPay® | Style Guide for the Website and Training Platform
February 2023
The voice of the GSA SmartPay program is:
- Informational.
- Conversational.
- Relatable.
The GSA SmartPay customer base is diverse. As such, the program should communicate using federal plain language principles.
We should use first person perspective (e.g., we, you) and active voice, when appropriate. Active voice helps the reader identify the subject of the sentence and is more direct and concise.
The tone of content may change with the topic being addressed. Most digital content can be communicated conversationally, however should be more precise when describing legal or technical issues.
The program office should be referred to as the GSA Center for Charge Card Management (CCCM).
The program should be referred to as the “GSA SmartPay program.” “GSA” must always come before “SmartPay.”
GSA SmartPay® is a registered trademark. The “®” mark should be used the first time GSA SmartPay appears in an official document or page and can be left off in the subsequent references.
The government contracting document is the “GSA SmartPay Master Contract.” It can also be referred to as the “Master Contract.”
When referring to services available for both contractor banks, the plural should be used, such as “virtual card solutions available under the GSA SmartPay Master Contracts.”
Primary service offerings available under the GSA SmartPay Master Contract include the following:
- Purchase.
- Travel.
- Fleet.
- Tax Advantage Travel.
- Integrated.
When referencing business lines, “GSA SmartPay” should come before and it should be capitalized, such as the GSA SmartPay Purchase card program.
When referencing the annual training event, capitalize all of the letters in the event. The following is acceptable:
- GSA SmartPay Training Forum.
- GSA SmartPay Virtual Training Forum.
Please use the style and structure to refer to the following digital tools below:
- GSA SmartPay website
- GSA SmartPay training platform
When possible, the term “account” or “account holder” should be used, unless there is a known physical card and associated cardholder. Upon first reference in a document or page, these should be formally referenced with “GSA SmartPay,” the appropriate business line name,” and the applicable type of account. For example, “GSA SmartPay Purchase cardholder” or “GSA SmartPay Integrated account.” In this format, the name of the business line is capitalized.
For subsequent references, just the business line name and the type of account in lower case, such as “travel card” or “purchase account holder,” is acceptable.
Individually billed accounts (IBA) and centrally billed accounts (CBA) are different types of accounts under the GSA SmartPay Travel business line. References should be “type of account” and “travel,” such as IBA travel card or CBA travel account.
In accordance with the GSA SmartPay Master Contract, “cardholder” is one word and “account holder” is two words.
In accordance with the GSA SmartPay Master Contract, use the term “merchant” when referring to businesses that the federal government does business with.
Refer to banks under the GSA SmartPay 3 Master Contract as “GSA SmartPay 3 contractor banks.” The formal names of each bank are:
- Citibank, do not shorten to “Citi.”
- U.S. Bank, do not reference as “US Bank” or shorten to “USB.”
Refer to brands as “brands” or “networks.” The formal names of each are:
- Visa.
- Mastercard, do not shorten to “MC”.
- Voyager.
- Wright Express or WEX.
- A/OPC - Agency/organization program coordinator. There is no space between the “A/” and the “OPC.” Level 1 A/OPCs should be displayed as “Level 1 A/OPCs.”
- AO - Approving official.
- GSPC - GSA SmartPay Program Certification.
- Smart Bulletin.
- SmartTax.
- GSA SmartPay card solutions are “charge cards,” not “credit cards.”
- Refunds, not rebates.
Bills that have passed both houses of Congress, been signed by the president, passed over the president's veto, or allowed to become law without the president's signature. Individual laws, also called acts, are arranged by subject in the United States Code.
Refer to public laws and acts by…
Set of requirements issued by a federal government agency to implement laws passed by Congress.
Refer to regulations by…
Actions taken by any branch of the federal government.
Refer to regulations by…
A rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law.
Refer to regulations by…
Information on developing policies, procedures, and administrative requirements.
