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1.
#29056

Communicating Style Rules to Editors of International Standards: An Analysis of ISO TC 184/SC4 Style Documents   (peer-reviewed)   (members only)

Committees within international standards organizations write standards. Prior to approval, these standards must pass through several reviews for technical accuracy and stylistic appropriateness. The style considerations are based on documents published by both the umbrella organization (International Organization for Standarization, or ISO) and the various committees and subcommittees within it. Because authors and editors who use these documents frequently do not have English as a first language, the documents must explain unambiguously just how committees should prepare their documents. This study looks at a sample of those instructional documents using Restricted and Elaborated Code and metadiscourse analysis to determine how easily users can read and understand the material. The findings suggest that the documents do not send a clear message to authors and editors and can be stylistically hard to understand. Consequently, the approved standards themselves are hard to read and interpret.

Warren, Thomas L. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2001). Articles>Editing>Style Guides>Standards

2.
#24033

The Curse of Yocto

Several years ago, four new prefixes, for representing very large and very small measurements, were introduced into the International System of Units (Système International d'Unités, or SI): yotta, zetta, zepto and yocto.

Ivey, Keith C. Editorial Eye, The (1996). Articles>Style Guides>Standards>Scientific Communication

3.
#20455

Nonstandard Quotes: Superimpositions and Cultural Maps   (PDF)   (peer-reviewed)   (members only)

We regularly chastise students for placing quotation marks around words that are not direct quotations. Yet, as this research shows, professionals use nonstandard quotations routinely and to rhetorical advantage. After analyzing the various purposes nonstandard quotations serve, I argue student use of the marks jars us not because it departs from good practice but because, through them, students invoke voices we do not want to recognize.

Schneider, Barbara. CCC (2002). Articles>Style Guides>Standards>Rhetoric

4.
#23396

Spelling in TC-Forum

There are several ways of spelling English – the English/Canadian style, and the American style. Both are correct.

Dobsen, David. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Style Guides>Standards

5.
#35518

Style Manuals: The Politics of Selection   (PDF)   (members only)

Bette Frick and Betsy Frick discuss how a style manual can save time and money, how to select the proper style manual and get buy-in, and how to create a style guide to use in conjunction with a style manual.

Frick, Elizabeth G.'Bette' and Elizabeth A. 'Betsy' Frick. Intercom (2009). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Standards

6.
#35628

Choosing the Right Style Guide new!

Style guides can improve the quality and presentation of documentation. They establish a layer of professionalism that may not have been there before. They also reduce arguments and ‘loose cannons’ within the department, as the style guide becomes the acknowledged reference. There are at least four points to consider when selecting a style guide.

Walsh, Ivan. I Heart Tech Docs (2007). Articles>Editing>Style Guides>Standards

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