Marketing Communications Resource Center

General Editorial Style Guidelines

Which is it: e-mail, E-mail or email? What about those commas in a series—should you put one before the “and”? And does it matter? (See “and” in this section if you winced at the previous sentence.)

Well, yes, it does. Stylistic consistency lets the reader concentrate on the content without being distracted by variations in spelling and punctuation from one page to the next. It is an invaluable tool for editors, who often edit material intended for a single publication but written by several people.

Having a style guide to consult keeps editors from having to reinvent a rule every time a new publication (or a new writer) comes along. Adhering to an agreed-upon style gives each campus publication a “voice” that harmonizes with those from other departments and offices.

The Associated Press Stylebook is the official guide for external university publications. On some points, it clashes with styles used in academia. It is, however, the most commonly used stylebook in the United States.

This style guide was assembled to provide guidelines for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage in materials produced by Tarleton. The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, copyright 1996, is the primary reference book. The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition, is the secondary reference. For questions on the spelling or usage of words not found in this style guide or in the references previously mentioned, consult Webster's Third World Dictionary, Third College Edition.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

a, an
Use “a” before words that begin with consonant sounds; use “an” before vowel sounds.
Examples: an eight-year average, an M.B.A., a historic event.

abbreviations
Abbreviations of degrees, expressions of time and names of countries take periods with no space between the elements.
Examples: M.F.A., p.m., U.K.

In abbreviations of organizations omit the period unless the result would spell an unrelated word.

Example: NATO, FBI.
Plural forms of acronyms receive an "s" and no apostrophe.
Example: The committee was made up of CEOs and CFOs.
See second reference.

academic degrees
Use periods with academic degrees with no spaces.
Examples: B.A., B.S., Ed.D., M.A., M.A.T., M.S., Ph.D., J.D., M.B.A., M.P.A.

Put an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree and master's degree. This is to show possession. The degree belongs to the bachelor or master (that’s you). Even when shortened to bachelor’s and master’s (no “degree” afterward), you keep the apostrophe.

academic departments
Capitalize the formal names of academic departments.
Examples: Department of Chemistry, Department of English.
Do not capitalize names of academic departments (except language departments) that begin with the subject.

Examples: chemistry department, English department.
See academic majors, academic programs.

academic majors
Lowercase academic majors except proper nouns.
Examples: history, East Asian studies, English, international affairs.

academic programs
Capitalize program names.

Examples: Language and Literacy Program, East Asian Studies.
academic titles

Capitalize titles only when preceding a name; otherwise, use lower case. Before a name, give a person only one title. Do not use phrases such as “Dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Professor of History Donald L. Zelman.” Instead, use “Dean of Liberal and Fine Arts Donald L. Zelman, who is also a professor of history, gave the keynote address.”

Very long titles are more readable when placed after a name.
Example: Dr. T. Lindsay Baker, director of the W.K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas.

acronyms
See abbreviations and second reference.

addresses
Use periods with compass directions: S.W., N.E., W., E.
Spell out names of numbered streets through nine; use numerals for 10 and greater: Fifth, Ninth, 10th, 52nd, 108th.

Spell out Avenue, Boulevard, and Street unless space is at a premium. Maintain consistency within the document (i.e., do not mix spelled-out addresses with abbreviated addresses).
See World Wide Web.

adviser, advisor
Both are correct and although this differs from AP style, advisor is the preferred choice in academia.

affect, effect
Ninety-nine times out of 100, if the word you use is a verb, spell it with an “a,” and if it is a noun, spell it with an "e." In these two usages, affect means to influence and effect means the result of an action—and those are by far the most common uses.
Examples: How will this affect (try substituting the word “influence”) my grade? I don't know what the effect (try substituting the word "result") will be.

