Be as precise as possible.

Messages should describe the situation which has occurred as unambiguously as possible.

Offer the user direct support for the error recovery. Do not just state the problem, but rather indicate what needs to be done (see examples of Messages Prompting The User). If this is not possible, use a positive tone to explain the problem as precisely as possible. Additional support, if available, can be provided in parentheses.

Adopt a positive tone, rather than being supercilious or condemning the user. Avoid the use of vague or judgemental words such as "may", "must", "should", "wrong", "insufficient", "incomplete", "not allowed", and so on.

Be specific and address the problem in the user's terms. Also avoid error messages which contain technical descriptions or explanations.

Use clear and simple syntax and only write complete phrases (this ensures better understanding and also facilitates any translation process). Articles can be omitted; a verb (at least "is" or "are"), however, should always be present. Use the present tense, if possible.

Use normal upper and lower case conventions. Do not use upper case or spaced text for the purposes of emphasis. Exception: uppercase for report names, transaction codes, table names, file names.

Be consistent in your use of language; do not mix different languages.

Do not conclude the message with a period or with an exclamation mark. Suggestions for the error correction can be given in parentheses. Always leave a space after a period and never before one.

Do not use special characters such as < >, as they will not necessarily be known to the user; value specifications such as % can be used, however. Messages are not to be introduced or concluded with asterisks (***). Never put field names, report names and table names in quotation marks.