Coding Template for Policies and Procedures Manuals

Effective: 4/11/2000

Revised: 1/1/2010

Coding Template for Policies and Procedures Manuals

Purpose

To present a template used for the formatting and XHTML coding of all manuals produced by University Policy Manuals Group (UPMG)

Background

The “manual template” consists of HTML codes that produce the standard online appearance of the policies and procedures manuals produced by UPMG. At the time of this update, the manual files are being edited in Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 on a PC operating system. Files are posted on the ASU server at the following address: /afs/asu.edu/www/aad/manuals.

A Note on HTML Coding

The coding of the manual files is based on XHTML and is subject to change as Web conventions and the ASU Web template changes. The information given here represents the coding conventions present at the time of document creation; this ASU template can be found at http://template.asu.edu/.

In this style guide, codes will not be enclosed in “less than” or “greater than” symbols for the purpose of instruction but will appear as bold, because this template will be available as an HTML file. However, in actual coding, all tags must be opened and closed with these symbols.

To view the entire XHTML coding of this template, see Part 3.

Part 1: Template for an Individual Policy

Effective: MM/DD/YYYY

Revised: MM/DD/YYYY

ABC 123–12: Title of Policy

Policy Heading

The policy heading consists of effective and revised dates, an ASU logo, and the policy number and title. The policy heading is similar to the one displayed above, starting at the horizontal rule.

A manual-specific, colored horizontal rule, 3 pixels high, precedes and follows the policy heading.

Dates

If no revised date exists, place seven consecutive, nonbreaking spaces in place of the date. This will “push” the “Revised” a little to the left so it doesn’t align flush right.

ASU Logo and Policy Title

This portion is created with a table. The table cells provide the alignment and text wrapping necessary for longer titles and smaller browser windows.

Note: The “ABC” and “abc” portions of file names listed in this document represent the manual acronym (e.g., ACD, acd001.html).

This is a Primary Heading

The coding for primary headings follows: centered, h2 heading tag, preceded and followed by the horizontal rule gif for the specific manual (e.g., img src="finhr.gif" alt="[horizontal rule]" width="100%" height="2" with opening and closing tag symbols.

The order of standard primary headings is:

Purpose
Source(s)
Applicability/Eligibility
Background
Policy
Exception(s)
Definition(s)
Procedure
Additional Information
Cross-Reference(s)

The Purpose, Source, and Policy primary headings should appear in each policy, except for those with policies that reside in other manuals, in which case the following statement appears: “This policy resides in XXX manual” and a link is given to the policy.

The headings followed by “(s)” should be adjusted to the plural as appropriate.

This is a First-Level Heading

First-level headings are flush left, bold, upper/lower case, h2. A horizontal rule precedes first-level headings.

This is a Second-Level Heading

Second-level headings are flush left, bold, upper/lower-case. The headings are the same size as the text.

This is a Third-Level Heading

Third-level headings are bold, upper/lower case, indented one level (with the dd tag), as is the text following it. Consecutive third-level headings and text can be enclosed in just one set of dl tags with multiple dd and bold tags as needed. Paragraph tags may also be enclosed within dd tags.

This is a Fourth-Level Heading

Fourth-level headings are underlined, upper/lower case, indented one level (with the dd tag), as is the text following it. Consecutive third-level headings and text can be enclosed in just one set of dl tags with multiple dd and bold tags as needed. Paragraph tags may also be enclosed within dd tags.

Purpose

The Purpose statement usually begins with the word “To.” It does not need to be a complete sentence, and no end-punctuation is used. For example:

To describe the responsibilities and powers of the president of the university

Sometimes a Purpose statement might have a series of elements, which could be formatted in a list or as a set of statements set off in paragraph tags:

To describe the responsibilities and powers of the president of the university

To describe the responsibilities and powers of the executive vice-president and provost of the university

If the Purpose statement is relatively short, it could be set off in blockquotes for a better appearance; otherwise, just use paragraph tags.

Sources

Sample Source Item 1

Sample Source Item 2

Formatting

Sources are listed using the blockquote tag. Adjust the primary heading to be singular or plural depending upon the number of items.

More information about the formatting of Sources appears in the Style section, as well as sample citations.

General

A source represents the name and origin of the authority for the policy. Every policy should cite at least one source, even if it is no more than “University policy.”

The source may be multiple, for example, a policy may exist because of state law, a Board of Regents’ policy, and a directive from the university president.

The citation order of multiple sources is ranked as follows:

federal
state
county
city
Board of Regents
university.

For two university sources, the department associated with the manual/policy being revised is listed first. If there are three or more university sources, the department associated with the manual is listed first; the rest are listed in alphabetical order. For example, RSP 503-03, “Consultants, Lecturers, and Other Professional Services for Sponsored Projects,” lists the following sources:

48 Code of Federal Regulations §§1.000 to end (1986)

United States. Office of Management and Budget. OMB circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions

Office for Research and Sponsored Projects Administration

Financial Services

Office of Human Resources

Purchasing and Business Services

Notice that the policy originated through federal regulations and guidelines; the Office for Research and Sponsored Projects Administration is listed third because the policy appears in the manual of the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (RSP); the other three citations appear in the sources because within their respective manuals there are policies dealing with the hiring of consultants, and these policies have some degree of influence over the RSP policy. The last three sources appear in alphabetical order, not in prejudicial order.

