“Updates to The Chicago Manual of Style: A Round Table” (Editors Toronto October 2024 Program Recap)

by Maria Eydmans

Earlier this year, the University of Chicago Press published a printed and bound update to the editor’s best friend, The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). With the tweaks and clarifications of the 18th edition came a lot of questions, comments, and approvals from new and seasoned editors alike. 

During the October program meeting at Editors Toronto, hosted by programs chair Mary Brydon-Kehoe, many remarked just how receptive the new manual was to the social and technological changes that have come about since 2017, both big and small. The most notable change, the group agreed, was the insertion of brand-new sections and developments on existing ones in Indigenous style, inclusive language, and accessibility. Other than these long-awaited sections, one editor pointed out, were some surprising insertions: there are even rules about emojis — how to use them, when to use them, and where.

CMOS punctuation changes

The editors then got down to discussing the nitty-gritty: punctuation. Previously, sentences coming after colons didn’t require a capital, but now they do. The team of experienced editors pointed out that, previously, lots of other concepts lacked a hard-and-fast rule, too, with usages that were more like general practice. Some notable examples include: more than two em dashes in a single sentence are now permissible (in dialogue); a sentence can begin with a year as a number; a suspended hyphen can be used when the first part of a hyphenated compound is omitted; prepositions of more than five letters are now capitalized (in title case) in headings; a comma is no longer required between ellipses and speech in quoted dialogue, among many, many others. Even with all these changes, there are still some to be desired. A common ask was to have a blanket rule when it comes to adjectives always being hyphenated, even after nouns. Somebody chimed in, requesting the very same for comma splices.

Combining accessibility and punctuation, the editor’s bread and butter — good separate, great together — the group discussed how changes made to the 17th manual in the 18th have made it easier for readers to distinguish paragraphs, parts of sentences, and even words from one another.

Other topics that the editors discussed in respect to improving accessibility and readability included using numerals over words if many of them appear in a work, helping the digital reader absorb the information faster from a screen, and starting sentences with abbreviations to help reduce cognitive load.

CMOS general changes

In the face of all of these changes, the fittingly stoplight-yellow guide elicited some pause. Budding editors had lots of questions for their established peers, like, “While things are transitioning, is it still acceptable to use the 17th edition?”, “How do we start to transition our work to incorporate these changes?”, and “What timeline do you give yourself?”

The general consensus was to go little by little and get acquainted before making changes in manuscripts, in order to avoid introducing more errors. Having a cheat sheet or checklist was another tip that was agreed upon by the majority. In terms of a grace period, they recommended communicating with your publisher in regards to their policy and strategy when the rules change. After all, even if this is the first change that a new editor is experiencing, chances are that their peers have been there before — and there’s no shame in asking them questions.

“I’m going to highlight the sections that have changed in my 17th, so if I have to refer to them, I’ll know to check the new one online. Kind of like studying for a test!” one experienced editor said. 

When doing so, make note of the fact that the organization of content from the previous edition has changed. Section numbers may not correspond, so make sure to look at chapter headings rather than numbering. Luckily, both Editors Canada and The Chicago Manual of Style have each put out their own list of changes to watch out for.

CMOS and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

When wrapping up, the editors were asked if there were any exciting or anticipated changes they wanted to give special mention to. Of course, they brought up a subject that has been on everyone’s minds: Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

“I am personally quite happy to see that CMOS has come out and confirmed that generative AI is not sufficient for copyright, and that any use of AI requires disclosure. For us as editors, it may help make it easier to have some conversations with authors about that thorny topic, having some official backing to draw on,” said one editor.

“It’s great to see it codified somewhere and talked about in these resources,” said another. In fact, the entire guide, not just the new section on AI, was accredited by editors as a pillar to draw on when working on a manuscript with a client.

Conclusions

Towards the end of the meeting — in editor fashion — a few errors were spotted! The group suggested writing Chicago a letter inquiring about these changes and they encouraged others to do so: “They are reachable and personable. They tighten, tighten, tighten as they go.” 

Not only is it helpful for them, but it is helpful for you too, reader: “We like the Q&A because the reasoning is very sensible and you get to see the rationale — it makes it easier to remember when you know the rationale.”

The online style guide is ever changing, and Chicago is quite forthcoming — when they make changes they don’t make them quietly. Checking it frequently is imperative to staying in the know and being the best editor you can be. Other than the guide itself, more fun and less formal resources on the topic include BoldFace, The Editors’ Weekly, the Grammar Girl podcast, and, of course, the Chicago blogs and Q&As (CMOS Shop Talk) that get published once a month.

Still worried or overwhelmed? Here’s some advice: Just be consistent. Don’t worry about adopting all of the changes as long as what you’re doing abides by either the 17th or the 18th. When in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask for help — from your peers, your boss, or even the folks at Chicago.

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Maria Eydmans is a writer, editor, and illustrator based in Toronto. She has an undergraduate degree in English and French Studies and is on track to acquire a Master of Publishing from Simon Fraser University. She currently works for EXILE/Exile Editions and also volunteers for the Editor’s Canada Student Relations Committee. You can check out her work at www.mariaeydmans.com or reach out to her directly at [email protected].

This article was copy edited by Maia Kowalski (she/her), a freelance writer and editor based in Toronto.