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The Review Stylebook
modified and updated by Kelly Durkin
Spring 2008
This comprehensive list compiles any style points, which are particular to The Review and may or may not appear in the Associated Press Stylebook. This should not be used in any way to replace or negate AP style; it should be used as a supplement to clear up any confusion and ensure accuracy and consistency in every page of The Review. Some entries were drawn from the 2004 AP Stylebook. Good luck and happy editing!
a cappella Literally "in the church style." An unaccompanied vocal music style. The a cappella groups on campus are the Deltones, the Y-Chromes, the D-#Sharps# and the Golden Blues.
abbreviations Do not use postal abbreviations for states. Do not abbreviate cities except in direct quotes: "We're going to L.A.," he said. When used before a name, abbreviate the following titles when used outside direct quotations: Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Mr., Mrs., Rep., the Rev., Sen. and certain military titles (see AP Stylebook). Do not abbreviate president. See courtesy titles; legislative titles; religious titles; states.
abortion Use anti-abortion instead of pro-life and abortion rights instead of pro-choice or pro-abortion.
academic degrees If mention of degrees is necessary to provide credentials, try to avoid an abbreviation: John Smith, who has a doctorate in psychology. Use an apostrophe in bachelor's degree, a master's, etc. If necessary to abbreviate, use the following forms: B.A., M.A., Ph.D., etc. Only use after a full name, never just a last name. Do not use a courtesy title if the abbreviation follows the name: Dr. Paul Rogers, Ph.D. is wrong.
accused A person is accused of, not with, a crime. To avoid any indication that the person is being judged before a trial, avoid phrases such as accused rapist John Gray. Instead, use John Gray, accused of raping.
acre Equal to 43,560 square feet. No abbreviation after number: He owns 14 acres of land, the 14-acre field.
acronyms In general, spell out on first reference and use the acronym on second reference. Do not put the acronym in parentheses after the name: Several organizations on campus, including the Black Student Union and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Student Union, held events on campus this week. The LGBSUheld a poetry reading in Memorial Hall Thursday evening. See abbreviations.
acting Always lowercase when referring to a person substituting for another person's position: Present at yesterday's conference was acting Secretary of State Linda Burns.
addresses Abbreviate St., Ave., Blvd. only when used with street address that includes a number. Do not abbreviate if number is not used: Mignoner arrived at his house on Haines Street. But: Bender lives at 127 Haines St. in Newark. Every other street address title is written out: 97 New London Road, 2306 Scholar Drive.
adopt, approve, enact, pass Amendments, ordinances, resolutions and rules are adopted or approved. Bills are passed; laws are enacted.
adverse, averse Adverse means unfavorable: He predicted adverse weather.Averse means reluctant, opposed: She is averse to change.
adviser Not advisor.
Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Co. Just Aetna on second reference.
affect, effect Affect, as a verb, means to influence or impact: He had no idea he would affect such a large amount of people. Effect, as a noun, means result: The show had a tremendous effect on its audience. afterward- not afterwards.
Afghanistan, Afghan, Afghani Afghans are the people of Afghanistan. Afghani is the name of the country's currency.
African-American - The preferred term is black. Use African-American only in quotations or the names of organizations or if individuals describe themselves so. See black.
ages Always use figures: He is 9 years old, the 9-year-old boy, the room was filled with hungry 9-year-olds. See numerals.
AIDS, HIV Acceptable in all references for acquired immune deficiency
syndrome. AIDS is an affliction in which a virus has weakened the body's immune system and cancer or serious infections have occurred. A person with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, which is the scientific name for the virus, can develop AIDS after serious symptoms have occurred.
aid, aide Aid is a noun meaning assistance. An aide is a person who serves as an assistant.
Album titles are always italicized. Phantom Power by the Tragically Hip; Song titles should be in quotes: “Out Of Egypt, Into The Great Laugh Of Mankind, And I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run,” by Sufjan Stevens
alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae An alumnus refers to a man who has attended a school; an alumna refers to a woman (alumnae when used in plural); alumni refers to more than one man or woman.
al-Qaida Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.
all right-Never alright. Hyphenate only if used colloquially as a compound modifier: Ryan is an all-right guy.
animals Do not apply a personal pronoun to an animal unless its sex has been established or if the name is given: The dog ran to its owner. Or: Princess is afraid of her own shadow.
annual- An event CANNOT be annual unless it is held for at least two
consecutive years.
apostrophe When using singular possessive case, apostrophe goes before the "s." For plural possessive case, apostrophe goes after "s." It affected the team's ability to perform. The Hens' leading scorer was out with a knee injury. Watch out for titles: Hens head coach Tubby Raymond, the Hens' head coach. See AP entry on apostrophes
arrested To avoid indication that a person is being judged before a trial, do not use the phrase arrested for. Instead, use arrested and charged with, or arrested in connection with.
Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Not the Ag school
Arts and Sciences, College of Always capped.
assassin, killer, murderer An assassin is a politically motivated killer. A killer is anyone who kills with a motive of any kind. A murderer is a person who is convicted of murder in a court of law.
atheist, agnostic An agnostic is a person who believes it is impossible to know whether there is a God. An atheist is a person who believes there is no God.
attorney general, attorneys general Never abbreviate. Capitalize only when used before a name: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
attribution Always put verb after name: Smith said, not said Smith. The only exception is if the person's title is long: "He is an excellent businessman," said John Bishop, assistant vice president for student life.
In most instances in news stories, said is preferred. In feature stories, use present tense (says) unless otherwise specified.
Bury attribution in longer quotes or quotes that have a natural break: "I always thought she would become successful," Smith said, "but I never expected her to become a celebrity." Or: "The fire broke out at around midnight," she said. "I was standing across the street when I saw the flames.
To avoid repetition, alternate last name with pronouns he or she.
Attribute leads unless they state common knowledge.
bachelor of arts, bachelor of science A bachelor's degree or a bachelor's is acceptable in all references. See academic degrees.
ballpark, ballplayer, ballgame, ballroom Always one word, no hyphen.
bands Refer to bands in singular form: Blink 182 released its (not their) third album in 2001. Also applies to any other group or organization when describing the group as a whole.
barbecue Not barbeque, Bar-B-Q or BBQ.
benefit, benefited, benefiting No extra "t" necessary.
beside, besides Without an s means at the side of, with an s means in addition to
bi- Generally, do not hyphenate: Bifocals, bimonthly, biweekly, bipartisan. Important: The Review is a semiweekly, not biweekly, newspaper. Check AP for exceptions
Bible Always capitalize when referring to the Scriptures in the Old or New Testament. Lowercase when used as a nonreligious term: The Review Stylebook is my bible. For standard names and order of books in the Bible, see the AP Stylebook.
bin Laden, Osama Leader of al-Qaida terrorist network, prime suspect in Sept. 11 attacks. Use bin Laden on second reference.
bioterrorism
Black Student Union Can be abbreviated as BSU on second reference. See Registered Student Organizations.
blond, blonde- Use blond as a noun for males and as an adjective for all applications: Agnes has blond hair. Use blonde as a noun for females: That blonde sitting on the bench is attractive.
Bob Carpenter Center
brackets Use only if necessary to clarify quote. Paraphrase if possible, especially in features:
"We have the biggest selection of pastas [in Newark]," Wilson said. Use instead: Wilson said his restaurant boasts Newark's largest variety of pastas.
brand-new Hyphenate only as an adjective: Jasper lost his brand-new ring two days after buying it.
buildings Always capitalize the name of university buildings. Do not
abbreviate.
burglary, larceny, robbery, theft The legal definition of burglary involves entering a building (not necessarily by breaking in) and remaining unlawfullywith the intention of committing a crime. Larceny refers to the wrongful taking of property. Robbery involves the use of violence or threat in committing larceny. Theft refers to a larceny that does not involve threat, violence or plundering.
Career Services Now known as the Bank of America Career Services Center.
Carpenter Sports Building Located on North College Avenue across from McDowell Hall. Do not use the CSB or "Little Bob" as a reference. Do not confuse with the Bob Carpenter Center, located on South College Avenue next to the stadium. Except headlines, do not use The Bob or BCC.
CDs- Acceptable term for compact discs.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Located in Atlanta, the centers are the U.S. Public Health Service's national agencies for control of infectious and other preventable diseases. CDC is acceptable on second references. Notice Centers, not Center.
cents Spell out and lowercase, using figures for amounts less than a dollar: 5 cents, 75 cents. Use the $ sign for amounts more than one dollar: $5.40, $1.99.
chairman, chairwoman Capitalize as a formal title before a name: company Chairman Henry Ford. Do not capitalize as a casual, temporary position: meeting chairwoman Joan Odell. Do not use chairperson unless specified by the source. See titles.
chief Capitalize as a formal title before a name: She spoke to Newark Police Chief Paul Tiernan yesterday. Chief Paul Tiernan of the Newark Police.See titles.
city council Capitalize when part of a proper name: The Newark City Council. Lowercase in other uses: The Newark and Wilmington city councils, a city council.
clean up (verb) cleanup (noun and adjective) Matt’s mother told him to clean up his room. The beach cleanup was a huge success.
