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Editorial Style GuideJust as the university strives for consistency of communication design, it also encourages clarity and consistency in its messages. Our audiences oftentimes overlap; the parent of a prospective student could also be a graduate, a legislator, a donor or an employer of our graduates. The Iowa State materials received by that one person could come from admissions, the alumni association, his or her college, governmental relations, or one of the college career services offices. It is important that we all treat language, punctuation, and grammar consistently and clearly. The Chicago Manual of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook provide the foundation for this guide. Strunk and White's The Elements of Style is also a resource. Use this guide to help you write anything intended for the campus and external audiences. If you are doing technical or academic writing, some of these guidelines may not be appropriate.
Iowa State University Specific GuidelinesWhen writing about Iowa State, use Iowa State University first and follow with Iowa State. Avoid using ISU if at all possible, due to the potential confusion with Illinois State University, Idaho State University, and Indiana State University. Lowercase university when standing alone.
Abbreviations For the most part, avoid in running text (Professor Johnson, not Prof. Johnson). Use only where clear to readers. Normally spell out at first occurrence, unless it is almost never used in spelled out form (such as DNA, GOP). Academic and administrative titles Capitalize titles when they precede names and are used as part of the names. Lowercase if they follow names or are used to further identify people. In lists such as those used in programs, titles are usually capitalized even when following names.
If a title contains the full name of an academic or administrative unit, capitalize the unit name.
For consistency in publications, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost has approved the following style for professors and instructors.
The following style is for endowed chairs, named professorships, and distinguished professorships.
Academic colleges Iowa State has eight colleges, including the Graduate College.
Academic degrees In general, do not use abbreviations for degrees after a persons name unless it is necessary to establish credentials. Do not include the word degree after a degree abbreviation.
Don't use Dr. with the degree designation. Use either Dr. John Jones or John Jones, Ph.D. Common practice is to use periods without spaces for abbreviations of degrees (B.A., M.S., Ph.D., M.Eng., M.B.A., LL.D. and LL.M.). The most recent edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, however, recommends omitting the periods unless required for consistency or tradition. Degree abbreviations are best used in listings, while spelling the degrees out is more readable in regular text.
Set off degree names by commas when they follow personal names.
Academic year fall semester, spring semester, summer session—no caps when used to refer to time of the year. Acronyms Try to avoid. Universities overuse acronyms and incorrectly assume that its publics have high awareness of what the letters stand for and an understanding of what the organization does. Acronyms only confuse. Exceptions are widely recognized acronyms such as NASA, SAT, ACT, FBI. Adviser/Advisor Adviser is the preferred spelling. Alumna, Alumnae, Alumnus, Alumni Alumna refers to one female graduate. Alumnae refers to two or more female graduates. Alumnus refers to one male graduate. Alumni refers to more than one male graduate or a group that includes both female and male graduates. Ames Laboratory On first reference, always use Ames Laboratory. On the second and subsequent references use Ames Lab. When a formal declaration is needed, use U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory. Big 12 Iowa State University is a member of the Big 12 Conference. Other members are:
Board of Regents Proper name is Board of Regents, State of Iowa (a comma follows Iowa when name appears within a sentence).
Building names Use the full name for buildings on first reference, capitalizing Building, Hall, Center and such. Shortened versions are acceptable for subsequent references (e.g., Catt Hall for Carrie Chapman Catt Hall). Chairman, chairwoman, chairperson The use of chair is preferred. Company names In running text, company names are best given in full form. Abbreviations such as Inc. and Ltd. can be omitted unless they are relevant to text. If used, commas are not required around the abbreviations. Conference, lecture series, symposia Capitalize formal names of these events. Enclose in quotation marks Contact information formats
Telephone numbers:
Internet addresses:
Mailing addresses:
Use official names of offices and departments in university addresses (e.g., Office of the Treasurer, not Treasurer's Office). Spell out the names of buildings (e.g., Carver Hall, Buchanan Hall)When listing mailing addresses, use the two-letter postal abbreviation for the state. In running text or if the context is formal (such as in an invitation), spell out the state name. Use the full nine-digit zip code whenever possible (check the Iowa State Postal and Parcel Web site or the current campus directory for a listing of extended zip codes for university buildings). Abbreviate compass designations (N., S., E., W.), but spell out designations such as Street, Avenue, and Road. For listing addresses in running text, use commas to separate elements, including U.S.A. (e.g., Direct inquiries to Office of Admissions, Iowa State University, 210 Alumni Hall, Ames, IA 50011, U.S.A. Campus Zip Codes:
Course names Capitalize official course titles. Do not use quotation marks. Lowercase when making a general reference to courses, unless the subject includes a proper noun or adjective.