Applicability

Formatting

Sample Applicability Item 1

Sample Applicability Item 2

If the Applicability statement is relatively short, it could be set off in blockquotes for a better appearance; otherwise, just use paragraph tags.

General

Applicability clarifies the population the policy covers. It is not a necessary element, and sometimes the heading “Eligibility” might be more appropriate.

Eligibility

See the Applicability header above for format details

Background

The Background provides further information about the context of the policy’s establishment. It is formatted in paragraph form. It is not a required element in the policies.

Definitions

Formatting

Definitions use the dl tags. The terms are presented in initial caps, regular text (not bold). If a definition is lengthy and includes such things as multiple paragraphs or ordered lists, these must all appear within the corresponding dd tag so they will be properly aligned.

Adjust the primary heading to be singular or plural depending upon the number of items.

Term 1: Definition 1

Term 2: Definition 2

To separate the terms with a blank line between them, consider enclosing each term and its definition within dl tags. Otherwise, the list of definitions, if extensive, appears “crowded” on the page. Multiple paragraphs within definitions should be separated by paragraph tags; ordered lists may also be included, but all must be enclosed within the corresponding dd tag so they will be properly aligned.

General

Definitions are sometimes necessary to clarify legal meanings within individual policies. Some manuals, such as RSP, ACD, and SPP have separate sections of Definitions in the Introductory Matter; in these cases, significant terms within the policies link to the definition in the Definitions chapter.

Other Formatting Issues

Notes

Note:

Notes use the table tag to align the text when it extends beyond one line and wraps. The text will align under the first word of the note text rather than the word “Note.”

Ordered Lists

Ordered lists use the ol tag with different attributes depending upon the type of ordered list. For rules on capitalization and punctuation, see other manual documentation.

Numbered List (1-2-3)

list item #1
list item #2
and
list item #3.

Alpha List (a-b-c)

list item a
list item b
list item c
and
list item d

Numbered List with Nested Alpha List

list item #1
list item #2
1. list item #2a
2. list item #2b
  and
3. list item #2c.
and
list item #3.

When nesting ordered lists, it is important to track the closing tags carefully. The tags should close in the reverse order that they open.

Do not separate list items with a paragraph tag.

The last two items in a list generally have the word “and” (or “or” or “and/or”) separating them. The closing li tag immediately follows the word “and,” since it is still part of the second-to-last item. Also, to create a space above and below the word “and,” for proper appearance, enclose the word in paragraph tags.

Interrupted Nested Table

Sometimes lists have elements interposed between numerical and alpha items, especially in Responsibility/Action tables. In such cases, one must often close the ordered list, insert a statement, then resume the ordered list with the direction ol start="4" (or whatever number is appropriate). If such a list is nested, the closing tag might require the following closing tags: /li /ol /li /ol. It is critical, in such situations, to keep close track of opening and closing tags and to test the coding in a browser, making certain that the list order is sequential and correct:

This is an example of an interrupted nested table:

the first item has a number
the second item has a number and begins an alpha list
1. alpha item
2. beta item
  and
3. c item

But we have some interposing text, so we have a list that contains only one item, number 3:

the third numbered item

These are the codes for the preceding list; note the ending codes for the “c” item:

This is an example of an interrupted nested table:

li the first item has a number /li

li the second item has a number and begins an alpha list

ol type="a"

li alpha item /li

li beta item

and /li

li c item /li /ol /li /ol

but we have some interposing text, so we have a list that contains only one item, number 3:

ol start="3"

the third numbered item. /li /ol

General

Lists should be created for long series of items within sentences in text.

Do not end-punctuate list items (as with commas or semicolons), except for the last item or for lists that are complete sentences.

Do not capitalize the first word of each list item, unless the list is all complete sentences or otherwise requires capitalization. If a list item itself contains sentences, punctuate accordingly, but do not use a period on the closing sentence of a mid-list item. Use the period only with the last item.

Tables

Formatting

Strive for consistency of style. When setting up or formatting a new table, ask questions such as:

Will a primary heading suffice, or does the table require a title? A title is usually part of the table at the top, centered.

Will the table have borders? This will sometimes determine whether the attributes COLSPAN and ROWSPAN are used. These two attributes can help adjust spacing when items are not equivalent in size, or when excess lines (with empty cells) are not wanted.

What amount of cellspacing and cellpadding is necessary?

To achieve certain kinds of borders, a table within a table may provide the desired effect. It is best, though, to keep tables as simple as possible with regard to tagging, as all browsers do not display tables exactly the same way.

Table Title Centered
Header Over Column 1	Header Over Column 2
Text 1	Text 2
Text 1	Text 2
Text 1	Text 2

Table Title
Header Over Column 1	Header Over Column 2
Text 1	Text 2
Text 1	Text 2
Text 1	Text 2

General

ASU strives to make all information published on its Web accessible to all possible users, including those who require software that “reads” Web content because of visual impairment. Some such software reads table columns top to bottom (vertically) instead of reading across rows; this makes tabular information difficult to understand. All such tables must be recast in nontabular form in an accessory file to be read intelligently. Thus, material that does not require a table to be understood should be formatted in paragraph and list form from the beginning. This prevents the necessity of preparing and maintaining a second HTML file.

