FSC_StyleGuide_Proof4_25-09-15

iForest Stewardship Council®
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................... 1
A. Writing well...................................................................................... 2
Planning your writing...............................................................................................2
Some basic style principles....................................................................................3
B. FSC words and phrases................................................................... 5
Writing about FSC....................................................................................................5
FSC strapline/slogan...............................................................................................5
Trademarks...............................................................................................................6
FSC jargon................................................................................................................6
Official names of FSC network organizations......................................................8
C. FSC style......................................................................................... 9
Spelling.....................................................................................................................9
General rules........................................................................................................9
Double consonants............................................................................................10
–ize, –ise, and –yse............................................................................................10
Plurals for words of foreign origin......................................................................11
Abbreviations and acronyms................................................................................11
Capitalization.........................................................................................................13
Format.....................................................................................................................15
Bold....................................................................................................................15
Boxes..................................................................................................................15
Cross-references................................................................................................16
Figures................................................................................................................16
Footnotes/endnotes...........................................................................................16
FSC standards....................................................................................................16
Headings............................................................................................................17
Italics..................................................................................................................17
Lists....................................................................................................................18
Tables.................................................................................................................20
Grammar.................................................................................................................21
A/an/the – indefinite and definite articles...........................................................21
Advice/advise.....................................................................................................22
Affect/effect........................................................................................................22
Aiming at/towards/to..........................................................................................22
Among/between.................................................................................................22
And/but...............................................................................................................23
Consult/consultation..........................................................................................23
Disinterested/uninterested.................................................................................23
Double negatives................................................................................................23
Due to/because of..............................................................................................24
Few/fewer and little/less.....................................................................................24
If/whether............................................................................................................24

ii Forest Stewardship Council®
Include/comprise................................................................................................25
Inform.................................................................................................................25
‘It’ to describe an organization...........................................................................26
Maybe/may be....................................................................................................26
Onto/on to...........................................................................................................26
Possibility...........................................................................................................26
Regarding/about.................................................................................................26
Rights.................................................................................................................26
Which/that..........................................................................................................27
Internet terms........................................................................................................ 28
Names of countries.............................................................................................. 28
Numbers................................................................................................................. 29
Basic rules for writing numbers..........................................................................29
Centuries and decades......................................................................................30
Currencies..........................................................................................................30
Dates, months, and seasons..............................................................................30
Fractions.............................................................................................................31
Ordinals..............................................................................................................31
Percentages.......................................................................................................31
Ranges...............................................................................................................32
Thousands, millions, billions, and trillions..........................................................32
Units...................................................................................................................33
Time....................................................................................................................33
Telephone and fax numbers...............................................................................33
Punctuation........................................................................................................... 34
Apostrophes.......................................................................................................34
Brackets – round and square.............................................................................34
Colons ...............................................................................................................35
Commas.............................................................................................................35
Dashes................................................................................................................36
Ellipsis.................................................................................................................36
Hyphens.............................................................................................................36
Quotation marks – single and double................................................................38
Full stops............................................................................................................38
Semicolons.........................................................................................................39
References and bibliographies........................................................................... 39
Reference styling examples...............................................................................40
Text citation........................................................................................................43
Arrangement of entries in a list of publications..................................................44
Reported speech.................................................................................................. 45
Sensitive language................................................................................................ 45
D. Publication requirements.............................................................. 48
Copyright page ..................................................................................................... 48
Citation................................................................................................................... 48
Publisher details................................................................................................... 48
Appendix 1. Frequently used abbreviations and acronyms................ 49
Appendix 2. List of spellings............................................................. 51

1Forest Stewardship Council®
Introduction
Our mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially
beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s
forests. An important part of achieving this is writing about our
work, and telling the stories of our successes and positive impacts.
Our writing must speak to many different audiences in the clearest
and most effective way possible.
The Forest Stewardship Council®
(FSC®
) is a truly international
organization that houses people with many different first
languages. But all our communications are published first in
English. Using English consistently is key to communicating
clearly, helping us to speak with one voice about our activities and
the issues that matter to us.
The purpose of this Editorial Style Guide is to help us be
consistent. It provides:
• advice on writing well
• guidelines for how to use technical language and terms that are
specific to FSC
• a comprehensive set of rules for the correct use of English,
including spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• some requirements for documents that are going to be
published.
Language and grammar are constantly evolving, and this is a living
document. It will be reviewed and updated regularly.

2 Forest Stewardship Council®
A. Writing well
Planning your writing
Before you start, ask yourself these questions.
• Who is your audience? FSC audiences include partners (from
certificate holders and certification bodies to key accounts),
visitors to our website (from consumers through journalists, to
retailers and researchers), as well as governments, NGOs, and
policy-makers. The language and level of detail you use in your
writing should reflect what you know about your audience.
• Are you writing for print or online? We don’t read printed
material in the same way that we read information online. If you
are writing for print, you can build up arguments in a logical
sequence from the introduction to the conclusion. If you are
writing for online, you need to use fewer words and shorter
paragraphs, and pay more attention to headlines, summaries,
and captions.
• What is your message? Noting the key points you want to
communicate to your reader before you begin, and returning to
them as you write, will help you express your ideas clearly and
structure your writing.
• Have you left time to edit and check your writing? Editing
is an essential part of writing, and you should always set aside
some time to do it yourself, and for the Communications Unit to
add your writing to the editing schedule.
Who is the reader?
Print or online?
What’s the message?
Time to edit?

Some basic style principles
Good writing is clear and brief, so make it simple. Avoid
complicated sentences and use short, familiar words and phrases.
Make sure you understand the meaning of all the words you use.
This is equally valid for technical documents and online copy –
whoever the audience, your writing will benefit from being clear
and uncomplicated.
Instead of this …
Pellucidity in prose writing is enhanced through the felicitous
choice of lexical units.
… use this:
The right choice of words improves clarity.
Jargon is the technical language of an organization or profession.
Use jargon only if you are certain that your audience will
understand it. Generally, you should avoid using it altogether if
you are writing for external audiences (non FSC staff). If you need
to use any of the technical words that describe FSC and its work,
refer to and use the definitions provided in Section B ‘FSC words
and phrases’ (p. 5).
Instead of this …
A chamber-balanced study of the risks and benefits was carried
out.
… use this:
FSC carried out a study to assess the risks and benefits from
economic, environmental, and social perspectives.
Avoid long sentences wherever you can. Use short sentences
instead. You can start sentences with conjunctions like ‘and’ and
‘but’ if this helps to shorten them.
Replace a long sentence like this …
Although few disagree that reducing global consumption and
relying more on recycled products and renewable energy is the
best way to reduce pressures on forests, this has not yet occurred
sufficiently to turn the balance and, in fact, global consumption of
forest products is increasing.
… with two shorter sentences like these:
Few disagree that using more recycled products and renewable
energy are the best ways to reduce pressure on forests. But this
is not yet happening enough to decrease consumption of forest
products.
Make sure that every word is needed.
Instead of this …
I joined FSC in order to help save forests.
… use this:
I joined FSC to help save forests.
Keep it simple, keep it
short
Only use jargon if you
know your audience will
understand it
Avoid long sentences
Make sure every word
is needed

One way to keep your sentences short is to use the active voice,
rather than the passive voice, wherever possible. In an active voice
sentence, the subject performs the action stated by the verb (e.g.
Sarah ate the nuts). In a passive voice sentence, the subject is
acted on by the verb (e.g. The nuts were eaten by Sarah).
Instead of this …
Draft requirements for maintaining ecosystem services were
presented by the FSC Policy Officer.
… use this:
The FSC Policy Officer presented draft requirements for
maintaining ecosystem services.
Using the active voice means that you will sometimes need to use
‘I’ or ‘we’ in your sentence. There is nothing wrong with this. It
sometimes makes a more lively style and easier reading.
Instead of this …
Pilot tests are being carried out at 10 forest sites under different
socio-political and environmental conditions.
… use this:
We are carrying out pilot tests at 10 forest sites under different
socio-political and environmental conditions.
Using simple verbs is a very important part of writing briefly
and clearly. Often, simple verbs (such as ‘examine’ or ‘agree’)
are hidden by a phrase made up of a noun plus a verb (such as
‘undertake an examination’ or ‘reach an agreement’). Nouns that
end in –ence, –ion, and –ment often signal hidden verbs, so you
should check for these endings when you edit your work.
Instead of this …
The adoption of these revisions will make the standard easier to
use.
… use this:
Adopting these revisions will make the standard easier to use.
Compound nouns – a string of nouns put together to form a
phrase – will often hide the meaning of what you are trying to say.
Avoid them whenever you can. When you edit your work, check for
places where there are two or more nouns together and re-write
the sentence using verbs instead of nouns.
Instead of this …
research result dissemination improvement methods
… use this:
methods of improving the dissemination of research results
Use the active voice
to help keep your
sentences short
There is nothing
wrong with using
‘I’ and ‘we’ in your
sentences
When you can, use
simple verbs (e.g.
examine) rather than
noun + verb phrases
(e.g. undertake an
examination)
Check your text for
places where you have
written two or more
nouns together and
see if you can replace
any of the nouns with
verbs

