Autodesk strives to create consistency across all content touchpoints and to ensure accessibility to everyone. To support this, we maintain the official Autodesk Editorial Style Guide. It’s our go-to resource for all customer-facing content, from brand and marketing campaigns to support articles and learning content.
Visit the Autodesk Editorial Style Guide for detailed guidance about how to write headlines and present product names, which preferred words and phrases we employ, how we spell and punctuate for customer-facing content, and more. Please note:
- For style issues not covered in the guide, we rely on The Chicago Manual of Style Online (free access to Autodeskers via our VPN).
- For spelling, capitalization, and hyphenation not covered in the guide’s word list, use the first-listed spelling in Merriam-Webster Online.
Here’s a quick reference that covers the most common style questions we get.
- Use parallel construction.
- Use ending punctuation if an item is a complete sentence.
- Don’t use ending punctuation if all items in a list are fragments.
- Use ending punctuation for all items if you are mixing fragments and complete sentences. In other words: If one item needs a period, then all items should end with periods.
- Capitalize only the first word after the bullet.
- Don’t end a bulleted item with a semicolon or a comma.
- We use the serial (aka Oxford) comma, meaning we include a comma before “and” in a series: red, white, and blue.
The em dash—which signifies emphasis or a break in thought and is longer than a hyphen—should not have spaces on either side of it. Don’t use two dashes to make an em dash.
- In headlines, headings, and subheadings, don’t use ending punctuation unless there’s more than one sentence, you have a series of words separated by periods, or it’s a question.
- Introductory copy should always be presented in full sentences and should include terminal punctuation.
- Use ending punctuation in bulleted lists for complete sentences or for all items if at least one is presented as a complete sentence.
- Use sentence case (sentence style), meaning that only the first letter of the first word and all proper nouns are capitalized.
- Don’t use terminal punctuation unless there’s more than one sentence, you have a series of words separated by periods, or it’s a question.
- Don’t use an ampersand to replace “and” (except when referencing Autodesk collection names).
- Don’t spell out numerals.
- Capitalize the first word after a colon.
We don’t mandate the use of Autodesk preceding a product name when it is used within an Autodesk-branded environment, unless a product legally requires it.
- However, if the content environment doesn’t include an Autodesk logo, use Autodesk on first reference with a product name.
- In press releases and in third-party environments, use Autodesk on first reference with a product name.
Don’t use abbreviations for product names.
Using trademark symbols is not required on Autodesk.com and Autodesk-owned digital properties.
For content created by third parties or published outside of Autodesk.com and local sites, Autodesk must include a registration symbol on first reference (Autodesk®). Include a trademark symbol on the product name, as well: Autodesk® AutoCAD®.