Style Guide
To maintain a consistent voice of clarity and charity, here are a few guidelines as you begin to write an article for Anglican Compass.
Anglican Compass Style Guide
How to maintain our voice of Clarity & Charity
Article Structure & Readability
| Category | Rule | Examples / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Article Structure | Word count: 1,000–1,500 (min. 700; max. 2,000) | Short paragraphs; intro–body–conclusion |
| Use headings | H2/H3 headings every ~300 words or less | |
| Use lists | Bulleted or numbered where helpful | |
| Readability | One space between sentences | Not two |
| Use Oxford (serial) comma | “red, white, and blue” | |
| Minimize passive voice | Prefer “Paul wrote the letter” over “The letter was written by Paul” |
For additional guidance on English composition, see Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer.
Numbers & Ordinals
| Category | Rule | Examples / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers | Spell out: 1–100 | “twenty-five” not “25” |
| Numerals: 101+ | “101,” “3,250” | |
| Spell out round numbers | “one thousand” unless clarity favors numerals | |
| Numerals for: dates, times, money, stats, ages, measurements | “3:00 p.m.”, “$25,” “5%” | |
| Ordinals | Spell out: first–hundredth | “twenty-third” |
| Numerals: 101st+ | “101st” | |
| Biblical books: spell out (“First Corinthians”) | Except in scripture citations (“1 Corinthians 1:2”) |
Capitalization & Quotations
| Category | Rule | Examples / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Capitalization | Do not capitalize pronouns for God (for consistency with 2019 BCP, ESV, NIV, KJV) | Except when quoting sources that do (i.e., NASB, NKJV) |
| BCP Quotations | Prefer ACNA 2019 BCP | If using another, specify year (1662, 1979, etc.) |
| Footnotes & Citation | Prefer in-text notes and citations (MLA-style) | Avoid footnotes and footnote citations |
| Scripture Citations | Preferred translation: ESV | Cite version if not ESV |
| Psalms: use 2019 BCP New Coverdale Psalter, especially for liturgy | Cite version if not New Coverdale |
For additional guidance on formatting, see The Chicago Manual of Style and the Christian Writer’s Manual of Style.
Writing Voice & Tone
| Our Voice Should Be | Avoid Sounding |
|---|---|
| Pastoral | Arrogant |
| Irenic | Polemic |
| Winsome | Pejorative |
| Conversational | Stuffy / Academic |
For more on our writing voice, see Think on These Things: The Writing Ethos of Anglican Compass.
Submission Checklist
| Provide | Details |
|---|---|
| Suggested Title / Headline | Provide a working headline (the final is chosen by our editors). |
| Suggested Featured Image | Provide a legal-to-use image (Unsplash, Pixabay, etc.). Include the image URL with your submission. |
| Author Bio | Write a short bio (50–75 words). Format: “So-and-so does so-and-so.” Include links to your website, church, or social media. |
| Headshot Photo | Email a headshot photo (.jpg preferred) for your author profile. |
