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Editorial Manual
Updates
Date | Page | Change |
4 November | Abbreviations | The following entry was added: UNTMIS: United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia |
10 October | Policy questions | Added the link to the Secretariat policy on the preparation of official documents |
23 September | Style/Spelling | The entries for "health-care (adj.)" and "health care (noun)" have been superseded by healthcare (adj. and noun) |
23 September | Style/Spelling | The entry "citywide" was added to the spelling list |
11 September | Abbreviations | The following entry was added: AUSSOM: African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia |
9 September | Style/Spelling | The entry for "ill" has been updated as follows: ill: compound adjectives are hyphenated only when preceding a noun (e.g. an ill-designed project; the project is ill designed) except: ill-founded, ill-treated |
9 September | Style/Spelling | The following entries were added to the spelling list: single window (noun) and single-window (adjective) |
26 June | Capitalization | The following guidance (in bold) was added: All words in the titles of books, periodicals, publications and court cases (excluding "et al" and "others") except articles, conjunctions and preposition |
26 June | Footnotes |
A new example was added under IV. Outside sources, E. Legal references 8 European Court of Human Rights, Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia and others v. Moldova, Application No. 45701/99, Judgment, 13 December 2001.
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24 June | Footnotes | The guidelines under II. General instructions on footnotes and text notes, C. Excessive referencing, were updated as follows (new text in bold): C. Excessive referencing Authors are reminded that they should cite only sources that are strictly relevant and necessary. Commonly known or easily verifiable facts do not require a source note, nor should embedded hyperlinks be used. Excessive referencing undermines not only the overall readability of documents but also multilingualism, as many references do not exist in the six official languages of the United Nations, and reduces the accessibility of documents to persons with disabilities. Footnotes should account for no more than 10 per cent of the total word count of the document as submitted. [...] General references to sources. There is no need to reference each individual contribution to a document or publication. To acknowledge sources consulted Examples: Footnotes: 1 The analysis in this section is based on the evidence presented in the report of the Secretary-General on ¡ (A/xx/__). In text: The information contained in the present report is based on available data from the United Nations system, compiled from humanitarian agencies, partners and other relevant sources. Combined footnotes or text notes. The number of footnotes or text notes can sometimes be reduced by combining them, provided that no ambiguity results. Examples: Footnotes: |
30 May | Abbreviations | The guidelines were updated to "/dgacm/en/content/editorial-manual/updates/abbreviations" throughout (instead of "abbreviations and acronyms"). |
30 May | Capitalization | The following entry was added: amendment first amendment to the Anti-Prostitution Law but Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America |
20 May | Capitalization | Under "Head", "heads of entity" was added as an example of when not to use capitalization |
20 May | Style/Italics and bold print | The following guidance was removed under "Italics are used for the following": The titles of laws and decrees in a foreign language |
20 May | Style/Spelling |
The following entries were added to the spelling list: |
20 May | Style/Numbers | The following guidance was added under "Roman numerals": Where there are more than 20 annexes, appendices, enclosures or attachments, they should normally be numbered with arabic numerals |
19 April | Style/Spelling |
The entry "schooldays" was added (the period in someone's life when they attended school) and the entry "schoolday" was changed to "*school day"(a day on which classes are held in a primary or secondary school) |
17 April | Style/Italics and bold print | "United Nations" was deleted before publications:
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17 April | Style/Spelling | The entries "consensus-building" and "constitution-making" were added to the spelling list |
28 March | Abbreviations | The entry for the World Tourism Organization was updated to Ãå±±½ûµØTourism |
19 March | Capitalization | The following capitalization guidance was added: Proper names for software, including components thereof, operating systems and devices. |
