How to publish on GOV.UK

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Government Digital Service
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  1. Contents

Creating and updating pages

How to create, edit and tag content in Whitehall publisher.

Create and update pages

Before you create or edit content, you need to read the style guide and understand:

Create a new document

  1. Select the ‘New document’ tab in Whitehall publisher.

  2. Click on the document type you want to create.

  3. If the document has a number of sub-types (for example, publications, news articles, guidance and speeches), select the relevant one from the dropdown menu at the top of the page.

  4. Complete the ‘Title’ field using a maximum of 65 characters. Titles must be unique and cannot be changed once published. Titles do not need a full stop. When you save your document this will become its ‘slug’, which users will see as the last section of the page URL.

  5. Complete the ‘Summary’ field using a maximum of 140 characters. This must be written as a complete sentence with a full stop.

  6. Complete the ‘Body’ section using Markdown to format things like headings, bullets and links. Common Markdown commands are also listed on the right-hand side of the page.

  7. Below the ‘Body’ section, indicate if your document ‘has never been published before’ or ‘has previously been published on another website’. If it’s been published before, you will need to add the date it was originally published.

  8. Check whether your content is devolved (excludes some nations) or applies to all UK nations. You must check the box which applies to your content. If you do not select anything you will not be able to save or publish your content. You can add a link to the corresponding content if yours does not apply to a particular nation.

  9. Tag your document to relevant organisations, ministers and locations by adding associations.

  10. If the document is guidance related to the end of the transition period with the EU, select ‘display the post-transition call-out box’. Add links to guidance about what users need to do currently (‘current state guidance’).

  11. Save your document by clicking ‘Save’ (which returns you to the main document list) or ‘Save and continue editing’ (which returns you to your document so you can keep working on it).

Once a document has been saved, you can add:

If you do not want to save your document, click the ‘cancel’ link at the bottom of the page. This will delete your draft and there will be no record of your document in Whitehall publisher.

Limit access

You can limit access to documents so that they can only be edited and published by editors in the department it’s tagged to. Once published it can be accessed by all editors.

Only limit access if the information is confidential.

You cannot sync limited access documents between the Production and Integration environments.

Preview content

You can preview the body copy of your document in several ways.

Preview toggle

For quick checks, like seeing if your Markdown is correct, you can use the preview toggle.

  1. Click ‘preview’ at the top of your ‘Body’ text box. This will show you how your text will look when published.

  2. Review your content and formatting.

  3. Click ‘continue editing’ to return to your work.

The toggle button just shows you how text has been formatted. It does not save your work.

Preview entire document

You also can check how a document will appear when published on GOV.UK.

  1. Save your document by clicking the ‘Save’ button at the bottom of the page (not ‘Save and continue editing’). This will save and close your document.

  2. On the new page, click the blue ‘Preview on website’ button.

Previews for stakeholders or policy teams

You can use fact check to share documents with people who do not have access to Whitehall publisher.

Edit an existing (published) document

  1. Select the ‘Documents’ tab and search for the document you want to edit. Click on a document title to view it.

  2. Click ‘Create new edition’ to start a new draft version of your document for editing.

If a draft has already been created you’ll see a button saying ‘Go to latest edition’ from which you’ll be able to click ‘Edit’ and edit the document.

When a document is being edited, there’ll be 2 versions of it in Whitehall publisher - the live page and the new draft version.

The new draft version will overwrite the live page when it’s published.

Change notes

When you edit or change a page, you can tell users the page has changed by adding a change note. The note is viewable on the page (by selecting ‘see all updates’ or ‘full page history’) and it’s emailed to people subscribed to email updates for your content. Do not do this for minor changes like typos, broken links or style corrections.

Find out more about writing change notes.

Internal notes

Add a note so other editors can see who requested the change and why.

  1. Under the ‘Notes’ tab, click on ‘Add new remark’.

  2. Complete the ‘Remark’ field and click ‘Submit remark’.

These notes will only be seen internally (by anyone with access to Whitehall publisher).

Formatting attachments

You need to format certain documents before publishing them as attachments on GOV.UK.

Formatting CSV files for preview

Comma-separated values (CSV) files can be previewed on GOV.UK if you format them correctly. The preview will show the first 1,000 rows and 50 columns.

The CSV file should:

  • be tabular
  • have a maximum of one heading row or no header row
  • have no unnecessary blank lines or empty rows
  • be exported as a .csv with UTF-8 encoding

Example

View a good example of a CSV file available for preview.

Creating OpenDocument forms with simple formatting

To build a form or a document which needs to be edited, you need to publish it in .odt.