Writing about FSC
When using the abbreviation FSC in a sentence, do not use ‘the’
before it. Use ‘the’ only when it is written out in full.
The Forest Stewardship Council is dedicated to responsible forest
management.
FSC is dedicated to responsible forest management.
but not
The FSC is dedicated to responsible forest management.
The only exception to this is if you are using FSC in the possessive
form. For example, it is correct to write, ‘certificate holders must
comply with the FSC Policy for Association’, because ‘the’ in this
sentence refers to the Policy for Association, not FSC. Wherever
possible, you should use this form to describe anything that
belongs to FSC.
Certificate holders must comply with the FSC Policy for
Association.
but not
Certificate holders must comply with FSC’s Policy for Association.
There are four statements about FSC that you must not use:
• FSC is an eco-label
• FSC is a campaigning or lobbying organization
• FSC helps stop logging of the world’s forests
• FSC helps companies get higher prices for their products.
FSC strapline/slogan
The FSC strapline/slogan is to be written in italics, with initial
capital letters and no punctuation:
Forests For All Forever
B. FSC words and phrases
‘FSC’ not ‘the FSC’ ...
... unless you are
describing something
that belongs to FSC, in
which case write ‘the FSC
Policy for Association’,
not ‘FSC’s Policy for
Association’
Forests For All Forever

Trademarks
Both Forest Stewardship Council and FSC are registered
trademarks, so the first time that each of them is mentioned in an
article or document, it should be followed by the ® symbol, even if
the FSC logo already appears on the document.
The Forest Stewardship Council®
is dedicated to responsible
forest management. FSC®
certificate holders must comply with
the FSC Policy for Association.
FSC jargon
FSC uses some technical words and phrases, and some
expressions that are unique to our organization. The most
common of these are defined below. Depending on your audience,
you should say what these words and phrases mean the first time
you use them in a document.
Certificate A document issued under the rules of the FSC system,
verified by an independent third party, indicating that
the product or service the holder delivers conforms to
FSC standards for environmentally responsible, socially
beneficial, and economically viable forest or chain of
custody management.
Certification
body
An organization accredited under FSC rules to audit
certification applicants and monitor certificate holders
against FSC standards.
Chain of
custody
The path taken by materials and products from
the forest to the consumer. It includes any stage of
processing, transformation, manufacturing, storage,
and transport from raw materials to finished products
where progress to the next stage of the supply chain
involves a change of ownership of the materials or
products.
Chamber
system
To ensure balanced representation of all social interests
in the governance of FSC, the general assembly of
members is made up of an environmental, social, and
economic chamber, each divided into Northern and
Southern subchambers. Every FSC member joins
a subchamber, and each chamber holds an equal
number of votes in the general assembly, equally
divided between North and South.
Controlled
wood
Virgin wood or wood fibre that has a low probability
of having been harvested: illegally; in violation of
traditional or civil rights; from high conservation value
forest; from areas where natural or seminatural forest
has been converted to plantations; or from forests in
which genetically modified trees are planted.
Define your jargon by
checking this list
Use the ® symbol
after FSC and Forest
Stewardship Council
the first time you
mention them

Ecosystem
services
Ecosystem services are the benefits that people obtain
from nature. These take many forms, ranging from
tangible goods that can be harvested, traded, and
consumed, to the less tangible forms of support and
protection that are provided by plants and animals.
Forest
management
unit (FMU)
A clearly defined forest area with mapped boundaries,
managed by a single managerial body to a set of
explicit objectives which are expressed in a self-
contained, multiyear management plan.
FSC general
assembly
FSC is a membership organization. It is democratically
governed by its members, who are both individuals
and organizations. FSC members come together
every three years for the general assembly, which is its
highest decision-making body.
FSC global
network
The collective entity made up of FSC AC, FSC
International Center, FSC Global Development, FSC
regional offices, and national-level FSC partners which
have a cooperation agreement with FSC (national
offices, representatives, and focal points).
FSC Principles
and Criteria
(FSC P&C)
FSC’s core standard for forest management
certification. The FSC P&C define the essential
elements of environmentally appropriate, socially
beneficial, and economically viable forest management.
It is a living document and has been updated
several times since FSC was founded. The most
recent version, FSC P&C V5, was approved by the
membership in 2012.
International
generic
indicators
(IGIs)
The international generic indicators are a set of
baseline requirements developed to transfer national
and regional forest stewardship standards to the P&C
V5, and serve as a template for interim standards in
countries where a national standard had not yet been
approved.
High
conservation
value forests
High conservation value forests have one or more
of these attributes: significant concentrations of
biodiversity; naturally occurring species in natural
patterns of distribution; located in rare, threatened, or
endangered ecosystems; provide basic ecosystem
services in critical situations; meet the basic needs or
are vital to the cultural identity of local communities.
Responsible
forest
management
Managing forests in an environmentally appropriate,
socially responsible, and economically viable manner,
ensuring that they remain for generations to come.
Stakeholder Any individual or group whose interests are affected by
the way in which a forest is managed.

Official names of FSC network
organizations
The full, official names of the organizations that make up the FSC
system, and their correct abbreviations, are as follows. In all cases,
the full name should be used at first mention, with the abbreviation
in brackets.
• Forest Stewardship Council Asociación Civil (FSC AC)
• FSC Global Development GmbH (FSC GD)
• FSC International Center GmbH (FSC IC)
• Accreditation Services International GmbH (ASI)
• FSC regional offices (FSC ROs)
• FSC national offices (FSC NOs)
• FSC network partners (FSC NPs)
• FSC national representatives (FSC NRs)
• FSC national focal points (FSC NFPs)
FSC International comprises the FSC global office, regional
offices, national offices, and national representatives.
When referring to the FSC office in Bonn, you should write ‘the
FSC global office’, not FSC International.
FSC AC not FSC A.C.

Spelling
General rules
FSC preferred spelling is UN English, which is based on Oxford UK
English. It uses –ize rather than –ise spelling (as in UN English).
Set the proofing language on your computer to UK English for
spellchecking your writing.
For general spellings, use Oxford dictionaries online
(http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
For more specialized terms, see either Appendix 2 of this style
guide (p. 51), or the ‘Spelling’ section of the UN Editorial Manual
online (http://dd.dgacm.org/editorialmanual/ed-guidelines/style/
spelling.htm).
The UK spellings of some commonly used words are shown
below:
Use UK English Do not use US English
behaviour behavior
centre center
colour color
councillor councilor
fibre fiber
flavour flavor
licence (noun; i.e. the licence) license
litre liter
metre meter
neighbour neighbor
programme program
Note that ‘learned’ and ‘learnt’ are alternative forms of the past
tense of the verb ‘to learn’. Although ‘learnt’ is the more common
form in UK English, both forms are acceptable.
One exception to using UK English spelling is when you are
referring to an organization that takes US English spelling in its
C. FSC style
FSC uses UN English
spelling
Set the proofing
language on your
computer to UK
English
Use an Oxford
dictionary

name. You should never change the way an organization’s name is
spelled.
Center for International Forestry Research not Centre for
International Forestry Research
FSC International Center not FSC International Centre
Double consonants
In UK English, it is common practice to double a consonant
before adding ‘–ed’ or ‘–ing’ to a verb. This is the case when the
verb:
• has one syllable and ends consonant + vowel + consonant
Stopping, stopped, robbing, robbed, sitting
• has more than one syllable and is pronounced with the stress
on the last syllable.
Beginning, preferring, preferred
The final consonant is not doubled when a verb:
• with more than one syllable is pronounced with the stress
before the last syllable
Listening, happening
• ends with two consonants
Start, starting, burn, burning
• ends with a consonant preceded by two vowels
Remaining, remained, training, trained
• ends in ‘w’ or ‘y’.
Playing, played, snowing, snowed
Two exceptions to these rules are travel and cancel.
Travelled, travelling, cancelled, cancelling
–ize, –ise, and –yse
Use –ize rather than –ise spelling (as in UN English).
Decentralization, fertilizer, finalize, globalization, organization,
marginalized, realize
However, be aware of the following exceptions, which are never
spelled with –ize:
advertise, advise, affranchise, appraise, apprise, arise, braise,
chastise, circumcise, comprise, compromise, concise, demise,
despise, devise, disenfranchise, disguise, emprise, disenfranchise,
enfranchise, enterprise, excise, exercise, expertise, franchise,
Never change the way
an organization spells
its own name
Use –ize rather than
–ise spelling
Check here for
exceptions

guise, improvise, incise, merchandise, misadvise, mortise,
practise, praise, precise, premise, prise, promise, raise, reprise,
revise, rise, supervise, surmise, surprise, televise, treatise, wise
But always use –yse, never –yze.
Analyse, catalyse, paralyse, breathalyse
Plurals for words of foreign origin
The plural forms of foreign words in English – especially those
that come from Latin and Greek – are often confused. Criteria, for
example, is often used as if it were singular.
Singular Plural
criterion criteria
erratum errata
maximum maxima
minimum minima
For some words, two plurals are possible, with each being used in
a specific context.
Singular Plural
appendix (of a book) appendixes
appendix (anatomical or zoological term) appendices
index (mathematical) indices
index (of a book) indexes
Abbreviations and acronyms
Abbreviations are short forms of long terms, or names, and are
used to avoid repetition. They should never be broken at the end of
a line.
These are the correct forms of some common abbreviations – with
the correct punctuation – that you can use in your writing without
spelling out the full meaning:
AC civil association
AD anno domini (e.g. AD 1089)
a.m. morning
BC before Christ (e.g. 54 BC)
cf. compare
ed. editor
eds editors
e.g. for example
et al. and others
etc. et cetera
i.e. that is to say
N/A not applicable
NB please note
No. number
p. page
p.m. afternoon
pp. pages
vol. volume
Always use –yse,
never –yze
Beware irregular plurals
of foreign words!
Abbreviations – the
short forms of long terms,
or names – are used to
avoid repetition
You don’t need to write
out the full version
of these common
abbreviations

