Editing Style Guide

VERONICA STAROVOIT
STYLE GUIDE
Written for: TCN707 - Editing and Style
December 7, 2010
Copyright © 2010
Veronica Starovoit
All right reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced in any form, except in the form of brief
quotations, without permission of the author/publisher.
Printed in Canada by Veronica Starovoit
Ve r o n i c a S t a r o v o i t Style Guide
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Table of Contents
Contact Information......................................................................iv
Chapter 1: Introduction..................................................................1
How to Use this Style Guide.......................................................................1
Online Version...............................................................................................1
Version of English Used...............................................................................1
Chapter 2: Standards of Style........................................................2
Standard Headings.......................................................................................2
List of Non-Standard Words and Spellings..............................................2
Measurement System...................................................................................5
Cross-References...........................................................................................7
Index Style.....................................................................................................7
Capitalization................................................................................................7
Abbreviations, Initialisms, and Acronyms...............................................8
Use of Illustrations.......................................................................................9
Use of Tables................................................................................................10
Typography..................................................................................................11
ii
List Formats.................................................................................................12
Chapter 3: Instructions on Writing Documents........................13
Memos..........................................................................................................13
Proposals......................................................................................................14
Postmortem Reports...................................................................................15
Documentation Plans.................................................................................16
Chapter 4: Legal Requirements...................................................17
Trademarks and Copyrights.....................................................................17
Plagiarism....................................................................................................18
Citations.......................................................................................................19
Important Links.............................................................................20
Other Style Guides........................................................................20
Glossary..........................................................................................21
Bibliography...................................................................................23
Feedback.........................................................................................24
iii
Contact Information
Name: __________________
Position: ________________
Contact Information: _________________________
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_________________________
Name: __________________
Position: ________________
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_________________________
Name: __________________
Position: ________________
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Name: __________________
Position: ________________
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iv
Chapter 1: Introduction
How to Use this Style Guide

Style guides are meant to set standards for writing and organizing documents. While I
make no such bold claim, I hope that the various tips and instructions contained in this
book will aid home users and documentation specialists in finding their way around a
project. For navigational assistance, please consult the Table of Contents at the begin-
ning of this guide.
Version of English Used

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition, published by Oxford Press in 2004
should be the reference used for spelling, definitions, place names, and any English lan-
guage question. For English use in documents being exported to the United States, refer
to Important Links in this style guide.
If a dictionary lists two possible spellings for a noun, use the first one. If a dictionary
lists two possible spellings for a verb, use either one without preference.
1
Chapter 2: Standards of Style
Standard Headings
For any type of technical reports (white papers, proposals,etc) where the use of head-
ings is required, these are standard headings that can be applied:
• Introduction • Executive Summary
• Background • Glossary
• About the Author • Action Plan
• Table of Contents • Conclusion
• Discussion • Index
• Purpose/Problem • Appendix/Appendices
• Research Methods • Bibliography/References
• Findings/Results • Recommendations
For using headings other than these, consult the document outline, if one exists, or a
project manager to see whether new headings can be added.
List of Nonstandard Words and Spellings

Preferred spelling is kept in:
• book titles
• place names
• businesses
• movies
• other works
Otherwise, this is a list of words and spellings which may be deemed “incorrect” by cer-
tain word processors or people. However, though these uses may be uncommon, easily
forgotten, or fairly new, they are still correct in this current (2010) Canadian context:
2
ABC DEF
advice, not advise dependant (noun)

dependent (verb)
-ae diphthongs are only right in British double d in peddlar

spelling
airplane, not aeroplane use -e instead of diphthongs -ae or -oe

unless they are proper names (example:
Phoebe, Caesar)
ante-, not anti- ellipsis (three periods) indicates a break

in thought or an emission of words in a
quote
when a pronoun has no identifiable ante- do not compare two things using an -est
cent, supply one (example: “In Toronto, superlative
they are really bored” turns into “In To-
ronto, students are really bored”)
use c in: silent -e use:

• defence • abridgement
• licence • acknowledgement
• offence • likeable
• saleable
otherwise omit
canvas, not canvass
catalogue, not catalog
cheque, not check for noun related to bill-

payment
3
GHI JKL
government departments use Canadian double l in:

spelling (example: “U.S. Defence De- • appall
partment”) • distill
• fulfill
• fulfillment
• instill
• marvellous
• most words ending in -ed
• traveller
grey, not gray licence (noun)

license (verb)
hangar means protective storage single l in:

