A one-page magazine style guide that ends the "email or e-mail?" debate
2 min read
You're editing the third article and you notice that one writer used "organisation", another used "organization", and a third switched halfway through. Then someone asks whether it's "e-mail" or "email". You decide, then decide again next issue.
A style guide records the decision once.
What goes in it
Keep to the choices you actually face:
Spelling and language
- UK, US or Australian spelling.
- Words you always write one way: email, website, online, log in (verb) and login (noun).
Names and titles
- Full name on first mention, surname after.
- Job titles: lower case when descriptive, capitalised before a name.
- Your association's name, abbreviation and how often to use it.
Numbers, dates and money
- Spell out one to nine, use numerals for 10 and above, or whatever you choose.
- Date format: 14 March 2027.
- Currency: symbol and no decimals unless needed.
- Percentages: "12%" or "12 per cent".
Capitalisation
- Headlines in sentence case.
- Your own terms: Annual Conference, Board, Member Awards.
Punctuation
- Serial comma or not.
- Quotation marks: single or double.
- Dashes and hyphens: how you use them.
Tone
- Two or three lines on how the magazine sounds.
- Words to avoid.
Articles
- Typical length: features 900 words, news 250.
- Byline format and short author bio.
- How you credit images.
A template
[Magazine name] style guide: updated [date]
AUDIENCE AND TONE
We write for: ______
We sound: ______, ______, ______
We avoid: ______
SPELLING
Convention: ______
Always write: ______
NAMES AND TITLES
First mention: ______
Job titles: ______
Our organisation: ______
NUMBERS, DATES, MONEY
Numbers: ______
Dates: ______
Currency: ______
CAPITALISATION
Headlines: ______
Our terms: ______
PUNCTUATION
Serial comma: ______
Quotes: ______
LENGTHS AND CREDITS
Feature: ____ words News: ____ words
Byline: ______
Image credit: ______Keep it alive
- Add a rule the first time you argue about something.
- Remove rules nobody uses.
- Date it, and share the latest version with every new contributor.
Use it
Send it with every commission. Mention it when you return edits ("per the style guide, we write 'email' as one word"). Feed it to your AI proofreading tool so suggestions follow your rules. How to do that.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a style guide?
If more than one person writes or edits for your magazine, yes. It saves repeated decisions and keeps the magazine consistent.
How long should it be?
One page for most associations. If it's longer, people won't read it.
Should I follow an existing style guide?
You can adopt a standard one as a base and add your own exceptions. Write the exceptions down.
How do I get people to use it?
Send it with every commission and refer to it in your edits.