If you have access to proprietary software, such as Microsoft Office, use it to create your source document then convert to an OpenDocument (.odt).

Creating a form using .odt format has limits. You will not be able to add graphics or complicated steps in your form. If your form is complex, you could build it as a service instead. Services should only be built if there will be over 7,000 transactions per year.

Give users clear instructions

You can include simple instructions in your form. Clear labels on form fields will help the user follow instructions. The simpler you can make your form, the fewer instructions you’ll need.

If your form requires a lot of instructions, create them in a separate HTML publication. In Whitehall, you can do this with the publication document type.

Avoid certain elements

It is best to remove as much formatting as possible in an .odt form.

The .odt format does not have radio buttons. Use tick boxes instead.

A table with multiple columns can be difficult to navigate in any format. When a user is zoomed in, it’s often difficult to see if you have a ‘two question, two answer column’ format. Build your forms in a normal reading layout, with one column for questions on the left and one for answers on the right to avoid this problem.

You should not use nested tick boxes because they can create access problems for screen reading software. Make your tick boxes into a list or redesign the question to avoid this problem.

Make lists manually

You should add the numbers manually in a list as automatic listing will add more numbers as users add their answers. You can stop your editing software from creating automatic lists by clearing formatting, and then typing in the number you need.

Example

View a good example of an .odt form with simple formatting.

Adding attachments

You need to save your page before adding any attachments. You can then add them individually or bulk-upload a zip file containing multiple files.

You must upload any attachments in an open standards format. For example:

  • .odt (OpenDocument Text) for text documents
  • .ods (OpenDocument Spreadsheet) for spreadsheets
  • .odp (OpenDocument Presentation) for presentation slides
  • .csv (Comma-separated values) for datasets designed to be machine-readable
  • .pdf (Portable document format) saved as PDF/A for fixed layout documents

You must publish an accessible version alongside a PDF - either HTML or OpenDocument.

Most publishing software will allow you to select an open format from the Save As or Download menu.

Do not use closed formats like .docx or .xlsx.

It’s possible to upload these file types:

  • .chm
  • .csv
  • .diff
  • .doc
  • .docx
  • .dot
  • .dxf
  • .eps
  • .gif
  • .gml
  • .ics
  • .jpg
  • .kml
  • .odp
  • .ods
  • .odt
  • .pdf
  • .png
  • .ppt
  • .pptx
  • .ps
  • .rdf
  • .ris
  • .rtf
  • .sch
  • .txt
  • .vcf
  • .wsdl
  • .xls
  • .xlsm
  • .xlsx
  • .xlt
  • .xml
  • .xsd
  • .xslt
  • .zip

Attachment file names

Give all files you upload a meaningful file name. Do not use vague file names, for example, v62.pdf or application-form.pdf.

A good file name will make sense to the user if they find it in their download folder. It also makes it easier to analyse data in Google Analytics.

The file name must:

  • be written entirely in lowercase
  • use hyphens or underscores instead of spaces
  • make sense out of context, for example, v62-application-vehicle-registration-certificate.pdf

The file name must not include:

  • a version number, ‘draft’, ‘clean’ or ‘final’, unless those words are part of the document title
  • a date, unless the date is part of the document title, for example, a business plan for 2016 to 2017

Upload a single attachment

  1. On a saved document, click on ‘Edit draft’.

  2. Select the ‘Attachments’ tab.

  3. Click on ‘Upload new attachment’.

  4. Fill in the title. If you’re adding a document or publication, use its official title.

  5. Fill in the rest of the fields, if relevant. These ‘metadata’ fields are searchable and may help users find your document (for example, reference numbers for Freedom of Information requests).

  6. Click the ‘Choose file’ button to find and select your attachment.

  7. If your attachment is fully accessible, tick the button indicating this. If it’s not, users will see a box with information about requesting the document in an alternative format.

  8. Upload additional documents by repeating this process.

Add an external publication

  1. On a saved document, click on ‘Edit draft’.

  2. Select the ‘Attachments’ tab.

  3. Select the ‘Add new external attachment’ option.

  4. Enter the attachment title and URL.

Order and position attachments

  1. In an open document, select the ‘Attachments’ tab.

  2. Use your cursor to drag and re-position your attachments.

  3. Click ‘Save attachment order’ at the bottom of the page.

Publications and consultations

Attachments will automatically appear below the summary and above the body copy. They cannot be positioned within the body copy itself.

News stories, corporate groups, groups

Attachments can be positioned anywhere in the text using Markdown for attachments. You can re-position them by moving this Markdown code.

Bulk upload attachments

To upload files in bulk, you need a Zip file containing all the documents you want to attach.

