UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS

Style
Guide
UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS
STYLE GUIDE

Publication No. 7-021

USCCB Publishing
Washington, D.C.
ISBN 978-1-60137-021-1
usccbpublishing.org
 Style
Guide
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Washington, D.C.
First printing, March 2008

ISBN 978-1-60137-021-1

Copyright © 2008, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington,

D.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the copyright holder.
 Contents

Chapter 1. How to Use This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Section A. Principles and Practices

Chapter 2. Preferred Editions:
The Bible, the Catechism, and Other Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Catechism of the Catholic Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Second Vatican Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Canon Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Papal and Holy See Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
USCCB Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Traditional Prayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
References for Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 3. Other People’s Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

When and How to Cite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Quotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Documentation and Citation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Copyright and Permission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Capitalization General Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
USCCB Capitalization Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
iv | CONTENTS

Chapter 5. Names and Titles of People and Things . . . . 55

Church Roles: Use of Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Other Forms of Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Prayers and Sacred Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Latin Titles (or Incipits) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
USCCB Name History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Chapter 6. The Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Referring to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Copyrights/Permissions on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Publishing to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Chapter 7. Prefatory Statements, Decrees, and

Copyright Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Prefatory Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Decrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Copyright Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Section B. Nuts and Bolts

Chapter 8. Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Sensitivity in Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Common Word Difficulties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Hyphenation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Preferred Spellings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
 CONTENTS | 

Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes . . . . . . . . . 80

Grammar Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Punctuation Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Chapter 10. Treatment of Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

General Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Special Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Chapter 11. Italics, Boldface, and Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Italics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Boldfacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Underlining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
All Caps and Small Caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Appendices
Appendix A. Checklist for Preparing Manuscripts
for USCCB Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Appendix B. Standard Publication Formats

AND Length Estimates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
 Chapter 1
How to Use This Guide
This Style Guide changes no current practices and establishes no new rules.
Rather, it provides a single source describing practices in the existing house
style for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

USCCB publications generally follow the Chicago Manual of Style (15th edi-
tion). In addition to presenting some Chicago guidelines in common use at
the USCCB, this Style Guide also compiles deviations from Chicago and other
style rules specific to USCCB needs.

Consistency of style is an essential element of effective publishing. This guide

is intended for two audiences vital to publishing efforts at the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops:

1. The staff of the USCCB

2. Outside experts who write or edit material for the USCCB

This guide is divided into two sections (A and B):

A. Principles and Practices. This section provides helpful guiding prin-

ciples specific to the nature and scope of USCCB publications.

Cite the Bible, refer to major Chapter 2,

If you texts of the Catholic Church, “Preferred Editions: The
see
need to or find official wording of Bible, the Catechism, and
traditional prayers Other Sources”

Quote from another source,

If you cite a source, or learn about Chapter 3,
see
need to permission to use someone “Other People’s Words”
else’s work
 | chapter 1. How to Use This Guide

Capitalize an important
Chapter 4,
If you word, or use an abbreviation
see “Capitalization and
need to for a book of the Bible,
Abbreviation”
state, etc.

Refer to people in the Chapter 5,

If you
Church, prayers, and Latin see “Names and Titles of
need to
titles for church texts People and Things”

Write about the Internet,

If you use materials from the Chapter 6,
see
need to Internet, or publish to the “The Internet”
USCCB Web site

Determine the correct Chapter 7,

If you text for a prefatory state- “Prefatory Statements,
see
need to ment, or add the USCCB Decrees, and Copyright
copyright notice Notices”

B. Nuts and Bolts. This section includes chapters on more general

topics relevant to USCCB publishing efforts.

Write about race, gender

or disabilities; review how
If you Chapter 8,
to handle common word see
need to “Words”
difficulties; or hyphenate or
spell a word

Find out how the

Chapter 9,
If you USCCB handles common
see “Grammar and
need to questions about grammar
Punctuation Notes”
and punctuation
 chapter 1. How to Use This Guide | 

Find out whether to spell out

If you Chapter 10,
a number, or how to format see
need to “Treatment of Numbers”
dates and phone numbers

Chapter 11,
If you Use italics, boldface, under-
see “Italics, Boldface,
need to lining, all caps, or small caps
and Others”

This guide also features two appendices:

1. Appendix A. This appendix provides guidelines for preparing manu-

scripts to go to USCCB Publishing.

2. Appendix B. This appendix provides approximate length counts for

standard publication types and sizes.

Because style evolves with reader expectations and common practices, it is

expected that this USCCB Style Guide will need to be updated periodically.
Suggestions and additions may be sent to [email protected].
 Section A
Principles and
Practices
 Chapter 2
Preferred Editions:
The Bible, the Catechism,
and Other Sources
Bible

New American Bible The official translation used by the USCCB is the
New American Bible (NAB). More specifically, New
Testament quotes must come from the 1986 NAB New
Testament text; Old Testament quotes must come from
the 1970 NAB Old Testament text; Psalms must come
from either the 1970 or, for non-liturgical texts, the
1991 NAB Psalms. (The copyright page of the NAB
edition that is used will tell the copyright dates of the
texts included in that edition.)

If special circumstances dictate using another transla-

tion, then specifically identify the translation in the
citation: NRSV, etc.

Lectionary Use the Lectionary for Mass for all homily quotes, not
the NAB.

Spanish Bible The official source for Bible passages in Spanish is

the Leccionario Mexicano, available in three volumes
from Liturgical Press. A copy is available in USCCB
Publishing. USCCB Publishing can also help locate
passages not contained in the Leccionario.
 Chapter 2. Preferred Editions: Bible, Catechism, and Other Sources | 

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The USCCB edition is the preferred edition for English and Spanish. When
citing, do not list an author.
Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd ed.). Washington,
DC: Libreria Editrice Vaticana–United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops, 2000.

Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica (2a ed.). Washington, DC:

Libreria Editrice Vaticana–United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, 2001.

Second Vatican Council

Abbott translation The 1966 translation by Walter M. Abbott, SJ, can be

used without payment by the USCCB.
Abbott, Walter M., ed. The Documents of Vatican II. New
York: Guild Press, 1966.

Flannery translation The more recent translations by Austin Flannery,

OP, are preferred for their up-to-date language. The
USCCB does pay a fee depending on the amount
quoted. Two main editions are available:
Flannery, Austin, ed. Vatican Council II: Volume 1: The
Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (new rev. ed.).
Northport, NY: Costello Publishing, 1996.

Flannery, Austin, ed. The Basic Sixteen Documents: Vatican

Council II: Constitutions, Decrees, Declarations. Northport,
NY: Costello Publishing, 1996.

Vatican Web site Do not use the Vatican Web site for Second Vatican
Council texts. Use either the Abbott or Flannery edition.
 | Chapter 2. Preferred Editions: Bible, Catechism, and Other Sources

Canon Law

For both the Code of Canon Law and the Code of Canons of the Eastern
Churches, use the most recent translations by the Canon Law Society of
America. When citing, do not list an author.
Code of Canon Law: Latin-English Edition: New English
Translation (Codex Iuris Canonici [CIC]). Washington, DC:
Canon Law Society of America, 1998.

Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches: New English

Translation (Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium
[CCEO]). Washington, DC: Canon Law Society of
America, 2001.

Papal and Holy See Documents

USCCB editions Always use USCCB editions when they exist. USCCB
Publishing has produced official editions of many
papal and Vatican documents, containing the texts as
approved by the Holy See. These titles include many
papal letters and encyclicals, foundational texts such as
the Catechism and the General Directory for Catechesis,
and liturgical documents such as the General
Instruction of the Roman Missal. Check the Publishing
Web site (www.usccbpublishing.com) to see if a title is
currently available; if it is not, Publishing may have an
archived copy.

Vatican Web site Because the Vatican Web site (www.vatican.va) some-
times provides “provisional” texts, not final texts, only
use the Vatican Web site when a text has not been
published by USCCB Publishing. Cite the Vatican
Web site accordingly.
 Chapter 2. Preferred Editions: Bible, Catechism, and Other Sources | 

CNS’s Origins Use USCCB editions and then Vatican Web site edi-
tions as first resorts in formal publications. Texts that
are reprinted in Origins undergo a journalistic style edit
that sometimes changes italics, capitalization, cita-
tions, and other elements. In general, use Origins texts
only for texts that cannot be located in the first two
categories of sources.

USCCB Documents

Editions If the USCCB has published an edition, cite the

USCCB edition, even if it is out of print. (Other
publishers have sometimes received licenses to reprint
USCCB materials, but the USCCB cites its own edi-
tions wherever possible.)

Out-of-print texts Publishing staff can sometimes locate a copy in

Publishing’s files.

Traditional Prayers

Official texts Use the official texts of traditional prayers (Our Father,
Hail Mary, etc.) as printed in the following sources:
United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. Washington,
DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2006.

Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 2006.

Compendio del Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica.

Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 2006.
10 | Chapter 2. Preferred Editions: Bible, Catechism, and Other Sources

Liturgical prayers For prayers appearing in liturgical rites (including prayer

services), official liturgical texts of standard prayers are
to be used. The appropriate sources can be consulted in
Publishing or the Secretariat of Divine Worship.

References for Writers

Dictionaries Two preferred editions are as follows. Subsequent edi-

tions are also acceptable.
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.).
Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 2003.

The American Heritage College Dictionary (4th ed.).

Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2002.

Writing/editing Strunk and White’s classic The Elements of Style is a

must-read. Now in its fourth edition, it abounds in
wisdom and good sense and is elegantly written.
Strunk, William, Jr. and E. B. White. The Elements of Style
(4th ed.). New York: Longman, 2000.

Chicago Manual In addition to this USCCB Style Guide, use the Chicago
of Style Manual of Style for formal publications. “Chicago
style” has also been rendered more user-friendly in the
Turabian manuals.
The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.). Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Turabian, Kate, ed. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers,

Theses, and Dissertations (6th ed.). Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1996.
 Chapter 2. Preferred Editions: Bible, Catechism, and Other Sources | 11

Church style Consult the Catholic News Service Stylebook on Religion

for treatment of some abbreviations and Church refer-
ences (such as degrees and orders). For all other non-
journalistic publication questions, follow the USCCB
Style Guide.
Catholic News Service. CNS Style Book on Religion (3rd
ed.). Washington, DC: Catholic News Service, 2006.

Liturgical style Consult the Secretariat for Divine Worship. Also,

the 2007 Ratio Translationis for the English Language,
from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments, includes guidelines gov-
erning the production of liturgical materials.
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline
of the Sacraments. Ratio Translationis for the English
Language. Washington, DC: United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, 2006.

Spanish style A USCCB Spanish style guide is in development.

 Chapter 3

Other People’s Words

When and How to Cite

When to cite When in doubt, cite. Provide all information about the
original publication (see “Three Elements Needed in
Citation,” later in this chapter) for the following cases:

• Quotations (of any length) and paraphrases

• Statistics
• Interviews
• Someone else’s original idea
• Generalizations and other disputable assertions

First and Provide the full citation, with all publication

subsequent information, upon first reference. Subsequent
citations references may truncate the source to the title or
author’s name, whichever is more important for the
audience and purpose of the publication.
First: John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis (I Will
Give You Shepherds) (Washington, DC:
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 1992).

Subsequent: Pastores Dabo Vobis, no. 60.

PDV, no. 60. [if abbreviations are being used]

Provide photocopies Upon giving a manuscript to Publishing, please

to Publishing provide photocopies for all quoted and cited material.
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 13

The photocopies should include the following for each

source used:

• Title page
• Copyright page
• Pages of quoted/cited material
(including statistics)

When quoting or citing from an Internet source, please

provide printouts of the equivalent citation informa-
tion, including the specific quoted material.

Elements of As long as all the information is present and can be

citations/references easily identified, Publishing can correct the style as
needed. (See “Three Elements Needed in Citation,”
later in this chapter.)

Quotations

Quoting vs. Paraphrasing

Quotation When a text repeats original material word for word, this
is a quotation. Quotations must appear complete in the
style in which they appear in the original source (except
as indicated below, in “Altering Quoted Material”).

Paraphrase “Paraphrase” means summarizing another’s idea in

new words. It is not enough simply to change a word
or two. True paraphrase bears little resemblance to the
wording or sentence structure of the original passage.
Most paraphrases, if summarizing a clearly identifiable
passage in an original source, should be cited.
14 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

Quoting from the Bible and

Ritual Texts: Special Needs

Sense lines “Sense lines” are text formatted with line breaks (plus
any indents), as in poetry or verse. The Bible contains
many passages in sense lines (such as Isaiah, other Old
Testament books, and several passages in the New
Testament). Ritual texts (such as the Lectionary for
Mass, Rite of Confirmation, etc.) also feature many pas-
sages in sense lines.

Because they are intentional, line breaks and indents are

part of the quote and must be conveyed along with the
words. See subsection below, “Formatting Different Kinds
of Quotes,” for more details about formatting sense lines.

Citation See Chapter 4, “Capitalization and Abbreviation,” for

book abbreviations to use in Bible citations.

Changing quotes Do not change or eliminate italics, small caps (or all
from the Bible, caps), punctuation, or capitalization in quotes from
Vatican texts, and the Bible, ritual texts, or other Vatican documents.
ritual texts However, spelling and quotation marks (including
punctuation with quotation marks) may be silently
conformed to American rules, because they do not
change content or meaning.

Altering Quoted Material

Identifying changes Clearly identify any changes to the wording or inten-

tion of the quoted passage (except those noted below).

a. Place additions within brackets ([/]). If the writer

has added emphasis, this should also be noted:
“[emphasis added].”
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 15

b. Note deletions with ellipses (. . .). The standard

ellipsis is three periods and four spaces (including
one before and after the ellipsis). If the omission
includes the end of a sentence, a four-period ellip-
sis is used, with no space between the last word
and the first period.
Example: [original quote] “We also build this plan on
the foundation of past strategies.”

[altered quote] “We . . . build this plan [for

young adult ministry] on the foundation of
past strategies.”

