When drafting ISO documents, the primary reference is the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, which states the general principles and rules to follow to ensure that ISO and IEC documents are clear, precise and unambiguous.

It is intended to be used alongside the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 and generally does not duplicate its content, although some relevant sections have been reproduced in order to add further details. ISO House Style specifies the language, formatting and presentation of ISO documents: editorial elements that are outside the scope of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.