• enrol
• enrolment
• forestalment
• instalment
indices, not indexes
inquire, not enquire
MNO PQR
-ou in: plow, not plough (latter is not Canadian

• mould spelling)
• moustache
• smoulder
Canadian spelling uses -our, American practise (noun)

spelling uses -or practice (verb)
program, not programme
prophecy (noun)
prophesy (verb)
racquet not racket for noun related to

sport
4
STU VWXYZ
use s in: -yze spellings are used, not -yse spellings

• pretense
stationary means standing still; station-

ery means paper for writing on
storey, not story for noun related to

height
sulphur, not sulfur
use tt in:
• combatting
Measurement System
Arabic numerals are used in: Roman numerals are used in:
• addresses • people names
• times • animal names
• years
• dates
• decimals
• decisions
• scores
• votes
• odds
• measurements
• currency
• sequences
• latitude and longitude
Abbreviations are fine for indicating measurements (for instance, you do not have to
spell out cm or kg). The following are approved measurements for Canadian docu-
ments, with their abbreviations in brackets:
• metre (m)
• kilogram (kg)
• tonne (t)
• litre (l)
• seconds (s)
• mole (mol)
5
• kelvin (K)
• ampere (A)
• candela (cd)
• Celsius (C)
The add-ons for these are as follows:

• T (one trillion)
• G (one billion)
• M (one million)
• k (one thousand)
• h (one hundred)
• da (ten)
• d (one-tenth)
• c (one-hundredth)
• m (one-thousandth)
• μ (one-millionth)
• n (one-billionth)
• p (one-trillionth)
When imperial measurement is used, give metric equivalent in parenthesis and round.
The exception to this is a nautical mile (n.m.), which has no metric equivalent and
should be left alone. The following chart shows common metric-imperial conversions:
CONVERSIONS
1 cm = 0.3937 in
1 m = 1.0936 yd
1 km = 0.6214 mile
1 l = 1.76 pt
1 mg = 0.0154 grain
1 gram = 0.0353 oz
1 kilogram = 2.2046 lb
6
CONVERSIONS
1 t = 0.9842 ton
°C = (°F - 32) ÷ 1.8
Cross-References
For cross-references in a text, place them in a separate sentence after body paragraph.
Correct formatting for cross-reference include:
• See Page 2 (Page must be capitalized and a numbered page given)
• See also “Analysis” (also must be included to indicate it is additional infor-
mation and the term or heading being referred to must be in quotations)
• See also Analysis (for online publications, include a hyperlink to the section
or page being referred to)
Index Style
For referring readers to certain pages using an Index, keep navigation and usability in
mind. Always alphabetize an Index, and consider what keywords users are likely to
search for. For instance, for a user guide for something which has volume control, in-
clude “volume” or “sound” in the Index instead of “noise”, which has a negative conno-
tation and is less often associated with electronic devices.
The Index should be the very last page or pages of a document, unless the document
also includes a section for Notes or blank pages.
Capitalization
The following is a list of rules for when capitalization is correct:
1. Start of a new sentence
2. Start of a quoted sentence (ex: he said, “This is what I’m after.”)
3. Proper noun
4. A person’s title
5. A government official’s title, but only if the name is also included (ex: Prime
Minister Harper)
6. Name of an official product created by any company
7. Part of an abbreviation, initialism, or acronym
7
8. Compass points, when referring to specific regions (ex: “They are from the
South”)
9. Titles of publications, or sections in publications, unless not capitalized by
the authors themselves
10. First word of a salutation or closing greeting (ex: “Dear sir”, “Your truly”)
11. Specific course titles (ex: “Algebra 1”)
12. The first word of a bulleted or numbered list
Abbreviations, Initialisms, and Acronyms

