Content guides Punctuation principles
Punctuation needs to be consistent and minimal so it does not slow users down. This is important when there are many questions for a user to answer on a survey or questionnaire.
Use the following punctuation guidance for survey content:
When to use full stops
Use full sentences with full stops for any of the following content:
- interstitial, start, confirmation or submission pages on surveys
- any normal body text
- content within accordions
When not to use full stops
Do not use full stops for:
- survey question descriptions
- question guidance panels (includes warning, padlock and thank you panels)
- question headings (all questions should only ever end in a question mark, even if multiple sentences)
- answer labels
- answer descriptions
- error messages
- error summaries
Exception: Do use full stops if there are multiple sentences and/or multiple paragraphs
Hyperlinks
Do not include full stops inside hyperlinks if they come at the end of a sentence.
If the hyperlink is an email address, try to put it at the end of a paragraph and do not use a full stop. This makes it easier for the user to copy and paste the email address.
Do not use a full stop if you are ending a sentence using an external link.