UFC 1-300-01
29 NOVEMBER 2002
2-3.1
Mood, Tense, and Voice. Use the imperative mood (e.g., install equipment),
the future tense "will," and "must" to prescribe mandatory actions and procedures. Use
"can" and "may" to permit choice and identify guidance. Use "should" to indicate
desirable procedures that are advisory in nature. Use of the first and second person
pronouns "we" and "you" is acceptable. The third person singular pronouns "he" or
"she" must meet neutral language requirements. Often, rewriting a sentence eliminates
the need for repetitive "he or she"; e.g., "Information managers complete their training"
rather than "the information manager completes his or her training."
2-3.2
Abbreviations and Acronyms. If the UFC contains more than 20 different
abbreviations and acronyms, they should be listed and defined in Appendix A, Glossary.
2-3.2.1 Abbreviations. Follow guidance in the United States Government Printing
Office (GPO) Style Manual regarding abbreviations, terms of measure, and use of signs
and symbols. Use abbreviations consistently throughout a UFC. Spell out proper
names on first use, and present the abbreviation immediately following in parentheses;
use the abbreviation thereafter. Do not use symbols in the text; e.g., use the word
"inches," not the symbol ("). Use of % is acceptable. Spell out degrees; do not use the
symbol (). Greek symbols are acceptable. Symbols may be used in figures and
tables.
2-3.2.2 Acronyms. When use of an acronym will improve reader understanding of
the text, provide the complete term the first time it appears, followed by the acronym in
parentheses. Then, use the acronym consistently throughout the remainder of the UFC.
2-3.3
International System of Units (SI)(Metric). Provide dimensions in SI with
inch-pound ("English") units in parentheses. Calculate the SI dimension to the same
level of significance as the inch-pound. Use "hard" SI sizes where industry standards
exist, products are readily available, and it is economically feasible. Dimensions in
figures and tables must also be presented in both SI and inch-pound units. Refer to
IEEE SI-10 for guidance on the use of SI units. Extracts from non-government
standards (NGS) can be used as written. Criteria prepared to supplement requirements
of NGS may use units appropriate for the NGS.
2-3.4
Miscellaneous. Follow the example of this UFC and guidance in United
States Government Printing Office (GPO) Style Manual for rules of capitalization,
punctuation, grammar, and syntax.
2-4
FORMS. Forms may be developed for specific data collection tasks required
within a UFC. To make photocopying easier, each form should occupy a separate
page.
2-5
CHANGES AND REVISIONS. Changes and revisions to UFC must be
coordinated with and approved by the responsible tri-service discipline working group.
2-5.1
Changes. A change is appropriate when less than 40 percent of the total
number of UFC pages will contain new material. Changes may include the addition of
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