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{{Short description|Standard for writing and design of documents}}
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A '''style guide''' is a set of standards for the writing, [[Typesetting|formatting]], and design of [[document]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shigwan |first=Ramchandra |date=2016 |title=Chicago and APA Style Manual in Research Activities: A Comparative Study |journal=Bulletin of the Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute |volume=76 |pages=163–172 |jstor=26264780 |issn=0045-9801}}</ref> 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 [[best practice]]s in [[writing style]], [[Usage (language)|usage]], [[Composition (language)|language composition]], [[Composition (visual arts)|visual composition]], [[orthography]], and [[typography]] by setting standards of usage in areas such as [[punctuation]], [[capitalization]], [[Citation#Styles|citing sources]], formatting of numbers and dates, [[Table (information)|table]] appearance and other areas. For [[Academic publishing|academic]] and [[Technical communication|technical]] documents, a guide may also enforce best practices in [[ethics]] (such as [[author]]ship, [[research ethics]], and disclosure) and compliance ([[Technical standard|technical]] and [[Regulatory compliance|regulatory]]). For translations, a style guide may even be used to enforce consistent grammar, tone, and localization decisions such as [[Unit of measurement|units of measure]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-09-17 |title=The Whys and Hows of Translation Style Guides. A Case Study. |url=https://www.atanet.org/resources/the-whys-and-hows-of-translation-style-guides-a-case-study/ |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=American Translators Association (ATA) |language=en-US}}</ref>

Style guides may be categorized into three types: '''comprehensive style''' for general use; '''discipline style''' for specialized use, which is often specific to [[Academic discipline|academic disciplines]], [[Medical publishing|medicine]], [[journalism]], [[Legal publication|law]], [[Government Publishing Office|government]], business, and other fields; and '''house''' or '''corporate style''', created and used by a particular publisher or organization.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bright |first=Mark R. |date=2005 |title=Creating, Implementing, and Maintaining Corporate Style Guides in an Age of Technology |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43089158 |journal=Technical Communication |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=42–51 |jstor=43089158 |issn=0049-3155}}</ref>

==Varieties==
{{See also|List of style guides}}
{{More citations|section|date=January 2023}}
Style guides vary widely in scope and size. Writers working in large industries or professional sectors may reference a specific style guide, written for usage in specialized documents within their fields. For the most part, these guides are relevant and useful for peer-to-peer specialist documentation, or to help writers working in specific industries or sectors to communicate highly technical information in scholarly articles or industry [[white paper]]s. 

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian Government Style Manual |url=https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/ |website=Australian Government Style Manual}}</ref>

===Sizes===

The guides' variety in scope and length is enabled by the cascading of one style over another, analogous to how style sheets cascade in [[Style sheet (web development)|web development]] and in [[Style sheet (desktop publishing)|desktop publishing]] with [[CSS]] styles.

In many cases, a project such as a [[book]], [[Academic journal|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:
* ''[[The Associated Press Stylebook]]'' (''AP Stylebook'') and ''The Canadian Press Stylebook'' for journalism
* ''Hart's Rules'' and ''The Chicago Manual of Style'' for general academic writing and publishing
* [[MHRA Style Guide|Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA) style]] and [[ASA style|American Sociological Association (ASA) style]] for the humanities and social sciences
* ''[[Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities]]'' (''OSCOLA'')  and [[Bluebook|''Bluebook'' style]] for law
* [[GPO style manual|US Government Publishing Office (USGPO) style]] and [[Australian Government Publishing Service|Australian Government Publishing Service (AGPS) style]] for government publications

Finally, these reference works cascade over the [[Orthography|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|British, American, Canadian, and Australian 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, as well as text.

Guides in specific scientific and technical fields may cover [[nomenclature]] to specify names or classification labels that are clear, standardized, and [[Ontology|ontologically]] sound (e.g., [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]], [[chemical nomenclature]], and [[gene nomenclature]]).

Style guides that cover [[Usage (language)|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Write accessible documentation {{!}} Google developer documentation style guide |url=https://developers.google.com/style/accessibility |date=2023-11-09 |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=Google for Developers |language=en}}</ref>

=== Web style guides ===
Since the beginning of the digital era, websites have allowed for an expansion of style guide conventions to account for digital behavior such as [[screen reading]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Jiménez-Crespo |first1=Miguel A. |last2=University (USA) |first2=Rutgers |date=2010 |title=Localization and writing for a new medium: A review of digital style guides |url=https://raco.cat/index.php/Tradumatica/article/view/225904 |journal=Tradumàtica: Traducció i tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació |issue=8 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.5565/rev/tradumatica.104 |issn=1578-7559 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231118023340/https://raco.cat/index.php/Tradumatica/article/view/225904 |archive-date= Nov 18, 2023 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Screen reading requires web style guides to focus more intensively on a user experience that is subject to multichannel surfing. Though web style guides can vary widely, they tend to prioritize similar values about brevity, terminology, syntax, tone, structure, typography, graphics, and errors.<ref name=":0" />

==Updates==
Most style guides are revised periodically to accommodate changes in conventions and usage. The update frequency and [[revision control]] are determined by the subject. For style manuals in [[Reference work|reference-work]] format, new [[Edition (book)|editions]] typically appear every 1 to 20 years. For example, the ''AP Stylebook'' is revised every other year (since 2020).<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 1, 2022 |title=How often is the AP Stylebook published? |url=https://help.apstylebook.com/support/solutions/articles/66000162865-how-often-is-the-ap-stylebook-published |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101091015/https://help.apstylebook.com/support/solutions/articles/66000162865-how-often-is-the-ap-stylebook-published |archive-date=January 1, 2025 |access-date=January 1, 2025 |website=AP Stylebook}}</ref> ''The Chicago Manual of Style'' is in its 18th edition, while the [[American Psychological Association]] (APA) and ASA styles are each in their 7th edition as of 2025. Many house styles and individual project styles change more frequently, especially for new projects.

==See also==
{{Portal|Writing}}
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* [[List of style guides]]
* {{section link|Citation#Styles}}
* [[Graphic charter]]
* [[Diction]]
* [[Documentation]]
* [[List of English words with disputed usage|Disputed usage]]
* [[English writing style]]
* [[Prescription and description]]
* [[Sentence spacing in language and style guides]]
* [[Spelling]]
* [[Style sheet (disambiguation)]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821104657/http://www.copydesk.org/2007conference/resources/HowtowriteaStylebook.pdf|archive-date=2010-08-21|author1-link=William G. Connolly}}
** {{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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821104652/http://www.copydesk.org/2007conference/resources/CreatingStylebook.pdf|archive-date=2010-08-21}}
* [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2310 Language Log » Searching 43 stylebooks]

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