UNF Style Guide
Published by the University of North Florida
Department of Marketing and Publications
Last revised August 2009
Introduction
University communications should reflect the University's mission to provide a quality education through the use of good grammar and a consistent writing style. This style guide - as well as UNF's Visual Identity Standards - is intended to help colleges and departments communicate more effectively and in a consistent manner with members of the community, potential and current students, and parents. A well-received publication, be it printed or electronic, reflects well on the University as a whole, so even those producing interdepartmental newsletters are encouraged to use the publication and visual identity style guides. The UNF Style Guide is a supplement to The Associated Press Stylebook and addresses frequently asked questions and campus-specific style, such as building names.
Those with specific questions not covered in the UNF Style Guide are encouraged to contact the Department of Marketing and Publications at (904) 620-2125.
Academic degrees
Florida Board of Governors
Grade point average
Months
States
UNF Board of Trustees
Academic departments and offices
Alumni Association
Annual Fund
Board of Trustees
Campus buildings/facilities
Campus building/facility names
Classes and courses
Coed, Co-op
Committees
Courtesy and professional titles
E-mail
Homecoming
Honors
Majors, programs
President's Office
Race
Regional designations
Seasons
State, federal
Student classifications
Time of day
UNF Foundation
University of North Florida
World Wide Web
Days, months, years
Decades, centuries
First through ninth, etc.
Money
Numbers
Percentages
Telephone numbers
General guidelines
Plural possessives
Pluralizing compound words
Preferred plurals
Proper nouns
Cities and States
Day and date
Introductory phrases
Jr., Sr., III
Parentheses
Punctuation with quotations
Semicolons and Colons
Series
Spacing
Web sites
Books
Magazines
Newspapers
Articles
A, an
Accreditation
Acronyms
Alumni
And
Between, among
Ensure, insure
Entitled, titled
Issues regarding disabilities
More, over
On campus, on-campus
Part-time, part-time, full-time, full time
Photo usage, captions
Sexist Language
Student classification
Spelling and hyphenation
Toward, towards
Academic degreesBefore throwing in a lot of academic degree abbreviations, consider the publication and its target audience. Will the target audience understand what the abbreviations mean? Are the abbreviations needed to get the message across? If mentioning degrees is necessary to establish someone's credentials, the preferred form is to avoid an abbreviation and instead use a phrase (John Jones, who has a doctorate in psychology).
Use such abbreviations as B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. only when the need to identify many individuals by degree on first reference would make the preferred form cumbersome. Use these abbreviations only after a full name - never after just a last name. When used after a name, set the academic abbreviation off by commas (Daniel Jones, Ph.D., spoke...) Do not precede a name with a courtesy title for an academic degree and follow it with the abbreviation for the degree in the same reference.
Wrong: Dr. Pam Jones, Ph.D.
Right: Dr. Pam Jones, a chemist
Use an apostrophe in a "bachelor's degree," a "master's degree," but there is no possessive in "Bachelor of Arts" or "Master of Science."
Some (but not all) of the degrees awarded by UNF or commonly found among its faculty include:
B.A. -- Bachelor of Arts
B.S. -- Bachelor of Science
B.S.H. -- Bachelor of Science in Health
B.F.A. -- Bachelor of Fine Arts
B.B.A. -- Bachelor of Business Administration
B.A.E. -- Bachelor of Arts in Education
B.S.N. -- Bachelor of Science in Nursing
D.B.A. -- Doctor of Business Administration
Ed.D. -- Doctor of Education
M. Acc. -- Master of Accountancy
M.A. -- Master of Arts
M.Ed. -- Master of Education
M.H.R.M. -- Master of Human Resource Management
M.S. -- Master of Science
M.S.M.S -- Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences
M.S.H. -- Master of Science in Health
M.P.A. -- Master of Public Administration
M.P.T. -- Master of Physical Therapy
M.B.A. -- Master of Business Administration (Because of the frequency of use, it can be used without periods in text.)
Ph.D. (no space after periods) -- Doctor of Philosophy
Right: John Smith has a Ph.D. in astronomy.
Right: John Smith has a doctorate in astronomy.
Right: John Smith has a doctoral degree in astronomy.
Wrong: John Smith has a doctorate degree in astronomy
Wrong: John Smith has a Ph.D. degree in astronomy.
NOTE: The word "baccalaureate" means "bachelor's degree." Therefore, use of "degree" is redundant.
Wrong: Jones received a baccalaureate degree from UNF.
Florida Board of GovernorsUse "Florida Board of Governors" on first reference. BOG can be used on second and subsequent references. The BOG was created by constitutional amendment in 2002 and met for the first time in January 2003. It coordinates the state system.
