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{{selfref|For Wikipedia's own style manual, see [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]].}}
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A '''style guide''' (or '''manual of style''') is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization, or field.  (It is often called a '''style sheet''', though that term has other meanings.)

A style guide establishes and enforces [[wikt:style#Noun|style]] to improve [[communication]]. To do that, it ensures [[wikt:consistency#Noun|consistency]] within a document and across multiple documents and enforces [[best practice]] in [[usage]] and in [[Composition (language)|language composition]], [[Composition (visual arts)|visual composition]], [[orthography]] and [[typography]]. For [[Academic publishing|academic]] and [[Technical communication|technical]] documents, a guide may also enforce the best practice in [[ethics]] (such as [[authorship]], [[research ethics]], and [[:wikt:disclosure|disclosure]]), [[pedagogy]] (such as [[expository writing|exposition]] and clarity), and compliance ([[Technical standard|technical]] and [[Regulatory compliance|regulatory]]).

Style guides are common for general and specialized use, for the general reading and writing audience, and for students and scholars of various [[Academia|academic]] disciplines, medicine, journalism, the law, government, business, and specific industries. '''House style''' refers to the internal style manual of a particular publisher or organization.

==Varieties==
Style guides vary widely in scope and size.

===Sizes===
This variety in scope and length is enabled by the cascading of one style over another, in a way analogous to how styles cascade [[style sheet (web development)|in web development]] and [[style sheet (desktop publishing)|in desktop publishing]] (e.g., how inline styles in [[HTML]] cascade over [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]] styles).

A short style guide is often called a ''style sheet''. A comprehensive guide tends to be long and is often called a ''style manual'' or ''manual of style'' (''MOS'' or ''MoS'').  In many cases, a project such as one [[book]], [[academic journal|journal]], or [[monograph]] series typically has a short style sheet that cascades over the somewhat larger style guide of an organization such as a [[publishing]] company, whose content is usually called ''house style''. Most house styles, in turn, cascade over an ''industry-wide or profession-wide style manual'' that is even more comprehensive. Some examples of these industry style guides include the following: 
* [[AP Stylebook|AP style]] for journalism and most forms of corporate communications
* [[United States Government Printing Office#GPO's Style Manual|USGPO style]] or [[Australian Government Publishing Service|AGPS style]] for government publications 
* [[Hart's Rules|Oxford style]] and [[The Chicago Manual of Style|Chicago style]] for academic publishing and readership 
* [[APA style]] and [[ASA style]] for the social sciences 
* [[CSE style]] for various physical sciences 
* [[ACS style]] for chemistry 
* [[AMA Manual of Style|AMA style]] for medicine 
* [[Bluebook]] style for law

Finally, these reference works cascade over the orthographic norms of the language in use (for example, [[English orthography]] for English-language publications). This, of course, may be subject to national variety such as [[comparison of American and British English|the different varieties of American English and British English]].

=== Topics ===
Some style guides focus on specific topic areas such as [[graphic design]], including typography. Website style guides cover a publication's visual and technical aspects along with text.

Style guides that cover usage may suggest ways of describing people that avoid [[racism]], [[sexism]], and [[homophobia]]. Guides in specific scientific and technical fields cover [[nomenclature]], which specifies names or classifying labels that are preferred because they are clear, standardized, and [[ontology|ontologically]] sound (e.g., [[taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]], [[chemical nomenclature]], and [[gene nomenclature]]).

==Updating==
Most style guides are revised periodically to accommodate changes in conventions and usage. The frequency of updating and the [[revision control]] are determined by the subject matter. For style manuals in [[reference work]] format, new [[edition (book)|editions]] typically appear every 1 to 20 years. For example, the AP Stylebook is revised annually, and the Chicago, APA, and ASA manuals are in their 17th, 6th, and 4th editions, respectively. Many house styles and individual project styles change more frequently, especially for new projects.