[altered quote] “We recognize a certain

urgency in developing this plan as a result
of the listening sessions. . . . [which] pro-
vided us with valuable insights.”

Changes not needing The following changes can be made to quoted

identification material without needing to identify the changes:

a. The first letter of a quotation may be changed to

capital or lowercase, as needed. Do not use brack-
ets to denote this change.
b. Do not use ellipses at the beginning or end
of quotations.
c. The final punctuation mark may be changed, and
punctuation may be left out where ellipses are used.
d. In a quotation from a modern source, an indisput-
able typographic error may be corrected without
identifying the change. (“Sic,” meaning “thus,” is
rarely used.)

Special cases a. Original footnote or endnote references in quoted

material may sometimes be abbreviated. Always
retain any Bible citations in quoted material.
16 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

If the decision is made to include any original

citations in quotes that are used in a new docu-
ment that is also using note citations, integrate
them into the citations of the new document
and renumber accordingly. As always, consider
the intended purpose and audience of the
new document.

b. When an entire statement or article is being

reprinted, capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling may be conformed to USCCB style,
provided that they are not used specially for
effect in the original source.

Formatting Different Kinds of Quotes

General rule Quoted material that exceeds eight typed lines is set off
from the text, or “blocked,” without quotation marks.
Shorter quotations should be integrated into (or “run
into”) the text itself, with double quotation marks.

Run-In (or In-Text) Quotes

Introducing quotes If a quotation is grammatically seamless with the sen-

tence, no introductory punctuation is needed, and the
first word of the quote is not capitalized. If the quota-
tion is introduced (e.g., “The bishops said”), then the
quotation is preceded by a comma or colon, and the
first word of the quote is capitalized.
Incorrect: The bishops said that, “We . . . build this
plan on the foundation of past strategies.”
[“That” makes the quote a grammatical part
of the sentence.]

Correct: The bishops said, “We . . . build this plan on

the foundation of past strategies.”
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 17

Correct: The bishops said that they “build this plan

on the foundation of past strategies.”

End punctuation The quotation mark goes outside the period, comma,
exclamation point, or question mark; it precedes any
semicolon or colon. (See Chapter 9, “Grammar and
Punctuation Notes,” for more detailed discussion of
quotation marks and punctuation.)
Example: The bishops said that they “build this plan
on the foundation of past strategies.”

Example: The bishops said that they “build this plan

on the foundation of past strategies”; they
undertook extensive consultation before
drafting Sons and Daughters of the Light.

Citation placement Cite a run-in quote with either a parenthetical cita-

tion, a footnote, or an endnote. Insert a parenthetical
citation between the quotation mark and the ending
punctuation. If using notes instead, the note number
follows the quotation mark (or the semicolon or colon,
if applicable).
Example: The bishops stated, “We . . . build this plan
on the foundation of past strategies” (Sons
and Daughters of the Light, 25).

Example: The bishops stated, “We . . . build this plan

on the foundation of past strategies.”1
1
Sons and Daughters of the Light, 25.

Block Quotes

Block format Indent block quotes one half-inch on the left margin;
they are typically preceded and followed by a line
space. Omit the quotation marks. Do not reduce the
type size or add other styles (such as italics not found
in the original).
18 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

Citation placement Parenthetical citations and note numbers both follow

the final punctuation of a block quote.
Example: Jesus first preached in the synagogue by
reading a prophetic passage from Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to
the poor. (Lk 4:18)

Example: Jesus first preached in the synagogue by

reading a prophetic passage from Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to
the poor.1
1
Lk 4:18.

Sense Lines (Verse)

Definition “Sense lines” are text formatted with line breaks (plus
indents, sometimes), as in poetry or verse. Because
they are intentional, line breaks and indents are part of
the quote and must be conveyed along with the words.
(See previous discussion in this chapter on “Quoting
from the Bible,” since the Bible has numerous passages
in sense lines.)

Formatting When quoting from text formatted in sense lines,

choose from two options for preserving the sense lines:

a. Copy the format exactly. Format like a block

quote, and break and indent the lines exactly
as shown in the original source. (As with a
block quote, this situation would not use quota-
tion marks, and the citation would follow the
end punctuation.)
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 19

Example: Jesus first preached in the synagogue by

reading a prophetic passage from Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to
the poor. (Lk 4:18)

b. Use slashes (/), flanked by a space on either side,

to show line breaks. Choose this option if you
want to “run in” the quote with the paragraph,
rather than set it off as a block quote. (Note that
the citation precedes the end punctuation.)
Example: Jesus first preached in the synagogue
by reading a prophetic passage from
Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
/ because he has anointed me / to bring
glad tidings to the poor” (Lk 4:18).

Epigraphs

Definition An epigraph is a quotation used to introduce a book,

chapter, or section.

Citing Provide full citations for epigraphs that introduce

chapters or sections. (Epigraphs that introduce books
are typically provided with minimal attribution: the
source’s name and perhaps a date.)

Documentation and Citation

Identifying Exact Location of Source

Paragraph numbers Cite by paragraph number whenever possible. Many

church documents have numbered paragraphs. This
convention allows one to look up a given passage in
any edition.
20 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

Use “no.” or “nos.” to cite one or more paragraph num-

bers. Do not use the paragraph symbol (¶) or “n./nn.”
Example: 1
Presbyterorum ordinis, nos. 4-6; see
Pastores Dabo Vobis, no. 26.

Page numbers If the source’s paragraphs are not numbered, cite by the
page number. Do not use “page” or “p./pp.”—simply
give the number. (Do not cite by chapter or section
numbers, which are too general for precise citation.)

Bible citations Use a colon to separate chapter and verse, with no space
on either side. Use a comma to separate non-consecutive
verses. For ranges of verses, use a hyphen if the range is
contained within a chapter; use an en-dash to cite a pas-
sage that spans more than one chapter. (See Chapter 9,
“Grammar and Punctuation Notes,” for more information
about dashes.)

In the body of a text, spell out the full book of the

Bible. In citations (parenthetical or notes), use the
Bible book abbreviations provided in Chapter 4,
“Capitalization and Abbreviation.”
Example: 1
See Mt 27:62–28:10. See also Mk 16:1-8.

Example: In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus taught us how

to pray.

Canon citations In citations of canon law, use “c.” or “cc.” to cite one
or more canons, respectively. (Note that “canon”
should otherwise be spelled out in the body of a text.)
Example: 1
See Code of Canon Law (CIC), cc. 254,
256; Code of Canons of the Eastern
Churches (CCEO), c. 352.

Cite precisely, including the “§” for a section or “°” for

subsection of the exact canon cited. Take care to apply
these symbols accurately. For multiple sections, double
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 21

the “§” symbol; for multiple subsections (“°”) simply

repeat the symbol. See the examples below, especially
for spacing and punctuation guidance.
Example: 1
See Code of Canon Law (CIC), cc. 253 §1,
254 §§1-2.
2
CIC, c. 190 1°-2°.
3
CIC, cc. 1091 §§1, 3; 1095 1°, 3°.

Footnotes, Endnotes, and Parenthetical Citation

Consistency In general, use just one form of citation in a document:

footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical citations. (On rare
occasions, a special need may dictate using two forms:
e.g., parenthetical citations for bibliographic informa-
tion, plus footnotes for substantive notes.)

Footnotes, endnotes Whichever type of note is used, identify a note with a

superscripted number in the text, corresponding to a
numbered note elsewhere—footnotes at the “foot” of the
page, and endnotes at the end of the text (e.g., at the end
of the document or at the end of each chapter).

The first note for each source should provide the full
source information, as well as the page or paragraph
number(s) of the material cited by that particular note.
Because the information is self-contained, the publica-
tion needs no bibliography (though a resource list may
still be useful).
Example: Those who encourage forgiveness to resolve
international conflict have been described as
“voices in the geopolitical wilderness.”1
1
William Bole, Drew Christiansen, SJ, and
Robert T. Hennemeyer, Forgiveness in
International Politics: An Alternative Road
to Peace (Washington, DC: United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2004), 27.
22 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

In-text citations These give a brief reference within the text itself, in
(parenthetical) parentheses, rather than in a note. The source is iden-
tified by author or truncated title. Provide the source’s
full information in a bibliography or resource list at the
end of the text.
Example: Those who encourage forgiveness to
resolve international conflict have been
described as “voices in the geopolitical
wilderness” (Forgiveness, 27).

[Bibliography Entry]
Bole, William, Drew Christiansen, SJ, and
Robert T. Hennemeyer. Forgiveness in
International Politics: An Alternative Road
to Peace. Washington, DC: United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2004.

Three Elements Needed in Citation

Follow the Chicago Manual of Style guidelines for documentation of sources,

except where this Style Guide specifically departs from those guidelines. This
section provides information about the most commonly used sources, but
authors and editors should consult the Chicago Manual for special cases.

Three elements In general, documentation of sources must specify the

following three elements: authorship, title, and publica-
tion information.

a. Author(s), including (as applicable)

• Corporate author (e.g., the USCCB, or
the Center for Applied Research in the
Apostolate [CARA])
• Artists
• Interview sources as “authors”
• Editors or translators, if more germane to
the source
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 23

b. Title of source, according to the type of source used

• Book (including proceedings, standalone
studies, etc.)
• Chapter or essay in a book (if applicable);
give title of book as well
• Article and periodical
• Web page (including URL and name of
Web page)
• Movie, video, or album
• Personal communication or interview
• Work of art

c. Publication information
• For books: city, publisher, and year
• For periodicals: date, volume and issue num-
ber, page numbers of article
• For online sources: URL (Web address)
• For works of art: present location

Consider specifying the genre of Vatican sources in

their citations (“encyclical letter,” “apostolic exhorta-
tion,” etc.), when appropriate for the intended audi-
ence and purpose.

Books, Booklets, and Brochures

In footnote/endnote The footnote or endnote format for citing a book is

as follows.
Author, Book Title (City, State: Publisher, Year), Page.

In notes, provide authors’ names (if individuals) first-

name first. Be sure to provide the page or paragraph
number of the material cited, unless the note is a gen-
eral suggestion to “see” a source.
24 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

Examples: 1
USCCB Administrative Committee,
Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to
Political Responsibility (Washington, DC:
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 2003), 12.
2
William Bole, Drew Christiansen, SJ, and
Robert T. Hennemeyer, Forgiveness in
International Politics: An Alternative Road
to Peace (Washington, DC: United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2004), 27.
3
See Second Vatican Council, Vatican
Council II: Volume 1: The Conciliar and
Post Conciliar Documents, ed. Austin
Flannery (Northport, NY: Costello
Publishing, 1996).

In bibliography When the source appears in a reference list, resource

list, or bibliography, it is formatted in a slightly differ-
ent order. In general, organize the list alphabetically
using the first word of each entry.
Author. Book Title. City, State: Publisher, Year.

In bibliographies, give the first (or only) author’s name

in the order of last-name first, if the author is an indi-
vidual. (Note that subsequent authors for that source
are provided first-name first.)
Examples: Bole, William, Drew Christiansen, SJ, and
Robert T. Hennemeyer. Forgiveness in
International Politics: An Alternative Road
to Peace. Washington, DC: United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2004.

Second Vatican Council. Vatican Council II:

Volume 1: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar
Documents. Edited by Austin Flannery.
Northport, NY: Costello Publishing, 1996.
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 25

USCCB Administrative Committee. Faithful

Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political
Responsibility. Washington, DC: United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2003.

Titled Parts of Books (Chapters, Essays)

In footnote/endnote The footnote or endnote format for citing an essay or

chapter is as follows:
Author, “Chapter or Essay Title,” in Book Title (City, State:
Publisher, Year), Page.

In notes, give the authors’ names (if individuals) first-

name first. Be sure to provide the page or paragraph
number of the material cited. If the note is a general
suggestion to “see” a source, provide the full page range.
Examples: 1
Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, “Preaching
the Gospel in the New Millennium:
Obstacles and Hopes,” in Priests for a
New Millennium: A Series of Essays on
the Ministerial Priesthood by the Catholic
Bishops of the United States (Washington,
DC: United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, 2000), 93.
2
Second Vatican Council, Constitution
on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum
Concilium), no. 12, in Vatican Council
II: Volume 1: The Conciliar and Post
Conciliar Documents, ed. Austin
Flannery (Northport, NY: Costello
Publishing, 1996).

In the example of Sacrosanctum Concilium, because it

is a stand-alone piece anthologized in a collection, the
title is put in italics, not in quotation marks.

In bibliography When the source appears in a reference list, resource list,

or bibliography, it is formatted in a slightly different order.
26 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

In general, organize the list alphabetically using the

first word of each entry.
Author. “Chapter or Essay Title.” In Book Title, Pages. City,
State: Publisher, Year.

In bibliographies, give the first (or only) author’s

name in the order of last-name first, if the author is
an individual. (Subsequent authors for the source are
provided first-name first.) Also be sure to cite the full
page range for the chapter or essay.
Examples: Mahony, Cardinal Roger M. “Preaching the
Gospel in the New Millennium: Obstacles
and Hopes.” In Priests for a New Millennium:
A Series of Essays on the Ministerial
Priesthood by the Catholic Bishops of the
United States, 91-111. Washington, DC:
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 2000.

Second Vatican Council. Constitution on the

Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium).
In Vatican Council II: Volume 1: The Conciliar
and Post-Conciliar Documents, edited by
Austin Flannery. Northport, NY: Costello
Publishing, 1996.

In the example of Sacrosanctum Concilium, because it

is a stand-alone piece anthologized in a collection, the
title is put in italics, not in quotation marks.