Grade point average
Do not hyphenate. Do not use periods in abbreviation and use all caps: GPA.
Months
Abbreviate certain months if the date is included. Abbreviated months are Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out March, April, May, June and July.
Right: Jan. 6 is John's birthday.
Wrong: January 6 is John's birthday.
Do not abbreviate months when used alone or with a year only. Do not use a comma between the month and year.
Wrong: I traveled to England in Jan.
Right: I traveled to England in January.
Wrong: I traveled to England in January, 1992.
Right: I traveled to England in January 1992.
When using a complete date, put a comma after the year, unless it ends the sentence.
Right: He was born Jan. 1, 2001, in Jacksonville.
Wrong: He was born Jan. 1, 2001 in Jacksonville.
States
Spell out the names of states when they stand alone. Abbreviate according to the style presented below when a state is listed with a city. Spell out Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. Do not use postal codes for abbreviations. No state abbreviation is needed for Florida cities unless confusion would result. (Hollywood, Fla).
In addition, no state abbreviation is necessary for such well-known cities as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, New York City, and San Francisco.
Ala. Md. Okla.
Ariz. Mass. Ore.
Ark. Mich. Pa.
Calif. Minn. R.I.
Colo. Miss. S.C.
Conn. Mo. S.D.
Del. Mont. Tenn.
Fla. Neb. Utah
Ga. Nev. Vt.
Ill. N.H. Va.
Ind. N.J. Wash.
Kan. N.M. W.Va.
Ky. N.Y. Wis.
La. N.D. Wyo.
Right: The sophomore came from Colorado.
Right: The sophomore came from Boulder, Colo.
Wrong: The sophomore came from Boulder, CO.
But, when listing the state in a mailing address, use the U.S. Post Office's abbreviation. (Florida's is FL.)
Right: For more information, write UNF at: 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville FL 32224
Wrong: For more information, write UNF at: 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, Fla. 32224
Wrong: For more information, write UNF at: 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32224
UNF Board of Trustees
Spell out "University of North Florida Board of Trustees" on first reference. "Board of Trustees" or "BOT" is acceptable on second and subsequent references. The "UNF" is not necessary on subsequent references or if it appears in intra-campus publications.
Academic departments and offices
Capitalize the name of the department and the words "department," "office," etc., such as "Department of Natural Sciences," "Office of Research and Sponsored Programs" and "Small Business Development Center." When not used as a proper name, the words "department" and "office", etc. should not be capitalized.
Right: The University consists of five academic colleges.
Right: The Office of Human Resources
Right: The department boasts the most professors with doctorates.
Right: The History Department is in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Alumni Association
The formal title is "University of North Florida Alumni Association" on first reference. It can be referred to as the "Alumni Association" on second reference.
Annual Fund
Capitalize all references to the UNF Annual Fund. "Annual Fund" is acceptable on second reference but not "The Fund."
Board of Trustees
Capitalize "Board of Trustees" and "Trustee" as a title on first reference when referring to the UNF Board of Trustees; lowercase second and subsequent references. (Note: Members of the UNF Foundation Board are referred to as board members, not trustees.)
Right: The UNF Board of Trustees met in February.
Right: Last year, Trustee James Jones participated in the commencement ceremony.
Right: James Jones is a member of the UNF Board of Trustees.
Right: James Jones, a member of the UNF Board of Trustees, presented the award.
Campus buildings/facilities
Use the entire official name of campus facilities on first reference within a section. On second and subsequent references within the same section, shorten the name. A list of campus facilities is presented below. Do not use building, hall, center, etc., interchangeably.
NOTE: Identify campus facilities by name, rather than by building number. Identification of campus facilities by numbers is used on the UNF marquee and on signs where space is limited. It is allowable to use the building number in parentheses or following a comma.
Right: The meeting is at 1 p.m. in J.J. Daniel Hall (Building 1).
Right: The meeting is at 1 p.m. in J.J. Daniel Hall, Building 1.
Wrong: The meeting is in Building 1.
Wrong: The meeting is in Building 10 (Honors Hall).