  1. In an open document, select the ‘Attachments’ tab.

  2. Click on ‘Bulk upload from Zip file’.

  3. Click the ‘Choose file’ button to find and select your Zip file.

  4. Fill in the titles for all uploaded files. If you’re adding a documents or publications, use their official titles.

  5. Fill in the rest of the fields, if relevant. These ‘metadata’ fields are searchable and may help users find your documents (for example, reference numbers for FOI requests).

The bulk uploader can also be used to quickly overwrite previous versions of files. If doing this, make sure your new files have the same filenames as your old ones.

It’s possible to upload these file types:

  • .chm
  • .csv
  • .diff
  • .doc
  • .docx
  • .dot
  • .dxf
  • .eps
  • .gif
  • .gml
  • .ics
  • .jpg
  • .kml
  • .odp
  • .ods
  • .odt
  • .pdf
  • .png
  • .ppt
  • .pptx
  • .ps
  • .rdf
  • .ris
  • .rtf
  • .sch
  • .txt
  • .vcf
  • .wsdl
  • .xls
  • .xlsm
  • .xlsx
  • .xlt
  • .xml
  • .xsd
  • .xslt
  • .zip

Replace, edit and delete attachments

You can replace and edit published attachments.

  1. In an open document, select the ‘Attachments’ tab.

  2. Click ‘Edit’ next to the attachment you want to change.

  3. Upload a new file and it will overwrite the old file at the same URL location. The Markdown for this file will stay the same so does not need to be changed.

  4. Edit the title or other metadata, if necessary.

You can also delete published documents.

  1. In an open document, select the ‘Attachments’ tab.

  2. Click ‘Delete’.

  3. Confirm you want to delete the file. The file will be deleted immediately (no need for further saving).

HTML documents

An HTML publication is an attachment on a publication. It cannot be created directly from the ‘Create a document’ button.

  1. Once you have created and saved a publication page, select the ‘Attachments’ tab and click on ‘Add new HTML attachment’.

  2. Complete the necessary fields and use Markdown in the ‘Body’ field. The content in the ‘Body’ field will look like a web page.

  3. Click ‘Save’.

Add topic tagging

You’ll need to tag content to topics when creating or editing a document. When you tag a content item to a topic, it will appear on a topic page automatically. See an example of a topic page.

How to choose topics

Choose topics:

  • based only on what the content is about
  • from anywhere in the topic ‘tree’, not just the areas that your department uses the most

Try to choose the most low-level topics you can.

Tag your content to as many topics as are relevant - there’s no limit to the number of tags you can choose.

If your content is guidance related to the end of the transition period with the EU, add a tag to ‘transition period’.

If there’s no topic that describes what your content is about, you can suggest a new topic or a change to a topic.

How to tag content

To add tags to content:

  1. Find the document you want to tag.
  2. The topics that the document is currently tagged to are listed in the box with the heading ‘Topics (new taxonomy)’. To add or edit the topics, click the ‘Change topics’ button to the right of the heading.
  3. The arrows next to each topic will expand the topic out, showing all sub-topics in that topic ‘tree’. Tick the boxes next to each topic that applies.
  4. When you’re done, click ‘Save topic changes’ at the bottom of the page.

If you’re adding a new document, you can tag topics after you’ve clicked ‘save and continue’. Follow steps 3 and 4 once you’re on that page.

Add associations (tagging)

Adding relevant tags to your document helps users find and subscribe to the GOV.UK content they’re interested in.

Specialist sector tagging

You can use specialist tagging to add ‘how to’ content to a specialist sector page.

‘How to’ content tells the user how to use a government service, or gives them information on how to do a specific task. Examples of ‘how to’ content formats are:

  • publication (type: guidance)
  • publication (type: statutory guidance)
  • publication (type: form)
  • detailed guides

If your department or agency has a specialist browse category set up, once you’ve tagged the topics click ‘Save and review legacy tagging’ instead of ‘Save topic changes’.

Choose the primary specialist sector tag and any additional specialist sector tags from the dropdown menu.

A to Z specialist sector pages and two column specialist sector pages

Most specialist sector pages use the A to Z format - they list all content tagged to them in A to Z order. See an example of an A to Z specialist sector page.

If you tag a content item to an A to Z specialist sector page, it will appear on the page automatically.

Some specialist sector pages have two columns - the list of links is broken up using headings. See an example of a two column specialist sector page.

If you tag a content item to a two column specialist sector page, it will not appear on the default view of the page automatically (though it will be added to the ‘See latest changes’ list). You’ll need to raise a request for GDS to add it to the default view.