Dates If the month-day-year style is used (preferred style), commas should be used (including after the year). If only the month and year are used, no commas are required.
Department names Cap when used as a formal name; lowercase for informal usage. For department names, go to www.iastate.edu/depts/.
Emeritus/emerita professor emeritus/professors emeriti (masculine)professor emerita/professors emeritae (feminine) professors emeriti (masculine and feminine group) Ethnic names Iowa State style omits hyphens for ethnic names whether used as a noun or adjective.
Events Capitalize full names of events such as Family Weekend, Student Orientation, and Homecoming. Extension and Outreach Use Iowa State University Extension and Outreach first time mentioned; second reference, ISU Extension and Outreach. Never Iowa State Extension and Outreach. Capitalize extension when it's used as part of the official name; lowercase otherwise. Faculty as a collective noun As a collective noun, it may take either a singular or plural verb form. Use a singular verb when referring to the group; a plural verb when referring to individual members. If using the noun throughout the publication, be consistent with form of verb.
Fellow/fellowships Cap when following a personal name, but lowercase when referred to generically as a fellowship.
Grade point average Do not hyphenate. If abbreviation is used, use GPA, all caps, no periods. Italics or quotation marks Italicize titles of films, books, plays, journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, long poems, paintings, drawings, statues and other works of art, and long musical compositions. Use quotation marks for articles, chapter titles, dissertations and theses, papers read at meetings, exhibitions, lectures, plays, short poems, songs, and television and radio shows. Fields of study/programs Do not capitalize majors, programs, or concentrations of study, except for proper nouns.
Iowa State Center The four-building complex includes C. Y. Stephens Auditorium, J. W. Fisher Theater, James H. Hilton Coliseum, and the Carl H. Scheman Continuing Education Building. The Brunnier Art Museum is housed in the Scheman Building. Iowa State University When writing about Iowa State, use Iowa State University first and follow with Iowa State. Avoid using ISU if at all possible, due to the potential confusion with Illinois State University, Idaho State University, and Indiana State University. Lowercase university when standing alone.
Initials with names Space between initials when listing names (John J. Jones, J. J. Jones; but FDR and LBJ without periods and spaces when abbreviating entire name). Jr., Sr., I, and II Use only with full name. Commas are no longer required around Jr. and Sr. If commas are used, however, they should be both before and after. Land-grant Hyphenate land grant when used as an adjective.
Nondiscrimination clause for use on publications Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612. Off-campus/on-campus Hyphenate when used as an adjective, but not as an adverb.
Office names Use official names of offices and departments.
Organization names Capitalize official names of organizations. Check the Iowa State Web site for official organization names. R&D Magazine Italic with cap M, no space around ampersand. Registered trademarks Registered trademarks must be capitalized or replaced with generic terms. The symbols TM and R in a circle are used with product names on packaging and promotional items, but are not required in text and should be omitted whenever possible. Some examples of brand names and their generic terms:
Room names and numbers Refer to rooms on campus in this format: 206 Ross Hall. Scholastic grades When referring to a grade, use a capital letter; don't use quotation marks around letter grades. Capital letters do not require an apostrophe in the plural (e.g., He got three As this semester). Session names Lowercase references to seasons and academic periods. (e.g., summer school, fall semester). Student classifications Lowercase freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior, but capitalize a class designation.
