{"action":"created","issue":{"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/wet-boew/wet-boew/issues/7631","repository_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/wet-boew/wet-boew","labels_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/wet-boew/wet-boew/issues/7631/labels{/name}","comments_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/wet-boew/wet-boew/issues/7631/comments","events_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/wet-boew/wet-boew/issues/7631/events","html_url":"https://github.com/wet-boew/wet-boew/issues/7631","id":169940718,"number":7631,"title":"Italics in the WET4 CSS","user":{"login":"cfarquharson","id":2319199,"avatar_url":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/2319199?v=3","gravatar_id":"","url":"https://api.github.com/users/cfarquharson","html_url":"https://github.com/cfarquharson","followers_url":"https://api.github.com/users/cfarquharson/followers","following_url":"https://api.github.com/users/cfarquharson/following{/other_user}","gists_url":"https://api.github.com/users/cfarquharson/gists{/gist_id}","starred_url":"https://api.github.com/users/cfarquharson/starred{/owner}{/repo}","subscriptions_url":"https://api.github.com/users/cfarquharson/subscriptions","organizations_url":"https://api.github.com/users/cfarquharson/orgs","repos_url":"https://api.github.com/users/cfarquharson/repos","events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/cfarquharson/events{/privacy}","received_events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/cfarquharson/received_events","type":"User","site_admin":false},"labels":[],"state":"open","locked":false,"assignee":null,"assignees":[],"milestone":null,"comments":11,"created_at":"2016-08-08T14:44:25Z","updated_at":"2016-08-31T16:08:30Z","closed_at":null,"body":"According to the [TBS styled guide - 4.1 Capitalization and punctuation](https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/hgw-cgf/oversight-surveillance/communications/csc-grc-eng.asp#toc5): there are cases to use italics.  However, in WET4, the follow elements display as italic.  Should this be revised in the CSS (or did the style guide not consider these ?) `<cite><var><dfn>`"},"comment":{"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/wet-boew/wet-boew/issues/comments/243814758","html_url":"https://github.com/wet-boew/wet-boew/issues/7631#issuecomment-243814758","issue_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/wet-boew/wet-boew/issues/7631","id":243814758,"user":{"login":"AmelieSirois","id":21366025,"avatar_url":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/21366025?v=3","gravatar_id":"","url":"https://api.github.com/users/AmelieSirois","html_url":"https://github.com/AmelieSirois","followers_url":"https://api.github.com/users/AmelieSirois/followers","following_url":"https://api.github.com/users/AmelieSirois/following{/other_user}","gists_url":"https://api.github.com/users/AmelieSirois/gists{/gist_id}","starred_url":"https://api.github.com/users/AmelieSirois/starred{/owner}{/repo}","subscriptions_url":"https://api.github.com/users/AmelieSirois/subscriptions","organizations_url":"https://api.github.com/users/AmelieSirois/orgs","repos_url":"https://api.github.com/users/AmelieSirois/repos","events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/AmelieSirois/events{/privacy}","received_events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/AmelieSirois/received_events","type":"User","site_admin":false},"created_at":"2016-08-31T16:08:30Z","updated_at":"2016-08-31T16:08:30Z","body":"Interesting conversation! Research (some of our sources at the end) has revealed that it can be difficult for people with dyslexia and other reading disabilities to read text in italics. Italics can also make readability more difficult for most users. So italics are not allowed on Canada.ca, for accessibility and readability reasons. We’re not alone: other jurisdictions, like the United Kingdom and the province of Ontario, are removing italics from their web content as well.\r\n\r\n**Please note** that Federal institutions **don’t** have to adopt the rules of the Canada.ca Content Style Guide before their content migrates to Canada.ca. Institutions will know more about timelines to adopt the guidance during the optimization phase of the Web Renewal Initiative, which will drive adoption of these rules under focused conditions. \r\n\r\n# Italics: a convention adapted to print\r\nItalicizing text dates back to 16th century. Italicizing titles of publications, acts, regulations, etc., was a common practice adapted to print to make text stand out (to emphasize) from surrounding content. On Canada.ca, we use bold to emphasize text because “the letters are clearer and give better contrast”(1). \r\n\r\nNote that we continue to capitalize the principle words of titles of official publications, legislation, programs names, etc., which already distinguishes names and titles from the surrounding text. \r\n\r\n# Focus on the task \r\nItalics draw the eye for sighted users. The name of a publication or an act is a reference. It’s not the most important information on the page; it’s contextual information. It’s also rarely descriptive or written in plain language. Why emphasize it with italics?