Writing University Policy

These rules must be followed when developing new and revising existing policy and should be read in conjunction with the processes for policy development and review. A downloadable version (rtf 150kb) is also available. There are separate instructions for writing procedures.

A blank policy template can be downloaded to assist in developing and revising policy into the required format.

A downloadable manual (doc 519kb) giving detailed instructions for completing the customised Policy and Procedures CMS web templates is also available.

Except for the Research and Analysis phase which will not be reported in the Policy Bank, the headings below correspond to the mandatory fields in the online policy submission template. These fields can be completed in the online template by cutting-and-pasting from the template used to prepare the policy; to minimise problems when copying it is recommended that minimal formatting be applied and that the policy be saved as an rtf (not Word) file. Note that the formatting of some fields in the online template is mandatory.

Style

Please also refer to the university’s editorial style guide.

Policy and procedures must be written in clear, concise, grammatical plain English. Aim to capture the essential features of the policy and its procedures as succinctly as possible.

Use:

• everyday words;
• the same word for the same concept throughout;
• terms that are unlikely to change or become outdated (eg use position titles rather than the names of individual staff members).
• short sentences;
• short paragraphs of no more than 4-5 lines of text;
• "must” or “will", not “should”, in policy statements;
• direct instructions for procedural steps (“do this”, “do that”);
• active rather than passive voice;
• gender-inclusive language (use he/she, or make gender-specific pronouns plural, or reword);
• the third person in preference to the second person (eg “they” rather than “you”)
• the format DD/MM/YYYY for dates (eg 21/10/2007)

Avoid:

• wordiness and long chunks of text
• “officialese” and jargon;
• the use of double negatives;
• acronyms and abbreviations except where necessary - use the full term on the first occasion with the acronym immediately after in brackets; eg “Deputy Vice-Chancellor”.

Common terms

Definitions of many key terms used in the university websites and publications can be found in the university Glossary. If you wish to recommend inclusion of additional terms in the glossary, please contact policyhelp@adm.monash.edu.au.

Policy Template Fields

Policy Title

The title of the policy must not start with the words "The", "Monash", "University" or "Policy". Policies will be listed alphabetically within policy categories, and the first word of the policy should be informative to facilitate recognition when scanning the list. “Policy” or “Procedures” must be the last word of the title (e.g. Special Consideration Policy).

The title of the policy must use key descriptors that reflect accurately the policy domain. Where there are multiple descriptors, the title should begin with the broadest descriptor and then be refined with narrower terms following a colon; for example, Assessment: Alternative Arrangements Policy rather than Alternative Arrangements for Assessment.

Purpose

Describe briefly (one or two sentences) the rationale for the policy, ie why the policy is needed. This must be based on the outcomes of the research and analysis phase of policy development (see below).

Supporting Research and Analysis

Note: this field is for documenting the process of policy development and review, but is not included in the on-line submission template.

Give a brief summary of the background research undertaken that supports the need for the policy (if new) or its revision or rescission (if existing). Research and analysis also aims to avoid duplication and inconsistency with legislation and other university policies. The summary and any relevant data may be listed in dot points under headings reflecting the following areas of investigation:

• relevant government policy and legislation, and national codes;
• relationship of the policy to university legislation legislation and any implications for review of statutes or regulations;
• whether the policy is consistent with best practice, strategic directions of the university and changes in government policy;
• whether the policy meets stakeholders’ needs;
• relationship of the policy to existing policies in terms of eg consistency, policy gaps, need for revision or rescission;
• possible constraints on implementing the policy at lower organisational levels, particularly at off-shore-campuses with different legislative frameworks;
• benchmarking against similar policy at other universities;
• compliance with existing policy and/or procedures.

Scope of Application

List in separate lines:

• The campuses of the university to which the policy applies;
• Where relevant, the type of course or program to which the policy applies;
• The members of the university community to whom the policy applies.