Campus building/facility names
Building 1 -- J.J. Daniel Hall (formal name for official documents); Daniel Hall (informal name for publications)
Building 2 -- Founders Hall
Building 3 -- Building Three
Building 4 -- Biology
Building 5 -- Physical Facilities Building
Building 6 -- Building Services
Building 8 -- Arts and Sciences Building (first and second reference)
Building 9 -- Frederick H. Schultz Hall (first reference); Schultz Hall (second reference)
Building 10 -- Honors Hall
Building 12 -- Thomas G. Carpenter Library (first reference); Carpenter Library or UNF Library (second reference)
Building 14 -- Andrew A. Robinson Jr. Student Life Center (formal reference); Robinson Center (informal reference)
Building 14A -- Andrew A. Robinson Jr. Theatre (NOTE: Although the theater is technically part of the Robinson Center, it can be referred to as the Robinson Theatre. Only use the "theatre" spelling when it is the proper name of the theater.)
Building 15 -- John E. Mathews Jr. Computer and Information Sciences Building (formal reference); Mathews Building (informal reference)
Building 25 -- Dorothy S. "Dottie" Dorion Fitness Center (formal reference); Dorion Fitness Center (informal reference)
Building 26 -- Aquatic Center
Building 27 -- Harmon Baseball Stadium
Building 28 -- Batting/pitching facility
Building 31 -- Softball Complex
Building 34 -- UNF Arena (first reference); the Arena (second reference)
Building 37 -- Tennis Clubhouse
Building 38 -- Arena Parking Garage
Building 39 -- J. Brooks Brown Hall (first reference); Brown Hall (second reference)
Building 39A -- J. Brooks Brown Hall Brown Hall Addition
Building 40 -- Osprey Nest (Baseball)
Building 41 -- Martin P. Garris Police Building (first reference) Garris Building, University Police Department or UPD (second reference)
Building 42 -- Coggin College of Business
Building 43 -- University Center
Building 44 -- Fine Arts Center Parking Garage
Building 45 -- Fine Arts Center (The theater is the Lazzara Performance Hall)
Building 45 -- Ceramics Lab
Building 45D -- Photo Lab
Building 46 -- Hodges Stadium (track/soccer)
Building 47 -- Information Booth (Alumni Drive)
Building 48 -- Hayt Golf Learning Center
Building 49 -- Child Development Research Center (formal) Child Development Center (informal)
Building 50 -- Science and Engineering Building
Building 51 -- Social Sciences Building
Building 52 -- Parking Services
Building 53 -- UNF Hall
Building 54 -- J.M. Golden Environmental Education Pavilion (formal) Golden Pavilion (informal)
Building 55 -- Osprey Fountains
Building 57 -- College of Education and Human Services
Building 58 -- Student Union
Building 60 -- Alumni Hall
Building 96 -- Nature Trail Pavilion
Building 100 -- Information Booth
NOTE: Student residences on campus include Osprey Crossings, Osprey Fountains, Osprey Hall, Osprey Landing and Osprey Village. Student residences should never be referred to as "dorms" or "dormitories."
Classes and courses
Use lowercase when referring to courses and classes. In general, uppercase when referring to the specific name of a class or if the class name includes a proper noun or numeral. There should be no quotation marks around course names.
Right: As a freshman, John enrolled in a psychology course and a history course.
Right: As a freshman, John enrolled in Psychology II and U.S. History to 1877.
Wrong: This is the first year UNF offered "Discover the U.S. on the Rails."
Right: This is the first year UNF offered Discover the U.S. on the Rails.
Coed, Co-op
Do not hyphenate "coeducational" but hyphenate "cooperative" in its abbreviated form. Use "Co-op" for a shortened reference to the Cooperative Education Program. Do not use coed to refer to a person.
Right: Osprey Hall is a coed residence hall.
Right: She participated in the University of North Florida's Co-op Education Program.
Committees
Capitalize names of specific committees and lowercase committee on second references.
Right: The Student Appeals Committee met Thursday.
Right: The appeals committee met Thursday.
Courtesy and professional titles
Refer to both men and women by first and last names. Do not use the courtesy titles Mr., Miss, Ms. or Mrs. except in direct quotations or where needed to distinguish among people of the same last name. Reserve courtesy titles primarily for addresses and letter salutations.
Courtesy titles also may be used when preferred in formal documents. Second and subsequent references generally use last names only.
"Vice president" has no hyphen. Titles, such as CPA, CEO and CIO should be written in full caps without periods. Position titles such as "dean," "director" or "professor" should be capitalized only when immediately preceding a name. Lowercase a title after a name or when the title does not immediately precede the name. The title "Dr." may be used when the person holds an earned doctoral degree, either a Ph.D., Ed.D., D.B.A., M.D., etc. A juris doctorate (J.D.) is not considered a doctoral degree.
Wrong: Mr. Jones, Ph.D.
Wrong: Dr. John Thomas, Ph.D.
Right: Kevin Jones, Ph.D.
