Use of Terms A-Z

Military Community and Family Policy writing guidance aligns with The Associated Press Stylebook with a few exceptions. Definitions of military-specific terms appear below, along with editorial guidance for certain commonly used words for MC&FP and our programs. See additional writing guidance in the Writing Best Practices section. Find program-specific guidance in the Program Content Guides section.

Q

Q-and-A format – Use Q-and-A in the body of a story.

quotations in the news – Never alter quotations. That includes correcting minor grammatical errors or word usage. Do not use (sic) to indicate misspellings and other errors. On rare occasions and using extreme caution, ellipses can replace casual minor errors. Avoid fragmentary quotes. Remember that context is sometimes key to avoid misquoting speakers.