Titles Personal titles immediately preceding a name are capitalized; those following a name or set off by commas are not. The exception to this rule is a named title. (See also Academic Titles)
Theater, theatre Theater is preferred, unless theatre is part of the formal name (e.g., Iowa State University Theatre). University Museums University Museums includes Brunnier Art Museum, Farm House Museum, Christian Petersen Art Museum, Anderson Sculpture Garden, and the Art on Campus Program. University-wide It's university-wide, but statewide, campuswide, nationwide (-wide words are normally closed, but hyphenated after proper nouns and after most words of three or more syllables). URLs and e-mail addresses It is preferable to avoid breaks in URL and e-mail addresses. If it is necessary to break at the end of a line, no hyphen should be used. The break should be made between elements such as a colon, a slash, or the symbol @. Never break after a period, slash or hyphen. Do not underline Web or e-mail addresses in text. University Book Store, not University Bookstore. United States/U.S. The abbreviation U.S. is acceptable as an adjective, but spell out United States when used as a noun. Use of periods are preferred in the abbreviation, but US can also be used. U.S.News & World Report U.S. and News with no space between. Magazine titles should be set in italics. Web
website website is not capitalized, neither is webcam, webcast or webmaster Back to top
Abbreviations/AcronymsAbbreviations are read as a series of letters or made up of the first and last letters or shortened version of a word. Acronyms are read as a word, such as NATO or NAFTA. Avoid abbreviations in running text unless a very long name or term is repeated several times. Spell out at first occurrence with the abbreviation next to it in parentheses. Exceptions to spelling out in text are those abbreviations and acronyms that are well known by the general public (e.g., CBS, HMO) or those used in technical publications where the abbreviations are common to a specific field and audience. Acronyms of five or more letters often appear lowercase with frequent use, such as Nafta or Veishea. A and an, use of The use of a or an preceding an abbreviation or acronym is determined by the pronunciation of the first letter of the abbreviation or the pronunciation of the word formed by the acronym. a NATO member, an ACT test Academic degrees In general, do not use abbreviations for degrees after a person's name unless it is necessary to establish credentials. Do not include the word degree after a degree abbreviation. He has a B.A. in history. Don't use Dr. with the degree designation. Use Dr. John Jones or John Jones, Ph.D. Common practice is to use periods without spaces for abbreviations of degrees (B.A., M.S., Ph.D., M.Eng., M.B.A., LL.D. and LL.M.). The most recent edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, however, recommends omitting the periods unless required for consistency or tradition. Degree abbreviations are best used in listings, while spelling the degrees out is more readable in regular text. associate degree; baccalaureate degree, bachelor's degree and master's degree; doctoral degree, doctorate (don't follow doctorate with degree); bachelor of arts, master of science, doctor of philosophy. Set off degree names by commas when they follow personal names. Mary Jones, master of science in biology, is the coordinator of the program. Addresses Names of states and countries should be spelled out in text (especially if used alone); abbreviations may be used in lists, mailing addresses or where space is limited.
If using the old abbreviations (such as Ala. and Wash.) within text, there should be commas before and after. The three students from Omaha, Neb., roomed together. Abbreviations such as Ave., St., Blvd., Hwy., N., E., S., NW, SW are used on envelopes and labels, but rarely in nontechnical text. Single-letter compass point abbreviations are followed by a period; two-letter ones appear without. Spell out compass points that are part of the street name.
123 North Ames Street Ampersands Omit spacing around ampersands used in abbreviations.
Texas A&M Do not use an ampersand as an abbreviation for "and" in university unit, department, or program names. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Capitalization Capitalize abbreviations if words they represent are proper nouns or adjectives.
Brit. Capitalize those abbreviations formed from the initial letters of the words that make up what is abbreviated.
TM Most abbreviations that are pronounced as words are capitalized, though some have been recognized through usage as words in their own right and usually are lowercased.