African American
“Black” is the preferred usage in general for those of the negro race. Use lowercase “b.” “African American” is too limiting.

alumna, alumnae, alumni, alumnus
alumna - singular, female
alumnae - plural, female
alumni - plural, male, or male and female
alumnus - singular, male
alum-singular, male or female; appropriate in informal contexts
For alumni class identification, see class identification.

ages
Always use figures. If ages are expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun, use hyphens.
Example: The child is 2 years old. He just turned 15. She's a 3-year-old child.

a lot

a.m., p.m.
Not AM or A.M.
Recognize that 8 p.m. tonight is redundant. So, write 8 tonight, or 8 p.m. today. Use noon and midnight.

among/between
Use “between” to describe the direct relationship or comparison of two or more items. Use “among” when the relationship is collective.
Examples: The students could choose between three majors. Journalism was among the majors chosen.

ampersand (&)
Avoid.

and
Many of us learned in English class to never begin a sentence with “and.” In formal writing that rule still applies. However, beginning a sentence with “and” has become more acceptable in informal writing. If you’re not sure, it’s best just to drop it. The same rule applies to contractions.

assure
See ensure, insure, assure.

asterisk (*)
Use to indicate footnoted material. Asterisks (as with all footnote symbols) follow punctuation marks and go inside parentheses.

B

bar (the legal entity)
Avoid Bar except when used as part of a proper name.
Example: He was admitted to the bar last spring. She is president of the Texas State Bar.

benefit, benefited, benefiting

Board of Regents
Lower case “board” and “regents” only if used separately. See the Board of Regents' Web page (http://tamusbor.tamu.edu/) for correct name and title references. It is permissible to capitalize “Chancellor” and “Regent,” but otherwise use lower case for titles.
Examples: The board met at 10 a.m. Regent Gramm was there. Regent Lowry Mays is a member of the Committee on Finance. Chairman Nye lives in Dallas.

building names
Room numbering style: Room 1, Room 2, and so on.
Proper names of buildings on campus:
Administration Annex
Administration Building
Agriculture Center (refrain from using “the farm”)
Agriculture/Engineering Building
Agriculture Mechanics Lab
Joe W. Autry Agriculture Building
Bender Hall
Biology Research Lab
Biology Storage
College of Business Administration
Central Plant
Central Receiving
Coed Hall
Construction Services
Crockett Hall
Davis Hall
Dick Smith Library
Dining Hall
Environmental Services
Equipment Storage
Farm Machinery Lab
Ferguson Hall
Gough Hall
Horticulture Greenhouse East
Horticulture Greenhouse West
Horticulture Lab
E.J. Howell Education Building
Humanities Building
Hunewell Annex
Hunewell Hall
Hunewell Lounge
Hydrology Annex
Hydrology/Engineering Building
Industrial Technology Building
Intramural Sports Building
Maintenance Warehouse
Math Building
Moody Hall
Nursing Building
Oscar H. Frazier Memorial Track
Oscar P
P.E. Annex/Intramural Sports
P.E. Field Facility
Physical Plant
University Police and Parking ID Office
New Science Building
Old Science Building
Barry B. Thompson Student Center (TSC or Thompson Student Center)
Summit Apartments
Tarleton Center
W.O. Trogdon House (Trogdon House)
Venture Apartments
Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center
Wisdom Gymnasium
Cecil Ballow Field
Memorial Stadium
Potishman-Lard Tennis Courts

bulleted lists
Use bulleted lists for three or more items. Follow these rules for creating bulleted lists:

• Introduce each list with a sentence or phrase.
  
• For simple word or phrase lists, do not punctuate. End complete sentences with a period. If any item on a list is punctuated, punctuate every item.
  
• Capitalize the first word of a list item only if the item is a complete sentence.
  
• Single space simple word or phrase lists. Double space lists of sentences.
  
• Do not substitute numbers for bullets unless the sequence of the items is important (bullets imply random order).
  
• Structure all items within a list similarly.

C

campuswide

cancel, cancelable, canceled, canceling, cancellation

capitalization
Official names are capitalized; unofficial, informal, shortened or generic names are not (Exception: capitalize “U” in university when referring to Tarleton—this rule began while Barry B. Thompson was president of Tarleton).
Avoid using ALL CAPS in headlines or text (see Typography Dos and Don’ts following this section). Phrases such as “the center,” “the institute” or “the recently renovated museum” are not capitalized.
Examples:
the Office of Admissions and Registrar,
the registrar's office, the registrar
the College of Business, the business college,
the college
the Dick Smith Library, the library
Capitalize official names of bulletins, forms, conventions, conferences, classes, an so on.
Example: Dr. Ballard will teach the Philosophy and History of Adult Education class next semester. He will teach advanced geology.
Capitalize prepositions or conjunctions of four or more letters in headlines or titles.
Example: Secrets From the Center of the World.
When a generic term is used in the plural after more than one proper name, the term should be lowercased; it should be capitalized before more than one proper name.
Examples:
the Paluxy and Brazos rivers
Tarleton and West Texas A&M universities
Erath and Hood counties

capitol, capital
Capitalize when referring to the building. Using “Capitol building” is redundant. Capital refers to the city as well as referring to a fund-raising campaign.
Examples: The Capitol is in Austin, which is the capital city of Texas. Tarleton raised $42.9 million in a recent capital campaign.

