How are style manuals updated?

By Lindsey Buscher | March 14, 2014 - Under Style and Format

Style manuals are incredibly useful tools for writers, and similar to dictionaries and
other reference resources, they must be updated regularly to account for the ever-
changing vocabulary associated with each specific field of study and writing. As with
living things, language is constantly evolving and standards must continue to be
recorded in order to maintain consistency.
So how do style manuals go about becoming updated? Most manuals are published
by a society or institutionthe University of Chicago Press publishes the Chicago
Manual of Style, the American Medical Association publishes theAMA Manual of
Style, the Council of Science Editors publishes Scientific Style and Format, and so
on. These associations decide when it is necessary and appropriate to publish an
updated version of their manual. Most form a committee of experts who keep track
of trends and research changes to be made, consult other recent authoritative
sources, look to the various specific communities such as the medical field, the
International Organization for Standardization, etc., and decide what is best for that
particular society or field and their audience.
Updates often include some of the following: changes in terminology or style related
to newly developed technologies (e.g., blogs and podcasts have become so
prevalent that they are being cited as sources, so a standard reference citation
format should be established in new style manuals); development of new policies,
laws, or discoveries (e.g., in 2006, the International Astronomical Union reclassified
Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet
1
); changes in country names, often as a result
of political events (e.g., what was once known as the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics [USSR] was dissolved into 15 post-Soviet states); and any new medical
and taxonomic terminology that enters the lexicon.
Each successive edition of a style manual builds on all previous editions to keep it
relevant and credible. One of my favorite examples is the etymology of the word
tomorrow. According to one source
2
, it was written as two words- to morowe or to
morgennein the late 13th century until about the 16th century, at which time it
became popular to hyphenate it: to-morrow. By the 20th century, writers began to
drop the hyphen and it was written as one word, tomorrowthe version we are
familiar with today (formerly to-day). If a newly published reference manual
refused to acknowledge the evolution of the word and insisted on spelling it "to-
morrow, that resource would likely not be considered truly up-to-date and thus
discounted as an unreliable source even if the facts presented in other parts of the
book happened to be current and accurate.

This is only one of many examples and indications that over time, some hyphenated
words tend to become unhyphenated, and reference manuals make updates
accordingly. Thats not to say that all trends in spoken and written colloquial
language dictate formal standards. However, trends such as no longer hyphenating
email or making website one word have become standardized in recent editions
of many dictionaries and style manuals, but only because their usage, impact on the
future of the language, function in formal writing, and similar factors are thoroughly
vetted by the group of professionals deemed knowledgeable and authoritative
enough to make such decisions.
[2] International Astronomical Union. Pluto and the developing landscape of our
solar system.http://www.iau.org/public/themes/pluto/; accessed September 4,
2013.
[3]Online Etymology Dictionary.
2013. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=tomorro
w&searchmode=none; accessed September 2, 2013.
Now that you know about styleguides, you might like to read some basic tips on
making style decisionswhile preparing your manuscript for submission.

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TAGS: style guide, style manual