Online Style Guides

Online Style Guides Online Style Guides Online Style Guides By Maeve Maddox Russell from Cape Town writes: As a rank novice to the world of writing, and one purely for work purposes not for literature, I was wondering where you gain access to so many style guides. Can you suggest some free guides to download? The two most frequently cited American style guides are the Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law and the Chicago Manual of Style. Both have online editions, but they are not free. Individual annual subscription rates: AP Stylebook $25; CMOS $30. The current Amazon price for the print edition of the 2009 AP Stylebook is $11.37. I paid $18.95 for my copy earlier this year. The AP book is very easy to navigate so I don’t see any advantage to subscribing online. The usual price for the print edition of the Chicago Manual of Style is $55. Amazon has it for $33.65 at the moment. For me the search feature of the online edition is worth the $30 subscription fee. For our readers who use British English, the BBC has a free downloadable PDF: The BBC News Styleguide. Another British online freebie is the Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk Style Guide. A free nonacademic online American style guide is the National Geographic Style Manual. An old edition of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style is available free at Bartleby.com/. Be aware that changes have been made in more recent editions. In addition to the AP Stylebook and the CMOS, I sometimes refer to the free Purdue writing lab known as OWL, but I don’t seem to be able to find things there as easily as I do in CMOS. OWL is probably the most comprehensive university guide out there, but many other universities offer style guides based on AP and CMOS, Many of these are available as downloadable PDFs. Most rely heavily on the AP Stylebook and Chicago Manual of Style. Here are a few: U of Alaska Style Guide: based on AP Stylebook and Webster’s New World College Dictionary. University of Buffalo Marketing Toolbox: apparently oriented towards business writing U of Colorado at Boulder Style Guide: intended as a general guide for print and electronic media, but not as a replacement for more specialized guides. Gustavus Adolphus College:an eclectic guide based on the AP Stylebook, Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, and the Chicago Manual of Style. Ithaca College Office of Marketing Communications: downloadable Editorial Standards University of Kentucky Style Guide: downloadable PDF â€Å"conforms largely to the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, but it contains exceptions to both AP style manual and The Chicago Manual of Style.† Lafayette College Style Guide: links in convenient outline form Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Types of Narrative ConflictList of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and AdultsIf I Was vs. If I Were

Graduate School Recommendation Letter From Professor

Graduate School Recommendation Letter From Professor Every recommendation letter is unique, written for a particular student. But good recommendation letters share similarities in format and expression. Below is a template showing one way of organizing a recommendation letter for graduate study. Here the emphasis is on the students academic work. The letter begins by explaining the context in which the student is known, followed by details of the work that forms the basis for the writers recommendation. It is the details that count. December 19, 201x Dr. SmithDirector of AdmissionsGraduate School University101 Grad AvenueGradTown, WI, 10000 Dear Dr. Smith: I am writing to you in support of Mr. Stu Student and his desire to attend Graduate School University for the Basket Weaving program. Though many students ask me to make this request on their behalf, I only recommend students whom I feel are well-suited for the program of their choice. Mr. Student is one of those students and therefore, I highly recommend that he be given the opportunity to attend your university. As professor of the Basket Weaving Department at Undergrad University, I work with many students who have substantial knowledge of basket weaving. Mr. Student has consistently shown such a strong desire to learn basket weaving that I simply could not turn down his request for a recommendation. I first met Mr Student in my Intro to Basket Weaving course during the Fall 2010 semester. Compared to the class average of 70, Mr. Student earned a 96 in the class. Mr. Student was evaluated on [explain basis for grades, e.g., exams, papers, etc.], in which he performed exceptionally well. Stu is an outstanding individual with a strong character. He has the ability to produce impressive results in a wide variety of areas. Stu is/has [list of positive traits/skills, e.g. organized, motivated, etc.]. I have seen astonishing results on complex projects that offered great attention to detail where quality was never compromised. Additionally, he has a very positive attitude and truly embraces learning all there is to know about basket weaving. Though Stu has consistently exceeded in all areas of his coursework, the best example of his intelligence shone through a [paper/presentation/project/etc.] on theories of basket weaving. The work clearly showed his ability to deliver a clear, concise, and well-thought presentation with a new perspective by demonstrating [embellish here]. In addition to his coursework, Stu also dedicated some of his] time volunteering at [Club or Organization Name]. His position required him to [list of tasks]. He felt volunteering was an important leadership role, in which he learned [list of skills]. The skills acquired through volunteering will be beneficial to all of Stus future endeavors. Stu has the ability to manage and organize his time and schedule around different activities without having them interfere with his work. school. I believe Stu is destined to be a leader in basket weaving, and therefore is an excellent candidate for your school. I highly recommend that you consider his application, as he will be a great asset to your program. Im sure you will find him to be a student whose talents will only grow. If you would like further information, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Tea Cher, Ph.D.ProfessorUndergrad University