NYU Libraries LibGuides Style Manual

To avoid inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization and other style issues, please use the guidelines listed.

These guidelines are based upon the Chicago Manual of Style. This is not meant to be a comprehensive guide to grammar. Refer to the links before for additional resources.

Within text, spell out numbers one through nine. For 10 and above use numerals. Spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence or rephrase the sentence to avoid beginning with a number.

Formatting:

Capitalize the following in guide titles and box headings:

• the first word
• the last word
• the first word after a colon
• all nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs

Do not capitalize the following (unless they fall into one of the previously listed categories):

• articles (a, an, the), unless they are part of a proper noun
• coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor, so, yet)
• prepositions (on, between, because of, to, by, before, over, under, through, etc.)

Avoid ALL CAPS. 

Spacing

Use only one space after end punctuation (periods, exclamation points, question marks) and after colons and semicolons.

Dashes 

• Use en dashes between inclusive numbers, e.g., you’ll find the examples on pages 223–26 of your text.
• Use em dashes sparingly in formal writing. In informal writing, em dashes may replace commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses to indicate added emphasis, an interruption, or an abrupt change of thought. E.g., the influence of three impressionists—Monet, Sisley, and Degas—is obvious in her work.

Do not put a space on either side of a dash. Never use a hyphen in place of a dash. 

In LibGuides, hit the special character key to insert dashes (see red arrow below). If for some reason you can't insert the dash symbol, use two hyphens right next to each other: hyphen hyphen [--].

Hyphens

Hyphenate compound adjectives that come before nouns, e.g., they were in a long-term relationship.

When in doubt, consult a dictionary.

Header Spacing

Do not use hard line breaks between headings and text. "Floating headings" confuse the relationship between the heading and the text it refers to. Use "heading 3" format to achieve the headings seen here.

Font

• Use the default font settings in LibGuides. Change the font size or bold as needed to empasize selections of text. Never use underline to emphasize text (it can confuse readers by appearing like a hyperlink). Be consistent!
• If you copy and paste from Word, use the "Paste from Word" feature to strip out unnecessary formatting that may corrupt your text.

Alignment

Left-aligned text is easier to read than right-aligned text. Full justification can decrease readability so it is best to avoid.