Some complex charts, of course, cannot be reformatted. For these, a short description of the chart will suffice.

A user is directed to link to a nontabular version of a table with a link at a capital D that appears invisible on the browser; here are sample codes that would follow the primary head “Procedure:”

center h2 Procedure a href="usi201-13table.html" font color="#FFFFFF" D /font /a /h2 /center

Such accessible files have the same number as the original policy, with the word “table” appended; if more than one table appears in a policy, the accessible file is numbered sequentially, e.g., “usi201-13table1.html, usi201-13table2.html.” At the end of each accessible file, a link back to the original file appears, using the word “endtable” or “endtable1” etc.

Responsibility/Action Tables

Formatting

Responsibility/Action text is placed in tables without cell borders. A solid black horizontal rule (created with the NOSHADE attribute) precedes and follows each table. A shaded horizontal rule (HTML default) underscores the words “Responsibility” and “Action.”

Start a new table row for each

new “Party” (see items 4, 5, and 7)

preface statement (see just before items 7 and 8)

continuing list after a preface statement (see item 8)

Continue an ordered list within the same TD tag that consists of consecutive steps for one “Party” (see items 1 through 3, 5 through 6, and 8 through 9).

Notice how the closing tags to the ordered lists, table data, and table rows are kept together to clearly identify a new row within the Responsibility/Action script.

Note:

Spacing may not be equal between rows or between list items depending upon the sequence of Party, Responsibility step, and preface statements. This unequal spacing is a result of the prescribed tagging. Although other tagging methods are possible, they seem to present undesirable effects.

Responsibility	Action
Responsible Party 1	Item 1 Item 2, same responsible party Item 3, same responsible party
Responsible Party 2	Item 4 item #4a item #4b and item #4c.
Responsible Party 1	Item 5 Item 6
	Statement Preceding Next Item:
Responsible Party 2	Item 7
	Statement Preceding Next Item:
	Item 8, same responsible party Item 9

General

Responsibility/Action tables provide a quick visual summary for steps to be taken in complex procedures. Because they are formatted in a table form, they need to have an accessible prose translation for users who depend on software programs that “read” the browser screen for the visually impaired. Thus they require additional file creation and maintenance. Whenever possible, the editor should try to use a non-tabular framework for procedures to prevent the extra work entailed. In some cases, old relatively simple Responsibility/Action tables have persisted and should be reformatted to prose. The editor makes this formatting decision.

Intermediate Pages

Formatting

Intermediate pages are formatted like any other policy, except they do not have a policy number.

General

Intermediate pages are used as links to other ASU Web sites that are not controlled by the University Policy Manuals Group (UPMG). They are important because they tell the user that they are leaving a site controlled by UPMG, that UPMG is not responsible for the content of the new site, and they provide a link back to the UPMG Web site.

This notification is necessary because various sites on the ASU Web might have changed the URL or the content of the material that the policy-writers originally wished to specify and did not alert UPMG about the change.

UPMG does NOT link to any Web sites outside the ASU Web, with the exception of the Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual. The URL to an outside source may be given in a policy, but the URL is not actively linked. This should minimize the number of “dead” links that appear on the ASU Web.

Exhibits

Some manual exhibits are available only in PDF format. An Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in is required to view these PDF files. See our main policies and procedures page if you require this plug-in.

ABC ###–##Y, Exhibit Title

Use the explanatory phrase shown above, adjusting the primary heading to be singular or plural depending upon the number of items.

The explanatory phrase is also used on the Tables of Exhibits and the Organizational Charts pages.

Footnotes

Footnotes have been used in the manual files. Footnotes use a small font and superscript tags. The actual footnote numbers can be linked to the footnote text.

Footnote Sample from Larger Table

Topic Header		Header	Header	Header

Item ¹		7310 37	5,000 ²	421–01

Footnote 1 item content.

Footnote 2 item content.

Navigation Bar

Each policy ends with specific links in a navigation bar; this signals to users that they have reached the end of a specific policy and allows quick access to other areas.

Paragraph tags and nonbreaking spaces are used to achieve additional spacing between the end of the policy and the horizontal rule, between the list of links and the “Back to Top” anchor, and between the “Back to Top” anchor and the end of the file.

Nonbreaking spaces are used between multiple words in the link descriptors (example: ABC manual contact). These nonbreaking spaces force the entire description to wrap to the next line in the event the browser window is small, rather than allowing the link descriptor to split across lines of text.

To prevent an overpowering look of too many linked words, only key words are linked rather than the entire descriptors (for example, just the word “manuals” rather than “ASU policies and procedures manuals”: ASU policies and procedures manuals).

The TARGET attribute is specifically used in some link tags. See the file, “HTML Coding,” file for further information on the use and creation of links.

The anchor “Back to Top” has its complementary anchor name at the very beginning of the BODY section (see above).

The final paragraph tag and nonbreaking space codes prevent the last part of the file from appearing too close to the bottom of the window. It creates a bottom margin for the file when displayed in the browser.

Part 2: Table of Contents and Revision Notices

The Table of Contents is always the “index.html” file name for a specific manual.

The table of contents features:

an alphanumeric identifier for each section, which is a division that encompasses a major topic (e.g., PDP 100, “Emergencies”)
an alphanumeric identifier in the appropriate range for each subsection, which is a subdivision of a major topic (e.g., PDP 101, “Emergencies—General”)
and
an alphanumeric identifier in the appropriate range for each subject, which is the individual policy and/or procedure (e.g., PDP 101–01, “Reporting an Emergency”).