Company names, agencies, and organizations Spell out company names in running text. Abbreviations such as Inc. and Ltd. can usually be omitted. Commas are not required around the abbreviations; but if used, commas must precede and follow the abbreviation. The names of many agencies and organizations such as AMA and FCC are commonly abbreviated in running text after being spelled out on first reference. Use full capitals without periods. Dates Spell out names of days and months in running text. Do not abbreviate the words day, week, month and year. Where space restrictions require abbreviations for days and months use the following:
In informal usages, the abbreviation of a year is often formed by replacing the first two digits with an apostrophe; decades by adding an s. Note that the apostrophe faces left, like a closing single quotation mark.
the class of '55 Designations of chronology such as AD and BC (full capitals, no periods) may be used in text and elsewhere. (Some prefer small caps with or without periods, which is acceptable as well.) Etc., et al., i.e., e.g. The abbreviation etc. stands for et cetera ("and other things"; not people). Do not use and etc. (et means "and"). Generally not used in formal text (phrases such as "and so forth" will do, it may be used in lists and within parentheses. Place a comma both before and after when used as the final item in a series and do not italicize. The abbreviation et al. stands for et alii ("and others," meaning people, not things). Used most often in bibliographies. When it follows a single item, no comma is needed; when it follows two or more, use commas as you would in a series. The abbreviation i.e. (id est) means "that is"; e.g. (exempli gratia) means "for example." Used most often in parentheses, place a comma after both. Iowa State University/ISU When writing about Iowa State, use Iowa State University first and follow with Iowa State. Avoid using ISU if at all possible, due to the potential confusion with Illinois State University, Idaho State University, and Indiana State University. Lowercase university when standing alone.
Iowa State University of Science and Technology is the official name of the university. Names and titles Place a space between initials when listing names (John J. Jones, J. J. Jones; but FDR and LBJ without periods and spaces when abbreviating entire name). Avoid dividing a name at the end of a line; however, if it can't be avoided, divide after the first name if only the first and last names are given, or after the initial(s). Jr., Sr., I, and II. Use with full name only. Commas are no longer required around Jr. and Sr. (consistent with treatment of I and II). If commas are used, however, they should be placed before and after. Civil or military titles. Abbreviate preceding a full name; with surname alone, spell out. (An exception is Senator; always spell out in formal text.) Social titles. Ms., Mrs., Dr., and Mr. are always abbreviated when preceding a name; when used alone, spell out. Omit when an academic or professional designation follows the name. Spell out titles used without names. Plural forms Form plurals of capital letter abbreviations by adding a small s (CDs ; DVDs). Form plural versions of single word abbreviations by adding an s before the period (figs.). Add an apostrophe and an s to abbreviations that are both capital and lowercase or that have two or more interior periods (Ph.D.'s). Punctuation Omit punctuation from abbreviations that are made up of initial letters. Periods are used with abbreviations that appear in lowercase.
The abbreviation etc. (et cetera) is preceded and followed by a comma, as is i.e. (id est, that is) and e.g. (exempli gratia, for example) when used within parentheses. Omit space around ampersands when used within an abbreviation.
Texas A&M When using the old state abbreviations in text (Ala., Calif., Nebr.) a comma should precede and follow the abbreviation. The roommate from Los Angeles, Calif., will graduate in December. Time Use a.m. and p.m. (preferred) or set in small caps without periods. Don't use the abbreviations a.m. and p.m. with morning, afternoon, evening, night, or o'clock. Use noon and midnight, not 12:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Place time zones in parentheses when needed. 2:30 a.m. (EST) Technology and science Abbreviations such as those used in the biological and physical sciences appear most frequently in tabular matter, notes, bibliographies, and references. Some easily recognizable ones such as CD or DVD may be used in nontechnical text as well. Units of measure abbreviations are the same whether singular or plural; however, the plurals of time designations are often formed by adding an s.
Names of chemical elements are normally lowercased when spelled out, but the abbreviations all have initial caps.
Co cobalt A genus name may be abbreviated with an initial letter after first reference is spelled out. Never capitalize species names. Italicize genus and species names of all animals, plants, and microorganisms.
Escherichia coli United States/U.S. U.S. is acceptable as an adjective, but use United States as a noun. Versus Versus is abbreviated as v. in legal contexts; vs. or spelled out versus in general use. The names of legal cases are italicized when mentioned in text.
