• Section 1 - Purpose and Context
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Part A - Policy Template Sub-Structure
• Parts
• Major Headings
• Minor Headings
• Clauses
• Section 5 - Guidelines

NOTE: The Policy Template Structure has been retired as a stand-alone document in the Policy Suite under the A – Z list.  The Policy Template Structure is available via the “Associated Information” tab in the Policy Framework Policy.

Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) This document outlines the structure and contents of the Policy Template used at the University. It has been loaded onto the Draft Documents for Comment section of the Bulletin Board to use as a demonstration of the comments function. Feel free to familiarise yourself with the facility.

(2) This section (i.e. Purpose and Context) is used to provide an introduction and background information as to why there is a need for the Policy. It might for instance make reference to statutory requirements or decisions by the University's Board of Trustees. This is important as it allows the reader to see the Policy in a wider context and understand the rationale behind it.

Section 2 - Definitions

(3) This section is aimed at providing definition for terms that have particular meaning or have a need for some interpretation related to the particular policy (i.e. unique to that policy). It should be used sparingly and it is not necessary to define common terms (such as "University") or to list terms where the meaning is self evident. Policy authors should ensure that terms are used consistently across the policy suite and the Glossary function in the Policy DDS will progressively be developed and populated for that purpose.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(4) This is the key statement of the University's position. Policy statements should aim to be reasonably brief and they should have longevity (i.e. not subject to continual amendment). Policy statements generally state what the University requires or adheres to, what its objectives are, or what the standards or values are.

Section 4 - Procedures

(5) This is the detailed statement about how to give effect to the policy statement. It is the "how to" section that provides the standard way a matter must be handled. Procedures should be written by and large as mandatory requirements.

Part A - Policy Template Sub-Structure

(6) While the section format is mandatory for all policies, the use of Parts, Major Headings and Minor Headings will vary according to the nature, size and complexity of the Policy. The are the mechanisms by which paragraphs and information are organised into logical and manageable groupings to facilitate understanding. Further, they are used by the Policy DDS to generate the side menu or index for the policies and so authors need to think of them in the same terms as the contents section of a book.

Parts

(7) Parts are the major sub-sections and are numbers A, B, C, etc. sequentially through the policy. These are major groupings or chapters of information within sections and for example could be used to deal with the major categories or stages within a procedure. The should be used sparingly and would not normally appear in the policy statement section.

Major Headings

Minor Headings

(8) These headings are key organisational elements for the policies and as such group paragraphs according to the subject matter. It is not essential to use both but where both are used all minor headings under a major heading should relate to that major heading. Long and complex policies that cover a wide range of matters should use these to generate a logical and complete index for the document.

Clauses

(9) Each paragraph is referred to as a clause. All clauses in University policies are numbered in the standard format as follows.

(10) Sequentially numbered clauses throughout document with:

1. first level sub-clauses being denoted by lower case alphabetical numbering (as shown here);
   1. second level sub-clauses being denoted by lower case roman numerals (i., ii., iii., etc.) as shown here; and
      1. the final third level sub-clauses being denoted by bullet points as shown here.

Section 5 - Guidelines

(11) This section can be flexible in terms of providing a range of advice and guidance on what would be best practice. Guidelines are not mandatory and may contain examples, checklists, further clarifications or extrapolations etc.