Right: Dean Mary Smith of the College of Arts and Sciences
Right: Dr. Mary Smith, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Right: Dr. Thomas Johnson
Right: Thomas Johnson, Ph.D., spoke at commencement.
Right: Dr. Joseph Jones, vice president for student affairs
Right: Vice President for Student Affairs Joseph Jones
Right: Thomas Smith, CPA
Right: Elizabeth Green, superintendent of schools
Right: Duval County Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Green
NOTE: The preferred style is to use "Dr." only on first reference. In photo cutlines, the preferred style is to include first and last names only, omitting courtesy and professional titles.
E-mail
Lowercase the "e" in "e-mail" unless it is the first word of a sentence or part of a title that uses uppercase letters. Note the use of a hyphen.
Homecoming
UNF's official celebration is capitalized, as is “Homecoming Dinner.”
Honors
Lowercase and italicize cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude.
Majors, programs
Do not capitalize majors, programs, specializations or concentrations of study when they are not part of a designated degree. The exception is a language, i.e., English, French, Spanish, etc.
Right: He received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
Right: His major was criminal justice.
Right: His program was criminal justice.
Right: Her program was French.
NOTE: UNF's academic terms "program" and "major" are interchangeable.
President's Office
Capitalize when referring to UNF's President's Office.
Race
Capitalize names of races (Caucasian, Hispanic), but do not capitalize black and white when used to refer to races. Black is the preferred term unless someone has a preference for African-American.
Regional designations
Use capitals when referring to North Florida or Northeast Florida as a region. Use lowercase when referring to northern Florida in geography.
Right: UNF lies in the heart of Northeast Florida.
Right: Summer theater entertains northern Florida and its neighbors.
Seasons
Lowercase spring, summer, fall and winter, as well as all derived words, such as springtime. Capitalize only when part of a formal name.
Right: fall semester, fall term
Right: Spring Musicfest
Right: Winter Olympics
Right: We had a dry summer.
Right: Fall Commencement Ceremony
Right: UNF opened in fall 1972.
State, federal
Lowercase "state" in all references. Use capital letters for "state" or "federal" as part of corporate or governmental bodies that use the word as part of their formal names. Lowercase "federal" when used as an adjective to distinguish something from a state, county, city, town or private entity. Except in legal documents, the term "state of Florida" is inappropriate; use Florida.
Wrong: The State of Florida is a peninsula.
Right: our state universities
Right: the federal loan program
Right: our state grants
Right: Federal Emergency Management Agency
Student classifications
Do not capitalize "freshman," "sophomore," "junior" or "senior." But do capitalize the words when used as class designations. The plural use of "freshman" is "freshmen."
Wrong: The freshmen class attended the lecture.
Right: The Senior Class sponsored the lecture.
Right: He is a senior marketing major.
Right: Three freshman students attended Springfest.
Right: Three freshmen attended Springfest.
Time of day
Lowercase "a.m." and "p.m." Use "midnight" in lieu of 12 a.m. and "noon" in lieu of 12 p.m. Times on the hour should be presented without ":00." However, times between the hours should be presented with the minute connotation. Do not use "o'clock" unless it is for a more formal occasion, such as an invitation.
Right: The appointment is scheduled for noon.
Wrong: The appointment is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Wrong: The appointment is scheduled for 12 noon.
Right: The appointment is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Right: The appointment is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Wrong: The appointment is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
Wrong: The presentation is scheduled for 8 o'clock in the evening.
Wrong: The presentation is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the evening.
Right: The event runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Right: The event runs from 8 to 11 a.m.
UNF Foundation
Use the precise title, "the University of North Florida Foundation Inc.," on first reference within a section. It can be referred to as the "UNF Foundation" on second reference. When referring to its board, capitalize "board" when used with the proper name but lowercase it when it stands alone.
NOTE: In publications, place no comma between "Foundation" and "Inc." and abbreviate Incorporated to "Inc." This rule applies to all corporations using "Inc."
Right: I am a member of the University of North Florida Foundation Inc.
Right: I am on the UNF Foundation Board. The board helps to raise money for the University.
Wrong: Members of the UNF Foundation Board, Inc. attended the event.
University of North Florida
Capitalize formal institutional names in all references. "UNF" is the preferred designation when referring to the University of North Florida on second and subsequent references within a section. However, if an interchangeable word or an alternative to "UNF" on second and subsequent references within a section is necessary, "University" is acceptable. Capitalize "University" when referring specifically to the University of North Florida. Lowercase "university" when referring to other institutions. Some institutions of higher education use "The" in official designations. UNF is not obligated to honor the style guidelines of other institutions. UNF style is to use a lowercase "the" in all references.
