BP writing style guide
 
Clear and consistent communications.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

September 2016 edition

 
Introduction
 
 
What’s the style guide for?
 
Communications play an important role in the way BP presents itself to the
outside world. The style guide is designed to make writing easier to read and
create consistency across BP’s communications and channels.
 
This guide sets out the spelling, grammar, presentation and formatting that
we should use in all BP communications, as well as providing guidance to
help keep writing interesting and engaging for our many internal and
external audiences.
 
The writing style is an important part of our identity as an organization.
You should apply the principles of this guide for everything you write in BP.
 
 
 
 
  Writing for BP channels
 
We update the BP style guide annually,
with colleagues from across group
communications. The style applies
to all BP communications and channels
including online, print, social media and
infographics. Where style differences
are necessary between channels, these
are explained on page 24.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 2

  
1. Writing style
Contents
 
 
  Page      Page 
 

1.  Writing style  4  5. Presentation  17 

  Engaging communications  4 Abbreviations and acronyms  17
  Tone of voice  6 BP group  18
  BP brand voice 6 Dates and times 18
  Readability  7 e.g. and i.e.  19
    Email addresses  19
2.  BP style cheat sheet  9 Legal terminology  19
    Money  19
3.  BP use of English  10 Numbers  19
  Typography  10 People’s names  21
  Accents  10 Website URLs  21
  Ampersands  10
  Apostrophes  10 6. Formatting  22 
  Brackets   11 Bullet points  22
  Colons   11 Data tables  22
  Commas   11 Emphasis  22
  Conjunctions    11 Footnotes  22
  Contractions  12 Publications  23
  Hyphens and dashes  12 References  23
  Quotation marks  12 Sources  23
  Semicolons  12
  Trade marks and copyright  12 7. Writing for different channels 24
  Troublesome words  13 Online communications 24
    Social media 25
4.  Capitalization  15  Infographics and animations 26
  A bias to lower case  15
  BP’s businesses and functions  15 8. BP spellings and translations 27
  BP – other nouns   15 British or American spelling 27
  BP programmes   15 Translations 27
  Compass points  15 Frequently used words 28
  Currencies  15
  Headings, subtitles and titles  15 9. Contacts and downloads 29
  Hemispheres  15
  Job titles  15
  Nouns in general context  16
  Proper nouns  16
  Seasons  16
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 3
 
1. Writing style
 
 
 
 
BP writes with a consistent editorial style across all its communications.
 
Engaging communications  Features are informal, but longer than
news stories, often focusing on a particular
Good writing keeps people reading, bad writing person, team or activity in detail.
makes them stop. If people stop reading because  Speeches and notes from executives are
they are bored or baffled, they will miss the written with very clear messages, backed
message you are trying to communicate. It’s your by evidence.
job to make sure they keep reading, helping BP  
share its story as clearly as possible, with as Introduce the main point
many people as possible. Start with the most important point, not the
 
  background or overall theme. Focus on what’s
BP uses an authentic, confident tone of voice. interesting to your reader, not BP messaging.
 
Communications are supported by facts that  
give a credible picture of BP’s position and  
activities. Be direct
  Straightforward communications are easier to
Different writing styles read and understand.
Writing should always be accurate, clear and
   

concise. But we use small differences in style for

different types of communication.
 Corporate reports are written in chapters that
 BP has launched
a new lubricant.
The launch
 Having
researched
the marker for
usually work through the elements of a topic in follows extensive advanced oils,
a logical order, starting with an overview and research of BP has launched
covering all the main points. advanced oils. a new lubricant.
 News stories are usually short and informal.
They start with the newest or most
interesting point, aiming to capture the
reader’s attention, before going on to
explain the background.
 
 
 
 
 
Simple rules for writing
 
 
Whatever you’re writing, you can help to make sure it’s clear and
effective by following these simple writing rules from author
George Orwell:
 

 Don’t use a long word where a short one will do.

 If it’s possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
 Don’t use the passive if you can use the active.
 Don’t use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or jargon if you
can think of an everyday English equivalent.
 
Taken from Orwell’s 1946 essay ‘Politics and the English Language’.

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 4

 
1. Writing style
 
 
 
Focus on the compelling issues Balanced vocabulary
Don’t try to describe every single detail in your Where there is a choice of words with the same
communications – illustrate primary themes meaning, aim to use the plainest English version
with a balanced overview of supporting to give your writing pace and energy. Used
statistics and evidence. occasionally formal or Latin-origin words can
  convey intelligence, but too much creates a stiff
Provide a short, digestible amount of detail and if and overly formal tone.
needed provide links to further information, such
as a website or document. Formal version Plain English version
 
  Acquire Get
Check you’ve told your readers… Arduous Difficult
  Donation Gift
Who, what, when, where, why, how Expedient Quick
  Fortitude Strength
  Leverage Use
 
Use plain English   Location Place
Write as you would speak with ordinary English.   Maintain Keep
Using everyday words helps to make sure a   Require Need
wide audience can engage with your writing.  
    Remain Stay
 
Plain English is:  
• faster to write Oil industry specific jargon
• faster to read Think before you use industry jargon. Avoid using
• easier to understand. it when writing for a diverse audience who may not
  understand it.
Accessible language  
Edit out business-specific phrases, jargon and Will the audience know what these terms mean?
expressions to make your writing more widely If the answer is no, don’t use it.
understandable. Alpha-olefins
  Barriers to risk
Is there a better way of saying it?
Blowout
Avoid using words that don’t say anything:
Conduct for operating
Address or speaks to (as in said/spoke)
Production tree
Capability (as in skills)
Wellhead
Capacity (as in space)
 
Critical (as in important) Local expressions
Deploy (as in use) Certain local terms are not easily understood
Feedstock (as in raw materials) or translated.
Framework (as in structure)  
Implement (as in put in place) Avoid using expressions such as:
Impacted (as in has an effect on) Knowledge base
Learnings (as in knowledge) Lend a hand
Material (as in essential, relevant) Line up your ducks
Standards (as in expectations) Over the moon
Step change (as in a significant change) Think outside the box
User (as in person) Two heads are better than one
Utilize (as in use)

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 5

 
1. W
Writing
g style
 
 
 
Ton
ne of voice
 
Writting for extternal audiences Active vs passive
Writee from BP Passive: The proposaal was accep
pted by the
Write
e communicaations for extternal audien nces committee.
from BP as a who
ole, not a parrticular part o
of Active: The
T committtee accepted d the proposaal.
the b
business. Passive: The matter will be considered by uss.
  Active: We
W will conssider the mattter.
Newss stories use e the third pe
erson singulaar – ‘BP’  
or ‘it’ – to sound factual
f and objective.
o Theey  
are a source of information, not ‘the voice e of  
manaagement’. Edit your clutter
BP has launched a new ups stream learni ng centre Don’t be repetitive
r
for eastern hem misphere proffessionals. Don’t get stuck using tthe same ph hrases or
  rewordings of the sam me concept. This
T is especcially
Corpoorate reportss and commu unications su
uch as the case iff you are wo rking with multiple
m conte
ent
speecches can also use ‘we’ or
o ‘us’ to refe
er to BP. sources. Always
A review
w what you’ve written an nd
We ddo this becauuse these communication ns delete any
ything repetittive.
ess external audiences in
addre n BP’s voice.  
We e aim to creaate sharehold
der value acrross Avoid reader instructtions
They shou uld be intuitivve or made clear
c by the
the
e hydrocarbo on value chain.
  design of your
y commuunication. Do o you really need
Avoidd using interrnal processses and funcctions to tell your reader?
Only use them if they
t are fam
miliar to the re
eader and In this section,
s you will find…
it makkes your com
mmunication more credib ble or In the graphic
g to thee right…
underrstandable. In this website
w secttion…
On thiss page…
 
 
Write
e about BP ass a whole   Write ob
bjectively
    It’s tempting to describbe a project in a positive light.


