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LNDL: Communication and Reporting

A centralized location for group contact information, procedures and reporting forms for LNDL staff to use to alert the appropriate department to these issues.

What is a One-Pager?

An internal, formal document used for informational purposes or to propose a change in the organization. A comprehensive and brief look into a proposed change, pilot project, purchase, and/or event. A one pager doesn’t have to be one page, but brevity is valued.

Content

  • Use headers and footers per the accessibility training recommendations.

  • In the footers, Include names, date, and draft vs. final status

    • Ex. DRAFT prepared by K. Strain 4/17/2023,

    • Ex. Prepared by A. Atkins 3/3/2023 DRAFT_V.2

    • Ex. Last Updated by Jaimee McRoberts on 4/12/2023

    • Ex. Prepared by L. O'Hanlon 4/17/23

    • Include page numbers.

  • Use a formal tone, third person, concise sentences, plain language.
  • Take advantage of bullet points, tables, data visualizations to avoid blocks of text.
  • Avoid names and use titles instead (ex. Director instead of Katy).

  • When referring to the universities, use parallel language and state Loyola first. 

    • Ex. LUM and NDM, Loyola and Notre Dame, Loyola University Maryland and Notre Dame of Maryland University

  • Data visualizations

    • Avoid using green and blue together unless you’re referring to the universities in data visualizations.

    • Use axis labels, chart titles, table headings.

    • Change the gray text to black text.

    • Consider data point labels vs. data tables.

    • Consider captions.

    • Microsoft default colors are often not accessible, view accessibility training recommendations.

  • Depending on your audience and purpose, you may not need all of the following elements

    • Goal, problem, or scope stated in the beginning

    • Assessment if you’re proposing something

    • Benchmarking (ex. USMAI, AJCU, EAST, Affinity, or Patriot League libraries)

    • Recommendation at the beginning of the document

    • Use an appendix for larger evaluations, tables, photos, very detailed breakdown of information that readers may need to see but may not

    • Standard layout for an events one-pager: Scope, date or timeline, relevant dates of other major activities, location, campus contact, participants, LNDL resources or activities, LNDL staffing, budget, assessment

    • Break down information with charts or bullet points to avoid a wall of text.

  • General advice

    • Consider your audience. A one-pager for DAG will be different than for a unit. DAG and administration will often want a brief one-pager with few details. Sometimes, DAG one-pagers can be quite long and thorough. Unit level will include additional information.

    • Consider your purpose. Informative based will outline all pieces of a topic. Proposal-based will need to evaluate many sides to the story. Event one-pagers will need to include relevant information. Data one-pagers should tell a story, not just list data without context.