05 - Style Guide

Table of Contents:

• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.2 Style Guide A-G
• 5.3 Style Guide H-Q
• 5.4 Style Guide R-Z

5.1 Introduction

What is a style guide? Fundamentally, a writer's style guide is a common reference used to ensure text-based quality control among a large number of writers. Style guides often denote certain expected formats and standards for writing and presenting work. Here on Galileo, we have adopted our own style guide. The content, spelling and grammar formats listed below have all been thoroughly vetted and the most appropriate usage of the written word has been taken into account with guidelines from both the AP and USN style guides.

In addition to the style guide, players should be aware of certain common writing practices designed to enhance the quality and legibility of their work. Our game's players come from all age ranges, nationalities and education levels. For some, English is their second or third language. Yet they're all excellent writers because they take pride in their work and have learned to develop good writing habits over the years.

SPELL CHECKING

All players should spell check their work before submitting it to the public. Most common internet browsers have a built-in spell checker, but in case a spell checker is not available, there are many free online versions as well as word processors that can do the job for you. Misspelled words are unsightly, hard to decipher, and generally reflect negatively on a player's writing ability. They are easy to correct by simply taking the time to spell check the work.

AUTO-CORRECTION

Perhaps the most detrimental and lazy writing utility ever invented, auto-correct is found primarily on smartphones and should never be used in written role-play. Auto-correct's sole purpose is to save time for the user by automatically correcting spelling/grammar errors using predictive algorithms. While this might be applicable for a text message conversation, proper writing which takes place on our game (especially technical writing) suffers immensely from this feature. Turn off auto-correct when writing, as it is always obvious who is using it and can upset other writers.

PROOFREADING

Proofreading is the single most important activity an author can do to improve the quality of their writing. In the professional, academic and casual writing world, it is obvious which people have and have not proofread their work. It can speak volumes about their personality and attention to detail. Here on Galileo, we embrace a casual gaming environment open to players with all levels of writing talent. However, it is always important to proofread one's own writing before posting and making it public.

There are many different techniques for proofreading and many of them involve a certain learning/writing skill specific to the individual. That said, one of the most uniform and widely used forms of proofreading is to re-read -- out loud and word by word -- the writing which a person has just created. By reciting the sentences on the screen (or on paper) one word at a time, common mistakes are easily picked up and eliminated. When using this technique, it is important to follow instructions and read one word at a time. Going too fast leads to predicting words which will come next, which in turn leads to inaccurate proofreading due to subconscious inserting of words. It is important to remain mentally disciplined and proofread your own work as if it were someone else's.

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5.2 Style Guide A-G

abbreviations, acronyms - Capitalize all acronyms (ex. UFP, SFMC, USS). Use abbreviations extremely sparingly.

affect, effect - Affect means "to influence" and is used in conjunction with verbs. An effect is "a result" and is used as a noun. Tip: Something can be affected, but it cannot be effected. (ex. The effect of my scary face affected her performance.)

all hands, all-hands - Use two words in the noun form, use hyphenation in adjective form.

bridge - Do not capitalize. (ex. My duty station is on the bridge.)

cadet - May be used in lowercase form to refer to any type or number of cadets. Capitalize when using as a rank title preceding an individual's name. When referring to specific grades of cadet, do not use acronyms. (ex. There are a lot of cadets here at Starfleet Academy, but my favorite is Cadet Freshman Grade Amy Miller.)

call sign - Two words; do not refer to individuals by their call signs unless in a specific combat situation.

chief - A title which may be used to refer to an individual instead of their official rank title. Chief petty officers, senior chief petty officers, and master chief petty officers may all be referred to as "Chief" followed by their last name. Always capitalize. (ex. Chief Roberts was playing basketball with some of the other chief petty officers.)

chief petty officer - See "petty officer".

chief warrant officer - A "chief warrant officer" is a senior rank aboard a starship and is capitalized when the word precedes an individual's name. Otherwise, it is lowercase. When referring to specific grades of chief warrant officer, do not use acronyms. Chief warrant officers may also be referred to as "Mr./Ms." or "Warrant" followed by the last name of the individual. (ex. Chief Warrant Officer 2 James Cardigh ate lunch with the other chief warrant officer sitting at the table, Mister Kelly.)

