Follow the English Style Guide from European Commission Directorate-General for Translation, except where it conflicts with these guides below. American or British spelling? ----------------------------- Use British spelling. And when choosing between words, choose the ones that are more common in British English than in American English rather than the ones that are more common in American English than in British English. Use of ash ---------- Ash (æ) should always be used when it can be used properly. That is, when it is not a loanword that did not use it in the original language, and when there is a A–E-diphthong. For example ‘formulæ’ rather than ‘formulae’. Use of diæresis --------------- Diæresis (¨) should be used (on the second letter) when there is a hiatus rather than a diphtong, or a hiatus rather than a vowel sound spelled with two vowels. Diæresis should however not be used between roots and affixes. For example ‘coordinate’ rather than ‘coördinate’, but ‘naïve’ rather than ‘naive’. Use of hyphen ------------- Hyphens is preferred over space, but use of neither hyphen nor space is preferred over use hyphen. Abstence of hyphen is especially preferred between roots and affixes. For example ‘coordinate’ rather than ‘co-ordinate’ and ‘filesystem’ rather than ‘file-system’ or ‘file system’, but ‘e-mail’ rather than ‘email’ (see next section; the ‘e’ is an abbrevation). Hyphen should however be used if it significantly improves readability. Inflection of abbreviations, contractions, acronyms and loanwords ----------------------------------------------------------------- Assume ‘X’ is an abbreviation, contractions, acronym or loanword. Plural form: X:s or X:es Singular possessive case: X's Plural possessive case: X:s' or X:es' Past tense form: X:d or X:ed Gerundisation and similar inflection: X:ing and similar As one of the morphemes in a word: Y-X, X-Z or Y-X-Z, where Y and Z are morphemes that may or may not be abbreviations, acronyms or loanwords. Use of periods in abbreviations, contractions and acronyms ---------------------------------------------------------- Never, except the the end of the words in abbreviations. For example ‘Mr’ rather than ‘Mr.’ and not ‘NATO’ rather than ‘N.A.T.O.’, but ‘abbr.’ rather than ‘abbr’. Use of colon in contractions ---------------------------- Avoid. Use of abbreviations and contractions ------------------------------------- Avoid at all cost, except the few uncontroversial abbreviations and contractions: ‘Mr’, ‘Mrs’ and ‘Dr’. (‘Mrs’ is not a true contraction), ‘CD’, ‘USB’ and ‘DVD’. (‘DVD’ is not an abbreviation or acronym, it is just three random letters that does not stand for anything.) These are the only abbreviations and contractions you can use uncontroversially. This is however in when use the contractions as a title before a name. For example you may write ‘Dr Joe Random’, but not ‘today I saw a dr’. ‘a.m.’ and ‘p.m.’ would be allowed, however, they are not used, as time should be expressed in HH:MM- and HH:MM:SS-24-hour time-format. ‘&’ (a ligature as an abbreviation) should be avoided, and is only allowed in titles and in verbatim sections. ‘§’ and ‘§§’ (ligatures as abbreviations) is allowed in and only in verbatim sections and when referring a section or numbering a section. Acronyms as generic words ------------------------- Unacceptable, always use captialised form. For example ‘LASER’ rather than ‘laser’. -ize versus -ise ---------------- Always -ise, no exceptions. All words that can be spelled with -ize can also be spelled with -ise, the reverse however is not true. For example ‘randomise’ rather than ‘randomize’. Use of serial comma ------------------- Only use serial comma when necessary. Possessive form of classical and biblical names ----------------------------------------------- Adhere to the standard for non-classical, non-biblical names. For example ‘Socrates's philosophy’ rather than ‘Socrates' philosophy’. Plural of proper nouns ---------------------- Proper nouns cannot be declenated to plural form with indefinite state or construct state. For example ‘there are two Richard in this room’ rather than ‘there are two Richards in this room’, and ‘both Richard.’ rather than ‘both Richards’. However proper nouns can be declenated to plural form with definite state, but only when referring to a family. Can't versus cannot ------------------- Use ‘cannot’ rather than ‘can't’.