What is the General Star Point Format?

A. Summary:

All Star Points in the Star Academy should be written in the same format to make it easier for users to pick up needed information quickly. This Star Point will tell you what the three Sections of a Star Point are and what content should be in them.

B. Key Points:

· Always use the 3 divisions Summary, Key Points and Details

· The Summary is a paragraph of one to three sentences

· The Summary should contain an overview of what will be found in the Details

· The Key Points are one line each and there can be as many as 9

· The Key Points should be bulleted and emphasize the most important points

· The Key Points can also contain links to videos and special-format documents

· The Details Section is a set of paragraphs that are generally no more than 5 screens long

· Write your Details Section first, then the Summary and Key Points

· Link to What is a Star Point?

· For corrections, updates, clarifications on this Star Point, please email ewallace@afsc.org

C. Details:

Write the Details Section first. Once you are clear on what belongs in the Details Section, you will be able to summarize the Star Point in one or two sentences. And you will be able to pick out the most important points for the Key Points Section.

You can include screen shots in the Details. If the Star Point Details are longer than 5 screens, you probably should break it into several smaller Points. You can then include a link to these other Star Points in your Details or in your Key Points.

Your Key Points Section can contain several different items. It will be used primarily to give short bullets of information for those who only need a quick refresher on the key points. Try and keep your Key Points short and have no more than 9 of them in your bullet list.

You can also use the Key Points Section to provide links to videos that relate to your Point or to other Star Points related to your current Star Point. If there is a document in specialized formatting -- such as a spreadsheet or a Quick Tips document -- you can include a link here so you can retain the special formatting for printing purposes.

The last bulleted point in every Key Points should identify who to contact if the Star Point needs updating or clarification. Insert the line For corrections, updates, or clarifications on this Star Point, please email name@afsc.org as last Key Point. The email name should be the author of the Star Point.

Your Summary Section should be very short -- no more than three or four sentences. Its purpose is to help the reader quickly determine if this Point has the information they are looking for. It should be an accurate summary of what will be found in the Details Section.