Articles in Periodicals

In footnote/endnote The footnote or endnote format for citing an article in

a periodical is as follows:
Author, “Article Title,” Periodical Title Volume Number:
Issue Number (Date): Pages.
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 27

In notes, give the authors’ names (if individuals) first-

name first. Be sure to provide the page(s) of the mate-
rial cited. If the note is a general suggestion to “see” a
source, provide the full page range.
Examples: 1
See Stephen Wilbricht, “The Religious
and Cultural Meaning of the Mexican
American Quinceañera,” The Living Light
40:3 (Spring 2004): 70-81.
2
Doris Murphy, “How to Teach with
Christmas Carols,” RTJ: The Magazine for
Catechist Formation 40:7 (November/
December 2004): 11.

In bibliography When the source appears in a reference list, resource

list, or bibliography, it is formatted in a slightly differ-
ent order. In general, organize the list alphabetically
using the first word of each entry.
Author. “Article Title.” Periodical Title Volume Number:
Issue Number (Date): Pages.

In bibliographies, give the first (or only) author’s

name in the order of last-name first, if the author is
an individual. (Subsequent authors for the source are
provided first-name first.) Be sure to cite the full page
range for the article.
Examples: Murphy, Doris. “How to Teach with
Christmas Carols.” RTJ: The Magazine for
Catechist Formation 40:7 (November/
December 2004): 11-12.

Wilbricht, Stephen. “The Religious and

Cultural Meaning of the Mexican American
Quinceañera.” The Living Light 40:3 (Spring
2004): 70-81.
28 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

Special Cases

Interviews, personal Cite original interviews conducted for the project, as

communications well as personal communications (letters, e-mails, and
so on). They are only cited in text—via note or paren-
thetical citation—not in a bibliography.

Typically, the source of the interview or letter is the

“author.” Because these sources do not have titles,
describe them without quotation marks or italics. Do
not provide individuals’ e-mail addresses without
their permission.
Notes: 1
William Vendley, telephone interview
with William Bole, July 2001.
2
Catherine Rothwell, e-mail message to
author, January 29, 2004.
3
Jane Smith, post to DCPubs Yahoo!
group, October 21, 2004, groups.yahoo.
com/group/dcpubs/message/19985.

Online Sources

In footnote/endnote The footnote or endnote format for citing an online

source is as follows:
Author, “Web Page Title,” Web Site Name, URL
(accessed Date).

The date of access should be cited when a given

Internet site is subject to change. The date fixes the
source at a specific moment in time.
Examples: 1
USCCB Office of Child and Youth
Protection, “Who We Are,” United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
www.usccb.org/ocyp/whoweare.htm
(accessed December 16, 2004).
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 29

2
David McGuire, “Uncertain Landscape
Ahead for Copyright Protection,”
Washington Post, December 16, 2004,
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/
articles/A4003-2004Dec16.html
(accessed December 17, 2004).

In bibliography When the source appears in a reference list, resource

list, or bibliography, it is formatted in a slightly differ-
ent manner. In general, organize the list alphabetically
using the first word of each entry.
Author. “Web Page Title.” Web Site Name. URL (accessed
Date).

The date of access should be cited when a given

Internet site is subject to change. The date fixes the
source at a specific moment in time.
Examples: McGuire, David. “Uncertain Landscape
Ahead for Copyright Protection.”
Washington Post, December 16, 2004.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/
articles/A4003-2004Dec16.html (accessed
December 17, 2004).

USCCB Office of Child and Youth

Protection. “Who We Are.” United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.
usccb.org/ocyp/whoweare.htm (accessed
December 16, 2004).
30 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

Common Abbreviations and Notations

The following notations are commonly used in citations and references. Note
that some are rarely used and are not recommended.

Notation Meaning
Cf. “Confer,” “compare,” “contrast with.” Does not mean “see.”
See “For more information, consult.” Distinct from “cf.”
“See source just cited.” Usually only used in notes, not in
parenthetical citations. Not recommended, since it can eas-
Ibid.
ily get separated from the source to which it refers during
drafting and editing.

“The same,” usually referring to author. Do not use; rather,

Idem repeat the author’s last name and/or a truncated title for
each citation.

“And following.” Often used when citing Bible verses or lines

f./ff.
of poetry. Do include the ending period.

“In the place cited” and “in the work cited,” respectively.
loc. cit. and
Do not use; rather, repeat the author’s last name and/or a
op. cit.
truncated title for each citation.

Copyright and Permission

USCCB copyright The copyright on materials produced by the Conference

is held by the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops. It is not held by the committee, office, secre-
tariat, department, or individual that produced the text.
The group or person listed as the author of a work is not
necessarily the copyright holder.

If the author or editor of a work is not a member of the

Conference staff or a bishop, a contract is necessary
before work begins. Consult with the Office of General
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 31

Counsel to obtain contracts. See below for discussion

of different types of contracts possible.

When Must Permission Be Sought?

Permissions review When in doubt, committees and their staffs should

consult the Office of General Counsel. All material
published through USCCB Publishing is reviewed by
the Associate Director for Copyrights and Permissions,
who determines what quoted/reprinted material
requires licenses and permission requests.

Common myths The following misconceptions are explained further in

this section:

• “Copyright laws don’t apply to non-profits like

the USCCB.”
• “If we aren’t going to sell it, we don’t need
permission.”
• “No permission is needed for Church documents
such as the Vatican II documents, liturgical texts,
and the Bible.”
• “We don’t need permission for Vatican texts.”
• “If there’s no copyright notice on something, it’s
in the public domain.”
• “We paid the author [photographer, artist, etc.] for
the work, so we own the copyright.”
• “If it’s more than fifty [seventy-five, etc.] years old,
it’s in the public domain.”
• “If it’s fewer than 500 [300, 250, etc.] words, it’s
fair use.”
32 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

Ownership and Date of Copyright

Ownership As a rule, the actual creator of the work owns the

copyright, unless agreed otherwise in writing prior
to the beginning of work. The exception is when
employees do work within the scope of their employ-
ment, in which case the employer owns the copyright.

Definition and The copyright begins from the moment that a work is
start of copyright created in a fixed form (e.g., print, computer file, pho-
tograph, etc.). For works for hire created after January
1, 1978, copyright generally lasts for 95 years.

Differences Between Work for Hire, Assignment of Rights,

Licenses, and Releases

Work for hire A work-for-hire contract must be signed before work

begins. Under our standard work-for-hire agreement,
the USCCB owns the copyright and can use the prod-
uct in any way it chooses. The creator retains no rights
in the copyrighted work.

Section 101 of the copyright law defines a work for

hire as:

1. a work prepared by an employee within the scope

of his or her employment; or
2. a work specially ordered or commissioned for use
as a contribution to a collective work, as a part of
a motion picture or other audiovisual work, as a
translation, as a supplementary work, as a compila-
tion, as an instructional text, as a test, as answer
material for a test, or as an atlas, if the parties
expressly agree in a written instrument signed by
them that the work shall be considered a work
made for hire. For the purpose of the foregoing
 Chapter 3. Other People’s Words | 33

sentence, a “supplementary work” is a work pre-

pared for publication as a secondary adjunct to a
work by another author for the purpose of introduc-
ing, concluding, illustrating, explaining, revising,
commenting upon, or assisting in the use of the
other work, such as forewords, afterwords, pictorial
illustrations, maps, charts, tables, editorial notes,
musical arrangements, answer material for tests,
bibliographies, appendixes, and indexes, and an
“instructional text” is a literary, pictorial, or graphic
work prepared for publication and with the purpose
of use in systematic instructional activities.

Assignment of rights An assignment of rights is signed after work has begun,

though the work may or may not be complete. If the
rights are assigned to the USCCB, the USCCB owns
the copyright and can use the product in any way it
chooses. The creator retains no rights in the copy-
righted work.

Licenses A license allows the USCCB to use a copyrighted work

in specified ways for a specified period of time or num-
ber of copies. Any additional uses must be negotiated
separately. The creator retains the copyright. When
negotiating license agreements, please consult the
Office of General Counsel for guidance.

Releases Releases are necessary in a variety of circumstances

common to USCCB work, including use of photos
featuring individuals, video footage from diocesan or
Conference events, and quotes by individuals. Releases
are necessary to ensure the privacy of the individuals
involved. Consult with the Office of General Counsel
to obtain release forms that people can sign or to
obtain notices that may be posted at taped events.
34 | Chapter 3. Other People’s Words

USCCB Policies

Rights typically used Print, electronic, digital, promotional, sublicensing,

by the USCCB and derivative works (especially translations and
abridgements) are the rights typically used by the
USCCB. The USCCB also enforces copyright on
everything it produces. Note that copyrighting a text
does not prevent its widespread use.

General Counsel The Office of General Counsel has issued “Copyright

Procedures” that outline these principles in greater
detail for the USCCB. A copy can be found on the
staff-only Web site, staff.usccb.org, under “Publishing.”

How to get You can take several steps to facilitate the process
permission for ensuring that the USCCB has the necessary per-
mission to use someone else’s words:

• Keep copies of all contracts and releases regarding

the document.
• Quote, where possible, from texts listed in Chapter
2, “Preferred Editions.”
• For any other text quoted, photocopy the title
page, copyright page, and the page quoted for
submission to USCCB Publishing.
 Chapter 4
Capitalization and
Abbreviation
Capitalization General Rules

Proper nouns Capitalize the unique or official titles of organizations

and groups. Unless provided as a legal or official name,
the common noun should be the default and should
be lowercased.
Example: The St. Benedict Parish Council authored
the cookbook.

Example: The parish council adjourned.

Not used Lowercase the names of positions, areas of study,

for emphasis schools of thought, and other such labels. They are
common nouns, not proper nouns. Do not use capital-
ization merely to indicate emphasis or importance.
Example: Then-Msgr. Dennis Schnurr was general
secretary of the Conference in 1999.

Example: Parish priests with questions about the

new norms should consult the bishop.

Example: She received her master’s degrees in phi-

losophy and foreign policy.

Hyphenated words When a hyphenated word is to be capitalized,

in titles capitalize all parts of the hyphenated word. (This
excludes, as usual, prepositions and articles.)
Example: One-Eyed Man Kidnaps Trojan War Hero

Example: Up-to-Date Web Sites Hard to Maintain

36 | Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation

“The” at beginning Do not capitalize “the” at the beginning of names and

of names/titles titles when used in a sentence. (One exception is The
Catholic Relief Services Collection.)
Example: The George Washington University
[official name]

Example: She graduated from the George

Washington University.

Words in titles Do not capitalize articles or most prepositions in titles.

Do capitalize prepositions of five letters or longer (e.g.,
“between,” “about”).

Truncated names USCCB names that are truncated after first reference
retain the capitalization of the full reference.
Example: United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops; the Conference

Example: Catholic Home Missions Appeal;

the Appeal

In lists In bulleted or numbered lists, capitalize the first word

(even if the item is not a complete sentence).

USCCB Capitalization Guide

General Principles for Religious Words

See next section for specific capitalization tables by categories.

Titles • Titles of God and persons of the Trinity are

always capitalized.
• References to Jesus/God are capitalized, especially
if the reference is a generic one and readers may

 This capitalization guide has been reviewed by the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis,
the Secretariat of Doctrine, and the Secretariat of Divine Worship.
 Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation | 37

not recognize it (e.g., “the Word” when referring

to Jesus, or even the “Other” in philosophical use
when referring specifically to God).
• Pronouns referring to God (“he,” “him”)
are lowercased.
• Titles given to Jesus and Mary are
always capitalized.
Redeemer, Savior, Mary Mother of God, Queen
of Peace

• Titles of prayers are capitalized.

Memorare, Our Father, Hail Mary

• Parts of the Mass are capitalized.

Liturgy of the Word, Gloria, Doxology

• Nouns relating to the Bible are capitalized. When

used as adjectives, they are lowercased.
Scripture, Gospels, Gospel, scriptural scholarship,
gospel values

Sacraments and • Mysteries in the lives of Jesus and Mary are

mysteries capitalized. Some titles are official names (without
other meanings) and are capitalized (e.g., Pentecost,
the Last Supper). Whenever the event is used in
the context of a liturgical celebration, it should
be capitalized as well (e.g., the Solemnity of the
Annunciation, the Solemnity of the Ascension).
• Names of sacraments, such as Baptism or Anointing
of the Sick, are capitalized as nouns. When used as
verbs or adjectives, they are lowercased.
• The names of sacramentals, such as “rosary” or
“scapular,” are lowercased. “Rosary” is capitalized
when it refers to the prayer and not the object.
• Unless used in the title of a specific blessing,
“blessing” is lowercased.
38 | Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation

• The word “rite” is not capitalized in reference to a

sacrament unless the word is part of the title.

The Church • References to the Church are capitalized, includ-

ing “People of God” or “Body of Christ.”
• The word “Church” itself is capitalized as a noun
when referring to the Roman, Catholic, and
Universal Church.
• “Church” as an adjective is lowercased: “church
teaching,” “church leaders.”
• “Church” is also lowercased when referring in
general, not specifically, to church(es).
• Ecumenical references and dialogues in particular
lowercase church when referring in the generic,
not the specific.
• Both “she” and “her” are acceptable when refer-
ring to the Catholic Church.
• The word “rite” should not be used when referring
to Eastern Churches; the correct designation is
“Church.” E.g., “Byzantine Rite” needs to be replaced
with “Byzantine Church.” (See USCCB, Eastern
Catholics in the United States of America, 1999.)

