University of Southern Indiana

Web Publishing Policies

File and Directory Names
Files and directories must use lowercase letters and there should be no spaces in the names.

For the majority of browsers to read pages and images, carefully name your pages, and graphics. The names should be limited to eight characters followed by a period, then a three or four character extension. For example: www.usi.edu/events/maps.asp - contained in the newsinfo directory, the actual name of the page is maps and the extension is asp.

Page Layout
USI Web templates were designed to facilitate Web page development by providing the framework for page development. The Web Development Policy endorses the use of the templates. They provide a unified and professional USI Web presence.

Content
All pages should include the following meta tag just below the <head> tag:

This code ensures that each time the page is visited, the most updated page will appear in the browser, not one that was cached by the browser in the past.

All content on the USI Web server follows the USI Editor's Manual published by News and Information Services. The News and Information Services staff uses the recent edition of the Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Stylebook for general reference. Refer to the editor's manual for the proper names of buildings, questions concerning time references, dates, grammar, and other writing topics.

Navigation
Every Web page should have a standard set of navigational links. What those links are depends on your Web site. If you've built a flow chart while planning your Web site, defining your navigation is easy and can be based upon that chart.

Each page must include these basic navigational options:

The approved USI Web templates include basic navigational links that are built-in and meet the requirements of the Web Publishing Policy.

Link to home pages (yours, USI's <www.usi.edu>)
Every page in your site should have a link to your main page and, if your site is a sub site of the University, you also should include hyperlinks to the departmental main pages.
Link to the search engine
It is important to consider that the user may not understand the structure and differentiation of departments and entities at USI and may not know who publishes or provides the information in which they are interested. So a hyperlink on every page that points to USI's search engine (http://www.usi.edu/compctr/search.asp) helps users find their target.
Link to/provide contact information
Provide the user with an e-mail address on every page and the telephone number and postal mailing address of your department (if applicable). If information a reader seeks is not on the Web, adding an option to contact someone in the office will bridge gaps.

Links to the major navigational areas of the University should be in the footer, or bottom of the page.

Academics | Prospective Student | Current Student | Athletics | Visitors | Events and News | Administration

the official address and phone number of the University should appear below the links - 8600 University Boulevard - Evansville, IN 47712-3596 - 812/464-8600.

Logos
The University of Southern Indiana's name and logo, along with the name of the unit or department, should be integrated in the heading of a site's main page, second-tier page, and as frequently as possible within the site. The logo is the official identifier of the University and must be used within the guidelines set for Web page use.

Accessibility
Accessibility design and universal Web design accommodate visitors with learning and physical disabilities to access online material. USI is committed to providing access to all users. All text should be in Arial, Verdana, or sans serif fonts. Alt tags should be used for all graphics to identify the graphic.

Visit www.microsoft.com/enable/microsoft/ for more information about accessibility.

Recent federal regulations can be found at www.section508.gov/.

Designing a more accessible world - the trace center at the University of Wisconsin provides a starting point for locating relevant laws, regulations , policies, and government related standards or guidelines which relate to Web accessibility; they initiate policies as well.

The World Wide Web consortium has an accessibility section and has been very active in promoting accessibility on the Web.

The "bobby" site can run your Web pages to verify that they are accessible.

8600 University Boulevard - Evansville, IN 47712-3596 - 812/464-8600

EMBOSSED USI LOGO