Century
Lower case when used with a number: 20th century, 21st century.

Chairman
The Board of Regents' style is to use the term “chairman” in all references to board positions, even for female members.
Example: Anne Armstrong is chairman of the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs.

cities
Do not use state designations with these U.S. cities:
Texas cities and towns (exceptions: Paris, and other towns that may be confused with another location)
Anchorage
Atlanta
Baltimore
Boise
Boston
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Denver
Detroit
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Los Angeles
Miami
Minneapolis
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle

class identification (by graduation year)
John Smith ’71 (College)
Jane Smith M.Ed. ’75, special education (graduate school)
John Smith ’71, M.A.T. ’75 (two degrees)
Jane Smith J.D. ’83 (law school)
Do not put commas after person’s name or after the degree.
You may need to “trick” the software program to get the correct apostophe before the year. Simply hit the apostrophe key twice then delete the first one typed.

co-
Retain the hyphen when forming nouns, adjectives and verbs that indicate occupation or status.
Examples: co-author, co-chairman, co-defendent, co-host, co-partner, co-pilot, co-signer, co-star, co-worker (Several are exceptions to Webster’s New World in the interests of consistency.)
Use no hyphen in other combinations.
Examples: coed, coeducation, coexist, coexistence, cooperate, cooperative, coordinate, coordination (Cooperate, coordinate and related words are exceptions to the rule that a hyphen is used if a prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel.)

commas
Do not use a comma before the “and” or other conjunctions in a series. Elsewhere, use commas only when the potential for confusion exists without them.
Examples: She served on the committee to review scholarships, grants and financial aid. She sorted the boxes by color, size and weight, and type of material.

committee names
Capitalize the names of committees.
Example: The Academic Affairs Committee will meet on Thursday.

comprise, comprises
“Comprise” and “comprises” must always refer to a larger unit made up of smaller units. Do not use “is comprised of.”
Example: The faculty senate comprises members from each department.
See compose/comprise.

compose, comprise
“Compose” means to make up or constitute. “Comprise” is similar to include, contain or consist of.
Examples: Nine players compose a baseball team. A baseball team comprises one pitcher, one catcher, one shortstop and so on.

continuous(ly), continual(ly)
“Continuous(ly)” means without interruption or unbroken; “continual(ly)” means occurring again and again.

contractions
Many of us learned in English class that you should avoid using contractions. However, the use of contractions has become more acceptable in informal writing. If you are not sure, avoid contracting the words.

copyright notice
Include notice of copyright in all official University publications. The State of Texas requires that the year in which a printed piece is produced appear on all publications, including brochures, posters and so on. In some instances, the long version of the notice may be appropriate for additional clarity (e.g., in Web documents):
Short version: © 2003 Tarleton State University
Long version: Copyright © 2003 Tarleton State University

couple
Considered plural: The couple live in Stephenville.

course load

coursework

courses (titles of)
Use caps and lowercase with course titles. Do not italicize or enclose in quotation marks.
Example: Mathematical Methods of Physics.

courts
The full proper name is 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Second reference: “the court” or the “appeals court.”
cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude
See degrees with distinction.