Tradition • The term “Tradition” is capitalized when referring

to the specifically inspired and formal establish-
ment of church teaching and practice, oral
and written.
• The Deposit of Faith is handed on in both Sacred
Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
• The term “tradition” is lowercased when referring
to general practices not apostolic nor inspired.
 Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation | 39

Capitalization Listing, by Uppercase/Lowercase

Uppercased

Act of Contrition Christmas

Advent Church (as noun)
Advocate (title of Mary) Closing Prayer (as part of Mass)
Amen (when used at conclusion College of Bishops
of prayer) Commandment (one of the Ten or
Angelus (the) Two Great)
Annunciation Communion (Holy)
Anointed One Communion of Saints
Anointing of the Sick Confirmation
Apostles, the Consecration
Apostles, Twelve Council (Second Vatican only)
Archdiocese/Diocese (only when Council Fathers (Second
part of formal name) Vatican only)
Ascension Creator
Ash Wednesday Creed (Nicene, Apostles’)
Assumption Crucifixion (of Christ)
Baptism Death (of Christ)
Beatific Vision Decalogue
Beatitudes Deposit of Faith
Benediction Devil
Benefactress (as title of Mary) Divine Inspiration
Bible Divine Office
Bishop of Rome Divine Revelation
Blessed Mother Divine Truth
Blessed Sacrament Doctors (of the Church)
Blessed Virgin Mary Doxology
Blood of Christ Easter (Sunday)
Body of Christ Ecumenical Council
Capital Sins Elevation (at Mass)
Cardinal(s) (only when used with Emmanuel
proper names) Epiphany
Cardinal Virtues Epistles
Chosen People Eternal Word
Christ Eucharist (Holy)
Christian(s) Eucharistic Prayer (continued)
40 | Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation

Uppercased (continued)

Evangelist(s) (the four) Jesus the Galilean

Ever Virgin (title of Mary) Jesus Christ
Father (as title) Jewish People
Fathers (of the Church or Council) Judgment Day
Feast (referring to proper name) King (as title)
Glory Be (prayer) King Eternal
God the Father King of Glory
God the Holy Spirit King of Israel
God the Son King of the Jews
Good Friday Kingdom of God
Good News Kingdom of Heaven
Good Shepherd Kyrios (Lord)
Gospel Lamb of God
Hail, Holy Queen Last Day
Hail Mary Last Judgment
Handmaid of the Lord Last Supper
Head of the Church Latin Rite
High Priest Law (Old Testament Law)
Holy City (of Jerusalem) Lectionary (as title)
Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, Lent
and Joseph) Liturgy of the Eucharist
Holy Matrimony Liturgy of the Hours
Holy One Liturgy of the Word
Holy One of God Lord
Holy Orders Lord of Hosts
Holy See Lord’s Day
Holy Spirit Magisterium
Holy Thursday Magnificat
Holy Trinity Mass
Holy Week Master (as title of Christ)
I AM Matrimony (Sacrament of)
Immaculate Mary Memorare
Incarnation Memorial (referring to proper name)
Inspiration Messiah
Jesus Mother (as title of Mary)
Jesus of Nazareth Mother of God (continued)
 Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation | 41

Uppercased (continued)

Mystical Body of Christ Sacrament of Penance

New Adam and Reconciliation
New Eve Sacramentary
New Testament Satan
Old Testament Savior
Only-Begotten Son Scripture(s) (Holy, Sacred)
Opening Prayer (as part of Mass) Seat of Wisdom
Original Sin Second Vatican Council
Our Father Servant (as title)
Our Lady of (Lourdes, etc.) Seven Sacraments (the)
Palm Sunday Shepherd
Paraclete Solemnity (referring to proper name)
Paschal (Mystery, Sacrifice) Son (as title)
Passion (in reference to Christ’s) Son of David
Penitential Rite Son of the Father
Pentateuch Son of God
Pentecost Son of Israel
People of God Son of Man
Persons (as regards the Three Son of the Most High
Persons of the Trinity) Spirit (as Third Person of the Trinity)
Pope (specific designation, e.g., Suffering Servant
Pope Benedict XVI) Teacher
Precious Body and Blood Temple, Jerusalem
Prince of Peace Ten Commandments
Prophets, the Law and the Theotokos
Purgatory Three-in-One
Queen of Heaven and Earth Tradition (Sacred)
Queen of Peace Transfiguration
Redeemer Trinitarian
Reign of God Trinity
Responsorial Psalm Trinity, Holy
Resurrection (of Christ) Twelve, the
Revelation Virgin Mary
Roman Pontiff Word (referring to Jesus)
Rosary (the prayer) Word of God (referring to Bible)
Sabbath (as day of the week) Word of the Lord
42 | Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation

Lowercased

angels hell
apostles (apart from the Twelve) hierarchy
apostolic holy water
biblical marriage
bishop(s) (when not used with or in mystery
place of name) original justice
brother(s) pope (when not used with or in
canon of Scripture place of name)
canon law (unless part of title of precepts of the Church
book) priest(s)
cardinal(s) (when not used with or in prophet (generic)
place of name) psalm(s) (if not the Book of Psalms)
Catholic / social / teaching redemption
church (adj. or as building) resurrection (of the dead)
commandment (unless part of rite (when not used with the name)
proper name) rosary (the object)
conciliar (adj.) sabbath (as modifier)
confession sacrament(s) (when not used with
cross (not Christ’s) the name)
deacon(s) (when not used with or in sacramental(s)
place of name) sacrifice of Christ
demons scriptural
episcopate, episcopacy second coming
father(s) (when not used with or in sister(s)
place of name) social teaching (Catholic)
gospel (adj.) synoptic
heaven tabernacle
 Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation | 43

Capitalization Listing, by Categories

Titles of God/Trinity

Christ Paraclete
Creator Persons (as regards the Three
Father Persons of the Trinity)
God the Father Son
God the Son Son of God
God the Holy Spirit Spirit (as Third Person of the Trinity)
Holy Spirit Three-in-One
Holy Trinity Trinitarian
Jesus Trinity

Titles Given to Jesus

Anointed One Lord of Hosts

Christ Master
Emmanuel Messiah
Eternal Word New Adam
Good Shepherd Only-Begotten Son
Head of the Church Priest
High Priest Prince of Peace
Holy One Redeemer
Holy One of God Savior
I AM Servant
Jesus Christ Shepherd
Jesus the Galilean Son of David
Jesus of Nazareth Son of Israel
King (as title) Son (as title)
King Eternal Son of the Father
King of Glory Son of God
King of Israel Son of Man
King of the Jews Son of the Most High
Kyrios (Lord) Suffering Servant
Lamb of God Teacher
Lord Word
44 | Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation

Titles Given to Mary

Advocate Mother of God

Benefactress Mother
Blessed Mother New Eve
Blessed Virgin Mary Our Lady of (Lourdes, etc.)
Ever Virgin Queen of Heaven and Earth
Handmaid of the Lord Queen of Peace
Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Seat of Wisdom
Joseph) Theotokos
Immaculate Mary Virgin Mary

Liturgical/Sacramental Terms

Advent Holy Orders

Annunciation Holy Matrimony
Anointing of the Sick Holy Thursday
Ascension Holy Week
Ash Wednesday Holy Saturday
Assumption Lectionary (as title)
Baptism Lent
Blessed Sacrament Lord’s Day
Body of Christ Mass
Christmas Matrimony (Sacrament of)
Confirmation Memorial (referring to proper noun)
Communion (Holy) Palm Sunday
Easter (Sunday) Pentecost
Emmanuel Sacrament of Penance
Epiphany and Reconciliation
Eucharist (Holy) Sacramentary
Feast (referring to proper noun) Seven Sacraments (the)
Good Friday Solemnity (referring to
Good News proper noun)
Gospel Transfiguration
 Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation | 45

The Mass: Its Parts and Associated Terms

Amen (at conclusion of prayer) Lectionary

Benediction Liturgy of the Word
Blessed Sacrament Liturgy of the Eucharist
Blood of Christ Lord
Body of Christ Lord’s Day
Closing Prayer Mass
Communion (Holy) Opening Prayer
Consecration Penitential Rite
Creed (Nicene, Apostles’) Precious Body and Blood
Doxology Responsorial Psalm
Elevation Sacramentary
Epistles Scripture(s) (Holy, Sacred)
Eucharist (Holy) Word (referring to Jesus)
Gospel (noun) Word of God (referring to Bible)
Last Supper Word of the Lord
Latin Rite

Titles of Prayers

Angelus (the) Hail Mary

Act of Contrition Hail, Holy Queen
Creed (Nicene, Apostles’) Liturgy of the Hours
Divine Office Magnificat
Doxology Memorare
Eucharistic Prayer Our Father
Glory Be Rosary (the prayer)

Theological, Church, and Scriptural Terms

Apostles, the Beatitudes

Apostles, Twelve Bible
Archdiocese/Diocese (only when Bishop of Rome
part of formal name) Blood of Christ
Beatific Vision Body of Christ (continued)
46 | Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation

Theological, Church, and Scriptural Terms (Continued)

Capital Sins Last Day

Cardinal(s) (only when used with Last Judgment
proper names) Latin Rite
Cardinal Virtues Law (Old Testament Law)
Chosen People Liturgy of the Hours
Christian(s) Lord’s Day
Church Magisterium
College of Bishops Mystical Body of Christ
Commandment (one of the Ten or New Testament
Two Great) Old Testament
Communion (Holy) Original Sin
Communion of Saints Paschal (Mystery, Sacrifice)
Council (Second Vatican only) Passion (in reference to
Council Fathers (Second Christ’s Passion)
Vatican only) Pentateuch
Crucifixion (of Christ) People of God
Death (of Christ) Pope (as specific designation, e.g.,
Decalogue Pope Benedict XVI)
Deposit of Faith Prophets, the Law and the
Divine Inspiration Purgatory
Divine Revelation Reign of God
Divine Truth Resurrection (of Christ)
Doctors (of the Church) Revelation
Ecumenical Council Roman Pontiff
Emmanuel Sabbath (as day of the week)
Evangelist(s) (the four) Satan
Fathers (of the Church or Council) Scripture(s) (Sacred, Holy)
Gospel Second Vatican Council
Holy City (of Jerusalem) Temple, Jerusalem
Holy See Ten Commandments
Incarnation Tradition (Sacred)
Inspiration Trinity, Holy
Jewish People Trinitarian
Judgment Day Twelve, the
Kingdom of God Word (referring to Jesus)
Kingdom of Heaven Word of God (referring to Bible)
 Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation | 47

Lowercased

angels hell
apostles (apart from the Twelve) hierarchy
apostolic holy water
biblical marriage
bishop(s) (when not used with or in mystery
place of name) original justice
brother(s) pope (when not used with or in
canon of Scripture place of name)
canon law (unless part of title of precepts of the Church
book) priest(s)
cardinal(s) (when not used with or in prophet (generic)
place of name) psalm(s) (if not the Book of Psalms)
Catholic social teaching redemption
church (adj. or as building) resurrection (of the dead)
commandment (unless part of rite (when not used with the name)
proper name) rosary (the object)
conciliar (adj.) sabbath (as modifier)
confession sacrament(s) (when not used with
cross (not Christ’s) the name)
deacon(s) (when not used with or in sacramental(s)
place of name) sacrifice of Christ
demons scriptural
episcopate, episcopacy second coming
father(s) (when not used with or in sister(s)
place of name) social teaching (Catholic)
gospel (adj.) synoptic
heaven tabernacle
48 | Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation

Abbreviations

Acronyms and Spell out all names upon first reference. Then note the
abbreviations desired acronym or abbreviation in parentheses. The
acronym/abbreviation may be used thereafter.
Example: The Catholic Campaign for Human
Development (CCHD) will issue its annual
report next month. CCHD programs are
funded through an annual collection in
parishes each year.

Initials For names abbreviated by initials, separate the initials

with spaces:
Incorrect: E.B. White

Correct: E. B. White

An exception is the United States, which is abbrevi-

ated “U.S.” only as an adjective.

Bible

Citations For citations listing chapters and verses, use these

forms: Mt 3:10, 17-18; Jn 10:12, 14:3. Place the cita-
tion after the quote but before the period when the
citation appears within a paragraph of text. For block
quotes, which are separate from the rest of text, place
the citation after the period.
Example: “Love one another” (Jn 13:34).

The following citation abbreviations are frequently

used in biblical citations:

f. and following verse

ff. and following verses
 Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation | 49

cf. confer, compare, contrast with

see for additional information

Abbreviating books When referencing a book of the Bible in text, give the
name in full. Abbreviate books of the Bible in notes and
citations. Do not italicize either the book or the abbrevia-
tion. Note that no period is used in Bible abbreviations.

Old Testament
Genesis Gn Proverbs Prv
Exodus Ex Ecclesiastes Eccl
Leviticus Lv Song of Songs Sg (Song)
Numbers Nm Wisdom Wis
Deuteronomy Dt Sirach Sir
Joshua Jos Isaiah Is
Judges Jgs Jeremiah Jer
Ruth Ru Lamentations Lam
1 Samuel 1 Sm Baruch Bar
2 Samuel 2 Sm Ezekiel Ez
1 Kings 1 Kgs Daniel Dn
2 Kings 2 Kgs Hosea Hos
1 Chronicles 1 Chr Joel Jl
2 Chronicles 2 Chr Amos Am
Ezra Ezr Obadiah Ob
Nehemiah Neh Jonah Jon
Tobit Tb Micah Mi
Judith Jdt Nahum Na
Esther Est Habakkuk Hb
1 Maccabees 1 Mc Zephaniah Zep
2 Maccabees 2 Mc Haggai Hg
Job Jb Zechariah Zec
Psalms Ps Malachi Mal

50 | Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation

New Testament

Matthew Mt 1 Timothy 1 Tm
Mark Mk 2 Timothy 2 Tm
Luke Lk Titus Ti
John Jn Philemon Phlm
Acts of the Acts Hebrews Heb
Apostles
Romans Rom James Jas
1 Corinthians 1 Cor 1 Peter 1 Pt
2 Corinthians 2 Cor 2 Peter 2 Pt
Galatians Gal 1 John 1 Jn
Ephesians Eph 2 John 2 Jn
Philippians Phil 3 John 3 Jn
Colossians Col Jude Jude
1 Thessalonians 1 Thes Revelation Rev
2 Thessalonians 2 Thes

Common Church Sources

Citations Citations for common sources from the Church’s

Magisterium may abbreviate the source name using
the abbreviations below, provided that either (1) the
full name is spelled out upon first reference, with the
abbreviation noted in parentheses, or (2) the publica-
tion has an abbreviations list.