The following is a style sheet to follow for using abbreviations in your work:
A B B R E V I AT I O N S
abbreviations that have become common words are all lower case (example: scuba)
in a long document, repeat spelling out abbreviations in every chapter or appendix
mixed case abbreviations do not take periods (example: PhD)
omit periods in abbreviations unless they are a person’s name (example: F.D.R.)
do not repeat words already part of abbreviations (example: HIV virus)
single letter abbreviations take periods
spell out first instances of abbreviations if they are not well known and put abbrevi-
ated form in parenthesis
well-known abbreviations do not have to be spelled out
Initialisms and acronyms, which are types of abbreviations, that do not require explana-
tion or spelling-out include:
• A.M. • Ave.
• B.A. • B.S.
• CD/CD-ROM • Dr.
• ed. • EST
• et al. • e.x.
• ex • FBI
8
• FM • GMT
• hr • IRS
• Jr. • Lt.
• Ltd. • M.D.
• min • mph
• Mr. • Mrs.
• mt. • NASA
• NATO • P.M.
• rpm • sec
• Sgt. • Sr.
• St. • U.S./USA
Use of Illustrations
When using illustrations or graphics, always refer to them within the text. For example,
with the following graphic, use an introduction like “below is an image of a red pen
used for copyediting:”
9
For graphics online, make sure you incorporate an “alt” tag, or its equivalent, into your
website’s coding so slower computers can read about graphics before they download
(or in case they cannot download at all). An example of HTML code using the “alt” tag
is <img src="redpen.jpg" height="200" width="200" alt="an image of
red pen used for copyediting">
For images that have to be labelled, it is not necessary to number them (ex: figure 1, fig-
ure 2) but a label, with smaller sized font than the body of the document, is required. An
example of this is illustrated below:
This is the type of pen suitable for copyediting.
Notice a period is required, and the label should be as close to the image as possible. To
add an in-text citation to your label, simply attach it to the end of the line.
For cover art, labeling is not required, although the image should be cited in the Bibli-
ography, Works Cited, or Resources page.
For illustrations and graphics done by yourself, a citation is not required, but a label is.
Use of Tables
Tables are introduced, labelled, and cited the same way images are (see “Use of Images”
above and on the previous page).
Make sure each column or row has a label on it (do not include data that does not have
a category attached to it in a table). For instance, in the following table, each row of
words has a meaning, which can be determined by reading its label:
10
NOUNS VERBS ADVERBS ADJECTIVES
Canada jump quickly sleepy
moose frolic quietly red
In a table where rows and columns have to be labelled in order for data to make sense,
labeling looks something like this:
APPLES ORANGES PEARS
Boys 22 4 12
Girls 3 12 8
Do not forget you have to label this table something like “Class survey of students’ fa-
vorite fruits” in order for it to really make sense.
Typography
Common fonts may be mistaken as “boring” or “overused”, but they are popular for a
reason. Not only are they easy to read because people are so used to seeing them, com-
puters recognize common fonts almost all of the time. This makes it easier for web writ-
ers to keep their intended designs for users. The most common fonts today are:
• Arial
• Arial Black
• Comic Sans MS
• Courier New
• Georgia
• Impact
• Lucida Console
• Lucida Sans Unicode
• Palatino
• Tahoma
• Times New Roman
• Trebuchet MS
• Verdana
11
List Formats
There are two main types of lists: numbered and bulleted. Their appearances and uses
vary greatly. Bulleted lists use an image, from a simple dot to a small graphic. Num-
bered lists use sequential numbering. Below are some examples of numbered and bul-
leted lists which are appropriate for most formal technical publications:
BULLETED NUMBERED
• 1.
★ I.
✓ A.
You should use a bulleted, unnumbered list when the sequence of listed items does not
matter. You should use a numbered list when steps or procedures are being described
which have to be done in a certain sequence.
Here are some additional do’s and do not’s for formating lists:
DO DO NOT
✓ Start each item in a list with a capital X Put semi-colons at the end of each
letter listed item
✓Add periods at the end of items on bul- X Add periods at the end of items on bul-
let lists when those items are also full let lists when there are single words or
sentences incomplete sentences
✓ Create a list when you have many X Create a list for only one item
points that need breaking up for clarity or
emphasis
✓ Create a list when you think readers X Bury important information readers
want to skim information have to know within a list
✓ Make items in a list short and easy to X Make items in a list too long (exceeding
understand one long paragraph or a few short ones)
✓ Break up lists so there is only one im- X Put long lists within a bullet of a list
portant item per bullet
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Chapter 3: Instructions on Writing Documents
Memos
Memos, or memorandums, are formal letters written to colleagues, teachers, or other
professional associates about problems that need to be addressed. Below is an example
of a memo:
MEMO
TO: Dr. Terri Palmer
FROM: Katrina Gittens, Shellecia Simpson, and Veronica Starovoit
WRITTEN BY: Veronica Starovoit
DATE: Dec. 15 2009
SUBJECT: Results of User Testing
Our software documentation for the Track Changes function in Microsoft