D

dashes vs. hyphen
WARNING: Dashes may not appear correctly online. Use HTML special character codes.
The size of the en and em dashes is roughly equivalent to the width of the lowercase n and m, respectively, for the typeface in which they are used.
En dashes (–) are primarily for showing duration or range as in 9:00–5:00 or 112–600 or March 15–31.
Create en dashes with option-hyphen (Mac) or alt 0150 (Windows) — hold down the alt key and type 0150 on the numeric keypad.
Create en dashes in HTML with – (ampersand-no space, pound sign 8211 semi-colon).
Em dashes (—) are the proper dashes to use in place of single or double hyphens(--) as punctuation. Similar to a parenthetical phrase (like this) the em dash sets apart clauses in a sentence.
Create em dashes with shift-option-hyphen (Mac) or ALT 0151 (Windows) — hold down the alt key and type 0151 on the numeric keypad.
Create em dashes in HTML with — (ampersand-no space, pound sign 8212 semi-colon).
Hyphens are for hyphenating words and to separate characters in a phone number (123-555-0123).

database

days/dates
When referring to month and year, add a comma after the year unless it ends the sentence. However, do not add a comma following the month unless a date is used. Similarly, when referring to both a city and state, add a comma after the state.
Examples: Your memo of Nov. 28, 2001, summarized the issue perfectly. She graduated in May 2002. After three years, she started to consider College Station, Texas, home.
The common rule for publications is to use the days of the week (e.g., Monday, Tuesday) when referring to events within seven days, before or after the publication date. When writing about events more distant, use months and dates, such as "April 30" and "June 5." Do not use both. Do not use yesterday, today and tomorrow; if a story were delayed before publication, the time elements would be wrong.
Use commas to set off the year when using full dates.
Example: She was born on September 15, 1985, in Los Angeles.
Do not use commas when using only month and year constructions.
Example: Planning began in September 1985.
Do not use 1st, 2nd, etc., with dates:
July 21, April 2, etc. (not July 21st, April 2nd, etc.)
Use the year if not the current calendar year.
Example (If publishing in June 2003): John and Joan Jones had a baby in December 1997; the Smiths had a baby in January.
Periods of years:
He worked from 1949 to 1961.
He worked in 1949-50 (if academic year).
He worked in the 1950s (if a decade); avoid '50s.
See also months.

Dean's List

degrees
See academic degrees.

degrees with distinction
Do not capitalize or use italics.
Examples: cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude

departments
See academic departments.

dimensions
Use figures for all numbers that indicate height, weight, width, etc., even for numbers less than 10. Spell out inches, feet, yards, etc., to indicate depth, height, length and width. Hyphenate adjectival forms before nouns.
Example: The book weighs 2 pounds, she is 5 feet 4 inches tall, the 5-foot-4-inch woman.
Use an apostrophe to indicate feet and quote marks to indicate inches (5’4”) only in very technical contexts.
directions and regions
Capitalize words such as North and South if they refer to places you can stand and say, “I am standing in the North.” That means they are nouns referring to regions, and AP says capitalize them as such. When referring to compass directions, such as “I am walking north,” then lower case them.
Examples: The North Central Texas area is growing rapidly. Tarleton also has a presence in Central Texas.
dollar amounts
Use a dollar sign followed by a numeral. Do not use .00 with dollar values.
Example: $250 (not $250.00), $12,300, $5.3 million

dorm, dormitory
Avoid; use residence hall.

E

e.g.
exempli gratia: for example
This abbreviation should be used only in parenthetical phrases, where it is punctuated with periods and set off with commas. Do not use etc. at the end of a phrase beginning with e.g.
Example: The College offers several majors (e.g., biology, economics, Hispanic studies).

Ellipsis
The ellipsis (…) replaces a word or phrase and should be treated like a word; and that means a space before and after. If an ellipsis comes at the end of the sentence, there should be a fourth dot—the period.
Create an ellipsis by holding down the option key and typing a semi colon.

e-mail
Use hyphen; lowercase “e” unless at the beginning of a sentence.

e-mail addresses
All Tarleton e-mail addresses are lowercase.
Example: employee@tarleton.edu.

emeritus, emerita
A retired male professor may earn “emeritus” status; a retired female professor would earn “emerita” status.
Examples: Robert Esbjornson, emeritus professor of religion. Professor Emerita Ann Brady.

ensure, insure, assure
Use ensure to mean guarantee or make certain.
Example: Steps were taken to ensure the document's accuracy.
Use insure for references to the characteristics of insurance.
Example: The policy will insure your home.
Use assure to give confidence or to inform positively.
Example: She assured him that the decision was a wise one.

EOE statement
See nondiscrimination statement.