co- Hyphenate when forming nouns, adjectives and verbs that indicate occupation or status: co-author, co-host, co-worker, co-star, etc. Do not hyphenate in other combinations: coed, coexistence, coordinate, cooperate, etc.
collective nouns Nouns that denote a unit take singular verbs and pronouns: class, committee, club, family, band, team. Do not use they. The club met yesterday to discuss its upcoming event, the jury reached its verdict, a herd of cattle was sold.
colleges Always capitalize with name of college: College of Business and Economics, College of Arts and Science. Lowercase departments and programs. See departments, programs entry.
commas The last object in a list is not preceded by a comma: Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks and Christy Turlington are supermodels. A comma is used before the last object only when clarification is needed: I ate shish kebabs, potatoes, and macaroni and cheese for dinner
Commencement Capitalize when referring to the graduation ceremony.
communication No s when referring to the major, but department of communications.
compose, comprise Compose means to create or put together: She composed the concert, the band is composed of five men and two women. Comprise means to contain, to include all or to embrace. Use only as an active verb followed by a direct object: The United States comprises 50 states, the band comprises five men and two women. Comprised of is never acceptable.
Congress Capitalize U.S. Congress and Congress when referring to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Also capitalize when referring to foreign congresses: the Brazilian Congress.
constitution Capitalize references to the U.S. Constitution, with or without U.S. in front of it: The lawyer was familiar with that part of the Constitution.
contractions Avoid excessive use, especially in news stories.
controversial issue Redundant. All issues are controversial.
counseling The Center for Counseling and Student Development is located on the second floor of the Perkins Student Center.
courses Do not capitalize course names in a general sense: general psychology, introductory chemistry. Get exact name to be specific, and put course number in parentheses after name: Reporter’s Practicum (ENGL 308)
courtesy titles Refer to both men and women by first and last name. Do not use Miss, Mrs., Mr. or Ms. except in direct quotations or when needed to distinguish people of same last name. If person's gender is not clear from first name or story's content, indicate gender by using he or she in subsequent references.
dash Use only when necessary to break up sentence: However, she did not have to look far - the dog found her first. On a PC, hit Ctrl + Alt + minus sign at far right-hand corner.
daylight-saving time Not savings. Note the hyphen.
decades Use apostrophe for two-digit form: '98, '77. For plurals, no apostrophe: the 1980s, the 1860s.
Delaware Diamond The baseball field behind Delaware Stadium.
DELCAT The university's library database. Always written in caps. departments Programs and departments within the university are not
capitalized unless they are proper nouns: department of foreign languages and literatures, department of English or English department, French professor Judi Celli. Colleges are capitalized. City, federal or other departments are capitalized: Delaware Department of Transportation. See colleges; programs.
Center for the Arts now known as the Louise and David Roselle Center for the Arts. Use Center for the Arts on second reference. defendant Use only if the person has been arrested and charged with a crime.
dependent, independent
digits See double-digit rule.
dimensions Use figures and spell out inches, feet, yards, etc. The man was 5 feet 10 inches tall. They must be no longer than 6 feet by 7 feet. The storm left 4 inches of snow. See AP Stylebook.
Dining Services The university's food service organization. Always
capitalized.
directions and regions - In general lowercase north, south, east and west when referring to direction. Capitalize these words when referring to a specific region or area. Ex: Stormy weather is expected today in the Midwest. Pete loved the weather in Southeast Asia.
discreet, discrete Discreet means prudent or circumspect. The noun form is discretion. "She told me to be discreet after delivering the bad news." Discrete means detached or separate.
doctor Abbreviate Dr. only if the person is a medical doctor: Dr. Joseph Siebold, director of Student Health Services. See courtesy titles.
dorm Never used. Always use residence hall.
Double-digit rule Any number less than 10 should be spelled out. If a number starts a sentence, it is spelled out. Make sure larger numbers are accurate and consistent.
Du Pont Hall, Amy E. du Pont Music Building, Lammot du Pont Laboratory. Checkspellings carefully. The Wilmington-based company is always DuPont. The family and the hotel are du Pont.
ellipsis Three periods that represent the omission of a word or phrase within a direct quote: "I haven't seen him … in several years." Place a single space on either side of the ellipsis.
e-mail Always hyphenated. Do not italicize e-mail addresses. Not email. Or Email.
entitled Not needed when referring to books, movies, etc. Use titled instead. The book, titled "I Am America (And So Can You!)," is a national bestseller. But, the clerk said she was entitled to a raise after six months.
ethnic groups If used as an adjective and two words, use a hyphen: the Latin-American community. If used as a noun, do not hyphenate.
expletives Only when absolutely necessary.
every day (adv.) everyday (adj.) - She goes to work every day. He wears everyday shoes.