Iowa State vs. Kansas Avoid
Gender issuesConsider gender issues when writing; use firefighter, police officer, mail or letter carrier, chair, spokesperson, and so forth. Recast sentences if possible or use he/she if necessary. Humanity is preferred to mankind, but manmade is acceptable (consider using manufactured, synthetic, or handmade). Back to topCapitalizationIowa State University follows the Chicago Manual of Style recommendation for using capitals sparingly. The use of too many capitals is distracting to the reader and takes away from the significance of those proper nouns, adjectives, and pronouns that clearly call for capitalization. Abbreviations Abbreviations of proper nouns and adjectives are capitalized just as the spelled-out forms would be. See also the section on Abbreviations/Acronyms.
Academic and administrative titles Capitalize titles when they precede names and are used as part of the names. Lowercase if they follow names or are used to further identify people. In lists such as those used in programs, titles are usually capitalized even when following names. Professor John D. Hancock If a title contains the full name of an academic or administrative unit, capitalize the unit name. John D. Hancock, professor in the Department of Psychology, ... For consistency in publications, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost has approved the following style for professors and instructors. professor of mechanical engineering (for full, associate, or assistant professor) The following style is for endowed chairs, named professorships, and distinguished professorships. Distinguished Professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor of zoology and genetics For named professorships, cap all nouns in the title, whether the title appears before or after the person's name. John A. James, the Albert C. Jones Professor of History Academic degrees Lowercase names of degrees, fellowships, and such when referred to generically. Abbreviations of academic degrees are always capitalized. a fellowship Academic Subjects Do not capitalize academic subjects unless they are proper nouns. She is majoring in astronomy. Associations and conferences Capitalize the full names of associations, societies, meetings, and conferences and some short forms. Generic forms derived from the name are usually lowercased when used alone. Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity; the conference Awards/Honors Capitalize the names of awards and prizes; lowercase words not actually a part of the name. National Merit scholarships Civic or academic honors are capitalized when following a personal name. John Doe, Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers Brand names and trademarks Registered trademarks and brand names are capitalized; however, it is better to use generic terms. photocopy for Xerox College/department names Capitalize the words college and department only when part of the official name; lowercase when used alone or with partial name. College of Engineering; engineering college; the college Computer terms Proper names of computer hardware, software, networks, and such are capitalized; lowercase generic terms. Consult a current dictionary for spelling. Adobe Photoshop Course names Capitalize official course titles. Do not use quotation marks. Lowercase when making a general reference to courses, unless the subject includes a proper noun or adjective. He wanted to sign up for Introduction to Psychology. Ethnic groups Names of ethnic and national groups are capitalized, as are the adjectives associated with these names. Designations based on color are not capitalized. Native Americans; the Native American art Iowa State style omits hyphens for ethnic names whether used as noun or adjective. African American, Asian American, Chinese American, Italian American Events Capitalize full names of events such as Family Weekend, Student Orientation, and Homecoming. Geographical references Full names of areas, regions, and places and the adjectives and nouns derived from them are capitalized.
Capitalize regional terms that are accepted as proper names, but lowercase adjectives and nouns derived from them. the Midwest, midwestern, a midwesterner Capitalize popular names of places. Do not use quotation marks. Certain terms considered political are lowercased.
Capitalize compass points when they refer to a geographical region or are part of a name, but lowercase when indicating simple direction or location.
Generic geographical terms such as mountains, rivers, oceans, and such are capitalized when part of the name or when preceding two or more names.
Capitalize names of streets, monuments, parks, landmarks, and buildings; lowercase the generic terms when used alone or after two or more names. MacKay and Carver halls; MacKay Hall; Carver Hall Governmental and political designations Full names and some short forms of legislative, administrative and judicial bodies, departments, bureaus, and offices are capitalized. Adjectives derived from them and generic names when used alone are usually lowercased. United States Senate; the Senate; senatorial Capitalize words such as state and city when the government rather than the place is meant. Parking on that side of the street is a City of Ames ordinance Names of national political groups, movements, and economic organizations are capitalized; lowercase generic terms when used alone. Democratic Party; Republican Party; the party; independents Capitalize names of government programs, acts, and treaties.
