ELIXIR-UK writes like a reporter, not an announcer: the community’s work is the story; we’re the byline.
This voice is constant. Webstory, social post, newsletter, email, grant copy – the voice doesn’t shift. Tone does (see Tone shifts by channel below).
The three pillars
1. Report, don’t announce
The community is the subject. ELIXIR-UK is the lens through which the story reaches the reader. Lead with the substance – the paper, the person, the event, the tool – not the institution.
2. Specific over warm
Warmth comes from named people, named outcomes and concrete detail – not from adjectives. Show what happened; don’t tell the reader how to feel about it.
3. Credit where credit is due
Be explicit about who built, runs and funds the work. Overclaiming reads as small; naming the right party reads as confident.
Self-positioning is welcome – when it earns its place. Every sentence that puts ELIXIR-UK in the frame should answer: why is this story on the ELIXIR-UK site and not somewhere else? If it does, keep it. If it’s institutional brand-claiming detached from the substance, cut it.
For worked rewrites of each pillar, see Do & don’t.
What we’re not
Naming what we’re not is sometimes clearer than naming what we are.
- Not pleased-to-announce. “We are pleased to announce…”, “As part of our exciting new project…”, “We are proud to…” – they delay the substance.
- Not self-congratulatory. “A fantastic year”, “a huge thank you to everyone”, “Congratulations to all our new services!” add warmth without adding information.
- Not sign-off-y. No “We hope you have a lovely holiday season”, “Watch this space”, “We look forward to welcoming you all back in 2026”. Webstories end on the next action – a link, a contact, an invitation. Newsletters end on the last useful item.
- Not “we”-heavy. “We” as the active subject of three or more consecutive sentences is the off-voice tell. Most read better with the community member, the team, or the work as the subject.
- Not vague-benefit. “This new programme aims to contribute to the professionalisation of data stewardship” – say what it does, not what it aims to contribute to.
- Not throat-clearing. “As 2020 draws to the close it is time to look back…” – get to the point in sentence one.
- Not academic-passive. “It was found that…” – name the agent. “The authors argue that…”, “Members highlighted that…”
- Not corporate-marketing. “Leveraging cutting-edge solutions to accelerate innovation in the FAIR ecosystem” – when these words stack up, the sentence stops doing work. See the words to pause on list for plainer alternatives.
- Not closing-paragraph drift. Even good pieces sometimes lapse in the final paragraph, reaching for “strengthens visibility”, “ongoing contribution to shaping the future of”, “reflects our commitment to”. If you spot it in your draft, cut it or rewrite as a concrete next-action.
Warmth that does work, warmth that doesn’t
Warmth comes from how you talk to the reader – not from telling them how ELIXIR-UK feels.
| Warmth that does work | Warmth that doesn’t |
|---|---|
| Second-person address: “you pick a single room”, “we’d love to know” | First-person mood report: “we are excited / pleased / proud” |
| Anticipating a reader question or worry: “no heavy prep needed” | Decorative friendliness with no information |
| Playful framing that aids comprehension: naming a session “I’m Late to the Party” | Cute headlines that obscure what the thing is |
| Asides that sound like a person talking: “(we’ll send a short orientation nearer the day)” | Sign-offs that wave goodbye |
| Telling the reader what to expect – or not expect | Telling the reader how to feel |
Tone shifts by channel
Density changes. Voice doesn’t.
| Channel | Density | Warmth dial |
|---|---|---|
| Webstory | Full prose, named people, attributed quotes | Low – third person, structured |
| Long article / report | Headings, attributed quotes, structured sections | Low |
| Hook line + 3–4 bullets + link + hashtags | Low–medium | |
| Bluesky | One hook + one context line + link | Low |
| Weekly digest newsletter | Section headers + one-line summaries + “Read more” | Low – it’s an aggregator |
| Single-topic newsletter | Prose blocks, direct address | Medium – second person doing real work |
| Event invite | Specific, structured, second person | Medium–high |
One artifact, two jobs
The one-sentence summary you write as the SEO description for a webstory is the blurb you use in the newsletter. Don’t write it twice. If it’s working for both, it’s a good summary.
Members of the ELIXIR-UK Human Data Community highlight the soft launch of the Safe People Registry, an open-source tool developed by HDR UK to support consistent ‘safe people’ assessment for access to sensitive data.
That same sentence is the meta description, the LinkedIn hook context and the newsletter blurb.