Part 503 – NRCS Directives Management
Title 120 – National Directives Management Manual
Part 503 – NRCS Directives Management
Subpart F – NRCS Style Guide
503.50 How to Use This Subpart
A. This subpart establishes NRCS policy on how to write directives that meet agency stylistic requirements. It does not contain a set of all-inclusive criteria for every conceivable situation; the diverse nature of writing, even within the narrow scope of governmental publications, makes that impossible. Instead, it is intended to— (1) Address the most common errors. (2) Define exceptions to the guidelines set out in the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) Style Manual when creating internal NRCS directives. (3) Set criteria for situations the GPO Style Manual does not address. (4) Clarify criteria where the rules in the GPO Style Manual are ambiguous or conflicting. B. The following publications are the minimum essential documents necessary to successfully write and edit NRCS directives: (1) Title 120, National Directives Management Manual, Part 503 (2) GPO Style Manual (2016 edition) (available online at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO- STYLEMANUAL-2016/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016.pdf) (3) Federal Plain Language Guidelines (available online at http://www.plainlanguage.gov/) (4) Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, which is based on Webster’s Third, may be substituted) Note: Do not use dictionaries other than Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (which is based on Webster’s Third), even if they contain the name “Webster” in the title. Webster’s Third is the dictionary specified by the GPO Style Manual; word spellings in other dictionaries may differ from those found in Webster’s Third. C. This subpart is not a substitute for the GPO Style Manual. Although some GPO Style Manual rules are repeated here, many others are not. In addition, many GPO Style Manual rules that are presented in this subpart have been simplified for ease of use and may omit certain caveats, exceptions, or special circumstances.
503.51 General Writing Guidelines
A. General Instructions (1) NRCS directives must be written in a clear, direct, and concise manner, while maintaining the level of precision necessary to ensure that tasks and procedures can be implemented as intended. NRCS directives should be authoritative in tone, but not needlessly wordy, officious, bureaucratic, or dense. (2) Although most materials are written in third person, this is not a requirement. First person (“I” or “we”) or second person (“you”) may sometimes be appropriate (e.g., to establish a direct rapport with the reader or to avoid unnecessarily convoluted language). Use whichever alternative is most effective in conveying the information. See the “Use pronouns to speak directly to readers” discussion in section III2 of the Federal Plain Language Guidelines for examples of effective use of first and second person in directives.
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(3) Use the present tense whenever possible. Present tense is clearer and more direct than conditional or future tense. Figure 503-F1: Recommended Use of Tense
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This document describes styles of writing that This document describes how to write will satisfy the requirements of NRCS as they directives that meet NRCS stylistic would apply to writing directives. requirements.
B. Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation Except as specified in this manual, comply with the rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation found in the GPO Style Manual. For words not listed in chapter 5 of the GPO Style Manual, use the spelling in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. In the event of a discrepancy between the two dictionaries, use the spelling in Webster’s Third. Be aware that in many cases, the GPO Style Manual specifies a spelling that differs from that in Webster’s. Note: Do not rely on the spelling and grammar checker in word processing software. The dictionary and thesaurus built into MicroSoft Word and similar software may differ significantly from GPO rules. C. Use of Plain Language (1) What is “Plain Language”? (i) At its most basic level, plain language simply means to write in such a way that readers are able to find the information they need and understand what they read. Thus, plain language is more than simply writing clearly. It also includes organizing content so the reader can quickly and easily find the information sought. (ii) Using plain language does not mean that writers should be overly casual, simplistic, or inexact; rather, it means writing so the reader can easily access and understand the document. (2) Here are some keys to writing in plain language (see the Federal Plain Language Guidelines for more information): (i) Identify your target audience and secondary audiences, and think about your audience as you write. • Who are you writing for? • What information do they need? • What information do you want to convey? • Don’t forget about your secondary audiences as you write. Although your document may be intended for a specific audience, others will probably need to refer to it from time to time. (ii) Be as Simple as Possible.—The typical American newspaper is written at an eighth grade level, yet it still manages to address issues of great complexity and significance. Complex subjects usually don’t require complex language, but rather the opposite! • Be concise, direct, and simple. Nothing is as confusing as a long, wordy sentence, containing multiple phrases and clauses. • The words you use should serve to clarify meaning, not obscure it. Be consistent in the terms you use when referring to a particular concept or object (e.g., don’t refer to something as “a river” in one paragraph and “a waterway” in the next). • Avoid words that are archaic, foreign, legalistic, or technical.
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(iii) Group Information in a Meaningful Way.—Organize your information into logical groupings to help your readers find what they’re looking for. People look for patterns and expect to find related pieces of information grouped together. • Start with general information first and put exceptions, conditions, and specialized information later. Information considered essential to emphasize can be rephrased and placed after the term “Note:” at the end of a section. • If explaining a process, a chronological order may be best. Explain what must be done, one step at a time, in order. • If you have information that is only relevant to a particular portion of your audience, consider putting it all in one place. This saves readers from having to hunt through an entire document for information relevant to them. (iv) Avoid Jargon.—Although many people associate jargon with obscure technical terminology, they’re not necessarily the same thing. Sometimes technical terms are necessary to clearly express an idea. Technical terms become jargon when they are unnecessary or cloud comprehension. Moreover, nontechnical terminology can also become jargon if it is used to form unnecessarily complicated language just for the sake of sounding weighty or impressive (e.g., saying “apply pressure to symbol-coded push buttons on the alphanumeric input device” instead of “type on the keyboard”). D. Gender-Neutral Phrasing (1) Use gender-neutral phrasing as much as possible without impeding clarity, except as follows: (i) When referring to a specific person of known gender (e.g., “Mrs. Robinson”) or a title or position that could only be held by a member of one sex (e.g., “mother,” “king,” “son,” etc.). (ii) When necessary to convey relevant information (e.g., whether a farmer is male or female is generally not relevant in most situations; it may, however, be relevant if the discussion is about a program open only to female farmers). (2) Use of the phrases “he or she,” “his or her,” and similar constructions (but not he/she or s/he) is acceptable, but structure sentences to avoid excessive repetition (e.g., instead of saying “If an employee believes he or she will be late, he or she should contact his or her supervisor,” say “If an employee expects to be late, that person should contact his or her supervisor”). Note: The words “they” and “their” are plural, and should not be used as gender-neutral alternatives to the singular words “he,” “she,” “his,” and “her.” (3) Do not create artificial gender-neutral word constructions (e.g., by substituting the term “person” for “man”). (i) Instead, attempt to find a gender-neutral term that means the same thing (e.g., instead of changing “man-made” into “person-made,” use “artificial” or “constructed”). (ii) It may be necessary to rephrase a sentence in order to achieve a gender-neutral construction that is not awkward. (4) Use gender-neutral phrasing when referring to groups or categories of people, unless gender is relevant to the discussion at hand. Combined forms (e.g., “men and women”) are acceptable, but should be used with caution: (i) Although combined forms are appropriate for referring to most groups of people, they must not be blindly applied. For example, it would be incorrect to refer to “the men and women of the New York Athletic Club in 1979” because women were not allowed to join that organization until 1987. (ii) Do not assume that just because a group’s name hints at gender exclusion, such is the case. For example, a combined form would be appropriate to refer to the members of the group “Mothers Against Drunk Driving,” which, despite its name, accepts both male and female members. (120-503-M, 1st Ed., Amend. 2, Nov 2017) 503-F.3
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E. Common Pitfalls (1) Undefined and Excessively Defined Abbreviations and Acronyms.—Spell out initialisms (abbreviations pronounced letter by letter, such as EPA) and acronyms (initialisms that are pronounced as a word, such as ROD (short for “record of decision”)) the first time they are used in a directive. For directives with multiple parts and subparts, spell out an initialism or acronym the first time it is used in each subpart. See section 503.53 for exceptions. Figure 503-F2: Incorrect and Correct Use of Acronyms and Initialisms
On First Reference Don’t Say Say
Coordinate ROD publication with EPA. Coordinate record of decision (ROD) publication with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
On Subsequent References Don’t Say Say
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the FSA and EPA are the proponent agencies. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are the proponent agencies.
(2) Excessive Capitalization.—Only proper nouns and those words indicated in the GPO Style Manual or this subpart should be capitalized. See section 503.56 of this manual for guidance on capitalizing job titles and section 503.57 for guidance on capitalizing words in headings. Figure 503-F3: Excessive Capitalization
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Each State Office must transmit its Plan to Each State office must transmit its plan to the National Program Manager, as specified the national program manager, as specified by Agency directives. by agency directives.
(3) Passive Voice.—Passive voice changes sentence structure to focus attention on the recipient of an action or to eliminate the need to identify the agent of an action. For example, changing the sentence “Jane wrote the book” to “The book was written by Jane” refocuses attention onto the recipient of the action, in this case “the book.” While use passive voice may occasionally be appropriate, it usually sounds weak or even evasive (“mistakes were made”) and should generally be avoided. Figure 503-F4: Passive Voice and Active Voice
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Program rules will be enforced. Field offices will enforce program rules.
(4) Noun Strings.—Noun strings (or adjective-noun strings) are groups of words stacked up to modify a single word. The longer the string is, the longer it takes the reader to figure it out. Although noun strings are common in government writing, that doesn’t make them good professional style, and they should be avoided. Use prepositions to eliminate noun strings.
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Figure 503-F5: Noun Strings
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The employee compensation level Procedures for evaluating the compensation evaluation procedures are in place. level of employees are in place.
(5) Shall, Must, and Will.—Although the word “shall” is often encountered in government writing, it should be avoided when preparing directives. “Shall” can mean either “must” (a required act) or “will” (an event that is to occur in the future). To avoid ambiguity, use either “must” or “will” (depending upon intended meaning) instead of “shall.” See section 503.61 for more detailed guidance. Figure 503-F6: Shall Versus Must and Will
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Authors shall comply with the GPO Style Authors must comply with the GPO Style Manual, which shall be distributed today. Manual, which will be distributed today.
(6) Excessive Cross-References.—Cross-references should be provided to direct the reader to sources of relevant additional information. They become excessive when the sources to which they point duplicate the information already provided or are irrelevant. If the purpose of a cross-reference is unclear, it should be followed by a brief description of what the reader will find if he or she follows the cross-reference. Be especially wary of endless cross-references (i.e., a cross-reference that leads to another cross-reference that leads to yet another cross- reference, and so on) and circular cross-references (i.e., a cross-reference that leads to text that then directs the reader back to the original directive). Figure 503-F7: Excessive Cross-References
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Designated personnel (section 144.2) must In accordance with 47 U.S.C. Section 544a, comply with document encryption (section designated personnel must comply with 141.24) requirements, in accordance with 47 document encryption requirements. (See U.S.C. Section 544a. See section 141.1 for section 144.2 of this manual for a list of definitions of documents. designated personnel.)
(7) Unnecessary Repetition.—Writing that contains strings of words that mean essentially the same thing serves only to take up space and make the text in question sound weighty. Figure 503-F8: Unnecessary Repetition
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Do not use words that are dull, tedious, or Do not use boring words. otherwise boring. even better: Use interesting words.