19 March | Maps and figures | The following guidance was added: In masthead documents, which are printed in black and white, maps and figures should be submitted in greyscale (see DGACM guide to document submission, section II, para. 3 (e)). |
19 March | Style/Spelling | The entry "chapeau" was added to the spelling list |
19 March | Mastheads and cover pages | The guidance on corner notations was updated: Not all of these elements apply to all documents (see models below). There is no need to include the place of the session in documents of the principal organs (General Assembly, Security Council and Economic and Social Council), nor of the Human Rights Council. However, the place of the session should be included in documents of the subsidiary bodies of those organs. |
11 March | Capitalization |
Court cases were added to titles that are capitalized: |
26 February | Style/Numbers, dates and time | The following guidance was added under "Ranges of dates": The use of ¡°through¡± as a temporal preposition, in the sense of ¡°up to and including¡±, should be avoided. Ranges of dates are assumed to be inclusive, unless otherwise indicated. |
26 February | Style/Spelling | The spelling list has been updated and no longer includes "formulae" as a plural for formula |
26 February | Style/Italics and bold print | The guidance on the use of italics has been updated as follows: The names of ships and other vessels, e.g. HMS Frolic, the British ship Frolic; SS United States, the United States; MV Helena; the submarine Le Redoutable |
24 January | Style/Spelling | The entry "re-enfranchise" was added |
2023 | ||
15 December | Style/Spelling | The entry "polycrisis" was added |
21 November | Punctuation |
The following guidance was added: The use of the slash (/) is discouraged since its meaning is unclear. Usually it can be replaced by ¡°and¡± or ¡°or¡±. The term ¡°and/or¡± should not be used as a replacement. |
10 November | Indirect or reported speech |
The following note was added under Verb tenses, present to past tense: However, in summary records, the verb is always changed from the present to the past: The speaker noted that, under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone had the right to life, liberty and security of person. |
9 November | Abbreviations | The following entries were added under abbreviations for weights and measures: MJ megajoules EJ exajoules GW gigawatts |
9 November | Footnotes |
The following guidance has been added under Points of style, General instructions on footnotes and text notes: Use of "e.g." and "i.e." |
30 October | Style/Spelling |
Following the adoption of the online Oxford Dictionary as the authority for spelling in United Nations documents, the following entries have been updated: Baath party to Baath Party |
14 September | Style/Spelling | The entry M¨¡ori was added |
24 August | Style/Spelling | The entry "strived" (not "strove" or "striven") was added |
15 August | Footnotes | The following example was added to Legal references: Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Herrera Ulloa v. Costa Rica, Judgment, 2 July 2004, paras. 166 and 167. |
15 August | Style/Abbreviations | The following entry was added to the acronyms and abbreviations list:
CSTO: Collective Security Treaty Organization |
31 July | Style/Abbreviations | The following entry was added to the acronyms and abbreviations list:
UNICRI: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute |
21 July | Numbers, date and time |
The following example was added under Ordinals: The candidate was ranked eighty-third out of 189 applicants. |
11 July | Capitalization | The guidance for proper names transliterated from Arabic was updated as follows:
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11 July | Style/Spelling | The entry "truth-seeking (noun and adj.)" was added |
26 May | Footnotes | The guidance for Outside sources, Multimedia sources was updated as follows:
References to audiovisual material and other multimedia content include the following elements: Examples: |
26 May | Style/Italics |
The entry on italics was updated to read: |
26 May | Style/Spelling | The entry "convener" was added |
18 May | Style/Spelling | The entry "peacekeeping-intelligence (noun and adj.)" was added |
15 May | Footnotes | An example was updated under Court cases and related documents |
15 May | Style/Spelling | The entries "carve out (verb)" and "carveout (noun)" were added |
8 May | Style/Spelling |
The entries "digitalize (adapt a system or process)" and "digitize (convert material into a digital format)" were added |
8 May | Numbers, dates and time |
The example using an en dash to link to numbers was updated as follows: An en dash (¨C): A substantial increase in production (12¨C14 per cent) is expected. For more examples of the use of the en dash, see Punctuation. |
