books

references that editors and writers just gotta have

Whether you’re a working scientific editor or web content copywriter, we recommend that you have the following basic reference materials on your desk. (Or on your desktop; many of these are available online.)

1. The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition (online at www.chicagomanualofstyle.org). Not all companies follow Chicago, but many do, and many others use it as a backup. All working editors should have a basic familiarity with this guide. In addition, its extensive section on grammar can be used as … well … a grammar, meaning you needn’t purchase an additional reference.

2. Garner’s Modern American Usage, 2nd edition. This definitive, highly readable guide addresses nearly any possible question of usage you could think of (i.e., affect vs. effect; lie vs. lay; that vs. which). It also contains mini-essays on topics such as casualisms, subject-verb agreement, and “superstitions” of grammar. Absolutely essential.

3. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition (online at m-w.com). If your company uses another dictionary, that’s perfectly fine. We’ve found this to be the most widely used among our various clients.

4. A specialty style guide. Depending on your field, you may be required to master a specialty style guide. Commonly used references include:

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  • erika: This makes me happy: //Chicago now recommends a uniform stylistic...
  • Gary A. Hill: I bought my copy of Garner from Powell’s Books. I...
  • admin: I guess if you consider it to be part of the whole...