Refer to regulations by…
- Hyphens can separate or connect individual words. When two words are co Any shortened or contracted word or phrase, like St. for Street, Rx for prescription, or DC for District of Columbia. As long as you define them, you can use accepted abbreviations as a substitute in lengthy navigation titles, forms, charts, and tables.
Abbreviations often seen in government, use parts of the initial word or phrase (usually letters) to shorten it. Think NASA for National Aeronautics and Space Administration or ASAP for as soon as possible.
- Acronyms can confuse readers and it’s best to avoid them.
- Be careful not to overuse acronyms within a page.
- You can use the acronym if it's more recognizable than its full spelling (like NASA).
If you need to include an acronym, spell out the words with the acronym in parentheses the first time you use it on a page, then use the acronym in all other references: The General Services Administration (GSA) offers a variety of products and services. GSA is committed to their mission of delivering value and savings to our customers.
Exception: On GSA sites we can use the acronym GSA instead of spelling out the agency name, since it’s assumed. News releases and speeches should spell out the full agency name on first mention, since they may be consumed differently. Jargon, like acronyms, can confuse those outside the government realm. It’s always better to use plain, easy to understand language and avoid or explain anything that might be confusing to readers.
Visit the GSA acronym and abbreviations site on GSA Insite.
- Use FY 20 or fiscal year 2020, leaving a space between FY and the year, no apostrophe.
- Use lowercase and full year when spelling out fiscal year (In fiscal year 2019, my budget will be higher).
- Spell out numbers one through nine, and use numerals for numbers 10 and greater.
- Never start a sentence with a numeral, unless it is a calendar year. (e.g., 2001 was an eventful year.)
- Use a hyphen to connect a word ending in “y” to another word (twenty-one).
When talking about very large numbers (millions, billions, trillions, and greater) use a numeral and a word (1.6 million people). If large numbers are spelled out, use a hyphen to connect a word ending in “y” to another word (twenty-one).
For monetary amounts in cents or greater than $1 million, use numerals followed by words: 5 cents or $2.7 million. For amounts of money less than $1 million, use the dollar sign: $17
Use numerals instead of spelling out numbers to make it easier for readers to scan (10 digital tech leaders you should know now; 6 ways to incorporate plain-language strategies).
Write numbered lists as:
- First item.
- Second item.
- Third item.
Do not write numbers using parentheses or extra periods such as 1) or 1.).
When two numbers appear together, use a hyphen after the second number (e.g., six one-liter bottles).
- Ordinals.
- Spell out first to ninth, and use numerals for 10th or greater (10th, 11th, 12th, and higher).
Use the % sign with a numeral and no space in most cases. For amounts under 1%, precede the decimal with a zero (he received a 3% raise; the cost of living rose 0.6%) Use a singular verb when standing alone and when giving a percent of something (The teacher said 60 percent was a failing grade; he said 50 percent of the class passed the test).
Use numerals except for noon and midnight (11:30 a.m.; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Avoid redundancies like “10 a.m. this morning.”
Specify the time zone as 1:00 a.m. ET, or 3:30 p.m. ET.
- Use the ampersand only when it is part of an organization’s formal name or when it is in the navigation title on the web.
- Do not use it as a replacement for “and” in the page title or in the page content.
Our style uses bullets. AP style uses dashes. Use numbers when your list involves steps or counting.
Format list items as follows:
- Capitalize the first word following the bullet (this is called sentence case) and proper nouns.
- Use periods, not semicolons or commas, at the end of each section, whether or not it is a full sentence or a phrase.
- Use parallel construction for each item in a list (parallel verbs are boldface):
- Start with the same part of speech for each item (in this example, a verb).
- Use the same voice (active or passive) for each item.
- Use the same verb tense for each item.
- Use the same sentence type (statement, question, exclamation) for each item.
- Use just a phrase for each item, if desired.
- If more than one sentence, preferably make it a paragraph.
- Other punctuation is OK as needed.