8 May | Punctuation | The examples under "En dash" were updated: pp. 17¨C19 (but pp. 17 and 18) paras. 19¨C21 (but paras. 19 and 20) para. 73 (b)¨C(e) (but para. 73 (b) and (c)) |
3 May | Style/Spelling | The entry "liveable" was added |
20 April | Style/Spelling | The entry "cost-sharing" was added |
23 March | Style/Abbreviations | The entry "KC (King's Counsel)" was added |
16 March | Footnotes | The example for "Two consecutive page/paragraph numbers" was updated to read "pp./paras. 17 and 18" |
16 March | Mastheads and cover pages | Under "Corner notation: agenda", the following was added: A footnote reference is provided for the preliminary list and the provisional agenda; there is no footnote for the annotated preliminary list or the adopted agenda |
16 March | Punctuation | The entry for Apostrophe was edited to read: An apostrophe (¡¯²õ or ²õ¡¯) is not used with an abbreviation or acronym, the name of a country or the name of a body, for example, an intergovernmental organization, a court or a government ministry. |
16 March | Capitalization | "seat of government" was added as an example under Government |
16 March | Style/Spelling | The entry "gender-responsive" was added |
2 March | Capitalization | Under delegation, the following was added: but Delegation if used as equivalent of Permanent Mission: the Delegation of the European Union |
17 February | Footnotes | An example was added for citing specific subparagraphs within a paragraph |
17 February | Footnotes | An example of a shortened legal reference was added under repeated references |
17 February | Style/Spelling | The entry "web map" was added |
30 January | Punctuation | Examples were added under "Colon". |
5 January | Capitalization | The section on proper names transliterated from Arabic was updated to read: The same rule applies to bin, bint and ibn; for example Osama bin Laden, Mr. Bin Hamdan, Khawlah bint al-Azwar, Ms. Bint al-Azwar, Abu al-Walid ibn Rushd (Averro?s), Ibn Sina (Avicenna). |
2022 | ||
1 December | Style/Spelling | The entries "capacity development (noun)" and "capacity-development (adj.)" were added |
15 November | Capitalization | The entry on "Organization" was edited to read: when used as a short title for the United Nations or for an entity name containing ¡°Organization¡±; and a separate entry for organizational was added |
15 November | Style/Spelling | The entry "fact sheet" was added |
3 November | Capitalization |
Indigenous should be capitalized when referring to cultures, communities, lands, languages, etc., of Indigenous Peoples, e.g.: Indigenous culture in Ecuador, Indigenous languages are dying out. If referring to flora or fauna, lower case should be used. |
29 September | Style/Spelling | The entry "workstream" was added |
12 September | Footnotes | The following guidance was added to points of style: The name of the organization is spelled out, not abbreviated, unless the abbreviation has been defined in a previous footnote, previously in the text or in a list of abbreviations at the beginning of the text. |
12 September | Style/Abbreviations | The general guidelines were updated as follows:
When they are used, abbreviations and acronyms should always be explained. The name or title should be written out in full the first time it occurs in the main body of a document, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter, the abbreviation may be used in footnotes, figures, tables and boxes. If an abbreviation or acronym first appears in a footnote, figure, table or box, it should be written out in full again the first time it is used in the main body of the document. Alternatively, if a document contains numerous abbreviations and acronyms, a list may be included after the table of contents or at the end of the document if there is no table of contents. A list of abbreviations and acronyms applies to the main document and to any annexes or attachments to it. |
7 September | Style/Spelling | The entry "duty bearer" was added |
25 August | Style/Spelling | The entry "rights holder (not hyphenated)" was added |
24 August | Style/Abbreviations | COVID-19 was added to the list of abbreviations |
13 July | The entries "sub-goal" and "intra-African" were added | |
24 June | The entries "credentialled" and "credentialling" were added | |
3 June | Footnotes | The guidance for Documents issued under a double symbol was updated to read: Both symbols, joined by a hyphen, are included in a footnote or text note. |
27 May | Style/Spelling | The entry "data-sharing" was added |
27 May | Style/Spelling | The entry "asylum seeker" was updated to "asylum-seeker" |
26 May | The following guidance was added to court cases and related documents: 2. Title of court case (in italics; retain "et al" if used, do not change to "and others") |