==Examples==
{{further|List of style guides}}

===International===
Several basic style guides for technical and scientific communication have been defined by international [[standards organization]]s. One example is [[ISO 215]] ''Documentation &mdash; Presentation of contributions to periodicals and other serials''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=4086 |title=ISO 215:1986 - Documentation - Presentation of contributions to periodicals and other serials |publisher=Iso.org |date=2012-09-19 |accessdate=2013-06-17}}</ref>

===Europe===
The [[European Union]] publishes an ''Interinstitutional style guide''—encompassing [[Languages of the European Union#Official EU languages|24 languages]] across the European Union. This manual is "obligatory" for all those employed by the institutions of the EU who are involved in preparing EU documents and works.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-360400.htm|title= Interinstitutional Style Guide|author= Publications Office of the European Union|date= 24 July 2008|work= Europa|publisher= European Union12 May 2010|ref= Eur08}}</ref> The [[Directorate-General for Translation (European Commission)|Directorate-General for Translation]] of the [[European Commission]] publishes its own ''English Style Guide'', intended primarily for English-language authors and translators, but aiming to serve a wider readership as well.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://ec.europa.eu/info/files/english-resources-english-style-guide_en|title= English Style Guide|author= Directorate-General for Translation (European Commission)|publisher= European Union}}</ref>

===Australia===
* ''Style Manual: For Authors, Editors and Printers'' by Snooks & Co for the [[Department of Finance and Deregulation (Australia)|Department of Finance and Administration]]. 6th ed. {{ISBN|0-7016-3648-3}}.
* [[Australian Guide to Legal Citation]]
* [https://www.sciencestyle.com.au/ ''Australian manual of scientific style (AMOSS) - online''] by Biotext; illustrated by Biotext. 1st ed. {{ISBN|978-0-9946369-0-4}}

===Canada===
'''General'''
* Public Works and Government Services Canada, Translation Bureau. ''The Canadian Style: A Guide to Writing and Editing''. Rev. ed. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1997. {{ISBN|1-55002-276-8}}.<ref>{{cite book|author=Translation Bureau, Public Works and Government Services Canada|authorlink=Public Works and Government Services Canada|title=The Canadian Style: A Guide to Writing and Editing|date=1997|publisher=[[Dundurn Press]] Limited|location=Toronto|isbn=1-55002-276-8|edition=Revised|url=http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2guides/guides/tcdnstyl/index-eng.html?lang=eng|accessdate=27 November 2017|format=Softcover}}</ref>
* ''The Canadian Press Stylebook: A Guide for Writers and Editors'', 14th ed. Toronto: [[Canadian Press]], 2006. Guide to newspaper style in Canada. {{ISBN|0-920009-38-7}}.
* Lexicographical Centre for Canadian English ''[[Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles|A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles: Dictionary of Canadian English]]'' Walter Spencer Avis (ed.) Toronto: W.J. Gage (1967) {{OCLC|301088035}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Editing Canadian English |year=2000 |publisher=McClelland & Stewart Ltd. |location=Toronto, ON |isbn=978-1-55199-045-3 |page=258 |url=http://www.editors.ca/resources/eac_publications/ece.html |edition=2nd |editor=Catherine Craig |display-editors=etal |access-date=10 November 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228065028/http://www.editors.ca/resources/eac_publications/ece.html |dead-url=yes }}</ref>
* ''Editing Canadian English'', 2nd ed. Prepared for the Editors' Association of Canada / Association canadienne des réviseurs by Catherine Cragg, Barbara Czarnecki, Iris Hossé Phillips, Katharine Vanderlinden, and Sheila Protti. Toronto, ON: Macfarlane Walter and Ross, 2000.

'''Journalism'''
* J.A. McFarlane & Warren Clements. ''The Globe and Mail Style Book: A Guide to Language and Usage'', rev. ed. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1998.

'''Law'''
* McGill Law Journal. ''Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation / Manuel canadien de la référence juridique''. 8th ed. Toronto: Carswell, 2014.<ref>{{cite book|author=McGill Law Journal / Revue de droit de McGill|authorlink=McGill Law Journal|title=Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation / Manuel canadien de la référence juridique|date=2014|publisher=Carswell|location=Toronto|isbn=978-0-7798-6075-3|edition=8th|url=http://www.legalciteguide.com/|accessdate=27 November 2017|language=French, English|format=Hardcover}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===

