Happy new year, communicators!

These monthly University of Oregon Editorial Style Guide quick tips help ensure your communications follow UO editorial style—but which editorial style? The Chicago Manual of Style? Or the Associated Press Stylebook?

Chicago is the guide for all communications on behalf of the UO except AroundtheO and press releases produced by University Communications, both of which follow AP style. Some common questions:

Should I use the serial or “Oxford” comma?

• Chicago: Yes. Items in a series are separated by commas: She posted pictures of her parents, the president, and the vice president.
• AP: Depends. Use the serial comma if necessary for clarity, if the items have more than three words, or if one or more of the items also include “and” or “or.” She ordered hash browns, bacon and eggs, toast, and coffee. Skip it in a simple series of items of no more than three words: Please bring me a pencil, eraser and notebook.

What about collective noun-pronoun agreement?

• Same for Chicago and AP: a collective noun takes a singular pronoun if the members are treated as a unit (the department closed its doors for winter break) but a plural pronoun if they act individually (the audience rushed back to their seats).

Do Chicago and AP both use spaces with a dash?

• First, note that when using a dash in running text, you need an em dash—not an en dash or a series of shorter dashes—as used in this sentence. For Chicago, no spaces between the dash and the words preceding and following it (see the preceding sentence). For AP, spaces: He listed the qualities — intelligence, humor, conservatism, independence — that he liked in an executive.

Can I use [brackets]?

• Chicago: Yes, mainly to enclose material—usually added by someone other than the original writer—that does not form a part of the surrounding text.
• AP: No. Use only parentheses instead of brackets, but use parentheses sparingly. Commas usually suffice.

Are any months abbreviated?

• Chicago: No.
• AP: When using a month with a date—i.e., Dec. 9, March 10—abbreviate August through February. But never abbreviate a month standing alone.

What about state names following cities in running text?

• Same for Chicago and AP. Don’t abbreviate a state name following a city: Evanston, Illinois. Also, don’t use the state name with a city when reporting from that state, except when the location is unclear. I grew up in Eugene. But: The post office in Paris, Oregon, was discontinued in 1933.

Send your questions about the Chicago Manual of Style to editor Matt Cooper, University Communications.

For questions about the Associated Press Stylebook, email editor Greg Bolt, University Communications.

See you next month!