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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/19067
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Not overkill at all. However, the _Chicago Manual of Style_ is not really ideal for technical writing (and is intended as a look-it-up reference, not a cover-to-cover read). It is a good guide to general, formal writing for Americans. For a more international audience, the equivalent is _The Oxford Guide to Style_ (a.k.a. _New Hart's Rules_, also published as half of _Oxford Style Manual_).

The principal problem with _Chicago_ is that its editors are strongly opposed to the use of logical quotation (i.e., including within the quotation marks nothing that was not present in the original quotation) except for "textual criticism" and "computer code and commands". They otherwise recommend nothing but American journalism- and fiction-style quotation punctuation, in which periods (stops, dots) and commas are always placed inside the quotation mark even if they don't logically belong there. This is a terrible idea in any technical, or other precise, form of writing, though it remains favored by the _AP Stylebook_ and other American journalistic style manuals.

If technical writing is your job, I'd advise owning the _Chicago_, _Oxford_, and _AP_ manuals (as well as any other style guides you may need, e.g the legal _Bluebook_ and _Redbook_, and Oxford equivalent, _OSCOLA_, which is a free PDF; and/or the _CSE_, _AMA_ and _APA_ science/medical style guides). Adapt your style as necessary. For business communication to Americans, use _Chicago_; for PR materials intended for Americans, use _AP_, for an international audience, rely on _Oxford_ (also when quoting with high precision, e.g. typed commands or the labels on device controls). Turn to _CSE_, etc., as needed for scientific writing. You might also be called upon sometimes to comply with _MLA Style Manual_ for some purposes. These books are all a good investment for any professional writer of non-fiction. So is updating them to new editions as they are released; sometimes the changes are significant. Effective use of language is a moving target.

Original score: 6