civilian titles - If title precedes a name, capitalize and spell out the title of a civilian specialist. Lowercase should be used if the title follows the name. (ex. Biochemist Amy Hammond; Amy Hammond, a biochemist)

close proximity - A redundant term, do not use.

commanding officer - Capitalize if used as a title before an individual's name. Otherwise, use lower case. (ex. Commanding Officer Marcus Wrex spoke to Kelly Misha who is the commanding officer of USS Remaya.)

crewman, crewmen - "Crewman" is a junior enlisted rank aboard a starship and is capitalized when the word precedes an individual's name. Otherwise, it is lowercase. "Crewmen" is the plural version of "crewman" and is always lower case. When referring to specific grades of crewman, do not use acronyms. (ex. Crewman Apprentice Mark Inis was speaking to another crewman when he noticed his colleagues, crewmen Lighty Ule and Jake Mera.)

crew member - Two words, do not hyphenate.

departments - Capitalize all department names. (ex. Engineering department, Science department)

doctor - May be used as a rank title prefix to refer to a senior medical officer instead of their actual rank. Capitalize if used as a title, if not, use lowercase form. (ex. I talked to Doctor Ruth and also spoke with another doctor.)

dry dock, dry-dock - Two words, do not combine into one word. Use dry dock as a noun, and dry-dock as a verb. (ex. The ship will dry-dock tomorrow, and the dry dock is prepared to resupply the ship)

effect, affect - See "affect, effect".

Federation, federation - Capitalize when referring to the United Federation of Planets, use lowercase when referring to a collection of self-governing states. (ex. The Federation is currently involved in negotiations with a trade federation.)

female - Do not use unless with medical terminology. Use "woman" instead.

fleets - Capitalize when referring to specific fleets and reference the fleet's numerical designation. Otherwise, use lowercase. (ex. 9th Fleet departed SB-200 and will rendezvous with another fleet.)

fleetwide - One word, do not hyphenate.

flight deck - Two words.

frontline, front line - Use as one word in noun form, use as two words in adjective form. (ex. Our ships are stationed on the frontline and will reinforce other front line ships.)

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5.3 Style Guide H-Q

hangar, hanger - A hangar is a structure designed to house support craft, a hanger is used to hang clothing.

her, she - Use as a pronoun to refer to a space vessel or craft. (ex. She is a very fine ship and her crew is very experienced.)

italics - Italicize the name of ships and support craft. Do not italicize the abbreviation prefix. (ex. USS Galileo, USS Enterprise, shuttle Majestic). May also be used to denote speaking in a language other than Federation Standard. (ex. "I'm on duty in five hours," she said in her native Bolian language.)

its, it's - "Its" is a possessive pronoun, "it's" is an abbreviation for "it is" or "it has". (ex. It's been a bad day and my shuttle refuses to start its engine.)

KIA - An acronym for killed in action.

LCARS - Always capitalize. "LCARS" is an acronym for 'library computer access and retrieval system'.

lightyear, light-year - Either is acceptable. One lightyear is equivalent to 63,241 AU.

maneuver, manoeuvre - Either is acceptable. "Maneuver" is American English, "manoeuvre" is Queen's (British) English.

Marines - A proper noun, always capitalize.

MIA - An acronym for missing in action.

multicultural - One word, do not hyphenate.

numbers - Any number ten or greater may be denoted with numerals. Numbers one through nine should be spelled out in full. (ex. Today is my ninth day of exercise, but by the 12th day, I know I'm going to be sore.)

officer in charge - Do not hyphenate, also referred to as the OIC.

OIC - An acronym for officer in charge.