Note: Subjects that do not fall under a subsection but instead, stand alone, use three-digit numbers (e.g., PDP 205, “Campus Flags”).

This system provides an orderly, topical structure for the manual that does not require strict consecutive numbering of policies throughout the manual in the event that policies might be deleted or added. Each policy, however, has a specific numerical identifier.

Manual Revision Notice

The Manual Revision Notice summarizes concisely the relevant changes to policies or procedures. It serves as a short-hand notation for users. The Effective Date is always the most current posting date.

The Manual Revision Notice uses a table such as this:

Policy	Summary of Changes
ABC 123–12 Policy Title	Revision of Existing Policy Detailed description of changes. Policy acronym and number are linked.
ABC 123–12 Policy Title	Deletion of Policy Explanation that the policy has been deleted. No link on policy acronym and number since it does not exist.
ABC 123–12 Policy Title	New Policy Description of new policy; often taken from the Purpose statement. Policy acronym and number are linked.

Interim Posting Notice

The Interim Posting Notice summarizes concisely the relevant changes to policies or procedures. It serves as a short-hand notation for users. The Effective Date is the interim posting date.

A separate Interim Posting Notice is prepared for every interim posting that appears in a manual before a formal posting date (i.e., 3/1; 7/1; 11/1). Thus, a manual can have more than one interim posting, in which case the sequence is most recent to last posting notice.

All Interim Posting Notices are combined into the Manual Revision Notice on the formal posting date (i.e., 3/1; 7/1; 11/1).

The Interim Posting Notice uses a table similar to the Manual Revision Notice:

Policy	Summary of Changes
ABC 123–12 Policy Title	Revision of Existing Policy Detailed description of changes. Policy acronym and number are linked.
ABC 123–12 Policy Title	Deletion of Policy Explanation that the policy has been deleted. No link on policy acronym and number since it does not exist.
ABC 123–12 Policy Title	New Policy Description of new policy; often taken from the Purpose statement. Policy acronym and number are linked.

Interim Posting Notice Statement

The following statement appears at the beginning of a policy that has been posted outside scheduled posting dates (i.e., 3/1; 7/1; 11/1). It is removed at the time of the scheduled posting. Interim Posting

Note:

At the request of a provost, vice provost, or vice president, this policy has been posted in the interim between scheduled posting dates by University Policy Manuals Group because it has significant and urgent importance for the university community. This policy will be included in the publication process by the next feasible posting for online policies and procedures.

Part 3: HTML Codes of This Document

<img src="pcs.gif" width="100%" height="3" />
<table border=0 cellspacing=1 cellpadding=1 width="100%">
<tr><td>Effective: 4/11/2000</td> <td> Revised: 1/1/2010</td></tr>
</table>
<img src="pcs.gif" width="100%" height="3" />

<h2> Coding Template for Policies and Procedures Manuals</h2>

<hr />
<center><h2>Purpose</h2></center>
<hr />

To present a template used for the formatting and XHTML coding of all manuals produced by University Policy Manuals Group (UPMG)
<hr />
<center>
<h2>Background</h2>
</center>
<hr />

The “manual template” consists of HTML codes that produce the standard online appearance of the policies and procedures manuals produced by UPMG. At the time of this update, the manual files are being edited in Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 on a PC operating system. Files are posted on the ASU server at the following address: /afs/asu.edu/www/aad/manuals.

A Note on HTML Coding

The coding of the manual files is based on XHTML and is subject to change as Web conventions and the ASU Web template changes. The information given here represents the coding conventions present at the time of document creation; this ASU template can be found at <a href="http://template.asu.edu/">http://template.asu.edu/</a>.

In this style guide, codes will not be enclosed in “less than” or “greater than” symbols for the purpose of instruction but will appear as bold, because this template will be available as an HTML file. However, in actual coding, all tags must be opened and closed with these symbols.

To view the entire XHTML coding of this template, select View, Page Source in the Browser menu. The entire file with all coding visible will appear in a separate window, which can be saved as a separate file.
<hr />
<center><h2>Part 1: Template for an Individual Policy</h2></center>
<hr />

<img src="pcs.gif" width="100%" height="3" />
<table border=0 cellspacing=1 cellpadding=1 width="100%">
<tr><td>Effective: MM/DD/YYYY</td><td>Revised: MM/DD/YYYY</td></tr>
</table>
<img src="pcs.gif" width="100%" height="3" />

<table cellpadding=5>
<tr><td valign=MIDDLE><img src="asu.gif" alt="[ASU]" /></td>
<td valign=MIDDLE>ABC 123–12: Title of Policy</td></tr>
</table>

<hr />
<h2>Policy Heading</h2>

The policy heading consists of effective and revised dates, an ASU logo, and the policy number and title. The policy heading is similar to the one displayed above, starting at the horizontal rule.

A manual-specific, colored horizontal rule, 3 pixels high, precedes and follows the policy heading.

Dates

If no revised date exists, place seven consecutive, nonbreaking spaces in place of the date. This will “push” the “Revised” a little to the left so it doesn’t align flush right.