Other mandatory tags

Depending on what type of document you’re creating, it may be mandatory to add some other tags. For example, you must add:

  • at least one lead organisation for news and publications (add other organisations if they share responsibility for the document)
  • a speaker (for speeches)

Optional tags

You can add other tags, including:

  • ministers (only if there’s direct involvement from the minister - for example, it’s a press release about a ministerial visit, or it’s a publication and the minister wrote the foreword)
  • topical events
  • worldwide locations (FCDO only)

Adding a content item to a document collection

To add a content item to a collection -

  1. Find the document collection in Whitehall publisher
  2. Select the ‘collection documents’ tab.
  3. Find the content item you want to add by typing search terms or a page ‘slug’ (last part of a URL, for example, ‘public-health-outcomes-framework’) in the search box. Click ‘find’.
  4. Select the relevant content item by clicking it.
  5. Select the group you want to add the content item to from the dropdown list next to the ‘Add’ button. If you have not created any groups, they will be added automatically to the ‘Documents’ group.
  6. Click the ‘Add’ button.

Create groupings within document collections

You can organise content by listing them under different subheadings, or ‘groups’.

  1. The first collection subheading (group) is automatically called ‘Documents’. You can change this title by clicking ‘Edit group heading and body’ to the left of the group title.
  2. Create a new group by clicking the ‘add a new group’ button link at the bottom of the page.
  3. Write a heading that explains the reason for the group.
  4. Write body text to introduce the group. If the group heading is self-explanatory, you do not need to complete this field.
  5. Move existing content into a group by selecting them and clicking the ‘Move’ button.

Re-order content items within document collections

Drag and drop content items to re-order them within a group or move them to another group.

You can also click the tickbox next to a content item, then select another group to move it to in the dropdown menu at the top of its current group.

Add contact details

You can add contact details to a document using your organisation’s contact directory.

All frequently used email addresses should be in the contact directory. If you need add contact details that are not in the directory, you’ll need to create a new contact.

Add a directory contact

  1. Type [contact: to bring up a list of contacts.

  2. Continue typing to search for relevant contacts (for example, if you type ‘Defra’, it will show all contacts that include or belong to Defra). If you know the contact’s code, you can type this instead.

  3. Select an option by clicking it. This will insert and format the contact on your page.

  4. Preview your document to double-check it’s the contact you wanted.

You can also add a contact by using the Markdown for addresses.

Content associated with the government of the time (‘history mode’)

There’s content on GOV.UK to do with the government’s process of policy formation. It’s useful for users to understand the context of this content, which includes whether a previous government was in place when it was published.

Policy papers and news get ‘history mode’ but not statistics, for example.

For this content, users will see a message telling them the content is from a previous government and shows them where they can get current information.

We call this ‘history mode’. You can see an example of how this looks.

Content from previous governments will appear less prominently in internal search results unless it’s clear that’s what the user is looking for. This is because users most often want information from the current government.

This allows users to find out what a government said and did, even if there’s a change of government.

What content gets history mode

GOV.UK only displays the message on relevant formats where the ‘first published’ date is from a previous government.

It displays the message if either:

  • it’s associated with a minister
  • the format and any organisations tagged are mostly associated with government policy

The history mode displays on the following formats:

  • news stories
  • press releases
  • speeches
  • statements to Parliament
  • policy papers
  • consultations
  • government responses
  • impact assessments
  • corporate or annual reports
  • authored articles

You can also put history mode on collections but in most cases this needs to be done manually. A collection will only be given history mode if it’s tagged to a minister.

What content does not get history mode

History mode does not appear on:

  • services and information (‘mainstream’) content
  • fatality notices
  • manuals
  • national statistics

History mode will only appear on the following formats if the document is tagged to a minister:

  • detailed guides
  • guidance publications
  • forms
  • statistical releases
  • research and analysis
  • transparency data
  • independent reports
  • correspondence
  • maps
  • decisions
  • case studies
  • international treaties

Turning history mode on or off

If you need to override history mode, it’s possible the content has been published in the wrong format. Republish the content in the correct format and redirect users from the old URL to the new one.

If you need to make a change to the history mode status of a piece of content published before the current government was elected, contact GDS.

See all content that has history mode

Export a .CSV file of the content you want to check. It will have a column saying if the content has history mode applied.

Schedule publishing

Some document types (for example, policy papers, news, speeches, consultations, publications) can be scheduled for future publication.