====General====
* [[Style (book)|''Style]], by [[F. L. Lucas]], 1955; 3rd edition, Harriman House, 2012
* ''Butcher's Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders'', Judith Butcher, Caroline Drake, Maureen Leach. 4th ed. 2006 Cambridge: [[Cambridge University Press]]  {{ISBN|978-0521847131}}
* ''[[Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage]]''.  Ed. Jeremy Butterfield.  4th ed. [[Oxford University Press]], 2015.  ISBN 978-0-19-966135-0 (hardcover).  Based on ''[[Fowler's Modern English Usage]]'', by [[Henry Watson Fowler]].
* ''[[The King's English]]'', by Henry Watson Fowler and [[Francis George Fowler]].
* ''[[New Hart's Rules]]'' 2005. (formerly republished as ''The Oxford Guide to Style'', 2002).
* ''[[The Complete Plain Words]]'', by [[Ernest Gowers|Sir Ernest Gowers]].
* ''MHRA Style Guide: A Handbook for Authors, Editors, and Writers of Theses'', 2nd ed. London: Modern Humanities Research Association, 2008.
* ''The Oxford Style Manual''. Edited by Robert Ritter. Oxford–New York: Oxford University Press, 2003 (republished as ''New Oxford Style Manual'', 2012). Combines ''New Hart's Rules'' (2002) and ''The Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors'' (2000).
* ''Usage and Abusage'', by [[Eric Partridge]].

====Journalism====
*''The BBC News Style Guide'': by the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]].<ref>{{citation|url=http://www2.media.uoa.gr/lectures/linguistic_archives/academic_papers0506/notes/stylesheets_3.pdf|title=BBC News Styleguide|accessdate=2012-04-18|archive-date=27 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227003642/http://www2.media.uoa.gr/lectures/linguistic_archives/academic_papers0506/notes/stylesheets_3.pdf|dead-url=yes}}</ref>
*''The Economist Style Guide'': by ''[[The Economist]]'' ([[United Kingdom|UK]]).<ref>''The Economist Style Guide'', 10th edition (2010), {{ISBN|1-84668-175-8}}. [http://www.economist.com/styleguide/introduction Online version] as of May 2012.</ref>
*''The Guardian Style Guide'': by ''[[The Guardian]]'' (United Kingdom).<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/styleguide|title=The Guardian Style Guide|accessdate=2011-04-13 | location=London|date=19 December 2008}}</ref>
*''[[The Times]] Style and Usage Guide''. Rev. ed. Compiled by Tim Austin. London: Times Books, 2003.<ref>''The Times Style and Usage Guide'' (2003) {{ISBN|0-00-714505-5}}. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110522060010/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/specials/style_guide/ Online version] as of May 2011 via [[archive.org]]</ref>

===United States===
In the United States, most public-facing corporate communication and journalism writing is written with styles following ''[[The Associated Press Stylebook]]''.<ref>June Casagrande, ''Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite'' (New York: Penguin, 2006).</ref> Book publishers and authors of journals requiring reference sections generally choose the [[Chicago Manual of Style]], while scholarly writing often follows the ''[[The MLA Style Manual|MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing]]''.<ref>[http://www.mla.org/style "What Is MLA Style?"], ''[[Modern Language Association|mla.org]]'', Modern Language Association, 2011, Web, 31 January 2011.</ref>   One of the most popular grammar guides used in third-person writing is ''[[The Elements of Style]]''. The Associated Press Stylebook is written to be used together with The Elements of Style to provide a very complete grammar and English style reference with no conflicts.

====General====
* ''The Careful Writer'', by [[Theodore Bernstein]].
* ''The Elements of Style'', by [[William Strunk, Jr.]] and [[E. B. White]]. (Commonly called "Strunk and White")
* ''[[Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace]]'', by [[Joseph M. Williams]]
* ''[[The Well-Spoken Thesaurus]]'', by [[Tom Heehler]]
* ''The Chicago Manual of Style'', 17th ed. Chicago–London: [[University of Chicago Press]], 2017.
* ''Merriam-Webster's Manual for Writers and Editors''. By the editors of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1998. (rev. ed. of ''Webster's Standard American Style Manual'', 1985)
* ''The New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage''. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.
* William A. Sabin. ''[[The Gregg Reference Manual]]: A Manual of Style, Grammar, Usage, and Formatting'', 10th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2005.
* ''Words into Type'', 3rd ed. Based on studies by Marjorie E. Skillin, Robert M. Gay, and other authorities. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1974.