Right: UNF opened its doors to students in 1972.
Right: The University of North Florida is one of 11 public institutions of higher education in Florida. The University has five colleges.
Wrong: John will attend The University of West Florida.
Right: John will attend the University of West Florida.
Right: Sarah is a junior at the University of North Florida.
Wrong: John's University is in New Mexico.
World Wide Web
Three words, no hyphens and always uppercase first letters. On second reference, use "Web."
NOTE: "Home page" is two words and should not be capitalized. "Internet" is capitalized.
Right: Visit the center's Web page at http://www.unf.edu/dept/cdrc.
Right: UNF's new home page is www.unf.edu.
Days, months, yearsDo not use the word "on" with dates when its absence would not lead to confusion. Also, do not use the phrase "held on." When referring to a sequence of times, use the word "to" instead of a hyphen. When referring to a sequence of dates, either a hyphen or the word "to" may be used. Whenever it does not cause confusion, drop the year in dates.
Wrong: The program will end on December 15, 2010.
Right: The program will end Dec. 15, 2010.
Right: The program will end in December 2010. (No comma if the month is followed by the current year.)
Right: The program will end in December.
Wrong: Apply here May 7 to 9, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Right: Apply here May 7-9, from 8 to 10 a.m.
Right: Apply here 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 7-9.
Wrong: The workshop will be held on Monday, Aug. 8.
Right: The workshop will be Monday, Aug. 8.
Decades, centuries
Use an "s" without an apostrophe to indicate spans of decades or centuries. Use an apostrophe for class years when shortening the graduation year.
Right: UNF was founded in the 1960s.
Right: She belonged to the Class of '78.
Right: She grew up in the '70s.
First through ninth, etc.
Spell out numerical designations first through ninth; use numerals with appropriate letter suffixes for 10th and above. Do not use "st," "the," etc., with dates.
Right: the first semester, the second vice president
Right: the 10th sample, our 50th anniversary
Wrong: Submit applications by Oct. 14th.
Right: Submit applications by Oct. 14.
Money
Use the dollar sign and numbers. Do not use a decimal and two zeros.
Wrong: $15.00
Right: $15
Right: $15.25
For dollar amounts beyond thousands, use the dollar sign, number and appropriate word.
Wrong: The grant was $14,000,000.
Right: The grant was $14 million.
Wrong: The budget was $82,600,000.
Right: The budget was $82.6 million.
For amounts less than $1, use a numeral with "cents."
Right: Savings amount to 3 cents an hour.
Numbers
Generally, spell out whole numbers one through nine; use figures for 10 and above. Figures are used for such things as dimensions, percentages, ages, distances and computer storage capacities. Also use figures when dealing with millions (i.e. $4 million; 7 million people). Spell out grade levels below 10. Check the AP Stylebook for exceptions. Spell out numbers when used at the beginning of sentences.
Right: nine secretaries
Right: 16 buildings
Right: 4 inches
Right: He teaches ninth grade but will teach 10th grade next year.
Right: She has a daughter, Susan, 2.
Right: Twenty students registered for the class.
Right: 8 megabytes, a 128-megabyte memory
Right: He had 4 cents in his pocket.
NOTE: Numerical increments should be typed as 2-1/2, 7-3/4. Fractions below 1 should be spelled out: one-half, two-thirds.
Percentages
In tables, write percentages with the numeral and "%" symbol. Otherwise, use percent (one word). Spell out "percent" except in scientific, technical and statistical copy. Percentages should always be numerals unless at the start of a sentence, even if the number is a single-digit number (one through nine).
Right: Seventy percent responded favorably.
Right: More than 90 percent of the class earned A's, and only 2 percent failed.
Telephone numbers
If a publication is strictly for use on campus, omit the area code and exchange prefix, using only the extension. Do not capitalize "ext." If including more than one extension, use "or" between the extension numbers.
Right: ext. 2140
Right: ext. 2140 or 2141
If the publication will be sent off campus, include the area code in parentheses with a space between the parentheses and exchange.
Right: (904) 620-2140
Right: (904) 620-2140 or 2141
General guidelines
Follow these guidelines in forming and using plural words:
For most words, add an “s” to pluralize. This includes figures and years.
Right: thank-you-ma'ams
Right: the early 1920s
Right: several YMCAs
Right: CPAs, CODs and IOUs
Right: in twos and threes
Right: size 7s
Right: Temperatures will be in the low 20s.
Right: She knows her ABCs.