BP has BP’s saafety and But by staying objectivve and letting
g the facts sppeak
 d
introduced
new safetty
operatio
onal risk
function
n has
for themseelves you reiinforce BP’s brand valuess
of respect, excellence and courage e. It also makkes
measures. introducced new sure that the
t content iss accurate, unbiased
u andd
safety m
measures. not misleaading.
 
Write
e with an active
a voic
ce For corporrate reportingg it is essenttial to remain
n
When possible wrrite with the active voice e to show objective, as regulatorss and key op pinion formerrs
ownerrship and confidence. Av void the passsive voice require an unbiased, faactual account of BP’s
as it can sound forrmal and indiifferent. activities, all of which m
must be sup pported with
proof.

BP b
brand vo
oice
The brand team m are deveeloping ton ne of voice guidelines
s to shape the way we
w
communicate in BP and drive conssistency ac cross comm municationns. The guidance
desccribes BP’ss ‘persona’’ rooting it in the way
y an actual person w
would speakk. Keep
an eye on [Link] or contactt [Link] e@[Link] for moore informa ation.

  Septeember 2016 BP writing sty

yle guide 2016
6 6
 
1. W
Writing
g style
 
 
Don’’t tell me, show me Readab
bility
Illustrrate abstractt concepts with
w tangible  
exam mples. Use caase studies, interviews, e examples Be concise
and mmeaningful data
d to bring your
y writing to life Write short sentencess
and in ncrease its credibility.
c Aim for aro ound 10-25 w words per seentence. Usee
  en dashes, not a longeer em dash or o shorter hypphen,
Use comparatiive data to split up longer senteences. Limit use of brackkets
Prioritize facts and figures in your
y writing that tell as they bre eak a readerr’s flow.
eader sometthing they did
the re dn’t know beefore. Every day Air BP fueels around 6,000
Use eeveryday com mparisons too help create a sense flights – that’s arounnd four a min
nute.
of scaale.
Thee new supercomputer will have a
 
Paragraphh length
totaal memory ofo 1,000 terab bytes – the
cks of text caan be off-putting,
Large bloc
equuivalent of more
m than 40,,000 averagee
but one-se
entence paraagraphs shou uld also
lapttop compute ers.
be avoided
d. This is parrticularly true
e online
where shoort lines of teext look too spaced
s out.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Engage
e your au
udience
 
Brring informattion to life with
w engaging g stories and examples. TheT 2015 annnual report uses
u case stu
udies to
give context and
a colour to o BP’s strate
egic priorities. This exammple demonsstrates how our focus on
o high-
vaalue upstream
m assets has s helped maiintain a secuure and reliab
ble supply.
 

Optimizing our assets

a
The Cas spian Sea is onne of the worldd’s leading hy ydrocarbon pro ovinces
and we have been the e major presennce in develop pment of
Azerbaijan’s offshore oil and gas fieelds since our office in Baku u
opened in 1992.
The country’s gas pro oduction is dom minated by onne of the worldd’s
largest fields,
f Shah De eniz – BP’s bigggest discove ery since Prudhhoe
Bay in Alaska
A in 1968.
Develop ping Shah Deniz Stage 1 invvolved drilling some
s of BP’s most
difficult wells – at deppths of aroundd 6,000 metres s below sea leevel
and under high pressu ures. And in oonly seven yea ars, we also drrilled
the deep pest exploratioon well in the Caspian to da ate, built the
platformm and onshore terminal and laid the 700km m South Cauccasus
pipeline through Azerbaijan and Geoorgia to the Tu urkish border.
Our tech hnical expertis
se and ongoingg maintenance of the facilitties has
helped Shah
S Deniz proovide a consisstently secure and reliable supply
s
of gas to o the region and in 2015 wee achieved alm most 100% plaant
reliability
y. This has helped to increa se production n from the exissting
facilities
s.
Shah De eniz Stage 1 has reliably del ivered plateau u production
througho out 2015, with h 9.9 billion sttandard cubic metres of gass and
about 18 8.3 million barrels of condennsate produce ed.
Strength
hening our asse
ets to provide momentum fo
or years to com
me.
 
 

  Septeember 2016 BP writing sty

yle guide 2016
6 7
 
1. W
Writing
g style  
 
 
Use headings and
a subhea
adings Images
Breakk up text and
d guide reade
ers through yyour Provide caaptions for im
mages that describe the photo
p
comm munication with
w short, cleear headliness and include some addiitional points
s of interest. Keep
and ssubheadings.. the captions to one or two phrases s and include
e a full
  e end of the sentence.
stop at the
Readers should be b able to gett a high-leve l overview  
of whhat’s in the communicati
c on from the headings If you are describing w
who is in the photo, write
e their
and ssubheadings alone. names as they appear from left to right. If you know
  the name of the photoographer or agency that supplied
s
Make e sure the structure of yo
our heading h
hierarchy the photo, consider addding those details
d somew where
is clear to help the reader und
derstand the flow of in the document.
your wwriting.  
   
Refe
erencing da
ates  
Don’tt start a senttence with a date (e.g. In
n 2015 Usiing captiions
BP m
made a new discovery).
d This is report--like and
quickkly becomes dull and repe etitive.
 
Preseent historical data in brac
ckets after th
he
current year’s figu
ures.
The improvement continue ed in 2015 w ith
a sscore of 72%% (2014 71%, 2013 67%)).
 
Don’tt use date re eferences (to
oday, now,
recen
ntly). If your communicat
c ion is more
enduring than a dayd or so (repports, web Remodelling Mad Doog Phase 2 re educed our
pagess), it will beccome inaccurrate. project co
ost estimatee by more tha
an half.
   
Use graphics, photograp
p hy and cap
ptions  
ell the storry
to te  
Graphics  
 
explanatory graphics
Self-e g can help conveyy  
comp plex concepts, but readerrs shouldn’t need Proofing and editting
to search throughh the text to understand wwhat
it means.
Always read and ree-read your writing
w with
ha
  critical, editorial
e eyee. Print out your first
Don’tt repeat whaat is shown inn the graphicc, draft, read it and coonsider read ding it out
expannd on it with additional in
nformation. loud, edit it – removve assertion ns, add
example es, cut jargoon and then n read it agaain.
After tha at, give it too someone else to read d to
see if they understaand it.

 
Septe
ember 2016 BP writing sty
yle guide 2016
6 8
 

 
2. BP style cheat sheet
 
An at-a-glance summary of BP’s house style.
 
 
 
Writing style
Times
Write from BP as a whole. Use plain English, avoid
Use figures (except for noon and midnight) and
jargon and keep sentences short.
no spaces: 10am, 10.30pm
  Time ranges
A bias to lower case Only use am or pm once: 9-10am, 9.30-11am
In BP we don’t capitalize:  
• Internal job titles: Bob Dudley, group chief Hyphenation
executive If two or more adjectives are used together to
• External job titles, unless used as part of a title: modify the same noun this creates a compound
 The president of the US was in town adjective. When this is before the noun the
 President Obama was in town adjectives should be hyphenated to avoid confusion.
 Barack Obama, president of the US, was  the long-term plan
in town  state-of-the-art design
• BP businesses (except for Upstream and  third-party spend
Downstream): group legal, safety and  high-value upstream portfolio
operational risk, BP biofuels
• BP nouns, such as refineries, committees, If the adjectives come after the noun, they don’t
projects: Whiting refinery need a hyphen.
• Currencies: sterling, dollar  This plan lasts into the long term.
 We spent the money on a third party.
 
