RESOURCES: Public style guides

RESOURCES: Public style guides

Here are links to some major public style guides, such as for the governments of Australia, EU, and the US, and the United Nations, as well as a smattering of conscious language guides. (Updated 22 February 2023)

Tip: For specific projects, make sure you also create a style sheet.

Style guides are incredibly useful to make sure everyone consistently handles specific types of elements in a manuscript.

I’m always grateful to be handed a style guide because that means I don’t have to make decisions each time a stylistic point comes up (which English spelling to use? How to write out numbers? etc.).

Not all organizations have style guides but here are a few that I find useful. These are public and freely available.

Australia

Canada

Europe

United Nations

USA

Other

  • Conscious Style Guide: Not government at all—an online compendium of articles and links to resources on conscious writing. For example, the page on Ethnicity, Race & Nationality has links to guides from universities, governments, journalism organizations, etc.
  • Diversity Style Guide: Learn the meanings of 700+ terms related to (1) race/ethnicity, (2) disability, (3) immigration, (4) sexuality and gender identity, (5) drugs and alcohol, and (6) geography. The topic glossaries are also handy.
  • Disability Language Style Guide: From the National Center on Disability and Journalism; also available in Spanish.
  • Language, Please: Offers guidance on words sorted into six topics: (1) class and social standing; (2) disabilities, neurodiversity, and chronic illness; (3) gender and sexuality; (4) borders and populations; (5) mental health, trauma, and substance use; and (6) race and ethnicity.” Also offers editorial tools and an inclusivity reader directory.

There are also of course the Chicago Manual of Style, AP style, APA, MLA … all of which require subscriptions, etc. They are well known enough!

Chicago and APA share some basics for free.

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab is a great resource for overviews on citing in MLA, APA and Chicago styles.

If you would like to discuss whether we might be a good fit for your scholarly writing project, please send me details via the contact form or email me at info@theclarityeditor.com.

Cover image by Hermann Traub from Pixabay

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.