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Q&A What are good guidelines and practices for word emphasis?

This seems to be asking within the context of either a software medium or some instructional material referring to said software, so I'm answering from that perspective. In these cases, it's helpf...

posted 6y ago by Dan‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T10:50:53Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42100
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Dan‭ · 2019-12-08T10:50:53Z (about 5 years ago)
This seems to be asking within the context of either a software medium or some instructional material referring to said software, so I'm answering from that perspective.

In these cases, it's helpful to print the actual text found on the button/link in question word-for-word, which you already seem to be attempting. That's a good start. Putting that text in quotes tells the viewer that that exact text is somewhere on the screen, making it easier for them to find what they need.

Alternatively, if this is being printed somewhere like a sign or an instructional pamphlet, you might consider using more generalized language. That way, if the program is tweaked in some way down the road and the specific text is altered, your instructions/information aren't necessarily out of date, forcing you to print new material. Also, if these instructions are to appear in multiple places, you would do well to make them all very similar (if not identical) to each other.

Aside from that, I would make a few alterations to keep things grammatically correct and internally consistent. The rest is largely personal preference.

Here are some examples of what you might try:

> Please click on "Sign out," then click on&nbsp;"Delete my sign-in info" before logging back in.
> 
> Please sign out, then select the option to delete your login information.

Highlighting the button/link text in bold is another approach:

> Please click **Sign out,** then click&nbsp; **Delete my sign-in info** before logging back in.

Personally, though, I usually prefer quotation marks.

Also, sometimes you will see verbs like "click" capitalized, but I don't recommend this; it's not necessary and sometimes actually adds confusion.

Finally, if this question does apply specifically to a software medium, there is also an [SE site dedicated to user experience topics](https://ux.stackexchange.com) (in case you weren't already aware).

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-02-09T18:47:41Z (almost 6 years ago)
Original score: 0