Marine Corps University Communications Style Guide
14th edition
The Marine Corps University Communications Style Guide was written and developed by the faculty in the Leadership Communication Skills Center (LCSC), an instructional communication support center for Marine Corps University (MCU) students, faculty, and staff. The LCSC’s mission is to help strengthen students’ leadership by developing their written and oral communication skills through classroom instruction, written guidance, and one-on-one mentoring.
We intend this style guide to be a user-friendly resource to assist students in meeting coursework requirements and in completing written tasks and assignments on their return to the operating forces. The guide is a condensed, simplified compilation of information from The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition; the Department of the Navy Correspondence Manual (2018); and guidance from Marine Corps University faculty, students, and staff. Examples in the guide are adapted from consenting MCU students’ written products. Although the LCSC publication is not a replacement for The Chicago Manual of Style or other military writing guides, our use of MCU student examples and military citation references makes the guide more approachable for its intended readership.
It is our hope that our students gain valuable insight about how to convey important messages that change the way we approach warfighting in an increasingly complex global security environment. We are honored to serve the finest men and women from all branches of the United States military, Department of Defense, government agencies, and foreign military allies and partners around the globe. We are here to support your goals this academic year and beyond, and we hope you find our guide useful in your writing and speaking endeavors.