Facebook.com or Facebook
Faculty Senate The university faculty's governmental body. Capitalize
official names of committees within the Faculty Senate.
fall See seasons.
Fall Semester See grading periods.
female, male Use only as adjectives
fiancé, fiancée One "e" refers to an engaged man. Two refers to a woman.
FLEX account is the official name of the UD#1 Card account. Do not confuse with points.
flier, flyer Use flier when referring to both a person who flies and a posted advertisement. Flyer is only used as a proper name, The Philadelphia Flyers.
fraternities See Greek organizations.
freshman, freshmen A freshman is singular, freshmen is plural. The freshman class at Towson University includes a number of Katie’s friends. A group of freshmen stole an elderly woman’s wheelchair yesterday.
gender specifications Use spokeswoman or spokesman, not spokesperson, unless requested by the source. going green no quotation marks
GPA Acceptable in all references.
grading periods Always capitalized: the Fall Semester, Winter Session, the first Summer Session. When referring to university semesters, Fall Semester and Spring Semester are acceptable. Not the same as the seasons fall and spring. See seasons.
Greek organizations Spelled out and capitalized. Use sorority or fraternity to specify gender: Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority. Predominantly black fraternities should be referred to as historically black fraternities. The university's Greek organizations are listed as follows.
Sororities:
Panhellenic: Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Epsilon Phi Alpha Phi Alpha Sigma Alpha Alpha Xi Delta Chi Omega Delta Gamma Kappa Alpha Theta Sigma Kappa NPHC: Alpha Kappa Alpha Delta Sigma Theta Zeta Phi Beta Multicultural/Special Interest Sigma Alpha Lambda Pi Chi Lambda Theta Alpha Chi Upsilon Sigma
Fraternities:
IFC: Alpha Epsilon Pi Alpha Gamma Rho Kappa Delta Rho Kappa Sigma Lambda Chi Alpha Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) Phi Sigma Kappa Pi Kappa Phi Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Mu Sigma Chi Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Pi Tau Epsilon Phi Theta Chi NPHC: Alpha Phi Alpha Kappa Alpha Psi Phi Beta Sigma Multicultural: Lambda Sigma Upsilon Lambda Theta Phi
Other (Honor societies, academic, etc.) Alpha Lambda Delta Beta Beta Beta Chi Epsilon Eta Kappa Nu Eta Sigma Delta Kappa Delta Pi Lambda Pi Eta Mu Iota Sigma Omega Chi Epsilon Order of Omega Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Honor Fraternity Phi Alpha Theta Phi Sigma Pi National Co-ed Honor Fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Psi Chi Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Pi Sigma Phi Delta Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society Tau Beta Pi Upsilon Pi Epsilon
Good Use sparingly
Green, the Capitalize the grassy field between classroom buildings that stretch from Brown to Laurel halls. (Formerly known as the Mall). The ‘the’ is lowercase
Grotto Pizza Grotto’s on second reference
Hanukkah Official AP spelling of the Jewish holiday, it occurs around early to mid-December or late November.
Harrington Beach The grassy courtyard in the middle of East Campus (surrounded by Gilbert, Harrington and Russell residence halls) with volleyball and basketball courts. The Beach is acceptable on second reference.
headlines Avoid passive voice in headlines. Do not abbreviate states with AP abbreviations; use postal abbreviations (PA, DE not Del. or Pa.) Avoid man or woman; use driver or mother, etc.
health care Two words.
holidays Capitalize all holidays: New Year's Day, Groundhog Day, etc. the new year
Homecoming Weekend Acceptable when referring specifically to the university's
homecoming. Homecoming is acceptable on second reference.
impostor Not imposter.
Interfraternity Council The governing body for campus fraternities. IFC is
acceptable on second references. See Registered Student Organizations.
Internet Always capitalized. For more information and related terms, see the
AP Stylebook.
in, into In indicates location: He was in the bathroom. Into indicates
motion: He walked into the bathroom.
incorporated Usually not necessary, but if needed as part of a corporate name,
abbreviate and capitalize as Inc.
italics Generally not used, except in subheds and rarely in Mosaic to
emphasize quotes in columns or features.
it's, its It's is a contraction for it is or it has: From the way it's going,
we might never get home. It's been a long day. Its is a possessive pronoun:
The storm was at its worst this morning.
Jehovah's Witnesses is the official name of the religious denomination.
judge Capitalized before name when it is the formal title of the person who
presides over a court of law: Judge Mills Lane. Do not pile up long court
names before name of judge: Use Judge Joseph Reilly of New Castle County
Common Pleas Court, not New Castle County Common Pleas Court Judge Joseph
Reilly.
junior, senior Abbreviated as Jr. and Sr. only with person's full name: John
Smith Jr., Edward Jones Sr.
larceny See burglary, larceny, robbery, theft
last Avoid the use of last as a synonym for latest if it might imply finality.
