 | This is an essay on Wikipedia:Reliable sources, Wikipedia:Manual of Style, and manuals of style in general. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Not all style guides are created equal; Wikipedia's Manual of Style is only based on a few of them, aside from particular topical details. Use of them as sources in our articles must follow WP:PSTS policy. |
This advice page examines the use of externally published style guides for English writing, both as informative of our own internal Wikipedia:Manual of Style (MoS), and as reliable sources cited in our articles on English usage.
Remember that Wikipedia has and uses its own house style; do not impose styles that don't comply with it just because a divergent style can be found in an external stylebook.