e widely distributing it. Date it, as you will probably change and add to the list as new situations arise. You can organize it by topic or alphabetically, or some combination. For example, when I create a style sheet for a client, I use large headings such as “Spelling and Word Treatment,” “Numbers,” “Formatting,” and then list specific points underneath each one. On the style sheet, I also indicate which style guide and which dictionary I have turned to for most of my decisions.

A style guide will not only improve the readability of your published materials, whether in print or online, but also will enhance the image of a polished and professional organiza

Should you write “10 percent,” “ten percent,” or “10%”? Does your CEO expect to see her middle initial in company-produced materials? And should you have periods, semi-colons, or no punctuation in your bulleted lists?

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that “foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” but he would have made an exception when it comes to editorial style. Without it, something is expressed in one way on page 1, but differently on page 6. Or, you have referred to the Director of Sales and Marketing in a brochure, but someone else has written about the Marketing and Sales Chief on a rate card. Are you talking about one person or two?

An editorial style guide ensures that everyone is, literally, quoting from the same page. A style guide can range from a single sheet with very company-specific preferences to an entire book of do’s and don’ts. Instead of starting from scratch, you can start with a standard style guide that covers most situations and supplement it with a list of company-specific preferences.

The four most commonly used style guides are published by the Associated Press, University of Chicago, American Psychological Association, and Modern Language Association. All four provide guidance on how to deal with compound words (for example, “nonprofit” or “non-profit”), numbers (for example, “fifty” or “50”), citation of sources, and a myriad of other issues large and small.

Newspapers and magazines, as well as many organizations that do not publish academic or technical materials, often prefer “AP,” as it is known. Technical and scientific organizations often rely on “Chicago” or “APA,” while those in the humanities often turn to the “MLA.” The latest editions of these books cover basic computer terminology, but Wired magazine and Microsoft have also published style guides that on these topics.

Your organization perhaps already has a preferred style guide, so ask around. If not, to decide which style guide would work best, think of a few common issues. Go to a book store or the library and turn to the pages that deal with the topic, and decide which treatment would work best for your needs. But the fact is that any style guide should fulfill your needs. The trick is to make sure that everyone who produces copy uses the same one.

Of course, a style guide is not going to cover some of your company-specific preferences or you might make other choices. A common example is capitalizing the names of job titles, which the guides often prefer lower-cased. The solution is to compile a document that lists these preferences and, most importantly, putting in on your organization’s Intranet or otherwise widely distributing it. Date it, as you will probably change and add to the list as new situations arise. You can organize it by topic or alphabetically, or some combination. For example, when I create a style sheet for a client, I use large headings such as “Spelling and Word Treatment,” “Numbers,” “Formatting,” and then list specific points underneath each one. On the style sheet, I also indicate which style guide and which dictionary I have turned to for most of my decisions.

A style guide will not only improve the readability of your published materials, whether in print or online, but also will enhance the image of a polished and professional organizat

ditorial style guide ensures that everyone is, literally, quoting from the same page. A style guide can range from a single sheet with very company-specific preferences to an entire book of do’s and don’ts. Instead of starting from scratch, you can start with a standard style guide that covers most situations and supplement it with a list of company-specific preferences.

The four most commonly used style guides are published by the Associated Press, University of Chicago, American Psychological Association, and Modern Language Association. All four provide guidance on how to deal with compound words (for example, “nonprofit” or “non-profit”), numbers (for example, “fifty” or “50”), citation of sources, and a myriad of other issues large and small.

Newspapers and magazines, as well as many organizations that do not publish academic or technical materials, often prefer “AP,” as it is known. Technical and scientific organizations often rely on “Chicago” or “APA,” while those in the humanities often turn to the “MLA.” The latest editions of these books cover basic computer terminology, but Wired magazine and Microsoft have also published style guides that on these topics.