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(8) Inconsistent Terminology.—Using different words to refer to the same thing can confuse a reader. Even when the words are synonyms, readers may wonder if there might be some subtle difference in the intended meaning. This problem is most likely to come up when multiple authors contribute different portions of a particular document. Figure 503-F9: Inconsistent Terminology
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The waterway is open to recreational The river is open to recreational boating, but boating, but only licensed watercraft only licensed boat operators may use the operators may use the river. river. even better: Recreational boating is permitted on the river, but boat operators must be licensed.
(9) Slashes.—Slashes are usually either used as a substitute for the words “and,” “or,” “per,” or as a substitute for a hyphen to join equal or like terms. Instead of saying “this/that,” say “this and that,” “this or that,” “this per that,” or “this-that,” as appropriate. Except to express fractions, provide internet addresses, and perform similar functions, slashes should not be used. Figure 503-F10: Alternatives to Slashes
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The owner/operator must report his/her The owner and operator must report his or yield/acre as part of the income/expense her yield per acre as part of the income- ratio. expense ratio.
(10) And/Or.—Do not use the “and/or” combination. This is imprecise and usually indicates that the writer isn’t sure what he or she means. Select one or the other. In those few cases where you truly mean both “and” and “or,” write out “either this, that, or both.” Suggestion: Read the sentence using only the word “and” and then again using only the word “or.” Chances are you’ll realize that one or the other doesn’t apply. Figure 503-F11: Alternatives to “And/Or”
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The applicant and/or the applicant’s spouse The applicant, the applicant’s spouse, or must sign the contract. both must sign the contract. The applicant and/or the applicant’s partners The applicant and the applicant’s partners must sign the contract. must sign the contract. The applicant and/or the applicant’s The applicant or the applicant’s authorized authorized representative must sign the representative must sign the contract. contract.
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(11) Mixing Topics or Subjects.—Addressing more than one topic in the same paragraph can create confusion, even when the topics are related. Address one subject per paragraph or section. Figure 503-F12: Mixed-Topic Paragraph
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A. The public must be notified of A. Bid advertisements must be published at impending sales. Bid advertisements must be least 30 days in advance of a sale. published at least 30 days in advance of a B. The public will be notified by means of sale. Sale notices will be run in local sale notices run in local newspapers and by newspapers and descriptions of tracts will be mailing the complete text of advertisements available to prospective buyers at State to each person on the agency mailing list. offices. The complete text of advertisements will be mailed to each person on the agency C. Descriptions of tracts will be available to mailing list. prospective buyers at State offices.
(12) Nominalization.—Nominalization is the act of converting a verb or an adjective into a noun (often, but not always, by adding “-tion,” “-ment,” “-sion,” or “-ance” to a verb). This often has the effect of making a sentence longer, more convoluted, and weaker. Figure 503-F13: Nominalization
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This directive gives instruction for the This directive instructs writers on how to preparation of documents by writers. prepare documents.
(13) Indefinite Plural(s).—Although putting the letter “s” in parentheses to indicate that a word may be singular or plural is permissible, avoid doing so if possible. The preferred method is to use the plural word form unless it is truly necessary to specify that the word could be singular or plural. If that is the case, the form “word or words” is preferred over “word(s).” Figure 503-F14: Indefinite Plurals
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The participant(s) must ensure their farm(s) The participants must ensure their farm or comply with the applicable law(s). farms comply with the applicable laws.
503.52 Citations and Cross-References
A. General Guidance (1) When a cross-reference or citation is used, it should be placed immediately following the item to which it is related. If the reference relates to an entire sentence, place it at the end of the sentence. If it refers to an entire paragraph, place it at the end of the paragraph. (2) Placement Relative to Punctuation (i) A cross-reference in parentheses at the end of a sentence is placed before the period, unless it is a complete sentence in itself. (Exception: If a sentence contains more than one
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parenthetic reference, all are placed before the period, even if they constitute complete sentences.) See rules 8.100 and 8.101 in the GPO Style Manual for examples. (ii) When a reference constitutes the only sentence in a paragraph, it should not be enclosed by parentheses. (3) The word “see” should be used when the referenced text contains amplifying information the reader may wish to review (for the sake of brevity and consistency, the word “see” is preferred over other forms, such as “refer to,” etc.). (i) If it isn’t clear what information the reader will find if he or she looks up the cross- reference, a brief explanation of what will be found should follow the cross-reference (e.g., “see section 123.4 of this manual for a list of participating organizations”). (ii) Cross-references that are merely citations for quoted text or sources of authority should not be preceded by the word “see.” B. U.S. Code and Code of Federal Regulations (1) General Rules (i) To refer to a codification, give the title number, codification abbreviation (either U.S.C. or CFR, as appropriate), and subdivision. (ii) Although numbers are normally spelled out when they are the first word in a sentence, it is permissible to begin a sentence with a codification, but avoid placing a cross-reference at the start of a sentence if possible. (2) The date of the codification may be added in parentheses, but should only be used when necessary to refer to an earlier version of a code that has since been amended or repealed or when it is otherwise essential to specify the date of the codification. Figure 503-F15: Use of Date When Cross-Referencing a Codification
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21 U.S.C. Section 23, “Penalties,” 1908 21 U.S.C. Section 23, “Penalties” (1908) 17 CFR Parts 9 to 11 (dated 2002) 17 CFR Parts 9 to 11 (2002)
(3) The heading of the code or subdivision should not be included unless necessary for clarity. (Exception: in lists of references, if one item in the list includes a subdivision heading, all items should.) If headings are used, they should be enclosed in quotation marks (see rules 3.40 and 8.133 in the GPO Style Manual for detailed instructions on what items should be capitalized and placed in quotation marks) Figure 503-F16: Use of Headings When Cross-Referencing a Codification
Don’t 13 U.S.C. Chapter 3, Collection and Publication of Statistics Say 13 U.S.C. Section 45, Simultaneous Publication of Cotton Reports (1954) 7 CFR Part 614 (NRCS Appeals Procedures)
Say 13 U.S.C. Chapter 3, “Collection and Publication of Statistics” 13 U.S.C. Section 45, “Simultaneous Publication of Cotton Reports” (1954) 7 CFR Part 614, “NRCS Appeals Procedures”
(4) Cross-Referencing Subdivisions
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(i) Only capitalize subdivisions that are immediately preceded by the terms “U.S.C.” or “CFR.” (ii) Always spell out the words “chapter,” “subchapter,” “part,” “subpart,” and “section” unless they appear within parentheses, brackets, footnotes, sidenotes, or tables and are followed by numbers, letters, or Roman numerals (rule 9.38 in the GPO Style Manual). Do not use the “§” symbol in place of the word “section.” Figure 503-F17: Examples of Cross-References
Within the main body of text: 7 CFR Part 11 26 U.S.C. Chapter 61, Subchapter F subchapter F of 26 U.S.C. Chapter 61 But within parentheses, brackets, footnotes, sidenotes, or tables: (7 CFR Pt. 11) (26 U.S.C. Ch. 61, Subch. F) 7 As described in subch. F of 26 U.S.C. Ch. 61
(iii) When specifying a range, use the words “to,” “through,” and “and” to connect subdivisions. Although either “to” or “through” is acceptable, “to” is preferred for the sake of brevity. In either case, be consistent as to which word is used. Figure 503-F18: Specifying a Range in Cross-References
16 U.S.C. Sections 3801 to 3824 16 U.S.C. Sections 3801, 3803, and 3820 26 U.S.C. Chapter 61 and Section 6503.2 26 U.S.C. Subtitle B; Chapter 61, Subchapter F; and Section 6503.2 26 U.S.C. Chapter 61, Subchapters A to C and E to G
(iv) When referencing multiple parts, subparts, or sections of the same title, only use the Latin abbreviation “et seq.” (meaning “and following”) if more than three nonsequential subdivisions are referenced. Do not italicize (rule 11.3 in the GPO Style Manual). Note: there is no period following the word “et” in “et seq.” Figure 503-F19: Use of “et seq.” in Cross-References
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16 U.S.C. Section 3801 et. seq. 16 U.S.C. Section 3801 et seq. 26 U.S.C. Chapter 6, Subchapter B et. seq. 26 U.S.C. Chapter 6, Subchapter B, et seq. 3 CFR Part 2 et. seq. 3 CFR Part 2 et seq.
(v) Close up numbers or letters in parentheses that follow section numbers or letters.
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Figure 503-F20: Closing Up Numbers or Letters
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25 U.S.C. Section 115 (a) (4) (C) (ii) 25 U.S.C. Section 115(a)(4)(C)(ii) 3 CFR Section 2 (a) to (c) 3 CFR Section 2(a) to (c)
(vi) When referencing codifications, do not include higher level divisions (chapters, subchapters, parts, and subparts) unless necessary to differentiate between two sections with identical numbers or letters. C. Public Laws (1) General Rules (i) When referring to a public law, cite the name of the act (with or without indicating the year it was enacted), the public law number, or both. (ii) It is not necessary to include the year of the act unless omitting it would cause confusion. When including both the name of the act and the public law number, place the name of the act after the law number. (iii) If a public law has been changed since it was originally passed, the words “as amended” should be added at the end. (iv) If a public law has a common name that differs from its official title or it has a commonly used abbreviation, the common name or abbreviation may be included in parentheses if doing so will help avoid confusion. The common name or abbreviation may then be used on subsequent references. (v) Do not abbreviate the words “Public Law.” (vi) Cross-Referencing Subdivisions.—Except as noted below, follow the guidance in section 503.52B(4) when cross-referencing subdivisions of a public law. • The preferred method for referencing subdivisions of public laws is to place the subdivision before the name of the act or public law number. It is also acceptable to place the subdivision after the public law number, but if this is done, the name of the act should not be used. • Only capitalize subdivisions that are immediately preceded by the public law number. Figure 503-F21: Example Cross-References to a Public Law
the National Environmental Policy Act the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended Public Law 91-190 Public Law 91-190, as amended Public Law 91-190, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended section 1 of Public Law 91-190, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 Public Law 91-190 Section 1 the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill)
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the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA)
(2) On second and subsequent references, it is acceptable to abbreviate the name of an act, if doing so will not create confusion. (3) When the name of an act or a public law number functions as an adjective or when using an abbreviation, it is not necessary to include the phrase “as amended” unless omitting the phrase would create confusion. Figure 503-F22: Cross-Referencing Public Laws as Adjectives and Nouns
Use as an Adjective Use as a Noun Use of Abbreviation
Comply with Public Law 91- Comply with the requirements of N/A 190 requirements. Public Law 91-190, as amended.
Be precise when formulating The National Environmental NEPA requires precisely National Environmental Policy Act, as amended, requires formulated reports. Policy Act reports. precisely formulated reports.