The steps to apply for jobs are:
- Create a USAJOBS account.
- Find a job opening.
- Complete an online application.
- How to see your application status.
In general, avoid unnecessary capitals. Use a capital letter only if you can justify it by one of the principles here:
- Proper nouns.
- Proper names.
- Popular names.
- Sentences.
- Composition (books, magazine names, newspaper names).
- Titles.
- Abbreviations.
For more details on the principles above see AP Stylebook. For GSA-specific terminology, see GSA and Government References.
Capitalize each word in a heading, except the following:
- Is.
- The.
- A.
- An.
- And.
- For.
- Or.
The exception is the first word of the heading.
The most frequent use of a colon is at the end of a sentence to introduce lists, tabulations, text, or similar. When presenting a list, use a colon at the end of the introductory phrase followed by bulleted items.
- Use a comma before “and” or “or” in a series of three or more items — unless it's a very simple series and does not provide clarity.
- When a conjunction such as “and,” “but,” or “for” links two clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences, use a comma before the conjunction. (I had roast beef with dinner, but potatoes were not on the menu.)
- The comma always goes inside quotation marks.
GSA considers certain criteria including availability of service, total number of flights, flight availability, average elapsed flight time, and price of service. Browse real estate auctions, opportunities and sales at disposal.gsa.gov and realestatesales.gov.
- A dash is not a hyphen as it has different uses.
- Use an “em” dash (—), a long dash with spaces between the dash and the letters on either side of it. Treat the ellipsis (…) similarly.
- Use dashes to denote abrupt changes in thought, within a phrase that otherwise would be set off by commas, for attribution, in datelines and in lists to introduce individual sections.
Avoid the use of etcetera or the abbreviation “etc.” as it may introduce vagueness and uncertainty in communicating concepts. Instead of “etc,” consider expanding the theme of the sentence, such as:
- Commas, periods, colons, and similar punctuation.
- Millions, billions, trillions, or larger.
- Cats, dogs, mice, and other mammals.
The abbreviation of “e.g.” denotes “for example” and the abbreviation of “i.e.” indicates “that means.” For example:
- There are several states that exempt sales tax (e.g., Florida, New York, Oregon).
- There are four states that assess a gross receipts tax (i.e., Arizona, Hawaii, New Hampshire, and New Mexico).
Only use “e.g.” or “i.e.” within parentheses and use a comma after the final period. Use a comma to separate a list, however do not use “and” for “e.g.” Do not use “etc.”
- Hyphens can separate or connect individual words. When two words are combined to describe a noun, it’s hard to know when to use a hyphen.
- If the description comes AFTER the noun, don’t hyphenate. (Mother is strong willed.)
- If the description comes BEFORE the noun, use a hyphen when either of the words used alone wouldn’t make sense by itself (she is a strong-willed mother.)
- Use this construction for a series of descriptions before the noun: He received a 10- to 20-year prison sentence.
- If one of the words ends in “ly,” you never need a hyphen.
- When “self” or “quasi” is one of the words, always use a hyphen.
- The fewer the hyphens the better. Use them only when not using them would cause confusion.
- When in doubt, check the dictionary.
- For words ending in "wide," only use a hyphen where it's a proper noun. Examples: citywide, nationwide, continentwide, statewide, countrywide, enterprisewide, worldwide, governmentwide, and sitewide. But Office of Government-wide Policy is a proper noun.
- Different web browsers can make italics difficult to read on a computer screen and should be avoided in general text.
- AP style doesn’t use italics.
Punctuation should go on the outside of close parenthesis. For example, (end on the outside).
Follow story style in spelling but use numerals for all numbers and single quotes for quotation marks.
Use them in the following situations:
- To separate information more than a comma can convey but less than a period can.
- To clarify a series.
- To link independent clauses.
When they are used with quotation marks, place them outside the quote mark.
Use one space between sentences, which is standard for web and print publications.
Do not underline any text on websites. If you are creating a link, use our hyperlinks guidance.
