Code of Practice for publishing to the University website

This Code of Practice applies to members of staff who are publishing official content to the London Metropolitan University website, also called Web Content Providers (CPs). It does not apply to students or staff who are publishing personal homepages.

The Code is intended as a framework that will clarify rights and responsibilities for anyone publishing to the University website. The aim is to unify efforts and enable a consistent, strong and thriving website for the University.

Everyone publishing to the website is expected to observe this Code, however, it also recognises that special circumstances or considerations may mean that exceptions will have to be considered.

Please direct any comments, questions or requests to the Web Team

Why we need a code

Any material published on a website can create legal implications for the University, under the Disability Discrimination Act, the Data Protection Act, Race and Sex Discrimination legislation and a number of other legal instruments.

It is important also to help the user as much as possible. Given the University's mission we cannot assume that our potential users are all highly IT literate, familiar with educational terminology, and many will not have English as their first language, or will have a disability which will mean they are accessing the website using specialised browsers or equipment.

We also wish to minimise work for Content Providers, and the code provides a framework to ensure that content can be provided, updated and approved as easily as possible.

The code is therefore designed to make the website as accessible as possible to users whatever their background, to make it as easy as possible for the content provider to produce content, and to meet in full our legal obligations.

Legal Obligations

No webpages may carry any material or link to any other site which carries material which is illegal, offensive, threatening, which harasses any person, or which may constitute a criminal offence. Note that breach of copyright is an offence.
Use of JANet [Joint Academic Network], on which we rely for access to the Internet, specifically excludes its use for commercial activities. There must be no commercial activities carried out through University webpages; nor should there be links to sites elsewhere on which an individual carries out such activities. Violation of the JANet Acceptable Use Policymay result in an indefinite withdrawal of the service to the University.
All personal information which is incorporated into web pages is subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998; information on other persons, including their names, must be used only with the informed consent of that person.

Corporate identity

University name, logo, associated designs and templates are only allowed in association with authorised material. They may not be used in association with any other material, such as personal homepages.
Designs and templates may not — and do not need to be - modified in any way. This includes distorting the height or width ratio of any image, including the University logo, use of other fonts or different colours.
Only approved versions of the University logo, meant for online use, may be used. Corporate identity guidelines and logos can be requested from the Marketing and Communications Office. For more information please visit our corporate identity pages.
Requests for specially designed or adapted graphics should be directed to the Web Manager, who will assess these on an individual basis.
Where there is a need to present information or 'showcase' in a form that corporate templates may not support, permission to develop alternative designs/templates must be obtained from the Director of Marketing. Note that, where permission is given, these will need to be produced professionally and there are likely to be budget and procurement issues to be addressed.
Avoid the use of internally used abbreviations. For example, rather than 'London Met', use instead 'the University' or the name in full. The use of 'LMU' is forbidden.

Maintenance

Ensure regular reviews of content. Either update pages or remove from public view any old or redundant pages. Merely not linking to redundant pages is not sufficient as search engines may still index these pages.
Links in existing pages should be checked regularly. This is particularly important where there are links to pages or material not under own control.
If large sections of information are moved to a different location, a page pointing to the new location must be left at the old location.

Accessibility

This section is specifically aimed at helping users with disability, and complying with the Disability Discrimination Act, which is now in force, though it will also assist other users.

The use of frames is not allowed.
Do not use pop-up boxes and avoid opening pages in a new browser window.
All hypertext links should make sense when read out of context, i.e. "More information about the University", and not "For more information about the University, click here".
Always use the ALT attribute of the <img> tag to describe the content of images.
When using forms, provide an alternative method of contact such as an email address and/or telephone number.
Do not rely on the user having a specific plug-in to access critical information. When using features that require plug-ins this must be indicated on the preceding link/page.
If at all possible, use Adobe Acrobat as a supplementary method rather than the only method of publication.

Good practice

Use clear and simple language. (See the editorial style guide for help.)
If you have a large number of pages divide them into logical subsections.
Resize and optimise images before uploading them to your site. Only use the GIF or JPEG formats. (GIF is the best format for artwork and JPEG for photos)
Links to material that has been restricted to internal access only should clearly indicate 'internal access only'.
Clearly signpost external links, preferably by collecting them in one place called 'external links'.
Content should be broken into manageable 'chunks' whereby the user can maintain an overview even when scrolling down the page.
Link to other pages on the University website rather than duplicating information in your own web pages.
Do not publish pages that are 'under construction'. It is better to publish very minimal information on a single page initially and then expand when pages are constructed. If information is not yet available, state the date or time it will be published and, where possible, provide an email address and telephone number for users to obtain more info.
Limit the number of options in sub menus to around seven. If you have more, try to group them sensibly.
When using a form, indicate which sections are compulsory and which are optional.

Approval procedure

Any individual planning to publish official content to the University website should obtain permission from their Head of Department, or their department's official Content Provider (CP), where appointed, and then contact the Web Manager. Official content must be located within departmental websites.
All content, including links, whether new or changed, must be approved by the HoD or CP, whose authority will confirm the accuracy and relevance of the information, and determine whether or not the material must be restricted in any way, e.g. internal access only.
It is the responsibility of the CP, in conjunction with their HoD, to establish local procedures to regularly review content and to ensure the continuity of the service. The role as Content Provider should not be left vacant - wherever possible, a replacement must be identified and hand-over instruction organised. The Web Manager must be kept informed of any changes, such as change of CP, contact details, etc.
There must be no links from official content to non-official content, such as personal homepages. However, departmental web areas may include pages about staff, their publications and research interests, etc.

Application of Code of Practice

Any material found to contravene any of the requirements set out in this Code will result in a request to the person originating it to amend or remove it immediately. Failure to comply will result in material being amended, restricted or removed without further notice and the relevant HoD being informed.
The Web Manager will reserve the right to change or remove any content that is, or appears to be, in contravention of this code, or which is inaccurate, or in any way damaging to the University. The relevant CP and HoD will be notified as soon as possible to allow the material to be checked and/or amended.