Newark has had five fires in the past year (not last). Do not use last with
days of the week. The disaster occurred last Tuesday.
last names Use last name on second reference. Never use Mr., Dr., etc. If
the same last name occurs more than once in a story, use the person's full
name on all references.
legislative titles Use Rep., Reps., Sen. and Sens. as formal titles before one
or more names in regular text. Within a direct quote, spell out these titles.
Add U.S. before title only if necessary to distinguish what the person
represents: State Sen. Harry Mitchell spoke with U.S. Sen. Chris Parker
yesterday.
It is not mandatory to provide a legislative title in first reference if it is
made clearer in subsequent references: Barry Goldwater endorsed President Ford
today. The Arizona senator believes.
President George W. Bush
Gov. Ruth Ann Minner
Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., D-Del.
Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del.
Rep. Michael N. Castle, R-Del.
State senators, state representatives, and city council members need DISTRICT
NUMBERS
Ex: Sen. Liane M. Sorenson, R-6th District, City Councilmen Karl Karbacher,
3rd District
let up (v) letup (n. and adj.)
lyrics Put song lyrics in quotation marks and italics. Separate lines with
slashes: "A long, long time ago / I can still remember how that music used to
make me smile / And I knew." Put single space on either side of each slash. Many Use with caution According to Merriam-Webster, meaning a large but indefinite number. Don’t write that many people did something if a large group of people didn’t do it. Ex. “Many people committed copycat suicide after Kurt Cobain’s death.” No, actually, they didn’t.
media The media is a force to be reckoned with, but: Vincent van Gogh’s medium was oil paint.
millions, billions - Use figures with million or billion in all except casual
uses: I'd like to make a billion dollars.
miles per hour - The abbreviation mpg is acceptable on second reference.
months Abbreviate when used with a date but write out when used alone: The bar
will close its doors Oct. 5 and reopen the following September. They will
have to wait until December 2003. Months to abbreviate: Jan., Feb., Aug.,
Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. All other months are written out in all cases.
Morris Library Acceptable in all references for the Hugh M. Morris Library.
MySpace.com or MySpace
names If no preferred title or name is specified, use source's full name
including middle initial.
National Organization for Women NOW can be used on second reference.
National Pan-Hellenic Council The national governing body for historically
black Greek organizations. NPHC is acceptable on second reference. Do not
confuse with Panhellenic Council. See Registered Student Organizations.
naval, navel Naval is the navy. Navel is the belly button or the orange.
Newark Acceptable in all references. Avoid city of Newark. The city is
acceptable if reference is clear.
NHPC Acceptable on second reference for the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
See Registered Student Organizations.
not only should be followed with also or as well. Not only was he late, he was
also completely unprepared.
numerals Write out one, two, up to nine, unless used with "million" or
measurements such as meters and yards, or "years old." Use figures for 10 and
up. Write out any number if it appears in the beginning of a sentence. Spell
out first through ninth when they indicate sequence in time or location:
First base, the First Amendment, he was first in line. Starting with 10th use
figures. Use 1st, 2nd, and 3rd when the sequence has been assigned in forming
names. Such examples are geographic, military and political. Ex: 1st Ward,
7th Fleet and 1st Sgt. Refer to AP Stylebook for other rules regarding
numerals.
off, of should never be used subsequently. The ball bounced off the goalpost,
not off of.
offices Capitalize university offices: Office of Admissions, Office of Public
Relations. If clear, the office is acceptable on second reference.
OK, OK'd, OKs Do not use okay. "The request was OK'd by city officials at the
meeting," he said. "He did OK," he said.
Olympics Capitalize all references to the international athletic contests: the
Olympics, the Winter Olympics, the Olympic games.
on-campus Hyphenate only if used as an adjective: The university provides
convenient on-campus housing for freshmen. But: Students who do not live on
campus are not provided with a meal plan.
online Always one word.
organizations In general, capitalize all administrative, student and academic
organizations at the university, including centers, services, laboratories,
institutes, etc.: The Center for Community Development and Family Policy, the
Institute of Energy Conversion, Student Health Services. See Registered
Student Organizations.
Panhellenic Council Capitalize the governing body for campus sororities. Do
not abbreviate. If clear, the council is appropriate on second reference. Do
not confuse with the National Pan-Hellenic Council, which is the governing
body for historically black Greek organizations.
PATRIOT Act -Always refer to it in all caps.
parentheses Do not use to replace words within a quote. See brackets.
Parents Day Always capitalized.
per Use instead of a in phrases such as twice per week and $10,000 per year.
