University branding allows visitors to immediately recognize a website/page affiliation with Missouri S&T.

Sites must be as usable as possible for the widest audience. They should be easy to use and navigate, easy to understand, and quick to load.

Web standards promote consistency. Consistency simplifies navigation of Missouri S&T’s web pages. Missouri S&T is committed to maintaining a high level of consistency across web pages and websites in all areas of the university’s web environment. The web environment includes mobile, tablet and other emerging vehicles for presenting and communicating online.

The content of web pages must be accurate and up-to-date.

What Is A Content Management System?

A computer application used to manage work flow needed to collaboratively create, edit, review, index, search, publish and archive various kinds of digital media and electronic text.

Terminal Four

Missouri S&T's content management system. Terminal Four is to be used for all official websites/pages (see Official Website/Page definition above and the Required Elements section below).

WordPress

A blog environment used by the university to host publicly accessible personal or group journals, typically updated periodically. Blogs can contain commentary, description of events or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly presented in reverse chronological order.

Google Apps

For collaborative, dynamic and interactive purposes, the use of Google Apps – specifically, Sites, Calendar, and Groups – may be additional web tools. Using Google Apps in such a manner that is an “internal to campus” tool between unit/team members and/or shared between other campus units/teams is an acceptable use as a multi-part solution to meet web informational and web accessible collaboration needs.

Google Apps is not intended for official websites. All official websites are to be built and housed in Missouri S&T’s content management system (see Official Website/Page and Terminal Four sections above).

Web Addresses and Subdomains

Web addresses for official departments and offices follow this naming convention: name.mst.edu. Sub-department groups will be provided with a sub-directory of their official site and provided with the URL departmentname.mst.edu/groupname, or may create a site at sites.mst.edu with the URL sites.mst.edu/groupname.

On-site Shortlinks, Forwards, or Redirects

Redirects to on-site pages (within the mst.edu domain) will be considered per request using the pattern go.mst.edu/identifier or identifier.mst.edu. The chosen identifier must be available and unlikely to conflict with other university initiatives. On-site redirects may show a redirection visual. On-site subdomain redirects will only be granted for significant, ongoing university initiatives.

Off-site Shortlinks, Forwards, or Redirects

Redirects to off-site pages (outside of mst.edu domain) will be considered per request using the pattern go.mst.edu/identifier or identifier.mst.edu. The chosen identifier must be available and unlikely to conflict with other university initiatives. Off-site redirects must clearly show a redirection visual, and will not mask the mst.edu domain on their destination. Off-site subdomain redirects will only be granted in exceptional cases when:

• The redirect points to a complete website for a club, group, organization, or initiative strongly affiliated with Missouri S&T, but that is not an official department or office, and
• The website requires features or capabilities not offered by university CMSs such as TerminalFour or sites.mst.edu, or requires access by outside entities who will not be provided accounts on S&T's CMSs.
  - or -
• An external vendor system requires a simple URL, but will not be masked to an mst.edu address

URL Masking

URL masking is the application of an mst.edu URL to a system housed outside of S&T at a different URL. URL masking will only be granted on a case-by-case basis, in collaboration with S&T IT, to internally-developed systems or external vendor systems.

Universal Site Template(s)

The standard, pre-built template(s) for all official pages. This includes the following elements and formatting: the Missouri S&T header, universal and global navigation, CSS for fonts and links and the official university footer.

Content Author

The representative(s) in each department, organization or entity responsible for creating, adding, maintaining and updating website content.

Official version

This online version is the official version of the Missouri S&T Web Standards and Policy. Please refer to this online version as it will be current at all times.

University standards supersede any unit’s internal standards.