Right: I gave him five IOUs.
There are a few exceptions, including the plural forms of single letters. Form plurals of the following by adding an “s."
Right: M.A.'s and Ph.D.'s
Right: S's, A's and I's
Right: x's and y's
Right: Mind your p’s and q’s.
In general, add an “es” to pluralize words ending in “ch,” “s,” “sh,” “ss,” “x” and “z."
Right: churches
Right: lenses
Right: parishes
Right: buzzes
(Monarchs is an exception)
Words ending in “y”: If a “y” is preceded by a consonant or “qu,” change the “y” to an “i” and add “es.” Otherwise, just add an “s.”
Right: armies
Right: cities
Right: navies
Right: soliloquies
Right: donkeys
Right: monkeys
Words ending in “o”: If the “O” is preceded by a consonant, most plurals require “es.” One exception to this rule includes “pianos.”
Right: buffaloes
Right: dominoes
Right: echoes
Right: potatoes
Wrong: pianoes
Plural possessives
For words ending in "s" that are not proper nouns, use only the apostrophe if the following word begins in "s."
Right: Class' syllabus
Right: Class's work
Wrong: Class's syllabus
Pluralizing compound words
To pluralize compound words that are written solid, add an “s” at the end. For those that involve separate words or words linked by a hyphen, make the most significant word plural.
Right: cupfuls
Right: handfuls
Right: tablespoonfuls
Right: attorneys general
Right: daughters-in-law
Right: presidents-elect
Right: sergeants major
Right: assistant attorneys general
Wrong: mother-in-laws
Preferred plurals
Right vs. Wrong:
memoranda -- memorandums
symposia -- symposiums
colloquia -- colloquiums
millennia -- millenniums
data -- datums
media -- mediums
criteria -- criterions
people -- persons
vitae -- vitas
Proper nouns
Add an “es” to most names ending in “es,” “s” or “z.”
Right: Charleses
Right: Joneses
Right: Williamses
Right: Gonzalezes
Add an “s” to most proper names ending in “y,” even if preceded by a consonant. Exceptions include “Alleghenies” and “Rockies.”
Right: the Duffys
Right: the Kennedys
Right: the two Kansas Citys
For others, just add an “s.”
Right: the Carters
Right: the McCoys
Wrong: the Smith’s
Here's a sampling of proper nouns on campus:
Brooks College of Health
Coggin College of Business
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Education and Human Services
College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
Fine Arts Center
University Green, the Green
Lazzara Performance Hall
Cities and states
Use a comma after the city and after the state or country.
Right: Alexandria, Va., is my hometown.
Right: The conference is in Brussels, Belgium, next year.
Day and date
Use commas to separate the year from the day and after the year. Do not use suffixes with dates.
Right: July 1, 1960, is our anniversary.
Right: We were married July 1, 1960.
Wrong: We were married July 1st, 1060.
Wrong: We were married in June 1960, in Florida.
Right: We were married in June 1960 in Florida.
Introductory phrases
Short introductory phrases such as "Last year" and "In 1989" do not always require commas. When in doubt, leave it out.
Right: Last year 400 freshmen were admitted to UNF.
Wrong: Last year, the campus was much smaller.
Jr., Sr., III
The designations “Jr.,” “Sr.” and “III” should not be preceded or followed by commas.
Right: John Jones Jr. went to the party.
Wrong: John Jones, Jr., went to the party
Right: John Jones III went to the party.
Wrong: John Jones, III went to the party.
Parentheses
Place the period inside the parentheses when the matter enclosed is an independent sentence forming no part of the preceding sentence. Otherwise, place it outside.
Right: The office is in Founders Hall, Building 2 (on the first floor).
Punctuation with quotations
Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks. Exclamation points and question marks go inside the quotation marks when they are part of the quoted matter; otherwise, they go outside.
Right: Gomer Pyle said, "Golly, Sergeant!" when he heard the news.
Right: What did Martin Luther King Jr. mean when he said, "I have a dream"?
In running quotations, closing quotation marks should be omitted at the end of paragraphs, but each new paragraph should begin with open quotation marks.
Semicolons and colons
Semicolons and colons should be placed outside quotation marks or parentheses. When quoting material ending with one of these punctuation marks, the colon or semicolon is dropped.
Right: Joseph Jackson said the plan needed "a few minor adjustments"; however, he did not reject it entirely.
Series
Do not use a comma before the last item in a series unless it is needed for clarity.
Right: Researchers study animal, vegetable and mineral substances.
Right: They will visit the theater, river, and baseball and football venues.
Spacing
Only one space is needed between sentences. Be consistent with spacing.