An example:

• all campuses
• all coursework programs
• all staff and students

Policy Statement

This must be a concise, formal and mandatory statement of principle of no more than a short paragraph or two. Be careful not to get into a level of operational detail that belongs in the associated procedures. The principle of the policy must be capable of guiding decision-making in areas within the scope of the policy even if not explicitly mentioned in the policy or procedures.

Supporting Procedures

Give the title of the procedures here, which must be identical to the title of the associated policy except ending in “Procedures” instead of “Policy” (eg Assessment: Alternative Arrangements Procedures).  

Note that:

• it is mandatory to prepare the procedures associated with the policy; and
• it is not possible to submit a policy to the Policy Bank without also submitting the procedures for its implementation.

Responsibility

List in separate lines:

• the academic or management positions or bodies responsible for implementation of the policy and procedures in their work area. For example:
  • campus pro vice-chancellors
  • deans
  • faculty managers
  • divisional directors
• the academic or management positions or bodies responsible for monitoring implementation of and compliance with the policy and its associated procedures.

Policy Status

Indicate whether policy is New, Revised, or Rescinded. This is a pull-down menu in the online submission template and these are the only choices available.

Key Stakeholders

List on separate lines the senior positions or bodies of the university who:

• have been consulted during development or revision of the policy and its associated procedures; and
• are responsible for implementation and compliance monitoring.

Key stakeholders must include the offshore campuses, and may include students or members of the external community as well as university staff. Use position titles, not the name of individuals. For example:

• Pro Vice-Chancellor (South Africa)
• deans
• associate deans (teaching)
• faculty managers
• students

Approval Details

• Name of approval body: state whether Council, Academic Board or the Vice-Chancellor’s Group. This is a pull-down menu in the online submission template and these are the only choices available.
• Agenda item as in the minutes of the relevant body (eg 9.1 with no character spaces).
• Meeting number as in the minutes of the relevant body (eg 1/2006 with no character spaces).
• Meeting date. In the on-line submission template this is a calendar button.

Endorsement Details

• Name of endorsing body.
• Agenda item (eg 9.1 with no spaces).
• Meeting number (eg 1/2006 with no spaces).
• Meeting date. In the on-line submission template this is a calendar button.

Definitions

On separate lines state each key word/abbreviation followed by a colon, followed by the definition (maximum 500 characters including spaces). For example:

Block Credit: Credit granted in the form of whole stages or semesters of a course.

In the online submission template, these will be entered in separate fields. Where possible, use the university glossary to list key terms and acronyms used in the policy, and their definitions.

Definitions must be statements that give the meaning of the term being defined. Be careful not to provide definitions which are inconsistent with ordinary dictionary definitions, and there is no need to define commonly-understood terms.

Related Legislation

Use exact titles of Statutes or Regulations as recorded in university legislation and hyperlink to the relevant legislation.

Related Policies

Use exact policy titles as approved and recorded in the Policy Bank and hyperlink to the relevant policies.

Related Documents

List any additional supporting documents (guidelines etc) and hyperlink to the relevant documents if available on the web.

Date Effective

Unless otherwise determined by the Approval Body, the policy will become effective from the date it is approved. In the on-line submission template this is a calendar button.

Next Review Date

The default review date is normally three years from the date of policy approval, unless a later or earlier date is otherwise approved. In the on-line submission template this is a calendar button.

Policy Owner

The Policy Owner must be referred to by position title, not the name of an individual staff member.

Policy Author

The Policy Author must be referred to by position title, not the name of an individual staff member.

Contact Person

The Contact Person should be the position assigned with the responsibility for responding to queries about policies and procedures in the relevant area/division. Divisions are encouraged to use a generic email address set up as a role account with a user name and password (eg policy-education@adm.monash.edu.au), not just an alias attached to an existing staff member’s account. That is, the address should be a physical address that exists in the Monash Staff Directory, not a virtual address.