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Writing Guide

About The 7D VARIETY Writing Guide

7D VARIETY is an emerging health and food startup driven to create a positive impact on public health. It is the first one-stop-shop for all information about dates and their benefits to educate the masses on dates, proper nutrition, and ways to cultivate healthy habits easily. 

This Style Guide was designed to lead the content writers as they create content for 7D VARIETY. 

This serves as the standard that they will follow to make the overall content seamless, understandable, and can easily be remembered.

As content writers, we should remember to write articles that converse with our readers through informative, factual, and trendy content backed by science. This is through creating content in the form of editorials, original research, perspectives, reviews, and info videos. 

Article Guidelines

7D VARIETY articles are all 100% original content. They are free of plagiarism, and our content creators strive to create new and fresh articles that offer added value to readers.

Article Structure

META TITLE

  • The heading of the article visible on the Google search results, must be 50-60 characters max and must have engaging words which include the primary keyword.

META DESCRIPTION

  • Should be short, relevant summary of what the article is about, must be 150-160 characters, and must have the primary keyword or the secondary keywords. Must have engaging content with a  call to action. 

LEAD

  • Should discuss the topic, subheaders, and call to action all in ONE (1) sentence in THREE (3) bullet points. Maximum is FIVE (5) bullet points but strictly ONE (1) sentence only for each.

INTRODUCTION

  • Should already present the article theme and briefly introduce the content.

HEADING PREVIEW

  • This is only for long articles with more than 4 headings,  to outline the flow of contents. Use bullet points for the different subheadings. 

BODY

  • Should present the ideas and arguments. Every article includes no more than 3 to 4 ideas and should include a paragraph explaining every idea and illustrating it with an example if possible. 

CONCLUSION

  • In wrapping up the article, the summary should reiterate the main idea and end with a call to action (i.e. open question, suggestions for an afterthought, or next steps).

Word Count

Word count should be within the range of 1,000 to 1,200 and always adhere to the SEO Optimization Card.

Font & Format

Font: Lato

Size and style:

  • For paragraphs: size 13.5, regular
  • For article title: size 26, bold
  • For paragraph titles: 13.5, bold
  • For references: 11, italicized

Space between lines: 1.0

Tone & Voice

  • Passionate – Strive to deliver accurate content written in a matter-of-fact manner.
  • Sympathetic – Aim for a holistic approach when helping our audience become healthier.
  • Informative – Be truthful and transparent with every communication to core users. Remember that we care about our readers’ well-being above all.
  • Conversationalso that our readers may not be intimidated by featured articles, perspectives,  or reviews.
  • Authentic  – Be sincere with the intentions behind every article released, and ensure they are aligned with 7D VARIETY values and purpose.

Style Tips

Do's

  • Create content that is trendy and aligned with current events. 
  • Use active voice (i.e. We choose to be healthy.) 
  • Write in plain English. 
  • Use positive language. Be mindful of using words that are uplifting and inspiring.

Dont's

  • Don’t use passive voice (i.e. The readers chose to be healthy.) 
  • Avoid terms that are too technical, slang, or jargon. In cases this is unavoidable, ensure that the words written are defined or written in an understandable context. 
  • Never use negative language – anything that may be derogatory, putting anyone down, negatively comparing race, religion, gender, political views, body shape, or size. 
  • Don’t use underline, and any combination of italic, bold caps, and underline in one article.

 

Grammar & Mechanics

Use

    1. Make sure to write simple yet descriptive headers and subheaders to help readers have an idea of what the article will be.

    1. Lead with the main point or the most important content so that the reader immediately understands what the rest of the article will be about.

    1. Use short words and sentences. This is to better complete the thought and simplify the message that we want to share.

    1. Use specific examples or illustrative words. Since 7D VARIETY is an information website, we would like to ensure that our readers can easily learn from each content we publish.

