This style guide has been prepared by the Digital Resources Quality Assurance team. Its purpose is to set consistent standards in spelling, punctuation and style for documents processed by Digital Resources.

The focus in this guide is on word and sentence punctuation because we are often asked to explain the ‘rules’ on correct usage. We have included editorial conventions on abbreviations, capital letters and treatment of numbers. There is also a list of misspelt and confusing words that we commonly encounter in our QA checks.

The guide can be used as a quick reference tool for anyone wanting to reduce ambiguity and improve readability in their writing. The guide is reviewed and updated on a regular basis. It is not comprehensive and is not intended to replace other style guides used by staff or students for specific purposes.

Editing and writing references

The DR Quality Assurance staff use the following resources:

Macquarie Dictionary 2013, 6^th edn

Snooks & Co. 2002, Style Manual, 6^th edn

IPED 2013, Australian Standards for Editing Practice, 2^nd edn

SCU Editorial Style Guide