Headlines broken at the wrong places. A preposition without its object should not be left hanging at the end of a deck (Parliament adjourns for / summer). A two deck headline should not have only one word on the second deck.

Butting two headlines This means putting stories side by side and not using different type styles or point sizes. The look is not only uninteresting but hard to read.

Using abbreviations that mean nothing to the reader Often these are not identified in the story anywhere. NHS could be National Honour Society, Northern High School, etc.

Photos with no cutlines A photo might be shot of the football coach that the entire student body will recognize, but it must still have a cutline. Identification by name would be sufficient, but if the photo shows action, a cutline that tells something about the photo would be better.

Incomplete cutlines A group shot without everyone's names does not give thorough information. Cutlines should have periods at the end because they should be sentences (unless they identify a face shot with just the person's name).

Photos without photo credits  Each photo has a photographer who deserves credit.

Photos (or other material) used without permission  This sort of plagiarism can cause serious legal problems, not to mention injuring the credibility of the paper.

Tiny faces in photos  Not every story needs to be boxed. White space provides the reader's eye with a pause and a chance to decipher all of the copy on the page. This white space balances the areas of copy, photos and illustrations.

Too much white space   Leftover white space probably would result from lack of planning, i.e. not enough information to fill a page.

Tombstoning  This means running stories line by line on a page in a column format, using only a single column head. Try using modular design, so that each item or story creates its own square or rectangular box on a page, thus making each easier to read.

Consistently running letters to the editor without signature of the writer  It's time to write or revamp a letter policy.

Switching verb tenses   Instead of constantly shifting verb tense, choose one tense (past or present is best) and stick with it.

Using personal pronouns in news stories  A news story should not address the reader as "you" or say, "if you are interested in talking to me about going on the next ski club trip, my number is 888.8888.

Opinion  goes on the editorial page; personal ads go in the classified section.

Using regular column format to set statistics information or calendar items. Use of a chart or graph will make the information easier to look at and to read.

Too many different type styles on one page or in one issue  Try to choose a family of type and use all of its variations rather than have a patchwork appearance that comes across as unplanned and disorganized.

Stories completed on deadline and written too quickly or without enough care   Either fix it or nix it.

Stories scraped together without enough meaty information  Rather than inventing filler and fluff to make a story long enough, get all the facts at the start and interview. An interview can add invaluable dimension and credibility to a story.

Artwork or photo not appropriate to the story it accompanies

Personal ads, classifieds, or Valentine greetings that go against your newspaper's code of ethics  You have the right to edit paid ads and should even refuse publication, if they are in poor taste.  It is the newspaper staff's responsibility to preserve the quality of its newspaper.

Comma between the month and year on the folio line  Use a comma only if the numerical day of the month is used.

Headlines: A nemesis for many school papers

Use the present tense

Be sure to include a subject and a verb

Base the headline on the main idea of the story

Keep the headline brief

Choose a style and stick to it. i.e. Downstyle (preferred) capitalization only on first letter of the first word. Upstyle capitalizes the first letter of every word.

Replace any "and" in your headline with a comma to gain space.

Articles such as "the, a, an" are usually omitted.

Use only single quotation marks in a headline.

Use colons to separate  different or separate ideas.