Perkins Student Center Capitalize the home of The Review, the University
Bookstore and The Scrounge. Do not shorten. See buildings.
pill Do not capitalize in reference to the birth control pill. Use birth
control pill on first reference if not clear.
plagiarism
points Do not capitalize when referring to the UD#1 Card credit dollars. Do
not confuse with FLEX.
police Treated as a title: University Police, Newark Police, New Castle County
Police, Delaware State Police, etc. See Public Safety.
political classifications Comply with AP standards: Sen. Thomas R. Carper,
D-Del., is appearing in Wilmington today.
popular titles Place titles of all books, movies, plays, television shows and
any other popular art or media forms in quotation marks: He said he thinks
"Castaway" is deserving of an Oscar.
postseason, preseason No hyphen.
president President George W. Bush on first reference, President Bush on
second reference and Bush on subsequent references. Also the president, not
capitalized. University President Patrick Harker on first reference, Harker
on second reference.
principal, principle A principal is the head of a school, or an adjective
meaning "important." A principle is a fundamental truth, law or documenting
force.
professor Do not abbreviate Prof. Capitalize if used before a name without
designation of department: Speaking at the lecture will be Professor Dennis
Jackson of the English Department. If used with department, or after the
name, do not capitalize: English professor Dennis Jackson. Dennis Jackson,
professor of English. See titles.
programs In general, do not capitalize university academic programs and
majors: women's studies, criminal justice. The exception is, of course, proper
names, including all languages: English, Russian. But do capitalize the
following: the University Honors Program, the Science and Engineering Scholars
Program, the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, the Dean's Scholars
Program, the Medical Scholars Program, the Arts and Humanities Scholars
Program, or any other scholars programs the university provides. See
colleges; departments.
Public Safety Not the same as University Police. No definite article. See
police.
RA Acceptable on second references for resident assistant. See resident
assistant.
race Only note when relevant, as in police reports or missing person stories.
Use white and black. African-American (v.) and African American (n.)
acceptable in direct quotes only. Do not use a racial description as a noun,
only an adjective. See ethnic groups.
really, very, very much, so much Avoid unless in a direct quote. She said she
is really looking forward to beating Towson.
Registered Student Organizations Abbreviate RSO on second reference. Do not
attach abbreviation at the end of the full name of the organization in any
case. Here are some popular on-campus RSOs to look out for:
Asian Student Association: Can be abbreviated ASA on second
reference.
Baha'i Club
Ballroom Dance Club
Black Student Union: Can be abbreviated BSU on second
reference.
Business Student Association
Campus Animal Rights Educators: CARE on second reference.
Chabad House, or Chabad Center for Jewish Life (director Rabbi
Eliezer Sneiderman)
Chinese Students and Scholars Association: CSSA on second
reference.
Circle K
Civil Liberties Union: CLU on second reference.
Clowns for Medicine
College Democrats
College Green Party: Can be referred to as the College Greens
on second reference.
College Republicans
Commuter and Off Campus Organization: COCO on second
reference.
Cultural Programming Advisory Board: CPAB on second reference.
D-#Sharps#: watch style here!
Dark Arts Performing Dance Company: Dark Arts on second
reference.
Delaware Consumer Interest Council
Delaware Organization of Undergraduate Geographers: DOUG on
second reference.
Delaware Undergraduate Student Congress: DUSC on second
reference.
Deltones
E-52 Student Theatre
Education Graduate Association: EGA on second reference.
Field Hockey Club
Figure Skating Club
Golden Blues
Golden Key National Honor Society: Golden Key on second
reference.
Graduate Student Senate
Habitat for Humanity
Harrington Theatre Arts Company: H-TAC on second reference.
Hillel
Hispanic Organization of Latin Americans: HOLA on second
reference.
Indian Students Association: ISA on second reference
Interfraternity Council
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
Japanese Student Association: JSA on second reference.
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Student Union: LGBSU on second reference.
Men's Crew Club (also lacrosse, rowing, rugby, ultimate disc
and volleyball, all same format)
Muslim Student Association
NAACP Newark Collegiate Chapter
National Pan-Hellenic Council
Outing Club
Panhellenic Council
Pre-Law Student Association
Presbyterian Campus Ministry
Resident Student Association: RSA on second reference.
Public Relations Student Society of America - PRSSA on second
reference
Review, The
Secular Student Alliance(SSA)
Society of Automotive Engineers
Spectrum Players, The
Student Advisory Council for Big Brothers Big Sisters
Student Center Programs Advisory Board: SCPAB on second
reference.
Student Labor Action Committee: SLAC on second reference.
Students Acting for Gender Equality: SAGE on second reference.
