And Connect With Your Audience

Your style is unique; the same can be said for writing. Elements of a particular writing or publication style can include:

• Grammar — formal or more casual
• Syntax — simple or more complex
• Vocabulary — audience and age-appropriate

Style guides live to help writers and editors maintain a consistent voice that readers for that type of text need and expect. There are as many styles as there are types of writing, from travel websites to cookbooks to academic journals.

An example:

My English 101 students sometimes grumbled about MLA composition and citation style. And I get it: What’s so important about putting the comma here and not there?

As off-putting as they may seem when you are first learning them, citation styles exist to make connections and build collaboration. By leaving clear and consistent citations, the scholar is leaving a research roadmap for other scholars who can build upon their writing.

Knowing the style that your audience expects helps you meet them where they are and they will love you (and your style) for it!