Acronyms are a kind of abbreviation, and are made up from the
initial letters of other words.
A list of frequently used abbrevations and acronyms is given in
Appendix 1 (p. 49).
Acronyms are almost always written entirely in capital letters
without full stops. But there are exceptions, which are also listed in
Appendix 1.
European Union Timber Regulation EUTR
Forest Stewardship Council FSC
chain of custody CoC
Forest Certification of Ecosystem Services ForCES
Although most abbreviations and acronyms are written in capital
letters, this does not mean that the spelled-out version always
takes initial capital letters. But even when words in the spelled-out
version take lower case, acronyms take upper case.
nongovernmental organization NGO
national risk assessment NRA
Abbreviations do not take an apostrophe when used in the plural
form.
one NGO, two NGOs
frequently asked questions FAQs
In general, the first time you use an abbreviation in a document,
write out the full version, with the abbreviation after it in brackets.
From then on, use the abbreviation on its own. A long document
with many abbreviations and acronyms should include a list at the
beginning, but the terms should still be written out at first use in
the text.
Members of the Forest Stewardship Council®
(FSC®
) discussed
many issues in Seville. Together, they decided the direction FSC
would take over the next three years.
There are two exceptions to this general rule.
1. If you are writing a long document – more than about 10 pages
– and you are only using an abbreviation two or three times.
In this case, the reader will probably not be able to remember
what the abbreviation stands for, so you should write it out in
full every time and not use the short version at all.
2. If you are writing for newsletters or articles for the FSC website
newsroom. In these cases, you can assume that your reader
already knows what FSC stands for, so you do not need to
write it out in full at first use.
Acronyms are a kind of
abbreviation, and are
made up from the initial
letters of other words
Even when words in the
spelled-out version take
lower case, acronyms
take upper case
(e.g. nongovernmental
organization NGO)
Abbreviations do not
take an apostrophe when
used in the plural form:
FAQs not FAQ’s
Check out the
two exceptions
when writing out
abbreviations in full

Abbreviations derived from other languages should be avoided if
possible. However, if they are used, the full name in the original
language should be supplied.
Industrie Forestière de Ouesso (IFO), a subsidiary of the Danzer
Group, regained FSC certification for its forestry concession in the
Republic of Congo on 4 December 2014.
Abbreviations for organizations should normally be used without
‘the’ – as in the case of ‘FSC’, not ‘the FSC’. But abbreviations for
entities other than organizations often take ‘the’.
With this procedure, ASI has introduced an additional assessment
tool to monitor the integrity of certification schemes.
But
The guidance document on the EUTR was amended to enable
operators to be identified more consistently.
The final review of the IGIs ended in January 2015.
A list of abbreviations and acronyms frequently used by FSC is
given in Appendix 1 (p. 49).
Capitalization
The first letter of a word should be capitalized only in the
circumstances listed below. Note, however, that except at the
beginning of a sentence, conjunctions – small words that connect
other words and phrases, for example of, and, in, and for – do not
take capitals. Neither do prepositions – words that come before
a noun to show its relationship to other words in a sentence, for
example in, on, at, of, and for.
• At the beginning of a sentence
Forests are vital to the planet’s health.
• People’s names and personal titles
Prof. Michael Köhl, Mr Kim Carstensen, Ms Ana Young
• Organization names
Forest Stewardship Council, Center for International Forestry
Research, European Commission
• Days of the week, months of the year, and festivals and holidays
Tuesday, January, Christmas, Diwali
• Places, including street names and planets
Great Oak Street, Bonn, Mexico, Earth
• When using the personal pronoun ‘I’
I look for products with the FSC label because I know they come
from well-managed forests.
Check the list of frequently
used abbreviations in
Appendix 1
Not sure about when
to use capital letters?
Check this list!

• Languages
English, Spanish, Tagalog, Hindi
• Titles of books, journals, films, and songs
The Sustainable Forestry Handbook, Journal of Forestry,
Forbidden Forests, A Thousand Trees
• Headlines of news articles
Revised FSC Procedures for National Risk Assessment
Development Approved, Register Now for the 2015 General
Assembly!
• References to specific figures, tables, and boxes within a text
(see also section ‘Format’ pages 15, 16, 20 for how to format
box headings and figure captions)
Figure 3 shows …, see Table 2.1 for …, a detailed case study is
given in Box 6
• Recognized international and geo-political regions, but not for
subnational regions or general geographic descriptions
global North, global South, economic North subchamber,
environmental South subchamber
South-East Asia, North Africa, West Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
but
northern Africa, western Pacific
south-west Bolivia, north-east Australia
• Titles of specific FSC policies, standards, documents, projects,
and programmes
FSC Strategic Plan, FSC Policy for Association, FSC Principles
and Criteria
Denmark Natural and Plantation Forest Standard, Congo Basin
Regional Standard, FSC General Accreditation Standard
Forest Stewardship Council Annual Report, Advice Note on Minor
Components, Consultation on Controlled Wood Interim Measures
Smallholder Fund, Forest Certification for Ecosystem Services
Project
But note the difference between general and specific:
Today FSC has issued a new advice note on splitting
management units. The Advice Note on Certification of
Management Units discusses situations where a single forest
management unit contains both natural forests and plantations.
• FSC trademark labels
FSC Mix, FSC Pure, FSC Recycled
• Job titles
FSC Executive Director, FSC Board of Directors, Chief Executive
Officer of IKEA, Communications Manager

• FSC units and FSC websites, but not committees, working
groups, official websites and tools, or democratic structures
Policy Standards Unit, Business Development Unit,
Communications Unit, Online Claims Platform, FSC Marketplace,
Benefits for Business
but
the controlled wood technical committee, the complaints panel
• When referring to Indigenous Peoples
Format
The notes below give guidelines for formatting various features
of your writing, and you should follow them where you can. But,
if you are not sure about a specific point of formatting, there is
one golden rule: be consistent. Choose a format and apply it
systematically throughout your document.
Bold
Use bold type for emphasis, and for the captions of boxes,
figures, and tables.
Boxes
Box headings should follow the form:
Box 1. Futuro Forestal – preventing conflict and
strengthening the local economy in Nicaragua
Sources, if any, should be put on a new line at the end of the box
in the form:
Source: adapted from Vilacrés (2012).
Note, the following commonly used FSC terms do not take
capital letters:
certificate holder; certification; certification body; chain of
custody; controlled wood; economic chamber; environmental
chamber; forest management; forest management unit; forestry
organization; FSC member; FSC supporter; general assembly;
high conservation value(s); monitoring organization; network
partner; organization; small and community label option;
social chamber; standard; technical expert; trademark licence
agreement; trademark service provider
The golden rule of
formatting is be
consistent
Use bold type for
emphasis
Check this list for
terms that don’t take
capital letters
Box headings above
the box, with the
source below

Cross-references
When cross-referring one section of text to another, use section
heading plus the number of the first page of the cross-referred text
in brackets:
For more information on controlled wood, see section ‘Controlled
wood’ (p. 19).
Figures
Check all figures to make sure they show what they say they show.
Figure captions should be placed below the figure and follow the
form:
Figure 1. Poverty and human needs
Sources, if any, should be put on a new line under the caption in
the form:
Source: Angelsen and Wunder (2003).
If a figure is taken unmodified from another publication, you need
to obtain permission from the original publisher to reproduce it.
This also applies to figures from FSC publications. The source is
then written in the form:
Source: Angelsen and Wunder (2003), reproduced with
permission from CIFOR.
Figure axis labels should follow the rules in the section
‘Capitalization’ (p. 13) – don’t be tempted to add extra capitals.
Units (e.g. kg, ha, $) should be in brackets.
Footnotes/endnotes
FSC does not use endnotes. If possible, try to avoid using
footnotes too, but if they are essential, use the MS Word automatic
footnote function. Use superscript numbers to identify footnotes,
and follow continuous numbering throughout the document.
FSC standards
Titles of FSC policies, standards, and procedures should follow the
form:
FSC-PRO-60-002 V3-0 EN The Development and Approval of
FSC National Risk Assessments
Please check the PSU Procedure for Document Control for further
details on standard templates and formatting.
Figure captions below
the figure, with the
source on a separate
line below the caption
Don’t add extra capital
letters to figure axis
labels!
Use this form for FSC
policies, standards,
and procedures:
FSC-PRO-60-002 V3-0 EN
The Development and
Approval of FSC National
Risk Assessments

Headings
For all documents, use the MS Word built-in styles menu, as this
will help you if you need to produce a table of contents.
For internal and policy documents, upload your text to the latest
letterhead template, which is available on the FSC Intranet.
For documents that will be published externally, design and
layout is the responsibility of Communications Unit staff, and they
will decide on the style of the headings in the final version.
Italics
Use italics for:
• binomial scientific names – i.e. genera and species – of all
organisms
Eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei), Christmas tree (Pinus radiata),
Lesser stag beetle (Dorcus parallelipipedus)
• scientific names of plant families
Oaks and beeches (Fagaceae), orchids (Orchidaceae), grasses
(Poaceae)
• titles of books, journals, reports; full and shortened titles of FSC
standards and policies
The Sustainable Forestry Handbook, Journal of Forestry,
Conservation Biology, FSC-PRO-60-002 V3.0 The Development
and Approval of FSC National Risk Assessments, FSC Policy for
Association
• non-English words and phrases that are not in common use
(the meaning of which should follow in brackets)
sangha (self-help group), trueque justo (fair barter)
• conference and event titles
First International Conference on Sustainable Building and Eco-
Innovations in Azerbaijan
• campaign titles
Canopy’s Fashion Loved by Forest campaign
Do not use italics for:
• emphasis – use bold instead
• official names of organizations that are not in English
Fundación Alternativas para el Desarrollo Sostenible en el Trópico
(ALTROPICO)
• common English names of animal or plant families
lemurs, monkeys, ferns
Use this list to check
when italics are
needed
Don’t use italics for
emphasis (use bold
instead) or for quotes
in website newsroom
items
Titles of books,
journals, reports,
and FSC standards
and policies

