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RE: Style Guide standards: APA or the Chicago Manual of Style?
Subject:RE: Style Guide standards: APA or the Chicago Manual of Style? From:"Kat Nagel, MasterWork Consulting" <mlists -at- masterworkconsulting -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 31 Jan 2003 10:42:59 -0500
I usually accept with a smile whatever style guide my client or
manager insists on. That proves I'm a cooperative team player <g>.
Then I explain that No Style Guide Covers Absolutely All
Situations---a good demonstration is to show the 1"-thick AP with its
relatively large print sitting next to the 2.5"-thick CMoS with
teenytiny print, then point out something that the skinny guide
covers that Chicago doesn't and vice versa.
Then I tell them that I prefer to use the Cascading Stylebook Shelf process:
1. First, I make sure I comply with X [their preferred style guide].
2. If X doesn't cover a specific situation, I check whatever style
guide seems to be the most commonly used in their particular
industry: Microsoft or Sun for computer stuff, Yale for online work,
APA for social sciences, CBE (now CSE) for math and natural science,
Chicago for academic/humanities, and so on.
3. If Chicago isn't the choice for #1 or #2, then I will use it as a
backup. All that teenytiny print really does include *almost*
everything <g>.
--
Kat Nagel
Owner, MasterWork Consulting Services
Phone: (585) 820-4045 Fax: (585) 244-3565
Business: katnagel -at- masterworkconsulting -dot- com
Personal: katnagel -at- bluefrognet -dot- net
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