Rich Text
Headings, paragraph text, links, lists, tables, and block quotes.
Quick Reference for Rich Text
- Headings — Use headings to organize your content. Headings should follow a logical order starting with H2.
- Paragraph Text — Use plain language; avoid unnecessary jargon. Keep your content short and simple whenever possible.
- Links — Use meaningful link text and avoid "raw" URLs. Do not use text such as click here or https://libcal.usfca.edu/hours.
- Lists — Use lists to group a set of related items. Use numbered lists if sequence is necessary; use bulleted lists if it is not.
- Tables —
- Block Quotes — Use block quotes to highlight direct quotations. Keep your quote short, no longer than 4 or 5 lines.
General guidelines:
- Avoid adjusting most font formatting — Do not adjust font type, font size, text color, or text background color. This formatting is predetermined by our style sheets.
- Avoid adjusting the text alignment —Use align left text only. In general, we do not use center, right align, or justify text on the library website.
Getting There
- Log into LibGuides https://usfca.libapps.com/libguides/.
- Select Content > Guides and click the Edit icon for the guide you want to update.
- Click the Add / Reorder button at the bottom of the box where you want to add an image.
- Select Rich Text/HTML from the dropdown menu.
- In the Add Rich Text/HTML window, use the built-in text editor to add and format your text.
Headings
Headings are essential for organizing your LibGuides content. They help users scan and navigate your page quickly, especially when looking for specific information. Headings also enhance the semantic structure of your guide, which benefits both usability and accessibility
Best Practices for Headings
- Chunk information — Use headings to break your content into clear, digestible sections. This improves visual organization and helps users focus on one idea at a time.
- Order headings logically — Follow a clear hierarchy using proper HTML heading tags:
- The guide title is automatically an H1
- Main section headings should begin with H2
- Subsections under H2s should use H3, and so on
- Never skip levels (e.g., don’t go from H2 directly to H4)
- Capitalize headings — Use AP style title case for all headings. For example:
- Yes: How to Search Databases
- No: How to search databases
- Use Capitalize My Title if you're unsure about formatting.
- Keep it short and scannable — Aim for concise headings that describe the section clearly in just a few words.
Paragraph Text
Paragraph text should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. Whenever possible, use plain language — this helps users focus on the content without getting lost in jargon or overly long explanations.
Best Practices for Paragraph Text
- Use plain language — Write in a straightforward style that avoids unnecessary jargon. Aim for clarity.
- Prioritize readability — Use short sentences, active voice, and clear transitions between ideas. Short paragraphs are easier to scan and understand. It’s fine to include complex ideas — just break them into smaller, more manageable chunks.
- Break it up — Use informative headings to organize your content. This helps readers navigate and makes dense information feel more approachable.
Springshare Documentation
Links
Link text should be meaningful and easy to understand on its own. This improves clarity, accessibility, and navigation throughout your guide.
Best Practices for Links
- Use descriptive text — Link text should clearly indicate what the user will find when they click. Avoid vague phrases like "click here."
- Avoid raw URLs — Instead of pasting full web addresses directly into your content, use human-readable text.
- Keep it concise — Link text should be short but specific enough to make sense out of context.
- Examples:
- Yes: Library hours may change during breaks and holidays.
- No: Click here for library hours.
- No: https://libcal.usfca.edu/hours/
USFCA Web Accessibility Standards
Springshare Documentation
Lists
Lists are a useful way to present related information clearly and efficiently. When formatted properly, they enhance readability, accessibility, and content structure.
Best Practices for Lists
- Use correct list types — Choose the appropriate list format based on your content:
- Unordered lists — Use for items that do not follow a specific sequence
- Ordered lists — Use for steps, procedures, or ranked information where order matters.
- Do not use line breaks to create lists — Avoid typing out items with line breaks or dashes. Instead, use built-in list tools in the Rich Text Editor.
- Avoid using lists for decoration or layout — Lists should communicate grouped or related content. Do not use them simply to create spacing or style your content.
- Keep list items parallel — Structure each item similarly (e.g. start each with a verb or noun) for clarity and consistency.
- Use punctuation appropriately — Use sentence case and end each item with a period only if the items are complete sentences.
Tables
Tables are used to present tabular data only. Do not use tables for the sole purpose of formatting or styling the content on your page.
- Headers — Header cells are required. Both columns and rows can have a header cell.
- Caption — Captions are required. Use captions to give your table a title and describe its purpose.
- Summary — Summaries are used to describe your data table structure.
- Class — Use
table table-bordered table-stripedfor every table. This is the look we're going for.