Do not italicize abbreviations for the titles of common

church sources.

Some common Here are abbreviations for the most commonly

abbreviations cited sources.
 Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation | 51

General Sources

Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC

Code of Canon Law (Codex Iuris Canonici) CIC

Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (Codex

CCEO
Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium)

Second Vatican Council: Major Documents

Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on

LG
the Church)
Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on
DV
Divine Revelation)
Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the
SC
Sacred Liturgy)
Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the
GS
Church in the Modern World)
Christus Dominus (Decree on the Pastoral Office
CD
of Bishops in the Church)
Presbyterorum Ordinis (Decree on the Ministry
PO
and Life of Priests)
Ad Gentes Divinitus (Decree on the Church’s
AG
Missionary Activity)

Other Vatican/ In the back of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

papal sources (2nd ed.) is a list of other common abbreviations for
Vatican and papal sources, as well as Vatican congrega-
tions. Do not italicize the abbreviations.

In general, abbreviate Vatican and papal sources using

the initials of the Latin title (incipit): e.g., Pope John
Paul II’s Pastores Dabo Vobis (I Will Give You Shepherds)
would be abbreviated PDV.
52 | Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation

USCCB sources USCCB sources are less commonly abbreviated.

Religious Orders

General rule Do not use periods in abbreviations for religious orders

(e.g., SJ, SSND).

CNS Stylebook For a complete list of abbreviations for religious orders,

see appendices of the CNS Stylebook on Religion.

Degrees

Periods Do not use periods in abbreviations for either ecclesi-

astical or academic degrees.

Spelled out When spelling out the names of degrees, spell out the
formal name (“master of arts,” “bachelor of science”).
Use apostrophes for less formal references (“master’s
degree,” “bachelor’s degree”—but “doctorate”). Note
that none of these are capitalized.

States

In text In text for publication, always spell out the name of

the state. For fund-raising campaigns/collections, it is
acceptable to use the zip abbreviations given below.

In citations In notes and citations, use postal, or zip, abbreviations

for states.

Alabama AL Montana MT
Alaska AK Nebraska NE
Arizona AZ Nevada NV
Arkansas AR New Hampshire NH
 Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation | 53

California CA New Jersey NJ

Colorado CO New Mexico NM
Connecticut CT New York NY
Delaware DE North Carolina NC
D.C. (see below) DC North Dakota ND
Florida FL Ohio OH
Georgia GA Oklahoma OK
Hawaii HI Oregon OR
Idaho ID Pennsylvania PA
Illinois IL Rhode Island RI
Indiana IN South Carolina SC
Iowa IA South Dakota SD
Kansas KS Tennessee TN
Kentucky KY Texas TX
Louisiana LA Utah UT
Maine ME Vermont VT
Maryland MD Virginia VA
Massachusetts MA Washington WA
Michigan MI West Virginia WV
Minnesota MN Wisconsin WI
Mississippi MS Wyoming WY
Missouri MO

District of Columbia For the District of Columbia, provide the full name
when it is mentioned without “Washington.” When
paired with Washington, it is abbreviated “D.C.” in
text, and “DC” in citations. Note that because the
District of Columbia is not a state, it is not included in
state counts and is typically mentioned separately.
Example: The bishops visited nine states and the
District of Columbia.

Example: The tourists flock to Washington, D.C., in

the spring.
54 | Chapter 4. Capitalization and Abbreviation

Example: 1
USCCB, United States Catholic Catechism
for Adults (Washington, DC: USCCB, 2006).

Do not use periods to abbreviate the four quadrants of

the District of Columbia (NE, NW, SE, SW).

Example: United States Conference of

Catholic Bishops
3211 Fourth Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017
 Chapter 5
Names and Titles of
People and Things
Church Roles: Use of Titles

Saints Use “St.” when preceding the name. Use “saint” when
no name follows.

Popes When using “His Holiness” or “Holy Father,” ensure

that the identity of the pope in question is clear.

Cardinals “Cardinal” precedes the name in U.S. usage: “Cardinal

Joseph Bernardin,” not “Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.”
Only use “His/Your Eminence” in direct quotes or in
the salutation of a letter.

Bishops Use “Most Rev.” or “Most Reverend” before the name

for the most formal use (e.g., correspondence). Use
“Bishop” or “Archbishop” before the name otherwise.
Only use “His/Your Excellency” in direct quotes or in a
letter salutation.

Monsignors Abbreviate as “Msgr.” “The Rev. Msgr.” is reserved

for the most formal occasions. Spell out and capitalize
“Monsignor” if referring to the person without the name.

Priests Abbreviate as “Fr.” preceding the name; spell out and

capitalize “Father” if referring to the person without
the name. It is also sometimes acceptable to use no
title before the name if the religious order follows the
name (e.g., “John Smith, SJ”). Use “the Rev.” only for
56 | Chapter 5. Names and Titles of People and Things

formal use. In formal writing, use the last name, not

first, with the title: e.g., “Fr. Doe,” not “Fr. John.”

Deacons Use “Deacon,” not “Rev. Mr.” (e.g., “Deacon

John Smith”).

Sisters Abbreviate as “Sr.” before the name. Spell out and

capitalize “Sister” if referring to the person without her
name. In formal writing, use the last name, not first,
with the title: e.g., “Sr. Doe,” not “Sr. Jane.”

Brothers Abbreviate “Br.” before the name. Spell out and capi-
talize “Brother” if referring to the person without his
name. In formal writing, use the last name, not first,
with the title: e.g., “Br. Doe,” not “Br. John.”

Others Do not abbreviate “Abbot,” “Abbess,” or “Mother.”

Other Forms of Address

A comprehensive guide to forms of public address for civil, military, and

professional titles may be found in Chapter 8 of the Chicago Manual of Style
(15th edition).

Prayers and Sacred Texts

Traditional prayers Treat the names of traditional prayers as proper nouns,

not as titles of creative works:
Our Father, Hail Mary, Prayer of St. Francis, the Memorare

Note in the example that names in other languages are

italicized because they include foreign words.
 Chapter 5. Names and Titles of People and Things | 57

Newly composed Prayers that are more recent original works are iden-
prayers tified with quotation marks, like any other title of a short
work: e.g., “Litany of the Way,” “Prayer for Healing.”

Scriptures and other Like the Bible, the principal texts of other religions
principal texts are typically treated as proper nouns, not as the titles
of works.
Bible, Torah, Talmud, Qur’an, Hadith, Bhagavad Gita

Further, the correct names for the parts of the Catholic

Bible are “Old Testament” and “New Testament.” Do
not use “Hebrew Scriptures” or “Christian Scriptures.”

Latin Titles (or Incipits)

Incipits Latin “titles” are not technically titles at all—they are

actually the first two to three words, or “incipit,” of the
Vatican or papal text in Latin. Thus, the capitalization
of Latin “titles” requires careful consideration of audi-
ence and purpose. See below.

Capitalization In a publication for a general audience, capitalize Latin

titles as you would capitalize titles in English. That is,
capitalize all words except prepositions and articles.
Example: 1
See John Paul II, That They All May Be
One (Ut Unum Sint), nos. 89-90.

In a publication for a more scholarly church audience,

give the Latin incipit in sentence-case: that is, capital-
ize only the first word and subsequent proper nouns,
and otherwise lowercase.
58 | Chapter 5. Names and Titles of People and Things

Examples: 1
See John Paul II, That They All May Be
One (Ut unum sint), nos. 89-90.
2
See Second Vatican Council, Decree
on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the
Church (Christus Dominus), no. 14.
[“Dominus” is a proper noun.]

Placement with In a publication aimed at a general audience, provide

English titles the English title first, followed by the Latin in parentheses.

When the publication is aimed at an audience more

familiar with the Latin titles, give the Latin titles first,
followed by the English in parentheses.

Abbreviations Whether the English or the Latin title is given priority

(see above), always use the abbreviation corresponding
to the Latin title. (E.g., the Constitution on the Sacred
Liturgy [Sacrosanctum Concilium] is abbreviated SC.)
See the “Abbreviations” section of Chapter 4 for a list
of abbreviations for common church sources; see also
the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s Abbreviations
section for a fuller list.

USCCB Name History

Name changes The USCCB has undergone several name changes

since 1917:

1917-1919 National Catholic War Council

1919-1922 National Catholic Welfare Council

1922-1966 National Catholic Welfare Conference

 Chapter 5. Names and Titles of People and Things | 59

National Conference of Catholic

1966-2001 Bishops (ecclesiastical body); United
States Catholic Conference (legal body)

United States Conference of

2001-present
Catholic Bishops

Do not use “U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,” as

this is not the legal name of the USCCB.

Updating reprints Typically, in reprints, only the cover, title page, copy-
right page, and any contact information are updated
to reflect the current name of the Conference. These
change to reflect our continuing copyright; other men-
tions throughout the reprint do not change, in order to
maintain the historical integrity of the document.

Citing older works When referring to older works in new manuscripts, cite
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as
publisher (and as author, where applicable). This prac-
tice reflects our continuing copyright of the material.
 Chapter 6
The Internet
Referring to the Internet

Internet lingo The following are the preferred capitalization and

spelling for common Internet terms:

electronic mailing list online

e-mail URL, URLs
Internet Web site
list service Web page
webmaster

Do not use the term “listserv” (or “listserve”) to

describe an electronic mailing list, because the term
is a trademarked brand name. “List service” or “e-mail
list” is acceptable.

Internet addresses Always italicize URLs and e-mail addresses. Do not

put them in quotation marks; do not use boldface or
underlining. (Automatic underlining in MS Word can
be turned off.)

Omit “http://” and other such “protocol” or “channel”

tags from URLs. (Web servers, which handle all such
URLs, can determine what protocol or channel to use
when a URL is typed in.)
Incorrect: For more information, visit http://www.
usccb.org/news.

Correct: For more information, visit www.usccb.

org/news.
 Chapter 6. The Internet | 61

Correct: 1
USCCB Office of Child and Youth
Protection, “Who We Are,” United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
www.usccb.org/ocyp/whoweare.htm
(accessed December 16, 2004).

Citing online sources See “Special Cases: Online Sources” in the documenta-
tion and citation section of Chapter 3, “Other People’s
Words,” for guidelines about citing online sources.

Copyrights/Permissions on the Internet

Using Material from Other Sites

Public domain? Material posted on a Web site, even if the page does
not have a copyright notice, is not necessarily in the
public domain. Seek permission to use this material, as
with any other published material.

Obtaining Typically, a Web site’s owner posts contact

permission information on the site. In seeking permission, it is
especially important to confirm the ownership of the
material, as many Web sites draw materials from a
variety of sources that may not be credited.

Seeking Permission to Post Copyrighted Material onto

the USCCB Site

Digital rights In order to post onto the USCCB Web site any mate-
rial (text, photos, artwork, etc.) copyrighted by others,
digital rights must be obtained. Not all copyright own-
ers are willing to grant such rights; and, in some cases,
an additional charge may be levied. If digital rights
cannot be obtained and the use exceeds the limits of
fair use, the material may not be posted.
62 | Chapter 6. The Internet

Downloading If posted material is intended for downloading and

distribution (for example, a bulletin insert), sublicens-
ing rights are needed for all copyrighted materials that
exceed fair use. Since these rights may be difficult to
obtain, avoid using material copyrighted by others on
such projects, if at all possible. For example, using pho-
tographs on a bulletin insert may mean that parishes
cannot download it for distribution.

Releases Because of the reach of the Internet, take extra care to

obtain any necessary permissions and/or releases. See
the end of Chapter 3, “Other People’s Words,” for a
section on releases.

Publishing to the Internet

Why Publish to the Internet

Internet is Posting a text on the Internet is “publishing.” While

publishing the technology, availability, and reader experience of
Internet publications are different from those of printed
publications, the fundamental purpose of “publishing”
remains unchanged: to disseminate, to make public.

Affordable Publishing to the Internet—as HTML text, a

alternative downloadable PDF file, or an adaptable text file—is an
affordable, viable alternative to producing, warehous-
ing, and fulfilling orders for a printed product.

Policies

Posting Policies governing what material may be posted to the

USCCB Web site, and what processes to follow for the
different types of postings, are described in the “USCCB
Internet Guidelines.” Obtain a copy from the staff-only
 Chapter 6. The Internet | 63

Web site, staff.usccb.org. Consult IT, the Digital Media

office, or the General Secretariat for further guidance.

Linking Links to other Web sites (external to USCCB) require

approval from your department director and the General
Secretariat. Obtain the form entitled “Conference Web
Link Approval Form” from the staff-only Web site,
staff.usccb.org. Consult IT or the General Secretariat
for further guidance.

End User Considerations

Formats

HTML Posting your publication in HTML format—meaning

that the text will appear on a Web page—is ideal when
you want to deliver plain text for onscreen reading,
when you can allow time for the Digital Media office
to convert the text to HTML, and when you want the
text to download to readers’ computers most quickly.
Consult Digital Media for the best way to submit files
for the conversion process (including, but not limited
to, how to handle citations, graphics, and sidebars).
For very long documents, consider working with
Digital Media to develop an “index page,” a table of
contents with links to the chapters or other parts of
the document for ease of navigation.

PDF Posting a PDF to the Conference Web site is desirable

when you want to deliver a document in a specific
format or design, when time is short (PDFs can be
created and posted in minutes), or when you want the
document to be easily printed and replicated by the
end user (such as bulletin inserts). The product will
not be read as a Web page but will instead be a file that
the end user can download, save on the computer, and
64 | Chapter 6. The Internet

read and print in Acrobat Reader (free) or other PDF

viewing software. Consult Digital Media or Publishing
about considerations of size, length, and other format-
ting needs.

Word/RTF file For documents that should be adaptable by the end user
(such as lesson plans or sample letters), consider posting
the file as a Word or RTF (“rich text format”) document.
 Chapter 7
Prefatory Statements, Decrees,
and Copyright Notices
Prefatory Statements

All USCCB resources published for the public must feature a prefatory state-
ment from the General Secretary indicating level of authority. (The following
do not require prefatory statements: press releases, action alerts, statements of
the Conference president and committee chairs.)

