Floral Reef Editorial & Style Guide
December 2025
Purpose of This Guide
This style guide ensures that all Floral Reef articles maintain a credible, calm, and consistent voice. Content should be accessible to non-experts without oversimplifying and should support long-term trust, reuse, and citation.
Voice & Tone
Articles should be measured, observational, civic-minded, non-alarmist, and respectful of uncertainty. Avoid hype language, slogans, emotional manipulation, or trend-driven internet tone.
Prohibited Elements
The following are not permitted in Floral Reef articles:
- Emojis
- Excessive exclamation points
- Slang or internet shorthand
- Clickbait phrasing
- All-caps emphasis
- Hashtags in body text
- Meme references
- Anthropomorphizing nature for effect
This applies to article text, headings, captions, pull quotes, and calls to action. Audience
Write for curious adults, students, educators, land stewards, and volunteers. Do not assume scientific expertise or political alignment. Scientific Framing
Prefer observable phenomena. Distinguish clearly between observation, interpretation, and hypothesis. Link to credible primary sources when possible. Structure & Formatting
Use clear headings, short paragraphs, and bullet points where appropriate. Avoid clever or cute section titles. Image Guidelines
Images should serve an informational purpose and reflect real organisms, habitats, or field activity. Avoid decorative or misleading visuals. Calls to Action
Calls to action should be modest and optional. Avoid urgency or pressure language. Editorial Enforcement
This guide is normative. Prohibited elements should not appear anywhere in published or instructional materials. Zero-Tolerance Rule
Any article containing prohibited stylistic devices will be returned for revision prior to publication.
