The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Writing With Style Major Keary |
"The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from" [anon.].
Standards come in two kinds, mandatory and recommendatory. An example of a mandatory standard is
AS3000:2000, Aust./NZ Wiring Rules, which must be observed in the installation of electrical
wiring. Style manuals, on the other hand, are recommendatory - although some organisations have procrustean
house styles.
Style manuals are about standards in writing and presentation. There are good reasons for standardisation,
but remember that support for any given rule is not necessarily universal and not necessarily based on
authority. The important thing is to be consistent at least within the one document. There is nothing
wrong in being eclectic: choose the rules that suit your notion of good style.
The Australian Government Style Manual was published by the Australian Government Publishing
Service and printed in Australia until the current edition, which has been outsourced. I must say that
the editorial team and publisher (John Wiley and Sons) have delivered an attractively designed and well
organised book.
The Manual was first published in 1966 and has moved through various changes of emphasis over
six editions. The third edition (1978) contained much useful technical information about printing issues;
the fourth edition (1988) reflected political rectitude in respect of gender-free language; the present
edition is notable for two things: it keeps abreast of digital publishing and reflects a trend to easing
the corset of unnecessarily formal language. There is also a clear mission, so to speak, of making the
manual audience oriented; as the back cover says, "it emphasises the importance of focusing on the
audience's needs ..."
There are usages recommended by the Manual that not employed by all publishers, and there are
some with which individual writers do not agree. For example, the rule on how quotation marks are used
stems from Hart's Rules and were laid down in the nineteenth century. The rule is not followed by
Australian newspapers, was never observed by the London Times (and other publications in the Times group),
and is not used in North America; an informative discussion of the issue is to be found in Steven
Murray-Smith's
Right Words.
In the field of writing - whether books, essays, or reports - there will always be something on which
authors, editors, and publishers disagree. Unless one holds strong views backed by some logic or
authority, it is essential to have a reliable referee; the
Style Manual fills that role.
For authors and editors who want a reference for guidance on what is the best way of presenting
information, the Style Manual is ideal. There are, of course, many resources that deal with English
usage, but not everybody wants to spend time ferreting about for an authority that supports a particular
point of view. If you want a single, authoritative text, this is the one to have. It covers all the
detail that any author, editor, or printer might need to check: from headings to footnotes, from how
dates should be written to accepted forms for citing references.
The ready availability of DTP packages has created a situation in which one person is often author,
proof-reader, editor, and printer. It requires a reference that extends beyond rules of usage. The Style
Manual offers sound advice on "how to plan, undertake and evaluate a publishing project" that ranges
over printing issues, including colour reproduction, typography, illustrations, and the design of
forms.
The detailed and well-illustrated discussion of design is - at least, in my opinion - the best plain
language guide I have seen. Design is often perceived as a specialist field, but in many cases good
results require no more than following the principles described in the
Style Manual.
The subject of white space is mentioned, but there is no specific guidance. There are two concepts of
white space: that which stands vacant like an empty building lot, and the percentage of a page that
has no ink. Typical examples of the first are margins, spaces between paragraphs or other items of
text, and space surrounding images. The second concept takes into account the spaces between and within
characters; a well typeset page of text should present a uniform grey appearance when viewed at a
distance or out of focus. According to James Crown in Effective Computer User Documentation
(1992, Van Nostrand Reinhold) "the maximum density on a printed page should be about 40 percent".
There is a difference between the printed page and what is displayed on a screen, and one of the important
elements is white space. Crown says the maximum density of an online page should not exceed 25 percent,
and adds that some studies suggest a maximum of 15 percent. He gives no references to the studies but,
like Colin Wheildon (who wrote
Type and Layout), James Crown has a background as a newspaper editor and an academic - it is
unlikely that he is simply expressing an opinion.
The Style Manual discusses 'electronic' publishing in depth and provides an sound overview of
Web technology. The use of portable media (CDs) for publishing has its own body of style rules and
preferred usages; they are discussed and some useful URLs are provided for government guidelines.
The section of CD packaging and labelling is very practical and useful, and includes the dimensions
for jewel box inlay labels and booklets.
One of my special dislikes is mentioned: billion. When journalists and politicians use the term,
what to they mean? How many would know how many zeros indicate
billion, trillion, and quadrillion? The American usage (billion = one thousand
million) that has been foisted upon us by the media should be resisted. The book says,
"Australian and international standards (AS ISO 1000:1998) now acknowledge this as standard usage,
affirming what has been long established in financial
writing". However, my copy of AS 1000:1998 does not "acknowledge" it as standard usage, nor
affirm its legitimacy. The fact is that the International Committee on Weights and Measures (the oldest
international body) still defines billion as one million million. The advice in AS 1000 is to avoid the
term, and that is what earlier editions of the
Style Manual recommended. I disagree with any suggestion that we cave in to the ignorance of the
media.
As one eminent person was wont to say, "having said that, let me say
this": the Style Manual has been developed into a remarkably useful, and interesting, resource
that every writer and editor should have at hand. One may disagree with some of its opinions, but it is
still the most valuable compendium of information on style issues and technical matters for Australian
authors, editors, and printers. A thoroughly practical text, and an excellent example of typographic
design. It is a particularly important resource for Web designers and content
providers.
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Style Manual ISBN 0-7016-3648-3 Published by Wiley, 550 pp., RRP $44.95 incl. GST |
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Reprinted from the November 2002 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