Historical and cultural terms The numerical designation of a period is lowercased unless it is part of a proper name.
A descriptive designation of a period is usually lowercased, except for proper names. When in doubt, check a dictionary or encyclopedia.
Names of some major historical events are capitalized. Others, more recent or with generic descriptions are lowercased. Consult a dictionary or encyclopedia.
Names of cultural movements or schools of thought are usually lowercased, except when derived from a proper noun.
Hyphenated Words Capitalize each part of a hyphenated word as you ordinarily would.
In titles and headings, capitalize words without regard for hyphens. Institutions and companies Capitalize the full names of institutions and companies and their departments. Lowercase the preceding a name in running text. Iowa State University; the university Lecture series, symposia Capitalize the formal names of these events. Individual lectures are capitalized and enclosed in quotations marks. He attended the Presidential University Lecture series last night and heard Gary Wells present "Do the Eyes Have It? The Mistaken Eyewitness." Legal cases Capitalize legal cases and set in italics when mentioned in text. Brown v. Board of Education Office names Use official names of offices and departments. Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, not Provost's Office. Capitalize official name only. Organization names Capitalize official names of organizations. Check the Iowa State Web site for official organization names. Agronomy Club Medical terms Names of diseases, procedures and such are lowercased, except for any proper names forming part of the term.
Names of generic drugs should be used whenever possible in place of brand names. Brand names should be capitalized; generic names are lowercased. Personal names/titles Personal names with de, la, van and such are capitalized or not depending on the styling of individual names. Always capitalize when beginning a sentence, however. Capitalize nicknames or epithets. When used in addition to a name, enclose in quotation marks within or after the name.
Lowercase kinship names unless they precede or are used in place of a personal name. Always lowercase when following a possessive pronoun. Jane's father and mother also graduated from Iowa State. Adjectives derived from personal names are normally capitalized. Darwin, Darwinisms Personal titles immediately preceding a name are capitalized; those following a name or set off by commas are not. The exception to this rule is a named title. Lists of speakers, donors, and such in programs or annual reports where titles are often capitalized even when following a personal name. See also Academic and administrative titles. The committee is chaired by Professor Mark Smith. Lowercase titles used as descriptions. former presidents Bush and Clinton Poetry The first word of a line of poetry is usually capitalized. However, in some modern poetry the line beginnings are lowercased. Always follow a poem's original capitalization. Scholastic grades When referring to a grade, use a capital letter; don't use quotation marks around letter grades. A capital letter does not require an apostrophe in the plural (e.g., He got three As this semester), unless it would confuse the reader (for instance, As could be confused with the word As if used at the beginning of the sentence.) Scientific terminology Names of planets, satellites, stars, planets, constellations, and other celestial bodies are capitalized. Earth is capitalized when used as a proper name of our planet and lowercased, as are sun and moon, when used in nontechnical contexts. The words moon and sun are always lowercased when used in the plural form. The earth circles the sun. Lowercase names of meteorological phenomena.
Lowercase chemical elements and compounds when written out.
Genus names of animals, plants, and microorganisms are capitalized; species names are lowercased. Both genus and species names are italicized.
In botany and zoology, Latin names of groups above genus (such as class and family) are capitalized, but not italicized; derivative nouns and adjectives are lowercased.
Proper names of scientific laws or theories are capitalized, but the common nouns such as law and theory are lowercased.
Session names Lowercase references to seasons and academic periods.
Student classifications Lowercase freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior, but capitalize a class designation. The Junior Class sponsored the event. Time periods and dates The names of days of the week, months of the year, holidays, and holy days are capitalized. Names of the seasons are lowercased.
Capitalize time zones when abbreviated; when written out, lowercase except for proper names.
