LibreOffice Documentation Team Style Guide

The LibreOffice Documentation Team follows a structured set of documentation standards and style rules to ensure consistency, clarity, and accuracy across all official user guides, help pages, and tutorials. Technical writers and contributors must adhere to specific language standards, document templates, user interface (UI) naming conventions, and typographic formatting when creating or updating documentation.

Core Documentation Guide

Contributors must primarily follow the official LibreOffice Documentation Contributor Guide. This master handbook provides comprehensive rules on formatting, workflow, and structure for all official user guides (such as the Writer Guide, Calc Guide, and Getting Started Guide).

Language and Tone Standards

• Language Variety: Documentation must be written in standard American English (en-US). Spelling, punctuation, and grammar rules should align with standard US conventions (e.g., color instead of colour, dialog instead of dialogue).
• Voice and Tone: Writers must use the active voice, present tense, and a direct, neutral tone. Instructions should be addressed directly to the user in the second person (“you” or implied imperative form).
• Inclusivity: Language must be gender-neutral and accessible to users of all technical levels.

Template and Style Application

Writers are required to use the official LibreOffice chapter template (.ott format) to create content:

• Paragraph and Character Styles: All formatting must use predefined template styles (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2, Body Text, Code). Direct formatting is strictly forbidden.
• Lists: Numbered lists must be used exclusively for sequential step-by-step procedures. Bulleted lists must be used for non-sequential items.
• Callout Elements: Specific built-in styles must be applied for callout boxes:
  • Note: Useful supplementary information.
  • Tip: Helpful shortcuts or workflow improvements.
  • Caution: Important warnings about data loss or irreversible actions.

User Interface and Terminology Conventions

Accuracy in referencing the LibreOffice UI is mandatory:

• Exact Match: Menus, buttons, tabs, dialog names, and options must match the exact capitalization and wording displayed in the software.
• Path Navigation: Sequences of menu commands must follow the format: File > Save As or Tools > Options > LibreOffice > General.
• UI Highlighting: UI elements such as button labels, menu items, and field names must be styled using the predefined character style (typically bold text).
• Standard Component Names: Writers must use established names for UI components, such as Sidebar, Deck, Panel, Status Bar, and Context Menu.

Keyboard Shortcuts and Input

• Keyboard Combinations: Shortcuts must be written using standardized naming and the predefined Keystroke style (e.g., Ctrl+S on Windows/Linux or Cmd+S on macOS).
• Cross-Platform Notation: Instructions should account for cross-platform differences (Windows, macOS, and Linux) where keybindings or file paths diverge.

Licensing and Metadata

Every chapter must include the standard LibreOffice front matter, including copyright notices, contributor credits, publication dates, software version applicability, and the required Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) or Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) licensing declarations.