Abbreviations
Only abbreviate if a word is used more than twice Numbers
in a section or on a page. Write the word out in full Use the word for numbers up to nine: one, three,
in the first instance and follow it with the third, eighth (except for money, weights and
abbreviation in brackets: BP’s operating measures that always use numbers: 5 metres,
management system (OMS) 9 million barrels, £4).
   
Try not to start a sentence with an abbreviation. Use the number for numbers over nine: 10, 55,
10th, 41st
Don’t use apostrophes in plural abbreviations: KPIs  
(not KPI’s) Use commas in numbers higher than 1,000:
  3,300,000
BP spelling  
We tend to use the Americanized ‘z’ version Units
for ‘ise’: authorize, organization, maximize Spell out units that would not be widely recognized
  by your audience in the first instance and follow
with the abbreviation in brackets: $6.50 million
But we use British spelling for all other words:
British thermal units (mmBtu)
colour, centre, programme, favourable.
 
Don’t insert a space between the figure and
For a list of examples and BP spellings see
abbreviated unit; do if it is not abbreviated: 78km,
page 26.
78 kilometres, 81MW, 18%
   
Dates and times Quotation marks
Use the ‘day month year’ format, omit all Use single quotation marks for unfamiliar words
commas and always write the month in words: and only use double quotes for speech.
 
10 June 2015 or Wednesday 10 June 2015
 
   
Use cardinal: 10 June, not ordinal numbers:
10th June
Full stops
 
Date ranges Always use a single space, not
In headings: 2011-2012 double, after a full stop before
In body text: 2011-12 starting the next sentence.
 

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 9

 
3. BP use of English
 
 
Follow the BP
B style fo
or everytthing from
m punctuation ma rks to tra
ade markss.
 
 
Typo
ography Bracketss
  Parenthesses – curved d brackets
Acce
ents Punctuatio
on is normallyy placed outside
Use a accents B if the braackets contain a full
brackets. But
In wo ords that normally take th
hem. sentence, place the puunctuation in nside.
viss-à-vis Both enntities were i ncluded as part
p of the
  sale (as outlined in tthe case file)).
Wherre names req
quire them. s part of BP’ s suite of de
(LoSal is esigner water
ogotá, Castellón, Hüls
Bo technologies.)
   
Amp
persands (&
&) Don’t overuse bracketts and avoid placing them m in
Use a
an ampersan nd e of a sentennce as it breaks the read
the middle der’s
Only when it’s paart of a prope
er name. flow and can
c make thee sentence difficult
d to reaad.
BP
P Exploration & Productio on Inc.  
Maarks & Spenccer Square brrackets
Trinidad & Tobago In draft communicationns square brrackets
  denote inccomplete conntent. They canc be used
Don’tt use an ampersand with XXs tot show wheere facts or figures are
As a substitute fo
or the word ‘and’ in any missing. These
T characcters are easily
otherr context. searchablee for updatin g before pub blication.
We drilled [XX] wellss in 2015.
     

 Square bra ackets are alsso used whe en adding wo ords

All employee es All
A employees

 should receive
health and
safety trainin
ng.
should receive
health &
safety training..
to a person’s quote to help the rea
its meaninng.
ader understaand

Chris sa
aid: “I’ve rea d lots about it [Madrid] but
b
Aposstrophes I’ve nev
ver been.”
Use aapostrophess  
When n omitting on
ne or more le
etters.
Colons
For direct quotes use a colon and double
d quotaation
She’ll be late to
o the meetin
ng. marks.
It’ss on the deskk. The chieef executive said: “This has
h been
  anotherr good quarteer and a strong financial
To sh
how possesssion. result.”
The chief executive’s letterr.  
Jan
ne’s desk. For lists us
se a colon annd continue the
t sentence e
St James’s Squuare. using lowe er case.
  Security y of energy ssupply is reallly about thre
ee
For th
hings belongging to a period of time. things: access, tradiing and distribution.
Fivve years’ exp
perience.  
Sixx months’ staatements. In a sentence or a hea ding, only fo ollow a colon with
  etter if the firrst word is a proper noun
a capital le n.
Don’tt use an apo
ostrophe forr BP is involved in thrree oil sands lease areas:
For th
he possessivve ‘its’. Sunrise, Pike and Teerre de Grace.
Look at its new
w features.
 
For dates.
00’s)
1900s (not: 190
 
For p
plurals and accronym plurals.
KPPIs, Dos and don’ts, MBE Es

  Septeember 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 10

 
3. BP use of English
 
 
Commas To join words to create a noun.
Indicate a natural pause for breath. The roll-out began this year.
Plastic bottles and cardboard are recycled, PSVM in Angola was a major project start-up
while household waste is taken to a landfill. for BP in 2012.
   
Separate items in a list. To hyphenate words with prefixes where the
BP provides customers with fuel for same vowel is repeated.
transportation, energy for heat and light, re-examine
lubricants to keep engines moving and co-operate
petrochemicals products used to make  
everyday items. To hyphenate words that might otherwise be
  difficult to recognize.
See Semicolons on page 12 for guidance on pre-agreed
longer lists. pre-tax
  re-joined
Don’t use commas  
After the penultimate item in a list For phrases using adverbs such as well, seldom or ill.
(sometimes called an Oxford comma). an ill-chosen example
a well-known book
 
   
Don’t use hyphens


BP converts BP converts fossil
 fossil fuels
such as coal,
fuels such as coal,
oil, and gas.
For a simple adjective defining a noun.
a third party
oil and gas. in the long term
the report is up to date
one third was based on returns 
After an introductory place or time, as this can  
break the reader’s flow (but avoid starting a Where a preposition defines a verb.
sentence with a date when possible). The pipeline will start up next year.
In 1999 we began operating in that region. The project will roll out across the region.
In South Korea one of the fastest-growing  
segments of the population is the elderly. For a word qualified by an adverb ending in ‘ly’.
  a politically correct statement
Conjunctions an unusually long sunset
Words such as ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’ and ‘if’ are used  
to connect phrases, clauses and sentences. Using To join words with prefixes where there are
conjunctions sparingly at the start of a sentence different vowels.
can add punch and pace to your writing. proactive
The energy landscape is developing at reinstate
pace. But the long-term supply reinvest
challenge has not gone away.  
  En and em dashes
Contractions When adding an aside or additional piece of
Use contractions such as ‘don’t’ and ‘can’t’ – but information to your writing, use an en dash,
only sparingly. If you’re not sure when to contract,
which is slightly longer than a hyphen.
say your sentence with the words in full
out loud – if it sounds unnatural, try it with a We don’t use the longer em dash in
contraction instead. BP communications.
  We will focus on the major growth engines
Hyphens and dashes that capitalize on our strengths – deepwater,
Use hyphens gas value chains and giant fields.
To join words that describe a noun.
a $10-million project
day-to-day management
start-up company
long-term plan

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 11

 
3. BP use of English
 
 
Quotation marks Trade marks and copyright
Don’t use quotations marks for emphasis or to BP trade marks
give a negative connotation. Trade mark symbols (i.e. trade mark™ and
  registered trade mark®), are not generally used
Use single quotation marks for trade marks of the BP group.
To enclose an unfamiliar word or phrase.  
This technology uses multiple ‘source’ For corporate reporting use italics for trade marks,
boats to send seismic signals. so they stand out. This makes sure documents like
  the annual report, where many different marks that
If you are writing a short phrase in quotation may be in different stages of registration, are
marks, keep the punctuation outside. accurate. It also avoids claiming registrations where
The report concluded that BP was ‘a leader none exist or failing to claim trade mark rights where
in its field’. BP is trying to build them.
 
