A-Z House Style Guide
- data #
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Use a singular verb with data. So: The data was collected over a five-year period, not ‘The data were…’
- dates #
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May 2005 (no commas); Monday 5 September, 2005. Exception is September 11, 2001 or 9/11.
Formally: the 21st century (lower case ‘c’); the 1980s (not ’80s); 1987–8 (not 1987-8), 1867–1903; 3–5 July. Informally: an eighties hairdo, a seventies party.
- Deaf/deaf #
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Do not refer to ‘the deaf’. Instead use ‘deaf people/people who are deaf/people with hearing impairments’.
Sometimes ‘Deaf’ is capitalised to refer to people who have been deaf their whole lives, and who use sign language as a first language. In many countries the Deaf community has a strong sense of identity.
- Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) #
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A country in central Africa (not to be confused with the smaller, neighbouring, Republic of Congo)
Ideal: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) when spelled out the first time.
DRC can be used after first mention,
Use ‘the’ as it’s how most people would speak about the country, and so will help orientate the reader.no: Congo or The Congo
- Developing countries #
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The terms developing countries and third world are outdated and could be understood to mean that these countries have less value or are behind other countries. Whereas ‘global north’ and ‘global south’ could be seen as dividing the world into greater and lesser countries by geography. It is best not to use these terms at all internally and externally, if at all possible. It is much better to say low-income countries, middle-income countries or to be more descriptive and specific, such as: fragile and conflict-affected states, the countries/regions we work in or economically richer/poorer countries. There is no reason to use the terms ‘Developing countries’ or ‘Third World’ except when quoting from other (older) sources, and this should be done with caution.
- direct speech #
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Do respect people’s idioms; they can add colour. But it’s okay to tidy up wordiness or confusion or awkward translation, preserving the character, nationality and, above all, the views of the speaker. Check with relevant person if you need to tidy a direct quote, in case it has been or will be used elsewhere. Be especially careful if in legally dangerous waters. Attribute after a maximum of one sentence. Never leave a quote unattributed.
- disability/disabilities #
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If possible, ask the individual or group with a physical, intellectual, emotional or sensory disability how they would like you to describe that disability. Be inclusive and respectful at all times.
Do not portray people with disabilities as intrinsically vulnerable. Vulnerability is produced by external circumstances and is not innate or intrinsic to the person or group concerned.
Do not label people or mention a person’s disability unless it is relevant. Instead, when possible, be specific about the person and the disability. For example, ‘a student with an intellectual disability’ or ‘children with limited mobility’.
People-first language emphasises the person, not the disability. So the phrase ‘people/person with disabilities’ is often more appropriate than ‘disabled people/person’.
Do not group people together as ‘the disabled.’
Do not use the following words when talking about people: handicapped, special needs, handicapable, atypical, differently abled, people of all abilities, people of determination, mute, dumb, crippled, lame, slow, simple, afflicted, brain damaged, intellectually challenged, subnormal, of unsound mind, deformed, insane, crazy, maniac, hypersensitive, demented, panicked, agitated, mentally deranged, mentally ill.
Do not use negative phrases such as ‘suffers from’ or ‘afflicted with’. They carry the assumption that persons with disabilities have poor quality of life. Instead use ‘affected by’.
Do not describe someone as being confined to a wheelchair. Instead say that they use a wheelchair.
Do not use ‘fits/spells/attacks’. Instead use ‘seizures’.
For more specific guidance, see also blind, Deaf/deaf, non-disabled and short stature.
- Diseases #
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Diseases are only capitalised if the are named after a person or a place eg Ebola (named after a river in Zaire) and Alzheimer’s (named after Alois Alzheimer). Most diseases are not capitalised. Check online if in doubt.
- dos and don’ts #
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Note spelling and punctuation, but avoid if possible as it can look awkward.
- dots, aka ellipsis or leader #
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Three dots, one space after, no space before: I don’t know what to do… I’ve tried everything. Avoid using at the beginning of a sentence. If used at the end of a sentence, no full stop is needed as the ellipsis is in place of it. An ellipsis can be followed by a question mark or exclamation mark.