The words “shall,” “will,” and “must” communicate required actions. The word “may” indicates the option, desire, or intention of an action and is not binding. For example:
- The contractor shall send cards to each cardholder.
- The contractor may expedite delivery of those cards.
AP and WCSG provide a number of ways to decide whether to use “that” or “which.” If the construction of the sentence makes it logical to put a comma after the last word before “which” or “that,” use “which."
Only use a capital letter in the word federal when referring to the architectural style and formal names (examples: features of Federal style architecture include symmetry, North Platte Federal Building). Lowercase federal in all other instances. (examples: federal buildings, federal assistance, federal court, the federal government, a federal judge).
The words agencywide, citywide, countrywide, enterprisewide, governmentwide, nationwide, sitewide, statewide, and worldwide do not use a hyphen. Only use a hyphen when referring to the GSA Office of Government-wide Policy (OGP). Use lowercase to refer to the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government. Use lowercase to write the word nation, unless it’s a specific nation (Nation of Islam).
Our intranet is InSite (I and S capitalized), and our public site is GSA.gov. On GSA.gov and InSite pages, refer to U.S. General Services Administration as GSA except in cases where we expect content to be consumed separately from the website. Avoid using GSA as part of a program name unless it is part of the official program title (like GSA Advantage!) and GSA SmartPay.
When referring to properties GSA works with, say owned and leased “facilities under the jurisdiction, custody or control of GSA” or “GSA-controlled” facilities, which reflects our statutory authority over public buildings (not “GSA-owned,” “GSA-leased” or “GSA-managed”).
Capitalize the first letter in each word of GSA Central Office. When talking about GSA regions, capitalize the first letter when referring to a specific region (example: Region 4). Capitalize “The” when writing The Heartland Region, since it’s part of its proper name. Capitalize Schedule when referring to a GSA Schedule, Service when referring to a GSA Service like FAS or PBS, and Staff Office when referring to a GSA Staff Office.
Acceptable in all references for electronic mail. All lowercase unless at the beginning of a sentence. Use a hyphen with other e- terms: e-book, e-business, e-commerce .
Capitalize unless it is in a web address.
Capitalize unless it is in a web address.
No longer capitalize per the AP Stylebook change in April 2016.
Use one word, lowercase.
Capitalize all of the letters in this acronym unless it is the file name for a specific document (e.g., elephants.pdf). It stands for portable document format, but the acronym is acceptable in all references, including the very first use.
Capitalize all of the letters in this abbreviation.
When using the term, World Wide Web, capitalize the first letter in each word. It is a proper noun.
Short form of World Wide Web, it is a service, or set of standards, that enables the publishing of multimedia documents on the Internet. The web is not the same as the Internet, but is a subset; other applications, such as email, exist on the internet. Also, website, webcam, webcast, webfeed, webmaster, webpage. But web address, web browser.
Links on our sites should be trustworthy and take our users to places that can help them complete their intended task. Follow these do’s and don’ts to make sure you’re using links wisely and appropriately. See our guidance on creating hyperlinks and linking policy.
- Use Insert link to create or edit a link to a web page, anchor text, document, phone or email, as this will ensure the HTML code is properly formatted
- Check your pages often to find and fix broken links.
- Link to forms, new releases, testimony and other content in their original location to avoid duplicating content.
- Link only once to the same destination within the same paragraph.
- Use appropriate link text.
- Use meaningful and descriptive link text.
- Use link text consistent with the destination page title.
- Adjust link text length to avoid text wrapping.
- Use all lower case letters in email addresses.
- Use “click here” as link text
- Link from a GSA.gov page to:
- the GSA.gov homepage.
- Google docs.
- InSite pages.
- Alter the default link style by adding bold, font color, or other effects.
- Link page subheadings (causing inconsistent styling among linked and non-linked subheadings).
- Use URLs with Google Analytics campaign tracking parameters for internal links.