Last updated: 4/9/17; please check back for more recent updates
Writing in ENVS necessitates as much attention to good English style as in other subjects. Below are some reminders, based on what we have seen as common issues in student writing. Where possible, we link to the Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition; this and below links work from on campus), one definitive style guide for American English, which ENVS also recommends for styling your reference citations.
- Quotation marks (in American English, which applies to all below) are always double quotes, except when a quote is in a quote (CMS 13.28).
- Closing quotation marks follow a period or comma (CMS 6.9). (Note that footnotes follow all punctuation; see e.g. CMS 14.19.)
- Don’t overuse scare quotes, and make sure if you use them that you are referring to how someone else uses the term, not you (CMS 7.55). (See related note at bottom regarding use of Big Words.)
- Section headings never include a colon at the end (see CMS 2.17 for general guidance).
- Author-date citations require page numbers for quotes (CMS 15.22). For more detailed guidance on the Chicago author-date style, see here.
- Figures require figure numbers and captions, typically directly under the figure (CMS 3.23).
- A nice summary list distinguishing common from better usage of words can be found at CMS 5:220. Here are a few we’ve seen among ENVS students:
- Its vs. it’s (possessive vs. contraction). If you can’t say “it is” in place of your word, use “its,” not “it’s.”
- Affect vs. effect. This is important in ENVS given all the cause-effect relationships we discuss. If you’re looking for a verb, choose affect; if you’re looking for a noun (other than to describe emotions), choose effect.
If you are a senior and submitting your capstone for dissemination via Watzek Library, see here. They may require specific styling and content for your title page; if not, consult with your instructor.
An important final style note: how should you best use Big Words (general concepts) commonly deployed in environmental discourse, such as nature, environment, holism, sustainability, justice, and so forth? Here’s what we strongly recommend:
- If you are quoting a publication, interview, etc. that uses the word, use it exactly as your source does, without any added scare quotes, making sure to site the source.
- If it’s your own original text, however, try your best to either (a) use more specific words (e.g., instead of “impacts on the environment,” say “impacts on freshwater ecosystems”), or (b) carefully define and use the word in accordance with what you have learned in ENVS. Never simply enclose a Big Word in scare quotes (e.g., “I think organic foods are better because they are more ‘natural’ for people to eat”); this is just an excuse for sloppy writing (and thinking).
- The Big Words prohibition in ENVS also applies to “laundry lists,” e.g., “…social, economic, and environmental…,” because this implies that “environment” is a category of reality distinct from other categories.