Titles of works Titles of works are capitalized headline style (with lowercase for internal articles, conjunctions, and prepositions). This includes titles of books, pamphlets, periodicals, newspapers; shorter works such as stories, articles, poems; chapters and other parts of longer works; unpublished works; plays, films, radio and television programs; musical compositions; and works of art. (Sentence style capitalization is commonly used in reference lists and library catalogs.) The following titles of works should be italicized: books, long poems, magazines, newspapers, plays, movies, television and radio programs (a single episode in a series is set in roman type and enclosed in quotation marks), operas and long musical compositions, names of albums (individual songs are set in roman type and enclosed in quotation marks), works of art (paintings, drawings, cartoons, sculptures and such), and catalogs of exhibitions. When newspapers and periodicals are noted in running text, an initial the is lowercased and not italicized even if part of the official title. Do not italicize a periodical or newspaper name when it is part of the name of an award or building or such. The professor referred to an article in the New York Times. The parts of a book such as foreword, introduction, and index, and the words chapter, part, table, figure and such, are lowercased and spelled out when referred to in text. Enclose the following titles in quotation marks and set in roman type: short stories, short poems, essays, lectures, dissertations, chapters of books, articles in periodicals and newspapers, speeches, titles of individual songs, a single episode in a television series, and titles of photographs. The following titles are set in roman type without quotation marks: book series or editions (Modern Library edition); exhibitions and fairs; Web site titles; wording of short signs, notices, and mottoes (longer versions may be enclosed in quotation marks). Transportation Capitalize and italicize names of ships, airplanes, spacecraft and such; however, do not italicize USS and HMS.
Names/makes of automobiles, airplanes, and other vehicles are capitalized, but not italicized. Use the pronoun it rather than he or she in reference to ships, nations, and such. World Wide Web Web site Frequently misspelled words
Word usageA a (use the indefinite article a before any word beginning with a consonant sound: a utopian dream, a history, a historical, a master's degree) absorb (to take something in; occupy full attention, engross) access (a means of approach, entering, exiting, making use of) accept (to receive) adverse (unfavorable) advice (recommendation regarding a decision or course of action, an opinion) affect (verb used to show influence: Budget reductions will affect services.) afterward (at a later time, frequently thereafter; preferred to afterwards) aid (assistance) allusion (a hint, an indirect reference) all together (all acting together or all in one place) all ready (completely prepared: We were all ready to take the test.) alumnus (a man; use alumni as plural) among (preferred to amongst; relationship between more than two: The duties were divided among us.) anyone, anybody (indefinite reference: Anyone can register for classes.) assure (to inform positively, confidently remove doubt [reassure]) attorneys general (not attorney generals; also brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law [the first word is more important than the last]) awhile (I'll probably stay awhile.) B back up (to move into position behind, to accumulate in a congested space) backward (not backwards) bad (unfavorable, poor quality, failing to meet standards, spoiled, not fresh) barbecue (not barbeque, Bar-B-Q) because (cause-effect) biannual (semiannual, twice a year) bimonthly/biweekly (not bi-monthly/bi-weekly; means every other month/week) bloc (coalition of people, groups, countries with common goal and purpose) blond, brunet (noun for male, adjective for male and female) buses (vehicles) C can (refers to capability) Canada goose (not Canadian goose) canvas (heavy cloth) capital (seat of government; money, equipment, property [financial assets]) carat (weight of precious stones such as diamonds) censer (a container for burning incense) cite (to quote an authority, bring forward as proof; to commend or honor formally; summon) collaborate (to work together, cooperate) contrast (points out only differences; normally followed by with or between) complacent (self-satisfied) compliment (praise) compose (to create or put together, make up the whole) concept (a thought or idea) credible (believable) criterion (a single standard on which a judgment or decision is based, a characterizing mark or trait) D data (plural, factual information as measurements or statistics: These data have been published in our annual report.) desert (a dry, barren, desolate area) dialog (as in dialog box) differ from (unlike) disc-standard