Web sites
If a Web site address is included in text and cannot fit on one line, manually break the address after a punctuation mark or between actual words in the address and continue on the next line of text. Make sure that a hyphen is not placed where the address breaks.
Right: The office often makes use of the advice listed at www.bestadvice/office/practices.htm.
Wrong: the office often makes use of the advice listed at wwwbestadvice- /office/practices.htm.
NOTE: A period is still needed after a Web site address to close the sentence. If "www" is part of the address, the "http://" does not need to be included. If "www" is not part of the address, include the http://.
Right: www.washingtonpost.com
Right: http://mysitehere.com
Wrong: http://www.washingtonpost.com
Books
Use quotation marks around the titles of all such works except the Bible and books that are primarily catalogs of reference material. In addition to catalogs, this category also includes almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, gazetteers, handbooks, and similar publications. Do not use quotation marks around such software titles as WordPerfect or Windows.
Right: He has the latest copy of Webster's New World Dictionary.
Right: She reads the Bible each evening.
Right: “Gone with the Wind”
Right: Encycolopaedia Britannica
Wrong: Every year I purchase a new copy of "The Farmer's Almanac."
Wrong: “Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language”
Magazines
In the case of magazine names, do not use quotation marks and do not italicize. Uppercase the name of the magazine but lowercase "magazine" unless it is a part of the publication's formal title.
Right: Rebecca enjoys Harper's Magazine more than Time magazine.
Wrong: "Jacksonville Magazine" featured an article about President John Delaney.
Newspapers
Capitalize "the" in a newspaper or magazine's name if that is the way the publication prefers to be known. Lowercase "the" before newspaper names when several papers are mentioned, some of which use "the" as part of the name and some of which do not.
Right: The story appeared in the New York Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Florida Times- Union.
Right: He reads The Wall Street Journal every morning.
Where location is needed but is not part of the official name, use parentheses.
Right: The Huntsville (Ala.) Times
Wrong: The Huntsville, Ala. Times
Articles
Include quotation marks around titles of articles and features in periodicals and newspapers, chapter titles, and part titles, titles of short stories, essays and individual selections in books.
Right: Dr. Rebecca A. Marcon published "Reply to Lonigan" in the Spring 2003 issue of Early Childhood Research and Practice.
Right: Dr. Mary Baron published "Let Your Poem Breathe" in the March 2001 issue of The Writer.
A, an
Use "a" before words that start with a consonant other than an unsounded "h"; use "a" before words that start with a vowel if the vowel sound is "yew" or "yur" as in European or university. "An" goes before words that start with the vowels “a, e, i, o” and “u” and also before words that start with unsounded "h," as in "hourglass and honor."
Accreditation
An institution must be accurate in reporting to the public its status and relationship with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In catalogs, brochures and advertisements, a member institution describes its relationship with the commission only according with the following statement: “The University of North Florida is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's and doctorate degrees.” The use of the logo or seal of the Southern Association in any publication or document is prohibited.
Acronyms
Acronyms can save space in publications, but if the reader doesn't understand the acronym, the message is lost. In general, use the full name on first reference and the acronym on second reference unless the acronym is well known beyond the campus (for example, GPA or CEO).
Alumni
UNF publications may use "alums" and "alumni" to refer to its graduates, whether male or female. The Latin forms are "alumna" - feminine singular; "alumnae" - feminine plural; "alumnus" - masculine singular; and "alumni"- masculine plural, or to describe a group consisting of both genders.
Identify past and current students by their class years with an apostrophe before the year. Some publications may prefer to use the degree earned, for example, M.Ed. '82. Set off the class year, or degree and class year by parentheses.
Right: Sam Smith ('79) is an opera star.
Right: Sam Smith, (B.F.A. '79), is an opera star.
If a person has more than one degree, place a comma or forward slash (/) between the degrees/class years.
Right: John Jones ('78, '82) is an accountant.
Right: John Jones (B.B. '78, M.B.A. '82) is an accountant.
Right: John Jones ('78/'82) is an accountant.
Use degree abbreviations only when the intended audience is likely to understand what they mean.
And
As a rule, spell out "and." Do not use the ampersand (&) except in company names as specified (Johnson & Johnson). One exception to this rule is when use of "and" may require additional lines in tight typeset copy. In such cases, the ampersand may be used.
Right: He graduated from UNF’s College of Education and Human Services.
Between, among
Use between to show relationship between two objects. Use among when more than two objects are involved.
Ensure, insure
"Insure" means to establish a contract for insurance of some type; "ensure" means to guarantee.
