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About the Style Guide
As a service to our University of Colorado clients and the entire university community, Publications and Creative Services has developed this University of Colorado at Boulder Style Guide. Adhering to these guidelines is not mandatory; we realize that there are valid reasons for diverging from them in specific cases. Our goal was to produce a reference document that would help campus communicators adopt a style that is consistent and appropriate for university use, especially when they write for an external audience. In the final analysis, good writing "style" is determined not by consistently following rules but by making appropriate rhetorical choices for a given purpose and audience. We assume some mastery of that writing skill and offer this style guide as a way to fine tune your writing for CU.
What This Style Guide Is Not
This guide is not intended to replace other writing style guides used for specific purposes or publications. Nor is it intended for use by students or faculty writing academic papers.
Neither is this guide intended to be comprehensive, although we have tried to include some of the most frequently troublesome issues. For that reason, we have not included field-specific style issues, such as how to present mathematical equations in print. Specialists within departments are better authorities on such matters. We also have omitted lengthy and detailed explanations of most grammatical rules; instead, we have included a list of additional reference sources that users of this guide may consult for additional information.
Why Not Use an Existing Style Guide?
If you walk into any bookstore, you'll find several excellent style guides, including two of the most familiar and popular with communications professionals: The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) (14th edition) and The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (AP Stylebook). You'll also find a variety of style guides written for general business and workplace writing.
Many CU writers are familiar with these books. However, because the typical CU document is neither an academic book nor a newspaper, its writers often need guidelines that are more appropriate for general communication purposes.
The style preferences included in this guide were made after consulting the following sources: professional communicators on campus, professional communicators at other academic institutions, existing style guides for current CU publications, style guides from other academic institutions, standard style guides for book and newspaper publishing, and standard business writing style guides.
Other Resources
University of Colorado Graphic Standards Manual (downloadable pdf file)
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