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25 May | Numbers, dates and time | The following instruction was added to the information on telephone numbers: use a plus sign (+) before the country code |
4 May | Style/Abbreviations | ATMIS was added to the list of abbreviations |
26 April | Home page | Contact email address for New York was changed to etesfrontdesk@un.org |
26 April | Style/Spelling | The entry "after-service" was added |
22 April | Documents relating to programme budget implications | Document models were updated |
22 April | Style/Spelling | The entries "tear gas" (noun) and tear-gas (adj.) were added |
31 March | Style/Spelling | The entry "subject matter (noun)" was updated to "subject matter (not hyphenated)" |
22 March | Style/Spelling | The following entries were added or updated (updates are in bold): end-user (adj.) middleman (preferred: intermediary) predawn *seafloor sub-seafloor *year-on-year |
25 February | Style/Abbreviations | PDF was added to the list of abbreviations |
25 February | Style/Abbreviations | GIF was added to the list of abbreviations |
16 February | Style/Abbreviations | SIM was added to the list of abbreviations |
27 January | Style/Spelling | The entry "Da¡¯esh" was moved from Abbreviations and acronyms to the spelling list |
2021 | ||
10 November | Style/Spelling | The entry "tele-health" was updated to "telehealth" in the spelling list |
2 November | Style/Spelling | The entry "de-risk" was added to the spelling list |
8 October | Style/Spelling | The following entry was added to the spelling list: neuro: compound forms are closed |
27 September | Corrigenda and reissues |
The following updates were made to the entry on Corrigenda and reissues (new language in bold): Drafting: If a correction consists of a complete sentence phrased like an instruction (i.e. does not contain text for deletion or insertion), normal punctuation is used. Example: The title of document A/60/496 should read as above. Corrigendum to correct original language, corner notation or title: When a corrigendum is issued to correct the agenda items or any other element in the corner notation, or to correct the title or subtitle (see models 7 and 8), the corrigendum is prepared with the correct information, and the text is phrased like an instruction |
23 September | Footnotes | The guidance on citing Internet sources has been updated to read: The prefix may be deleted when the URL contains "www" (e.g. ). |
21 July | Style/Abbreviations | The entry "Da¡¯esh" was added to the list |
21 July | Style/Capitalization |
Under "Organization" the following was added "but organizational even if in reference to the Organization" |
14 July | Main page | The link to the "Guidelines for disability-inclusive language" was added to the main page |
16 June | Footnotes | The disclaimer under Electronic sources was updated to read: "Information on uniform resource locators and links to websites contained in the present publication are provided for the convenience of the reader and are correct at the time of issuance." |
10 June | Style/Spelling | The entries "roll back (verb)" and "roll forward (noun and verb)" were added to the spelling list |
10 June | Headings | The font size for chapter or main section headings was changed from 17-pt bold to 20-pt bold. |
8 June 2021 | Footnotes | The guidance on Articles in a newspaper was updated to read: "The name of a newspaper should be given as it appears in the masthead. The initial article is retained, in italics, when it is part of the name of a newspaper, both in footnotes and in running text (e.g., Al-Ahram, The New York Times, Le Monde, El Pa¨ªs). If part of the actual title, an ampersand (&) should be retained." |
8 June 2021 | Footnotes | The guidance on Articles in a periodical was updated to read: "The initial article is retained, in italics, when it is part of the name of the periodical, both in footnotes and in running text." |
3 June 2021 | Tables | The following was added under Abbreviations: "Dates should be written out in full: 1 January 2021. If there is not enough space, the month may be abbreviated: 1 Jan. 2021. In order to avoid confusion, dates should not be abbreviated in a numbers-only format, e.g. 1/1/2021." |
1 June 2021 | Style/Abbreviations | The following was included under General guidelines: ¡°Forms of address such as ¡°H.E.¡± or ¡°His Excellency¡± and ¡°H.R.H¡± or ¡°Her Royal Highness¡± should not be used in United Nations documents. The title ¡°Dr.¡± may be used for doctors of medicine acting in a medical capacity.¡± |
1 June 2021 | Maps and figures, including photographs | The guidance on photographs was updated to include: ¡°Photographs must have attribution (e.g. Source: Panel of Experts).¡± |