F

facts and figures
The Office of Public Information has general statistics and other information about Tarleton that should be used when developing statements, releases, brochures, etc. for public dissemination. 
See page 28 for information approved for publication. More facts and figures can be found in the Tarleton “Fact Book: 1998-2002” compiled by the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Institutional Research at www.tarleton.edu/main/98factbook.pdf.

farther, further
Farther refers to physical distance: He walked farther in the woods.
Further refers to an extension of time or degree: She will look further into the mystery.

fewer, less
Use fewer for things that you can count.
Example: I have fewer quarters than you do. (You can count, “One quarter, two quarters, three quarters.”)
Use less for things you cannot count.
Example: I have less cash than you do. (You don’t say, “One cash, two cash, three cash.”)

faculty
Usually considered plural.
Example: The faculty are dedicated to their students.

fieldwork

figures
When a text refers to numbered graphs or tables, refer to them in the text as Figure 1, Figure 2, etc., and italicize. On the figure itself, the label (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.) does not need to be italicized.
Note: Figures in an appendix should be designated according to the letter of the appendix: Figure A-1, Figure B-6, etc.

first-come, first-served
They will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis.

G

grade point average
Use GPA on second reference.

grades
Use letter grade with no quotation marks.
Example: She received an A in the course. There is a W on his transcript. She earned three Bs and two Cs.

H

home page

homework

hyphen
See dashes vs. hyphens

I

i.e.
id est: that is
Used for listing the specific case(s) referred to in the preceding material. Should be punctuated with periods and set off with commas.
Example: Please state your response (i.e., yes or no).

initials
Do not separate with a space: T.L. Smith

insure
See ensure, insure, assure.

Internet
Capitalize. Use Internet instead of “net” or “the net.”

J

judgment
Not judgement.

junior (Jr.), senior (Sr.), III
Jr., Sr. and III are not set off by commas.
Examples: Tom Green Jr. is a member of the Class of ’29. His son is Tom Green III.

K

kickoff (n.), kick-off (adj.), kick off (v.)

KTRL 100.7
Tarleton’s campus radio station scheduled to be on the air by February 2004.

L

lay, lie
Lay means “to put” or “to place.” It requires an object to complete its meaning. Principal forms are: lay, laid, laying.
Examples: Please lay the boxes there. I laid the message on the table.
Lie means “to recline, rest, or stay” or “to take a position of rest.” It refers to a person or thing as either assuming or being in a reclining position. This verb cannot take an object. Principal forms are lie, lay, lain, lying.
Examples: He’s been ill and lies in bed all day. The mail is lying on the secretary's desk.
Hint: In deciding whether to use lie or lay in a sentence, substitute the word place, placed, or placing (as appropriate) for the word in question. If the substitute fits, the corresponding form of lay is correct; if it doesn't, use the appropriate form of lie.

legal cases
The names of legal cases (plaintiff and defendant) are usually italicized.
Examples: Miranda v. Arizona, Green v. Department of Public Welfare

legislation
Refer to bills as House Bill 1 or Senate Bill 1, or as H.B. 1 or S.B. 1 (periods but no space between the letters, then a space between the letters and the number). Legislative. Do not capitalize this adjective unless it begins a sentence.
Example: That is a legislative matter.

legislature
Capitalize this noun in all references to a particular legislative body, such as “the Texas Legislature,” which can also be referred to as “the Legislature.” Do not capitalize “legislature” when it is used as a generic term.
Example: The law-making body in a democracy is called a legislature.

lifestyle

-ly rule
If the first of two consecutive modifiers ends in -ly, do not separate with a hyphen.
Example: It's a newly created program.

M

Macintosh, MacIntosh
Macintosh: the computer made by the Apple company.
MacIntosh: the fruit, also a stereo manufacturer in the United Kingdom.

majors
See academic majors.