ASU Logo and Policy Title

This portion is created with a table. The table cells provide the alignment and text wrapping necessary for longer titles and smaller browser windows.

Note: The “ABC” and “abc” portions of file names listed in this document represent the manual acronym (e.g., ACD, acd001.html).

<hr />
<center>
<h2>This is a Primary Heading</h2>
</center>
<hr />

The coding for primary headings follows: centered, h2 heading tag, preceded and followed by the horizontal rule gif for the specific manual (e.g., img src="finhr.gif" alt="[horizontal rule]" width="100%" height="2" with opening and closing tag symbols.

The order of standard primary headings is:

<ol>
<li>Purpose</li>
<li>Source(s)</li>
<li>Applicability/Eligibility</li>
<li>Background</li>
<li>Policy</li>
<li>Exception(s)</li>
<li>Definition(s)</li>
<li>Procedure</li>
<li>Additional Information</li>
<li>Cross-Reference(s)</li>
</ol>

The Purpose, Source, and Policy primary headings should appear in each policy, except for those with policies that reside in other manuals, in which case the following statement appears: “This policy resides in XXX manual” and a link is given to the policy.

The headings followed by “(s)” should be adjusted to the plural as appropriate.

<hr />
<h2>This is a First-Level Heading</h2>

First-level headings are flush left, bold, upper/lower case, h2. A horizontal rule precedes first-level headings.

This is a Second-Level Heading

Second-level headings are flush left, bold, upper/lower-case. The headings are the same size as the text.

<dl>
<dd>This is a Third-Level Heading</dd>

<dd>
Third-level headings are bold, upper/lower case, indented one level (with the dd tag), as is the text following it. Consecutive third-level headings and text can be enclosed in just one set of dl tags with multiple dd and bold tags as needed. Paragraph tags may also be enclosed within dd tags.
</dd>

<dd>This is a Fourth-Level Heading</dd>

<dd>Fourth-level headings are underlined, upper/lower case, indented one level (with the dd tag), as is the text following it. Consecutive third-level headings and text can be enclosed in just one set of dl tags with multiple dd and bold tags as needed. Paragraph tags may also be enclosed within dd tags.</dd>
</dl>

<hr />
<center><h2>Purpose</h2></center>
<hr />

The Purpose statement usually begins with the word “To.” It does not need to be a complete sentence, and no end-punctuation is used. For example:

<blockquote>To describe the responsibilities and powers of the president of the university</blockquote>
Sometimes a Purpose statement might have a series of elements, which could be formatted in a list or as a set of statements set off in paragraph tags:

<blockquote>To describe the responsibilities and powers of the president of the university</blockquote>
<blockquote>To describe the responsibilities and powers of the executive vice-president and provost of the university</blockquote>

If the Purpose statement is relatively short, it could be set off in blockquotes for a better appearance; otherwise, just use paragraph tags.

<hr />
<center><h2>Sources</h2></center>
<hr />

<blockquote>Sample Source Item 1</blockquote>

<blockquote>Sample Source Item 2</blockquote>

Formatting

Sources are listed using the blockquote tag. Adjust the primary heading to be singular or plural depending upon the number of items.

More information about the formatting of Sources appears in the Style section, as well as sample citations.

General 
A source represents the name and origin of the authority for the policy. Every policy should cite at least one source, even if it is no more than “University policy.”

The source may be multiple, for example, a policy may exist because of state law, a Board of Regents’ policy, and a directive from the university president.

The citation order of multiple sources is ranked as follows:
<ol>
<li>federal</li>
<li>state</li>
<li>county</li>
<li>city</li>
<li>Board of Regents</li>
<li>university.</li>
</ol>

For two university sources, the department associated with the manual/policy being revised is listed first. If there are three or more university sources, the department associated with the manual is listed first; the rest are listed in alphabetical order. For example, RSP 503-03, “Consultants, Lecturers, and Other Professional Services for Sponsored Projects,” lists the following sources:

<blockquote>48 Code of Federal Regulations §§ 1.000 to end (1986)</blockquote>

<blockquote>United States. Office of Management and Budget. OMB circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions</blockquote>

<blockquote>Office for Research and Sponsored Projects Administration</blockquote>

<blockquote>Financial Services</blockquote>

<blockquote>Office of Human Resources</blockquote>

<blockquote>Purchasing and Business Services</blockquote>

Notice that the policy originated through federal regulations and guidelines; the Office for Research and Sponsored Projects Administration is listed third because the policy appears in the manual of the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (RSP); the other three citations appear in the sources because within their respective manuals there are policies dealing with the hiring of consultants, and these policies have some degree of influence over the RSP policy. The last three sources appear in alphabetical order, not in prejudicial order.

<hr />
<center><h2>Applicability</h2></center>
<hr />

Formatting

<blockquote>Sample Applicability Item 1</blockquote>

<blockquote>Sample Applicability Item 2</blockquote>

If the Applicability statement is relatively short, it could be set off in blockquotes for a better appearance; otherwise, just use paragraph tags.

General

Applicability clarifies the population the policy covers. It is not a necessary element, and sometimes the heading “Eligibility” might be more appropriate.

<hr />
<center><h2>Eligibility</h2></center>
<hr />

<blockquote>See the Applicability header above for format details</blockquote>

<hr />
<center><h2>Background</h2></center>
<hr />

The Background provides further information about the context of the policy’s establishment. It is formatted in paragraph form. It is not a required element in the policies.

