Digital Style Manual on the horizon

The federal government’s Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) has signed a content scoping contract with Ethos CRS to progress the production of the seventh edition — and the first ever digital edition — of the Australian Government Style Manual.

If the scoping phase is successful, the project will move on to content delivery with the goal of releasing a live digital Style Manual next year.

In 2015 a Department of Finance study found that there could be substantial savings made across 79 agencies if they all used the same style guidance. The study estimated the savings to be between $15.8 million and $39.5 million.

The DTA, which has been researching and prototyping a new Style Manual since 2017, approached the market in February 2019 for a specialist content partner. Ethos CRS was the successful tenderer.

For this project, Ethos CRS has partnered with experts in editing and language, including the Australian National University, the Australian National Dictionary Centre and Oxford University Press.

Pictured: Ethos CRS Director Chas Savage and Style Manual Engagement Lead Susan Baird at the signing of the contract for Style Manual content scoping. Courtesy DTA.

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