MasterCard

mid- to late [month]
The report will arrive in mid- to late November.

money
See dollar amounts.

months
Never abbreviate months when they do not immediately precede a date.
Example: We got married in September last year.
However, when the name of a month immediately precedes a date, abbreviate it, but only if the month's name is six letters or longer.
Example: We began this project on Aug. 6 last year and finished on March 5.

multicultural

musical ensembles (at Tarleton)
Chamber Choir
Chamber Winds
Tarleton Jazz Ensemble I
Tarleton Jazz Ensemble II
Tarleton Wind Ensemble
Texan Marching Band (official name), “The Sound and the Fury” (alternate name)
Ultra Club Big Band
University Singers

N

names of people
In first reference, use the individual’s full name. Leave out middle initial unless they prefer to use it, or if it is used in a formal context. In subsequent sentences, use last names only.
Examples: First reference: Donald Balmer; Second reference: Balmer. First reference: Jennifer Johnson; Second reference: Johnson. First reference: Harvey Schmidt Jr.; Second reference: Schmidt
Nicknames generally should be avoided but when used enclose them in quotation marks.

Nobel laureate

Nobel Prize
The correct designations are Nobel Prize in physics (as well as in physiology or medicine). But, Nobel Peace Prize and Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.

nondiscrimination statement
Tarleton State University, an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and Educator, is commited to excellence through diversity. Note use of capital letters.

none
If the object of the preposition after none is singular, use a singular verb; likewise, if the object of the preposition after the verb is plural, use a plural verb.
Example: None of the day was wasted. None of us were alert.

nonprofit (n., adj.)
Also not-for-profit.

noon
Use noon or 12 p.m. Not “12:00 noon.” Does not need to be capitalized in agendas.

numbers
Spell out whole numbers below 10, use numbers for 10 and above.
Examples: They had three sons and two daughters. They had a fleet of 10 station wagons and two buses."
Exception: ages-always use number. He is 5 years old today. The 10-year-old girl won the golf tournament.
Use a comma with numerals of 1,000 and above (except dates): 5,000, 42,000.
Use numerals when referring to academic credit: The student earned 2.5 hours of credit.
Use numerals when referring to a page number: The passage begins on page 5.
Use numerals when referring to percentages: He won by 5 percent.
See also percentages and dimensions.

O

offline

online

P

percentages
In text, spell out percent; use the percent sign (%) in tables and graphics, use numerals.
Example: 7 percent.

phone numbers
Use hyphens; do not use parentheses or periods: 254-968-xxxx. Omit the 1 in all long-distance numbers, including toll-free numbers: 888-687-xxxx.

p.m.
See a.m., p.m.

postbaccalaureate

pre
In general, do not hyphenate: preapproved, preset, prework.
Exceptions: pre-dental, pre-law, pre-med, pre-vet.

programs
See academic programs.

Q

quotations marks
Set quotation marks outside of periods and commas.
Examples: “Education is important for many reasons,” he said. Dana’s favorite song is “If.”

R

ratios
Use figures and a hyphen
Example: a ratio of 2-to-1, a 2-1 ratio.

re
In general, do not hyphenate: reedit, reunify, reestablish.

residence hall
Not dormitory or dorm.

RSVP
Not R.S.V.P.

S

seasons, semesters
Lowercase the names of seasons.
Examples: fall, winter, spring, summer, fall semester, spring semester, winter 2003.

second reference
Well-known abbreviations are acceptable on second reference. Thus, Internal Revenue Service can become “the IRS” the second time you refer to it. Avoid using unfamiliar abbreviations. If you are writing about the Left-Handed Dogcatchers Association, refrain from referring to it as LHDA on second reference. Instead, call it “the association” or “the group.” Here's an example of what to avoid: the Left-Handed Dogcatchers Association (LHDA) met last night. The LHDA decided to catch some left-handed dogs.

senior (Sr.), junior (Jr.), III
Do not set off with a comma following a name.

senior citizens (usually those over age 65)
Avoid seniors, which may cause confusion with fourth-year students in some contexts.

Social Security
Capitalize in all references to the government program.
Example: His Social Security number is 000-00-0000.

spaces
Use one space after periods, commas, or colons when typing text.

staff
Usually considered plural.
Example: The staff have reviewed the president's document.

state names
Spell out the names of the 50 U.S. state when they stand alone in textual material. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material.
The names of eight states that are never abbreviated in datelines or text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.
Set off states or countries with commas:
Fresno, California,
Washington, D.C.,
Seoul, Korea,
Some major cities do not require state or country identification.
See cities.
Note: This is A.P. style and differs from A&M System guidelines.

state and federal
Capitalize “State” and “Federal” when they refer to a governmental entity but not when they refer to geographical areas or systems/theories of government.
Examples: The State budget in Texas is the third-largest budget in the 50 states. The Federal government is not always a supporter of the federal system.