<hr />
<center><h2>Definitions</h2></center>
<hr />

Formatting

Definitions use the dl tags. The terms are presented in initial caps, regular text (not bold). If a definition is lengthy and includes such things as multiple paragraphs or ordered lists, these must all appear within the corresponding dd tag so they will be properly aligned.

Adjust the primary heading to be singular or plural depending upon the number of items.

<dl>
<dt>Term 1</dt>
<dd>Definition 1</dd></dl>

<dl>
<dt>Term 2</dt>
<dd>Definition 2</dd>
</dl>

To separate the terms with a blank line between them, consider enclosing each term and its definition within dl tags. Otherwise, the list of definitions, if extensive, appears “crowded” on the page. Multiple paragraphs within definitions should be separated by paragraph tags; ordered lists may also be included, but all must be enclosed within the corresponding dd tag so they will be properly aligned.

General

Definitions are sometimes necessary to clarify legal meanings within individual policies. Some manuals, such as RSP, ACD, and SPP have separate sections of Definitions in the Introductory Matter; in these cases, significant terms within the policies link to the definition in the Definitions chapter.

<hr />
<center><h2>Other Formatting Issues</h2></center>
<hr />

<hr />
<h2>Notes</h2>

<table>
<tr><td valign=TOP>Note:</td><td>Notes use the table tag to align the text when it extends beyond one line and wraps. The text will align under the first word of the note text rather than the word “Note.”</td></tr>
</table>

<hr />
<h2>Ordered Lists</h2>

Ordered lists use the ol tag with different attributes depending upon the type of ordered list. For rules on capitalization and punctuation, see other manual documentation.

Numbered List (1-2-3)

<li>list item #2

and</li>

Alpha List (a-b-c)

<li>list item b</li>
<li>list item c

and</li>

Numbered List with Nested Alpha List

<li>list item #2

<li>list item #2b

and</li>

and</li>

When nesting ordered lists, it is important to track the closing tags carefully. The tags should close in the reverse order that they open.

Do not separate list items with a paragraph tag.

The last two items in a list generally have the word “and” (or “or” or “and/or”) separating them. The closing li tag immediately follows the word “and,” since it is still part of the second-to-last item. Also, to create a space above and below the word “and,” for proper appearance, enclose the word in paragraph tags.

Interrupted Nested Table

Sometimes lists have elements interposed between numerical and alpha items, especially in Responsibility/Action tables. In such cases, one must often close the ordered list, insert a statement, then resume the ordered list with the direction ol start="4" (or whatever number is appropriate). If such a list is nested, the closing tag might require the following closing tags: /li /ol /li /ol. It is critical, in such situations, to keep close track of opening and closing tags and to test the coding in a browser, making certain that the list order is sequential and correct:

This is an example of an interrupted nested table:
<ol>
<li>the first item has a number</li>
<li>the second item has a number and begins an alpha list
<ol type="a">
<li>alpha item</li>
<li>beta item
and</li>
<li>c item</li></ol></li></ol>
But we have some interposing text, so we have a list that contains only one item, number 3:
<ol start="3">
<li>the third numbered item</li></ol>

These are the codes for the preceding list; note the ending codes for the “c” item:

This is an example of an interrupted nested table:
ol
li the first item has a number /li
li the second item has a number and begins an alpha list
ol type="a"
li alpha item /li
li beta item
and /li
li c item /li /ol /li /ol

but we have some interposing text, so we have a list that contains only one item, number 3:
ol start="3"
the third numbered item. /li /ol

General

Lists should be created for long series of items within sentences in text.

Do not end-punctuate list items (as with commas or semicolons), except for the last item or for lists that are complete sentences.

Do not capitalize the first word of each list item, unless the list is all complete sentences or otherwise requires capitalization. If a list item itself contains sentences, punctuate accordingly, but do not use a period on the closing sentence of a mid-list item. Use the period only with the last item.

<hr />
<h2>Tables</h2>

Formatting

Strive for consistency of style. When setting up or formatting a new table, ask questions such as:

<ol>
<li>Will a primary heading suffice, or does the table require a title? A title is usually part of the table at the top, centered.</li>

<li>Will the table have borders? This will sometimes determine whether the attributes COLSPAN and ROWSPAN are used. These two attributes can help adjust spacing when items are not equivalent in size, or when excess lines (with empty cells) are not wanted. </li>

<li>What amount of cellspacing and cellpadding is necessary?</li>
</ol>

To achieve certain kinds of borders, a table within a table may provide the desired effect. It is best, though, to keep tables as simple as possible with regard to tagging, as all browsers do not display tables exactly the same way.

<table border=1 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=1>
<tr><th colspan=2>Table Title Centered</th></tr>

<tr><th>Header Over Column 1</th><th>Header Over Column 2</th></tr>

<table cellpadding=5 cellspacing=1>
<tr><th colspan=2>Table Title</th></tr>

<tr><th>Header Over Column 1<hr /></th><th>Header Over Column 2<hr /></th></tr>

</td></tr>
</table>

General

ASU strives to make all information published on its Web accessible to all possible users, including those who require software that “reads” Web content because of visual impairment. Some such software reads table columns top to bottom (vertically) instead of reading across rows; this makes tabular information difficult to understand. All such tables must be recast in nontabular form in an accessory file to be read intelligently. Thus, material that does not require a table to be understood should be formatted in paragraph and list form from the beginning. This prevents the necessity of preparing and maintaining a second HTML file.

