For blog articles and submitted pieces
Editorial style guide
This guide sets the house style for articles published by Purpose Circle. It is designed to make every piece clear, accurate, accessible and consistent while preserving each contributor's voice.
Default style
Purpose Circle follows AP style and uses US English. This guide records the rules that matter most for our blog. Where it does not answer a question, consult the current AP Stylebook and use sound editorial judgment.
Our editorial principles
- Clear and human: Write for an interested general reader. Prefer plain, concrete language over jargon, abstraction or hype.
- Accurate and evidence-led: Check names, facts, dates, figures and quotations. Link readers to credible, relevant sources for factual claims.
- Thoughtful and inclusive: Represent people and ideas precisely. Avoid assumptions, stereotypes and broad labels.
- Global by default: Explain local institutions, acronyms and references that an international reader may not know.
- Constructive, not promotional: Offer insight, reflection or practical value. Avoid unsupported claims about impact, scale or effectiveness.
1. Purpose Circle house style
- Purpose Circle: Capitalize both words. Use Purpose Circle on first reference. Use the foundation on later reference only when the meaning is clear; lowercase foundation unless it is part of a formal name.
- Voice: Aim for writing that is reflective, direct and useful. State what you mean, explain why it matters and avoid inflated language such as game-changing, revolutionary or world-leading unless a source supports the claim.
- US English: Use US spellings and punctuation throughout, except in direct quotations, formal titles or an organization's established name. For example: organization, recognize, center and program.
- Headings: Use sentence case: capitalize only the first word and proper nouns. Keep headings concise and informative.
- Acronyms: Spell out an unfamiliar term on first reference, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Do not introduce an acronym that will appear only once.
- First person: Personal reflections may use I. Use we only when it is clear whom the word includes; do not use it to make assumptions about a reader's experience.
- Sources: Link to the most direct and credible source available, preferably a primary source, original research or official publication. Place a link close to the claim it supports.
2. Abbreviations and addresses
- United States: Use U.S. with periods in body text and US in headlines. Spell out United States on first reference where it improves clarity for an international audience.
- European Union: Spell out on first reference, followed by EU in parentheses if the abbreviation will be used later.
- Time: Use a.m. and p.m. in lowercase, with periods and a space after the figure: 9 a.m.; 4:30 p.m.
- Months: When used with a specific date, abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out March, April, May, June and July. Spell out every month when it stands alone or is used only with a year.
- Company names: Follow an organization's official styling. Use Co., Cos. or Corp. only when those forms appear in the formal name. In later reference, write company or corporation in lowercase.
- Versus: Spell out versus in ordinary prose. Use vs. only in legal case names, statistical comparisons or other short-form contexts.
- Numbered addresses: Use figures: 42 Wallaby Way. With a numbered address, abbreviate Ave., Blvd., St. and cardinal directions: 112 Veidenheimer Ave.; 15 W. Willow St. Spell out Road, Alley and Drive.
- No street number: Spell out and capitalize the street type and direction: North Terrace; Peachtree Street.
- Numbered streets: Spell out First through Ninth; use figures for 10th and above: Second Avenue; 14th Street.
3. Capitalization
- Days and months: Capitalize days of the week and months.
- Seasons: Lowercase spring, summer, fall and winter unless the word is part of a formal name.
- Government bodies: Capitalize the formal names of specific bodies and their accepted shortened names: the U.S. House of Representatives; the House. Lowercase generic references: a house of representatives; the federal government.
- Congress and Senate: Capitalize when referring to a named or specific legislative body: the U.S. Congress; the Senate; the Kenyan Senate. Lowercase generic uses.
- Federal: Capitalize only when part of a formal name: the Federal Trade Commission. Lowercase other uses: federal assistance; federal court.
- Directions and regions: Lowercase compass directions: travel north; a southern route. Capitalize widely recognized regions: the Midwest; the Global South.
- Awards and wars: Capitalize the formal names of awards and conflicts: the Medal of Honor; the War of 1812.
- Diseases: Lowercase common diseases such as cancer and leukemia. Capitalize terms built from proper names or formal abbreviations: Alzheimer's disease; COVID-19; SARS.
4. Dates, time, numbers and measurements
- Dates: Use figures without st, nd, rd or th: April 3; Jan. 14, 2026. Do not insert a comma between a month and year alone: January 2026. Use commas around a year when the full date appears: Jan. 14, 2026, was the deadline.