1 June 2021 | Style/Capitalization | Under ¡°Some points of style¡±, the following change was made: ¡°The main component of an e-compound referring to an established electronic system or tool, such as eDoc or eMeets (and their successors, gDoc and gMeets); otherwise email, e-commerce and so on; also Email and E-commerce at the beginning of a sentence and in titles.¡± |
1 June 2021 | Footnotes | The entry under Publisher's name has been updated to read: ¡°When the name includes an ampersand (&) as part of the actual name, it should be retained.¡± |
25 March 2021 | Maps and figures, including photographs | The guidance on figures was updated to include: ¡°If there is only one figure in a document, it is not numbered and the word ¡°Figure¡± is omitted from the heading.¡± |
23 March 2021 | Style/Abbreviations | The entry OECD was updated to reflect preferred spelling (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) |
11 March 2021 | Style/Spelling | The entry "clearing-house (adj.)" was added to the spelling list |
3 March 2021 | Style/Abbreviations | The entry "GPS (Global Positioning System)" was removed and "GNSS (global navigation satellite system)" was added |
24 February 2021 | Style/Capitalization | The following entries on geographical terms were updated:
east, eastern north, northern south, southern west, western central in reference to an area within a country or a body of water (e.g., the central Mediterranean) |
24 February 2021 | Style/Spelling | The entry "rule-making" was added to the spelling list |
29 January 2021 | Addenda | The text "Proposed programme budget for the biennium XXX" was updated to read "Proposed programme budget for [year]" |
24 November 2020 | Style/Spelling | The entry "small-satellite (adj.)" was added to the spelling list |
2 November 2020 | Style/Spelling | The entry "syllabuses" was added to the spelling list |
29 October 2020 | Style/Abbreviations | WCO was added to the list of abbreviations |
28 October 2020 | Style/Capitalization | The entry on "Member" was updated to read: a State not a member of the United Nations, a non-member State, a member of a United Nations organ, e.g., member or members of the Security Council, member or members of the Economic and Social Council, etc. |
26 October 2020 | Footnotes | The practice of using sales numbers as references for United Nations publications has been discontinued. The guidance in the Editorial Manual has been updated accordingly. |
19 October 2020 | Style/Capitalization | The guidance on transliteration of proper names in Arabic was updated as follows: The definite article al is capitalized when it is the first element in a name and lower-case when it is in the middle; for example, Al-Jazeera, Al-Qaida, Mohammed al-Ansari. The same practice applies to el, where used. |
13 October 2020 | Style/Spelling | The entry "comorbidity" was added to the spelling list |
21 September 2020 | Footnotes |
The guidance on Repeated references was updated to read: A. Repeated footnote references Repeated footnote indicators may be used in explanatory footnotes. |
21 September 2020 | Footnotes |
The last two sentences on the guidance on Excessive referencing were updated to read: C. Excessive referencing In resolutions, an item is referenced once only, the first time that it is mentioned, whether in the preamble or the operative part. When it is necessary to repeat a reference, a new footnote should be inserted. |
17 September 2020 | Style/Spelling | The entry "penholder" was added to the spelling list (with * to indicate a change from previous practice) |
11 August 2020 | Style/Spelling | ** added to work-hour to indicate an exception to the twelfth edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary |
24 July 2020 | Style/Abbreviations | UNITAMS was added to the list of abbreviations |
24 June 2020 | Policy questions | The entry on references to commercial firms in United Nations documentation was updated to reflect changes in practice |
22 June 2020 | Style/Capitalization | The entry on "Organization" was updated to read: when used as a short title, whether for the United Nations or an entity whose name includes "Organization" |
22 June 2020 | Style/Spelling | The entry "security sector (not hyphenated)" was added to the spelling list |
22 June 2020 | Style/Spelling | The entry "re-enforce" was added to the spelling list |
9 June 2020 | Style/Capitalization | "Prefecture" was added as an example under "Proper nouns and adjectives and recognized geographical names" |
9 June 2020 | Italics and bold print | The following note was added to the guidance on italics Note: An italicized title used within an italicized title or heading should remain italicized and be enclosed in quotation marks. Other italicized terms (e.g., non-English words, species names, ship names) used within an italicized title or heading should be set in roman. |
13 May 2020 | Style/Abbreviations | TWh (terawatt-hour) was added to the list of abbreviations |
