! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! !
COPYWRITING STYLE GUIDE - ABBREVIATED
SUGAR CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH COPYWRITING STYLE GUIDE - ABBREVIATED
! GENERAL STYLE STANDARDS: !
Always spell out the day and month. Do not abbreviate either. Example: Saturday, September 2
!
Do not use an ampersand in body copy. It may be used in headers. Example: We love our church and encourage you to visit.
!
Always use the full name of the church in your first use, then you may shorten. Example: Sugar Creek Baptist Church is hosting an Easter service. Don’t miss this opportunity to worship with us at Sugar Creek.
!
All references to God/Jesus/Holy Spirit are capitalized. Example: We declare His mission to be the same as ours.
!
Do not use st, nd, rd, or th in dates. Example: October 3
!
Use one space after all punctuation, including end marks. Example: We love our church. Please visit often.
!
Use em dashes – space before and after – only in running text. Use en dashes without spaces to separate dates and times. Example: September 1-October 31 and 5-6:30 PM
!
Do not repeat words such as months. Example: The daycamp will take place on July 7 and 12.
!
Use numerals when referring to time. Example: 5-6 PM, not five-six PM
!
Use no punctuation, and all caps for AM and PM. Example: 5:30 PM (note the space between the time and PM)
!
Do not use st nd, rd, or th to indicate grades except when referencing people. Example: Grades 2-5 or 2nd graders
!
Money should be written in the easiest manner. Example: $150, $10.50, and/or $14 million
2! of 5!
Rev. 032217
SUGAR CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH COPYWRITING STYLE GUIDE ABBREVIATED Spell out numbers less than 10. Example: There were eight children in the park.
!
Use numerals for 10 and greater. Example: Jesus had 12 disciples.
!
Use a comma when stating numbers greater than 999. Example: There were 3,406 people in attendance.
!
Phone numbers are separated by periods, not hyphens. Example: The church phone number is 281.242.2858
!
When referencing an extension number, use a comma and ext. Example: I can be reached at 281.242.2858, ext. 1086.
!
Rooms in the Family Center use capital letters and periods with no spaces. Example: Kid’s Discovery is in room B3.75
!
Do not abbreviate states in body copy. Please abbreviate according to postal codes when used in a mailing address. Example: We will be traveling to North Dakota this summer. Example: You may send donations to PO Box 45, Cody, IL 98543.
!
When quoting scripture, use quotation marks around the passage and also use italics. The scripture reference should be in bold. Example: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son.” John 3:16
!
Paragraphs should be either indented or double spaced. Example: We declare His mission to be the same as ours.
! This is the following paragraph. ! In documents that are multiple pages (including front/back), all body text should be !!the same size. Do not hyphenate words. Use a hard line break.
CAPITALIZATION: Capitalize references to the Word of God such as Bible and Scripture. Do not capitalize the word biblical or scriptural. Do not capitalize the word ‘study’ when used in a description. Example: The Women’s ministry will host a Bible study on Wednesday.Capitalize 3! of 5!
Rev. 032217
SUGAR CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH COPYWRITING STYLE GUIDE ABBREVIATED locations in the singular and plural forms when they are used as titles of specific places. Example: Registration will take place in The Commons.
!
Do not capitalize words for emphasis. Example: We will be serving Donuts for breakfast.
!
Do not capitalize words referring to computer use. Example: email, internet, website
! CONTACT INFORMATION: !
Contact information should be formatted consistently across all documents. We utilize the | for separation. It is located as the third key to the right of the letter p on the keyboard. Our structure is name (space) | (space) email address in italics. Example: David Grumme | dgrumme@sugarcreek.net
!
We do not use the phone number in the contact information unless it is the number to a direct line or cell. (The main church phone number, as well as a web URL, should appear on all printed pieces.) The direct line comes after the email address.
!
Example: Amy Quinn | aquinn@sugarcreek.net | 281.274.7486
Contact information should be on it’s own line, not a continuation of the body copy Example: If you are new to Sugar Creek, come enjoy a fantastic meal catered from Pappa’s. Contact: Tammy Mott | tmott@sugarcreek.net
!!
Never split contact information between lines. If it doesn’t all fit on one line, adjust the font size or the kerning.
!
Always include the name of the person along with their contact information. Never put just an email address or a direct line. Example: “For more information, please contact agoldberg@sugarcreek.net” instead use “For more information, please contact Anita Goldberg at agoldberg@sugarcreek.net”
!
All web addresses are italicized. Example: sugarcreek.net No not use http:// or www at the beginning of web addresses. Example: sugarcreek.net Do not use a slash at the end of a web address Example: sugarcreek.net/children/ instead use sugarcreek.net/children
!
PUNCTUATION:
4! of 5!
Rev. 032217
SUGAR CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH COPYWRITING STYLE GUIDE ABBREVIATED
! !! !
Do not use an apostrophe with plurals of numerals or all-cap abbreviations. Example: I have the CDs. The lunch group was composed of men in their 30s.
!
Do not use an apostrophe with plurals of days of the week. Example: We meet on Wednesdays.
!
Use a comma before the ‘and’ or ‘or’ when listing three items. Example: Join us for food, fellowship, and fun. Do not use exclamation marks except in a direct quote. Italicize the title of a book or magazine.
!
Example: You can read the article in the latest Lifestream magazine.
Italicize the title of a sermon, sermon series, or Bible study series. Example: We can’t wait to start reviewing Taming the Money Monster.
!
Do not use periods with abbreviations unless needed for clarity. Example: The study takes place in the LYF building.
5! of 5!
Rev. 032217