U.S.

WRITING AND PUBLICATION STYLE (for catalogs and copy)

GENERAL
• usage must be consistent throughout document (except quotations and
endorsements)
• American spelling, punctuation, hyphenation should always be used (except British
quotations/endorsements)
• use Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, available at www.merriam-webster.com
• use the current American Psychological Association Style for style, grammar,
citation, etc. See this link for models:
http://www.waikato.ac.nz/library/learning/g_apaguide.shtml

REFERENTS
• use USA without the article “the” preceding that complete abbreviation.
Example: The university was in USA.

PUNCTUATION
• no use serial comma: apples, bananas, and oranges. Use instead: apples, bananas
and oranges.
• spell out and , NOT & (exceptions for headlines)
• no spaces on either side of an em-dash: It should look—like this.
• American date style: December 15, 1925, NOT 15 Dec 1925
• use en-dashes for inclusive numbers or dates: February 9–15; also “from 1905 to
1908” or “the 1905–1908 period,” NOT “from 1905–1908”
• In quotes, no ellipsis before the first word or after the last word, even if the end of the
original sentence has been omitted. Also, always use three-dot ellipses, never four-
dot ellipses (period plus ellipses) in copy and endorsements. Original: "I think it is
fantastic scholarship and a great read for everyone." Quote: "Fantastic
scholarship . . . a great read."
• include spaces between dots of an ellipsis: . . . NOT …

NUMBERS
• spell out numbers one to ten and all even round numbers (five hundred) (exceptions
for headlines); use numerals for 11 and up
• spell out ordinal numbers: nineteenth century, NOT 19th century or XIX century
(exceptions for headlines)
• the eighties or the 1980s, NOT 1980’s or the ‘80s
• spell out simple fractions: two-thirds
• always use numerals for percentages, spell percent: 5 percent, NOT five per cent or
5%

SPELLING
• acknowledgments (NOT acknowledgements)
• bestselling (n), bestselling (adj), NOT best selling or best-selling
• bestseller NOT best-seller (He was the bestselling author of several bestsellers)
• ebook, NOT eBook or e-book
• email, NOT e-mail
• foreword (introductory section of a book) v. forward (direction)
• Googling; to Google; I Googled it
• NewsHour with Jim Lehrer; NBC's Nightly News (look at official names on websites)
• Publishers Weekly NOT Publisher's Weekly
• toward, NOT towards
 • United States (spell out) for noun; U.S. (with periods) for adjective only: U.S. foreign
policy
• website not Web site (runs counter to Webster's)

LISTS
• items in any list, vertical or run in to text, must be parallel in structure (same
syntax/grammar)
• an item in a vertical list that forms a complete sentence should be followed by
punctuation
• in a vertical numbered list, a period follows the numeral and each item begins with a
capital letter; in a run-in numbered list the number goes in parentheses (1) with no
period
• in a bulleted list, each item begins with a lowercase letter if each item is a fragment,
but with a capital letter if each item is a complete sentence in itself

OTHER
• use that to introduce a restrictive clause; use which plus commas to set off
nonrestrictive clauses: The report that the committee submitted was well
documented; The report, which was well documented, was submitted to the
committee.
• Use of articles with periodical names. When the article appears on the masthead (as
it does for The New York Times) use the article in attributions, as in—
“He’s great!”—The New York Times
In a sentence, also use the article as part of the name of the publication when an
article is not called for in the sentence—"He writes for The New York Times.”
But, when the sentence itself demands an article, use it lowercase and roman:
"He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Battle for Peace" not "He is the
author of the The New York Times bestseller Battle for Peace" and not "He is the
author of The New York Times bestseller Battle for Peace." If you're confused, or don't
know if the article appears in the periodical's masthead, ask production.
• newspapers/periodicals not in italics when part of a prize, building, etc.: Los Angeles
Times Book Award
• lowercase professional title when on it’s own or in the appositive, but capitalize when
preceding name: When John Smith, the executive director, spoke at the
meeting . . . ; When the executive director, John Smith, spoke at the meeting . . . ;
but Executive Director John Smith spoke at the meeting.
• include a space between initials in a name: J. K. Rowling, NOT J.K. Rowling