When you have created your document:

  1. Click the ‘Schedule for publication’ checkbox - the date/time controls will appear.

  2. Set the date/time for when you’d like the page to go live then save the page.

  3. Click the ‘Submit’ button.

Your content will only go live as scheduled if:

  • it’s force scheduled, this should only be used in emergencies
  • a colleague second eyes (2i) the document more than 30 minutes before publication

Some document types cannot be scheduled (for example, people, roles, groups, topical events).

Unscheduling

Once content has been scheduled to publish, you can unschedule it in order to make changes, including when it is scheduled to go live. You’ll need to press the ‘Schedule’ button again after saving your changes.

Create a collection

  1. On the ‘new document’ menu, select ‘document collection’.

  2. Write the title and summary in a way that will explain the reason for the collection to a user who sees it in search results.

  3. Write a sentence or 2 in the ‘Body’ section to introduce the list of documents. Do not repeat the summary.

  4. Add relevant associations.

  5. Click ‘Save and continue editing’.

  6. After saving, a second tab (‘collection documents’) will appear. This is where you add content items.

Add content items to a collection

  1. Select the ‘collection documents’ tab.

  2. Find content item you want to add by typing search terms or a page ‘slug’ (last part of a URL, for example, ‘public-health-outcomes-framework’) in the search box. Click ‘find’.

  3. Select the relevant content item by clicking it.

  4. Select the group you want to add the content item to from the dropdown list next to the ‘Add’ button. If you have not created any groups, they will be added automatically to the ‘Documents’ group.

  5. Click the ‘Add’ button.

Create groups

You can organise content by listing them under different subheadings, or ‘groups’.

  1. The first collection subheading (group) is automatically called ‘Documents’. This title can be changed by clicking ‘Edit group heading and body’ to the left of the group title.

  2. Create a new group by clicking the ‘add a new group’ button link at the bottom of the page.

  3. Write a heading that explains the reason for the group.

  4. Write body text to introduce the group. If the group heading is self-explanatory, you do not need to complete this field.

  5. Move existing content into a group by selecting them and clicking the ‘Move’ button.

Re-order documents

Drag and drop content to re-order it within a group or move it to another group.

You can also click the tickbox next to a document, then select another group to move it to in the dropdown menu at the top of its current group.

Preview a collection

  1. Click ‘Save’ (not ‘Save and continue editing’). This will save and close your document.

  2. On the new page, click the blue ‘Preview on website’ button. This will show you how the collection will appear when published on GOV.UK.

Withdrawn content items in a collection

When you withdraw a content item, it will disappear from any document collections it’s in. If this leaves you with an empty collection page, you’ll need to assess if any remaining copy in the summary or body text needs merging elsewhere, and then unpublish the page.

Official documents

The National Archives website explains the different types of official document, such as command, House of Commons, and unnumbered act papers and how to prepare them for publication.

Create an official document

You should create an HTML version as well as web-optimised and print-ready PDFs. Have the PDFs created and ready to upload before you start. List the web-optimised PDF and HTML version first, followed by the print-ready versions.

  1. Choose the publication type for the document you’re publishing, for example a policy paper or annual report).

  2. Complete the necessary fields.

  3. Click on ‘Save and continue editing’.

  4. Select the attachments tab at the top of the page, then:

  • choose ‘Upload new file attachment’ or ‘Add new HTML attachment’
  • fill in the title field with the name of the document
  • if it’s a print-ready PDF add (print-ready PDF) in brackets after the title

Then fill in the rest of the fields according to the type of official document it is.

Command papers

Fill in these fields:

  • ISBN
  • Unique reference - the departmental unique reference number (URN), if the document has been given one
  • Command paper number - write ‘CP’ followed by the number, for example ‘CP 57’

House of Commons papers

Fill in these fields:

  • ISBN
  • Unique reference - the departmental unique reference number (URN), if the document has been given one
  • House of Commons paper number - found on the title page of the document (the HC prefix will be added automatically)
  • Parliamentary session - select the correct session from the drop down menu, if you’re not sure which session it is you can check the Parliamentary session calendar

Unnumbered act papers

Fill in these fields:

  • ISBN
  • Unique reference - the departmental unique reference number (URN), if the document has been given one
  • House of Commons paper number - leave the field blank and tick the box labelled ‘Unnumbered’

Upload your attachment if you’re adding a PDF, otherwise add your markdown to the ‘Body’ field and click ‘Save’.

Transparency documents

Transparency pages are a publication sub-type, so create a publication as normal and select ‘transparency data’ in the ‘Publication type’ field.

Statistics

Find out how to publish statistics announcements and publications.

Featured documents

Find out how to feature documents.

Corporate information

Find out how to manage organisation pages and people and roles.

Groups

Find out how to create and manage groups.

Worldwide

Find out how to create and manage worldwide content.

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