D. Executive Orders (1) When cross-referencing an Executive order, you may cite the order number, with or without its name. When including both the order number and name, place the order number before the name. (2) The date of an Executive order is not normally included, but may be added in parentheses if necessary for clarity. (3) If an Executive order has a common name that differs from its official title or a commonly used abbreviation, it may be included in parentheses as an aid to the reader. (4) Cross-Referencing Subdivisions.—Except as noted below, follow the guidance in section 503.52B(4) when cross-referencing subdivisions of an Executive order. (i) The preferred method for referencing subdivisions of Executive orders is to place the subdivision before the order number. It is also acceptable to place the subdivision after the order law number, but if this is done, the name of the order should not be used. (ii) Only capitalize subdivisions that are immediately preceded by the Executive order number. (5) Do not abbreviate the words “Executive order.” Note: When referring to Executive orders generically, the letter “O” in the word “order” is lowercase; when the word “order” is followed by the specific order number, capitalize the “O.” Figure 503-F23: Example Cross-References to Executive Orders
Executive Order 13454 Executive Order 13454, Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay (January 4, 2008) section 5(b) of Executive Order 13454, Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay Executive Order 13454 Section 5(b) an Executive order, number 13454, was issued on January 4, 2008
E. NRCS Directives and USDA Departmental Directives.—References to NRCS and departmental directives may use either the long format or the short format. The long format is to be used on first
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Title 120 – National Directives Management Manual reference to a directive. If the short format will be used in subsequent references, it must be specified in parentheses. Thereafter, the short format may be used. It is permissible to use the long format throughout a directive if the audience is likely to be unfamiliar with NRCS directives. In figures and footnotes, it is permissible to use the short format without first using the long format if necessary due to space restrictions. (1) General Manual, Manuals, and Handbooks (i) Long Format.—Use the word “Title” followed by the title number and name of the directive. Follow the guidance in section 503.52B(4) when cross-referencing subdivisions. (ii) Short Format.—Use the title number, followed by the abbreviation for the name of the directive, with a hyphen connecting the two. When referencing subdivisions, append the part number, subpart letter, and section number, all separated by hyphens. (iii) When referring a directive within itself, the phrase “this [manual, handbook, directive, etc.]” should be used for both first reference and subsequent references. (iv) State-Level Directives • State general manual, State manuals, and State handbooks follow the same format as national directives, except that the word “national” is replaced by the name of the State. • References to State supplements to manuals, handbooks, and the general manual follow the same format as national directives, except that the State’s two-letter prefix must be included as described in subpart C, section 503.21. Figure 503-F24: Cross-References to the General Manual, Manuals, and Handbooks
Long Format Title 120, General Manual, “Administrative Services” Title 210, National Engineering Handbook, Part 623 Title 440, Conservation Programs Manual, Part 512, Subpart I, Section 512.80, “General” Title 180, National Planning Procedures Handbook, Part 600, Subpart B, Section SC600.20 Title OH120, Ohio General Manual, Part 403, Subpart A, Section OH403.8C(1)
Short Format 120-GM 210-NEH-623 440-CPM-512-I-512.80 180-NPPH-600-B-SC600.20 OH120-OHGM-403-A-OH403.8C(1) (2) National Instructions (i) Long Format.—To refer to a national instruction, use the words “National Instruction” followed by the title number, part number, subpart letter, and section number, each of which is connected by hyphens. (ii) Short Format.—Same as the long format, except that the type of directive is abbreviated and connected to the title number by a hyphen. (iii) When referring a national instruction within itself, the phrase “this [manual, handbook, directive, etc.]” should be used for both first reference and subsequent references.
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(iv) State Supplements to National Instructions.—When issued, State supplements will be titled “[Name of State] Supplement to National Instruction [Title Number]-[Part Number]” (e.g., “Texas Supplement to National Instruction 120-300”). (v) State Instructions.—When issued, State instructions will be titled “[Name of State] Instruction [Title Number]-[Part Number]” (e.g., “Nebraska Instruction 120-380”). Figure 503-F25: Cross-Referencing State and National Instructions
Long Format Short Format
National Instruction 120-305, “Processing Forms” NI 120-305 National Instruction 260-302-D-302.32, “Waivers” NI 260-302-D-302.32 National Instruction 250-306-306.0, “Purpose” NI 250-306-306.0 Virginia Instruction 120-390, “Administration” VAI 120-390
Note: Most national instructions are not divided into subparts; if this is the case, simply omit the subpart letter. (3) Bulletins and User Guides (i) Long Format.—References to a national bulletin or user guide should be formatted as follows: [Type of Directive] [title number]-[fiscal year]-[sequence number], “[title of the bulletin].” • For years 2009 and earlier, the fiscal year is a single digit. • For years 2010 and after, the fiscal year is two digits. (ii) Short Format.—Same as first reference, except the type of directive is abbreviated and connected to the title number by a hyphen. Figure 503-F26: Styles of Cross-Referencing Bulletins and User Guides
Long Format Short Format
National Bulletin 110-9-1, “Audit Training” NB 110-9-1 User Guide 210-15-5 UG 210-15-5 (4) Technical Notes and Technical Releases (i) Long Format.—Technical notes use the type of directive followed by the title number, subject code, and sequential number, connected by hyphens. Technical releases use the same format, but omit the subject code, since they all fall within title 210. (ii) Short Format.—Same as the long format, except that the type of directive is abbreviated and connected to the title number by a hyphen. Figure 503-F27: Styles of Cross-Referencing Technical Notes and Technical Releases
Long Format Short Format
Technical Note 190-SQA-5, “Herbicides” TN 190-SQA-5 Technical Release 210-74, “Lateral Earth Pressures” TR 210-74 (5) USDA Departmental Directives
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(i) Long Format.—To refer to a USDA departmental directive, use the directive series designator and number. To refer to a subdivision of a departmental directive, use the conventions found in DM 0100-001, Section 5. (ii) Short Format.—Same as the long format, except the type of directive is abbreviated. Figure 503-F28: Cross-Referencing USDA Departmental Directives
Long Format Short Format
Departmental Manual 3575-000, “Security Controls” DM 3575-000 Departmental Regulation 0100-001, Section 7, “Forms” DR 0100-001, Section 7
F. Directives of Other Agencies and Departments (1) If an agency or Department has a standardized format for referencing its directives, use that format and specify the abbreviation in parentheses unless using the agency’s abbreviation scheme would create confusion (e.g., if the agency’s abbreviation duplicates an identical abbreviation already in use by NRCS with a different meaning). For example, the U.S. Department of State abbreviates volume 3, handbook 1, of its Foreign Affairs Handbook (the “Personnel Operations Handbook”) as “3 FAH-1,” which differs from the NRCS convention of putting the series number after the directive type. Thus, the directive would be referred to as the “Foreign Affairs Handbook Volume 3, Handbook 1, ‘Personnel Operations Handbook’ (3 FAH-1)” on first reference and simply “3 FAH-1” on second and subsequent references. (2) If the agency or Department does not have a standardized format for referencing its directives, or use of that format would create confusion, use the type of directive (with abbreviation specified in parentheses if publications of the type will be referenced again), number, and title the first time the directive is referenced. (i) When abbreviating a directive type, use the abbreviation used by the agency in question whenever possible. (ii) If necessary to avoid confusion between Departments or agencies that use identical types of directives or directive types that are ambiguous as to the Department or agency, include the name of the Department or agency before the directive type and abbreviated directive type. (3) To refer to a subdivision of a directive, add the relevant subdivision using the conventions specified in section 503.52E(1)(iii) of this manual. Figure 503-F29: Cross-References to Other Agencies’ Directives
Long Format Short Format
Air Force Instruction 32-7001, “Environmental Budgeting” AFI 32-7001 Department of Defense Directive 1342.7 DODD 1342.7 Department of the Interior (DOI) Department Manual 451, “Claims” DOI DM 451 G. Forms.—References to forms may use either the long format or the short format. The long format is to be used on first reference to a form. If the short format will be used in subsequent references, it must be specified in parentheses. Thereafter, the short format may be used. In figures and footnotes, it is permissible to use the short format without first using the long format if necessary due to space restrictions.
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(1) Long Format.—When referring to forms, use the word “Form,” followed by the complete form series, number, and name on first reference. (2) Short Format.—Refer to the form by series and number or by name, but not both (form series and number is the preferred method, but if doing so would create confusion, use of the form name is acceptable). Be consistent in whether you refer to forms by name or number on second and subsequent reference (that is, don’t switch between referring to a form by name and referring to it by number). (3) Do not include the form revision number unless necessary to designate a specific version (revision) of a form. If referencing a specific version, place the word “revision” and the revision date or number exactly as it appears on the form in parentheses after the form name (or form number, if the form name isn’t used). Note: Do not use the word “Form” in front of form series that includes the word “Form” as part of the series designator. This includes the designators SF (for Standard Form) and OF (for Optional Form). When referring to such forms, spell out the series designator the first time it is used, giving the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter use only the abbreviation. Figure 503-F30: Cross-Referencing Forms
Long Format Short Format
Standard Form (SF) 50, “Notice of Personnel Action” SF-50 -or- “Notice of Personnel Action” form Form ADS-017, “Directives Clearance” Form ADS-017 -or- “Directives Clearance” form
503.53 Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms
A. Initialisms are abbreviations pronounced letter by letter, such as NRCS, and acronyms are initialisms pronounced as a word, such as RAM. Except as noted in paragraph C, initialisms and acronyms must be spelled out the first time they are used in a given directive, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. For directives with multiple subparts, an initialism or acronym should be defined the first time each is used in each subpart. Exceptions: (i) When abbreviating the names of organizations, it is not necessary to spell out the meaning of an abbreviation if the full name is already spelled out in the letterhead or document header. (ii) Do not capitalize or spell out the meaning of an acronym if the acronym has entered the general English vocabulary as a word in its own right (e.g., “radar,” which originally stood for “radio detection and ranging”). (iii) Do not spell out the meaning of abbreviations in mailing addresses. B. As a general guide, the principle words in the spelled out forms of acronyms and other initialisms should be capitalized if the term is the name of a unique object, individual, organization, etc. Initialisms representing other terms follow the normal rules of capitalization. Hint: if a term would only be preceded with the definite article (“the”), it probably should be capitalized (e.g., “the Farm Service Agency (FSA),” “the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),” etc.); if the term could be preceded by either the definite or indefinite article (“the,” “a,” or “an”), it probably should not be
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• According to the NRCS Chief, the practice is permitted. (Used as an adjective modifying a unique position) F. For directives that use a large number of acronyms, initialisms, or other abbreviations, or that use them in widely scattered areas of a lengthy directive, the recommended practice is to include a definitions section. G. When using abbreviations, use the forms listed in chapter 9 of the GPO Style Manual. Avoid using Latin abbreviations as much as possible, but where their use is necessary, use the abbreviations in section 9.63 of the GPO Style Manual. It is not necessary to define abbreviations other than acronyms and initialisms unless their meaning is unclear.
503.54 Lists
A. Lists may be either inline (i.e., written as a normal sentence) or vertical. B. Lists should be preceded by either a lead-in phrase or an introductory sentence. An introductory sentence should indicate whether the items in the accompanying list are optional (“may include,” “options are,” “any of the following,” etc.) or mandatory (“must include,” “all of the following,” etc.). C. Vertical Lists (1) When an introductory phrase reads into the list items that follow and indicates repetition of the introductory phrase for each list item, it ends with an em dash (rule 8.68 in the GPO Style Manual). Otherwise, it should normally end in a colon. Figure 503-F31: Vertical List with a Lead-In Phrase
When returning an item, you must— • Contact the service department and obtain a return authorization number. Returns received without an authorization number will be subject to a restocking fee. • Use delivery confirmation when returning the package. We are not responsible for items lost in transit. We recommend that insurance be purchased when sending high-value items. • Return the item in unopened condition.