Some complex charts, of course, cannot be reformatted. For these, a short description of the chart will suffice.

A user is directed to link to a nontabular version of a table with a link at a capital D that appears invisible on the browser; here are sample codes that would follow the primary head “Procedure:”

center h2 Procedure a href="usi201-13table.html" font color="#FFFFFF" D /font /a /h2 /center

Such accessible files have the same number as the original policy, with the word “table” appended; if more than one table appears in a policy, the accessible file is numbered sequentially, e.g., “usi201-13table1.html, usi201-13table2.html.” At the end of each accessible file, a link back to the original file appears, using the word “endtable” or “endtable1” etc.

<hr />
<h2>Responsibility/Action Tables</h2>

Formatting

Responsibility/Action text is placed in tables without cell borders. A solid black horizontal rule (created with the NOSHADE attribute) precedes and follows each table. A shaded horizontal rule (HTML default) underscores the words “Responsibility” and “Action.”

Start a new table row for each

<ul>
<li>new “Party” (see items 4, 5, and 7)</li>

<li>preface statement (see just before items 7 and 8)</li>

<li>continuing list after a preface statement (see item 8)</li>
</ul>

Continue an ordered list within the same TD tag that consists of consecutive steps for one “Party” (see items 1 through 3, 5 through 6, and 8 through 9).

Notice how the closing tags to the ordered lists, table data, and table rows are kept together to clearly identify a new row within the Responsibility/Action script.

<table>
<tr><td valign=TOP>Note:</td><td>Spacing may not be equal between rows or between list items depending upon the sequence of Party, Responsibility step, and preface statements. This unequal spacing is a result of the prescribed tagging. Although other tagging methods are possible, they seem to present undesirable effects.</td></tr>
</table>

<hr noshade />
<table border=0 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=1>
<tr><th>Responsibility<hr /></th><th>Action<hr /></th></tr>

<tr valign=TOP><td>Responsible Party 1</td><td><ol><li>Item 1</li>

<li>Item 2, same responsible party</li>

<li>Item 3, same responsible party</li></ol></td></tr>

<tr valign=TOP><td>Responsible Party 2</td>

<td><ol start="4">
<li>Item 4

<li>item #4b

and</li>

<tr valign=TOP><td>Responsible Party 1</td>

<tr><td></td><td>Statement Preceding Next Item:</td></tr>

<tr valign=TOP><td>Responsible Party 2</td><td>
<ol start="7"><li>Item 7</li></ol></td></tr>

<tr><td></td><td>Statement Preceding Next Item:</td></tr>

<ol start="8"><li>Item 8, same responsible party</li>

</table>
<hr noshade />
General
Responsibility/Action tables provide a quick visual summary for steps to be taken in complex procedures. Because they are formatted in a table form, they need to have an accessible prose translation for users who depend on software programs that “read” the browser screen for the visually impaired. Thus they require additional file creation and maintenance. Whenever possible, the editor should try to use a non-tabular framework for procedures to prevent the extra work entailed. In some cases, old relatively simple Responsibility/Action tables have persisted and should be reformatted to prose. The editor makes this formatting decision.
<hr />
<center><h2>Intermediate Pages</h2></center>
<hr />
Formatting
Intermediate pages are formatted like any other policy, except they do not have a policy number. 
General

Intermediate pages are used as links to other ASU Web sites that are not controlled by the University Policy Manuals Group (UPMG). They are important because they tell the user that they are leaving a site controlled by UPMG, that UPMG is not responsible for the content of the new site, and they provide a link back to the UPMG Web site.

This notification is necessary because various sites on the ASU Web might have changed the URL or the content of the material that the policy-writers originally wished to specify and did not alert UPMG about the change.

UPMG does NOT link to any Web sites outside the ASU Web, with the exception of the Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual. The URL to an outside source may be given in a policy, but the URL is not actively linked. This should minimize the number of “dead” links that appear on the ASU Web. 
<hr />
<center><h2>Exhibits</h2></center>
<hr />

Some manual exhibits are available only in PDF format. An Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in is required to view these PDF files. See our main <a href="../index.html">policies and procedures page</a> if you require this plug-in.
<blockquote><a href="abcXXXy.pdf">ABC ###–##Y</a>, Exhibit Title</blockquote>

<blockquote><a href="abcXXXy.pdf">ABC ###–##Y</a>, Exhibit Title</blockquote>

Use the explanatory phrase shown above, adjusting the primary heading to be singular or plural depending upon the number of items.

The explanatory phrase is also used on the Tables of Exhibits and the Organizational Charts pages.
<hr />
<center><h2>Footnotes</h2></center>
<hr />

Footnotes have been used in the manual files. Footnotes use a small font and superscript tags. The actual footnote numbers can be linked to the footnote text.

Footnote Sample from Larger Table

<tr><th colspan=2>Topic Header</th><th>Header</th><th>Header</th><th>Header</th></tr>

<a name="footnote1"></a>
<ol>
<li>Footnote 1 item content.</li>

<a name="footnote2"></a>
<li>Footnote 2 item content.</li>
</ol>

<hr />
<center><h2>Navigation Bar</h2></center>
<hr />

Each policy ends with specific links in a navigation bar; this signals to users that they have reached the end of a specific policy and allows quick access to other areas.