• et al.
• quotes in website newsroom items (see page 38 for when to
use single or double quotation marks)
The six jury members were unanimously impressed by the high
level of thinking behind the designs. “These ideas are fantastic and
extremely inspiring,” said Tobias Jacobsen, who has been a judge
for the award several times since the competition started in 2006.
Lists
Writing a list within a sentence
If a list is made up of a few short items then it is generally best to
write it as a sentence within the text. The introduction to an in-
sentence list ends with a colon before the list begins. After that,
there are various ways to punctuate the list.
If the items in the list are very short, and their order is not
important, you can use commas.
FSC-certified products on sale included: tables, chairs, musical
instruments, and various kinds of paper.
If the items in the list are more complicated, and their order is not
important, use semicolons.
FSC-certified products on sale included: handmade tables; sets
of dining chairs; woodwind and stringed musical instruments; and
various kinds of paper.
If the items in the list are more complicated, and their order is
important, use semicolons, and add numbers to show the correct
order.
In order of the most popular, FSC-certified products on sale included:
(1) handmade tables; (2) sets of dining chairs; (3) woodwind and
stringed musical instruments; and (4) various kinds of paper.
Bullet and numbered lists
Longer or more complicated lists should be displayed in the text
using bullet lists or numbered lists. Use bullet lists where the
sequence is not important, and numbered lists where there the
order is important.
If the items in a bullet or numbered list are short – less than one
line each – lead in with a colon, and use initial lower-case letters
with no punctuation except for the final entry, which ends with a
full stop. However, each entry in the list must read correctly – as a
continuation of the opening sentence.
Among these forest certification schemes there is:
• a general increase in the environmental and social
prescriptions across standards
When lists are short,
and order is not
important, use commas
When lists are
complicated, and
order is important, use
semicolons and numbers
When individual items are
less than one line each
follow this formatting

• an increasing emphasis on legality and governance
• an increasing focus on risks and rights-based approaches.
The project was organized in five phases:
1. problem identification
2. diagnostic research
3. technology development and evaluation
4. technology dissemination
5. impact assessment.
When the individual items in a bullet or numbered list are longer
than one line of text, but do not constitute full sentences, lead in
with a colon, end each entry except the last with a semicolon, and
finish the entire list with a full stop. Again, each entry in the list
must read correctly – as a continuation of the opening sentence.
The objectives of the workshop were:
• to identify best practices, methodologies, and tools for
facilitating collaboration between certified plantation
companies and local actors, and for implementing local socio-
economic development for communities near to, or effected
by, plantation companies;
• to identify and discuss key components of the new FSC P&C
that call for measuring plantation companies’ efforts to achieve
local socio-economic development through collaboration with
local actors;
• to develop recommendations for generic indicators to
correspond with the obligations of certified companies to local
communities, as embodied in the FSC P&C.
When individual items consist of complete sentences, do not lead
in with a colon. Instead, write the preceding sentence so that it is
a full sentence and can end in a full stop. Begin each entry with a
capital letter and end each with a full stop.
There are some challenges that need to be addressed to improve
the FSC system’s capacity to responsibly manage forests,
including the following.
• Constant development of the system so that it can cope with
the dynamics of the market – including new technologies,
products, and services – and to keep it mainstream.
• Balance credibility and the particularities of each region,
which will require the empowerment of national initiatives and
decentralization of the system.
• Development strategies to include smallholders and
Indigenous Peoples in gaining and maintaining certification.
Bullet points can also be used directly under a subheading.
What am I voting for?
• The existing seat representing the social South subchamber
(four-year term).
When individual items are
longer than one line of
text, but do not constitute
full sentences, follow this
formatting
When individual items
consist of complete
sentences follow this
formatting

• The existing seats representing the social North, environmental
North, and environmental South subchambers (two-year terms).
• The new seat representing the economic South subchamber
(four-year term).
Tables
Check all tables to ensure that they are necessary, that they help the
reader understand the text, and that they do what they say they do.
Create tables with MS Word’s table tool.
Table captions should be short and to the point, be placed above
the table, and follow the form:
Table 3. Public procurement policies for sustainable
wood-based products
Sources, if any, should be put on a new line under the table in the
form:
Source: WWF (2012).
Column and row headings should have initial capital for the first
word and proper nouns only. Make them bold to differentiate
them from the table contents. Units in column headings should be
placed in parentheses.
Avoid blanks in tables. If there are no data for a particular table
cell, insert a zero, N/A, or an en rule (–) to make it clear that you
haven’t forgotten to enter the data by mistake.
Table 3. Public procurement policies for sustainable wood-
based products
Country Products Mandatory for … Is FSC named
in the policy?
Belgium Wood products Federal government
(departments and
agencies)
Yes
Denmark Wood and paper – Yes
France Timber only Public buyers No
Lithuania Timber used in
construction or in
the production of
paper, furniture,
wall panels,
thermal insulation,
or windows
Contracting authorities
conducting public
procurement
No
Netherlands Timber and paper 100% of all procurement
by 2015
Yes
United
Kingdom
Timber and wood
products
Central government
departments, their
executive agencies, and
non-departmental public
bodies
Yes
Source: WWF (2012).
Only use a table if it’s
really necessary
Avoid blank cells in
tables – use a zero

When you are writing text that refers to the table, do not simply
repeat the data reported in it. Rather, give examples that support
the point you are making and cross-reference the table.
Around the world, many public procurement policies make
certification a prerequisite for selecting suppliers of construction
materials. There are also many other examples of laws and
regulations governing the purchase of legal and sustainable
wood-based products (see Table 3).
Grammar
In this section we provide some basic rules for English grammar.
We also highlight some common grammatical errors and show
how to correct them.
A/an/the – indefinite and definite articles
Whether you use the indefinite article ‘a’ or ‘an’ before a word
depends on how the word is spoken. The general rule is that ‘an’
is used before a noun that either starts with a vowel, or sounds as
if it starts with a vowel when it is spoken out loud. All other words
take ‘a’.
a tree, a forest, a certificate – take ‘a’ because they start with
consonants
an association, an international standard – take ‘an’ because they
start with vowels
But note:
an FSC-certified forest – which starts with a consonant (‘f’) but
sounds as if it starts with a vowel (pronounced ‘eff-es-see’)
When we are writing about a specific thing, we use the definite
article ‘the’; when we are writing about a general thing, we use the
indefinite article ‘a’ or ‘an’.
The forester we spoke to was very happy to have got a job on
the plantation. “I’ve always wanted to find work as a forester,” she
said.
The Director General was appointed three months ago. “There
is a lot to learn!” he said. “I have never been a director general
before.”
As we have already noted in the section ‘Acronyms and
abbreviations’ (p. 11), abbreviations for organizations are not
normally preceded by ‘the’ (e.g. FSC, FAO, WHO). The exception
is when the term is referring to something that ‘belongs’ to the
organization that has been abbreviated (e.g. the FSC Principles
and Criteria, the FAO research, the WHO policy).
Use ‘an’ for words
that start with a vowel
(e.g. an association)
and use ‘a’ for most
words that start with a
consonant (e.g. a tree)

Advice/advise
‘Advice’ and ‘advise’ are commonly confused. ‘Advice’ is a noun,
and is information given by one person to another. ‘Advise’ is
a verb, the act of giving advice – you advise someone about
something.
The Advocacy Officer can provide more advice on the details of
the EUTR.
The certification body advised the smallholder group that there
was still work to do on their business plan.
Affect/effect
‘Affect’ and ‘effect’ are quite different in meaning.
‘Affect’ is primarily a verb meaning ‘make a difference to’.
The EUTR will affect thousands of companies that are producing
timber domestically or importing it into the EU.
‘Effect’ can be used both as a noun and a verb. As a noun, it
means ‘a result’. As a verb, it means ‘to bring about a result’.
Keep changing the colour until you get the effect you want.
Growth in FSC certification can only be effected by raising our
public profile.
Aiming at/towards/to
A mistake that many writers make is to say either ‘aiming at’ or
‘aiming towards’. The correct form for both is ‘aiming to’.
We are aiming to increase the number of certificate holders in
Africa during the next five years.
Among/between
‘Among’ and ‘between’ are very similar. The difference is that
‘between’ is used when you are writing about several distinct,
individual items. Among is used when you are writing about items
that aren’t distinct, or if you are writing about a group of people.
Discussions between the social, economic, and environmental
subchambers led to the revision of the policy.
Discussions among the subchambers led to the revision of the
policy.
News of the policy revision spread among the members.
‘Advice’ is a noun, and
is information given by
one person to another
‘Advise’ is a verb, and
is the act of giving
advice
Use ‘aiming to’ rather
than ‘aiming at’ or
‘aiming towards’
Use ‘between’ when
writing about several
distinct, individual
items