Entitled, titled
"Entitled" means one has the right to something, as in, "She is entitled to the inheritance." The word should not be used to refer to things such as the title of a book or piece of art.
Right: The article is titled "Think Before You Speak."
Wrong: Osprey Productions presented a movie entitled "The Day After Tomorrow."
Right: He is entitled to know the truth about his mother.
Issues regarding disabilities
When dealing with issues regarding disabilities, care should be taken not to define a person by his/her disability or to treat the person as a victim. Don't use phrases such as "afflicted with," "confined to a wheelchair," "disabled student," and "victim of." "Disabled" is preferred to "handicapped." When referring to a person with a disability, put the person first and the disability second.
Wrong: The disabled student will participate in the project.
Right: The student, who is disabled, will participate in the project so a wheelchair-accessible room is requested.
More, over
"More" denotes amounts. "Over" denotes position or spatial relationships.
Wrong: Over 100 people were in attendance.
Right: More than 100 people were in attendance.
Right: The plane flew over the campus.
On campus, on-campus
Use "on-campus" as an adjective, when modifying another word. Use "on campus" to show location.
Right: John lives in on-campus housing.
Right: John lives on campus.
Wrong: The building was the first to be built on-campus.
Part-time, part-time, full-time, full time
"Part-time" and "full-time" are hyphenated when used as an adjective, when modifying another word. It's "full time" and "part time" when used as nouns.
Right: She has a full-time job.
Right: She works part time.
Right: Raising children is a full-time career.
Wrong: Full time employment is hard to find.
Photo usage, captions
Captions/cutlines generally should be written in the present tense. If a photo is used where the people are identifiable, a model release form is needed unless the photo was taken at a public news event and is to be used in a news publication. Model releases are needed for photos used for promotional purposes in publications or on the Web. When more than one person needs to be identified in a caption, make clear who each individual is.
Right: Joe Smith (from left), Jane Williams and Bob Jones attend the ceremony.
Right: Jane Smith, sitting, and Sarah Jackson enjoy the food.
Right: Jane Smith (sitting) and Sarah Jackson enjoy the food.
Right: Joel Clarke (second from left) is among more than 20 Belizean students earning degrees at UNF.
Sexist language
Sexist language should be avoided. Avoid words and usage that reinforce sexist stereotypes (i.e. fireman, mailman). Do not use "he" as an all-inclusive pronoun. "He" or "she" can be used but other solutions are preferable. Possible solutions include changing the subject to plural or changing the singular third-person reference (he/she) to second person (you) or alternating between "he" and "she" in the copy.
Student classification
Use "freshman" when referring to an individual or when the word is used as an adjective, to modify another word. "Freshmen" is plural for freshman.
Right: The freshman (one person) went on a picnic.
Right: The freshman class went on a picnic.
Right: The freshmen (more than one person) went on a picnic.
Spelling and hyphenation
Following are some examples of preferred UNF style:
- adviser, not advisor
- aesthetics, not esthetics
- archaeology, not archeology
- audiovisual, not audio-visual
- Bachelor of Science in Health is the degree; Department of Health Science is the organization
- bilingual, not bi-lingual
- campuswide, not campus-wide
- catalog, not catalogue
- chairman, chairwoman (the position is "chair"; use "chairperson" when it is the formal title)
- coeducational, not co-educational (co-ed is acceptable except when used to refer to a person, but not preferred)
- cooperative, not co-operative (co-op is acceptable, but not preferred)
- coordinate, not co-ordinate
- course work, not coursework
- day care, not daycare or day-care
- e-mail, not email (E-mail at the start of a sentence)
- extracurricular, not extra-curricular
- fund-raiser, not fundraiser (noun)
- fund raising, not fundraising (noun and verb)
- fund-raising, not fundraising (adjective)
- fundraising is always is incorrect
- health care is always two words (or hyphenated when used as an adjective to modify another word)
- ID, not id or I.D.
- intercollegiate, not inter-collegiate
* multipurpose, not multi-purpose
- newly renovated (never hyphenate a word when preceded by an "ly" word)
- nonprofit or not-for-profit, not non-profit
- off-season
- online, not on-line
- paraprofessional, not para-professional
- percent, not per cent
- playoffs
- preschool, not pre-school
- TV, not tv or T.V.
- universitywide, not university-wide
- weeklong, not week-long
- year-end
- yearlong, not year-long
- year-round, not year round or yearround
Toward, towards
One takes action toward something, not towards it.
Right: He’s working toward his degree in nursing.
Wrong: She’s building up hours towards her accounting degree.
