Research—such a lofty word.  In fact, research is anything but lofty. Research throughout the history of Western Culture has often been a leap off the edge, aimed at an unknown goal. That’s when things start to sizzle!

In an earlier post I recalled the joys sitting at polished tables in glorious reference rooms (like the rotunda of the Library of Congress). Or on the dusty floor between the shelves of your local library. Then, we considered the “Classical Dictionary,” which answers and evokes questions for your students.

Today, I want to talk about my favorite tool, The Chicago Manual of Style. It’s my go-to gift when we receive high-school graduation announcements. Sure, kids might prefer a gift card to iTunes or cash. But if they’re headed to college, The Chicago Manual of Style will be a life-saver for them one day, probably at 2 a.m. before a big paper is due. So let’s get to know it.

What is a style manual? Well, it’s not an index to Vogue magazine! A style manual is a guide to broad and detailed issues of writing and publishing, from a high-schooler’s research paper to a professional journal.

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) grew out of the “style-sheet” used by The University of Chicago Press. If you go here you can read about this magnificent press which, since 1892, has represented the highest standards publishing just about anywhere in the Western world. So the CMS was, from its origin, a practical tool.

It’s also one of those books you’d want if stranded on a desert island. After years of blazing orange covers, its now soft-blue cover opens to this table of contents. And within its highly detailed index, you’ll find sections explaining the world of writing, including:

• Every rule of punctuation you can imagine, clearly laid out. (For example, do you really know the difference between the different hyphens & short/long dashes?)
• Every imaginable aspect of documentation to cite information for footnotes and bibliographies, including situations you never knew existed!
• An array of ways to create outlines and other charts.
• Endless lists of abbreviations that can keep you entertained for hours (a life-saver under pressure), including names, titles, geographical locations, Biblical terms, scientific and mathematic terms, and far more.
• Answers to questions like “how do you punctuate titles or hyphenate in French?”
• Cool transliteration charts for Greek, Russian, Arabic, and advice for handling every Foreign Language.
• Principles for indexing and alphabetizing (do you know how to index Portuguese names?)
• The most current issues in the world of digital press.

And so much more. All inside one book. And, of course, there’s an on-line version for subscribers.

Looking back, the first time I encountered the CMS reminds me of the first time I entered a Williams-Sonoma store. I thought, “What is all this fancy stuff, and why would I need it?” But browsing around, you begin to see what it is. And your mind opens to new possibilities. You can browse for free on the CSM website which also invites ongoing questions here.

Wait, you say. Do we really need this? We already have one of the MLA (Modern Language Association) guides. These, of course, are also tremendous books. I’ll save for another day the reasons I’m a fan of The Chicago Manual of Style, starting with advice on footnotes. Gosh, footnotes—that’s my favorite topic. It needs its own post and one will come soon!

You may find older additions of CMS at a good price. Grab it, even if it’s one or two editions back. Unless you’re struggling with issues of cyber-press, these older editions will meet your needs. And if CMS seems far too much for your family, try a copy of Kate L. Turabian’s shorter A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. It’s published by The University of Chicago Press, and is laid out similarly.

Writing can be a lonely venture. It helps to have the companionship of a good style manual.