Style Guide for The Carillon
This Style Guide ensures uniformity throughout each issue of The Carillon . It may be revised at any time by a decision of the Editorial Committee.
The Carillon Diocesan Newsletter – Background
The Carillon is a diocesan newsletter distributed to 20,000 Catholic families at church on the first Sunday of each month. The content of the newsletter is chosen from local submissions. and strives to reflect the Canadian Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Calgary (southern Alberta).
The Diocese of Calgary includes towns south of Hanna to the US border, and all towns and cities between the borders of British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
The Carillon addresses faith issues pertinent to social and family life in our diocese. Content adheres to magisterial and scriptural teaching of the Catholic Church. Non-Catholic material published in the newsletter is to foster ecumenism and to affirm values espoused and taught by the Catholic Church.
The magazine is published nine times per year, December/January, February, March, April, May, June, September, October and November. The deadline for article and advertising submissions is the first Thursday of each month preceding publication. Each issue strives to focus on a theme laid out for that month, as well as articles on a wide range of topics affecting family and church life in the new millennium.
Articles
Articles on the following topics are sought:
- Struggles and joys in marriage and family life
- Parenting according to the Gospel
- Reflections on addictions, abuse and prevention of violence
- Growing in faith and prayer
- Parish liturgy
- Ecumenism and interfaith dialogue
- Spirituality and mission
- Catholic schools
- Social justice and analysis in local communities
- Sunday Eucharist
- Role and experience of lay ministry
- Family connections of priesthood and religious life
- Youth and the Church
- Sacraments
- Concrete experiences of living out Catholic teachings
Articles must be between 250 - 500 words and include a photo or graphic element. Fiction is not accepted. Writing style is to be experiential, reflective and descriptive. Even opinion-pieces are to be firmly connected to a personal experience shared in the article. We are looking for catechetical articles, i.e. articles that teach or reinforce our Catholic understanding. Personal revelation that is not recognized by the Vatican, or Bishop Henry will not be published.
The faith dimension in the article is essential. Articles showing a connection to a verse or scripture from the Bible, a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, an excerpt from the General Directory of Catechesis, or from a CCCB or Vatican document will be verified and given first consideration for publication.
Tools
- Dictionary: Canadian Oxford Dictionary
- Resource: Canadian Writers Reference
Poetry
Poetry with a religious inspirational insight, fillers and cartoons are accepted for use, space permitting.
Visual Format for Submissions to The Carillon
- Use 8.5 x 11 paper
- Typed copy is preferred, e-mail is better.
- Handwritten submissions should be double spaced on lined paper (1/2 inch margin all around)
- Page numbers are required at the top center of each page, except the first page.
- Do not use "enters" or "carriage returns" within paragraphs. The only exception is for poetry where certain words must end on each specific line.
- Single space after a period, before the next sentence.
- Allow one line between paragraphs without indentation. A paragraph should consist of at least two sentences.
- All articles must have a by-line including name (anonymous is acceptable in some cases), and parish or diocesan office.
- Once an article is submitted, the editor reserves the right to edit – all articles are edited to fit available space.
- No articles will be returned for 'proofing' by the author.
- Letters to the Editor will not be published.
- In Memoriam – for priests and religious and exceptional cases (e.g. Carmel Coughlin) from within the diocese, space permitting.
Photographs
Articles and photographs become property of The Carillon, with the exception of copyright holders. If you wish originals to be returned, please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope with the submission.
- Photographs must include a suggested caption including a date and brief description.
- Photographs with pictures of people who wish to be identified must be dated, and include a signed consent for names to be used and for what purpose.
- Photographs may be submitted by e-mail as a .jpg or .gif file
- Photographs may be edited, or artistically manipulated as deemed appropriate by the editor. In such cases, it will be noted as a "photo illustration," along with credit to the photographer or submitter of the original photograph.
E-mail and Attached Files
E-mail submissions are accepted in the following ways:
- attached as a plain text file
- as a Microsoft Word file, or
- copied and pasted into the e-mail message.
Please name your file with the correct file extension, e.g. Title of Article-Oct-2000.doc or .wpd etc.
We use Corel Draw, MS Word, PageMaker, Photoshop, Excel and Access. We work on the PC platform but can also accept most file types created on a Macintosh.
If an article is titled: "Carillon.doc" it becomes one of many files with the same name in The Carillon attachment directory. It is important to name the file with the title of the document and the date you want it published. This does not guarantee publication, but it will be considered for that date.
Punctuation
Titles: Italicize titles of books, magazines, plays, operas, musical compositions, motion pictures and television programs (or anything that is a published item).
Names: The first time a person is named in the article, the first and last name and initials must be included. Include title as well, e.g. Fr. Gordon Kennedy, CSB
The subsequent references to the person named in the article will be by first name only if the name is not preceded by a title. If the name is preceded by a title, please use last name e.g. Fr. Kennedy, unless you know the person prefers to go by his/her title and first name, e.g. Dr. Laura
When a new name is being introduced, place it in context by explaining who that person is or what the person represents, e.g. Mary Robertson, director of the FCJ Christian Life Centre
Capitalization
- Upper case is used with titles directly preceding a name and when set off from the name with a comma for religious order affiliations, e.g. Dr., Mr., Sr., Fr., Rev. and Rev. Gordon Kennedy, CSB
- Lower case is used almost everywhere else, e.g. church, baptism, the task of a bishop, city hall, school board, priest, religious, parish council and e-mail. NOTE: Web site.
- Capitalize names and titles referring to God, sacred writings and their sections [Bible, Scripture], the word church as a part of the name of a building or denomination, and universities and colleges, but not their departments.
- Use lower case for sacraments, rituals, and personal pronouns referring to God e.g. baptism, mass, holy communion, gospel, he, him, his, liturgy of the word, eucharistic celebration.
Numbers and Time
- Numbers under 10 are written out. e.g. seven
- Numbers 10 and over are written in figures except at the beginning of a sentence. e.g. 15 children; Fifty-seven people were in attendance.
- Decimals are written in figures, as are percentages even if they are under 10. e.g. 5.43; 2½%
- School grades are written in figures. e.g. Grade 2 (note Grade is capitalized)
- Time is written as follows: e.g. 10:00 a.m. Write noon or midnight, not 12:00 noon, or 12:00 midnight
- Ages are hyphenated. e.g. Five-year-old Jason Jones, or use Jason Jones, 5, ...
- Numerical amounts are written as $2,348.00, $1 million. Use loonie and toonie for 1 or 2 dollars.
Less of something deals with weight.
Fewer of something deals with number.
Abbreviations
- Omit periods in all capital abbreviations unless the abbreviation refers to a person. e.g. CWL, OMI, J. S. Smith
- Exception to #1: BC = British Columbia, B.C. = Before Christ
- Use period in mixed abbreviations except for abbreviations that begin and end with a capital. e.g. Co., Ltd., PhD
- Spell out the names of the months as space permits. Very rarely do we abbreviate the month.
Quotations
Use quotations around the entire sentence that is being quoted. Leave punctuation pertaining to the quote inside the quotes. He said, "I like going to church." Exception: when a semi-colon follows a quoted piece, the semi-colon goes on the outside of the quotes.
Documentation
Sources of copied material must be supplied, and/or permission granted for reproducing a published work or photograph. Editor reserves the right to alter photos to give creative texture to the publication. Credit will be given to the photographer, but it will also be noted that this is a photo impression, or some like term.
Quotes from references must be noted with each article. These are cited in square brackets where applicable.
Spelling
Use the British spelling: i.e. honour, colour, favour, saviour, centre.