Use double quotation marks See OneBP for further information on our trade
For direct speech only. mark policy – [Link]
“This has been another good quarter and a functions/legal/group-resources/group-trade-
strong financial result,” said the chief executive. [Link]
John considered the award as “great recognition  
and a real surprise.” BP trade marks include:
  Aral
If you are writing a full sentence within ARCO
quotation marks, place the final punctuation BP
mark inside the closing quotation mark. Castrol
Chris Jones constantly asks: “What more EDGE
could we be?” Field of the Future
  Fluid Strength Technology
Semicolons LoSal
Mark a pause between two parts of a sentence am:pm
if either part could stand as sentences on its Wild Bean Cafe
own.  
It was the best of times; it was the worst Third party trade marks
of times. Follow the third party’s use of trade mark symbols:
  Permasense is a trade mark of Permasense
Separate items in a long list, if commas Limited.
are insufficiently clear. Pick n Pay is a registered trademark of Pick n
The committees are: the Gulf of Mexico Pay Stores Limited.
committee; the safety, ethics and  
environment assurance committee; the Copyright
audit committee; the remuneration For copyright, use the © symbol as needed.
committee; the nomination committee;  
and the chairman’s committee. BP copyright
  Should be presented as:
See Commas on page 11. © BP p.l.c. 2016
 
Don’t use semicolons
At the end of items in a bulleted list.

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 12

 
3. BP use of English
 
 
Troublesome words Compared with or compared to
  Use ‘compared with’.
A or an This report, compared with last year’s findings,
Use ‘an’ before any word or abbreviation that indicates new growth in the country.
you would pronounce with a vowel sound,  
including words beginning with a silent ‘h’ (hour, Comprises or is comprised of
honour, heir, honest and their derivatives). BP uses ‘comprises’.
  The region comprises seven key areas.
Use ‘a’ with consonant sounds (unicorn),  
including words beginning with an ‘h’ that is Data is or data are
pronounced (hat, hotel). BP uses ‘data is’. Data is rarely used as a plural noun.
  The data is presented in an easy-to-read format.
Affect or effect  
Affect is always a verb, while effect is usually Different from or different to
a noun. Always use ‘different from’.
Increases in production were affected by This project is different from the rest.
the effects of severe weather.  
  Enquiry or inquiry
Align with or align to Use ‘enquiry’ as you would query or question.
BP uses ‘align with’ in all cases. ‘Inquiry’ refers to an investigation, like public inquiry.
   
Amount or number Fewer or less
Use ‘number’ with countable nouns. Use ‘fewer’ if you are referring to countable people
The number of hours spent. or things in plural.
Use ‘amount’ with uncountable nouns. People are buying fewer newspapers.
The amount of time spent. It took fewer than three days to do the job.
   
As at or as of Use ‘less’ when you are referring to something that
Use ‘as at’, rather than ‘as of’, when referring to can’t be counted or doesn’t have a plural (e.g.
a time or date. money, time, music).
BP’s board of directors, as at 3 March 2016. People are listening to less music on the radio.
The money is less than my old job.

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 13

 
3. BP use of English
 
 
Formulas or formulae More than or over
BP uses ‘formulas’ as the plural for formula. Use ‘more than’ for all amounts, figures and
We submit data on chemicals used at our countable numbers.
hydraulically fractured wells in the US, to BP has employees in more than 70 countries.
the extent allowed by our suppliers who  
own the chemical formulas. Use ‘over’ for spatial references that are non-specific.
  He was over six-foot tall.
Gulf of Mexico – accident or incident  
Use these terms flexibly, selecting the one that None
works best for clarity and readability of your writing None means ‘not one’ so takes a singular verb.
so that the communication avoids sounding None of the projects is going ahead.
impersonal or repetitive.  
The accident – what happened on 20 April 2010, Of
especially when talking about the fatalities. ‘Of’ often occurs in phrases where it adds nothing
The accident and oil spill – what happened and to the meaning, so it is better to omit it.
ongoing matters, generally in the context of The process removed all the left-over
environmental and economic restoration (more waste.
personal).  
The incident – what happened and ongoing Per or a
matters, generally in the context of legal and BP uses ‘per’.
financial matters, as these sections often $70 per barrel
link to Risk factors (less personal). three gallons per day
   
See Capitalization for legal terms on page 16. That or which
  Use ‘that’ to convey essential information.
Last or past The taxes that are reasonable should be paid
‘Last’ is used for finality. (i.e. only the reasonable taxes should be paid
This is our last goodbye. and not the unreasonable ones).
   
Use ‘past’ to show contrast between Use ‘which’ to convey non-essential
present or future. information. It is almost always preceded
In the past year, sales have risen by 10%. by a comma.
  The taxes, which are reasonable, should be
Be careful about using ‘past’ if the time paid (i.e. all the taxes are reasonable and
frame is not clear. This is especially relevant therefore they should be paid)
to online communications and documents
with a longer shelf life.

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 14

 
4. Capitalization
 
Writing in lower case improves the flow and makes reading easier and
quicker.
 
 
A bias to lower case BP programmes
  Avoid using internal programme names in external
BP uses lower case for its communications, communications. Where they are needed, use lower
with only a few exceptions. Capitalization of case and single quotes to help distinguish the
job titles, team names and other nouns can programme name.
trip a reader’s eye and make a sentence harder ‘operating essentials’
to read. Fewer capitals make writing quicker to ‘discovery days’
read. This style is also accepted practice for the  
BBC, the Financial Times and CNN. Compass points
  Capitalize when it forms part of a proper name.
Never write out words in full capitals, they are BP’s North West Hutton platform
difficult to read and can be viewed as shouting. Middle East
  South America
BP’s businesses and functions South-East Asia
BP’s two businesses  
Capitalize when written as nouns. Currencies
Downstream Use lower case in all instances.
Upstream dollar
  euro
For all other businesses and functions use sterling
 
lower case.
Headings, subheadings and document titles
 
Use lower case when referring to upstream and Capitalize the first word, unless the title
contains a proper noun.
downstream business activities (adjectival) rather
than the actual segment. Measuring our progress
Our code of conduct
This demonstrates the quality of our
downstream portfolio.  
In print, also italicize document titles.
We completed a programme of 47 major
BP Annual Report and Accounts 2015
upstream turnarounds.
 