And/but
‘But’ and ‘and’ are both used to join two parts of a sentence. ‘But’
is only used when the two parts of the sentence are in opposition.
‘And’ is more neutral, and implies that the two parts of the
sentence are of equal importance.
The FSC P&C are a very good idea in theory, but they are too
expensive for us to implement.
Tetra Pak is committed to high-quality products, and
environmental impact is also very important.
Consult/consultation
As a democratic organization, FSC frequently consults its
members on different documents and points of policy. In this
sense, ‘to consult’ means to take into account the wishes and
opinions of others. A ‘consultation’ is the process of consulting
someone about something. The key to using these words correctly
is to be clear about who is being consulted, and what they are
being consulted about.
A common mistake is:
The document was consulted with stakeholders.
Two correct alternatives are:
Stakeholders were consulted about the document.
The document was the subject of a stakeholder consultation.
Disinterested/uninterested
‘Disinterested’ is often wrongly used instead of ‘uninterested’.
When someone is disinterested, they are neutral and not
influenced by private feelings or considerations of personal
advantage. When someone is uninterested, they are simply not
interested in something.
In the event of a conflict between members, the chair’s role is to
make a disinterested decision.
The adult beetles are uninterested in the leaves of the tree, but lay
eggs in an opening in the bark.
Double negatives
In English you can use two negative words in the same sentence
to make a positive statement. For example, in the phrase ‘it is not
unlikely’, both ‘not’ and ‘unlikely’ are negatives, and they cancel
each other out, with the result that the phrase actually means ‘it is
likely’. Although this kind of construction is quite common, please
avoid using it wherever possible – simply state ‘it is likely’.
‘To consult’ means to
take into account the
opinions of others
‘A consultation’ is the
process of consulting
someone

Due to/because of
‘Due to’ is often confused with ‘because of’. A useful general rule
is that ‘due to’ means ‘caused by’, and follows a noun. ‘Because
of’ follows a verb.
The project failed because of bad planning.
The failure of the project was due to bad planning.
Few/fewer and little/less
Few and fewer are used with countable nouns (a tree, two forests).
Few means ‘not many’, while fewer means ‘not as many’.
Little and less are used with uncountable nouns, or which don’t
have a plural (money, air, time, rain). Little means ‘not much’, while
less means ‘not as much’.
This is especially focused on forest owners who have few
opportunities to become certified, including small-scale
landowners and communities.
There are fewer untouched forest ecosystems than there were at
the turn of the century.
There was little chance that the stakeholders would reach
agreement by the deadline.
FSC can lead the way to a larger global wood supply that has
less impact on forests.
Less is also used with numbers when only one number is mentioned
in a sentence, and with expressions of measurement or time.
Less than 30 per cent of this area is certified.
If/whether
‘If’ and ‘whether’ can often be used interchangeably, for example,
when they are used to introduce a simple question. But there are
some circumstances when it is only correct to use one or the other.
Both of these are correct:
She asked me whether the decision had been taken.
She asked me if the decision had been taken.
‘Whether’ should be used:
• after a preposition (e.g. about, into)
We talked about whether the decision was correct.
• before the full form of a verb (e.g. to say, to give, to buy)
We talked about whether to say yes or no.
‘Due to’ means ‘caused
by’, and follows a noun
‘Because of’ follows a
verb
Few means ‘not many’,
but fewer means ‘not
as many’
‘Whether’ should be
used in the following
circumstances
Exception: Less is
used when there is
only one number
in a sentence, and
with expressions of
measurement or time

• to express choice or doubt
Whether you’re a buyer, trader, or seller, FSC Marketplace is your
one-stop shop for FSC-certified products.
• in relation to an investigation
The research aimed to find out whether forest certification has an
impact on poverty in local communities.
• to indicate that a statement applies whichever alternative
course of action is followed
I am going to say yes whether you like it or not.
‘If’ should be used:
• in conditional sentences – those that discuss hypothetical
situations and their consequences
You can say yes if you want to.
If you say yes, then I will have to leave.
• to express determination to see something through
I will do it, even if it takes me 10 years!
• to describe a possibility which exists but is not significant
If there was any weakness in the standard, it was that it used
complicated language.
Include/comprise
If a list is complete, i.e. the bigger thing being defined is made
up of the items listed and no more, use ‘comprise’, ‘comprises’,
or ‘comprising’. If a list is merely examples or a sample of items,
so that the bigger thing is made up of the items listed plus other
items, use ‘include’, ‘includes’, or ‘including’.
Any list that begins with ‘include’, ‘includes’, ‘including’, or ‘e.g.’
should not end with ‘etc.’, as that is implicit in the lead-in.
FSC International comprises the FSC global office, regional
offices, national offices, and national representatives.
FSC has succeeded in certifying 1 per cent or more of
total forested area in certain countries containing tropical
forest, including Brazil, China, Gabon, Indonesia, New Zealand,
and South Africa.
Inform
A common mistake is to write ‘inform on’. ‘About’ is the correct
preposition to follow ‘inform’.
The purpose of the message was to inform certificate holders
about changes in the way claims are verified.
Use ‘inform about’
rather than ‘inform on’
‘If’ should be used
in the following
circumstances
Use ‘comprises’
for a complete list
and ‘includes’ for
an incomplete or
representative list

‘It’ to describe an organization
An organization is not a person or a group of people, but a
single entity. This means that the correct pronoun to describe an
organization is ‘it’, not ‘they’ or ‘them’.
IKEA has headquarters in Sweden, but it has stores all around
the world.
FSC is a membership organization and it has a democratic
system of governance.
Maybe/may be
‘Maybe’ and ‘may be’ are used to write about possibility.
The difference between them is that maybe (an adverb) means
‘perhaps’, while ‘may be’ (a verb) means ‘is possibly’.
Maybe the weather will change soon.
According to the forecast, the weather may be about to change.
Onto/on to
‘Onto’ means ‘to position on the surface of’. But ‘on’ and ‘to’
should be written as two separate words to convey the meaning
‘onwards and towards’.
After felling, the trees fall onto the forest floor.
Once they had voted, the members moved on to the next motion.
Possibility
A common mistake is to write ‘the possibility to’. ‘Of’ is the correct
preposition to follow ‘possibility’.
The key account manager discussed the possibility of developing
new business in the region.
Regarding/about
The phrases ‘regarding’ and ‘in regard to’ are not grammatically
incorrect, but they are very formal. It is much easier to use ‘about’
instead.
Rights
FSC sometimes refers to people’s ‘rights’. In this sense, the word
‘rights’ is a noun and means a moral or legal entitlement. A person
has a right to something. Grammatically, rights can be compromised,
abused, secured, delivered, assured, protected, claimed, or
defended – but it is incorrect to say that they can be ‘met’.
Write ‘the possibility of’
not ‘the possibility to’
Rights can be compromised,
abused, secured, delivered,
assured, protected, claimed,
or defended – but it is incorrect
to say that they can be ‘met’
Use ‘it’ to describe an
organization, rather
than ‘they’ or ‘them’
‘Maybe’ means ‘perhaps’,
while ‘may be’ means
‘is possibly’

The inhabitants of Kikolo have the right to manage the forest next
to the village.
This incorrect phrase:
The world’s forests meet the social, ecological, and economic
rights and needs of the present generation without compromising
those of future generations.
… could be re-written like this:
The world’s forests meet the social, ecological, and economic
needs of the present generation without compromising the rights
of future generations.
Which/that
Confusing ‘which’ and ‘that’ is one of the most common mistakes
in written English. To understand their correct usage, you first
need to know about ‘adjective clauses’.
An adjective clause can be used to modify a noun in the same way
that a simple adjective does. Compare these two examples. The
first has an adjective and the second has an adjective clause
• The dilapidated house stood at the edge of the village
• The house, which had seen better days, stood at the edge of
the village
Both dilapidated (an adjective) and which had seen better days
(an adjective clause) modify house (a noun).
There are two types of adjective clause:
• A restrictive clause is used to restrict the meaning of the noun.
For example, in the phrase “horses that win races are worth
a lot of money”, the point is that winning horses are valuable.
Remove that win races and the implication is that all horses
are valuable.
• A non-restrictive clause provides information about the noun,
but removing it does not change the core meaning of the
sentence. For example, in the following example, “The horse,
which was a beautiful shade of black, sped away and won the
race”, it is nice to know what the horse looked like, but if this
clause were removed, it would still have won the race.
So the basic rule for using which and that is:
• Use that for restrictive clauses, and do not separate out the
clause using commas.
Plants that flower only once before dying are called annuals.
We reported that some of the suggested indicators are currently
not assessed.
Learn about adjective
clauses ...
... and you will know when
to use ‘which’ or ‘that’

• Use which for non-restrictive clauses, and use commas before
and after the clause.
The flowers, which were red, had a wonderful scent.
The 2003 Regulation, which is still in force, applies to the
application of international certification schemes.
Internet terms
Do not capitalize or hyphenate the following internet terms:
• the internet
• the world wide web
• the web
• website
• web page, home page
• email, ebusiness, etc.
• online, offline
CD-ROM should be hyphenated.
All computer programs should be capitalized as per their
registered names, for example Adobe Acrobat, MS PowerPoint,
MS Word. But it is not necessary to use the registered or
trademark symbols in running text.
When referring to a website in text, preferably put it in brackets like
this: (www.ic.fsc.org). If it must be part of the sentence without
brackets, then avoid putting it at the end of the sentence to avoid
confusion about whether the final full stop is part of the website
address or note. Leave http:// or https:// in front of the address if
given.
Names of countries
It is important that the correct and up-to-date names of countries
are used. For a complete list of definitive spelling/usage of country
names see: http://untermportal.un.org/download/country
Although it is acceptable to use the so-called ‘short name’ for
most countries, there are certain exceptions:
• Côte d’Ivoire (not Ivory Coast)
• Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (not North Korea)
Check this list for the
correct versions of some
common mistakes in
country names

