What is an editorial style?
Use of the Editorial Style Guidelines helps increase the clarity and effectiveness of communication by consistent use of language, spelling and punctuation. Editorial style should not be confused with writing style. Writing style is the manner in which a writer addresses a matter. A style reveals the writer’s personality or ‘voice’ and the unique way a writer uses language. It is the result of the choices the writer makes in syntactical structures, diction, and figures of thought. Similar questions of style exist in the choices of expressive possibilities in speech. Editorial style refers to a set of guidelines that editors use to help make the author’s words as consistent and effective as possible. A good book editor will be sensitive to maintaining a balance between the author’s unique writing style—the author’s voice—and editorial style. A consistent editorial style lends credibility to any work, and will also make the work easier to read and understand.
Most evaluators and editors will use the editorial style and dictionary referenced below. Editors and evaluators can, however, make exceptions to the standard guidelines depending on the perspective or environment of the book or on a specific request by the author.