 
Hemispheres
BP – other nouns
Use lower case in all instances.
Use lower case.
southern hemisphere
BP technical advisory council  
BP biofuels Job titles
Cherry Point refinery Use lower case.
North Slope pipelines The chief executive
The remuneration committee Jane Jones, group finance manager
Whiting refinery modernization project

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 15

 
4. Capitalization
 
 
Nouns in general context  
Use lower case. Capitalization for legal terms
US generally accepted accounting practice  
annual general meeting Sections, legislations, acts, laws,
BP’s total shareholder return statutes or other legal regulations
the annual report is also available online Upper case throughout.
  Articles of Association
Proper nouns Memorandum of Association
Capitalize people’s names, companies, places and Memorandum of Understanding
proprietary trade names. Section 163(3) of the Companies Act 1985
Joe Bloggs US Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Levi’s  
Pizza Express Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust
Switzerland (the Trust)
  Upper case throughout.
Use lower case when the compass point doesn’t  
form part of the proper name. District court
BP regional president for the eastern US Lower case unless referring to a named district
south-west England court e.g. Louisiana District Court.
the country’s south coast  
western US Economic and Property Damages
  Settlement Agreement (EPD
Seasons Settlement Agreement)
Use lower case in all instances. Upper case in full and abbreviate after first use
In the summer, the North Slope comes only if used frequently within section.
alive with millions of migratory animals.  
  Fifth Circuit
Be mindful of global differences when Upper case throughout.
referring to seasons and try to use months  
to be more accurate. Multi-district litigation
Lower case for general reference to the
proceedings, but use upper case if referring
to a specific proceeding (e.g. Multi-District
Litigation 2179).
 
Natural resource damages
assessment
Lower case unless referring to Natural
Resource Damages Act.
 
Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee
settlement (PSC settlement)
Name in upper case and settlement lower
case, abbreviate only if used frequently
within section.
 
Trust fund
Lower case throughout.

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 16

 
5. Presentation
 
 
Consistency of visual presentation, words, figures and phrases helps
to create a cohesive look and feel across all BP communications.
 
 
 
Abbreviations and acronyms Team, group, board and committee names
Always capitalize acronyms. But words Omit ‘the’ before an abbreviated name.
written out in full should follow the BP style The audit and SEEAC met jointly.
for capitalization (see page 15).  
  Always follow a consistent style for how you
When to abbreviate abbreviate acronyms.
Only use an abbreviation if the term is repeated The audit and SEEAC met jointly (not: The audit and
more than twice within a communication, SEEA committees met jointly.)
otherwise write it out in full in both instances.  
If your readers are likely to be unfamiliar with Plurals
the term, also consider if it will be easier to Use a lower case ‘s’ and do not use an
understand written it out in full throughout. apostrophe. Apostrophes should only be used
  to show possession.
Don’t use abbreviations in headings. Six group leaders (GLs) took part in
Abbreviate once per article, document section the project.
or spread – depending on what will be easiest Key performance indicators (KPIs)
for the reader to understand. Don’t continue  
to use an abbreviation across various different Shortening words
sections, unless it is very clear to the reader BP doesn’t abbreviate to shorten words so
what it means. If in doubt, write it out in full always write them out in full.
again and then abbreviate in each section. August (not: Aug)
  Communications (not: comms)
For longer documents like the annual report, Lubricants (not: lubes)
consider adding frequently used abbreviations Monday (not: Mon)
to a glossary or definitions list.
 
How to abbreviate  
Abbreviations with Abbreviations without
In the first instance where the term appears,
full stops full stops
write it out in full followed by the abbreviation in
brackets, and use the abbreviation thereafter. Latin writing Country names:
Operating management system (OMS) references: UK, US
Whiting refinery modernization project e.g., i.e., etc.
(WRMP)
  Shortened versions of Names of well-known
If an abbreviation is already well known you can words that end with organizations:
use it in the first instance without writing it out a different letter from UN, EU
in full. the full word:
BBC, NASA Inc. (for Incorporated)
 
Companies  
If the company uses an abbreviation in its Words where full Shortened words ending
name, follow the style exactly. stops are essential with the same letter
BP p.l.c. (not: PLC or for sense: as the word:
plc) No. (for number) Dr (for Doctor), Ltd (for
SABMiller plc Limited), Jr (Junior).
Unilever PLC

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 17

 
5. Presentation
 
 
 
BP group If you are writing for an entirely US audience, you
When writing about BP use: BP, the BP group can use the US date format.
(group is always in lower case), BP p.l.c. or ‘it’. July 4, 2016
BP announced that it is a main sponsor of  
the event. Use cardinal, not ordinal, numbers in dates.
  25 September (not: 25th September)
In corporate reporting and speeches you can use  
‘our’ and ‘we’ in addition to the above to make Don’t use a comma anywhere within the date.
it more personal. Thursday 22 September 2015 (not: Thursday,
Our Upstream segment is responsible for our 22 September, 2015)
activities in oil and natural gas exploration.  
  Always write months or days of the week out in
BP always takes a singular verb. full, never abbreviate them.
BP is planning to open 100 new service stations.  
  Centuries should be lower case, written with
BP entities numbers and not use superscript.
Other BP entities should take a singular verb. 19th century
Other business and corporate is responsible  
for BP’s biofuels business. Date ranges
  In headings, write year ranges in full, joined by
BP’s auditors a hyphen without a space.
Ernst & Young – BP’s auditors – are treated as a 2010-2016 (not: 2010 to 2015)
plural pronoun in corporate reporting documents, But in body text, contract year spans and join with
except in the auditor’s report where they sign off as a hyphen without a space.
the ‘registered auditor’. 2010-16
   
BP uses ‘auditor’ when referring to BP’s lead Times
audit partner and ‘auditors’ for the wider Use figures except for noon and midnight.
activities of Ernst & Young.  
For report writing use:
We are due to change auditors in 2017. 10am and 2.30pm.
  For news writing, use either a colon or full
BP official address stop:
BP p.l.c. 2.30pm or 2:30pm.
1 St James’s Square  
London If you are writing for an entirely US audience,
SW1Y 4PD you can use the more widely recognized
UK convention of AM and PM with a space.
  The meeting takes place at 11:30 AM.
BP values  
Always write the BP values in this order: Time ranges
safety, respect, excellence, courage, one team. Only use am or pm once.
 
  9-10am (not: 9am-10am)
Dates and times
Dates
Use the ‘day month year’ format and to
avoid confusion always write the month out
in words.
4 July 2016 (not: 04.07.16 – which could be
interpreted as 7 April in the US)

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 18

 
5. Presentation
 
 
 
e.g. and i.e. Currencies
Provide an example by placing e.g. inside brackets. Use the monetary symbol followed by the
They contain forecasts for sales volumes number – with no spaces in between.
for various types of refined products (e.g. gasoline euro – €10
and lubricants), revenues, costs and capital sterling – £10
expenditure. US dollar – $10
   
Clarify a point by using i.e. inside brackets. All other currencies are written in full.
The interest rate represents the real rate (i.e. Japanese yen
excluding the impacts of inflation) on long- dated  
government bonds. Numbers
  Decimals
Email addresses Add a zero if there is no digit before a decimal point.
In print, write the address out in lower case and 0.2 (not: .2)
italicize. If the URL appears at the end of the 0.575 (not: .575)
sentence apply punctuation as normal.  
Email the corporate reporting team at Use a decimal, not a fraction or words to show
corporatereporting@[Link]. half years, unless you are starting a sentence
  with it.
Online, write the address out in lower case. If the It took 3.5 years (not: 3½ years)
URL appears at the end of the sentence omit Three-and-a-half-years’ later.
punctuation.  
Email the corporate reporting team In your writing
at corporatereporting@[Link] Don’t start a sentence or heading with a digit or
  date – even when writing about a year in which
Legal terminology something occurred. Always write it out, or better
The legal profession is known for using an amount still, re-arrange your sentence.
of archaic English vocabulary. It also uses words Drilling began in 2015 (not: In 2015 drilling began)
and phrases from other languages, often Latin and  
French. Try to avoid using them where possible in Add ‘A total of’ to the start of sentences with
your communications. large numbers such as ‘356,654 customers’.
 