Paragraph tags and nonbreaking spaces are used to achieve additional spacing between the end of the policy and the horizontal rule, between the list of links and the “Back to Top” anchor, and between the “Back to Top” anchor and the end of the file.

Nonbreaking spaces are used between multiple words in the link descriptors (example: ABC manual <a href="abc001.html">contact</a>). These nonbreaking spaces force the entire description to wrap to the next line in the event the browser window is small, rather than allowing the link descriptor to split across lines of text.

To prevent an overpowering look of too many linked words, only key words are linked rather than the entire descriptors (for example, just the word “manuals” rather than “ASU policies and procedures manuals”: ASU policies and procedures <a href="../index.html" target="_top">manuals</a>).

The TARGET attribute is specifically used in some link tags. See the file, “HTML Coding,” file for further information on the use and creation of links.

The anchor “Back to Top” has its complementary anchor name at the very beginning of the BODY section (see above).

The final paragraph tag and nonbreaking space codes prevent the last part of the file from appearing too close to the bottom of the window. It creates a bottom margin for the file when displayed in the browser.
<hr />
<center>
<h2>Part 2: Table of Contents and Revision Notices</h2>
</center>
<hr />

<hr />
<h2>Table of Contents</h2>

The Table of Contents is always the “index.html” file name for a specific manual.

The table of contents features:
<ol>
<li>an alphanumeric identifier for each section, which is a division that encompasses a major topic (e.g., <a href="http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/pdp/index.html#100">PDP 100</a>, “Emergencies”)</li>

<li>an alphanumeric identifier in the appropriate range for each subsection, which is a subdivision of a major topic (e.g., <a href="http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/pdp/index.html#101">PDP 101</a>, “Emergencies—General”)

and</li>

<li>an alphanumeric identifier in the appropriate range for each subject, which is the individual policy and/or procedure (e.g., <a href="http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/pdp/index.html#101-01">PDP 101–01</a>, “Reporting an Emergency”).</li></ol>

Note: Subjects that do not fall under a subsection but instead, stand alone, use three-digit numbers (e.g., <a href="http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/pdp/index.html#205">PDP 205</a>, “Campus Flags”).

This system provides an orderly, topical structure for the manual that does not require strict consecutive numbering of policies throughout the manual in the event that policies might be deleted or added. Each policy, however, has a specific numerical identifier.

<hr />
<h2>Manual Revision Notice</h2>

The Manual Revision Notice summarizes concisely the relevant changes to policies or procedures. It serves as a short-hand notation for users. The Effective Date is always the most current posting date.

The Manual Revision Notice uses a table such as this: 
<table border=10 cellspacing=5 cellpadding=10 width="100%">
<tr align=CENTER><td>Policy</td><td>Summary of Changes</td></tr>

Policy Title</td><td valign=top>Revision of Existing Policy

Detailed description of changes. Policy acronym and number are linked.</td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>ABC 123–12

Policy Title</td><td valign=top>Deletion of Policy

Explanation that the policy has been deleted. No link on policy acronym and number since it does not exist.</td></tr>

Policy Title</td><td valign=top>New Policy

Description of new policy; often taken from the Purpose statement. Policy acronym and number are linked.</td></tr>

</table>

<hr />
<h2>Interim Posting Notice</h2>

The Interim Posting Notice summarizes concisely the relevant changes to policies or procedures. It serves as a short-hand notation for users. The Effective Date is the interim posting date.

A separate Interim Posting Notice is prepared for every interim posting that appears in a manual before a formal posting date (i.e., 3/1; 7/1; 11/1). Thus, a manual can have more than one interim posting, in which case the sequence is most recent to last posting notice.

All Interim Posting Notices are combined into the Manual Revision Notice on the formal posting date (i.e., 3/1; 7/1; 11/1).

The Interim Posting Notice uses a table similar to the Manual Revision Notice: 
<table border=10 cellspacing=5 cellpadding=10 width="100%">
<tr align=CENTER><td>Policy</td><td>Summary of Changes</td></tr>

Policy Title</td><td valign=top>Revision of Existing Policy

Detailed description of changes. Policy acronym and number are linked.</td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>ABC 123–12

Policy Title</td><td valign=top>Deletion of Policy

Explanation that the policy has been deleted. No link on policy acronym and number since it does not exist.</td></tr>

Policy Title</td><td valign=top>New Policy

Description of new policy; often taken from the Purpose statement. Policy acronym and number are linked.</td></tr>

</table>

<hr />
<h2>Interim Posting Notice Statement</h2>

The following statement appears at the beginning of a policy that has been posted outside scheduled posting dates (i.e., 3/1; 7/1; 11/1). It is removed at the time of the scheduled posting.

<center><h2>Interim Posting</h2></center>
<table>
<tr>
<td valign="top">Note:</td>
<td>At the request of a provost, vice provost, or vice president,
this policy has been posted in the interim between scheduled
posting dates by University Policy Manuals Group
because it has significant and urgent importance for the university
community. This policy will be included in the publication process
by the next feasible posting for online policies and
procedures.</td></tr></table>

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Coding Template for Policies and Procedures Manuals