Resources for Policy Development

To assist authors in developing proposals for new policies or revisions to existing policies, the glossary of general and RIT policy-related terminology defines frequently-used (and often confused) terms such as policies, procedures, practices, principles, standards, etc.  This resource may be particularly helpful to individuals or groups who are developing a policy proposal for the first time.

The university's standard policy format seeks to

• increase the consistency in the organization and presentation of policies throughout the policy library,

• identify content elements required to formulate a complete policy,

• establish which content elements must be presented as separate sections, in what order, and the terminology to use for each section, and

• provide sufficient flexibility for authors to state and arrange some of the content elements in ways that flow naturally and logically.

Proposals for revisions to existing policies and new policies should be drafted using the standard format.

When drafting policy language, policy authors should follow the Division of Marketing and Communications’ editorial guidelines as well as the specific editorial guidelines for writing RIT policies and procedures.