Style Sheet (from Edit Yourself)

In Edit Yourself, Bruce Ross-Larson suggests that every writer create a style sheet to aide consistency. If you’re crunched for time after you’ve finished your paper, checking your style sheet can be the easiest, quickest way to proofread. The following paragraph and example are taken from chapter 11 of Ross-Larson’s book.

To be consistent in spelling, punctuation, hyphenation, capitalization, and writing numbers in words or numerals, keep a style sheet. Indispensable for writing by one person, and imperative for writing by more than one person, a style sheet is a simple tool that can save time and avoid confusion (see the example…). It is made by drawing a few lines on a sheet of paper and writing groups of initials in each box. Each time you write or see a word that has more than one acceptable style, write it in the appropriate box; for example, write decision making in the ABCD box, traveling in the QRST box. When you run into these words elsewhere, you can check the style against the style sheet (rather than having to flip through all the pages to see how you spelled them the first time). For long pieces it often helps to keep a style sheet for each of the common areas of inconsistency: one for spelling (especially that of names and terms), one for hyphens, one for capitals, one for numbers, and one for initials.

Example:

ABCD

• antismoking
• busing
• benefited
• channeling
• cooperate
• cost-effectiveness
• decision making

EFGH

• (the) executive director
• formulas (plural)
• figure 1

IJKL

MNOP

• midproject
• multidisciplinary
• nonviolent
• percent
• (the) project

QRST

• sizable
• short-term (adj.)
• table 1
• traveling
• tradable

UVWXYZ

NUMBERS

• 1980s
• mid-1970s
• 1980-81
• $400
• two cars
• 2 percent
• 2 percentage points
• 2 million
• 1,215
• first
• eleven o’clock
• three-quarters

INITIALS, NAMES, AND IMPORTANT TERMS

• EU = European Union
• GDP = gross domestic product

If this article has helped you, or if you have other questions about this topic, please let me know. Thanks!

Easy-read lists

To make lists of things easier on the reader, list them in order of complication. The quickest way to do this is list things from the least to the most syllables.

Ok: I enjoy gardening, fishing, spending time with my husband, hanging out with friends, watching movies and writing.

Better: I enjoy fishing, writing, gardening, watching movies, hanging out with friends and spending time with my husband.

If this article has helped you, or if you have other questions about this topic, please let me know. Thanks!