A total of 356,654 customers rang us last year.
Legalistic language Latin and French words
and expressions
 
Large numbers
Herein Inter alia Use commas in large numbers.
Hereto Ad infinitum 2,000
Hereby Bone fide 2,790,456
Heretofore De facto  
Percentages
Herewith Voir dire
Use the % symbol and don’t put a space between
Hereby Inter alia
the number and the symbol.
Wherefore En banc 18% (not: 18 %)
Said (as an adverb)    
Such (as an adverb)   Don’t use % at the starts of a sentence, use per cent.
  Forty per cent of the power stations the world
Money will need by 2020 have yet to be built.
Amounts We estimate 40% of the power stations...
Hyphenate when used as an adjective.  
it was a £2-million offer Use a hyphen to show a percentage range.
  10-15% (not: 10% to 15%)
Abridge when talking about the same unit.
Don’t put a space between the number
and the monetary symbol.
a range of $1-2 billion (not: $ 1 billion – 2 billion)

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 19

 
5. Presentation
 
 
Use words for Use figures for Units
If it’s not a widely-recognized unit of measure,
Cardinal and ordinal Cardinal and ordinal spell it out in the first instance and use the
single-digit numbers numbers greater abbreviation in brackets after it. Use the
to nine/ninth: than nine: million British thermal units (mmBtu)
  one, three, sixth, first 10, 11, 10th, 65th
 
Very large numbers Money: Don’t insert a space between a figure and an
made up of a single abbreviation or symbol, but add a space if the
£4
digit plus: unit is written out in full.
$20
million, billion, etc. 78km or 78 kilometres
two billion people 18%
81Mte
five million shares
50.3MteCO2e
Simple fractions: Weights and
1,047MW
Two-fifths measures:
2oC (not: 2 degrees Celsius)
  One-third 5 meters
  1,047MW Use up to six significant figures to describe a unit
  9 million barrels of measurement. For larger figures, use four
Ratios significant figures plus ‘m’ for thousand or ‘mm’ for
Use a colon to denote ratios. million. Don’t mix this convention with ‘k’ to
50:50 joint arrangement represent a thousand.
  300,000b/d
Telephone numbers 2,147mb/d
International telephone numbers are displayed  
with a + symbol and the international country  
 
code. Don’t separate with hyphens.
US: +1 630 821 3456 Glossary
Azerbaijan: +994 12 4980335  
Brazil: +55 11 51 803 804 See [Link]/glossary for a list
If a zero should be dropped when dialing from
outside the country, place that zero in brackets.
of other abbreviations.
 
   
In local format, London telephone numbers  
are displayed as: Weights and measures
020 7496 4000 (not: 0207 496 4000) When possible use the British style for area
  units with the metric conversion in brackets if
In international format, London numbers appropriate.
are displayed as: A total land area of 130 square miles (337
+44 (0)20 7496 4000 square kilometres)
   
Times
If not possible (e.g. data is only available in
See Dates and times on page 18.
square kilometres) make sure the unit is
consistent throughout the document. The km2
symbol can also be used.
BP gained access to deepwater exploration and
production blocks covering 24,200km2.

 
September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 20
 
5. Presentation
 
 
 
People’s names Website URLs
BP refers to people in different ways depending In print, omit the www. and write out the URL
on the channel and audience. in lower case italics. Try to avoid URLs at the
  end of a sentence, where they do appear apply
News writing and online punctuation as normal.
Use the full name in the first instance and Visit the press centre at [Link]/press for
the surname thereafter. Don’t use Mr, Mrs copies of all BP’s press releases.
or Miss. Natural gas production data expressed
John Smith and then Smith in billion cubic feet per day is available
  at [Link]/statisticalreview.
This follows the US press convention and helps  
retain objectivity in the writing. A credible Online, try to use hyperlinked text instead of
newspaper article would not refer to ‘Barack’ website URLs. If a URL is needed, write it out in
or ‘Theresa’ (May) as it infers cronyism. lower case and omit www. but don’t italicize. If
  the URL appears at the end of the sentence
Corporate reporting omit the final punctuation.
When referring to BP people, use the full name in Shareholders may obtain a copy of the BP
the first instance and then the first name Annual Report and 20-F 2014 on request, free
thereafter, unless there is a possibility of of charge from [Link]/papercopies
confusion. This helps to provide more confidence  
and familiarity with the person. See Hyperlinks on page 24.
Bob Dudley became group chief executive
on 1 October 2010. Bob joined Amoco
Corporation in 1979, working in a variety of
engineering and commercial posts.
 
Titles
Knighthoods
Sir Mark Allen then abbreviated to Sir Mark
(not: Sir Allen)
 
Junior, senior
Capitalize and abbreviate.
The committee is pleased to welcome John
Smith Jr to the role.

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 21

 
6. Formatting
 
 
Consistent formatting improves clarity and understanding for your audience.
 
 
Bullet points Text that supports the data should explain the
Lists with points relating to a stem statement reason for the numbers or variance in them if
If your points follow introductory text and flow as possible and not just repeat the data.
 
part of the same sentence, add a colon and begin  
each bullet with a lower case letter. Don’t use any References to a table from body text should say
punctuation after each bullet, but do include a full ‘the following table’ rather than ‘the table below’ or
stop after the last point.
‘table on the left’, particularly if your communication
You can:
could be amended in a way that affects the layout.
• order items on our website or by telephone
• discuss your requirements with our customer  
service team Consider whether a graphic could communicate more
• find out more about our latest offers by clearly than content in a table.
 
subscribing to our monthly newsletter.  
  Emphasis
Lists using full sentences Don’t underline text and only use italics and bold
Start each bullet point with a capital letter and end it sparingly in print for emphasis – too many italicized
with a full stop. words can make text difficult to read.
Tips for preparing your report:  
• Ensure that you don’t include any spelling Don’t use underlining or italics online.
mistakes. You can use a spell checker to
check your spelling.  
• Make sure that you save the document in the Footnotes
correct location. Contact your administrator if Footnotes should always start with a capital letter and
you aren’t sure where the correct location is. end with a full stop, regardless of the length or
• Circulate the final version to your colleagues grammatical construction of the note.
to review. a. More than 100 years.
 
   
Bullet points that follow a heading The superscript reference in the main text should be
Start with a capital letter and end with a full placed next to the key word or phrase. If the
stop. reference relates to the full sentence place it outside
Requirements the full stop.
• Write your report in plain English. BP intends to increase operating cash flow by
• Ensure there are no spelling mistakes. around 50% in 2014 and thereafter maintain
• Keep your report short. focus on growing sustainable free cash flowa.
  a. Free cash flow is operating cash flow less net cash used
For sub-lists, use an indented dash instead of in investing activities, as presented in the group cash flow
statement.
a bullet point and follow the guidance above
for the main bullets.  
Formatting footnotes
  Footnote references in body text should be a
Avoid using roman numerals for bullets or lists.
superscript version of the size and format of the text
  you’re footnoting. The footnote explanation should
Data tables be the same size and format throughout the document.
Use tables to show complicated or numerical
data when possible. It’s clearer than packing it Try to avoid footnotes in headings and titles.
into sentences. Always include a source, where
applicable.

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 22

 
6. Formatting
 
 
 
Full stops  
Sources
  Sourcing allows you to tell the reader where facts
Always use a single space, not or information originated. Citing a source properly
double, after a full stop before strengthens the credibility of your writing. It also
starting the next sentence. makes sure that you integrate information clearly
  without plagiarizing.
   
