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RESOURCES: Public style guides in English

RESOURCES: Public style guides in English

Here are links to some major public style guides in English, 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)

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.).

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

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

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