- [view as docx](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LokDhLptYjDJJw-_c9-7NRJCQV401-Ql/edit#heading=h.gjdgxs) The main thing is BE CONSISTENT (it's fine if you use non-U.S. spelling—colour, theatre, etc., as long as you’re consistent throughout the article. Editors may update punctuation to avoid confusion, where necessary, but in general, as long as your writing is clear, American/British/Canadian spelling variations are equally acceptable.) Serial/Oxford comma preferred—see the Punctuation Guide below for more. Article titles: Capitalize the first letter of every word except for articles, conjunctions, and prepositions of three letters or less; the first and last word in the headline should always be capitalized, regardless of which part of speech it happens to be. All verbs should be capitalized--even shorter verbs like “is” and “are.” (One possible exception: the word “eBook” in a title should conform to our house style—lowercase e, capital B. Just try to avoid putting the word at the start of a headline or sentence.) Introductions: Keep in mind that only the first 2-3 short paragraphs will appear above the fold on the front page, and in general it’s important to draw readers in with an engaging opening that gives them a strong sense of your topic and why they should care about what follows. Spelling: When in doubt, consult [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/) (or check with your editor). Footnotes: Our WordPress editor currently cannot support links, images, or special characters in its footnotes; any kind of formatting beyond basic text will cause the text of the footnote to cut off and disappear (meaning that the production team won't be able to access the original text in order to restore it). Please avoid using links, italics/bold/underlined text, or special characters in your footnotes. If this is unavoidable, let us know and we can try to render the footnotes manually, without using the WordPress widget. Non-English words or phrases: We do not italicize or otherwise set apart non-English words or phrases on the site. Fictional/fantasy terms and languages can be italicized at the writer’s discretion if it makes sense to do so. So, “The Wheel of Time series has a certain je ne sais quoi…”—but “Rand, Perrin, and Mat are slowly learning what it means to be *ta’veren*.” Be conscientious and sensitive in your use of language/word choice: We are committed to making Tor.com an inclusive, safe, and welcoming space for a diverse community of readers and fans. With that in mind, we ask that you make a conscious effort to avoid potentially offensive, outdated, and/or exclusionary language in your writing. Since there is often some slippage or confusion about how best to handle sensitive subject matter, please consult with your editor if you are unsure or have questions about the best way to frame discussions of gender, sexuality, ability, race, ethnicity, class issues, religious affiliation, or quoted material involving profanity or slurs. \--Regarding pronouns: always be aware of and use the pronouns with which authors and other individuals identify. In general, try to avoid language and statements that assume a gender binary. \--Whenever possible, try to use language that reflects how the person/people being discussed chooses to identify (not only in their chosen pronouns, but also when discussing issues relating to disability, mental health, illness and disease, etc.). Avoid derogatory terms that stigmatize physical or mental illness, including words like crazy, psycho, lame, insane, etc.—even when no harm is intended, it’s always possible to find another word to get your point across without tapping into the negative/stigmatizing connotations that these words carry. Capitalizing terms denoting racial identity: We recommend capitalizing terms specifically expressing racial and ethnic identities, including the proper nouns Black, White, Indigenous, Aboriginal, Native American, First Nation, Hispanic, Latino/a/x, Asian, Pacific Islander, etc. Do not use hyphens in terms such as African American or Asian American (even when used as modifiers, as in “Asian American author”). Be sure to check your facts, and avoid generalizing or defaulting to terms that do not apply or are otherwise inaccurate (for example, “Black Panther has a predominantly Black cast” does not mean “a predominantly African American cast,” with actors hailing from various countries and backgrounds. Given the complexity and evolving nature of language centered around identity, race, gender, and culture, the goal is to be as sensitive and specific as possible when employing these types of labels, so please contact your editor with any questions or issues regarding usage. Quick Punctuation Guide: Colons: Complete sentences following a colon are capitalized; incomplete sentences following a colon are not. Commas: Serial (aka Oxford) comma preferred—e.g., “These authors include Tolkien, Butler, and Le Guin.”—except in cases where the title of a book, movie, or other work eschews the serial comma, as in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. (Full titles of works should always be reproduced exactly, in terms of spelling and punctuation; for example, it’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, not Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.) Possessive apostrophe after an S: We follow AP style here, so for words (especially proper nouns) ending in s, we only use an apostrophe to denote possession: the tribbles’ squeaking, Pegasus’ rider, the Beatles’ yellow submarine, etc. Decades: ’70s, ’80s, etc (and, if not possessive, the 1970s, the 1980s, the Eighties, the Nineties—there’s no need for an apostrophe if you’re saying “The 1980s were a wacky time.”) The em dash: We often employ the em dash (—) to enhance readability or for emphasis, using em dashes in place of commas, colons, or parentheses. In the body of an article, the em dash is used without space on either side: “I said I would stop buying books—but I lied!!!” Titles of Works (Italics vs. Quotation Marks): \--Italicize the titles of books, novellas, movies, TV shows, podcasts, magazines, plays, games and video games, ships and other vessels (the USS Enterprise, the Dawn Treader)—note: this also applies to abbreviated titles. Also italicize media franchise and book series when referring to these directly (“I’m reading The Song of Ice and Fire books and rewatching The Lord of the Rings trilogy.”), but not when using the series/franchise as a descriptor (“I collect Lord of the Rings action figures and Star Trek memorabilia.”). \--Use quotation marks for the titles of short stories, articles, chapters, poems, and songs. Place commas and periods within quotation marks; dashes, colons, and semicolons go outside of the quotation marks. For example: After reading “The Lottery,” I decided to cheer myself up by rewatching “Jeremy Bearimy”—still my favorite episode of The Good Place. Block quotes: Use block quotes (without quotation marks) for quoted material longer than four lines of text (or three lines of poetry/song lyrics). Periods: Please use only one space between a period and the start of the next sentence, not two. Semicolons: Can be used between two complete sentences or to separate lists with internal commas. (“The show was filmed near Reykjavík, Iceland; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Ballintoy Harbour in Northern Ireland.”)