====Academic papers====
* ''[[MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers]]'', 8th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2016. (Commonly called "MLA style".)
* ''[[MLA Style Manual|MLA Style Manual and Guide in Scholarly Publishing]]'', 3rd ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2008. Discontinued as of 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://style.mla.org/is-a-new-edition-of-the-mla-style-manual-going-to-be-published/ |title=Ask the MLA: Is a new edition of the MLA Style Manual going to be published? |work=The MLA Style Center |publisher=Modern Language Association |date=April 8, 2016 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |access-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711091035/https://style.mla.org/is-a-new-edition-of-the-mla-style-manual-going-to-be-published/ |archive-date=11 July 2018 |dead-url=no }}</ref> 
* William A. Sabin. ''The Gregg Reference Manual: A Manual of Style, Grammar, Usage, and Formatting''. 10th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2005.
* [[Kate L. Turabian]]. ''[[A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations]]: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers'', 7th ed. Revised by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, and University of Chicago Press editorial staff. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. (Commonly called "Turabian style".)
* Kate L. Turabian. ''Student's Guide to Writing College Papers'', 4th ed. Revised by Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, and the University of Chicago Press editorial staff. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010.

====Business====
* ''[[The Business Style Handbook, An A-to-Z Guide for Effective Writing on the Job]]'', by Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene.<ref>Library of Congress Catalog Record for ''The Business Style Handbook, 2nd edition'': http://lccn.loc.gov/2012033481</ref>
* ''The Wall Street Journal Guide to Business Style and Usage''. Edited by Paul R. Martin. London: Free Press, 2002.

====Government====
* ''The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: A Manual for Writers and Librarians''. Rev. ed. Edited by Diane L. Garner and Diane H. Smith. Bethesda, MD: Congressional Information Service for the Government Documents Round Table, American Library Association, 1993.
* ''United States Government Printing Office Style Manual'', 31st ed. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 2016.<ref name="GPO-style-manual">{{Cite web| url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/content-detail.html| publisher=United States Government Publishing Office| title=U.S. Government Printing Office  Style Manual| date=2016 }}</ref>
* U.S. Geological Survey. ''Suggestions to Authors of the Reports of the United States Geological Survey'', 7th ed. Revised and edited by Wallace R. Hansen. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1991.

====Journalism====
*''The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law'', 44th ed. Edited by Darrell Christian, Sally Jacobsen, and David Minthorn. New York: [[The Associated Press|Associated Press]], 2009.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.apstylebook.com/?do=product&pid=978-0-917360-54-1|title=The Associated Press Stylebook|accessdate=2011-04-13}}</ref>
* ''[[The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage]]''. Rev. ed. Edited by Allan M. Siegal and William G. Connolly. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999.

====Law====
* ''ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citations'', 3rd ed. Edited by the Association of Legal Writing Directors and Darby Dickerson. New York: Aspen, 2006.
* ''The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation'', compiled by the ''[[Harvard Law Review]]'' Association, the ''[[Columbia Law Review]]'', the ''[[University of Pennsylvania Law Review]]'', and the ''[[Yale Law Journal]]''. Legal writers in most law schools in the United States are trained using this. 
* Brian A. Garner. ''The Elements of Legal Style'', 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
* ''The University of Chicago Manual of Legal Citation'', 2nd ed. Edited by the University of Chicago Law Review. 2000.

Despite the near uniform use of the Bluebook, nearly every state has appellate court rules that specify citation methods and writing styles specific to that state  - and the Supreme Court of the United States has its own citation method.  However, in most cases these are derived from the Bluebook.

There are also several other citation manuals available to legal writers in wide usage in the United States.  Virtually all large law firms maintain their own citation manual and several major publishers of legal texts (West, Lexis-Nexis, Hein, ''et al.'') maintain their own systems.

