MDOT Construction Manual Style Guide

MDOT Construction Manual Style Guide

MDOT Construction Manual Style Guide

Grammar

• Double space after sentences
• Use the Oxford (serial) comma
• Capitalize Engineer, Contractor, Inspector
• Spell out abbreviations/acronyms at first use on the page (except units)
  • Not in headings, just the first time in regular text
• Cross-section should be hyphenated
• When referring to sieves, use # (instead of number)
  • Example: #4 sieve
• Typically shown as “granular material Class III”
• Use contract documents, not project documents

Style/Wording Consistency

Definitions

The definition for each item should include the item name in the description.

• For example:
  • Dense-Graded Aggregate: Dense-graded aggregate is a mixture of aggregates with an even distribution of different size aggregates.

Miscellaneous

• Use “at no cost to the contract” instead of “at Contractor’s expense” or other similar phrases.
• Use ± instead of +/-.

External References External References

CFR

References to the Federal Code of Regulations (CFR) should link to the page on the ecfr.gov site. Use bracket hyperlink space Link Text Name bracket format.

Example: Buy America regulations are covered in 23 CFR Section 635.410

External Websites

External Websites should be linked using the standard link format. Please keep in mind that external website links often fail over time as servers change and websites are updated.

Example: XXX

MDOT Forms

Forms: https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/webforms/WebFormsHome.htm select form and link as 0467 Example: [bracket https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/webforms/GetDocument.htm?fileName=0467.pdf space NAME end bracket]

Internal References

MDOT Standard Specifications

Links to the MDOT Spec Book should link to this internal copy of the spec book : MDOT Standard Specifications. This prevents server changes and website updates from breaking the links. Linking to a specific section/page of the specifications should use following code after the https link address: #page=xx. This will direct to a specific page in the specifications.

text example: https://mdotwiki.state.mi.us/images_construction/9/95/2020-Standard-Specifications-Construction.pdf#page=101

References to the spec book should NOT reference a spec book year as this becomes obsolete often and spec book divisions/sections rarely change. If a citation is specific to a specific spec book and discontinued in newer versions, please note that in the text. Please use this format to cite the spec book:

Example: Standard Specifications for Construction

MDOT Construction Manual

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External Video References

Aggregate - MDOT Loss-by-Wash Procedure

Aggregate - MDOT Loss-by-Wash Procedure

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Density Training - Video: T180 Test

Density Training - Video: T180 Test

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Density Training - Video: One Point T-99 Test

Density Training - Video: One Point T-99 Test

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