Your organization perhaps already has a preferred style guide, so ask around. If not, to decide which style guide would work best, think of a few common issues. Go to a book store or the library and turn to the pages that deal with the topic, and decide which treatment would work best for your needs. But the fact is that any style guide should fulfill your needs. The trick is to make sure that everyone who produces copy uses the same one.

Of course, a style guide is not going to cover some of your company-specific preferences or you might make other choices. A common example is capitalizing the names of job titles, which the guides often prefer lower-cased. The solution is to compile a document that lists these preferences and, most importantly, putting in on your organization’s Intranet or otherwise widely distributing it. Date it, as you will probably change and add to the list as new situations arise. You can organize it by topic or alphabetically, or some combination. For example, when I create a style sheet for a client, I use large headings such as “Spelling and Word Treatment,” “Numbers,” “Formatting,” and then list specific points underneath each one. On the style sheet, I also indicate which style guide and which dictionary I have turned to for most of my decisions.

A style guide will not only improve the readability of your published materials, whether in print or online, but also will enhance the image of a polished and professional organiza

ple, “fifty” or “50”), citation of sources, and a myriad of other issues large and small.

Newspapers and magazines, as well as many organizations that do not publish academic or technical materials, often prefer “AP,” as it is known. Technical and scientific organizations often rely on “Chicago” or “APA,” while those in the humanities often turn to the “MLA.” The latest editions of these books cover basic computer terminology, but Wired magazine and Microsoft have also published style guides that on these topics.

Your organization perhaps already has a preferred style guide, so ask around. If not, to decide which style guide would work best, think of a few common issues. Go to a book store or the library and turn to the pages that deal with the topic, and decide which treatment would work best for your needs. But the fact is that any style guide should fulfill your needs. The trick is to make sure that everyone who produces copy uses the same one.

Of course, a style guide is not going to cover some of your company-specific preferences or you might make other choices. A common example is capitalizing the names of job titles, which the guides often prefer lower-cased. The solution is to compile a document that lists these preferences and, most importantly, putting in on your organization’s Intranet or otherwise widely distributing it. Date it, as you will probably change and add to the list as new situations arise. You can organize it by topic or alphabetically, or some combination. For example, when I create a style sheet for a client, I use large headings such as “Spelling and Word Treatment,” “Numbers,” “Formatting,” and then list specific points underneath each one. On the style sheet, I also indicate which style guide and which dictionary I have turned to for most of my decisions.

A style guide will not only improve the readability of your published materials, whether in print or online, but also will enhance the image of a polished and professional organiza

few common issues. Go to a book store or the library and turn to the pages that deal with the topic, and decide which treatment would work best for your needs. But the fact is that any style guide should fulfill your needs. The trick is to make sure that everyone who produces copy uses the same one.

Of course, a style guide is not going to cover some of your company-specific preferences or you might make other choices. A common example is capitalizing the names of job titles, which the guides often prefer lower-cased. The solution is to compile a document that lists these preferences and, most importantly, putting in on your organization’s Intranet or otherwise widely distributing it. Date it, as you will probably change and add to the list as new situations arise. You can organize it by topic or alphabetically, or some combination. For example, when I create a style sheet for a client, I use large headings such as “Spelling and Word Treatment,” “Numbers,” “Formatting,” and then list specific points underneath each one. On the style sheet, I also indicate which style guide and which dictionary I have turned to for most of my decisions.

A style guide will not only improve the readability of your published materials, whether in print or online, but also will enhance the image of a polished and professional organiza

e widely distributing it. Date it, as you will probably change and add to the list as new situations arise. You can organize it by topic or alphabetically, or some combination. For example, when I create a style sheet for a client, I use large headings such as “Spelling and Word Treatment,” “Numbers,” “Formatting,” and then list specific points underneath each one. On the style sheet, I also indicate which style guide and which dictionary I have turned to for most of my decisions.

A style guide will not only improve the readability of your published materials, whether in print or online, but also will enhance the image of a polished and professional organization.