Publishing and Communications Guidelines

Introduction

AHRQ’s Office of Communications (OC) oversees the development and promotion of Agency products, publications, and initiatives. The Publishing and Communications Guidelines outline the standards for products developed in-house and by Contractors.

[Note: Grantee Guidance is provided separately in Publishing and Communications Guidelines for AHRQ Grantees.]

AHRQ staff should ensure that all contracts include wording that requires Contractors and Grantees to follow these guidelines when creating deliverables for the Agency.

• Section 1: Product Development, including:
  1. Web-Based or Print Products.
  2. Audio and Video Products
  • Appendix 1-A. Release Forms 
  • Appendix 1-B. Trademarks
  • Appendix 1-C. Video Submission Checklist
  • Appendix 1-D. Standards for Contractors Developing Multimedia Products
  • Appendix 1-E. Video Scripting 
  • Appendix 1-F. AHRQ Toolkit Component Formatting
• Section 2: Web Products and Website Development and Redesign, including url selection, design and use of logos, clearances, accessibility and privacy considerations.
  • Appendix 2-A. Application and System Development Requirements
  • Appendix 2-B. Accessibility and the Revised 508 Requirements
  • Appendix 2-C. AHRQ Linking Policy
• Section 3: Branding Design Element Specifications, including instructions for how to use the AHRQ logo on websites or printed products and in videos.
• Section 4: Media Standards and Policies, including guidance for creating press releases and blog posts.
• Section 5: Marketing and Stakeholder Outreach, including social media policies for X (formerly known as Twitter), YouTube, and Facebook.

Grantee Guidelines 

• AHRQ Grantee Guidance.
• Getting Recognition for Your AHRQ-Funded Study.