Professional Documents
Culture Documents
In general, this style guide supports the principles delineated in The Chicago Manual of
Style (seventeenth edition) and John R. Kohl’s The Global English Style Guide: Writing
Clear, Translatable Documentation for a Global Market (2008, SAS Press: Cary, North
Carolina, ISBN 978-1-59994-657-3). This style guide for BELIEVE International
specifies certain departures from these principles, and it addresses situations that are
not covered by Chicago or Kohl and emphasizes principles which are frequently
misused by BELIEVE International. Finally, this style guide specifies BELIEVE
International’s preferences regarding the alternatives presented in The Chicago Manual
of Style. The purpose of this style guide is to increase the efficiency and the consistency
within publications by BELIEVE International and to assist the organization in reaching
its goals for its international audience, but it is not intended to be comprehensive.
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 2
Contents
1 Writing Style 4
1.1 Length of Sentences
1.2 Passive Voice
1.3 Inverted Sentences
1.4 The Use of Negatives
1.5 Gerunds
1.6 Idioms
3 Punctuation 9
3.1 Serial Commas
3.2 Hyphenation
3.3 Quotations
3.4 Citations
3.5 Introductory Phrases
5 Capitalization 11
5.1 Organization Name
5.2 Capitalization for Emphasis
5.3 Improper Use of Capitalization
6 Treatment of Numbers 12
6.1 Written Numbers vs. Numerals
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 3
7 Abbreviations 14
7.1 Periods with Abbreviations
7.2 Countries and States
7.3 Titles and Offices
7.4 Personal Names
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 4
1 Writing Style
1.1 Length of Sentences
Shorter sentences are less likely to be ambiguous and are easier to translate. Kohl
suggests a maximum sentence length of 20-25 words (Kohl 3.1). However, if the
separation of two or more short clauses into independent sentences sounds overly
choppy, then exceeding the word count is acceptable.
Avoid passive voice unless the agent of the action is unknown or in order to emphasize
the recipient of the action instead of the agent (Kohl 3.6).
BUT
Articles abound that suggest poverty can be solved by allocating more money.
Keep all sentence structures clear and concise. Inverted sentences cause unnecessary
confusion. To avoid this confusion the subject should be at the beginning of the
sentence (Kohl 3.10.5).
Instilling positive core values in the hearts of the people combats corruption, and thus
poverty.
NOT
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 5
The way to combat corruption (and thus poverty) is by instilling positive core values in
the hearts of the people.
Negation is unnecessarily wordy and makes translation into other languages more
difficult. Preferably, use the non-negated form of a word when possible (Kohl 3.12).
1.5 Gerunds
Gerunds being used as subjects can be confusing and ambiguous. Consider making
them the verb of the clause or sentence instead of the subject (Kohl 7.6).
1.6 Idioms
Idioms are phrases in which the meaning is not derived from individual words, but from
the implied meaning of the phrase as a whole. Because there are thousands of idioms
in English, it is difficult for translators and non-native English speakers to learn them all.
Try to resolve this difficulty by replacing these phrases with strong verbs and nouns that
contain the same meaning of the phrases. However, some idioms (such as figure out)
are used often enough that many translators and non-native English speakers will be
familiar with them, and there will be no need to change them (Kohl 9.18).
To summarize . . .
NOT
In a nutshell . . .
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 6
Remember that . . .
NOT
Bear in mind . . .
Young men and women are all encouraged to participate in the BELIEVE
program.
NOT
Young men and girls are all encouraged to participate in the BELIEVE
program.
Pronouns can create problems when it comes to gender discrimination. Using the
pronoun they is oftentimes ambiguous or grammatically incorrect (see 2.2.1
below), but the term one sounds stuffy, especially in an informal context. Using
the entire phrase he or she is oftentimes awkward and wordy, though using it
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 7
2.2 Pronouns
Be wary of the third-person pronouns it, its, they, them, and their. These
pronouns sometimes have more than one possible referent and often cause
confusion or ambiguity (Kohl 5.1.4 and Kohl 5.1.5).
Because she had such a strong desire to gain an education, she walked to
school every day even though it took almost two hours.
Because she had such a strong desire to gain an education, she walked to
school every day even though the journey took almost two hours.
Don’t use this, that, these, or those as pronouns. These pronouns are often
ambiguous and can confuse international audiences or cause problems in
translation. Fix this ambiguity by using these pronouns as adjectives, as
demonstrated in the following sentences (Kohl 5.2).
These photos were taken on the journey to her home. Although this journey is
not typical, each student has his/her own unique challenges.
NOT
These photos were taken on the journey to her home. Although this is not
typical, each student has his/her own unique challenges.
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 8
When possible, keep phrasal verbs and infinitives together. This will ease the process of
translation and help non-native English speakers (Kohl 3.4).
Modifiers that could be modifying two or more parts of a sentence create ambiguity.
Make it clear what is being modified by moving the modifier closer to its subject. Always
place only and not immediately before whatever they are modifying (Kohl 4.1). If
possible, place prepositional phrases either immediately following whatever they modify
or at the beginning of the sentence (Kohl 4.2.2). In all cases, make sure that the
meaning is clear. If the element that the modifier is modifying is not in question, then
there is no need to move the modifier.
Her mother died only a few months after this picture was taken.
NOT
Her mother only died a few months after this picture was taken.
For the sake of clarity and simplicity, avoid the use of unnecessary modifiers such as
very, really, specific, etc. (Kohl 3.7.3). Also avoid modifiers that are repetitive because
they are too similar in meaning to the nouns they modify. For example, do not use
unpaid volunteers as unpaid is already implied by the word volunteer. Simply say
volunteers instead.
