The United States relies on the Middle East for most of its oil.Spell out all state names in text and references spell out United States if used as a noun you may abbreviate it when it is used as an adjective: Leave no space after one-letter abbreviations, except for author's names:Ģ. Formal and informal geologic-formation names: General styleġ.Notes on grammar, spelling, usage, and vocabulary.Computer languages, names, programs, subroutines, etc.If you have any questions concerning style, grammar, or word usage, feel free to contact the editor. The Survey style is preferable for in-house publications however, it is flexible and an author's preferences will be considered so long as accepted grammatical rules are followed and consistency is maintained. Other style manuals recommended to supplement this are the USGS Suggestions to Authors, the Government Printing Office Style Manual, Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, and The Chicago Manual of Style. Using a style manual ensures quality, clarity, and consistency in our publications. This style manual and word-usage guide is designed to provide guidance to editors, proofreaders, and graphic-arts and automated-cartography personnel, authors, and word-processors.