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Paper & Online Versions




Cover and binding

Since your manual's content is likely to change periodically as you revise and update information for your organization, a three-ring binder is a good choice. Tabbed subject inserts can allow for quick and efficient indexing.

If your manual has a very low page count, say eight pages, you may do well with plastic folders that are three-pronged or have a slide-on plastic spine.

Another option is to have a printer bind your manual. If your manual is 64 pages or less, a simple saddle stitch binding will work well. Talk with your printer about your options.

The front cover and back cover should be of a durable weight in order to withstand frequent use. Many printed manuals have a thick, coated paper cover and are bound with what is known in the printing industry as "perfect" binding. In perfect binding, the manual has a soft cover, and the pages are held together with the use of flexible glue on the spine.

For longer manuals, the pages can be stitched together for added reinforcement, before the glue is applied. If you would like the manual to lie flat when it is open, you may opt for a plastic comb, or a spiral binding.

Online version, electronic distribution

Strictly web-based manuals cost less to establish and to maintain. However, there is something official and professional about presenting your staff with a printed manual.

Many companies choose to have both a paper version of their manual and an electronic version. They can make revisions to the printed manual and simply notify employees when those additional or corrected pages are available online.

These notifications can instruct employees to print out the new pages to add to their existing manual.

Depending on your organization, you may wish to include some supplementary sections at the end of your manual. One such section is a glossary. The glossary will include terms and their definitions and common industry abbreviations that new employees may need to learn.

Place your glossary terms in bold, followed by the definition in regular text format. Alphabetical order will help you readers be able to quickly scan the list for the item they are looking for.

Here is an example of a few glossary entries for a financial firm.

Accounts Payable – debts incurred during daily operations.

Accounts Receivable - monies due as the result of daily operations.

Assets - all real or intellectual property that has a positive financial value for the company.

Balance Sheet - a statement of the company's assets and liabilities.

You can put the glossary section at the end of your manual. Another option is to include a numbered definition sub-section in each section of the manual, as needed.

If you do put the glossary at the end of the manual, be sure to include it in your Table of Contents at the beginning of your manual. If you put the definitions within the individual pages, include only the definitions that are relevant to that specific policy or procedure. Otherwise, the definitions will not serve their intended purpose and may, in fact, serve to confuse the reader.


Another section you may wish to include at the end of your manual is a compliance page. This page could include a general statement about how policies are enforced, and a description about the consequences of violating company policy.

As with the glossary, you may choose to include this information at the end of each policy, instead of having this in a separate section.

As we stated in a previous lesson, many policy and procedure manuals include a removable section at the end for the reader to sign and date. This page serves as proof that employees have read and agreed to abide by the policies and procedures contained in the document.



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