- Relative dates: Avoid yesterday, today and tomorrow in published articles unless a date is immediately clear. Use the day of the week or full date for time-sensitive references.
- Days of the week: Always spell out and capitalize Monday through Sunday. Do not abbreviate days in body text.
- Time: Use figures except for noon and midnight. Do not use :00 for the top of the hour: 1 p.m.; 4:30 a.m. Avoid redundancies such as 10 a.m. this morning.
- Decades and centuries: Use 1990s and 1700s. Use an apostrophe only for omitted figures in informal references: the '90s.
- Numbers: Spell out one through nine; use figures for 10 and above. Do not begin a sentence with a numeral unless it is a year.
- Ages: Always use figures. Hyphenate ages used before a noun or as a substitute for a noun: a 14-year-old participant; a program for 16-year-olds. Do not use apostrophes in references to decades of age: people in their 30s.
- Ordinal numbers: Spell out first through ninth; use figures from 10th onward. Use figures for established names such as the 3rd Circuit Court.
- Money: Use figures and currency symbols where appropriate: $5; 50 cents; $3.4 million. Spell out million, billion and trillion.
- Percentages: Use figures and the % symbol: 53%; 2.5%.
- Measurements: Use figures and spell out units: 5 feet, 4 inches; 2,500 square feet. Hyphenate a measurement used before a noun: a 5-foot-4 person; a 10-year plan.
- Distance: Follow the general number rule: six miles; 14 miles.
- Roman numerals: Use for established names, wars and lineages: World War I; Henry VIII.
5. Names, titles and locations
- People: Use a person's full name on first reference and surname on later reference. Do not use courtesy titles such as Mr., Mrs. or Ms. unless they are needed to distinguish people or appear in a direct quotation.
- Professional titles: Capitalize a formal title when it appears directly before a name: President Maya Singh; Chief Executive Officer Alex Lee. Lowercase the title when it follows the name or appears alone: Maya Singh, chief executive officer; the president.
- Political titles and affiliations: Use a person's title and party affiliation only when relevant to the article. Capitalize formal party names: the Democratic Party; the Green Party.
- Cities and countries: For an international audience, give a city's country on first reference unless the location is unmistakable from context: Glasgow, Scotland; Nairobi, Kenya. Keep official spellings for places, institutions and organizations.
- U.S. states: Spell out state names in narrative text. Use standard AP abbreviations only where space or a formal format requires them, such as a dateline, address or table.
6. Punctuation and formatting
- Spacing: Use one space after a period.
- Serial comma: Do not use the serial (Oxford) comma unless it prevents ambiguity: red, white and blue; but, for clarity, the writer spoke with their parents, the editor, and the designer.
- Quotation marks: Place commas and periods inside quotation marks. Place question marks and exclamation points inside only when they apply to the quoted material.
- Parentheses: Use sparingly. If a parenthetical is part of a sentence, place the period outside: They gave everything they had (but they still lost). If it is a full sentence, place the period inside: They gave everything they had. (Unfortunately, they still lost.)
- Hyphens: Use a hyphen in a compound modifier before a noun when it improves clarity: a well-known project; a long-term plan. Do not hyphenate the same phrase after the noun: the project is well known.
- Dashes: Use an em dash — with a space on either side — to mark an abrupt change in thought or to set off a strongly emphasized phrase. Use dashes sparingly; where commas, parentheses, a colon, a semicolon or a new sentence would be clearer, prefer those instead. Do not use en dashes.
- Titles of works: Use quotation marks for books, films, songs, television programs, poems, speeches, works of art and games. Do not use quotation marks or italics for magazine titles, newspaper names or the Bible.
- Headlines and subheads: Use sentence case and do not place a period at the end unless the heading is a complete question.
7. Common usage and word choices
House word list
| Adviser | Preferred over advisor, unless advisor is part of a formal title. |
|---|---|
| Amid | Preferred over amidst. |
| Backward | Preferred over backwards. |
| Healthcare | One word. |
| Nonprofit | One word; no hyphen. |
| Fundraising / fundraiser | One word in all uses. |
| Well-being | Hyphenated. |
| Toward | Preferred over towards. |
| Underway | One word. |
| Email / website / online | Use one word, lowercase unless at the start of a sentence. |
| Co- | Hyphenate partnership terms such as co-author, co-founder and co-worker. Do not hyphenate established words such as coexist or cooperate. |
Commonly confused words
- Affect / effect: Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence. Effect is usually a noun meaning result; as a verb, it means to cause.