Office Word 2003, as it was on December 14, presented numerous obsta-
cles for the three user test subjects.
First, the user test subjects will be described. Between them, there
was a large range in age and computer proficiency. User 1 was in their
early 20’s and used Word 2003 on a regular basis at their place of
work. User 2 was in their early 40’s but had never used Word 2003, nor
any other word processor, for that matter, until the test date. The
final user, User 3, was 10 years old, proficient in using computers
for their age group, had Word 2003 on their own personal computer.
User 3 fell between the two other users in terms of computer profi-
ciency. So, User 1 is our expert, User 2 is our novice, and User 3 is
between an expert and a novice but is the most inexperienced with
reading and following directions (a good test subject to have when
clarity and simplicity of instructions are valuable).
Moving on to the results of the user test and the changes in documen-
tation they produced, the instructions for using Track Changes the
three users received (in our package, the instructions labeled “User-
Testing Version”) had stylistic inconsistencies which confused Users 1
and 2. These included some headings being randomly underlined or
italicized and inconsistent choices in vocabulary. This was improved
by changing all headings to bold font size 14 Times New Roman, bolding
all steps, making vocabulary consistent, and replacing some screen
captures so the color scheme looked consistent throughout.
User 3, the 10-year-old test subject, did not make it all the way
through the instructions. This led to adding that the instructions
were meant for university students in the introduction. Their age was
not the only hinderance for them, though, as Users 1 and 2 also
skipped over many steps.
13
The following topics had steps added or altered because they either
involved a different version of Word than the ones the users went
through (the users used Microsoft Office Word 2003) or were somehow
otherwise misinformed because the steps did not lead to the right end
result in any of the three tests:
- “Inserting and Removing Comments”
- “Comparing Documents” (changed to “How to Change Display Options for
Different Stages of Editing”)
- “Accepting or Rejecting Track Changes”
- “Printing a Document with Track Changes”
- “Merging only Specific Kinds of Changes”
In addition, the users all agreed that pictures made menu items easier
to find and the software documentation easier to follow, especially if
what they had to click was circled. Therefore, almost every step in
the new version of the guide has graphics, and the steps that require
finding something small have had that item circled in red.
Here are the steps for writing a memo:

1. Type with the word “MEMO”, all capitalized, at the top of a page.
2. Also in capital letters, type “TO”, “FROM”, “WRITTEN BY”, “DATE”, and
“SUBJECT” underneath. Fill these sections out.
3. Start the letter with an introduction that states why you are writing the letter.
4. In the next few paragraphs, write about obstacles you encountered or still
face.
5. End with how you overcame these obstacles or what your plan is for solving
your problem in the future.
Proposals
A proposal is a formal document that proposes a solution to an existing problem. It in-
cludes research information supporting that there is a problem and may follow a memo.
For an example of a proposal, visit:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/39014030?secret_password=14rrr3yklrduj1vko0l4
Here are the steps for writing proposal document:
1. Create a title page with a title that accurately describes what you are propos-
ing. Include the word “Proposal” somewhere in your title.
2. Write a summary of what your document will propose.
3. Briefly state the problem. You should not go into too much depth, as your re-
search will reinforce different aspects of your problem.
4. Include results of any research you have gathered, including questionnaires,
surveys, and secondary sources consulted. Label and separate these results
appropriately.
14
5. Include a numbered list of recommendations based on your research and
opinions.
6. Following your list of recommendations, include a section that proposes how
to implement each one of these.
7. Create a timeline for implementing these recommendations. Title this time-
line with the duration you think your plan needs.
8. Attach appendices with any additional documents submitted with your re-
port. Make sure you attach these to the report when submitting it.
Postmortem Reports
Also found at: http://www.ehow.com/how_6516661_write-postmortem-report.html
Postmortem reports outline an experiment or process for completing a project after in-
dividuals have completed and "laid the project to rest." The purpose of a postmortem
report is to tell future project leaders how experiments should and should not be con-
ducted. To write a postmortem report, you must obey all or most of the following steps:
1. Describe the background and context of the experiment. Include at least one
of the following: how the project's steps were decided, how the team(s) were
set up and when and where the experiment took place. Label this section
Context, Background or Introduction.
2. List references, including any research or outside help you received. If the
project was for a school assignment, name the teacher or professor and the
name of the class. For scholarly research, attach a full bibliography at the end
of the report, but list the titles of the works and how they were used in this
section. Label this part References.
3. List and describe materials and techniques. Go into the specifications of the
software and electrical equipment if the versions used are essential to the ex-
periment. Label this section Materials or Techniques, and use the name of the
essential software or equipment as the subheading if appropriate.
4. Describe what went right with the experiment or process. This should be a
list in paragraph, table or jot form that future teams should repeat when con-
ducting the experiment. This can include successful techniques, materials
that should remain the same or any other features you would use again. This
also can have various headings and subheadings, such as Essential Steps to
Include or What Made the Experiment Successful.
5. State what needs improvement next time the experiment or process is done.
Include anything that needs to be changed because it was lacking or wrong
for the experiment. Label this section along the lines of Things that Need Im-
provement. You may also combine this with the step on What Made the Ex-
periment Successful and label this information under a subheading of Advice
or Words of Wisdom.
15
Documentation Plans
Documentation Plans are written for companies or employers before an actual docu-
mentation project is started. They describe things like timeline, scope of project, and re-
sources available for completing a piece of documentation. For an example of a docu-
mentation plan, visit:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/44789177?secret_password=15cao7d1u6643hfa24z1
Here are the steps for writing a documentation plan:
1. Start by writing an “Executive Summary” - a few paragraphs about what
your documentation project will be, including timeline and key definitions
the readers might not know about.
2. Write about various objectives you wish your documentation project to at-
tain. Separate these by general (the one, main objective) and specific (various,
smaller objectives).
3. Create a section entitled “Overview of Deliverables”, where you describe
what will be delivered to a public (i.e. a book, CD-ROM, or other object).
4. Create a section about a proposed timetable and schedule for your documen-
tation. Title appropriately.
5. Create a section about assumptions you have going into the project.
6. Create a section entitled “Risks and Contingencies”, where you describe risks
you know going into the project and contingencies you plan on implement-
ing to lessen these risks.
7. Create a section entitled “Resources”, where you list any resources, human or
otherwise, you have going into this project.
8. Create a section entitled “Documentation Outline”, where you create a bul-
leted outline about what you think the headings and subheadings will be in
your documentation project.
9. At the end, list any style guides, online resources, and contact information for
human resources you plan on using for your documentation project.
16
Chapter 4: Legal Requirements
Trademarks and Copyrights
For much written work, it is important to include trademark and copyright information.
Some works where this is not found are:
• Letters • Blogs
• Memos • Short Reports
• Personal Papers • Petitions
• Press Releases • Resumes
• Certificates • Applications
On the other hand, some works which often need trademark and copyright notices in-
clude:
• Published reports • Websites
• User guides • Newspapers articles
• Quick start guides • Magazine articles
• Book-length reports • Book-length style guides
• Scientific papers • Research results
• Theses • Grant and proposal documents
Once the decision has been made to include a trademark or copyright notice, decide
which one to use:
According to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), a trademark, which uses
a ™ symbol, is for “a word (or words), a design, or a combination of these, used to identify the
goods or services of one person or organization."
A copyright, which uses a © symbol, means “‘the right to copy.’ In general, only the copy-
right owner, often the creator of the work, is allowed to produce or reproduce the work or to per-
mit anyone else to do so."
To file for either trademark or copyright registration in Canada on your own, fill out a
form, which may be found at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office website.
17
Plagiarism
The following are rules for dealing with research or secondary source materials:
1. Give credit whenever you use quotes, statistics, images, or any research from
someone else’s source. This also includes paraphrasing someone else’s work
into your own words and altered images, graphs, and drawings.
2. Common source materials that require citations include: interviews, websites,
books, magazines, newspapers, CD-ROMs, radio or television programs,
speeches, tape or video recordings, personal letters, and chat room conversa-
tions.
3. Always put quotations around someone’s actual spoken or written words.
4. It is wrong to paraphrase someone else’s words and change the meaning. For
instance, if a sentence says “large factories are to blame for global warming”,
you may not change this to “according to this author, big companies are de-
stroying the world”. This changes the author’s meaning too dramatically. If
this is your view, put it in a separate sentence from the author’s.
5. Include a “Works Cited”, “References”, or “Bibliography” section at the end
of your document.
6. Use MLA format for in-text citations and works references at the end of your
document (see “Important Links” for a resource on this).
7. Always read and follow the copyright notice at the beginning of books. For
websites, lectures, these notices may be found on an accompanying page or
by writing to the author.
8. Commonly known facts that can be found from a variety of sources do not
require citations.
9. For copying your own work, put a link or reference to the location where
your work previous appears.
18
Citations
Remember that whenever research is taken from secondary sources (people, published
works, or otherwise) the use of in-text citations is required. The following chart will
help you format these citations:
TYPE OF WORK I N - T E X T C I TAT I O N F O R M AT
Anything with an author and page (AuthorLastName Page#)