(2) List items must be bulleted, numbered, or lettered in accordance with the standard document format, depending on the level at which they appear. See section 503.57A for more information on how documents are formatted. (3) Items in a vertical list should end in either a period (if they are independent clauses) or no punctuation (if they are word groupings or short phrases that do not constitute independent clauses). If punctuation is used for any item in the list, it must be used for all items. Note: When a list item is preceded by an introductory phrase that ends in an em dash, the introductory phrase is considered part of the list item for the purpose of determining whether or not to use punctuation (thus, if the list item forms an independent clause when combined with the introductory phrase, use punctuation at the end of the list item). If the introductory phrase ends with any other form of punctuation (such as a colon), it is not considered part of the list item. (4) For lists that contain a mixture of complete sentences and word items, use good judgment based on typographical appearance, clarity, and consistency when deciding whether or not to
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end a list item with punctuation. If possible, rewrite list items in such a manner that either all items are independent clauses or none are. (5) Avoid the practice of using vertical lists that incorporate punctuation and conjunctions. Figure 503-F32: Punctuation in Vertical List Formats
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Include the following in the application: Include the following in the application: • Applicant’s resume; • Applicant’s resume • Position description; and • Position description • Last supervisor’s contact • Last supervisor’s contact information. information
D. Inline Lists (1) Separate items in a list by commas. (Exception: If one or more of the list items contains a comma as part of the list item, separate the list items with semicolons.) Figure 503-F33: Use of Commas and Semicolons in a List
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The towns of Elkridge, MD, Leesville, LA, The towns of Elkridge, MD; Leesville, LA; and Bentleyville, PA, are eligible. and Bentleyville, PA, are eligible.
(2) Do not number items in an inline list unless you are ranking the items or indicating a sequence of steps or events. Figure 503-F34: Inline List Not Indicating a Sequence of Steps or Ranking Items
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Packages submitted for this position may Packages submitted for this position may include: (1) letters of recommendation, (2) include letters of recommendation, examples of previous work, and (3) awards. examples of previous work, and awards.
Figure 503-F35: Example Inline Lists Indicating a Sequence of Steps or Ranking Items
Sequence of steps When requesting reconsideration, (1) notify the board that you intend to request reconsideration, (2) send a written request for reconsideration within 30 days, and (3) notify the board by telephone once the request has been sent. Ranking items The entries were ranked as follows: (1) “A Day in the Life,” by Jane Doe; (2) “My Struggle With Pencil Sharpeners,” by Joe Sixpack; and (3) “Death to the Republic,” by John Q. Citizen.
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503.55 Internet Addresses
A. Web Pages (1) When referencing a World Wide Web page, give the full web address, including the prefix (usually http:// or https://). Figure 503-F36: Internet Addresses
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www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/ http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/ wta.nfc.usda.gov/usda/ https://wta.nfc.usda.gov/usda/ ftp.blm.gov/pub/gis/index.html ftp://ftp.blm.gov/pub/gis/index.html
(2) If possible, structure text so that the entire web address appears on one line. If a line break is unavoidable, do not hyphenate, as the hyphen might be misinterpreted as being part of the web address itself. (3) For clarity, avoid using extremely lengthy or complex web addresses, as they can be confusing and prone to errors. Instead, supply the base web address and then provide the user with additional information or instructions. Figure 503-F37: Excessively Long Web Address
Don’t To access 2 U.S.C. Section 661 online, visit http://frwebgate5.access.gpo.gov/cgi Say -bin/TEXTgate.cgi?WAISdocID=94971643984+0+1+0 &WAISaction=retrieve.
Say To access 2 U.S.C. Section 661 online, visit http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/ and type “2USC661” in the search field.
B. Email Addresses Whenever possible, structure text so that the entire email address appears on one line. If a line break occurs in the middle of an email address, do not hyphenate it, as the hyphen may be misinterpreted as being part of the actual address.
503.56 Position Titles
A. Most titles are capitalized when they appear immediately before an individual’s name but are lowercase when the title appears alone or after a person’s name. In accordance with rule 3.37 in the GPO Style Manual, the following titles are always capitalized: (1) President, Vice President (of the United States) (2) Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary (of a U.S. Government Department) (3) Chief, Associate Chief (of NRCS) B. Capitalize the “Acting” versions of these position titles as well. C. Exceptions (1) Capitalize a title if it immediately precedes a capitalized formal organizational name, with only a comma separating the two elements of the sentence. Figure 503-F38: When to Capitalize a Title With an Organizational Name (120-503-M, 1st Ed., Amend. 2, Nov 2017) 503-F.19
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Director, Compliance Division Compliance Division director director, compliance functional area director of the Compliance Division
(2) Always capitalize titles when they are used as part of a signature block or mailing address (rule 3.59 in the GPO Style Manual). (3) In vertical lists of titles, if one item is capitalized, all will be. Follow normal capitalization rules for titles that appear incidentally in vertical lists, but which are not lists of titles per se. For inline (nonvertical) lists, follow normal capitalization rules for titles. Figure 503-F39: Three Examples of Titles in a List
Inline list of titles Chief, regional conservationist, State conservationist, and administrative officer
Vertical list of titles • Chief • Regional Conservationist • State Conservationist • Administrative Officer
Titles used incidentally in a vertical list • The administrative officer will file the report. • The State conservationist will review the report. • The regional conservationist will sign the report. • The Chief will approve the report.
503.57 Directive Headings and Format
A. Permanent Directives (1) Section Numbers (i) The first section in a part will be numbered with the part number, followed by a decimal, followed by the number zero (e.g., 123.0). Following sections are numbered sequentially until the end of the subpart is reached. (ii) After the first subpart, the first section in each subsequent subpart is numbered with the part number, followed by a decimal, followed by the next number in the “ten” position immediately higher than the last section number in the previous subpart. (e.g., if the last section in subpart A is 123.12, the first section in subpart B would be 123.20). (2) Paragraph and Outline Numbering (i) The NRCS general manual, national instructions, manuals, and handbooks are organized in accordance with the format indicated in figure 503-F40. (See subpart H for templates.) Figure 503-F40: Permanent Directive Format
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Part XXX – Part Heading
Subpart X – Subpart Heading
XXX.X Section Heading
A. First Level (1) Second Level (i) Third Level • Fourth Level - Fifth Level -- Sixth Level -- Sixth Level - Fifth Level • Fourth Level (ii) Third Level (2) Second Level B. First Level
Note: This sequence differs from the sequence described in rule 8.112 of the GPO Style Manual. (ii) Stand-alone paragraphs, subparagraphs, etc., are not lettered, numbered, or bulleted. • Thus, in order for a paragraph to be lettered “A,” there must also be a paragraph “B.” Likewise, in order for there to be a subparagraph “(1),” there must also be a subparagraph “(2).” • Treat stand-alone paragraphs as if they were lettered or numbered for purposes of determining what the next level down should be (e.g., if a paragraph would have been lettered “A” but is left unlettered because it is a stand-alone paragraph, any subparagraphs appearing under it would be numbered beginning with “(1),” “(2),” etc.) (3) Headings (i) Center Heads.—As the name implies, center heads are headings that are centered on the page. In NRCS permanent directives, center heads are used for the headings of parts and subparts. Comply with the following rules when capitalizing words in center headings (see rules 3.50 to 3.58 in chapter 3 of the GPO Style Manual for more detailed guidance, exceptions, and examples): • The first word is always capitalized. • Capitalize all principal words of center heads except the words “a,” “an,” “and,” “as,” “at,” “but,” “by,” “for,” “if,” “in,” “nor,” “of,” “on,” “or,” “per,” “the,” “to,” and “up.” (Exception: Capitalize the first word in an infinitive, such as “To Be.”) • Capitalize parts of compounds that would be capitalized if standing alone, except the second element of a compound numeral. • If a word that would normally be lowercase is juxtaposed with a capitalized word of like significance, it is also capitalized. • If the last word in a heading is the only word in the heading that would normally be lowercase, capitalize it. • Abbreviations, such as “etc.,” “et al.,” “et seq.,” “a.m.,” and “p.m.,” are lowercase.
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(ii) Side Heads.—A side head is a heading that is justified to the left. In NRCS permanent directives, side heads are used for the headings of sections, subsections, figures, and similar subdivisions. When a side head is used, follow the same capitalization rules as for center heads (exception: if side heads are being used to list terms where it is crucial to convey the correct use of capitalization, such as a glossary, it is not necessary to follow the capitalization rules for headings). (iii) Run-in Side Heads.—A run-in side head is a side head that is immediately followed by more text on the same line. A run-in side head ends with a period, followed by an em dash, with no spaces before or after the em dash (exception: if side heads are being used to create lists of abbreviations or acronyms, it is permissible to use an em dash without a period to avoid confusion in the proper use of punctuation). Capitalize the first word following the dash. (4) Reserved Subdivisions (i) The term “Reserved” may be used to designate parts, subparts, and sections of NRCS directives that are not used, but which the author wishes to set aside (e.g., to skip over certain section numbers so that section numbers line up with a parallel document or to reserve certain sections for future use). (ii) This should only be done when unused parts, subparts, or sections fall before others that are in use. It should not be used to reserve parts, subparts, or sections that fall at the end of a document or subdivision. (iii) It is acceptable to have multiple reserved subdivisions in a row. (5) See subpart H, section 503.70, for an example of a properly formatted permanent directive. B. Temporary Directives (National Bulletins) (1) Temporary directives (national bulletins) are formatted differently from permanent directives. (i) Do not use em dashes for the following run-in side heads, which constitute the major subdivisions of a national bulletin (use em dashes for run-in side heads below this level): • Purpose • Expiration Date • Background • Explanation • Contact (ii) Use of letters, numbers, and bullets for subparagraphs is acceptable but not required. (2) See subpart H, section 503.81, for a national bulletin example.
503.58 Fonts
A. The GPO Style Manual contains extensive guidance throughout the manual regarding the use of bold, italic, and roman typeface. In particular, chapter 11 of the manual covers the use of italics in great depth. B. Boldface (1) Bold typeface may be used to emphasize words, phrases, headings, etc. (2) Do not overuse boldface. Setting lengthy sentences and whole paragraphs in boldface dilutes its impact. Figure 503-F41: Overuse of Boldface
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received at the State office by September received at the State office by September 30; responses received after that date will 30; responses received after that date will be be rejected. rejected.
(3) Be careful to use boldface on the word you actually want to emphasize. Hint: Read the sentence out loud, placing emphasis on the bolded word. Does it communicate the idea you intended? Figure 503-F42: Incorrect and Correct Use of Boldface
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Employees must obtain parking permits. Employees must obtain parking permits.
C. Underline (1) Avoid use of underline font. (2) Instead of underline font, use italic or boldface font. D. Italics (1) Do not use italic typeface to emphasize a word or phrase (see rule 11.2 in the GPO Style Manual) unless the emphasis is in a direct quotation (see rule 11.4). (2) Do not italicize foreign words or their abbreviations. (Exception: Certain Latin words and abbreviations are italicized, but only when they appear as part of a legal citation; see rule 11.3 in the GPO Style Manual for a list.) (3) See chapter 11 of the GPO Style Manual for other rules relating to the use of italics. E. All Caps (1) Do not capitalize every letter in a word unless it is an acronym or initialism. See section III.d of the Federal Plain Language Guidelines for an explanation as to why this is an undesirable practice. (2) Use boldface for emphasis in lieu of all caps. Note: All caps (ALL CAPS) typeface is different from small caps (SMALL CAPS) typeface.