- Among / between: Use between for relationships considered one pair at a time, even when more than two parties are involved. Use among for a collective relationship.
- Compared to / compared with: Use compared to to suggest a likeness. Use compared with when examining similarities and differences.
- Comprise / include: Use include for items that are only part of the whole. Use comprise when naming the complete set of parts.
- Every day / everyday: Every day is an adverbial phrase; everyday is an adjective.
- Farther / further: Farther refers to physical distance; further refers to time, degree or additional extent.
- Fewer / less: Use fewer for individual countable items and less for bulk or quantity.
- Imply / infer: Writers and speakers imply; readers and listeners infer.
- Its / it's: Its is possessive; it's means it is or it has.
- Principle / principal: Principle is a fundamental truth or guiding belief; principal means first in importance or a person in authority.
- Their / there / they're: Their is possessive; there indicates place or existence; they're means they are.
- Who / whom: Who is the subject of a verb; whom is the object of a verb or preposition.
- Who's / whose: Who's means who is; whose is possessive.
Specific distinctions
- Adopt / approve / enact / pass: Amendments, ordinances, resolutions and rules are adopted or approved. Bills are passed; laws are enacted.
- Boycott / embargo: A boycott is an organized refusal to buy a product or service. An embargo is a legal restriction on trade.
- Emigrate / immigrate: A person emigrates from one country and immigrates to another.
- Epidemic / pandemic: An epidemic is a rapid spread of disease within a population or region. A pandemic spreads across multiple countries or continents. Do not write global pandemic unless a distinction is genuinely necessary.
- Rebut / refute: Rebut means to argue against. Refute implies that the argument has been proved false; use it only when that judgment is justified.
8. Inclusive and globally minded language
- Relevance: Include a person's race, ethnicity, religion, disability, nationality, gender identity or other personal characteristic only when it is relevant and contributes to understanding.
- Names and pronouns: Use a person's stated name and pronouns. Singular they is acceptable for a person who uses it and for a gender-neutral reference.
- Race and ethnicity: Capitalize Black in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense. Lowercase white in the same sense. Capitalize Indigenous when referring to the original inhabitants of a place. Do not use Black or white as nouns.
- Community: Use the word deliberately rather than as a catch-all label. Where possible, name the people involved more precisely: residents, members, participants, volunteers, entrepreneurs or a named group.
- Disability: Mention disability only when relevant. Be specific, avoid reducing a person to a diagnosis and respect the language preferred by the individual or group where it is known.
- Gendered terms: Avoid gendered language when it is not needed. Use adult, person, child, teenager, man or woman according to the context rather than applying an arbitrary age threshold.
- Religion: Capitalize Bible when referring to the Christian scriptures. Lowercase biblical in nonreligious or general uses. Use Quran as the preferred spelling for the Muslim holy book.
- Health and science: Use current official terminology and distinguish carefully between a disease, a virus, a treatment and a public-health response. Avoid technical terms that do not serve the reader.
9. Digital publishing and source practice
- Links: Embed links in descriptive words rather than pasting raw URLs or using click here. Link directly to the source, not to a search results page.
- Data and research: Name the organization, report or dataset and give the relevant date or time period. Check that figures are current before publication.
- Quotations: Quote people accurately and preserve their intended meaning. Use brackets and ellipses only when essential for clarity and never to change the speaker's point.
- Attribution: Attribute ideas, claims, photographs, graphics and data clearly. Seek permission or use material under an appropriate license before publication.
- Accessibility: Use informative headings, short paragraphs and meaningful link text. Explain unfamiliar terms and make alt text available for any image that conveys information.
10. Pre-submission checklist
- The article has a clear title and a focused opening that tells the reader what the piece is about.
- Headings use sentence case, paragraphs are concise and acronyms are explained on first reference.
- Names, roles, organizations, dates, statistics and quotations have been checked.
- Factual claims have a credible linked source close to the relevant sentence.
- The language is specific, respectful and accessible to an international audience.
- Links are descriptive, image permissions are clear and images have useful alt text where needed.
- The draft follows the house choices in this guide, including US English, AP punctuation and the Purpose Circle word list.
Reference
This is an in-house summary of AP style for Purpose Circle. It does not replace the current Associated Press Stylebook, which should be consulted for complex, topical or potentially sensitive questions. Use Merriam-Webster as the default dictionary where this guide and AP style do not provide an answer.
Written by
Thomas Basu
Content Editor at Purpose Circle
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