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The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition, has been updated recently, and fellow book editors everywhere are still adjusting to and celebrating these well-considered updates in many ways.
If you’re an English language nerd, you probably know about The Chicago Manual of Style, the reference work created by The University of Chicago Press. It’s where I received my editing certificate!
Most writers, editors, proofreaders, copywriters, designers, indexers, and publishers abide by the CMOS and have for many years.
Let’s dive into the CMOS, 18th, changes—and if you’re new to the editing world, allow me to introduce you to this chunker so you can learn about Chicago style.
CMOS 18 Cheat Sheet
First, because it’s always helpful to have a cheat sheet, here are the rules I reference most in the CMOS, 18th edition, for all my style guides and style sheets. Go ahead and tab ’em up in your crisp new manual!
PSSSST: I have a more expansive cheat sheet, plus many other resources, in my e-course, Freelance Editing 101: Launch or Grow Your Editorial Business. Check it out if you want more tools in your editing tool kit!
General
- Time of day (10.46; 9.39)
- Glossary of problematic words and phrases (5.254)
- Titles for movies, television, radio, and podcasts (8.191)
- Notes and bibliography/citation style (13.18)
- Production checklist for production editors (2.82)
- Generic markup for electronic manuscripts (2.86)
Commas
- Commas with independent clauses joined by conjunctions (6.22)
- Commas with appositives (6.30)
- Commas with direct address (6.57)
- Commas with coordinate adjectives (6.39)
- Serial commas (6.19)
Other Punctuation
- Scare quotes (7.60)
- Question marks in relation to surrounding text and punctuation (6.74)
- Joint versus separate possession (7.23)
- Possessive of nouns plural in form, singular in meaning (7.20)
- Fictional dialogue versus other forms of direct quotation (12.39)
Hypenation
- Hyphenation guide (7.96)
- Phrasal adjectives (5.96; 5.97)
- Suspended hyphens (7.95)
Capitalization
- Proper nouns (5.8)
- Capitals for emphasis (7.54)
- Titles and offices (8.20; 8.21)
Numbers
- General rule (9.2)
- Large monetary amounts (9.26)
- Consistency and flexibility (9.7)
- Page numbers and chapter numbers (9.28)
CMOS Online vs. Physical Copy
Whether you peruse the printed book or the CMOS Online, which are published in tandem, the style manual continues to be an authority for all kinds of readers looking for answers about all-things grammar, punctuation, usage, and syntax.
Personally, I have both The Chicago Manual of Style online subscription and a printed book. I find that there are certain areas of the book I like to physically look up, but I also highly value the search function of CMOS Online.
I also love the Q&A forum! You can bookmark the Contents page on CMOS Online, too, but I don’t find it as accessible as my tabbed printed book.
I should mention that I find the glaring yellow on the website to be super distracting, so when I can page through my printed book, I do.
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Notable 18th-Edition Changes
AI and Copyright
I’m so glad the new edition of The Chicago Manual of Style provides guidance on AI usage! We need clarity here more than ever. I’m curious to see how this will evolve. You can read more about AI and copyright information in chapter 4: Rights, Permissions, and Copyright Administration.
“In light of the increasing use of AI to generate text and images, and the copyrightability issues that arise from that (see 4.51), publishers should strongly consider also asking authors to warrant that AI has not been used to create any elements of the work except as specifically disclosed to the publisher. Such disclosure will help the copyright registration process but will not of course eliminate the inherent risk of inadvertent reproduction of copyrighted material in AI-generated content.”
—The Chicago Manual of Style, 4.76
New Section for Sensitivity Reading
I also loved to see a new section devoted to sensitivity and authenticity readings (2.54).
I’ve always encouraged my authors to pursue sensitivity readings, and it’s wonderful to see the manual point out how these areas are distinct and can improve a manuscript.
On this note, there’s also coverage of pronoun use, “they” being acceptable in all formal writing. You can find extensive information on inclusive language, in general, in the 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style—including new coverage of indigenous languages.
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Expanded Guidance for Editing Dialogue
If you edit fiction, you will be especially glad to hear this news! The CMOS is providing more information on how to handle dialogue.
There are so many different ways to write about spoken discourse, and I love to see the CMOS diving in further into dialogue tags, interrupted speech, formatting with dialogue, and more (chapter 12).
If you’re interested in editing fiction, make sure to check out The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction by Amy J. Schneider.
Clarity on Levels of Editing
My favorite change in the CMOS, 18th edition, is the definitions for various levels of editing. I think editors will always have their own ideas of what the different stages of editing look like, but I think these definitions will help keep us all on a somewhat similar page. E.g., apparently developmental editing is not to be confused with substantive editing (2.56), which is much more of a “drastic process.”
As a copyeditor, two fun little updates I love to see:
- “Headline Style” is now finally to be called “Title Case” (so much easier IMO).
- Cap the first word of a full sentence following a colon (also so much easier IMO).
See the full list of what’s new in the CMOS, 18th edition.
RELATED: What Is a Style Sheet in Editing? (Examples in Publishing)
Embracing the New CMOS Edition
If you feel overwhelmed with a new edition of the CMOS, take heart. You’ll become more and more familiar over time—just stay curious and continue to look up every rule, even if you think you’re 90 percent sure you know it.
That’s what makes a good editor anyway, isn’t it? A gut editor who’s also a relentless checker of the rules? A consistency queen or king who abides by stylistic preferences? Let me know what you think about The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition!
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