Monday, November 15, 2010

University of Hawai`i Style Guide

I recently ran across the online version of the University of Hawai`i Style Guide (as opposed to the University of Hawai`i Press Style Guide) and think it is useful to look at. I was interested to see, for example, that they use Pacific Islands, Pacific Rim, Pacific Basin, but Pacific region. The guide is primarily for official communications from UH, particularly media releases that are channeled through UH Creative Services (the publications office of External Affairs and University Relations), but even if you are not writing media releases it is useful because it offers guidelines for writing about the kinds of things people in a university setting often find themselves writing about, such as grades, courses, degrees, departments, chairs, etc. And I was interested to learn that because Creative Services is concerned with media releases, they recommend the use of Webster’s New World College Dictionary, since it is Associated Press’s dictionary of choice. The guide also offers useful advice on Hawaiian spelling.

1 comment:

Pat said...

Many thanks for this, Tisha. I started reading the guide and found it fascinating. I first saw it many years ago, when it was in printed, booklet form. I remember finding it of little value then, so it's nice to see it's changed quite a lot.

On the Resources page of the Eng 408 site are two other guides: one from the U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs and the other from the Hawaii Tourism Authority. I found these some years ago, so they no doubt have also changed.