Students Creating Exciting New Events: SCENE on second
reference.
Students for the Environment: S4E on second reference.
Turkish Student Association
University Mentors
Vision
Women's Lacrosse Club (also rugby, soccer, ultimate disc, all
same format)
Word of Life Campus Ministry
WVUD
Y-Chromes
Yoga Club
Young Americans for Freedom
Rehoboth Beach
residence hall Not a dorm. Capitalize hall when referring to specific
residence halls. Russell Dining Hall, Smyth Hall.
Residence Life Always spelled out, except in headlines
resident assistant Do not capitalize. RA is acceptable on second reference.
Rev. - When this description is used before an individual's name, precede it
with the word "the" because, unlike the case with Mr. and Mrs., the
abbreviation Rev. does not stand for a noun.
Review, The The university's student-run, independent newspaper. Do not
italicize. Do not capitalize the when The Review is used as an adjective: The
party honored the Review staff and its accomplishments. But: Craig Sherman is
a sports editor for The Review. See Registered Student Organizations.
robbery See burglary, larceny, robbery, theft entry.
Rosh Hashana The Jewish New Year. Occurs in September or October.
Route not Rt. or Rte. Always spelled out and capped when used with route
numbers. "The accident occurred on the corner of Routes 4 and 273.
runner-up, runners-up Always hyphenated.
Rush Capitalize the official sorority and fraternity recruiting event.
Lowercase as a verb.
said, says Follow the Yoda rule: said or says follows the subject unless the
source has a long title. ".," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the
Death Penalty Information Center. For when says is appropriate, see tense.
Saint Thomas More Oratory
seasons Lowercase spring, summer, fall, winter in all references except Summer
Session, Fall Semester, etc. When used with years, no "of" needed.
Construction will be completed in fall 2003. See grading periods.
semiweekly Means twice per week. Do not confuse with biweekly.
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Use Sept. 11 on second reference,
9/11 only in direct quotes
serial commas See commas.
SCPAB Acceptable on second reference to the Student Center Programs Advisory
Board. See Registered Student Organizations.
sororities See Greek organizations.
sports facilities See Carpenter Sports Building, Bob Carpenter Center.
sports teams Do not capitalize the names of sports: the volleyball team,
Delaware football.
spring See seasons.
Spring Semester See grading periods.
states Following a city or town in datelines or text, abbreviate as such:
Alabama: Ala. Maryland: Md.
North Dakota: N.D.
Arizona: Ariz. Massachusetts: Mass.
Oklahoma: Okla.
Arkansas: Ark. Michigan: Mich.
Oregon: Ore.
California: Calif. Minnesota: Minn.
Pennsylvania: Pa.
Colorado: Colo. Mississippi: Miss.
Rhode Island: R.I.
Connecticut: Conn. Missouri: Mo.
South Carolina: S.C.
Delaware: Del. Montana: Mont.
South Dakota: S.D.
Florida: Fla. Nebraska: Neb.
Tennessee: Tenn.
Georgia: Ga. Nevada: Nev.
Vermont: Vt.
Illinois: Ill. New Hampshire: N.H.
Virginia: Va.
Indiana: Ind. New Jersey: N.J.
Washington: Wash.
Kansas: Kan. New Mexico: N.M.
West Virginia: W. Va.
Kentucky: Ky. New York: N.Y.
Wisconsin: Wis.
Louisiana: La. North Carolina: N.C.
Wyoming: Wyo.
Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah are not abbreviated.
Do not use postal abbreviations except in headlines.
When writing a city with a state, ex:
The store was located in Elkton, Md., and offers numerous price bargains.
Do NOT attach the state for a town in Delaware.
She is from Newark.
He is from Newark, N.J.
street names If the street is a number, always use figures: He lives on the
corner of 4th and Oak streets. See addresses.
student centers See Perkins Student Center, Trabant University Center.
student classification Always denote school year: Junior Mike Jones said his
bicycle was stolen when he left it unlocked in front of his house. Or, "My
bike was stolen after I left it unlocked in front of my house," junior Mike
Jones said. Student Government Association Formerly the Delaware Undergraduate Student Congress. Abbreviate SGA on second reference See Registered Student Organizations.
student identification card Acceptable in all references for UD#1 Card.
Student ID card is acceptable on second references.
summer See seasons.
Summer Session Always capped. Indicate first or second session, but do not
capitalize first or second. See grading periods.
suspect Watch for this in police reports. Never say "an unknown suspect broke
into." Use person instead.
teaching assistant abbreviate as TA on second reference
teenager
tense The general rule is that news stories are always past tense, and Mosaic
features, reviews and scene pieces take present tense.
that Avoid when paraphrasing, unless the phrase is incomplete without it. Ross
said his band has been rehearsing for months needs no "that." Cases where
"that" is necessary: Ross said that although his band has been rehearsing. Or:
Lee said that if anyone had ever broken Johnson's record before.