Committee For documents that are developed as a resource of a

resource particular committee:
The document [title] was developed as a resource by the
[committee name] of the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It was reviewed by the com-
mittee chairman, [Arch]bishop [Name], and has been
authorized for publication by the undersigned.

[General Secretary’s full name]

General Secretary, USCCB

Administrative For documents that receive approval of the

Committee Administrative Committee to be published in its
own name:
The document [title] was developed by the [commit-
tee name] of the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops (USCCB). It was approved by the Administrative
Committee of the USCCB at its [March/September]
[year] meeting for publication in the name of the
66 | Chapter 7. Prefatory Statements, Decrees, and Copyright Notices

Administrative Committee and has been authorized for

publication by the undersigned.

[General Secretary’s full name]

General Secretary, USCCB

Administrative For a document that receives approval of the

Committee and Administrative Committee to be published in the
developing committee name of the committee that developed it:

The document [title] was developed by the [commit-

tee name] of the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops (USCCB). It was approved by the Administrative
Committee of the USCCB at its [March/September]
[year] meeting as a document of the [committee
name] and has been authorized for publication by the
undersigned.

[General Secretary’s full name]

General Secretary, USCCB

USCCB full body For documents that receive approval by the full body:
The document [title] was developed by the [committee
name] of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB). It was approved by the full body of the USCCB
at its [June/November] [year] General Meeting and has
been authorized for publication by the undersigned.

[General Secretary’s full name]

General Secretary, USCCB

USCCB and For USCCB documents that receive approval by the

Holy See full body and also receive the recognitio of the Holy See:
The document [title] was developed by the [commit-
tee name] of the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops (USCCB). It was approved by the full body of the
USCCB at its [June/November] [year] General Meeting,
 Chapter 7. Prefatory Statements, Decrees, AND Copyright Notices | 67

received the subsequent recognitio of the Holy See, and

has been authorized for publication by the undersigned.

[General Secretary’s full name]

General Secretary, USCCB

See the next section on publishing the Vatican decrees

for these kinds of documents.

Decrees

For a document approved by the USCCB that is subsequently approved by the

Holy See, include the full text of all accompanying decrees at the beginning of
the publication, including the Vatican protocol number of each decree.

Copyright Notices

English Copyright © [year], United States Conference of

Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. All rights
reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by
any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the copyright holder.

Spanish Copyright © [year], United States Conference of

Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. Se reservan
todos los derechos. Ninguna porción de este trabajo
puede reproducirse o ser transmitida en forma o medio
alguno, ya sea electrónico o mecánico, incluyendo
fotocopias, grabaciones, o por cualquier sistema de
recuperación y almacenaje de información, sin el per-
miso por escrito del propietario de los derechos.
 Section B
Nuts and Bolts
 Chapter 8
Words
Sensitivity in Language

American or U.S.

“U.S.” preferred Since “American” may refer to the continents of

North or South America, “U.S.” is preferred as the
adjective pertaining to the United States of America.

“American Church” Do not use either “American Church” or “U.S.

or “U.S. Church” Church” as a synonym for the Church in the United
States. Acceptable forms are “Church in the United
States,” “Church (or Catholic Church) in North
America,” “Church in South America,” or “Church
in the Americas.” “Catholics in the United States”
can also be used.

“U.S. bishops” Do not refer to the USCCB as “U.S. bishops” or

“U.S. Catholic bishops.” Acceptable references are
“Catholic bishops of the United States” or “bishops
of the United States.”

USCCB name Do not use “U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.”

The legal name of the organization is “United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops.”
 Chapter 8. WORDS | 71

Race

Capitalization Terms of race, ethnicity, or religion that derive from

a proper noun are usually capitalized (e.g., “Hispanic/
Latino,” “Christian”). Following Chicago Manual of
Style, section 8.43, “designations based loosely on color
are usually lowercased, though capitalization may be
appropriate if the writer strongly prefers it.”

No hyphens Do not hyphenate African American, Asian

American, Native American, and so forth.

African American, Take care to distinguish between “African Americans”

africentric and other people of African descent (both in the
Americas and around the world). Note, however, that
“African American” can be used to denote people of
African descent living in Central and South America.

Use “africentric,” not “afrocentric,” when describing

something centering on Africa.

When in doubt For additional guidance on the use of racial, eth-

nic, or religious terms, consult the USCCB Offices
for Cultural Diversity and for Ecumenical and
Interreligious Affairs.

Gender

Inclusive language Avoid using “he” when referring to people in general,

both men and women. Instead, either use “he or she” (not
“s/he”) in the singular, or change all references to plural
and use “they.” (In written communication, “they” is not
an acceptable gender-neutral singular pronoun.)
Incorrect: An individual must account for his actions.

Incorrect: An individual must account for

their actions.
72 | Chapter 8. WORDS

Correct: All must account for their actions.

Correct: Each person must account for his or

her actions.

Non-gendered nouns Use words such as “layperson” instead of “layman,”

and “altar server” instead of “altar boy.” “Chairman” is
appropriate for the chair of bishops’ committees; in all
other cases, “chair” or “chairperson” is preferred.

Church: She or it? The normal usage in liturgical, doctrinal, and cat-
echetical materials is the feminine pronoun. In other
kinds of materials (e.g., legal documents), the neuter
pronoun may be more appropriate.

God and Trinity All persons of the Trinity are referred to with mascu-
line pronouns.

Disabilities and Disadvantages

Emphasize person Place the person before the disability or disadvantage.

Instead of . . . Use . . .
Blind person Person who is blind
Autistic child Child with autism
Handicapped Person/people with disabilities
Shut-ins Those confined to home
At-risk youth Youth in high-risk environments

Community terms Some people with disabilities or disadvantages iden-

tify themselves as members of distinct communities
and cultures. Be cautious about using such terms, and
check with Publishing or community resources when
in doubt. This kind of language evolves continually, so
it is important to stay current with the sensibilities of
the communities in question. For example, a “person
 Chapter 8. WORDS | 73

who is deaf” is someone who has a hearing disability. But

a “Deaf” person refers specifically to the community of
people with hearing disabilities who identify with Deaf
culture, which includes various sign languages, distinct art
forms and customs, and common understandings.

Common Word Difficulties

Misused Words

Comprise “Comprise” is often confused with “compose.” “Is com-

prised of” is incorrect; the correct usage is “comprises”
or “is composed of.” The whole comprises the parts,
and the parts compose the whole.
Incorrect: The legislative branch is comprised of the
House and the Senate.

Correct: The legislative branch is composed of the

House and the Senate.

Correct: The legislative branch comprises the

House and the Senate.

Correct: The House and Senate compose the legis-

lative branch.

That, which “That” is used to provide necessary identifying infor-

mation, with no comma. “Which” is used only when
what follows is not necessary to identify what is being
described, and it is set off with a comma.
Incorrect: The parish which is on Division Street is
undergoing renovations.

Correct: The parish that is on Division Street is

undergoing renovations. [“That is on
Division Street” is needed to identify what
parish is discussed.]
74 | Chapter 8. WORDS

Correct: The parish, which is on Division Street, is

undergoing renovations. [Sentence simply
notes, as an aside, that the parish in question
is on Division Street.]

Affect, effect When referring to the impact something has on some-

thing else, “effect” is a noun; “affect” is a verb.
Effect (n.): September 11 had a tremendous effect on
the nation.

Affect (v.): September 11 affected the nation

tremendously.

When “effect” is used as a verb, it means “to accom-

plish” or “to bring about.”
Effect (v.): The European Union has effected great
changes in how European countries view
themselves. [I.e., “brought about,” not “had
an impact on.”]

Likewise, “affect” can also be a noun, referring to one’s

ability to feel emotion.
Affect (n.): The student manifested a distinct lack of
affect, illustrated by her sullenness and
lack of response to the sad story.

Ensure, insure, Because these words have similar sounds and

assure meanings, they are often used interchangeably.
However, their nuances should be observed when
using them:
Ensure: We must ensure that such thefts never
happen again. [“Ensure” means
“make sure.”]

Assure: We must assure the staff that steps are

being taken to prevent future break-ins.
[“Assure” means “reassure.”]
 Chapter 8. WORDS | 75

Insure: We must insure our property against future

losses. [“Insure” refers specifically and only
to insurance.]

U.S., United States “United States” is the noun. Use “U.S.” only as an
adjective.
Example: The U.S. Congress is considering raising
the retirement age.

Example: The bishops of the United States issued a

new pastoral plan.

E.g. vs. i.e. These are commonly confused and erroneously used
interchangeably. Knowing what they abbreviate clari-
fies their usage:

Latin English Usage

e.g. exempli gratia for example
i.e. id est that is (usually with a comma)

Note that both are followed by a comma: e.g., like this.

AD vs. BC The Church typically marks time from the birth of

Christ—“AD” (anno domini, “the year of our Lord”)
and “BC” (“before Christ”). AD grammatically pre-
cedes the year, while BC comes after the year. (For
example, “AD 381” means “the year of our Lord 381.”)

Even though “CE” (“Common Era”) and “BCE”

(“Before the Common Era”) are also in use instead of
AD and BC, respectively, the USCCB preference is
not to use them.
76 | Chapter 8. WORDS

Letters of the Alphabet

Letters as letters Individual letters and combinations, when referred

to as letters, are italicized to make clear that they
are intentional.
the letter m, a capital Q

Plurals of letters Letters, when referred to as letters, are pluralized with

an apostrophe-s. (This is a rare exception to the gen-
eral rule not to use apostrophes to pluralize.)
Example: Sign your name by the two X’s.

Working with Words

Words as words Put words in quotation marks when they are used as
words. Do not italicize for this purpose. Also, only
combine quotation marks with italics if the word is
also foreign (see next item).
Example: I don’t know what you mean by the
word “inferior.”

Do not use single quotation marks for this purpose.

Foreign words Words foreign to the document’s language are put

in italic type (except for common abbreviations like
“e.g.” and “ibid.”). When a foreign word is treated as
a word, the word—which is already italicized—is put
into quotation marks.
Example: I don’t know what you mean by “de iure.”

Brand names and Brand names that are trademarked should be

trademarks capitalized. Whenever possible, use the general term
for something, not the trademarked term. (For example:
“worship aid” instead of “Missalette®,” “electronic
 Chapter 8. WORDS | 77

mailing list” instead of “LISTSERV®,” “photocopy”

instead of “Xerox®.”)

Hyphenation

General guide See Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.), section 7.90,
for excellent general guidelines on hyphenating words.

Adjective with noun Hyphenate an adjective-noun compound when it

precedes and modifies another noun.
middle-class values

well-known bishop

Do not hyphenate such a phrase when it follows a

verb, making each part function separately.
The bishop was well known.

Common base word When two or more hyphenated compounds have a

common base, omit the base in all but the last. In
unhyphenated compounds written as one word, the
base can be repeated.
sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders
presurgical and postsurgical
himself or herself; him- or herself

Compound adjective Hyphenate a compound adjective when it precedes

what it describes.
step-by-step instructions

up-to-date schedule

However, when the adjective follows the noun it

describes, it is not hyphenated.
The schedule was up to date.
78 | Chapter 8. WORDS

Fractions Hyphenate fractions used as adjectives. Do not

hyphenate fractions used as nouns.
Example: A two-thirds majority was needed.

Example: Two thirds of the donations go back to the

community.

Adverb plus Do not put a hyphen after any word ending in “-ly.”
adjective Hyphens are optional after other adverbs; if ambiguity
is possible, a hyphen is warranted.
Poorly attired man

Highly developed system

Less-appreciated art [hyphen optional]

Ever-more-resentful neighbor [hyphens optional]

Awkward letter On occasion, a hyphen is used after a prefix or before a

constructions suffix to avoid an awkward combination of letters or a
potentially misunderstood word (e.g., “bell-like,” “re-
creation” [“creating again” versus “recreation”]). See
dictionary for correct spelling.

Prefixes Generally, do not hyphenate most words formed with

prefixes. Prefixes are usually connected to the base word,
as with “hypersensitive,” “antiwar,” “infrastructure.”

anti intra re
co macro semi
de micro sub
hyper supra non
hypo trans post
infra un pre
 Chapter 8. WORDS | 79

En-dash (N-dash) Use en-dashes (–) to form a compound word (instead of

a hyphen) when one part of the compound itself consists
of two words or a hyphenated word (e.g., Baltimore–New
York train; Libreria Editrice Vaticana–United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops publication). See
Chapter 9, “Grammar and Punctuation Notes,” for other
discussion of the en-dash.

Preferred Spellings

The following list gives preferences for some words that can be spelled or
hyphenated in a variety of ways.

(arch)diocese (not flier onsite

“arch/diocese”) follow-up part-time
co-worker full-time (adj./adv.) policy making, policy
decision making, deci- fund raising, fund raiser (n.) maker (n.)
sion maker (n.) fund-raising (adj.) policy-making (adj.)
decision-making (adj.) interreligious stand-alone
diocese-wide (not Jesus’ (irregular poss.) timeline
“diocesan-wide”) laypeople, layperson webmaster
e-mail lifelong Web site, Web page
fieldwork long-term worshiping, worshiper
firsthand low-income
(secondhand, etc.) ongoing
online
 Chapter 9
Grammar and
Punctuation Notes
This chapter does not detail all rules of punctuation and grammar. Rather,
it provides notes on common errors and other principles that differ between
various styles.

Grammar Notes

Bulleted and Numbered Lists

Run-in lists When a numbered or lettered list runs sequentially in

the paragraph itself (that is, not itemized vertically),
surround each number or letter with parentheses. Do
not use periods or a single parenthesis.
Incorrect: Her parish experience is broad and includes
1) running the parish Web site, 2) serving as
council president for two terms, and 3) help-
ing with ministry of hospitality.