T

Tarleton State University
Use “Tarleton State University” on first reference, “Tarleton” or “the University” on second and subsequent references. Avoid “TSU.” The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board uses TSU when referring to Texas Southern University in Houston and Southwest Texas State University is changing its name effective Sept. 1, 2003 to Texas State University-San Marcos. Although the official abbreviated version of the name will be Texas State, there will be some who will refer to them as TSU as well as create t-shirts, mugs and so forth, creating confusion.

temperature
Use figures unless the temperature is zero.
Examples: It's minus 5 degrees. I hope it warms to 9 or 10.

that, which
That is used to introduce an “essential” clause, and which is used before a “nonessential” clause. The difference between the two is that the essential clause cannot be eliminated without changing the meaning of the sentence. Also, an essential clause must not be set off from the rest of the sentence by commas, while a clause beginning with which should be set off with commas.
Examples: This is a course that is both informative and enjoyable. His first book, which is titled Plato Revisited, is riveting.

theatre, theater
Use theatre when referring to the art; use theater when referring to the physical space.

time of day
Use a colon to separate hour from minutes. The colon and minutes are not necessary for even-hour times.
Examples:
11 a.m. (not 11:00 or 11:00 a.m.), but 3:30 p.m.;
5:30-8:30 p.m. (in listings);
from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (in text);
noon, midnight (not 12 noon or 12 midnight, or 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.);
7 o’clock (not 7 O’clock); and
six-thirty, seven-fifteen (in formal invitations).

time zones
When spelled out, designations of time zones are lowercased, except for proper nouns. Abbreviations are capitalized.
Examples:
central standard time (CST)
daylight saving time (DST)
eastern standard time (EST)
Greenwich mean time (GMT)

titles of people
Capitalize formal titles before a name or names.
Examples:
President Dennis P. McCabe
Dean Brad Bankhead
Associate Professor Michael Hibbs
Lowercase formal titles after a name or names.
Examples:
Dr. Dennis P. McCabe, president
Craig Clifford, professor of philosophy
Ruby Barker, dean of the College of Business
Lowercase titles standing alone.
Examples:
the president
the dean

titles of works
Use italics or underlining with:
Books (title alone is normally sufficient; no need to reference publisher, year, etc.)
Movies and plays
Major musical compositions
Newspapers
Paintings, drawings, statues, and other works of art
Periodicals (journals and magazines)
Use quotation marks with:
Albums
Articles
Dissertation titles
Papers (e.g., papers presented at conferences)
Radio programs*
Songs
Stories
TV programs*
* If part of a continuing series, italicize (e.g., PBS's Sesame Street, National Public Radio's All Things Considered).
Do not use italics, underlining, or quotation marks (but use appropriate capitalization) with:
Courses
Events
Lectures
Symposia

toward
Not towards.

trademarks
A reasonable effort should be made to capitalize trademarked names. The symbols ® and ™ need not be used in running text.
Coca-Cola (but cola drink)
Frisbee
Kleenex
Pyrex dishes
Xerox

U

underserved

underutilized

under way

United States (n.); U.S. (adj.)
Abbreviate it as "U.S." only as an adjective before a noun, as in U.S. hockey team, U.S. economy and U.S. bonds; Otherwise, spell it out as in I love the United States.

university
Capitalize “U” when referring to Tarleton.
Example: Many cultural events are held at the University.

usage/use
It is preferable to use “usage” only with reference to language, and use “use” in other instances.
Examples: The Japenese student’s usage of English was impeccable. Computer use at Tarleton is up 20 percent.

V

video conferencing
Two words. Do not use as a verb.

vice president
No hyphen.

Visa (credit card)
Not VISA.

W

Web site
Also Web page, Web browser

which
See that, which.

workers' compensation

World Wide Web
In Web site addresses (URLs), use http://.

Y

years
To indicate a decade, add an “s.” to the first year in the decade.
Examples: In the 1960s, people did a lot of crazy things. If you abbreviate this, do it this way: In the '60s, people did a lot of . . . Do not use an apostrophe before the “s.” (wrong: ’60’s) Remember that years are never spelled out. Even at the beginning of a sentence, use a figure: 1968 was a good year.