    1. Be consistent. Follow the basics of Associated Press Style. 
Style Rules Examples
Academic Degrees
  • Use an apostrophe and spell out academic degrees.

  • Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list of credentials after a name; set them off with commas.

She has a bachelor’s degree. 

Peter White, LL.D., Ph.D., was the keynote speaker.

Addresses
  • Spell out all generic parts of street names (avenue, north, road) when no specific address is given.

  • When a number is used, abbreviate avenue (Ave.), boulevard (Blvd.), street (St.) and directional parts of street names.

Our main campus is on Cherry Creek South Drive

The patient was identified as Michael Shawn of 1512N. Mission St.

Capitalization
  • Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board, program, section, unit, etc., unless the word is part of a formal name.

  • Capitalize common nouns such as party, river and street when they are part of a proper name.
    Never capitalize job descriptions regardless of whether they are before or after a name.

The Water Quality Control Division Sarah contacted the division

Libertarian Party, the Ohio River.

Joni Reynolds is the director of Public Health Programs.

Names
  • Use a person’s first and last name the first time he or she is mentioned. On second reference, use only last name with no title.

Water Quality Control Division Director Steve Gunderson led the panel. Gunderson said clean water is very important.

Numbers
  • Spell out numbers one through nine, and use figures for numbers 10 and higher.

  • There are many exceptions that always take figures: Ages, Cents, Dates, Dimensions, Percentages, Speed, Temperatures, Time

4-year-old cat / 8 cents / $3 / March 4, not March 4th / 5 foot 2 inches / 5-by-9 cell / Route 7 / 6 billion people / 1 percent / 8 mph /
2 degrees or 2 F / 4 p.m.

      6. Use the Oxford Comma (also known as the Serial Comma). Example:

      Incorrect: Some known varieties of dates fruit are Medjool, Ajwa and Khudri.
      Correct: Some known varieties of dates fruit are Medjool, Ajwa, and Khudri.

       7. When using acronyms, use the whole word first when it is first seen in a article and then use the contracted term moving forward:

      Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC) is a Washington DC-based non-profit organization that helps promote health care quality through the accreditation of organizations involved in medical care services. It is the goal of URAC to accredit organizations such as health plans, pharmacies, and provider organizations.

Avoid

  1. Avoid unnecessary modifiers. Again, we want to make our sentences brief and easy to understand.

  2. Avoid vague or abstract words or language.
Rule Incorrect Correct

Words such as aspect, concept, elements, facilities, inputs, operation, resources, situation, and variables are common in abstract writing.

Agencies that have created a system performance-based, customer-driven, results-oriented culture, aligned their organizational processes to support this new culture, and have used IT as an enabler to do so.

Agencies are aligned around the concept of their vision and values that their “groups of influence” – customers, taxpayers, employees, opinion makers, and policy makers – accept and that these groups perceive a noticeable change in dialog/operations/services.

Agencies with a performance-based, customer-driven, results-oriented culture have changed the organization by using IT to help them manage staff and their work. They have taken their vision and values and explained their ideas to the most important people: customers, taxpayers, employees, opinion makers and policy makers. When these people notice a change in the Agency, the new culture has started to succeed.

Be more precise by replacing the abstract words with something specific that readers can picture.

Running our new facility will improve our system performance.

Running database software will improve our system administration.

Prioritizing Grade Level 7 Reading Comprehension

  • Overall article should pass for Grade 7 readability or may be understood by someone as young as a 7th grader.

  • For the parts which refer to scientific terms and its explanations, the reading level may range up to Grade 13.

  • As a visual support for scientific terms and data presented, content writers should use the Scientific Illustrations guide mentioned in the Brand Guideline.

  • The 7D VARIETY Experts (or in-house Healthcare Professionals) will fact-check each article before it is published.

  • A way that our content writers may test the Grade Level of their blogs is to check their completed article through the Hemingway App.