• Democratic Republic of Congo (may subsequently be
abbreviated to DRC)
• Lao People’s Democratic Republic (not Laos, may
subsequently be abbreviated to Lao PDR)
• Republic of Korea (not South Korea)
• Republic of Congo (not essential, but best to differentiate it
from the Democratic Republic of Congo)
• the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
• Viet Nam (not Vietnam)
If country names have to be abbreviated, please refer to ISO 3166,
the international standard for country codes and codes for their
subdivisions.
Numbers
Basic rules for writing numbers
Numbers from one to nine inclusive should be spelled out in text
as words.
After eight years of collaboration, the social conditions of the
villagers living in these two communities have improved as their
incomes have started to increase.
But there are several exceptions:
• in captions and infographics, you can use digits when writing
numbers 1–9
• where a number accompanies a unit, or expresses a
percentage
5 cm, 7 per cent
• ages, temperature, and sums of money
6 years old, 5°C, US$2, AUS$4.20
• all numbers with a decimal point should be written as numerals;
if the number is below one then a zero should always be added
before the decimal point
5.6, 0.5
• references to page or paragraph numbers.
When numbers above and below 10 are used for comparison in
the same sentence, or when they simply appear close to each
other in the text, use either numbers or words, but make sure you
are consistent within the sentence.
Check this list for
exceptions
Write out numbers from
one to nine as words, and
numbers from 10 upwards
as numerals
When numbers are
used for comparison
in the same sentence
be consistent

Either
The number of replies varied, ranging between 2 and 12 per
group
or
The number of replies varied, ranging between two and twelve per
group.
Numbers from 10 upwards should be written as numerals, with the
following exception:
• a number that begins a sentence is always written out as a word
Fifteen NGOs were present
Centuries and decades
Centuries should be written as follows: the 21st century.
Decades are written as follows: the 1990s – not the ’90s, 1990’s,
or nineties.
Currencies
To avoid confusion, especially for currencies that share the same
symbol (e.g. $), always use the international standard three-letter
currency code – e.g. AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, JPY, USD.
A complete list of codes is available at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_4217#Active_codes
For 25 US dollars (USD25), individuals can become FSC
supporters. The cost for organizations is USD100.
When writing currencies, do not leave a space between the
currency and the amount. But when the amount is very large, do
leave a space between the number and the word million, billion,
or trillion. Make sure you use a non-breaking space (on a PC
keyboard, use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Space; on a Mac keyboard
use the shortcut Alt+Shift+Space). This guarantees that your
computer will not separate the different parts of the phrase if it
does not fit at the end of a line.
EUR5.2 billion
Dates, months, and seasons
Write dates in this order: Monday, 16 October 2000 – with no
comma between the month and the year. If you do not need to use
the day of the week, just write 16 October 2000.
The chain of custody webinar takes place on 28 January 2015.
Write ‘the 21st century’
Write ‘the 1990s’ not
the ’90s, the 1990’s, or
the nineties
Always use the
international standard
(ISO) currency code
Do not leave a space
between the currency
and the amount
The correct form for
a date is Monday,
26 October 2000
A number that begins
a sentence is always
written as a word, even
if it is 10 or above

Do not:
• use ordinal numbers (e.g. 15th) for dates
• use forms involving numbers only (e.g. 01-02-2015) – these
differ across the world and can be confusing for the reader
• abbreviate the year – always 1990, never ’90
• use seasons in place of dates or specific time periods. Instead
of writing “the figures will be released in the summer”, write
“the figures will be released between June and August” or “the
figures will be released in the third quarter of the year”.
Fractions
Write fractions in words rather than numbers: one third, three
quarters.
A fraction is only hyphenated when it is used as an adjective.
The reservoir was only one-third full after the long drought.
The resolution was passed as it received two thirds of the votes.
Ordinals
Writing with ordinal numbers (e.g. second, 15th) follows the same
rules as writing with whole numbers. FSC does not supersprict
ordinals (e.g. 15th not 15th
), so turn off the auto-superscript
function in MS Word. Write out ordinal numbers from one to nine in
words, and use numerals for 10 and above.
This document is the 15th draft standard for FSC certification of
forest management in Denmark.
FSC Italy’s third annual design competition wants designers to
choose either wood or cardboard to create a modern design for
gardeners.
Percentages
In body text use per cent (not percent or %). Remember that per
cent is a unit, so always use numerals, even if the number is less
than 10 (not six per cent, but 6 per cent).
The exception is in captions and infographics, when you should
use %. Note that there is no space between the number and the
symbol (6%, not 6 %).
There are around seven billion people in the world, and 350 million
of them are from indigenous communities. This represents 5 per
cent of the world population.
Write fractions in
words rather than
numbers
In text, use per cent
(not percent or %)

Ranges
A range of numbers is written using an unspaced en dash between
the numbers, e.g. 7–10, or using words, e.g. from seven to ten.
A range of dates is either punctuated the same way (e.g. 1995–
1996), or expressed using words (e.g. from 1995 to 1996). When
writing a range of years, do not omit part of the date unless there
is a particular reason, such as fitting the text into a table. Always
write 1995–1996, rather than 1995–96. An exception is in the
description of academic and fiscal years. Here, a slash is used
instead of an en dash, and abbreviation is allowed, e.g. 1997/98.
Two numbers in a range should always follow the same structure,
e.g. from 6,850,700 to 7,000,000 trees, not from 6,850,700 to
7 million trees.
If a range of numbers has units associated with it, the following
applies:
• If the name of the unit is written out, or if the unit is abbreviated
using letters, it should be given only once, after the second
number
The area of forest certified has risen by eight to nine per cent a
year since 2000.
The goats needed 12–15 kg of leaf fodder each day.
• If the name of the unit is represented by a symbol, the symbol
should always be repeated once after each number.
Average temperatures of 87°F–90°F were not uncommon during
the summer.
Thousands, millions, billions, and trillions
Use commas (not full stops or spaces) to denote large numbers
like thousands and millions, e.g. 5,000; 10,000; 1,220,000.
In text use ‘million’ to avoid excessive use of zeroes, e.g. 5 million,
not 5,000,000; 2.4 million, not 2,400,000.
But if abbreviating the number this way would mean there was
more than one digit to the right of the decimal point, the number
should be written out in full, e.g. 1,237,000 not 1.237 million.
We use a billion to describe a thousand million, and a trillion to
describe a million million.
Use commas (not full
stops or spaces)
in large numbers,
e.g. 1,220,000
For a range of numbers,
use an unspaced en dash
between the numbers
(e.g. 7–10) or use words
(e.g. from seven to ten)
Be consistent
structuring numbers

Units
Use metric units (i.e. tonnes, hectares), with non-metric equivalents
in brackets if necessary.
There should be a single, non-breaking space between the number
and the unit: e.g. 1 cm, 6 mm, 5 g, 10 ha.
The exceptions are degrees and percentages, which are written
with no space between the number and the unit: 30°C, 5%.
Unless in a table, avoid abbreviating the word litre, because ‘l’ on
its own is confusing in text.
For ‘per’ – as in three kilometres per hour – use an unspaced
slash, e.g. 3 km/h.
Time
Time may be expressed in either the 24-hour or the 12-hour
system.
In the 24-hour system use no punctuation (e.g. 0800 hours,
1330 hours).
In the 12-hour system:
• Use full stops in a.m. and p.m.
• For full hours, do not add minutes (e.g. 8 a.m.)
• For hours and minutes, separate with a colon (e.g. 1:30 p.m.)
• Do not use 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. Instead, use ‘noon’ and ‘midnight’
as appropriate
• It is best to use a 24-hour system for times past midnight and
noon (e.g. 00:30 and 12:30)
Telephone and fax numbers
For telephone and fax numbers, be consistent in the use of
hyphens, parentheses, and/or spaces.
We recommend: +44 (0)1392 678224 for a number where the zero
in the area code is omitted when dialling from abroad. Note the
non-breaking space between the area code and the main number.
Leave a space
between numbers
and units (e.g. 1 cm,
6 mm) except in the
case of degrees
and percentages
(e.g. 30°C, 5%)

Punctuation
In this section we discuss the most common punctuation marks.
But if you need more information, there is an excellent brief
overview of the use of punctuation marks in an appendix to the
Concise Oxford Dictionary.
Apostrophes
Apostrophes either indicate missing letters (e.g. can’t, won’t)
or signify possession (e.g. in Mr Carstensen’s opinion …).
As already discussed, if you are writing about something that
is the possession of an organization, try and avoid the use of
apostrophes altogether (e.g. the FSC Principles and Criteria,
not FSC’s Principles and Criteria).
To indicate possession in the singular the apostrophe comes at
the end of the original word and an ‘s’ is added. In the plural, the
apostrophe comes after the ‘s’.
the member’s certificate (the certificate of one member)
the members’ certificates (the certificates of several members)
Do not use an apostrophe when referring to decades, or to form
the plural of an abbreviation, or to indicate the possession of an
institution.
FSC was founded in the 1990s, and founding members included
several NGOs.
‘It’s’ is a contraction of ‘it is’, while ‘its’ is the possessive pronoun.
It’s something important, but its importance is relative.
Brackets – round and square
(When a complete sentence is enclosed in brackets, its
punctuation is also enclosed.)
When only part of a sentence is enclosed in brackets, punctuation
is placed outside (as in this example).
Square brackets [ ] are used
• for brackets within brackets
(Use square brackets [if needed] within round brackets.)
• for words inserted for clarification into a quotation that are not
in the original
“He [Kim Carstensen] said that forest management is not always
clear cut.”
Do not use an apostrophe
for the plural form of an
abbreviation: NGOs, not
NGO’s
To indicate possession
in the singular, add an
apostrophe and ‘s’ after
the possessor. In the
plural, add an apostrophe
after the ‘s’
Punctuation is enclosed
in brackets for complete
sentences; outside for
only part of a sentence

