Writing for ECA: a style guide for preparing publications, documents and reports

Abstract

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has prepared the "Writing for ECA" style guide to reflect its writing and publishing policies and preferences, and to adapt and customize United Nations editorial style and practice. It is meant to facilitate convergence and standardization of in-house writing and publishing styles for various categories of publications, consolidate the ECA publishing function and help to reduce the time spent on editing, re-writing and re-structuring documents for publication. It will be updated periodically to keep it useful and relevant. The material essentially reflects the most important points in the United Nations Editorial Manual (ST/DCS/2) published in 1983 by the Department of Conference Services, United Nations Headquarters, New York. In the last two decades since the above mentioned Editorial Manual was printed, new computer hardware and software and use of the Internet and of Intranet sites have transformed publishing and printing within and outside the United Nations System.