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 and charity and optimize readability for our online format.
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 | |
| Do not indent paragraphs | Leave the first line flush with the text body | |
| 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 | Only use in-text notes and citations (MLA-style) | Avoid all footnotes and footnoted 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 | You may provide a legal-to-use image (Unsplash, Pixabay, etc.). Include the image URL with your submission. Our team will make the final image selection. |
| 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. |
