If you’re the sort of person who has an opinion about the Oxford comma, I have exciting news: for the first time since 2002, the Commonwealth Style Manual has finally been updated.
Described as ‘the standard for Australian Government writing and editing’ on the Style Manual’s new website (that’s right – the Manual has moved online), the Manual’s reach actually extends far beyond government publications. Recognised by the Institute of Professional Editors in the Australian standards for editing practice as ‘the standard Australian editorial reference’, the Manual provides advice, guidelines and standards for writers and editors across Australia.
My own well-worn copy has tattered post-its poking from the top and side to remind me that I’m not nearly as clever as I’d like to be when it comes to grammar, and often have to look stuff up. Beyond the nuts and bolts of grammar, though, the Manual is a treasure trove of information about the entire writing and publication process, from planning to printing – and everything in between. While, according to my printed Manual, I just used that en dash incorrectly, the new version finally allows its use for additional material. Happy days.
There are lots of helpful additions to the new edition, including a succinct but comprehensive guide to writing for social media. The advice even covers emojis (okay when used sparingly) and emoticons (not okay, because they don’t meet accessibility requirements). If you’re unsure of the difference between them, emojis are little pictures 😉 and emoticons are typographic representations ;-).
The section on the language used around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has also been significantly expanded in the new edition, and acknowledges the complexity inherent in speaking to or about First Nations peoples. There is also a far more comprehensive section on gender-neutral language, which includes new additions such as the inclusion of Mx. as an honorific, and advice on distinctions between gender, sex and sexuality.
If your organisation has an in-house Style Guide, the organisational guidelines will trump the Manual in cases where they differ. But if you don’t have an organisational guide, or if you’re an independent writer or editor, the Style Manual should be an indispensable part of your professional toolkit.
And that revered – and reviled – Oxford comma? Love or loathe it (I’m firmly in the ‘love’ camp), the Style Manual assures us the Oxford comma is here to stay.
Happy days indeed. 😃
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