for farming, medical, optic applications discreet (showing prudence, self-restraint) disinterested (impartial) die, dieing (to cut, form, or stamp) dryer (preferred for appliance or drying device: washer and dryer, hair dryer) E e.g. (for example; follow with a comma) emigrate/emigrant (leaving a country) eminent (high in rank or reputation) envelop, enveloped (to enclose or enfold completely, to cover) every day (being each individual or part of a group without exception, being each in a series: She takes medication every day.) every one (each individual item) F farther (physical distance) faze (to embarrass or disturb) fewer (not as many) fiancé (man) flair (talent, knack) flammable/inflammable (capable of being set on fire; flammable is the preferred choice) flier (preferred for aviator or handbill; not flyer) flutist (preferred over flautist) forbear (to avoid or shun) forgo (to abstain from) forward (to promote, to help onward; also, an athlete or player at the front of the team, near the goal) foul (offensive, out of line) fractions (spell out in stories [two-thirds, three-fourths]; use figures for precise amounts or decimals) freshman/freshmen (freshman class not freshmen class; also consider using first-year students) G gage (a deposit as security, a pledge) gibe (to taunt or sneer) good (adjective-meaning better than average or OK; do not use as adverb) grisly (horrifying) H handicapped (avoid using to describe a disability) hang, hanged, hung (One hangs a picture, criminal, or oneself. For past tense/passive, use hanged when referring to executions/suicides and hung for other actions.) hangar (a building, usually for aircraft) hopefully (means in a hopeful manner but should not be used for it is hoped/we hoped) I ingenious (gifted, clever, resourceful) its (possessive pronoun) L lay, laid, laying (action word, takes direct object; indicates someone is placing something somewhere) lie, lay, lain (reclining; indicates somebody or something is situated somewhere) lie, lied, lying (untrue statement) led (a past tense of lead [to guide or direct]) leave (do not use in place of allow or permit) lose (be deprived of; fail to win) long-term (occurring over a long period of time; a long-term solution) M marshal, marshaled, marshalling (verb and noun; fire marshal) may be (verb: The project may be ongoing.) media (plural) molal (molecular concentration per 1000 g of solvent) N naval (navy) O onetime (occurring only once, former, sometime; a onetime track star) over (for spatial relationships: The eagle flew over the lake. P palate (roof of the mouth) part time (He worked part time.) pedal (as in riding a bicycle) people (when referring to a large or anonymous group) personal (of or pertaining to an individual person) photomicrograph (a photograph taken through a microscope) pique (to arouse anger, resentment, or interest) plead, pleaded, pleading (not pled [colloquial]) pore (to gaze intently or steadily: She pored over her cell phone bill.) premier (first in status or importance, government title) presently (in a while, soon, shortly; not now) pretense (false show, more overt act of concealment) principal (noun and adjective for someone or some main thing) prophecy (noun) prove, proved, proving (proven is only an adjective: It is a proven treatment.) pseudo (false or counterfeit) R raise (to cause or help to rise to a standing position, arouse, stir up, incite, grow, cultivate) ravage (destruct) rebut (argue) reign (the period of rule) reluctant (unwilling to act) resume (to continue) rifle (to plunder or steal) S self (both noun and adjective forms hyphenated, except where self is followed by a suffix or preceded by un: self-restraint, self-realization, self-sustaining, self-motivated, self-conscious, self-destructive; selfless, unselfconscious) shall (expresses determination) should (expresses an obligation) set (put or place, establish, or harden) stationary (to stand still) step (all step words are closed: stepchildren, grandstepdaughter, stepfather) straight-laced (strict, usually in behavior or moral views) suit (clothes, cards) T tenant (one who occupies property owned by another) then (at that time, next in order of succession, besides, by way of summing up) there (in that place, toward that place; that place or point) to (preposition, to mark an infinitive) U United States/U.S. (U.S. is an abbreviation and should be used as an adjective, otherwise spell out United States: I am a U.S. citizen. I am a citizen of the United States.) V vita (singular; a brief biographical sketch; curriculum vitae) W who (what or which person) who's (who is) worse (of more inferior quality, more unfavorable, difficult, unpleasant, or painful; comparative of bad or of ill) |
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Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-9624. Published by: Office of University Marketing. |
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