Promising students with strong potential are selected from among the poor.
NOT
Promising students with strong potential are selected from among the unfortunately
poor.
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 9
3 Punctuation
3.1 Serial Commas
A comma should be used preceding the conjunction between the last two items in a
series—otherwise known as a serial comma (Chicago 6.19).
The volunteers in America provide the overall direction, training, and fundraising.
NOT
The volunteers in America provide the overall direction, training and fundraising.
3.2 Hyphenation
Where applicable, use hyphenation for compound words (Chicago 7.81). Check The
Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary to know when words should be combined
instead of hyphenated. Examples of words that will be hyphenated in BELIEVE
International are:
● Tax-exempt
● Non-profit
● Two-pronged
● Non-native
● Self-determined
● Self-reliant
● Multi-campus
● Light-weight
3.3 Quotations
The students say that BELIEVE International has “brought a big HELP in our daily
lives.”
NOT
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 10
The students say that BELIEVE International has “Brought a big HELP in our daily
lives.”
3.4 Citations
The preferred format for citations are footnotes. Follow the basic guidelines set in
Chicago sections 14.19 and 14.20 when it comes to citations. For more particular
explanations on special situations, see the other sections in chapter 14 of Chicago.
Introductory words and phrases are set apart from the rest of the sentence with a
comma (Chicago 6.33).
To maintain consistency, use the first spelling listed in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate
Dictionary (Chicago 2.111). If an author uses an alternate spelling that is as widely used
as the first spelling listed (indicated by the dictionary in each entry with the word or),
then use that spelling.
● BELIEVE scholar
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 11
● BELIEVE scholarship
● BELIEVE stakeholder
● BELIEVE workshops
5 Capitalization
5.1 Organization Name
BELIEVE is the official name of the organization. It is also an acronym that stands for
“building effective leadership, integrity, excellence, and values through education.”
When referring to the organization’s name, the acronym BELIEVE should be in all caps
(Chicago 8.68, 8.69).
BELIEVE
NOT
Believe
B.E.L.I.E.V.E.
Capitalization is used to emphasize the BELIEVE Values, listed below, which are
expressed in the Student Pledge (Chicago 7.52). “Values” is capitalized when used by
itself if referring specifically to the BELIEVE Values.
● TRUSTWORTHY
● EXCELLENCE
● ACCOUNTABLE
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 12
● RESPECT
● UNSELFISHLY SERVE
● FAMILY
● LEAD OTHERS
The parents also agree to live and teach these principles to their children.
NOT
The Parents also agree to live and teach these principles to their children.
This slogan on the back of a BELIEVE scholar’s t-shirt expresses the goal for each of
the students we select to receive a BELIEVE scholarship.
NOT
This slogan on the back of a BELIEVE scholar’s T-shirt expresses the goal for each of
the students we select to receive a BELIEVE scholarship.
6 Treatment of Numbers
6.1 Written Numbers vs. Numerals
Spell out numbers between zero and nine. Otherwise, use numerals (Chicago 9.2).
If a number begins a sentence, always spell it out. When a year or an abnormally large
and complicated number begins a sentence, rearrange the sentence so the number has
different placement and a numeral may be used instead (Chicago 9.5).
Fifty years later, an article was written on the anniversary of his speech.
NOT
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 13
BELIEVE supported 152 high school students and 2 college students in 2011.
NOT
BELIEVE supported 152 high school students and two college students in 2011.
Spell out isolated references to amounts of money for whole numbers up to one
hundred (Chicago 9.20).
A donation of as little as eighteen dollars per month will support a child’s education for
an entire year.
NOT
A donation of as little as $18 per month will support a child’s education for an entire year.
Monetary amounts larger than one hundred use numerals and monetary symbols
(Chicago 9.42).
In 2011, the total expense incurred in the USA was only $486.
The 2016 fiscal year budget requested by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) alone amounted to $1.7 billion.
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 14
To conform to a global audience, follow the day-month-year form for all dates. Never
use numeral styles for writing dates (Chicago 9.35).
1 August 2016
NOT
August 1, 2016
1/8/2016
1.8.2016
Any run-in lists within the text use numerals and are set off with a right parenthesis
directly after the number (Chicago 6.129).
This paper 1) briefly discusses poverty and efforts aimed at curing it, 2) it explains why
poverty has yet to be solved and 3) it provides evidence.
NOT
This paper 1 briefly discusses poverty and efforts aimed at curing it, two) it explains why
poverty has yet to be solved and (3) it provides evidence.
7 Abbreviations
7.1 Periods with Abbreviations
Use periods for those abbreviations that end in a lowercase letter, and also after initials
standing for personal names. However, no periods should be used for abbreviations
that have more than one capital letters, even if it also includes lowercase letters
(Chicago 10.4).
etc.
vol.
PhD
NOT
etc
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 15
vol
PhD.
When using the abbreviated form, the letters of a country and of states should appear
without periods separating the letters (Chicago 10.31, 10.27).
USA
UT
NOT
U.S.A
U.T.
Abbreviations for titles and offices may be used in informal contexts, such as in a
newsletter, and they can only be used immediately preceding a full name, but not a
surname alone (Chicago 10.13). The first letter should always be capitalized, followed
by lowercase letters, a period, and a space (Chicago 8.19 and 10.5).
Do not abbreviate personal names. Initials within a name should always be capitalized,
followed by a period and a space.
Clayton M. Christenson
NOT
Clay. M. Christenson
Style Guide for BELIEVE International 16
M. B. Arsinue
NOT
M.B. Arsinue
JFK
NOT
J. F. K.