Also, do not use "that" to replace "who." The seniors who will be present to
accept the award are.
theater, theater groups Do not use British spelling unless part of a proper
name. Campus theater groups are Black Student Theatre, E-52 Student Theatre
and The Harrington Theatre Arts Company. BST, E-52 and H-TAC acceptable on
second reference.
theft See burglary, larceny, robbery, theft entry.
their, they're, there Their is a possessive pronoun: It belonged to their dog.
They’re is a contraction for they are: They're arriving at the ballpark at
noon. There is an adverb: He went there for dinner. There is no indication of
a break-in.
When referring to a band, company, business, group, fraternity, sorority or any other single group acting in the same manner use
its, not their.
Example: Wrong: The company has tried to accommodate all their merchants.
Right: The company has tried to accommodate all its
merchants.
See stylebook entry on collective nouns
time Use figures except noon and midnight: 1 p.m., 11 a.m. Avoid redundancies
such as 9 a.m. this morning or 3 p.m. this afternoon.
titles Capitalize precise official titles only when used before the name: Dean
of Students Timothy F. Brooks retired in Spring 2001. Or, Betty Paulanka, dean
of the College of Health and Nursing Sciences, said the shortage of nurses is
cyclical. University President Patrick Harker or without University if
clear. President George W. Bush, not just President Bush. Follow these
standards: dean of, director of, head of, but vice president for. But: Ben Yagoda, professor of journalism, said.
Capitalize named professorships: a H. Rodney Sharp Professor.
Use Dr. only if it is a medical doctor: Dr. Joseph Siebold. Never use
courtesy titles (Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Miss).
Never capitalize common or occupational titles: library assistant Nancy
Cosetti, Dining Services assistant manager Jeanette Rengers. See courtesy
titles; legislative titles; popular titles; abbreviations.
Trabant University Center Capitalize the neon temple on South College Avenue.
Trabant is acceptable on second reference.
today If the event is to be held the day the paper comes out, remember to use
today, not the day of the week.
too, to, two Too means also or as well. He, too, will be successful, I was
there with him, too. To is a preposition: He went to the store. Two is the
number after one.
toward, towards Always use toward. Bikes will parade toward the Harrington
Beach on Oct. 12.
troops A troop is a group of soldiers. One troop is not one soldier; it is a single group of soldiers. Troops are numerous groups of soldiers.
UD Only use in headlines. Always refer to the University of Delaware as the
university, unless other universities are mentioned. See university.
UD#1 Card Capitalize the students' personal identification card, but student
identification card is also acceptable.
UDPhone Acceptable in all references for the university's telephone
information service.
university use the university, but do not capitalize, in all references for
the University of Delaware, except when other universities are mentioned. Use
official names of other schools on first reference: Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University before Virginia Tech. Use Delaware when
referring to a university team but only in sports contexts: Delaware softball,
etc.
In general, do not capitalize common offices and organizations at other
educational institutions: The Honors Program offers tutoring programs for
students at the university. But: The University of Maryland's honors program
stinks.
United States, U.S. United States is a noun and when referring to the country itself it is never abbreviated. Ex. The United States does not torture its prisoners. U.S. is an adjective and must modify something. Alberto Gonzales, the former U.S attorney general, is a very short man
University Honors Program Capitalize the university's honors organization.
Acceptable on second reference: the Honors Program, the UHP.
Do not capitalize individual degrees and awards within the Honors Program: the
advanced honors certificate, the honors degree, a degree with distinction.
versus Abbreviated v. when referring to court cases. Roe v. Wade.
War in Iraq Ongoing conflict beginning in March 2003 that deposed Saddam Hussein. Not to be confused with the Gulf War in 1990-91 after Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait
Washington, D.C. It is written like any other city and state combination
Web Acceptable in secondary references for the World Wide Web.
Web site Acceptable in any reference to a World Wide Web site. Web is up;
site is down.
whether Avoid using or not; it is implied. He is not sure whether he will
attend the meeting.
winter See seasons.
Winter Session See grading periods.
World Wide Web Capitalize when referring to the Internet graphic hypertext
transfer network. Do not use WWW. See e-mail; Internet.
yearlong
yesterday Do not use when referring to specific days unless in direct quotes.
Use day of the week if it happened the day before the issue comes out. "We had
a pretty good time yesterday," he said.
YoUDee the university mascot-- a big, androgynous chicken: YouDee was seen in
the bleachers posing for photos with its fans.
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