\r\n\r\nTo help the user understand how to complete a task or his/her obligations as per the law, focus on **explaining what the user must do** instead. \r\n\r\n## Tip: how to reference legislation and publications\r\nFor example, when explaining an audience’s obligations under the law, use the inverted pyramid approach to structure content:\r\n\r\n1. focus on clarifying what the user must do (the most important information on the page) instead of emphasizing the name of the act\r\n2. provide instructions on how to complete the task\r\n3. hyperlink references to the act, regulation or policy and place them at the bottom of the page under “Related links” to be transparent and give access to context \r\n4. don’t italicize the name of the act, regulation or policy because it’s hyperlinked and we only use one style at a time on Canada.ca\r\n\r\nDesigning and structuring content properly with the most important information up front allows us to avoid emphasizing less important text with italics.\r\n\r\n# The code\r\nRegarding the coding concerns that have been brought up in this discussion, a best practice is to standardize the markup depending on the meaning of the content. For example:\r\n\r\n- use <cite> (not <em>) for titles of acts, official publications\r\nhttp://www.w3.org/TR/html5/text-level-semantics.html#the-cite-element\r\n- use  <i class=\"science\"> (not <em>) for scientific or technical terms\r\nhttp://www.w3.org/TR/html5/text-level-semantics.html#the-i-element\r\n- use <i lang=\"?\"> (e.g. <i lang=\"fr\"> or <i lang=\"en\">, etc.) for terms in languages other than the main language of the page\r\nhttp://www.w3.org/TR/html5/text-level-semantics.html#the-i-element\r\n- use <b> (not <strong>) for text that needs to visually stand out without indicating stress or importance\r\nhttp://www.w3.org/TR/html5/text-level-semantics.html#the-b-element\r\n- use <strong> for text that is especially important\r\nhttp://www.w3.org/TR/html5/text-level-semantics.html#the-strong-element\r\netc.\r\n\r\nPlease add any that we might not have considered here!\r\n\r\nLater we’ll determine how CSS renders the markup based on the style guide.\r\n\r\n# Writing principles for Canada.ca\r\nThere are many valid approaches to writing web content. We needed clear criteria to guide style decisions for the type of content hosted on the Government of Canada’s site. We evaluated style rules we researched to develop the Canada.ca Content Style Guide against our writing principles: \r\n\r\n- writing for accessibility (for people with cognitive as well as physical disabilities)\r\n- writing for readability (for all users)\r\n- writing that considers all screen sizes (for users who browse the web on mobile devices)\r\n- writing for your audience (for users who have a specialization in that subject)\r\n\r\n# Less is more: an approach adapted to web\r\nOn the web, the trend is clear: we simplify style, formatting, punctuation, capitalization by simplifying our writing. Too much formatting on a web page increases the cognitive load and distracts the user from the task and core message. It makes content more confusing, not clearer, and it slows down scanning. \r\n\r\n# Some sources\r\nHere is a short list of some of our sources: \r\n•\tWebAIM: Cognitive Disabilities Part 1\r\nhttp://webaim.org/articles/cognitive/cognitive_too_little/\r\n•\tAccessites.org: Designing for Dyslexics: Part 3 of 3\r\nhttp://accessites.org/site/2006/11/designing-for-dyslexics-part-3-of-3/ \r\n•\tLuz Rello and Ricardo Baeza-Yates: Good Fonts for Dyslexia\r\nhttp://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/sites/default/files/good_fonts_for_dyslexia_study.pdf \r\n•\tUnited Kingdom’s Gov.uk Style guide\r\nhttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/style-guide/a-to-z-of-gov-uk-style\r\n•\tWhy Don't Online Readers Like Italics?\r\nhttp://www.fastcodesign.com/3025187/evidence/the-fascinating-science-of-how-we-read-italics-online \r\n\r\n# References\r\n(1)\tUX Movement: 6 Surprising Bad Practices That Hurt Dyslexic Users, http://uxmovement.com/content/6-surprising-bad-practices-that-hurt-dyslexic-users/\r\n\r\nIf you ever come across instances where you can't imagine not using italics, please share them (with links, we need to see the content) so we can study them! 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