number ex: (Smith 3)
Electronic Sources, no page number (AuthorName)

ex: (Smith)
Indirect source (qtd. in AuthorLastName Page#)

ex: (qtd. in Smith 3)
Multiple authors (three or less) (AuthorLastName, AuthorLastName1,

and AuthorLastName2 Page#)
ex: (Smith, Morgan, and Moore 3)
Multiple authors (three or more) (AuthorLastName, et al. Page#)

ex: (Smith et al. 3)
Multiple citations (AuthorLastName Page#; AuthorLast-

Name Page#)
ex: (Smith 3; Moore 5)
Print Source with no known author (“NameofText” Page#)

ex: (“Canadian Lives” 22)
Two authors have the same last name (FirstInitial.AuthorLastName Page#)

ex: (J.Smith 3)
In addition to in-text citations, you must include a Works Cited, Bibliography, or Refer-
ences page when consulting secondary sources. The difference between these pages are:
• Works Cited pages are for research essays or reports where in-text bracket
citations are also used. MLA style is used.
• Bibliography pages are for listing works you have cited and works you have
consulted, but not necessarily cited. MLA and APA styles are not needed.
• References pages are used when you have in-text citations using APA style.
This is only applicable for writing social science (sociology, history, psychol-
ogy, law, linguistics, education, economics, geography, political science) re-
ports.
19
Important Links
http://tinyurl.com/32soz44
A free guide to copyediting symbols, procedures for editing, and rules of grammar.
www.cipo.ic.gc.ca/
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office website. This is used for registering for
trademarks, copyrights, and patents in Canada.
http://tinyurl.com/2uruo2w
A free dictionary on American spellings. Use this only to for publications being exported
to the United States.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
A guide for writing MLA bibliographies and in-text citations.
Other Style Guides

For additional assistance not found in this style guide, consider these worthwhile
sources of information:
http://download.cnet.com/Microsoft-Manual-of-Style-for-Technical-Publications-Third-Editi
on/3000-2125_4-75051341.html
For $5.99, the Microsoft Manual of Style is available for download. This is the leading
style guide for technical communication.
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
The Chicago Manual of Style online, including forums relating to stylistic questions.
http://tinyurl.com/37d23hu
University of Pennsylvania style guide for writing online.
20
Glossary
APA
A citation style. Stands for American Psychological Association.
Bibliography
A page, usually found at the very end of a document, which lists sources cited and con-
sulted.
Copyediting
Improvements made my an editor to the formatting and style of text. This can include
checking punctuation, ensuring consistency, and correcting grammar and usage.
Copyright
Literally “the right to copy”. Means only the copyright owner is allowed to reproduce
or permit anyone to use the work. Uses a © symbol.
Executive Summary
A summary for a longer documentation project. Includes definitions and a timeline, if