Incorrect: Her parish experience is broad and includes

1. running the parish Web site, 2. serving as
council president for two terms, and 3. help-
ing with ministry of hospitality.

Correct: Her parish experience is broad and includes

(1) running the parish Web site, (2) serving
as council president for two terms, and (3)
helping with ministry of hospitality.
 Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes | 81

Colons If the list is introduced by a complete sentence, a colon

can be used. If the introducing sentence is incomplete,
then do not use a colon.
Incorrect: Her parish experience is broad and includes:
• Running the parish Web site
• Serving as council president for
two terms
• Helping with ministry of hospitality

Correct: Her parish experience is broad and includes

• Running the parish Web site
• Serving as council president for
two terms
• Helping with ministry of hospitality

Correct:
Her parish experience is broad and
includes the following:
• Running the parish Web site
• Serving as council president for
two terms
• Helping with ministry of hospitality

How to Format Bulleted or Numbered Vertical Lists

Capitalizing Capitalize the first word of each item.

Hanging indents Do not insert a hard return after each line and tab over
subsequent lines. Instead, set a hanging indent in the
word processing software.

Punctuating If each item is a complete sentence, end it with a

period. (If one item is a complete sentence, all should
be complete sentences.) See example.
Example: Her parish experience is broad:
• She ran the parish Web site.
• She served as council president for
two terms.
• She helped with the ministry of
hospitality as an usher.
82 | Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes

If the items in the list are not complete sentences, do

not punctuate as if they were in a series—the act of bul-
leting or numbering makes this punctuation redundant.
Incorrect: Her parish experience is broad and includes
• Running the parish Web site,
• Serving as council president for two
terms, and
• Helping with ministry of hospitality.

Incorrect: Her parish experience is broad and includes

• Running the parish Web site;
• Serving as council president for
two terms;
• Helping with ministry of hospitality.

Correct: Her parish experience is broad and includes

• Running the parish Web site
• Serving as council president for
two terms

Numbers/letters When the vertical list is numbered or lettered, the

number or letter should be followed by a period. Do
not use parentheses on either side of the letter.
Incorrect: Her parish experience is broad and includes
1) Running the parish Web site;
2) Serving as council president for
two terms;
3) Helping with ministry of hospitality.

Incorrect: Her parish experience is broad and includes

(1) Running the parish Web site;
(2) Serving as council president for two
terms;
(3) Helping with ministry of hospitality.

Correct: Her parish experience is broad and includes

1. Running the parish Web site
2. Serving as council president for
two terms
3. Helping with ministry of hospitality
 Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes | 83

Active and Passive Voice

Definitions “Active voice” and “passive voice” refer to the way

that verbs relate to subjects in sentences.

In active voice, the subject performs the action

described by the verb.
Active: The bishop ordained the priest.

In passive voice, the subject is acted upon—is actually

the “object” or target of the verb. (The one doing the
action often appears in the agency phrase “by X” or
sometimes not at all.)
Passive: The priest was ordained.

Passive: The priest was ordained by the bishop.

Use of active voice In general, strive for active voice, because it flows
more quickly and reads more directly. Passive voice
can make for convoluted and tedious reading when it
is used unnecessarily or excessively.

Effective use of Use passive voice under certain circumstances:

passive voice
a. When responsibility is or needs to be obscure
Example: The money was stolen.

Example: The money was stolen by me.

b. When the action or the thing acted upon is more

important than who did the action (as in scientific
or statistical writing)
Example: The survey was administered to 2,600
Catholics (by CARA).

Example: Passive voice may sometimes be used.

84 | Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes

Parallel Construction

Definition In a series—of adjectives, nouns, prepositional phrases,

even entire sentences—each item must be “parallel” to
(or grammatically the same as) the rest.
Incorrect: The bishop was soft-spoken, bilingual, and
from Kansas.

Correct: The bishop was soft-spoken and bilingual

and came from Kansas.

Vertical lists In elaborate bulleted or numbered lists, be sure to

make each item parallel.
Incorrect: Her parish experience is broad and includes
• Running the parish Web site [verb]
• Serving as council president for
two terms [verb]
• Ministry of hospitality [noun]

Correct: Her parish experience is broad and includes

• Running the parish Web site
• Serving as council president for
two terms
• Helping with ministry of hospitality

Common Questions

Split infinitives Splitting an infinitive (e.g., “to boldly go”) is now con-
sidered a legitimate construction. Sometimes it is even
necessary for clarity and direct expression.

Ending sentences The rule against ending a sentence with a preposition

with prepositions has become more of a suggestion through evolution
of the language—especially when complex sentence
construction makes the “correct” phrasing more con-
voluted than the “incorrect” phrasing.
 Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes | 85

Contractions While contractions do lend a certain informal quality

to writing, their limited use has become acceptable in
publications when the aim is an approachable or con-
versational tone that appeals to a wide audience (e.g.,
in fund-raising materials).

Conjunctions

To begin sentences Conjunctions can be used to begin sentences, spar-

ingly, for well-chosen reasons.

To join sentences Two complete sentences can be joined with a comma

and conjunction. Some adverbs are mistakenly used
instead of conjunctions, creating run-on sentences.
Conjunctions: and, or, for, nor, but, so, yet

Adverbs: however, therefore, thus, indeed,

accordingly, besides, hence

Rather than using a comma with such adverbs to join

two complete sentences, use a semicolon.
Incorrect: I won’t be able to attend the party,
however, I send my best wishes. [Run-on:
“However” is not a conjunction.]

Correct: I won’t be able to attend the party; how-

ever, I send my best wishes. [The semico-
lon joins two complete sentences without a
conjunction.]

Correct: I won’t be able to attend the party, but I

send my best wishes.
86 | Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes

Plurals

Apostrophes In general, do not use an apostrophe to form plurals.

Incorrect: The Smith’s called to RSVP.

Correct: The Smiths called to RSVP.

One exception is “do’s” when part of “do’s and don’ts.”

Abbreviations, Do not use apostrophes to pluralize abbreviations or

numbers numbers. Simply add an -s in the usual way.
Incorrect: 30’s, 1950’s, RFP’s

Correct: 30s, 1950s, RFPs

Letters To avoid confusion, use an apostrophe when plural-

izing letters (e.g., x’s, y’s). Note that letters treated as
letters are italicized.

Punctuation Notes

Sentence-Ending Punctuation

Spaces after Type only one space, not two, after periods,
sentences exclamation points, or question marks.

Period

Bulleted list Omit periods in a vertical list unless one or more of

the items are complete sentences. Do not put semico-
lons or commas after the first items or a period after
the final item.
Example: The following dioceses held the collection:
• Chicago
• Los Angeles
• Galveston/Houston
 Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes | 87

Abbreviations Use periods after most abbreviations. Exceptions

are books of the Bible (Jn or Mt), abbreviations for
religious orders (SJ, SSND), and acronyms (IRS,
USCCB). Also use periods after initials, with a space
between two initials (e.g., A. B. Smith).

Ellipses Ellipses should be typed as three periods with space

between each and a space in front and behind: “he did
this . . . and that.” Three ellipses points are used in
the middle of a sentence. Four are used at the end of a
sentence, with no space between the last word and the
first period.

Exclamation Point

In general, make sparing use of the exclamation point, reserving it for true
exclamations. Avoid using exclamation points to “punch up” or draw atten-
tion to key statements—they can actually distract the reader from what is
being stated.

Question Mark

Non-questions Do not put a question mark when a question is indirect

or implied, because the sentence is not grammatically
a question.
Incorrect: Our question was whether we should
conduct field consultation?

Correct: Our question was whether we should

conduct field consultation.

With quote marks If the question mark is not part of the quoted phrase,
place it outside the quotation marks. If the quoted
phrase includes a question, place the question mark
inside the quotation marks.
88 | Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes

Example: Do you know what it means to be a “com-

munity of salt and light”?

Example: He asked, “Do you know what it means to

be a ‘community of salt and light’?”

Comma

Serial comma Do use the serial comma (e.g., red, white, and blue).

Compound verb Do not use a comma to split a compound verb.

Example: The bishop reviewed the first draft of the
text and agreed to write the preface. [No
comma between “text” and “and.”]

Compound sentence Use a comma and a conjunction to join the two inde-
pendent parts of a compound sentence.
Example: The members voted on two statements,
and they raised a number of issues to be
discussed at a later meeting.

Jr. and Sr. Do not use a comma before or after Jr. and Sr.
Example: John F. Kennedy Jr. attended the event.

Dates Do not use a comma between a month and a year (e.g.,

April 1995). If the day is added, place commas on both
sides of the year.
Example: On July 1, 2000, the National Conference
of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic
Conference legally combined and were
renamed the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops.
 Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes | 89

Locations When identifying a location by city and state, use a

comma before and after the state (and/or country,
if applicable).
Incorrect: I am going to Dallas, Texas to visit family.

Correct: I am going to Dallas, Texas, to visit family.

Semicolon

Use Semicolons have only two functions:

1. To join two complete sentences
2. To separate main elements in a complex series
where one or more elements include a comma

Joining sentences A semicolon can be used (instead of a comma and

conjunction) to combine two sentences into a com-
pound sentence. Typically, the second sentence is
closely related to the first.
Incorrect: I won’t be able to attend the party,
however, I send my best wishes. [Join two
sentences with a comma and a conjunction.
“However” is an adverb, not a conjunction.]

Correct: I won’t be able to attend the party; how-

ever, I send my best wishes. [The semicolon
joins two complete sentences without a
conjunction.]

Complex series The comma is typically used to separate items in a

series of three or more things. However, when a single
item itself includes commas, then replace the series
commas with semicolons to clearly identify the items.
Awkward: The meeting was attended by Publishing,
Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth,
Migration and Refugee Services, and
Catholic Education.
90 | Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes

Clear: The meeting was attended by Publishing;

Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth;
Migration and Refugee Services; and
Catholic Education.

Colon

Semicolon vs. colon Use a colon, not a semicolon, to introduce an idea,

series, or example.
Incorrect: USCCB Publishing is offering two
new prayer cards; one for Our Lady of
Guadalupe and one commemorating the
Year of the Eucharist.

Correct: USCCB Publishing is offering two

new prayer cards: one for Our Lady of
Guadalupe and one commemorating the
Year of the Eucharist.

Before lists Do not use a colon to introduce a list unless what

precedes the colon is a complete sentence.
Incorrect: The professor wanted: a ten-page paper,
an annotated bibliography, and a reading-
response journal. [“The professor wanted” is
not a complete sentence.]

Correct: The professor outlined three course

requirements: a ten-page paper, an
annotated bibliography, and a reading-
response journal.

Likewise, do not use a colon to introduce a bulleted

or numbered list unless it is preceded by a complete
sentence.
Correct: The participating dioceses were
• Chicago
• Los Angeles
• Galveston-Houston
 Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes | 91

Parentheses and Brackets

Parentheses Parentheses set off supplemental or digressive infor-

mation within the sentence, with minimal intrusion
when used sparingly.
Example: The members (despite being used to
paper ballots) seemed enthusiastic about
the electronic voting machines.

Brackets with Brackets are used as subordinated parentheses

parentheses within parentheses.
Incorrect: The bishops have advocated more inten-
tional outreach to young adults (see Sons
and Daughters of the Light (1997)).

Correct: The bishops have advocated more inten-

tional outreach to young adults (see Sons
and Daughters of the Light [1997]).

If there is only one parenthetical expression,

use parentheses.

Brackets within Use brackets within quotes to insert or change

quotations quoted material.
Example: “This [guide] complements the encyclical
very well.”

Dashes

Use Like parentheses, dashes set off supplemental or digres-

sive information within the sentence. Dashes attract
more attention to what they set off than parentheses do.
Example: The members—despite being used to
paper ballots—seemed to enthusiastically
welcome the electronic voting machines.
92 | Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes

Format and spaces Use the actual dash (—) in word processing documents.
Do not use a single hyphen. As an alternative, type two
consecutive hyphens (--). In any case, do not put any
space before or after a dash.
Example: The members--despite being used to paper
ballots--seemed to enthusiastically wel-
come the electronic voting machines.

Em-dash (M-dash) “Em-dash” is the technical term for the basic dash (—).
Example: Often we see a lack of solidarity towards our
society’s weakest members—the old, the
sick, immigrants, children—and an indiffer-
ence toward the world’s peoples even when
basic values are involved.

En-dash (N-dash) En-dashes (–) serve two specific and rare purposes in
USCCB style:

1. To cite a Scripture passage that spans chapters, not

just verses (e.g., Jn 4:3–6:2)
2. To form a compound word (instead of a hyphen) when
one part of the compound itself consists of two words
or a hyphenated word (e.g., Baltimore–New York train;
Libreria Editrice Vaticana–United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops publication)

Otherwise, do not use the en-dash. In regular ranges of

numbers, use hyphens.

Quotation Marks: Double, Single, and European Style

With punctuation Place periods and commas inside the quotation marks
(assuming no citation follows the quote). If exclamation
marks or question marks are part of the quoted material,
they also go inside the quotation marks (with a period
only after any citation ending the sentence; otherwise
it is not needed). Place colons and semicolons outside
quotation marks.
 Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes | 93

Double and single Double quotation marks are primary. Single quotation
quotation marks marks are secondary: use them for quotes within
quotes. (Note that British style reverses this usage.
When quoting from sources following British style,
conform instead to U.S. style. This is an acceptable
silent change to quotations.)

Both follow the same punctuation rules. If the two are

placed consecutively, do not insert either punctuation
or any space between them.
Incorrect: “Young adults are called to be ‘sons and
daughters of the light’. “

Incorrect: “Young adults are called to be ‘sons and

daughters of the light. ’ ”

Correct: “Young adults are called to be ‘sons and

daughters of the light.’”

Do not use single quotation marks (‘/’) for any other

uses, including the following: words used as words,
emphasis, names of concepts, partial uncited quotes, etc.

