Q. I am drafting an editorial statement for a journal that adheres to CMOS and I’m not sure how to sign it. What is the proper capitalization of my title, co-Editor-in-Chief? Should it be “Jane Doe, co-Editor-in-Chief” or “Jane Doe, Co-editor-in-chief” or no capitalization at all? Does co- adhere to CMOS, or should our editorial leadership be simply “Editors-in-Chief” (and in that case, how would each editor refer to her individual title)?
A. It’s up to your journal what names to give its leaders, but in the absence of other instructions in CMOS, we follow Merriam Webster, which spells your terms “editor in chief” and “coeditor.” It’s customary to cap a title in a display line—in this case, Editor in Chief or Coeditor in Chief. (Chicago’s guidelines for lowercasing are meant to apply to running text, not display type.) Please see CMOS 8.19 and 8.20 for general rules on capitalizing titles and offices.