503.59 Punctuation
A. Chapter 8 of the GPO Style Manual contains extensive guidance on the use of punctuation. This section provides guidance for situations that are not covered in chapter 8 and clarifies rules that may appear ambiguous for certain situations. See the GPO Style Manual for other uses of punctuation. B. Brackets (1) Use brackets, in pairs, to indicate information that is inserted into direct quotations but was not part of the original material or is inserted into a template or example that should otherwise be copied verbatim. Do not use parentheses for this purpose. See rules 8.19 to 8.22 in the GPO Style Manual for more information. Figure 503-F43: Use of Brackets
He said, “Go there [pointing to the elevator].” “Follow steps one to five befor [sic] step six.”
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Dear [insert participant’s name here]:
(2) Do not use brackets in place of parentheses when placing parenthetical information inside other parenthetical information; instead use nested parentheses (see the example in rule 8.104 in the GPO Style Manual). Figure 503-F44: Use of Brackets vs. Nested Parentheses
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Abide by these guidelines (for more Abide by these guidelines (for more information, see chapter 3 [also see chapter information, see chapter 3 (also see chapter 9 for related exhibits]). 9 for related exhibits)).
C. Quotation Marks (1) Nested Quotation Marks Double quotation marks (“”) are normally used to quote material. If a quotation is placed within another quotation, use single quotation marks for the second quotation. Continue to alternate between single and double quotation marks if more quotations are nested further inside the second quote. (See rule 8.141 in the GPO Style Manual for an example.) (2) Computer Software (i) Place quotation marks around titles or headings users would see on the computer screen. Capitalize words as they appear on the screen. For example, if a computer program includes a screen with the words “Data Entry” across the top, it would be correct to refer to it as “the ‘Data Entry’ screen”; if a program had a screen where data was entered, but it was not labeled “Data Entry” (or if it had a different label that the author preferred not to use for whatever reason), it should be referred to as “the data entry screen.” (ii) Place selectable options in quotes if the text is literally quoting what the user would see on the computer screen. Do not place quotation marks around words that merely describe a function. For example, if a window appears with the options “Continue” and “Cancel,” and you want to user to select “Continue,” that word would be in quotation marks. (3) Forms (i) Place quotation marks around words that represent the headings of sections or blanks on forms if the text is literally quoting what a person would see on the form. Do not place quotation marks around words that merely describe the purpose of a section or blank. (ii) For example, if a form includes a section labeled “Personal Information,” it would be correct to refer to it as “the ‘Personal Information’ section”; if a form had a section where personal information was to be written, but it was not labeled “Personal Information” (or if it had a different label that the author preferred not to use for whatever reason), it should be referred to as “the personal information section.” D. Slashes Slashes should not be used except to express fractions, provide internet addresses, and in direct quotations (including headings on documents that contain slashes). See section 503.51E(9) of this subpart and section III.a.3 in the Federal Plain Language Guidelines for an explanation of why slashes should not be used. E. Periods and Colons Use one space following a colon or the punctuation at the end of a sentence. Do not double space.
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503.60 Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
A. Use the terms “note,” “caution,” and “warning” to convey the types of information indicated below: (1) Note.—Information that is considered essential to emphasize. (2) Caution.—A procedure that, if not followed correctly, could result in the damage or destruction of property, including environmental degradation or the death or injury of livestock. (3) Warning.—A procedure that, if not followed correctly, could result in the serious injury or death of a person. B. When the terms are used as interjections, comply with the following conventions: (1) The word “note,” “caution,” or “warning” should be the first word in the sentence, followed by a colon, then the information the author wants to convey. (2) Notes, cautions, and warnings may be inserted within paragraphs or as separate paragraphs in their own right. If inserted as separate paragraphs, notes, cautions, and warnings are not numbered or lettered. It is permissible but required to place a note, caution, or warning in a separate box to call the reader’s attention; if this is done for one note, caution, or warning, it must be done for all notes, cautions, and warnings within the directive. (3) Do not use more than one term per statement (do not write, “Warning/Caution,” “Note and Warning,” or some other variation). (4) The word “note,” “caution,” or “warning” should normally be placed in bold typeface, but this is not a requirement. If bold typeface is used for any note, caution, or warning, it must be used for all notes, cautions, and warnings in the document. (5) Do not combine multiple notes, cautions, or warnings. Each must be listed separately, even if this results in multiple notes, cautions, or warnings appearing one after the other. (6) In order to call the reader’s attention to the most critical information first, if notes, cautions, and warnings are listed together, warnings must always precede cautions and notes, and cautions must always precede notes. Figure 503-F45: Example Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
Note: Drafts that do not adhere to NRCS writing style will be rejected. Caution: If vegetation is not planted immediately, erosion could result. Warning: Due to the toxicity of this product, respiratory protection must be used. but: Please note that drafts that do not adhere to NRCS writing style will be rejected. I must caution you that not planting vegetation immediately could result in erosion. Due to this product’s toxicity, heed the warning to use respiratory protection when applying it.
Figure 503-F46: Incorrect and Correct Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
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Combining multiple notes Note: The form must be signed. If it is not Note: Do not accept unsigned forms; return signed, return it to the applicant. Do not accept unsigned forms to the applicant.
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forms submitted after the deadline. Note: Do not accept forms submitted after the deadline.
Combining a caution and warning Warning/Caution: Do not connect the red line Warning: Connecting the red line to the black to the black terminal. Doing so will cause a terminal could result in a serious electrical shock power surge that will destroy the equipment and to the operator. could deliver a serious electrical shock to the Caution: Connecting the red line to the black operator. terminal will cause a power surge that will destroy the equipment.
Placing notes ahead of a warning Note: Record the lot number of all chemicals Warning: Wear personal protective equipment before they are applied. while applying chemicals. Note: Coordinate the timing of chemical Note: Record the lot number of all chemicals applications with the applicant. before they are applied. Warning: Wear personal protective equipment Note: Coordinate the timing of chemical while applying chemicals. applications with the applicant.
503.61 Shall, Must, Will, May, and Should
A. Exercise care when using the words “must,” “will,” “may,” and “should.” Authors frequently substitute one word for another in the mistaken belief that they are interchangeable (especially the words “must” and “will”); they are not synonyms and must not be used interchangeably. Do not use the word “shall,” except in direct quotes. B. The words “shall,” “must,” “will,” “may,” “should,” and their negations are defined as follows: (1) Shall.—The word “shall” can mean either “must” (a required act) or “will” (an event that is to occur in the future). To avoid ambiguity, use either “must” or “will” (depending upon intended meaning) instead of “shall.” Only use the word “shall” in direct quotes. Figure 503-F47: Use of the Word “Shall” Versus “Must” and “Will”
Don’t Say Say
Plans shall include contour maps and aerial Plans must include contour maps and aerial photographs. photographs.
I shall return. I will return.
(2) Must.—Indicates a mandatory action. Do not use the word “will” to indicate a mandatory action. Likewise, avoid using the phrases “is to,” “is responsible for,” and similar constructions to indicate an action is required. Figure 503-F48: Use of the Word “Must”
Don’t Say Say
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Applicants are responsible for completing all Applicants must complete all sections of the sections of the form. form.
(3) Must Not.—Although this phrase may be used to indicate a prohibited action, the preferred form is “may not.” Writers may wish to use the phrase “must not” to emphasize the importance of not performing a particular action, but should do so sparingly. Authors must exercise care to ensure that the change in terms does not confuse the reader (see section 503.51E(8) of this subpart). Figure 503-F49: Use of the Phrase “Must Not”
Don’t Say Say
Trainees may not enter the control room Trainees may not enter the control room without permission. While in the control without permission. While in the control room they may not touch the red button room they must not touch the red button marked “self-destruct.” marked “self-destruct.”
(4) Will.—Indicates an event that is to happen in the future. It does not indicate whether such an event is mandatory, merely that it is going to occur. Do not use “will” to indicate a mandatory action. Figure 503-F50: Use of the Word “Will”
Don’t Say Say
Updated information shall appear in a Updated information will appear in a forthcoming bulletin. forthcoming bulletin. Participants will abide by all program rules Participants must abide by all program rules or their enrollment will be terminated. or their enrollment will be terminated.
(5) Will Not.—Indicates a future event that is not going to occur. It does not indicate that the action in question is prohibited. Figure 503-F51: Use of the Phrase “Will Not”
Don’t Say Say
Because she has a previous commitment, the Because she has a previous commitment, the engineer shall not be at the meeting. engineer will not be at the meeting. Employees will not park in the loading area. Employees may not park in the loading area.
(6) May.—Indicates an action that is allowed but not required. Do not use the word “can,” which indicates an action that is physically possible but might or might not be allowed. Figure 503-F52: Use of the Word “May”
Don’t Say Say
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Survey participants wishing to take the Survey participants wishing to take the survey anonymously can leave the “Contact survey anonymously may leave the “Contact Information” field blank. Information” field blank.
(7) May Not.—Indicates a prohibited action. The phrase “must not” may also be used to emphasize that an action is prohibited (see paragraph (3), above); authors must exercise care to ensure that this does not confuse the reader. Do not use the word “cannot,” which indicates an action that is not physically possible but might or might not be permitted if it were. To avoid confusion, do not use the phrase “may not” to indicate that a future event could possibly not occur; instead, use “might not.” Figure 503-F53: Use of the Phrase “May Not”
Don’t Say Say
Employees cannot park on the grass. Employees may not park on the grass.
The job selection may not be announced The job selection might not be announced until next month. until next month.
(8) Should.—Indicates a recommended action. The word “should” is preferred over such phrases as “is highly recommended,” “is strongly encouraged,” and similar constructions. Figure 503-F54: Use of the Word “Should”
Don’t Say Say
State offices are encouraged to use delivery State offices should use delivery confirmation when communicating with confirmation when communicating with program participants. program participants.
(9) Should Not.—An action that is discouraged, but not prohibited. Figure 503-F55: Use of the Phrase “Should Not”
Don’t Say Say
Visitors are discouraged from bringing food Visitors should not bring food or drink into or drink into the building. the building.
503.62 Writing Style Alphabetical Listing
A. This section contains an alphabetical listing of specific words and topics so that readers can quickly find items of interest. It also includes cross-references to entries elsewhere in this subpart. The guidance in this subpart only highlights the most frequently encountered situations and is not intended to be comprehensive. Readers should refer to the guidance elsewhere in this subpart and the current GPO Style Manual for comprehensive, indepth discussions and examples. B. Entries (printed in boldface) in this section are listed in alphabetical order.
