When a paragraph is mentioned under a clause or a subclause without
having a numbered heading in the line above, while the paragraphs after have a
numbered heading, this is what we call a hanging
paragraph.
According to the InternalRegulations Part 3, the drafters of European deliverables
need to avoid the use of "hanging paragraphs" since reference to them
is ambiguous.
EXAMPLE:
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In the following
example, the hanging paragraphs indicated cannot be uniquely identified as
being in "Clause 5" since strictly speaking the paragraphs in 5.1
and 5.2 are also in Clause 5. To avoid this problem it is necessary to
identify the hanging paragraphs as subclause "5.1 General" (or
other suitable title) and to renumber the existing 5.1 and 5.2 accordingly
(as shown), to move the hanging paragraphs elsewhere, or to delete them.
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When drafting a standard it is very important that you don't let any
hanging paragraphs find their way into the text. When we correct these during our editing, we also
have to update any cross references within the text and these kind of updates
are fraught with risks, especially in texts with many cross references.
However, there are instances where a hanging paragraph is allowed! These are explained below:
1) "Terms and definitions"
The introductory text under the clause
"Terms and definitions" is not considered to be a hanging
paragraph, as described in 5.2.4 of (InternalRegulations Part 3), as the terms and definitions are a
definitions list and not a series of subclauses.
EXAMPLE:
3 Terms
and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the
terms and definitions given in IEC 60050-161 and the following apply.
3.1
building penetration loss
ability
of buildings, in which networks for distribution of television and sound are
located, to attenuate the influence of electromagnetic fields from outside
the buildings or to suppress the radiation of electromagnetic fields from
inside the buildings
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2) "Reagents"
Under the clause "Reagents", the introductory text explaining the general provisions is not a hanging paragraph since the list detailing the reagents and/or materials is not a series of subclauses but a list.
Each reagent and/or material entry shall be numbered for purposes of cross-referencing, even if there is only one.
EXAMPLE:
3 Reagents
Use only reagents of recognized analytical grade
and only distilled water or water of equivalent purity.
3.1 Cleaning medium, for example methanol or water
containing a few drops of liquid detergent.
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3) "Apparatus"
Under the clause "Apparatus", the paragraph introducing the list of the
apparatus used in the document is not a hanging paragraph.
The rules for the structure, numbering and
presentation of the "Apparatus" clause are identical to those for the
"Reagents and/or materials" clause.
b) Clause numbering
The clauses in a European
deliverable need to be numbered with Arabic numerals followed by a title. The
numbering begins with 1 for the "Scope" clause and is continuous up
to but excluding any annexes. The clause is put on a line separate from the
text that follows it.
In case of a need for
subdivision, a primary numbered subclause with Arabic numerals is used (e.g.
5.1, 5.2, etc.), which may itself be divided into secondary subclauses (e.g.
5.1.1, 5.1.2, etc.), and this process of subdivision may continue up to the
fifth level (e.g. 5.1.1.1.1.1, 5.1.1.1.1.2, etc.). See below:
Subclauses should preferably be
given a title, which is placed immediately after its number, on a line separate
from the text that follows it. Within a clause or subclause, the use of titles is
uniform for subclauses at the same level, e.g.: if 10.1 has a title, 10.2 shall
also have a title.
There is no need to create a subclause
unless there is at least one further subclause at the same level. For example,
text in Clause 10 shall not be designated subclause "10.1" unless
there is also a subclause "10.2".c) Lists
Lists occurring in the European deliverable need to
be introduced by a sentence as shown in Example 1):
EXAMPLE 1:
The following basic principles shall apply to the
drafting of definitions.
a) The definition shall have the same grammatical form as
the term:
1) to
define a verb, a verbal phrase shall be used;
2) to
define a singular noun, the singular shall be used.
b) The preferred structure of a definition is a basic part
stating the class to which the concept belongs, and another part enumerating the characteristics that distinguish
the concept from other members of the class.
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Or by a complete grammatical proposition followed by a colon (see Example 2):
EXAMPLE 2:
No switch is required for any of the following
categories of apparatus:
— apparatus having a power consumption not
exceeding 10 W under normal operating conditions;
— apparatus having a power consumption not
exceeding 50 W, measured 2 min after the application of any of
the fault conditions;
— apparatus intended for continuous
operation.
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Or by the first part of a proposition without a colon (see Example 3), completed by the items in the list:
EXAMPLE 3:
Vibrations in the apparatus may be caused by
— unbalance in the rotating elements,
— slight deformations in the frame, and
— aerodynamic loads.
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To ease identification, each item
in a list needs to be preceded by a dash, a bullet or a lower case letter
followed by a parenthesis. If it is necessary to further subdivide an item in
the latter type of list, the Arabic numerals followed by a parenthesis need to
be used, as mentioned in Example 1.
It may be preferable not to
continue a sentence after the end of the type of list given in Example 3. Key
terms or phrases may be composed in distinctive type to call attention to the
subject matter dealt with in the various list items (see Example 1). Such terms
or phrases shall not be listed in the table of contents; if it is necessary
that they be included in the table of contents, they shall not be presented as
list items but as subclause titles.
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Next week we're covering CEN-CENELEC Guide 17.
Next week we're covering CEN-CENELEC Guide 17.
Hayat Amrani Jai (hamrani@cencenelec.eu)
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