The Office of Public Affairs uses the Associated Press Stylebook as a guide for journalistic copy. If you are writing a news release about the university, let AP be your guide. The 2008 edition is now available.
For more formal, literary or academic writing, the Chicago Manual of Style is standard. The 15th—and most current—edition was published in August 2003.
For cases unique to academe or to the University of Georgia, this style guide will provide guidance and answer questions.
A couple of notes: When the term “informal usage” is used, it refers to writing for internal audiences. “Formal usage” refers to news releases, brochures and other publications written for external audiences. When words within an entry appear in bold-faced type, this means they have their own separate entry elsewhere in this guide.
And a reminder: These guidelines are intended to help achieve consistency, but style can always change with usage or context. These rules are not set in concrete. They may be adapted—or even ignored—when necessary for clarity, accuracy and precision.
For style questions that can’t be resolved by a stylebook or to let us know about entries that need revision, feel free to contact us. If you feel we are missing something, you can suggest a new entry.