Publications Charts, graphs or other graphics
BP publications have their own style guides for how Position the reference as a footnote to the
they should be referenced in our communications. page or add it at the very bottom of the graphic
A brief summary is given here and the full guides using ‘Source:’
are available on messagebank.

BP Statistical Review of World Energy

 Full title: BP Statistical Review of World Energy
2016
 Abbreviation: BP’s Statistical Review
Use the full title including appropriate year in
headings and for the first mention in body text.
You can then go on to use the abbreviation
throughout the body text.

BP Energy Outlook
Full title: BP Energy Outlook – 2016 edition
Abbreviation: BP Energy Outlook
Use the full title including appropriate year in
headings and for the first mention in the body Citing books and publications
text. You can then go on to use the abbreviation Use footnotes to provide sources for documents.
throughout the body text. When indicating a source, show the source in
normal type, but italicize any publication title.
References Quotation marks are not needed. End the
Cross references sentence with a full stop.
Refer readers to a page or section of another Source: BP Annual Report and Form 20-F 2015.
document by capitalizing the first letter of the  
section you’re referring to and providing the first Citing article and essay titles
page number for that section. Use single quotation around articles and essay titles.
See Legal proceedings on page 133 Taken from Orwell’s 1946 essay ‘Politics and the
for more information. English Language’.
 

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 23

 
7. Writing for different channels
 
 
Adapting the BP writing style for websites, social media and
infographics.
 
 
Online communications Punctuation
  Don’t use a full stop at the end of web page
Write for scan reading introductions.
 
People scan online content, so use headlines,  
subheadings, bulleted lists and captions to aid  
your audience in doing this.  
   
Don’t use italics or underline  
 
Italics are difficult to read online and underlining  
is reserved for hyperlinks, so if you need to  
indicate a document title, use single quotes.  
   
Hyperlinks  
Don’t use actions and instructions as  
 
hyperlinks (e.g. click here), use the name or  
description of what you are linking to.  
Find out more about BP and sustainability.  
Read the code of conduct.  
  Search engines
For bulleted lists of hyperlinks don’t use Use main phrases in your headline and
punctuation. introduction to increase the chance of search
Popular links engines picking up your communication.
• Change my benefits  
• Model my bonus Use hyphens
• My Plan Use normal hyphens online as the longer
• Request vacation en dash creates formatting problems online.
• View my total reward See Hyphens and dashes page 11.
 
  Left align
Website URLs and email addresses
Make sure your document is formatted to
Use hyperlinks instead of URLs and email left align, not justified – which can affect
addresses. If they do appear in your text try to formatting on the page.
include them within a sentence, but if the URL  
or email is at the end of the sentence don’t use PDFs
a full stop. Help your audience and search engines find your
  PDF by adding properties and keywords to the file
Headings and introductions before you upload it.
Abbreviations
Avoid using abbreviations in headings, unless you
are short of space.
 
Character limits
Headings and introductions are restricted to
specific character limits. Keep them short and
anticipate further editing from the website owner.

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 24

 
7. W
Writing
g for diffferentt chann
nels
 
 
 
 
Social media
BP group
p
Tone
e Use BP no
ot ‘BP p.l.c.’ oor ‘BP group
p’.
BP soocial channels use a relax
xed conversaational  
style while maintaaining profes n
ssionalism on Hashtagss and taggiing
behalf of the com
mpany. Hashtags (used acrosss most social channels) and a
tagging (ussed in faceboook) make your content
easier to find. Look forr popular hasshtags to usee in
Humo our or colloquialisms useed sparingly ccan your conteent and join i n with other ‘trending’
help yyou connect with your au udience by conversations taking pplace to gain wider audien nce
creating a local vooice from the
e channel ratther reach. Go to [Link] for help p picking a
than a corporate one
o from head office. hashtag.
Common BP hashtag gs themes
Callss to action #BP or $BP in the fi nancial community
Audie ence engage ement with social media is vital y terms (e.g. #oil #gas #ttechnology)
Industry
to its success – whether
w its likes, comme ents or Regionss (e.g. #Austtralia, #India)
sharees. Calls to acction help drrive engagem ment. BP spec cific hashtag s (e.g. #BPte
echnology, #BPstats)
#
This ccan be asking a question about the c ontent  
or getting readerss to tell you what
w they th
hink Full stop
ps
aboutt it. Don’t use full stops at the end of social
s media
communic cations.
 
Charracter limits and tex
xt restrictio
ons
Response
es
Postss should be short
s and get to the poin nt
Social meddia creates a direct dialog
gue that almost
quickkly so that readers capturre key messaages
anyone with internet aaccess can vo oice an opiniion or
as they scroll throough their ne ews feeds. Y You
interact with.
can pprovide a hypperlink to mo ore informatio on to
take readers to th he full story elsewhere.
e I f you
Social channels shouldd aim to allow
w free speecch in the
type the URL into o [Link] thhe site will sshorten comments s, but we havve clear guid
delines on what we
it for you and savve you charac cters in your post. do and don't accept. S
Social media users within n BP
  n the Yammeer social med
should join dia group (se
earch on
Socia
al media style for BP
P Yammer) for
f tips, advicce and support.
Due tto character limits on soccial media, ad
dapt the
BP sttyle to suit th
he channel. Try to resp many 'sensible' commentts as
pond to as m
quickly possible, even if your first response
r is just
j an
Keep ping it brief acknowled dgement andd commitment to help. Use U
Abbrreviate and useu understtandable acrronyms common sense
s when deciding wh hich commen nts and
to maake the best use of the space
s availabble. messages need respo nses. The be est responsees are
Jo
oin the conve ersation on Mon
M 3 Oct. written as if you were talking to the person askking the
IC
CYMI (In case e you missed d it) question, so
s not in commpany jargon n or press release
language. Try to make them polite, clear and frriendly.
#BBP chief exeec Bob Dudle ey (not: Bob
Dudley, BP grroup chief ex xecutive)
BP chann
nels
$11bn (not: $1 billion)
BP has a global
g presennce on each of the majorr social
Use ampersandss instead of ‘and’
media channels:
Get the facts & figures Twitter tw
[Link]/BBP_plc
Use emojis selecctively to con nvey simple words,
Facebook k [Link]/BP
feelin
ngs and ideas. Use getem [Link] to ssearch
LinkedIn [Link]
l m/company/B BP
for annd copy and paste emojis s into your ccontent.
Google+ [Link].c
p com/+bp
These will then beb converted to a graphicc for
each channel. Maake sure you u read your co ontent YouTube [Link] m/bp
back to be sure that it is easyy to understaand. m [Link]/bp
Instagram
G lobal energyy demand grrowth slowe ed & Slideshare slideshare..net/BP_plc
sh
hows the shifting to lower-carbo
on fuels
 
 
 
  Septeember 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 25
 
7. W
Writing
g for diffferentt chann
nels
Infographics and
a anima
ations
 
For p
print and onlin ne infographics use standdard
senteence grammaar (e.g. sente ence case, ccommas)
but exclude punctuation from the end of e each line
of texxt, unless it’ss a question mark.
 
If a seentence runss over multipple screens, use
sente ence case accross them and don’t use e a capital
letterr just becausse it’s a new screen.
 
 
 

Engaging visuals
In
nfographicss are usefuul for turnin
ng
co
omplex infformation into clear,
engaging visuals. Use e short, succcinct
w
writing so reeaders cann scan thorrough
th
he interestting points easily.