Required Elements (all official sites/pages already include these required elements as they are within the provided template)

1. University Logo – The university logo must always links back to mst.edu. View downloadable logos.
2. Standard Footer (supplied with the universal site template)
3. Title tag (supplied on the main index page in Terminal Four, and with the site build within Documentum)
4. Keywords (a word used by a search engine during its search for relevant web pages) Adding keywords (meta data) to your pages helps search engines find your information. Although the exact science behind the algorithms used by search engines to rank web pages is closely guarded, current best practice suggests that using specific keywords that match both the text content on the page and the page title will result in a higher page rank and more visibility for your website.
5. Search – Terminal Four sites have the Missouri S&T Google search feature embedded in all templates.
6. Logical URL – university domain names utilizing the .edu (URLs) are granted to an official Missouri S&T site by web and interactive marketing. All “official” sites are housed in Terminal Four/Documentum or on the Student Council servers for recognized student organizations and will be the only sites utilizing the distinct name.mst.edu address. Request a URL.
7. Contact information – using generic office or department email, not personal email. 
   New websites not created in the campus content management system will be required to obtain prior approval from Web and Interactive Marketing, and are required to comply with the above elements. Sub-branding identities may be granted on a case-by-case basis with approval from Web and Interative Marketing.

Official Website/Page

Any website or page of an academic or non-academic department or organization that is a recognized entity within the university organizational chart and/or is funded solely by general revenue or is identified as an official entity by the Office of Sponsored Programs.

These sites/pages primarily serve audiences which are external to the institution but may also include internal audiences. These sites must meet specific branding/marketing requirements as defined by this document (see the Required Elements section above)

Missouri S&T strives to adhere to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Compliance with these acts will ensure that all Missouri S&T web pages will be accessible by users with disabilities.

Do not copy and paste content posted, owned and maintained by the university or on any of the official divisions, departments or organizations into your own pages. Make a link from your page to the page where this content resides. You can also check for the availability of reusable content in the “content repository” directory in Documentum. It is acceptable and encouraged to pull relevant reusable content into your page from the reusable content repository.

University pages may not link to nor advertise any commercial entities that advertise/sell products or services and may not accept sponsorship from commercial entities in exchange for advertising and/or links to commercial sites.

Credits related to the creation of or maintenance of a site (created by, powered by, built by) are prohibited. Specific exceptions may be allowed if the commercial link supports the university’s mission or provides an essential service to Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Designated Content Authors for each official website are responsible for the content of their pages. Content must be up to date and follow all University policies, codes, and federal, state and local laws. Departments that do not have a designated Content Author will be asked to provide a single person of responsibility – so that every department has someone who will receive important information regarding their website or web system.

Follow all applicable copyright laws. Copyright protects expression. All original expression is eligible for copyright protection as soon as it is fixed in a tangible form. Virtually everything you can upload or download on the web is protected by copyright. List of items not eligible for copyright include: ideas, facts, titles, names, short phrases and blank forms. Most media items (text, graphics, sound, photos, movies) are simple to download and copy into your site, however, you must have permission from the copyright holder to use them on your own pages. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the university is obligated to take appropriate action if it receives a complaint that a copyrighted material is being published over our network without permission of the copyright holder. By default, templates in the Terminal Four content management environment include a link to the DMCA.

Compliance with web standards/guidelines helps to ensure a unified web presence and strong brand identity for the university. A strong and consistent brand identity and visual recognition are integral to the university’s recruitment, retention, fundraising, marketing and overall visibility efforts. Consequently, compliance with web standards/guidelines is critical to the success of the university.

Websites not in compliance with the standards/guidelines contained in this document will be notified by Web and Interactive Marketing or IT Web Support and provided with a list of modifications to ensure compliance. The content author/authors for the site in question will have 10 business days to implement the modifications and/or request assistance with the modifications. If the modifications are not completed within this time period, action may be taken to remove any portion, and/or all, of the site in question.

Contact IT Web Support with questions/concerns regarding compliance. If complications arise which cannot be resolved to everyone’s mutual satisfaction, issues may be escalated to the Executive Director, Marketing and Communications for review and arbitration.