AHRQ Publishing and Communications Guidelines

The AHRQ Publishing and Communications Guidelines outline the standards for Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) products developed in-house and by contractors. AHRQ staff should remember that all contracts must include wording that requires contractors to follow these guidelines when creating deliverables for the Agency.

The AHRQ Publishing and Communications Guidelines outline the standards for AHRQ products developed in-house and by contractors. The guidelines address the topics of:

• Publishing, including instructions and a generic style for formatting reports and other products. This section also contains general publishing guidance, including information on copyrights, trademarks, and disclaimers.
• Web standards, including guidelines for Web-based products and sites. Of particular note is the Web Site Deployment Checklist that contractors must submit with each Web deliverable.
• Media relations products, including guidance for creating press releases.
• Social media, including policies for Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Blogs.
• Audio and video products, including an overview of AHRQ's audio and video products and checklists to assist individuals in determining if an audio or video product is the best vehicle for delivering their message. This section also offers release forms for participants in video productions.
• Toolkits, offering definitions of tools and toolkits and provides checklists that will help toolkit developers determine if their product is actually a toolkit and ensure any toolkit deliverables are consistent with other toolkit products AHRQ offers.
• Branding specifications, including instructions for how to use the AHRQ logo for branding in various treatments, such as printed materials and on Web sites, and design specifications for AHRQ's major programs.

Contents

Section Contents for printing (PDF File, 18 KB
Section 1: Publishing Style
   Appendix 1-A. Copyright: Permission Forms and Licensing Agreement
   Appendix 1-B. Trademarks
   Appendix 1-C. AHRQ Grant Final Progress Reports
Section 2: Web Product and Web Site Development and Redesign
   Appendix 2-A. Application and System Development Requirements
   Appendix 2-B. Web Instructions for Grantees
   Appendix 2-C. Creating Accessible Files and Technologies
   Appendix 2-D. Web Site Initiation Checklist
   Appendix 2-E. AHRQ Linking Policy
Section 3: Media and Marketing Outreach
   Appendix 3-A Clearance Process for Press Releases
   Appendix 3-B Clearance Process for Media Interviews
Section 4: Social Media
Section 5: Audio and Video
   Appendix 5-A. Video Consideration Checklist
   Appendix 5-B. Audio Consideration Checklist
   Appendix 5-C. AHRQ Public Service Announcement Release Form
   Appendix 5-D. AHRQ Talent Release Form
   Appendix 5-E. Best Formats for AHRQ Video Products
Section 6: Toolkit Guidance
Section 7: Branding Design Element Specifications
   Specifications for Effective Health Care (EHC) Publications
   Specifications for EHC Clinician Research Summary
   Specifications for EHC Consumer Publications
   Specifications for Health IT Publications
   Specifications for Patient Safety Publications
   Specifications for Prevention & Chronic Care (PCC) Program Publications
   Specifications for "Stay Healthy" Prevention Consumer Brochures