• In references when the original document does not carry a date
of publication, but the year is known. In the example, there is no
date shown on the report itself, but we know it was published
in 2013. Note, however, that citation in the text still takes round
brackets: FSC (2013) or (FSC, 2013).
FSC [2013] Consolidating Gains, Strengthening Leadership. Forest
Stewardship Council Annual Report 2012. FSC, Bonn, 57 pp.
Colons
Colons are normally used to introduce a list, a long quote, or
a definition. The part of the sentence after the colon is entirely
dependent on the part that comes before it. Colons follow words
that have prepared the reader for what is to come and point
forward to an explanation or example.
The main problem facing advocates of certification is not a
technical issue but one of perception by others: how to increase
recognition of certification schemes by the general public.
Colons should be followed by a lower-case letter, except when
they are followed by a complete sentence.
Delegates addressed the following questions: What is the present
situation? What are the future prospects for certification of
ecosystem services?
Commas
Use commas to separate items in a list, including before ‘and’
and ‘or’ (this is known as the serial or Oxford comma).
The mixed woodland included oak, birch, pine, and spruce.
Commas can also be used to indicate a short pause.
Setting the tone for the whole day, Robins discussed the concept
of shared value.
They can also be used in pairs to ‘bracket’ words or phrases.
Joubert found that the Biodiversity Wine Initiative, which utilized
FSC-certified cork to meet sustainability goals, improved the
company’s environmental and social credibility.
A comma is normally used after ‘however’. The exception is when
however is used to mean ‘in whatever manner’.
However, the rainy season is very short.
However hard he tried, he could never reach the end before the
time ran out.
A comma should not be used after i.e. or e.g.
Use a comma to
separate all items in
a list
Colons normally
introduce a list, a long
quote, or a definition

Dashes
When you want to use dashes as an alternative to brackets or
commas, use spaced en dashes. They should not be overused;
preferably not more than once per paragraph.
In 2011, the world’s first FSC-certified clarinet – produced by
Hanson Clarinets – was made with mpingo (African blackwood)
from Kikole.
An unspaced en dash should be used for all ranges, effectively in
place of the word ‘to’ (see also section ‘Ranges’, p. 32).
10–12 years, pp. 36–42, June–July
An en dash should not, however, be used with a range which is
preceded by the word ‘from’.
The full consultation process lasted from 2010 to 2012.
Unspaced en dashes should also be used to represent a link
between two organizations, or between any linked items of equal
standing.
The FSC–UNEP partnership led to the development of a method
for the cost–benefit analysis of forest management certification.
Ellipsis
When indicating an omission in text – for example when quoting
from a speech, presentation, paper, or report – use an ‘ellipsis’:
three dots with a space before and after. Use four dots if the
ellipsis is at the end of a sentence, in order to include the full stop.
As Mariam Mattila explained, this visit proved fruitful for FSC: “We
have seen a keen interest in the development of voluntary forest
certification for NTFPs and ecosystem services and … for the
development of natural walnut stands”.
Hyphens
In general, hyphens should be used as little as possible. FSC’s
standard for hyphenated words is the Oxford English Dictionary. If
in doubt, check the dictionary. If the word you are looking for is not
there, follow the style given for a similar word. If this doesn’t help,
make a decision about whether to use a hyphen for that word, and
stick with it throughout the document. The most important thing is
consistency.
One place where hyphens should be used is with compound
adjectives – two words that are used together to describe
something – that come before a noun (e.g. a long-term investment).
Use three dots with a
space before and after to
indicate an omission in
your text
Use hyphens as little
as possible. Check the
dictionary. Be consistent!
Hyphens should be
used with compound
adjectives before a noun,
but not after a noun

But they are not used if the compound adjective follows the noun
(e.g. the investment was long term).
The company used FSC-certified paper.
The paper the company used was FSC certified.
Do not use a hyphen after an adverb ending in –ly, such as
‘centrally planned economies’ or ‘environmentally sound forest
management’.
Hyphens are sometimes needed to clarify meaning in adjectival
phrases. For example, if you write ‘little used car’, this can mean
a small car that is not new, or a car that is not used often. Using a
hyphen makes the correct meaning clear: little-used car.
In general, do not use hyphens for common prefixes such as un,
non, multi, post, and pre. However, sometimes they are needed:
• in unusual compound words, to avoid double vowels or triple
consonants that would make it difficult to read, understand, or
pronounce the word, e.g. pre-empt
• where a capital letter is needed after the prefix,
e.g. Sub-Saharan Africa, non-Asian.
Our preferred hyphenation of some common terms is given below:
certificate holder
cooperate
coordinate
database
decision-maker/ing
handmade
multi-stakeholder
nongovernmental
non-timber
policy-maker/ing
subchamber
subregion
sub-Saharan
(but Sub-Saharan Africa)
Hyphenate compound ‘compass points’ and other geographic
indicators used for regions. These take all initial capitals for
recognized international regions, but lower case for subnational
regions or general geographic descriptions.
South-East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa
south-west Bolivia, north-east Australia
In a series of two or more compound words with a common base,
you can use what is called a ‘pendent hyphen’. But if it’s at all
possible, try and re-write the sentence to avoid it.
At that time, FSC published forest-, ecosystem-, and watershed-
management standards.
Think you need a
hypen? Check this list!
In general, do not use
hyphens for common
prefixes such as un, non,
multi, post, and pre

Quotation marks – single and double
Single quotation marks should be used for enclosing a technical or
humorous word, for defining a word or term, for article or chapter
titles written in the text, or where the intention is metaphorical.
Separate assessments for ‘native’ and ‘planted’ forests were
made for all controlled wood categories.
He defined ‘chain of custody’ as the path taken by raw materials,
processed materials, and finished products from the forest to the
consumer.
In the article ‘Fruit of the forest’, Smith deals with non-timber
forest products in great detail.
She was delighted to become known as the so-called ‘queen of
the forest’.
Double quotes should only be used for direct quotations – nothing
else!
Dr Elson said she was “very concerned about the state of forest
resources in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Punctuation marks used in direct speech should fall inside the
double quotation marks. This includes the use of a comma to
interrupt a quotation by adding words like ‘he said’ or ‘she concluded’.
“Legality alone is not enough,” concluded Carstensen. “It’s also
about the environmental and social issues.”
Where one quotation appears within another, the outer quotation
takes double quotes, and the inner quotation (i.e. the quote within
a quote) takes single quotes:
“When we say ‘urgent’, we mean the day before yesterday!” said
the Communications Manager, who was under a lot of pressure.
Reported speech does not need quotation marks.
The President of the Board of Trade said he was happy to support
FSC’s outreach efforts.
Full stops
The most common place that full stops are used is at the end of a
sentence. Leave only one space after a full stop before beginning
the next sentence.
Full stops are also used for abbreviations where the last letter of
the abbreviation is different from the last letter of the full word,
and for certain common abbreviations already listed under
‘Abbreviations and acronyms’ (p. 11).
Rev. (Reverend), Prof. (Professor)
i.e., e.g., and etc.
Punctuation for direct
quotes falls inside the
quotation marks
Full stops are used when
the last letter of the
abbreviation is different
from the last letter of the
full word
Use double quotation
marks for direct
quotations only
Use single quotation
marks for a technical
word, when defining a
word, and for article or
chapter titles written in
the text

Do not use full stops:
• when the last letter of an abbreviated word is the same as the
last letter of word when it is written out in full
Dr, Mr, Ms
Ltd (limited company), St (saint)
• for educational degrees
PhD, MSc, BA, BSc
• in acronyms
FSC, UK, USA, WWF, UNESCO
• at the end of a heading (including the title of a table, figure, or
box), running header, or caption.
Semicolons
Use a semicolon to join two parts of a sentence that comment on
each other.
Rigorous safety measures are in force; these reflect the lessons
learned from past mistakes.
Use a semicolon before the conjunctions ‘however’, ‘moreover’,
‘furthermore’, and ‘nevertheless’ when they are used to bridge two
parts of a sentence.
Flooding was widespread in the spring; however, crops were
protected by boundary hedges planted five years ago.
Semicolons are also used in lists preceded by a colon, where
the individual items are complex and already include their own
punctuation (see ‘Lists’, p. 18).
There are three main aspects of biodiversity: diversity of species
(e.g. different plants and animals); diversity within species (e.g.
maintaining healthy breeding populations in different areas);
and diversity of ecosystems (e.g. maintaining different types of
vegetation which are characteristic of an area).
References and bibliographies
References are provided to give your reader enough information to
easily find the material you have used. The golden rule with styling
references is be consistent.
Below, we give examples of our preferred style for references to
the different kinds of documents you might need to include in a
list of references or in a bibliography. Underneath each one, we
highlight some important points about our preferred style.
Semicolons join two
parts of a sentence that
comment on each other
They can also be used
to separate the individual
items in a list
Use the examples in
this section to style
your references, and
always be consistent
within a document

We then go on to provide some general rules about how these
references should be cited within the text itself, and how a
bibliography or list of references should be formatted. Note, that if
you are writing for a particular publication, that publication’s rules
for referencing might be different to those detailed below. In that
case, the publication’s reference rules should be followed.
Reference styling examples
Authored books or report
Bass, S., Thornber, K., Markopoulos, M., Roberts, S., and Grieg-
Gran, M. (2001) Certification’s Impacts on Forests, Stakeholders
and Supply Chains. International Institute for Environment and
Development, London. (Also available at http://www.iied.org/pubs/
pdfs/9013IIED.pdf, accessed 17 December 2014).
• Authors’ names: surnames should be followed by initials with
full stops but no space between initials. In multi-author works
‘and’ should be used between the last two authors.
• There is a comma before the ‘and’ before last author’s name.
• The date is in brackets.
• All the main words in the title of a book or report take an initial
capital letter.
• If a URL is included, it should always be preceded by ‘also
available at’ and followed by an access date in the form 17
December 2014.
• For the publisher’s location, city and – if there is any doubt –
the country. If there are multiple publishers then put ‘Publisher,
location, country and Publisher, location, country’.
Gujarati, D. (2003) Basic Econometrics. 4th edn. McGraw Hill, New
York.
• If a book has had multiple editions, you write the number of the
edition after the title, using the abbreviation ‘edn’.
Rugnitz-Tito, M. and Menton, M. 2014. Oportunidades y
precondiciones para la implementación y el desarrollo de sistemas
de MRV de USCUSS y REDD+ en el Perú. Center for International
Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia. (Also available at
http://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/Books/BMenton1401.
pdf, accessed 22 December 2014).
• If the title is not in English, it should be written in the original
language.
• Spanish does not take initial capital letters in the title of a book.