====Religion====
* Catholic News Service. ''CNS Stylebook on Religion: Reference Guide and Usage Manual'', 3rd ed. Washington, D.C.: Catholic News Service, 2006.
* '' [[Little Style Guide|The Little Style Guide to Great Christian Writing and Publishing]]'', 13th ed. By Leonard G. Goss and Carolyn Stanford Goss. This popular guide provides a fresh understanding and distinctively Christian examination of style and language. It covers the basic rules of grammar, style, and editing, and is intended for writers and editors.
* [[List of style guides#Academic|''The SBL Handbook of Style for Biblical Studies and Related Disciplines'']], 2nd ed. Edited by Patrick H. Alexander. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2014 (1st ed.: ''The SBL Handbook of Style: For Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies''. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1999). The industry standard.[https://www.sbl-site.org/publications/SBLHandbookofStyle.aspx]
* ''Reporting on Religion'' 2: ''A Stylebook on Religion's Best Beat''. Edited by Diane Connolly and Debra I. Mason. Westerville, OH: Religion Newswriters, 2007.

====Science====
=====Hard sciences=====
* ''AIP Style Manual'', 4th ed. New York: American Institute of Physics, 1990.
* [[American Medical Association]]. ''[[AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors]]'', 10th ed. Edited by Cheryl Iverson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Primarily used in [[medicine]]. (Commonly called "AMA style".)
*[[American Chemical Society]] (ACS). Primarily used for the [[Outline of physical science|physical sciences]], such as [[physical chemistry]], [[physics]], and related disciplines. Commonly called "ACS style".
** ''[[The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information]]'', 3rd ed. Edited by Anne M. Coghill and Lorrin R. Garson. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, 2006; and 
** ''[[ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors]]'' (1997).
* ''ASM Style Manual for Journals and Books''. Washington, D.C.: American Society for Microbiology, 1991.
* ''[[Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers]]'', 7th ed. Compiled by the Style Manual Committee of the [[Council of Science Editors]]. Reston, VA: Council of Science Editors in cooperation with the Rockefeller University Press, 2006. Used widely in the natural sciences, especially the life sciences.  (Commonly called "CSE style".)

=====Social sciences=====
* ASA. ''Style Guide''. 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association, 2014.
* ''[[Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association]]'', 6th ed. Washington, D.C.: [[American Psychological Association]], 2009. Primarily used in [[social sciences]]. (Commonly called "APA style".)
* ''Style Manual for Political Science'', rev. ed. Washington, D.C.: American Political Science Association Committee on Publications, 2006.

====Web publishing====
* Janice Walker and Todd Taylor. ''[[The Columbia Guide to Online Style]]'', 2nd ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006.
* ''[[Microsoft Manual of Style]]'' by [[Microsoft Corporation]].
* ''The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing and Creating Content for the Web'', by Chris Barr and the Yahoo! Editorial Staff.
* '' [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Wikipedia Manual of Style]]

Guidelines for citing web content also appear in comprehensive style guides such as Oxford/Hart, Chicago and MLA.

==See also==
{{Portal|Writing}}
{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Graphic charter]]
* [[Citation]]
* [[Diction]]
* [[Documentation]]
* [[List of English words with disputed usage|Disputed usage]]
* [[English writing style]]
* [[Grammar]]
* List of style guides
* [[Prescription and description]]
* [[Punctuation]]
* [[Sentence spacing in language and style guides]]
* [[Spelling]]
* [[Style sheet (disambiguation)]]
* Usage
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{ISBN|978-0-8054-2787-5}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|stylebook|usage}}
* [http://www.theslot.com/style.html But the stylebook says ...]—Blog post about stylebook abuse, by [[Bill Walsh (author)|Bill Walsh]] of [[The Washington Post]]
* Handouts about writing style guides, from a conference of the [[American Copy Editors Society]] in 2007
** {{cite web|author1=[[William G. Connolly]]|title=How to Write a Stylebook in 10 Easy Steps|url=http://www.copydesk.org/2007conference/resources/HowtowriteaStylebook.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821104657/http://www.copydesk.org/2007conference/resources/HowtowriteaStylebook.pdf|archivedate=2010-08-21}}
** {{cite web|author1=Doug Kouma|title=Creating an In-House Stylebook|url=http://www.copydesk.org/2007conference/resources/CreatingStylebook.pdf|publisher=Meredith Special Interest Media|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821104652/http://www.copydesk.org/2007conference/resources/CreatingStylebook.pdf|archivedate=2010-08-21}}
* [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2310 Language Log » Searching 43 stylebooks]

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