Categories: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Collection

The CIA’s Style Manual & Writer’s Guide for Intelligence Publications

February 23, 2015

CIA HQ

Here is an excerpt from the manual:

Good intelligence depends in large measure on clear, concise writing. The information CIA gathers and the analysis it produces mean little if wecannot convey them effectively. The Directorate of Intelligence and the Agency as a whole have always understood that. Both have been home, from their earliest days, to people who enjoy writing and excel at it.

The Style Manual and Writers Guide for Intelligence Publications is an essential reference for the officers of our Directorate. Now in its eighth edition, it reflects an enduring commitment to the highest standards of care and precision.
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This guide is designed to be helpful and convenient, sensible in organization, and logical in content. It contains, among other changes, a revised list of accepted acronyms and new tips on word usage. The world is not static. Nor is the language we employ to assess it.

In dealing with foreign policy and national security, our government has many sources of insight on which to draw. The depth of our knowledge, the strength of our thinking, and the power of our words will ensure that our customers, from policymakers to operations officers, continue to rely on the Directorate of Intelligence.