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(1) They are written as they should appear within text with regard to spelling, capitalization, and compounding. (2) Words that are not capitalized follow the normal rules of capitalization; capitalized words should always be capitalized. C. Some entries also contain accompanying descriptive text, which may explain when and when not to use a particular word or phrase, provide examples of usage, direct the reader to a source of detailed guidance, or provide other explanatory information. Note: Always read the text accompanying the entry, as some items are listed because they should not be used in Federal writing. D. Entries (1) $—See money. (2) %—See percent. (3) &—See ampersand. (4) a.m. (before noon); p.m. (noon and after)—See rule 12.9 in the GPO Style Manual for detailed guidance. (5) abbreviations—See section 503.53 of this manual. (6) according to—Do not use the phrase “according to” as a synonym for “in accordance with,” “in keeping with,” “as specified in,” and similar expressions. Use of “according to” is acceptable when introducing paraphrased or quoted material from another source, the phrase “All documents must be processed according to standard procedures” literally means “The standard procedures say all documents must be processed,” not “All documents must be processed in the manner specified in the standard procedures.” (7) ACEP—Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (8) acronyms and initialisms—Spell out the first time referenced within a given subpart. See section 503.53 of this manual for detailed explanation and exceptions. (9) Act, act—Lowercase unless part of the short or popular title of a Federal, State, or foreign act. See rule 3.42 in the GPO Style Manual for examples. (10) Agency, agency—Lowercase when referring to Government organizations that do not include the word “agency” in their formal name (e.g., NRCS would be referred to as “the agency”). It is only capitalized when referring to an agency that includes the word “agency” in its formal name (e.g., the Environmental Protection Agency would be referred to as “the Agency”). See rule 3.18 in the GPO Style Manual. (11) agencywide (12) agribusiness (13) Alaska Native (14) ampersand—Ampersands (“&”) should not be used in text, except as parts of abbreviations. They may be used in tables and figures when necessary to save space. (15) and/or—Avoid use of the “and/or” combination; select one or the other. In those few cases where you truly mean both “and” and “or,” write out “either this, that, or both.” See section III.a.3 in the Federal Plain Language Guidelines. (16) Appendix, appendix—Lowercase unless part of the formal title (e.g., “appendix C,” but “10 CFR Part 52, Appendix C, ‘Design Certification Rule for the AP600 Design’”). (17) approving official (18) area conservationist (19) area office (20) areawide (21) Associate Chief (22) assure and ensure—The word “assure” means “to promise.” The word “ensure” means “to make certain.” See also ensure and insure. (120-503-M, 1st Ed., Amend. 2, Nov 2017) 503-F.29
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(23) attachment—Lowercase unless part of the formal title. (24) bulletin (25) CCC—Abbreviation for Commodity Credit Corporation. (26) CFR—See Code of Federal Regulations. (27) calendar year—The year beginning January 1 and ending December 31. May be abbreviated as CY (define on first use). (28) Chief, chief—Capitalize for the head and assistant head of a Federal unit (i.e., NRCS Chief, Associate Chief for Conservation, and Associate Chief for Operations). Lowercase all other uses of the term (e.g., deputy chief, chief acquisitions officer, chief financial officer, chief human resources officer, chief information officer, chief of staff, and branch chief). Also see titles (job or duty). (29) circular (30) Code of Federal Regulations—Do not spell out the initialism “CFR” except when referring to the code as a whole. See section 503.52B of this manual for guidance on how to reference portions of the code. (31) commas—When listing three or more items in a series, insert a comma before the final conjunction (e.g., “this, that, and the other”). Commas should be placed within quotation marks if they are used (e.g., “the so-called ‘fuel,’ which was contaminated”). Do not use commas before a parenthesis unless it is a series that includes parenthetical callouts (e.g., “the top three ranked items were, (1) This, (2) That, and (3) The other”). (32) Congress, congress—Capitalize when referring to a national legislature. (33) congressional—Capitalize when part of a proper noun (e.g., “Congressional Black Caucus,” “First Congressional District,” etc.), but lowercase when used otherwise (e.g., “congressional approval,” “congressional committee,” etc.). (34) conservation activity plan (i) Lowercase unless part of the formal title of a document. Lowercase when referring to conservation activity plans in general. May be abbreviated as CAP (define on first use). (ii) The follow types of CAPs exist. They are printed lowercase unless part of a formal title: • agricultural energy management plan • comprehensive nutrient management plan • conservation plan supporting organic transition • drainage water management plan • feed management plan • fish and wildlife habitat plan • forest management plan • grazing management plan • integrated pest management herbicide-resistant weed conservation plan • integrated pest management plan • irrigation water management plan • nutrient management plan • pollinator habitat plan • prescribed burning plan (35) conservation district—see soil and water conservation district. (36) Conservation Practice Standard, conservation practice standard—Capitalize when used as part of a complete reference to a specific conservation practice standard but lowercase otherwise. For example, “apply Conservation Practice Standard Access Control (472)” but “apply the appropriate conservation practice standard.” (37) conterminous—Enclosed with in a common border. The term “conterminous United States” is not preferred due to confusion with the term “coterminous.” See contiguous United States. (120-503-M, 1st Ed., Amend. 2, Nov 2017) 503-F.30
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(38) contiguous United States—The 48 States in North America, excluding Alaska and the Caribbean territories but including the District of Columbia. Do not use the term “coterminous United States.” (39) continental United States—Refers to all States on the continent of North America (i.e., the contiguous United States plus Alaska). See contiguous United States. (40) cost-share (adj.) and cost sharing (v.)—Hyphenate when used as an adjective (e.g., “the cost-share program,” but “the program provides for cost sharing”). (41) coterminous—Means “has the same boundaries or extent in space.” There is no such thing as “the coterminous United States” (see contiguous United States). (42) county office (43) CPM—Long form: Title 440, Conservation Programs Manual. Short form: 440-CPM. Parts of this manual are sometimes colloquially referred to as “manuals” in their own right, but this is incorrect usage. Never refer to individual parts of the CPM as “manuals” (e.g., “Title 440, Conservation Programs Manual, Part 515, ‘Environmental Quality Incentives Program,’” is correct, but “Environmental Quality Incentives Program Manual” is not). (44) criteria, criterion—“This criterion is” (singular); “these criteria are” (plural) (45) CRP—Conservation Reserve Program (46) cross-reference—See section 503.52 of this manual. (47) cross section (48) cross-sectional (49) CSP—Conservation Security Program (50) CStP—Conservation Stewardship Program (51) dashes and hyphens (i) An en dash (–) may be used, with a space on either side, instead of commas or parentheses, in the same way an em dash would normally be used. If this is done, it must be consistent throughout the directive. In following GPO Style Manual rules 8.76 and 8.77, use a hyphen instead of an en dash. (ii) An em dash (—) is used— • Instead of commas or parentheses, if the meaning may thus be clarified. • Before a final clause that summarizes a series of ideas. • After an introductory phrase reading into the following lines and indicating repetition of such phrase. • After a run-in sidehead. (iii) A hyphen (-) is used— • When creating certain compounds (see chapter 6 of the GPO Style Manual) • Anywhere GPO style rules 8.76 and 8.77 indicate an en dash should be used. (52) data, datum—“This datum is” (singular); “these data are” (plural). (53) dates (i) When writing a complete date, use the format “[month] [date], [year]” (e.g., “June 28, 1965”). A comma must follow the year if additional text comes afterwards (e.g., “On June 28, 1965, a great American was born”). Ordinals should not normally be used for dates unless the date precedes the month (e.g., “28th of June” but not “June 28th”). When referring to month and year without date, do not separate with a comma (e.g., “June 1965” not “June, 1965”). See rule 12.9c in the GPO Style Manual for additional guidance regarding dates. (ii) The names of months are not normally abbreviated except in parentheses, tables, and footnotes (see rule 9.44 in the GPO Style Manual for other exceptions). Rule 9.44 in the GPO Style Manual also provides a list of the abbreviation forms that should be used. (iii) The names of days of the week are not normally abbreviated (see rule 9.46 in the GPO Style Manual).
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(iv) Indefinite year expressions are spelled out (e.g., say “the seventies” not “the ’70s”) unless the century is also given (e.g., say “the 1970s” not “the nineteen-seventies”). See rule 12.22 in the GPO Style Manual. (54) DC, dc—Capitalized, means “District of Columbia” (note that there are no periods after D and C); lowercase, means “direct current.” (55) Department of the Treasury.—The word “the” must precede the word “Treasury” in both the formal long name (“U.S. Department of the Treasury”) and the short name (“the Treasury”). (56) deputy areas—Lower case the term “deputy area” when referring to an NRCS organizational unit under the purview of a deputy chief, but capitalize the other words (it is also permissible to omit the words “deputy area”): (i) Strategic Planning and Accountability deputy area (ii) Soil Science and Resource Assessment deputy area (iii) Science and Technology deputy area (iv) Programs deputy area (57) deputy chief—See titles (job or duty). (58) designated conservationist (59) directives—See sections 503.52E and F of this manual for how to cross-reference directives and section 503.57 for how to format NRCS directives. (60) Director, director—Lowercase when referring to an NRCS division director, center director, or director of the Caribbean or Pacific Islands Areas. Capitalize when referring to the head of a governmental agency, such as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. See titles (job or duty). (61) district conservationist (62) district office (63) drawdown (64) DUNS—Data Universal Numbering System. (65) e—Except when necessary to avoid a doubled vowel (e.g., “eelection”), do not hyphenate the letter “e” when it used as a prefix to mean “electronic,” even if the word it modifies is capitalized (e.g., “eGovernment”). In general, avoid use of terms other than “efile,” “eGovernment,” “eLibrary,” and “email.” Except in those cases, the preferred method is to spell out the word “electronic” (e.g., “electronic submission” instead of “esubmission”) unless doing so would be confusing. See also eFOTG, eDirectives System. (66) e.g. and i.e.—The Latin abbreviation “e.g.” (exempli gratia) means “for example.” It introduces an illustration or example, not a complete list. The abbreviation “i.e.” (id est) means “that is,” and introduces a comprehensive definition or explanation. These abbreviations should only be used in tables, footnotes, or parentheses, and must be followed by a comma. (67) eDirectives System—Refers to the NRCS online directives system. In this context, the term “eDirectives” is acceptable on first use without being spelled out. To avoid confusion, do not use the term “eDirectives System” to refer to non-NRCS electronic directives systems. (68) efile (69) eFOTG—Electronic Field Office Technical Guide. Define on first reference. Use only when referring specifically to the electronic version of the FOTG, exclusive of the printed version. If referring to both the FOTG and eFOTG, use the initialism FOTG. (70) eGovernment (71) em dash—See dashes and hyphens. (72) email (73) email address—See section 503.55B of this manual. (74) environmental impact statement (75) EWPP—Emergency Watershed Protection Program (120-503-M, 1st Ed., Amend. 2, Nov 2017) 503-F.32
