Dates are presented in self-explanatory formats.

Does 12/11/10 refer to November 12, 2010 (European date format) or December 11, 2010 (American format)? It's up to you to ensure that your users never have to ask themselves this question.

Objectives

• To prevent users from misunderstanding the meaning of a date.
• Facilitate the understanding and reuse of the content concerned.

Implementation

Make sure the month is written in full (“December”) or abbreviated (“Dec”), but not in numerical format. Indicate the 4 digits of the year. This requirement should be provided for in content management systems where dating is automated.

Control

• Identify the pages containing dates, and for each of the dates found: Check that the month is not indicated in a numerical format, but in letters (complete or abbreviated). Check that the year is indicated in four digits and not two. The dates to be entered by the end user in the forms are not affected by this good practice: their format, whatever it may be, is considered sufficiently explicit, as long as the entry is made via a datepicker or manually but with an indication of the expected format (like DD/MM/YY).

Validation

• Needs to be human verified.