 
Septe
ember 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 26
 
8. BP spelling and translations
 
 
 
British vs American spelling
   
Using the ‘ise’ spelling
Unless you’re using one of the words outlined
Examples
as always being spelled with ‘ise’, use the
advertise
Americanized ‘z’ version. This is in line with
advise
Oxford English Dictionary advice and is normal
analyse
style in the US, where many BP employees and
external audiences live. arise
catalyse
 
comprise
American spelling
compromise
Examples
enterprise
authorize
exercise
categorized
expertise
carbonize
franchise
criticize
hydrolyse
emphasize
merchandise
finalize
revise
incentivize
supervise
optimize
surprise
organization
maximize
 
British spelling
minimize
Use British spelling for all other words, including:
prioritize
colour
realize
centre
recognize
defence
specialize
fibre
standardized
licence (noun)
utilize license (verb)
  metre
If the name of a body is spelt with an ‘s’, or you are programme (except when talking about
quoting directly from a source, retain that spelling. computer programs)
International Labour Organisation practice (noun)
practise (verb)
 
 
 
 
Translations
In BP the decision whether to translate group-wide communications should be made locally
within your business area in consultation with the country communications team. Common
languages we translate into are: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese and Mandarin.
Certain communications are legally required to be translated, others are optional, so you are
advised to consult with your local HR and legal contacts to determine how to proceed. You
should seek local legal review for translations as required.
 
It is advised that you include a translation of the following disclaimer and at the end of your
communication: ‘This [document name] has been prepared and written in [original
language] and translated into [translation language]. In case of any inconsistency or
discrepancy between the [translation language] and [original language] versions, the
[original language] text shall be referred to as the definitive and prevailing document.’
 
If you are using a third-party translator, search for ‘translation‘ at [Link]
for contact information and advice on BP’s preferred suppliers.
 

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 26

 
8. BP spelling and translations
 
 
Frequently used words
 
The following words use the agreed BP spelling. end use (no hyphen)
Use the term exactly as it’s defined, noting Energy Sustainability Challenge (capitalize as external
whether it is hyphenated and/or lower/upper case. programme)
 
eurozone (one word, lower case)
$20-billion Trust (capital T used for legal reasons)
ex gratia (two words)
adviser (not: advisor)
factsheet
alpha-olefins (with hyphen)
fair value (not: fair-value, even when adjectival)
ampm (trade mark, in italics)
feedstock (no hyphen)
baseline (no hyphen)
Field of the Future (trade mark, initial capitals, italics)
benefited/benefiting (single t)
focused (single s)
biodiesel (no hyphen)
focusing (single s)
biofuels (no hyphen)
forums (not: fora, as less well recognized)
biolubricants (no hyphen)
front line (two words)
blowout (one word)
gas field (two words)
[Link] (no capitals)
gas-fired (with hyphen)
BP Well Advisor
global wells organization (lower case)
breakthrough (no hyphen)
government (lower case)
Bright Water (trade mark, initial capitals and italics)
guidebook (no hyphen)
bullet point (two words)
healthcare (no hyphen)
buyback (no hyphen)
homepage (no hyphen)
CDs (not: CD’s)
infographic (one word)
coalbed (one word)
in-house (hyphen, adjective and adverb)
code of conduct (no capitals)
ingrained (not: engrained)
co-generation (not: cogeneration)
in situ (two words, not italicized)
committed (double t)
instalment (single l)
co-operate (with hyphen)
internet (lower-case i)
co-ordinate (with hyphen)
intranet (lower-case i)
cybersecurity (one word)
judgement (not: judgment, except in a legal
database (one word) context e.g. a judge’s formal ruling)
data set (two words) know-how (hyphen)
deepwater (adjective, no hyphen e.g. deepwater learned (not: learnt)
drilling)
life cycle (two words, no hyphen)
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust, or the Trust
lifestyle (no hyphen)
(capitalize for legal reasons)
LoSal (trade mark, no space, italics)
depositary shares (not depository)
Lower 48
diagram
dispatch (not: despatch) man-hours (with hyphen)
marketplace (no hyphen)
double-check (hyphen)
maximum (not: maxima, regardless of singular or plural)
downstream (no hyphen, adjectival)
midstream (no hyphen)
drill rig (two words)
Multi-District Litigation 2179 (capitalize as specific)
drill ship (two words)
multi-district litigation proceedings (lower case, for
due diligence (two words) general reference)
elearning (not: e-learning) multilingual (no hyphen)
email (not: e-mail) multimedia (no hyphen)
end-user or end-consumer (with hyphen) multinational (no hyphen)

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 27

 
8. BP spelling and translations
 
 
occurring (double r) sulphur (ph not f)
offshore (no hyphen) supermajor (no hyphen)
supply chain (two words)
oilfield (one word)
targeting (single t)
on to (two words) targeted (single t)
operating management system (lower case, tight gas (no hyphen)
abbreviate to OMS)
time-charter (with hyphen)
on-site (with hyphen)
towards (not: toward)
on board (two words, no hyphen)
town hall (not: townhall, Town Hall or town-hall)
one-off (with hyphen)
trade mark (two words)
ongoing (no hyphen)
trade-off (with hyphen)
online (no hyphen)
Trans-Adriatic Pipeline
onstation (one word, no hyphen)
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
onshore (no hyphen)
transatlantic (one word, all lower case)
onstream (no hyphen)
Trinidad & Tobago (use an ampersand to indicate
on-target (hyphen, adjective and adverb) one country, rather than two)
OpenTalk (one word, capital T) UK Corporate Governance Code
panellist (double l) Ukraine (not: The Ukraine)
petrotechnical under way (two words)
post-holder (with hyphen) upstream (no hyphen, adjectival)
powertrain (one word) US (not: USA or U.S.)
proactive (no hyphen) US Coast Guard (capitalized, two words)
programme (UK spelling) US Gulf Coast (capitalized)
real time (two words) US Lower 48 states
real-time data (hyphen, adjectival) vice chairman (no hyphen, lower case)
refuelling (double l) vice president (no hyphen, lower case)
reinvestment (one word) wastewater (one word)
reshape (one word) website (no hyphen)
rest of world wind farm (two words)
reuse (one word, no hyphen) worker-hours (with hyphen)
safety and operational risk (lower case, no worldwide (no hyphen)
ampersand unless abbreviated to S&OR) write-back (finance term, with hyphen)
self verification (two words)
write-down (finance term, with hyphen)
setback (no hyphen)
write-off (finance term, with hyphen)
shutdown (one word)
written off (two words, no hyphen)
south-east (with hyphen)
spot-charter (with hyphen)
start-up (with hyphen, noun)
standalone (no hyphen)
sub-contractors (hyphen)
subsea (no hyphen)
subsurface (no hyphen)
sugar cane (two words)
reinjected (no hyphen)

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 28

 
9. Contacts and downloads
 
 
Contacts
We welcome your suggestions, comments and
If in doubt
questions – please get in touch.  
  Refer to the Oxford English
Laura Turvey Dictionary, [Link]
Financial reporting adviser
Group communications
or the Oxford Style Manual.
020 7496 4159
[Link]@[Link]
 
Ione Minett
Financial reporting manager
Group communications
020 7496 4033
[Link]@[Link]
 
 
Downloads
This guide is updated annually and is available to download from:
 
BP brand centre
[Link]/brand-guide/look-and-feel/writing-style
BPMessageBank
[Link]
Communications website
[Link]/en/[Link]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© BP p.l.c. 2016

  September 2016 BP writing style guide 2016 29