Research & Attributions

Do's Don'ts
  • When citing facts or previously researched literature on 7D VARIETY, sources should always come from credible and opinion leaders (ie U.S. Department of Agriculture or USDA, Food and Drug Administration or FDA, American Public Health Association, Nielsen, Reuters, and the like). Contributing writers may also refer to this database as a guide.

  • When citing content from available references as stated above, include a disclaimer at the end that serves as a friendly reminder to the readers (especially for patients with special health conditions) to still prioritize consultations with their trusted doctors. Example:

However, 7D VARIETY reminds everyone to consult your doctor first before pushing through with changes in your diet. It is always best to be on the safe side, most notably when it comes to your health.

  • 7D VARIETY follows the APA referencing:

Author’s surname, initials. Date Published. Title of source.
Location of publisher. Publisher. Retrieved from URL.

  • Never use information from independent websites as a reference.

SEO Writing Mechanics

  1. SEO Keywords will be identified and supplied by the SEO Specialist before content creation.
  2. Primary Keywords will be identified. These keywords shall be used on the Content Title, Meta Title, Meta Description, Headings, and Summary. Also, they must be seen 2-3 times within the content paragraphs. 
  3. Secondary keywords will also be identified and can be used on the subheadings. These are recommended to be used within the entire content.
  4. Always use subheadings describing the main point of each subsection and integrate provided keywords in the optimization cards.
  5. Relevant terms and keyword variations of the Primary Keyword are ideally used within the article.
  6. Subheadings should not be too long, maximum of 65-70 characters. 
  7. Use descriptive links instead of just listing sources at the end of the articles. Add the links to phrases that describe the topic of the referenced article/webpage. If there is a specific page of 7D VARIETY discussing that idea/term/topic, make sure to use it as the link target instead of other websites.

Example of descriptive link: Effective contract management is essential to any business, and as more companies start to understand the value of process automation, contract management solutions are becoming more sought after than ever before.

  1. Address listed questions in the optimization card within your article – best if you can use them as subheadings.

 

  1. Follow all recommendations listed on the provided content optimization card.

 

  1. Follow our content optimization checklist.

Understanding Content Optimization Cards

Content Card 01
Content Card 02
Content Card 03
Content Card 04
Content Card 05 1

You should adhere to the recommended word count (maximum) and the minimum heading count

Content Card 07
Content Card 06

As much as possible, follow the H (subheadings of the article) tags recommendations. 

This helps in enhancing the SEO value of an article. 

Other Reminders

Hyperlinks Scientific Terms Mention of External Brand Names
  • Internal Linkslink to related content currently existing on 7D VARIETY’s website when possible.

  • External Links – links that are not part of 7D VARIETY website can only include links to 7D VARIETY social media platforms or other 7D VARIETY resources.
  • When writing about technical or scientific terms, include the specific term and include its common term.

  • Example: Tussis, also known as a cough, is a voluntary or involuntary act that clears the throat and breathing passage
    of foreign particles.
  • Use common terms when talking about a product unless product being spoken for is a paid partnership or sponsored content.

Regular article: Use lozenges when trying to soothe your dry throat.

Sponsored article: Use Strepsils when trying to soothe your dry throat.

Updates as of 07.27.2021

LEAD

  • Start by creating sentences about the 5 W’s and H in your article. These are answering to “what, who, when, where, why, and how.” 
  • A lead should be short. Strictly write in one sentence each in bulleted form.  
  • Write the lead in an active voice. Avoid a question-type lead as it is considered lazy writing.
  • Try to indicate the primary and secondary keywords in the lead. 

Tip: You can come up with a lead by answering each subheading of your article in one sentence only. 

For more knowledge on lead writing, kindly refer to this link: https://www.clearvoice.com/blog/the-dos-donts-of-writing-a-good-lead-according-to-dear-megan/

Proper Use of Exclamation Points

  • Use an exclamation point when you are writing an exclamatory sentence only. An exclamatory sentence expresses strong or forceful emotion, such as anger, surprise, or joy.
  • Avoid using too many exclamation points in your article because it makes the sentences less effective.