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(76) EWRP—Emergency Wetlands Reserve Program (77) en dash—See dashes and hyphens. (78) ensure and insure—The word “ensure” means “to make certain.” The word “insure” means “to obtain insurance or make certain.” To avoid ambiguity, avoid use of the word “insure.” Use the word “ensure” when the meaning is “to make certain”; use the phrase “obtain insurance,” “purchase insurance,” or some other variation when the meaning is “to obtain insurance.” (79) EPA—Environmental Protection Agency (80) EQIP—Environmental Quality Incentives Program (81) et seq.—Abbreviation for the Latin phrase “et sequentia” (“and the following”). See section 503.52B(4)(iv) of this manual for usage. (82) etc.—Abbreviation of Latin phrase “et cetera” (“and so forth”). Do not abbreviate within direct quotations (e.g., “She was selling vegetables, fruits, etc.” but “She said, ‘I am selling vegetables, fruits, et cetera’”). (83) ex-—Always hyphenate when used as a prefix. (84) example or sample—An example or sample is a completed work provided for purposes of illustration, as opposed to a template that has blanks where required information would be filled in. See also template. (85) Executive—Capitalize when referring to the Office of the President of the United States. (86) executive branch (87) FA—financial assistance (88) FAR—Federal Acquisitions Regulation (89) Executive order—The word “order” is lowercase unless followed by the Executive order number (e.g., “as directed by Executive order,” but “as directed by Executive Order 12345”). See section 503.52D of this manual. (90) exhibits—Supplementary materials that would be inappropriate to include within the body of a directive. Exhibits have section numbers and names, just as narrative text has, so that they can be listed in the table of contents and cross-referenced. When cross-referencing to an exhibit, refer to as a section (e.g., “see section 123.45,” not “see exhibit 123.45”). (Also see figures.) (91) Federal, federal—Capitalize when referring to the U.S. or a foreign Federal Government; lowercase when referring to the federal form of government generically. (92) federally (93) FFIS—Foundation Financial Information System (94) FEMA—Federal Emergency Management Agency (95) FGCAH—Long form: Title 120, Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements Handbook, Part 600. Short form: 120-FGCAH-600. (96) field office (97) figures—This term is used generically to refer to all illustrations, tables, charts, photographs, diagrams, etc. included in the body of a directive. All figures should be numbered in accordance with guidance in subpart C. Use of a descriptive heading is recommended but not required. (Also see exhibits.) (98) fiscal year—The Federal budgetary year beginning October 1 and ending September 30. The abbreviation “FY” is acceptable (on second and subsequent reference) only when followed by a four-digit year (e.g., “FY 2018” is acceptable but “FY 18” and “within the current FY” are not). Exception: Within figures only, if necessary due to space limitations, FY may be used without defining on first reference and years may be shortened to two digits. (99) flood plain (100) floodproof (101) fonts—See section 503.58 of this manual. (102) forms—See section 503.52G of this manual. (120-503-M, 1st Ed., Amend. 2, Nov 2017) 503-F.33
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(103) FOTG—Field Office Technical Guide (104) FSA—Farm Service Agency (105) FTR—Federal Travel Regulation. Define on first use. (106) FWS—Fish and Wildlife Service (107) FY—See fiscal year. (108) gender—See section 503.51D of this manual. (109) general manual—Lowercase when referring to the NRCS general manual unless as part of a specific citation that includes a title number. (110) general public—Redundant; use “public” instead. (111) GIS—geographic information system (112) Government, government—Capitalize when referring to a national entity (U.S., Italian, British, etc.) or the Tribal Government of a federally recognized Indian Tribe. Lowercase when referring to a State, county, city, municipal, territorial, etc. government. Where it is ambiguous as whether the word is referring to a national or subnational entity, use lowercase. Avoid using a single word to refer to both national and subnational governments (e.g., instead of saying “the governments of the United States, Britain, and Virginia,” say “the U.S. and British Governments and the government of Virginia”). Similarly, avoid using a single word to refer to both Tribal and subnational governments (e.g., instead of saying “State and Tribal governments,” say “State governments and Tribal Governments”). (113) governmental (114) Governmentwide, governmentwide—Also see Government, government. (115) Governor, governor—Capitalize when referring to State senior executive; lowercase otherwise. (116) GPS—Global Positioning System (117) GSA—General Services Administration (118) headings— Capitalize the first word and all important words. See section 503.57A(3) of this manual for detailed guidance. (119) highly erodible land conservation—May be abbreviated as “HELC”; define on first use. (120) home page (121) id—Do not use as an abbreviation for the word “identification” due to a conflict with the standard abbreviation for the Latin word “idem” listed in rules 9.61 and 9.63 of the GPO Style Manual. See also UID (for computer “user identification”). (122) ID—Avoid using as an abbreviation for the word “identification” due to a conflict with the standard abbreviation for Idaho. See also UID (for computer “user identification”). (123) i.e.—See e.g. and i.e. (124) IBIL—Initialism for the National Finance Center’s Internet Billing system. Define on first reference. (125) initialisms—See section 503.53 of this manual. (126) insure—See ensure. (127) internet, intranet (128) internet address—See URL. (129) italics—See section 503.58D of this manual. (130) hyphenation—See dashes and hyphens. See also rules 6.15 to 6.28 in the GPO Style Manual for use of hyphens in compound words and rules 6.31 to 6.35 for use of hyphens with prefixes. (131) HELC—highly erodible land conservation (132) land resource area (133) land user (134) landowner (135) lifespan (136) lists—See section 503.54 of this manual. (120-503-M, 1st Ed., Amend. 2, Nov 2017) 503-F.34
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(137) login, logon, logoff (138) major land resource area (139) man-made—Avoid usage in Federal documents; use a different word, such as “fabricated,” “artificial,” “manufactured,” “hand-built,” “constructed,” etc. See section 503.51D of this manual. (140) manual.—Lowercase unless part of a specific citation that includes a title number. (141) Member of Congress (but “member of a U.S. congressional committee”) (142) memorandum—Preferred plural is “memoranda,” but “memorandums” is acceptable as long as usage is consistent throughout the directive. (143) MFR—memorandum for record (144) MLRA—major land resource area (145) money (i) It is acceptable to use either a dollar sign symbol (“$”) and cents sign symbol (“¢”) or the words “dollars” and “cents” when indicating a monetary amount. Do not use the cents sign for amounts over 99¢. If using symbols, it is also acceptable to use decimals with the dollar sign to indicate amounts less than a dollar; such decimals should be preceded by a zero (e.g., “$0.99”). Do not use decimals if there are no cents (e.g., “$5,” not “$5.00”). The preferred method is to use dollar signs rather than words and to avoid use of the cents sign. (ii) Regardless of the method chosen, be consistent in usage (that is, use either words or symbols, but not both). Monetary amounts are always referred to in numerals (e.g., “6 million dollars” or “$6 million,” but not “six million dollars”). See rule 12.9k in the GPO Style Manual for additional guidance regarding money. (146) months—See dates. (147) MOU—memorandum of understanding. The plural of the initialism “MOU” is “MOUs”; the term “memorandum of understanding” may be pluralized as either “memoranda of understanding” or “memorandums of understanding” (choose one and use it consistently throughout the directive). Also see memorandum. (148) multi—Do not hyphenate unless necessary to avoid doubling a vowel (e.g., “multistate” and “multiyear,” but “multi-input”). (149) multistate (150) must—Use to indicate a mandatory action. See section 503.61B(2) of this manual. (151) NAM—Long form: Title 190, National Agronomy Manual, Parts 500 to 509. Short form: 190-NAM-500 to 509. (152) NBH—Long form: Title 190, National Biology Handbook, Parts 600 to 641. Short form: 190-NBH-600 to 641. (153) NBM—Long form: Title 190, National Biology Manual, Parts 510 to 514. Short form: 190-NBM-510 to 514. (154) NCRPH—Long form: Title 190, National Cultural Resources Procedures Handbook, Part 601. Short form: 190-NCRPH-601. (155) NDMM—Long form: Title 120, National Directives Management Manual. Short form: 120-NDMM. (156) NECH—Long form: Title 190, National Environmental Compliance Handbook, Part 610. Short form: 190-NECH-610. (157) NEH—Long form: Title 210, National Engineering Handbook. Short form: 210-NEH. (158) NEM—Long form: Title 210, National Engineering Manual. Short form: 210-NEM. (159) NEWPPM—Long form: Title 390, National Emergency Watershed Protection Program Manual, Parts 510 to 515. Short form: 390-NEWPPM-510 to 515. (160) NFM—Long form: Title 190, National Forestry Manual, Parts 535 to 538. Short form: 190-NFM-535 to 538.
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(161) NFSAM—Long form: Title 180, National Food Security Act Manual, Parts 510 to 520. Short form: 180-NFSAM-510 to 520. (162) NHCP—Long form: Title 450, National Handbook of Conservation Practices. Short form: 450-NHCP. (163) NHQ—See National Headquarters. (164) NIRMM—Long form: Title 270, National Information Resources Management Manual. Short form: 270-NIRMM. (165) NISH—Long form: Title 270, National Information Security Handbook. Short form: 270- NISH. (166) NOMM—Long form: Title 180, National Operations and Maintenance Manual, Part 500. Short form: 180-NOM-500. (167) NPMM—Long form: Title 190, National Plant Materials Manual, Parts 539 to 542. Short form: 190-NPMM-539 to 542. (168) NPPH—Long form: Title 180, National Planning Procedures Handbook, Part 600. Short form: 180-NPPH-600. (169) NRCS—Initialism for Natural Resources Conservation Service. Acceptable on first use without being defined. (170) NRCS-wide (171) NRCS’s (172) NREH—Long form: Title 200, National Resource Economics Handbook. Short form: 200- NREH. (173) NRPH—Long form: Title 190, National Range and Pasture Handbook. Short form: 190- NRPH. (174) NSSH—Long form: Title 430, National Soil Survey Handbook. Short form: 430-NSSH. (175) NWPM—Long form: Title 390, National Watershed Program Manual, Parts 500 to 506. Short form: 390-NWPM-500 to 506. (176) NWQH—Long form: Title 450, National Water Quality Handbook, Parts 600 to 619. Short form: 450-NWQH-600 to 619. (177) Nation—Capitalize when used as a synonym for “United States.” (178) National, national—Capitalized only when used as part of a capitalized name (e.g., National Archives, NRCS National Headquarters). Lowercase otherwise (e.g., “on a national level”). (179) national center—Lowercase except when used as part of the formal name of the center (also see national technology support center). Capitalize both long form and a short form of a national center’s formal name: (i) Information Technology Center (ii) Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center (acceptable short form: National Plant Materials Center) (iii) National Agroforestry Center (iv) National Design, Construction, and Soil Mechanics Center (v) National Employee Development Center (vi) National Geospatial Center of Excellence (vii) National Soil Survey Center (viii) National Water and Climate Center (ix) National Water Management Center (180) National Headquarters—Use to refer to NRCS headquarters in Washington, DC. NRCS National Headquarters should be abbreviated as NHQ on second and subsequent references. (181) national office—Do not use when referring to NRCS headquarters in Washington, DC. See “National Headquarters.” (182) national program manager
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(183) national technology support center—May be abbreviated as NTSC on second and subsequent references. Lowercase when referring to the NTSCs generically or as a group, but use initial capitals when used as part of the actual name (i.e., the “East National Technology Support Center,” “Central National Technology Support Center,” or “West National Technology Support Center,” but “the national technology support centers” or “a national technology support center”). (184) nationwide (185) natural resources conservation district—see soil and water conservation district. (186) non-Federal (187) nongovernment (188) nonprofit (189) nontechnical (190) no-year (191) numbers (i) In most cases, the numbers one through nine should be spelled out. Some of the most commonly encountered exceptions are— • Units of measurement, time, or money (see rule 12.9 in the GPO Style Manual for detailed explanation and examples). • When 2 or more numbers appear in a sentence and 1 of them is 10 or higher, use numerals for all of them, unless the numerals were a part of a unit of measurement, time, or money (e.g., “Each of the five farms earned $750,000,” but “Each of the 5 farms had 10 workers”). See rule 12.5 in the GPO Style Manual. • Serial numbers, including part and section numbers. (ii) Numbers 10 and higher should usually appear as numerals. Some of the most commonly encountered exceptions are (see rules 12.16–12.25 of the GPO Style Manual for others)— • The first word in a sentence or heading is spelled out (rule 12.16 in the GPO Style Manual). • Numbers appearing in proper names (e.g., “The Fourth of July” when referring to the holiday). (iii) A spelled-out number should not be repeated in figures (e.g., say “six,” not “six (6)”). See rule 12.18 in the GPO Style Manual. (iv) For extremely large figures, use the terms “million,” “billion,” “trillion,” etc. (e.g., say “55 billion,” not “55,000,000,000”; say “one million,” not “1,000,000”). (192) offsite, onsite (193) O&M—Abbreviation of operation and maintenance. Define on first use. (194) operation and maintenance (195) P.O. Box—Abbreviation for Post Office Box. May be used when providing an actual mailing address or when necessary due to space limitations in tables. Always spell out when referring to post office boxes generically. (196) Part, part—Capitalize subdivisions only if they immediately follow a codification or directive (e.g.: “Title 440, Conservation Programs Manual, Part 512,” but “part 512 of 440- CPM”). Do not abbreviate except within parentheses, tables, and certain other uses (see rule 9.38 in the GPO Style Manual). (197) per—Avoid use of the word “per” as a synonym for “in accordance with,” “in keeping with,” “as specified in,” and similar expressions. (198) per-unit cost (199) percent—Spell out the word “percent” instead of using the symbol “%” (use of the symbol is acceptable in tables, if necessary due to space limitations). Always use numerals when giving percentages (e.g., “5 percent,” not “five percent”).