Block quotes Do not use quotation marks around block-indented

quotes. Quotations that begin and end within block
quotes should use double quotation marks rather
than single quotation marks. (See Chapter 3, “Other
People’s Words,” for more discussion of block quotes
and other quotation conventions.)

European quotes Foreign texts and sources, such as Vatican docu-

ments, sometimes use European quotation marks («/»)
instead of U.S. quotation marks (“/”). When quoting
from such text, always replace European marks with
conventional marks and follow the punctuation rules
given above.
94 | Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes

Titles within titles For titles within titles, when both would be italicized
individually, retain italics for all and put the internal
title in quotation marks.
Example: Leader’s Guide to “Sharing Catholic
Social Teaching”

Emphasis Do not use quotation marks for emphasis.

Apostrophe

Plurals Do not use an apostrophe to form plurals of abbre-

viations or numbers (e.g., 30s, 1950s, SOSs, RFPs,
don’ts). To avoid confusion, the apostrophe is used
when pluralizing letters (e.g., x’s, y’s).

Omitted figures Use an apostrophe in place of an omitted figure or

and contractions letter (e.g., the ’30s, don’t). Such usage is typically
acceptable only in promotional and informal material.
Spelling out is preferred (e.g., 1930s, do not).

Hyphen

Spelling When in doubt, consult the Chicago Manual of Style

(15th ed.) or a dictionary about correct spelling and
hyphenation. (See Chapter 2, “Preferred Editions,” for
recommended dictionaries.)

See the hyphenation section of Chapter 8, “Words,”

for more specific guidelines.

Line breaks In manuscripts headed for publication, do not hyphen-

ate words in order to break lines. (This will be man-
aged in desktop publishing.)
 Chapter 9. Grammar and Punctuation Notes | 95

Hyphens vs. dashes Do not use a hyphen in place of a regular dash or

vice versa, with or without spaces. (See discussion of
dashes, above.)

Hyphens should be replaced by en-dashes for only two

specific and rare purposes in the house style:

1. To cite a Scripture passage that spans chapters, not

just verses (e.g., Jn 4:3–6:2)
2. To form a compound word (instead of a hyphen)
when one part of the compound itself consists of two
words or a hyphenated word (e.g., Baltimore–New
York train; Libreria Editrice Vaticana–United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops publication)

Slash

No spaces Do not surround a slash with spaces in ordinary usage.

Quoting verse When quoting verse, to avoid actually breaking the

lines, use slashes—in this case, with one space on
either side—to show where the lines were broken by
the original writer. Retain all punctuation.
Example: Jesus first preached in the synagogue
by reading a prophetic passage from
Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
/ because he has anointed me / to bring
glad tidings to the poor” (Lk 4:18).
 Chapter 10
Treatment of Numbers
General Guidelines

When to spell out For publications, spell out numbers (rather than put-
ting numerals) in the following cases:

a. Whole numbers one through one hundred

b. Round numbers (“hundred,” “thousand,” “mil-
lion,” and so on)
c. Numbers at the beginning of a sentence (e.g.,
“Two hundred eleven people attended
the conference.”)
d. Decades (“the sixties”; but “the 1960s”)

For campaign/fund-raising materials, spell out only

numbers one through nine and provide numerals for
ten and above.

When to use In publications, use numerals in the following cases:

numerals
a. Numbers above one hundred
b. Percentages (e.g., 12 percent)
c. Decimals (e.g., 20.5)
d. Dates, addresses, phone numbers
e. Money (e.g., $3 million or $325,254)

For campaign/fundraising materials, spell out only

numbers one through nine and provide numerals for
ten and above.

Ordinals Ordinal numbers (e.g., “first,” “ninety-ninth,” “223rd”)

follow the same rules as above. Do not superscript
 Chapter 10. Treatment of Numbers | 97

the suffixes (if necessary, turn off the auto-correction

feature in Microsoft Word).

Percentages Spell out “percent” in regular usage.

Campaign/fund-raising materials should use the per-

cent symbol.

Over and under “More than” and “less than” (or “fewer than”) are used
with quantifiable or countable amounts. “Over” and
“under” are used with non-countable amounts (typi-
cally percentages or some fractions).
Incorrect: Over twenty-six apples; more than
6 percent

Correct: More than twenty-six apples; over

6 percent

Consistency and In general, if a group of numbers in a paragraph

flexibility includes one that should be given in numerals, provide
all in numerals.
Example: Information packets were sent to 33 dio-
ceses, 462 parishes, and 8 seminaries.

If the paragraph includes more than one “category” of

numbers—that is, more than one type of thing being
enumerated—apply this rule only to the categories
meeting this rule, not to the entire paragraph.
Example: In all, almost 600 tulip bulbs were planted:
215 bulbs in each of the two main flower
beds, and more than 150 total in three
smaller flower beds.

In this example, the “flower beds” category has no

numbers that need to be provided in numerals, so
“two” and “three” are spelled out. Two numbers in the
98 | Chapter 10. Treatment of Numbers

“tulip bulbs” category fit the numeral rule, so all num-

bers of tulips are given in numerals.

Special Numbers

Dates When the date is just month-year, do not use

a comma:
Incorrect: The bishops approved the statement in
November, 2000.

Correct: The bishops approved the statement in

November 2000.

When the date includes the day, use two commas to

set off the year:
Incorrect: On November 15, 2000 the bishops
approved the statement.

Correct: On November 15, 2000, the bishops

approved the statement.

Correct: The bishops approved the statement on

November 15, 2000.

Time Use lowercased “a.m.” and “p.m.” with periods

between. For 12 p.m., use “noon”; for 12 a.m., use
“midnight.” General time references can be spelled out
in the text as well (e.g., “dinner is at seven o’clock”).
Use numerals for times that are more specific (e.g.,
“the 5:40 train”).

Units of measure Measurements follow the same rules as above in non-

technical texts.

Phone numbers Begin U.S. phone numbers with the area code. Leave off
“1-” (but do add international codes when necessary).
 Chapter 11
Italics, Boldface, and Others
Italics

Titles Italicize proper names of books, journals, works of art,

movies, and albums. Do not put these in quotation
marks. Exceptions are sacred texts, such as the Bible
and the Qur’an, and the names of traditional prayers;
in both cases, give the title in plain text. Latin titles are
also italicized. Abbreviations of titles are not italicized.

Titles within titles For titles within titles, when both would be italicized
according to the above rule, italicize the full title and
put the internal title in quotation marks.
Example: Leader’s Guide to “Sharing Catholic
Social Teaching”

URLs and Italicize URLs (Web addresses) and e-mail addresses.

e-mail addresses

Foreign words Italicize words in a language other than the document’s

primary language. (For example, in a Spanish-language
document, English words would be italicized.) Do not
italicize Latin abbreviations commonly used in cita-
tions (e.g., ibid., cf., etc.).

Emphasis Italics can be used to emphasize a word or phrase, but

this should be done sparingly. Try to convey emphasis
through the phrasing itself, not through visual weight.

Vs. underlining In general, use italics and avoid underlining, as the two
are technically redundant. (Underlining was originally
100 | Chapter 11. Italics, Boldface, and Others

used in manuscripts to denote italics for typesetting for

publication. Word processing software makes italics
available to all, so underlining has lost function.)

Quotations Do not format quotations in italics to identify them

as quotations—regardless of whether the quotations
appear within the paragraph or are set off as block
quotes. (Note that italics appearing in the original
quote should be retained, particularly in the case of
quotes from papal and Holy See texts.)

Boldfacing

Emphasis If a word is to be emphasized, use italics rather than

boldfacing. (As mentioned above, try to avoid the
need to visually emphasize a word or phrase.)

Headings As a general rule, boldfaced type is used only to iden-

tify higher-priority heading levels.

Underlining

Vs. italics In general, use italics instead of underlining. See above

for discussion of italics versus underlining.

URLs and Do not use underlining to denote Internet addresses.

e-mail addresses (Microsoft Word’s automated setting can be turned off
to prevent this.)

All Caps and Small Caps

Bible quotes The Bible uses small caps to indicate the use of the
divine name in the original Hebrew: for example,
“Lord” and “I Am” in Exodus. These text styles must
 Chapter 11. Italics, Boldface, and Others | 101

be preserved in quotes from the Bible. Either option,

all caps or small caps, is acceptable.

Emphasis To emphasize a word, use italics rather than all caps.

Headings Typically, only top-level headings are formatted in all

capital letters (“ALL CAPS”) or in small capital letters
(“Small Caps”).

Small caps The Chicago Manual of Style has abandoned small-caps

formatting in the traditional places (e.g., a.d. is now
AD, p.m. is now p.m.).
Appendices
 Appendix A
Checklist for Preparing
Manuscripts for
USCCB Publishing
This checklist provides brief guidance for some of the most frequently encoun-
tered manuscript preparation needs. Please consult this USCCB Style Guide
for additional, more detailed information about preparing USCCB documents
for publication.

1. File Creation and Formatting

A note concerning the creation of files: please contact Publishing staff to

discuss how to set up and/or format an electronic file of a manuscript intended
for eventual publication, in order to facilitate accurate and timely production
of materials.

2. Quotations and Citations

(See Chapter 3, “Other People’s Words,” and also Chapter 2, “Preferred

Editions.”)

• Ensure that quotations match the source word-for-word, and that

any changes are clearly marked with ellipses or brackets.
• Cite all quotations, paraphrases, statistics, interviews, and the
original ideas of others. When in doubt, cite.
• Use the New American Bible as the source for Bible quotations.
Use the Flannery or Abbott translations of documents from the
Second Vatican Council.
 Appendix A. Checklist for Preparing Manuscripts | 105

• Cite quotations with complete author, title, publication informa-

tion, copyright date, etc. Cite the URL, or Web site address, for
quotes from online sources.

3. Permissions

(See Chapter 3, “Other People’s Words,” final section, on copyrights and

permissions. When in doubt, consult the Office of General Counsel. See also
Chapter 2, “Preferred Editions.”)

• Provide photocopies for all quoted and cited material. The

photocopies should include the following for each source used:
title page, copyright page, and page(s) of quoted or cited material
(including statistics).
• Keep copies of all contracts and releases regarding the document,
and provide copies to Publishing.
• Quote, where possible, from texts for which permission
agreements exist.

4. USCCB Conventions

• When referring to the bishops or the USCCB, replace “U.S.

bishops” or “U.S. Catholic bishops” with “Catholic bishops of the
United States.” Replace “U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops”
with “United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.”
• Capitalize important words as indicated in the USCCB
Capitalization Guide. (See Chapter 4, “Capitalization and
Abbreviation”; see also Chapter 5, “Names and Titles of People
and Things”).
• Doublecheck abbreviations of books of the Bible. (See Chapter 4,
“Capitalization and Abbreviation.”)
 Appendix B
Standard Publication Formats
and Length Estimates
This appendix provides length estimates (in words or lines) as guides to writ-
ers, editors, and project coordinators when

1. Drafting text of the correct length when the project format is

already known
2. Determining the best format for a manuscript already prepared
3. Determining whether a manuscript will fit the format requested

This list is not intended to be exhaustive. It provides common sizes and

standard Publishing product formats as guides. Please consult Publishing for
guidance on projects not falling easily into these categories.

Definitions

Prayer card Typically 4x6" card. Two-sided is standard; some are

4-panel 4x6" folded “cards.”

Brochure Typically 4x9". Can run 4, 6, or 8 panels. Can fit in a

pamphlet rack or a #10 business envelope. One panel
is the cover, and a second typically includes only copy-
right and marketing information.

Bulletin insert Typically 8.5x11". Usually runs 2 panels (2-sided,

8.5x11" sheet); can run 4 panels (folded,
11x17" sheet).
 Appendix B. Standard Publication Formats AND Length Estimates | 107

Booklet, 4x9" Generally runs up to 36 published pages in length

(including front matter and appendices). Can fit in
a pamphlet rack or (if not too thick) a #10 business
envelope. Consider switching up to the 6x9" paperback
format for texts likely to run longer than 36 pages in
4x9" format.

Paperback, 6x9" Generally starts at 32 pages in 6x9" layout, with two

standard binding options.

Saddlestitched (stapled). Books shorter than 64 pages are

best bound using saddlestitching.

Perfect binding (glued, flat spine). Books larger than 64

pages can and should be perfectbound. Books must be
6x9" (trade size), longer than 64 pages, and perfect-
bound to qualify for inclusion on the bestseller list of
the Catholic Book Publishers Association.

See the following page for a table of length estimates for standard
publication formats.
108 | Appendix B. Standard Publication Formats AND Length Estimates

Length Estimates*

Format Length Estimate

Large type: 18 lines (est. 7
1 panel (not includ- words per line)
Prayer card (4x6")
ing cover) Small type: 30 lines (est. 8
words per line)

4 panels 700 words (text-heavy)

Brochure (4x9") 6 panels 1,100 words (text-heavy)

8 panels 1,500 words (text-heavy)

Bulletin insert (8.5x11") 2 panels 1,700-1,900 words

per 4 published
Booklet (4x9")** 800-1,000 words
pages***

per 4 published
Paperback (6x9")** 1,200-1,400 words
pages***

* Note that these estimates must include full citations and boilerplate text: copyright
notices, prefatory statements, and permission information.
** The guidelines for booklets and paperbacks give word count estimates per 4 published
pages of text. After using these estimates to calculate pages of text, remember to add 4-8
pages for front matter, in order to arrive at the estimated page count for an entire book.
*** The page counts of booklets and paperbacks must be divisible by 4 because of how they
are printed and bound on press. (For longer paperbacks, a pagination divisible by 8 or
16 is sometimes more cost-effective, again because of how they are manufactured.)

A Note About Language Editions

Note that a Spanish translation is typically longer than its English counter-
part, by as much as 10%. Estimate Spanish word count accordingly, and then
calculate final published length according to the formulae provided in the
table above. This guideline is particularly important for bilingual editions.
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