In an effort to ensure that SCL/ÉLC is as consistent as possible in stylistic matters, we ask all authors to follow the MLA Handbook, 6th edition, using parenthetical citations for bibliographical references, rather than footnotes. Please also note the following matters of house style:

Punctuation and Spelling:

· Use the Canadian Oxford Dictionary to check spelling and hyphenation.

· For material to be italicized, format with italics rather than underlining.

· Use two hyphens with spaces on either side for dashes, rather than typeset em-dashes: e.g. "His first published novel -- though not the first he wrote -- was... "

· Names ending in "s" add an "s" after a possessive apostrophe: e.g. Davies's novels

· Type initials closed up: W.H. New, not W. H. New

· Use double quotation marks for quotations and for "scare quotes"; use single quotation marks only for quotes within quotes

· Normally, commas and periods go inside quotation marks; semi-colons and colons that are not part of the original quotation normally go outside the quotation marks

· Use commas before "and" in a series: e.g. "she uses metaphor, image, and symbol" (except in interviews, where a less formal mode may be preferable)

· Do not double space at the end of sentences.

Quotations:

· Check all quotations and page numbers against the originals for accuracy

· Type all quotations double-spaced and incorporate shorter ones (fewer than five lines of prose or four lines of poetry) into the text; offset anything longer

· Avoid ellipses at the beginnings or ends of quotations. Ellipses within quotations are assumed to be added by the article author and do not need to be square bracketed; this is the default. If they appear in the original quotation, insert "; original ellipsis" or "; original ellipses" after the page number in the parenthetical citation.

· Italics, bold type, or other special formatting in quotation is assumed, as a default, to followed original quotation. If you add italics for emphasis, insert "; emphasis added" after the page number in the parenthetical citation.

· Use colon to introduce quotations only when what introduces the quotation is an independent clause; otherwise, use a comma or no punctuation, as grammar dictates.

· Punctuate quotations as in original; avoid square brackets registering case changes

Parenthetical citations:

· Use shortened titles to distinguish multiple works cited by the same author when not clear from context: e.g. for The Bush Garden use (Bush 141)

· Space between multiple parenthetical page numbers; e.g. (Wiebe 27, 31)

· Refer to inclusive numbers as follows: 5-8; 22-26 (not 22-6); 155-76; 298-312

Notes and Works Cited:

· Avoid footnotes and keep endnotes to a minimum; include only essential supplementary information. All bibliographical information should be in Works Cited. Any acknowledgements normally go in an Author's Note rather than a first endnote.

· Omit province or state information after city of publication in Works Cited; include only the first city listed.

· Cite specific items from an anthology, collection of essays, etc., under the author's name, rather than citing the whole book under the editor's name.

· Include only texts quoted or given significant mention in Works Cited.