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A style guide is a set of standards for the writing, Typesetting, and design of . A book-length style guide is often called a style manual or a manual of style. A short style guide, typically ranging from several to several dozen pages, is often called a style sheet. The standards documented in a style guide are applicable for either general use, or prescribed use in an individual publication, particular organization, or specific field.
A style guide establishes standard style requirements to improve communication by ensuring consistency within and across documents. They may require certain in writing style, usage, language composition, visual composition, orthography, and typography by setting standards of usage in areas such as punctuation, capitalization, citing sources, formatting of numbers and dates, table appearance and other areas. For academic and technical documents, a guide may also enforce best practices in ethics (such as , research ethics, and disclosure) and compliance (technical and regulatory). For translations, a style guide may even be used to enforce consistent grammar, tone, and localization decisions such as units of measure.
Style guides may be categorized into three types: comprehensive style for general use; discipline style for specialized use, which is often specific to academic disciplines, medicine, journalism, law, government, business, and other fields; and house or corporate style, created and used by a particular publisher or organization.
Professional style guides from different countries can be referenced for authoritative advice on their respective language(s), such as Hart's Rules from Oxford University Press and The Chicago Manual of Style from the University of Chicago Press. Australia has a style guide, available online, created by its government.
In many cases, a project such as a book, Academic journal, or monograph series typically has a short style sheet that cascades over the larger style guide of an organization such as a publishing company, whose specific 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. Examples of industry style guides include:
Finally, these reference works cascade over the Orthography 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 British, American, Canadian, and Australian English.
Guides in specific scientific and technical fields may cover nomenclature to specify names or classification labels that are clear, standardized, and Ontology sound (e.g., taxonomy, chemical nomenclature, and gene nomenclature).
Style guides that cover usage may suggest descriptive terms for people which avoid racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. Style guides increasingly incorporate accessibility conventions for audience members with visual, mobility, or other disabilities.
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