PADD - Always capitalize. "PADD" is an acronym for 'personal access display device'.

petty officer - "Petty officer" is a type of rank aboard a starship and is capitalized when the word precedes an individual's name. Otherwise, it is lowercase. When referring to specific grades of petty officer, do not use acronyms. (ex. Petty Officer 3rd Class Misha Banning assembled with the other petty officers present.)

photon (torpedo)- A "photon" is a beam of light. A "photon torpedo" is a type of ordinance. "Photon" by itself should not be used to refer to a type of torpedo, nor should it be capitalized unless the word begins a sentence. (incorrect ex. "Fire three photons!")

president - Capitalize when using as a specific individual's title, use lowercase when referring to a non-specific individual. (ex. I spoke to President Overson and was informed he is in negotiations with the president of the Ableman Republic.)

punctuation - Leave one space after any use of punctuation. Two spaces may be used following a period depending on writer preference.

quotation marks - If text follows a quote, the quote should contain a comma within the quotation marks. If a quote follows text, the comma should precede the quote. If a sentence ends with a quote, the period should be placed inside the quotation marks. (ex. "I had eggs for breakfast," he said.) (ex. He said, "I had eggs for breakfast.")

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5.4 Style Guide R-Z

ranks - Capitalize a rank when it precedes an individual's name. Otherwise, use lowercase. (ex. "Hello, Lieutenant Roberts. Have you seen any other lieutenants around, recently?")

runabouts - All runabout names are capitalized, italicized, and prefixed by the "USS" notation. See "ship names".

ship names - Italicize all ship, runabout, shuttlecraft, and starbase names, and when relevant, precede them with the appropriate capitalized prefix (USS, SS, IKS, CDS, etc.). Capitalize the first letter of each word in a ship name. Do not use "the" before a ship name as it is redundant (a ship name is already a proper noun and therefore does not take a definite article). (ex. USS Van Gogh docked with the starbase.)

Sir, sir - "Sir" (uppercase) is a proper noun and is therefore capitalized when referring to an individual. "Sir" (lowercase) is a regular noun and is not required to be capitalized. Usage depends on the context and writer preference. In Starfleet terms, "sir" is an acceptable notation for an officer or chief warrant officer of superior rank. It is naval tradition to refer to both male and female officers and chief warrant officers as "sir" instead of "sir/ma'am". (ex. "Thank you, sir," she said after saluting the captain.)

spaceship - Do not use. Use "spacecraft", "starship", or "support craft" instead. When possible, refer to the specific type of vessel.

spacecraft - One word, do not separate. Use instead of "spaceship".

space frame - Two words, do not combine.

starbase - One word, do not hyphenate. Capitalize and italicize when referring to a specific starbase, else use lowercase. (ex. I just arrived at Starbase 359 which is in proximity to several other starbases.)

Starfleet - One word, always capitalize. Do not separate or hyphenate.

starship - One word, do not hyphenate.

starship classification - Capitalize the classification of any starship, runabout, or support craft. Hyphenate and use lowercase for the word "class". (ex. USS Galileo is a Nova-class starship.)

tag - Always denote tags with greater-than symbols to accompany them: Never write the word "tag" by itself. (ex. >>Tag; >Tag<) (Incorrect ex. Tag)

there, there's, their, they're - "There" is a noun which denotes a location or an adverb (where someone goes). "There's" is a contraction for "there is" or "there are". "Their" is a possessive pronoun and is used to show ownership. "They're" is a contraction for "they are". (ex. There's two guys over there who are working on their car. I wonder how long they're going to be in their garage.)

time - Refer to time using the 24-hour clock. (ex. It's 1648 right now, time for a snack.)

titles - Capitalize only when used before a name. (ex. Chief of the Boat Markum Quinn spoke to another chief of the boat aboard USS Ramsey.)

underway - One word, do not hyphenate.

USS - Always capitalize, never italicize. "USS" is an abbreviation for 'United Starship'. All Starfleet starships and runabouts carry the "USS" prefix. Shuttlecraft do not.

were, we're, where - "Were" is most commonly a past-tense conjugation of the verb "to be". "We're" is a contraction for "we are". Where is an interrogative adverb. (ex. We're going hiking today to the same spot where we found the snake, but last time we saw it, we were afraid to touch it.)

your, you're - "Your" is a possessive adjective. "You're" is a contraction for "you are". (ex. Your feet look swollen and you're about to run three more laps.)