the longer documentation project is not yet completed.
Initialism
An abbreviation that uses the first word in a string of words. For example, IRS is an ini-
tialism of Internal Revenue Service.
Memo
A formal letter written to a professional associate about a problem or issue that needs to
be addressed.
MLA
A citation style. Stands for Modern Language Association.
Nautical Mile
A unit of measurement used for determining depth for nautical and aviation industries.
Uses the symbol n.m.
21
References
A page, usually found at the very end of a document, which lists sources cited through-
out the document in APA format.
Style Guide
A long guide which explains elements of writing and designing various documents.
Trademark
A word, words, a design, or a combination of these three used to identify goods or serv-
ices of one person or organization. Uses a ™ symbol.
Works Cited
A page, usually found at the very end of a document, which lists sources cited through-
out the document in MLA format.
22
Bibliography
“Copyright, Trademark, or Patent?” Small Business Accelorator. 25 Oct. 2010. 6 Dec. 2010
<http://www.sba-bc.ca/community/blog/copyright-trademark-or-patent>.
Gradous, Deanne. “Recommended Headings for Business Reports and What Report
Readers Want to Know.” Free Management Library. 6 Dec. 2010
<http://managementhelp.org/writing/rechdngs.htm>.
“Metric and Imperial Conversion Charts and Tables.” French-Property.com. 6 Dec. 2010
<http://convert.french-property.co.uk/>.
“MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics.” Purdue University. 2009. 6 Dec. 2010
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/>.
Perez, Alberto M. “Common fonts to all versions of Windows & Mac equivalents.”
AMPsoft. 3 June 2008. 6 Dec. 2010
<http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html>.
“Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It.” Indiana University. 27 April
2004. 6 Dec. 2010 <http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml>.
Straus, Jane. “Capitalization.” GrammarBook.com. 2010. 6 Dec. 2010

<http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital.asp>.
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Editing Style Guide

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VERONICA STAROVOIT

Written for: TCN707 - Editing and Style

All right reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced in any form, except in the form of brief

quotations, without permission of the author/publisher.

Printed in Canada by Veronica Starovoit

How to Use this Style Guide.......................................................................1

Version of English Used...............................................................................1

Chapter 2: Standards of Style........................................................2

List of Non-Standard Words and Spellings..............................................2

Abbreviations, Initialisms, and Acronyms...............................................8

Chapter 3: Instructions on Writing Documents........................13

Chapter 4: Legal Requirements...................................................17

Trademarks and Copyrights.....................................................................17

Other Style Guides........................................................................20

Contact Information: _________________________

Contact Information: _________________________

Contact Information: _________________________

Contact Information: _________________________

How to Use this Style Guide

Version of English Used

• Introduction • Executive Summary

• About the Author • Action Plan

• Table of Contents • Conclusion

• Research Methods • Bibliography/References

List of Nonstandard Words and Spellings

advice, not advise dependant (noun)

-ae diphthongs are only right in British double d in peddlar

airplane, not aeroplane use -e instead of diphthongs -ae or -oe

ante-, not anti- ellipsis (three periods) indicates a break

use c in: silent -e use:

canvas, not canvass

catalogue, not catalog

cheque, not check for noun related to bill-

government departments use Canadian double l in:

grey, not gray licence (noun)

hangar means protective storage single l in:

indices, not indexes

inquire, not enquire

-ou in: plow, not plough (latter is not Canadian

Canadian spelling uses -our, American practise (noun)

program, not programme

racquet not racket for noun related to

use s in: -yze spellings are used, not -yse spellings

stationary means standing still; station-

storey, not story for noun related to

sulphur, not sulfur

The add-ons for these are as follows:

°C = (°F - 32) ÷ 1.8

Abbreviations, Initialisms, and Acronyms

in a long document, repeat spelling out abbreviations in every chapter or appendix

mixed case abbreviations do not take periods (example: PhD)

do not repeat words already part of abbreviations (example: HIV virus)

single letter abbreviations take periods

well-known abbreviations do not have to be spelled out

This is the type of pen suitable for copyediting.

Canada jump quickly sleepy

moose frolic quietly red

APPLES ORANGES PEARS

TO: Dr. Terri Palmer

FROM: Katrina Gittens, Shellecia Simpson, and Veronica Starovoit

WRITTEN BY: Veronica Starovoit

DATE: Dec. 15 2009