Guidelines for Biasfree Writing
This style sheet for politically correct writing covers gender, age, sexual orientation, disabilities and medical conditions, race, ethnicity, citizenship, nationality, and religion. Gender gets almost half the manual, which addresses but does not cure the most frequent complaints of gender-neutral prose-that the effort to neuter text often creates a hackneyed effect. The examples cited of gender-biased writing are, in some cases, simply bad writing, but the Task Force's point is made. The sections on sexual orientation and on citizenship and nationality may well become dated as political and cultural norms shift. In total, most modern writing books recognize and address the style issues raised here, but these guidelines are not only current and concise but promote consciousness-raising.Robert Moore, Information Svcs., Dupont Merck Pharmaceuticals, North Billerica, Mass.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.