For more knowledge on exclamation points, kindly refer to this link: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/exclamation-mark/

Bolded Phrases

  • For each section, bold the phrases in a paragraph that answers the subheading. Bold the most important and general answers only to avoid bombarding the paragraph. 
  • If a section has only 1-2 sentences, bolding phrases are unnecessary.
  • If the bold phrases include a hyperlink, it is necessary to bold the hyperlinked words. 

Imagery

  • If an article has data mentioned, it is best to make it into an infographic. 
  • If a paragraph is too long, adding images in between is advised. 

Hyperlinking References

  • Hyperlink the reference in the closest word/s that are applicable.

Example:

Dates come from the date palm tree. 

Since Dates is the subject in the sentence above, the reference should be hyperlinked to it. 

  • Do not hyperlink references to pronouns such as it, they, their, and them. 

Updates as of 08.05.2022

  • META TITLE

    • The meta title is the article heading visible on the Google search results. 

    • It must be at least 50 characters and a maximum of 60 characters.

    • Must have engaging words which include the primary keyword provided in the optimization card.

Example:

Optimized: Why Dates are Healthy for Pregnant Moms (Correct) 

Not Optimized: Why Dates are Nutritious (Too short)

META DESCRIPTION

  • The meta description is the summary of the article visible on the Google search results.
  • It must be 150-160 characters and have the primary keyword and/or the secondary keywords. 
  • Must have engaging content with a  call to action. 

Example: 

https://7dvariety.com/date-fruit/dates-and-research/nutritional-and-functional-properties-of-dates-a-review/

This article uses findings from over 80 different studies on the nutritional content of dates. Discover the nutritional and functional properties of dates now! (Optimized and with call-to-action words – 157 characters)

RELATED BLOG POST

  • Internal links to relevant pages or relevant blogs currently existing on the 7D VARIETY website.
  • At least one relevant to the topic. 
  • Must be related to the primary keyword.

HEADINGS PREVIEW 

  • For long articles, commonly with more than four headings, create a Preview or a Table of Contents for the article subheadings. 
  • This allows readers and  Google to easily understand the flow of the content.
  • This must be added after the 1st paragraph or introduction.
  • Used unnumbered table of contents. Use bullet points if possible. 

About the Research Guide

7D VARIETY provides the latest, science-backed content on eating healthy and living better.

This guide is for the research and development, editorial, and marketing team members. It contains the reference types,
steps, tips, examples, and a digital list of approved sources.

Types of References

Researchers ideally follow the search process from left to right. Only Tertiary, Secondary and Primary sources can be publicly accessible on the brand’s platforms.

Types of reference 01

What makes a 7D VARIETY reference credible?

To be considered as a credible reference, researchers must meet all three criteria below. These particularly apply to Primary and Secondary references.

Credible References-01
Credible References 02
Credible References 03

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Welcome to 7D VARIETY! We are delighted that you have decided to join our passionate community of writers. By agreeing to become a part of our community, you acknowledge and accept the following terms and conditions:

  • Personal Information Access: As a community member, you grant 7D VARIETY permission to collect your personal information, including name, contact details, and other relevant data for communication and content management. We are committed to ensuring the security and privacy of your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
  • Editing and Publishing of Articles: By submitting your content to 7D VARIETY, you grant us the non-exclusive right to edit, modify, and publish it on our platforms. We’ll make necessary edits for clarity, style, or grammar while preserving the integrity of your original work.
  • Copyright and Intellectual Property: By submitting content to 7D VARIETY, you affirm its originality and non-infringement of third-party rights. By agreeing to the terms, you grant 7D VARIETY an irrevocable, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, distribute, and display your content on our platforms and in related marketing materials.

By submitting this form, you signify your understanding and agreement to these terms and conditions.

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