BIO 2018: Style Sheets as planning tool for Conference Writing

A style sheet is a file or form that is used in word processing and desktop publishing to define the layout style of a document. A style sheet contains the specifications of a document’s layout, such as the page size, margins, fonts and font sizes.

Source: Techopedia

Why are Style Sheets so important?

• Create a unified voice – this is important when there are multiple writers, each of whom may have a different way of presenting something; e.g. dates – could be expressed as Sep-18, September 2018, 14/9/18…etc.
• Branding for the event and its sponsors – when an event has a number of sponsors, it’s important to ensure those names are written out correctly, especially as they will be promoted across a range of different medium, including the sponsor’s own website…therefore mis-spellings are not an option!
• Improve efficiency – the less time required for editing and checking, the more content that can be processed.
• Speed! – vital when write-ups need to be posted in real time.
• Social media interaction – by specifying social media links in the body of the text (e.g. highlighting specific sections in yellow), write-ups can be inter-connected from the word ‘go’.

How did Style Sheets work in practise for BIO 2018?

• The Style Sheet was put together in collaboration with B4’s publishing department to ensure consistency with the hard copy magazine.
• All writers were issued with a digital and physical copy of the Style Sheet.
• A template was issued in advance for guidance purposes, to help the writers to capture the salient points.
• At the end of each presentation, the draft copy was sent to the Social Media Co-ordinator, who extracted and posted the relevant Twitter quotes and linked these back to the presentation write-up (which had already been edited in real time)

Example of a Style Sheet for B4

STYLE SHEET_B4_BIO2018