17 April 2020 | Footnotes |
Change in guidance on text notes and footnotes: III.United Nations sources |
17 April 2020 | Style/Abbreviations | DDT was added to the list of abbreviations |
17 April 2020 | Style/Spelling | The entry "re-engage" was added |
16 April 2020 | Guidelines for gender-inclusive language | Link to Guidelines for gender-inclusive language was added to the home page |
16 April 2020 | Style/Capitalization | Examples added under Government (noun only): pro-government elements and anti-government forces |
16 April 2020 | Country names and currencies | The second paragraph was updated to read: The country name is normally given after the name of a city, unless the city is the capital or the host city of a United Nations headquarters (Geneva, New York and The Hague) |
28 February 2020 | Footnotes | Example added to Footnotes, chapter 4, section F |
28 February 2020 | Style/Punctuation |
The entry on commas was updated as follows: When a non-restrictive relative clause comes in the middle of a sentence, it is marked off by a comma at each end. It is also important to use commas in pairs in other parenthetical constructions: Not "In article 4, paragraph 6 (a) of the Convention..." But "In article 4, paragraph 6 (a), of the Convention..." [Note too that, in English, brackets are used in pairs "(a)", even where a single closing bracket is used in another language "a)".] Not "The court, while preserving its independence should perform..." But " The court, while preserving its independence, should perform..." Not "... submit to the Committee for its information, a report on..." But "... submit to the Committee, for its information, a report on..." Not "At its 42nd meeting on 18 January 1996, the Committee had decided..." But "At its 42nd meeting, on 18 January 1996, the Committee had decided..." |
28 February 2020 | Style/Abbreviations | The entries for Inter-American Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank were updated to reflect current usage |
18 February 2020 | Communications |
The guidance on attachments was updated to read: Roman numerals are used for multiple annexes, enclosures and attachments |
5 February 2020 | Country names and currencies | The currency name should be written in full if it is used only once or twice in a document or if there is any possibility of ambiguity. If a currency that is not well known is used several times in a document, its name should appear in full at the first mention, followed by its symbol between parentheses |
5 February 2020 | Style/Abbreviations | PKK was added to the list of abbreviations |
30 January 2020 | Style/Spelling | The entry for "child-sensitive" was updated to reflect that the term should always be hyphenated, regardless of whether it precedes or follows a noun |
30 January 2020 | Style/Capitalization | The entry "Charter" was added |
17 January 2020 | Style/Capitalization | The third paragraph was updated to read: Initial capitals are not used as a mark of respect; neither does the use of lower case imply a lack of respect. Certain words are capitalized when used in a specialized or restricted sense, the purpose of the capital being to point to the specialized or restricted sense (e.g. Aboriginal people in Australia, but the consequences of climate change on indigenous communities, black pupils are closing the gap in educational performance on their white classmates). |
17 January 2020 | Style/Abbreviations | UNMHA was added to the list of abbreviations |
3 January 2020 | Style/Spelling |
The following entries were added: crowdwork, crowdworker, crowdworking |
11 December 2019 | Style/Spelling | The entry ¡°life-saving¡± was added to the spelling list |
5 December 2019 | Style/Spelling |
The following entries were added: lump-sum (adj.) |
20 November 2019 | Style/Capitalization | The entry ¡°United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework¡± was added |
18 November 2019 | Style/Numbers, dates and time |
Under the section ¡°Ordinals¡±, the entry on latitude was updated to read: Latitude and longitude: 32nd parallel, N 36¡ã25'13, W 44¡ã23'01¡± |
15 November 2019 | Style/Spelling | The entry "agroprocessing" was added to the spelling list |
29 October 2019 | Style/Spelling | The entry "behove" was added to the spelling list |
25 October 2019 | Style/Capitalization | The entry for "State" was updated to include "welfare state" as an exception |
4 October 2019 | Country names and currencies |
The second paragraph was updated to read: The country name is normally given after the name of a city, unless the city is the capital or the host city of a United Nations headquarters (e.g., Geneva and New York). |
3 October 2019 | Style/Spelling | The entry "antisemitism" (an exception to the twelfth edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary) was added to the spelling list |