Edited book or report
Mery, G., Alfaro, R., Kanninen, M., and Labovikov, M. (eds) (2005)
Forests in the Global Balance – Changing Paradigms. IUFRO
World Series, Vol. 17. International Union of Forest Research
Organizations, Helsinki.
• Use the abbreviation ‘eds’ for ‘editors’; for a single editor,
use ‘ed.’
• The report title is in italics, but the report series is not.
• Use the abbreviation for the publishing organization in the
series title, but write it out in full before the place of publication
at the end of the reference.
Chapter in a book or report
Glück, P. Rayner, J., and Cashore, B. (2005) Changes in the
governance of forest resources. In: Mery, G., Alfaro, R., Kanninen,
M., and Labovikov, M. (eds) Forests in the Global Balance –
Changing Paradigms, pp. 51–74. IUFRO World Series, Vol. 17.
International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Helsinki.
• In the case of a chapter, the page numbers are written using an
unspaced en-dash and followed by a full stop. They follow the
title of the book, and are preceded by ‘pp.’
• Chapter titles do not take initial capitals or italics.
Journal article
Brown, N.R., Noss, R.F., Diamond, D.D., and Myers, M.N. (2001)
Conservation biology and forest certification: working together
towards ecological sustainability. Journal of Forestry 99(8): 18–28.
• Article titles do not take initial capitals or italics.
• Journal titles take initial capitals and italics.
• With a journal article, page ranges are written using an
unspaced en-dash and followed by a full stop. There is no need
to write ‘pp.’ before the page range.
Cashore, B. (2002) Legitimacy and the privatization of
environmental governance: how non-state market-driven
governance systems gain rule-making authority. Governance 15(4):
503–529. doi: 10.1111/1468-0491.00199
• Where a digital object identifier (doi) is available, add it at the
end of the reference.

Corporate report
FSC [2013] Consolidating Gains, Strengthening Leadership. Forest
Stewardship Council Annual Report 2012. Forest Stewardship
Council, Bonn, 57 pp. (Also available at https://ic.fsc.org/preview.
annual-report-2012.a-2293.pdf, accessed 17 December 2014).
• The year is given in square brackets if it does not appear on the
publication, but is known.
• Use the abbreviation for the organization as the corporate
author, but write it out in full before the place of publication at
the end of the reference.
Paper in a proceedings
Achdiawan, R., Purnomo, H., and Shantiko, B. (2014) Impact
assessment of action research on furniture value chains to
selective micro- and small-scale furniture industry in Jepara.
In: Shantiko, B., Purnomo, H., and Irawati, R.H. (eds) Furniture,
Timber and Forest Ecosystem Service Value Chains, pp. 10–15.
Proceedings of the symposium, IPB Convention Center, Bogor,
14 February 2013. Center for International Forestry Research,
Bogor, Indonesia.
• The location and date of the event are given after the page
number and before the publisher’s details.
Conference, workshop, or seminar presentation
Pierce, A., Shanley, P., and Laird, S. (2003) Certification of non-
timber forest products: limitations and implications of a market-
based conservation tool. Paper presented at The International
Conference on Rural Livelihoods, Forests and Biodiversity,
Bonn, Germany, 19–23 May. (Available at http://www.cifor.org/
publications/corporate/cd-roms/bonn-proc/pdfs/papers/T5_
FINAL_Pierce.pdf, accessed 17 December 2014).
• Date ranges should be given as 16 June–15 July or 14–20 July
Brief
Nhantumbo, I. (2014) Governments Need to Lead the Way for
REDD+ Delivery. IIED Briefing. International Institute of Environment
and Development, London, 4 pp. (Also available at http://pubs.iied.
org/pdfs/17279IIED.pdf, accessed 21 January 2015).
• Style a reference for a brief the same way you would style a
report.

Web page
FSC (nd) Types of FSC certificates: From the forest through
the supply chain. Forest Stewardship Council International,
Bonn. https://ic.fsc.org/types-of-certification.35.htm (accessed
17 December 2014).
• The abbreviation ‘nd’ means ‘no date’ and should be used
when there is no date shown on the publication and the date of
publication is not known.
• The title of a web page does not take italics
Online database
FAO (2014) FAOSTAT. http://faostat3.fao.org/home/E Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome (accessed
17 December 2014).
Newspaper article
Carrington, D. (2011) Poland’s environmentalists fight foresters
for heart of primeval forest. The Guardian 6 April. (Also
available at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/06/
poland-environmentalists-foresters-primeval-forest, accessed
22 December 2014).
• Use reporter’s name as author if it is given
• Treat the newspaper title like a journal title, but give the date
instead of volume and issue numbers. There is no punctuation
between the publication title and the date.
Anon. (2011) How do trees and forests relate to climate change?
The Guardian 11 February. (Available at http://www.theguardian.
com/environment/2011/feb/11/forests-trees-climate, accessed
22 December 2014).
• If reporter’s name is not given, use ‘Anon.’ (anonymous).
Text citation
References in the text to entries in the references list should follow
the author–date system.
Governments need to work towards the greening of supply
chains in the context of their broader targets for development
(Nhantumbo, 2014).
or
Nhantumbo (2014) argues that governments need to work towards
the greening of supply chains in the context of their broader
targets for development.

When you are citing more than one reference to back up a single
point, the citations should be in alphabetical order. If you
are citing two references from the same author(s), cite them in
chronological order, with the earliest first. Citations from different
authors should be separated with semicolons.
(Green, 1980; Johnson and Jones, 1975, 1982; Smith, 1978)
When there are three or more authors, abbreviate to ‘et al.’ in the
text – but not in the list of publications, which should include all
author names.
Pierce et al. (2003) discuss the limitations of current market-based
approaches to certification for non-timber forest products.
If you refer to titles of books, journals, reports, or newspapers in
the text, they should take italics. Titles of articles or chapters are
not italicized when referred to in the text, but should appear in
single quotation marks.
Personal communications should not be cited in the list of
references but appear only in the text.
Some business leaders were able to persuade their colleagues
that certification could be an important part of a corporate
responsibility strategy (J. Wright, personal communication, 2000).
Avoid citing unpublished material if at all possible. But if you
cannot avoid referring to an unpublished report or unpublished
data, style it in the same way as a personal communication, e.g.
(A. Smith and B. Jones, unpublished report, 2010).
Arrangement of entries in a list of publications
Arrange reference entries alphabetically by the surname of the first
author.
Brown, N.R., Noss, R.F., Diamond, D.D., and Myers, M.N. (2001)
Conservation biology and forest certification: working together
towards ecological sustainability. Journal of Forestry 99(8): 18–28.
Gujarati, D. (2003) Basic Econometrics. 4th edn. McGraw Hill,
New York.
Nhantumbo, I. (2014) Governments Need to Lead the Way
for REDD+ Delivery. IIED Briefing. International Institute of
Environment and Development, London, 4 pp. (Also available at
http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/17279IIED.pdf, accessed 21 January 2015).
When the same author has more than one single-authored
publication, arrange the reference entries chronologically, with the
earliest first. If two publications come from the same year, use a, b,
etc. to differentiate between them. Give an ‘a’ to the first reference
cited in the text, a ‘b’ to the second, and so on.

Smith, R.P. (1998) Title
Smith, R.P. (2000a) Title
Smith, R.P. (2000b) Title
Smith, R.P. (2002) Title
When the first author is the same in a set of entries with two
authors, arrange the references in alphabetical order of the
surname of the second author.
Smith, R.P. and Clegg, M.D. (1962) Title
Smith, R.P. and York, G.T. (1950) Title
When the first author is the same in a set of entries with three or
more authors, arrange the references in chronological order with
the earliest first.
Smith, R.P., Saxena, M.C., and Zilch, O.D. (1950) Title
Smith, R.P., Andrews, J.G., Judd, R.W., and Johnson, H. (1952)
Title
Smith, R.P., York, G.T., and Clegg, M.D. (1970) Title
Reported speech
When giving your own opinion, or the opinion of FSC, use the
present tense.
We believe the responsible management of our forests is the only
way to secure this valuable resource for future generations.
When reporting what someone said, use the past tense.
Kim Carstensen said he believed the responsible management of
our forests was the only way to secure this valuable resource for
future generations.
When quoting someone, use the tense they spoke in.
Kim Cartensen said: “The responsible management of our
forests is the only way to secure this valuable resource for future
generations.”
Sensitive language
Language is always changing, and sometimes words or phrases
that were once commonly used become offensive, or come to
have a different meaning from the one they originally had. It is
important to be aware of such changes and be sensitive when you
choose your words.
Avoid words that show
gender or racial bias

FSC_StyleGuide_Proof4_25-09-15

FSC_StyleGuide_Proof4_25-09-15

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