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(200) plain language—See the Federal Plain Language Guidelines and sections 503.51C and E of this manual. (201) plan—Lowercase unless part of the complete title of a plan (e.g., “a comprehensive nutrient management plan” but “the Jones Farm Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan”). (202) plant names—Lowercase all words in common names except those derived from proper nouns (e.g., “field elm,” but “American elm”). For scientific names, capitalize phylum, class, order, family, and genus, but do not capitalize species (e.g., “Ulmus americana”) (see GPO Style Manual rule 3.27). (203) program manager (204) PMR—Property Management Regulation (205) ProTracts—Abbreviation for “Program Contracts System,” a web-enabled contract management application. It is not necessary to define on first use. (206) Public Law—Do not abbreviate. See section 503.52C of this manual. (207) punctuation—See section 503.59 of this manual. (208) quasi-—Always hyphenate when used as a prefix. (209) RC&D—Abbreviation for resource conservation and development. Define on first use. (210) RC&D area (211) RC&D council (212) an RC&D project (213) RC&D staff (214) record of decision (215) recordkeeping (216) regional conservationist (217) reserved—This term may be used to designate parts, subparts, and sections of NRCS directives that are not used, but which the author wishes to set aside. See section 503.57A(4). (218) (s)—A lowercase “s” within parentheses should not normally be used to indicate an indefinite plural (i.e., when the word in question could be either singular or plural). The preferred usage is to use just the plural unless it is absolutely necessary to state that the word could be singular or plural. In this case, the preferred usage is to write “word or words” rather than “word(s)” unless doing so would create excessively wordy or convoluted sentences. (219) SCIMS—Service Center Information Management System (220) Section, section—Do not abbreviate except within parentheses, tables, and certain other uses (see rule 9.38 in the GPO Style Manual). Capitalize subdivisions only under the following circumstances: (i) Immediately following a codification or directive (e.g.: “7 CFR Section 1400.1,” but “section 1400.1 of 7 CFR”) (ii) When immediately followed by the section heading, with only a comma separating the two (e.g.: “Section 123.4, ‘Applicant Responsibilities,’” but “section 123.4” without the heading name) (221) see—The word “see” is the preferred method of directing a reader to read text located elsewhere. Do not use the word “see” when merely citing an authority. (222) self-—Always hyphenate when used as a prefix. (Note: In some words, such as “selfsame” and “selfless,” the first syllable (“self”) is not a prefix and should not be hyphenated.) See rule 6.34 and chapter 7 in the GPO Style Manual for examples. (223) Service, service—Capitalized when used as a synonym for any Government organization that includes the word “service” in its formal name, including NRCS. Otherwise, lowercase. See rule 3.17 in the GPO Style Manual. (224) Service Center, service center—Lowercase unless part of a proper noun (e.g., “USDA service center agencies,” but “the La Grange Service Center”).
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(225) shall—The word “shall” can mean either “must” (a required act) or “will” (an event that is to occur in the future). To avoid ambiguity, use either “must” or “will” (depending upon intended meaning) instead of “shall.” See section 503.61B(1) of this manual. (226) sic—Latin word meaning “thus.” When printing a direct quotation that contains errors, such as typos or misspelled words, the word “sic” is placed in brackets immediately following the error to indicate that the error was contained in the original text and not introduced in the reprint (e.g., “A word is missspelled [sic] in this sentence”). (227) signature blocks—Preferred practice is to capitalize all letters of a person’s name in a formal signature block (this is an exception to the guidance in chapter 16 of the GPO Style Manual). Capitalize only the first letter of principal words in the person’s job title. (228) SOP—standard operating procedures. (229) spacing—Use a single space between sentences (see rule 2.49 in the GPO Style Manual and section 503.59E of this manual). (230) Social Security number (231) soil and water conservation district—This term is used generically to refer to a geographical area established for conservation purposes. These areas may also be called natural resource conservation districts or simply conservation districts. Only capitalize the term if it is part of the actual formal name of the conservation district (e.g., “Brown Creek Soil and Water Conservation District” but “soil and water conservation districts on the East Coast”). (232) State—Capitalize the word “State” when it refers to a first-order internal division of a country or nation; normally lowercase when it refers to a nation or country. (233) State abbreviations—Use the Postal Service style of two-letter abbreviations listed in rule 9.13 of the GPO Style Manual when the name of a State or territory immediately follows any capitalized geographic term (see rule 9.12 in the GPO Style Manual for examples). Otherwise, do not abbreviate. (234) State conservationist (235) State program managers (236) State office (237) State technical committee (238) statewide (239) stewardship land (240) sub-, sub—When used as a prefix, do not hyphenate unless it is doubled (e.g., “sub- subcommittee”) or precedes a capitalized word (e.g., “sub-Federal”), or if necessary to avoid confusion (e.g., “all tracts of land and all sub-tracts”). (241) Subpart, subpart—Capitalize subdivisions only if they immediately follow a codification or directive (e.g.: “7 CFR Part 1400, Subpart A,” but “subpart A of 7 CFR Part 1400”). Do not abbreviate except within parentheses, tables, and certain other uses (see rule 9.38 in the GPO Style Manual). (242) superscripts—Do not use superscripts for ordinal numbers (e.g., “10th” not “10th”). (243) TA—technical assistance (244) technical service provider—Abbreviate as TSP and define on first reference. (245) telephone numbers—Use the following form: (123) 456-7890. Note that a hyphen is used, not an en dash (this is an exception to rule 8.76 in the GPO Style Manual). (246) template—A template is pattern or guide used to provide a standard format. Templates are used to create documents; they are not completed documents themselves. See also example or sample. (247) Territory, territory—Capitalize when part of the formal name (see rule 3.20 in the GPO Style Manual). For example: “Yukon Territory,” but “territory of American Samoa.” (248) that and which—The words “that” and “which” are not interchangeable. “That” is used to introduce a restrictive clause, while “which” is used to introduce an unrestrictive clause (e.g., (120-503-M, 1st Ed., Amend. 2, Nov 2017) 503-F.39
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“The farm that grows barley is doing well” (meaning there are multiple farms, and the one that grows barley is doing well) versus “The farm, which grows barley, is doing well” (meaning there is only one farm, it grows barley, and it is doing well)). (249) third-party vendor (250) titles (document)—see headings. (251) titles (job or duty)—Titles are capitalized when they immediately precede a person’s name. Do not capitalize titles when they appear alone or come after the office holder’s name, except as specified in rule 3.37 of the GPO Style Manual. See section 503.56 of this manual for examples and exceptions. (252) the Treasury—See Department of the Treasury. (253) Tribal, tribal—Capitalize when referring to a federally recognized American Indian Tribe. Otherwise, lowercase. (254) Tribe, tribe—Capitalize when referring to a federally recognized American Indian Tribe. Otherwise, lowercase. (255) UID—Acceptable abbreviation for “user identification.” Define on first use. (256) underline—Avoid using underline fonts in NRCS directives. See section 503.58C of this manual. (257) underserved (258) underway, under way—The word “underway” is an adjective that means “occurring, performed, or used while traveling” (e.g., “The underway refueling was successful”). The two-word form is often misspelled as one word. The words “under way” are an adverb that means “in progress” (e.g., “The refueling is under way”). The term “under way” usually follows a verb. (259) United States—Must be spelled out when used as a noun or when it appears in a sentence that contains the name of another country. Abbreviate as “U.S.” (not “US” or “U. S.”) when used as an adjective or when preceding the word “Government” or the name of a Government organization. When “U.S.” or “United States” appears within a list with foreign nations, it should appear first unless the list is alphabetized (see rules 9.9 and 9.10 in the GPO Style Manual for examples and exceptions). Capitalize the following words when used as synonyms for the U.S. Government: “Nation,” “Union,” “Government,” “Federal,” and “Republic” (see rule 3.20 in the GPO Style Manual). (260) URL—uniform resource locator. This refers to an address on the World Wide Web. Always provide either the “http://” or “https://” prefix when providing a web address. See section 503.55A of this manual. (261) U.S.—See United States. (262) U.S.C., U.S. Code—United States Code. Abbreviate as “U.S.C.” (without spelling out its meaning) in all cross-references and citations (e.g., “10 U.S.C. Section 1.1(a)”), but use the term “U.S. Code” when referring to the code as a whole (e.g., “The U.S. Code contains the laws of the United States”). See section 503.52B of this manual for guidance on cross- referencing. (263) USDA—Initialism for U.S. Department of Agriculture. Acceptable on first use without being defined. (264) via—Means “by way of,” not “by means of” (e.g., “We drove to Arizona via old Route 66,” but “We sent the message by email”). (265) Washington, DC (266) web, web page (267) web address—See URL. (268) website (269) WED—warranty easement deed (270) wetland (271) wetland conservation—May be abbreviated as “WC”; define on first use. (120-503-M, 1st Ed., Amend. 2, Nov 2017) 503-F.40
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(272) which—See that and which. (273) WHIP—Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (274) whole-farm plan (275) will—The word “will” means an act that is to occur in the future, but which may or may not be required. Use the word “must” to indicate an act that is required. See section 503.61B(4) of this manual. (276) World Wide Web—Use of the term “web” is usually preferable for the sake of brevity. (277) WPO—WHIP plan of operations (see WHIP) (278) WRPO—wetlands restoration plan of operations (279) WRP—Wetland Reserve Program (280) yearend (281) year-round (282) ZIP Code—Zone Improvement Plan postal code. Use without defining ZIP.
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