Wheaton's Style Guide
Wheaton Publication Stylebook
This editorial style manual was created by Wheaton College to help the writers and editors of the Office of Communications maintain in-house consistency in our print and electronic publications. Based on the Associated Press Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style, it addresses particular usage and style issues that relate to our offices and Wheaton College in general.
We invite the entire Wheaton community to use this valuable resource for grammar, punctuation and style. For help with editorial issues not addressed here or in dictionaries, please refer to the Associated Press Stylebook, the Chicago Manual of Style, or the Office of Communications.
This guide features detailed information on how to approach capitalization, abbreviations, punctuation, figures (numbers) and titles. Other special instructions are included, as are official names of campus buildings and offices.
I. Capitalization
In general, when in doubt, do not capitalize.
Capitalize:
1.1
Capitalize months and days of the week.
Exception: Do not capitalize seasons.
Tommy will be a freshman in the fall.
Billy will be transferring to Wheaton in August.
1.2
Capitalize all words in the titles of books, plays, lectures, musical compositions,
etc., unless they are prepositions, articles or conjunctions.
Exception: The first word of a title is always capitalized, regardless of what part
of speech it is.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
"The Tell-Tale Heart"
1.3
Capitalize all conferred and traditional educational, occupational and business
titles when used specifically in front of the name or in lists and programs.
Exception: Do not capitalize such titles in the text when they follow the name,
unless the title is a named or distinguished professorship. (See also, Section
V. "Titles")
Dale Rogers Marshall, president, or President Dale Rogers Marshall
Prof. John Kricher is chair of the Biology Department.
Dean Sue played in the college's softball tournament.
1.4
Capitalize Army, Navy and Air Force when referring to United States armed
forces, whether or not preceded by the letters U.S.
1.5
Capitalize association, building, center, club, conference, department, division,
hall, office, senate, street, university, etc., when used as part of a title;
thereafter, do not capitalize these words when used alone to refer to the specific
place or group.
The Board of Trustees--thereafter, the board
The Alumnae/i Association--thereafter, the association
The Chemistry Department--thereafter, the department or Chemistry
1.6
Capitalize the name of a specific course, such as: ENG 305, "Chaucer."
1.7
Capitalize recognized geographical regions.
Exception: Do not capitalize points of the compass.
She spends her weekends in Northern California.
He moved to northern Idaho.
She traveled in the South, the Midwest and the East.
We are walking northwest.
1.8
Capitalize names of athletic clubs and teams.
the Lyons
the Boston Red Sox
1.9
Capitalize names of ethnic groups and nationalities, including when
used as adjectives.
Exception: Do not capitalize designations based on color, size, or local usage,
such as black or white.
The African American and Asian American communities; Irish folk music
1.10
Capitalize room when used to designate a particular room.
The meeting was held in Room 201 of Knapton Hall.
1.11
Capitalize named, distinguished and similar professorships.
Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of Russian Studies David Powell
1.12
Capitalize call letters of radio stations and alphabetical abbreviations of groups, organizations, or institutions such as NOW, ROTC, USDA, UCLA or MIT,
without periods or spaces unless the entity uses such punctuation as part of its
proper name.
Exception: U.S. should be capitalized and written with periods.
1.13
Capitalize Commencement and Reunion when it refers to the official Wheaton
event only.
Right: Wheaton scheduled Commencement/Reunion for May 19.
Right: One hundred of our classmates attended Reunion.
Wrong: My wife attended her 10-year high school Reunion.
Do not capitalize:
1.14
Do not capitalize official college degrees when spelled out (see also 2.7).
He has a bachelor of science in biology, a master of arts in literature and a
doctor of philosophy.
1.15
Do not capitalize titles standing alone or in apposition.
Contact the dean of students for more information.
Frinde Maher, professor of education, will speak at the symposium.
1.16
Do not capitalize names of college studies, fields of study, options, curricula,
major areas, major subjects, or programs, unless a specific course is being
referred to (see also 1.6).
Exception: Capitalize names of languages.
Russell is studying philosophy, theology and French.
Students must meet the core requirements in science and the humanities.
Wheaton offers a curriculum in Russian studies.
1.17
Do not capitalize organized groups or classes of students in a university or high
school, or the words freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or graduate, when
referring to the classification of the student.
ENG 101 should be taken in the freshman year.
The junior class will conduct its annual election tomorrow.
1.18
Do not capitalize unofficial titles preceding the name.
Wrong: I heard Poet Sue Standing read her work.
Right: I heard poet Sue Standing read her work.
Right: Wheaton College President Dale Rogers Marshall (official title).
1.19
Do not capitalize designations of officers of a class, social organization, etc.
She was elected freshman class secretary.
Kerin Stackpole '84 is president of the Wheaton Alumnae/i Association.
1.20
Do not capitalize these words unless they are part of an official name or title:
a.m. or p.m.
honors
bachelor's degree or master's degree
federal
state
government
1.21
Do not capitalize the words offices, schools and departments when referring to
more than one individual office, school or department.
The departments of English, Classics and History.
1.22
Do not capitalize the word "college" when referring to Wheaton College
or any other on a second reference.
Wrong: The College is located in Norton.
Right: The college is committed to excellence in education.
Right: Wheaton College enrolls 1,500 students.
II. Abbreviations
When in doubt, spell it out.
Abbreviate:
2.1
Abbreviate the following titles when they precede a name: Dr., Mr., Mrs., the Rev., Fr. and all military titles.
2.2
Abbreviate other titles, such as professor, only when they precede the first name or initials; spell out titles when they are used before the surname alone.
Prof. K. Yllo
Professor Drout
Profs. Paula Krebs and R.J. Olson
Professors Ratliff and LeBlanc
2.3
Abbreviate time zones without periods (i.e., EST for Eastern Standard Time)
2.4
Abbreviate "and" as an ampersand (&) only when the ampersand already exists
as part of a proper name, such as a corporate title.
2.5
Abbreviate "Saint" when used to refer to such cities as St. Louis, St. Paul, etc.
2.6
Abbreviate courtesy titles, such as Mr., Mrs. and Dr., but do not use them in combination with any other title or with abbreviations including scholastic or academic degrees.
Lois Lyles, Ph.D., not Dr. Lois Lyles, Ph.D.
Scott Peck, M.D., not Mr. M. Scott Peck, M.D.
2.7
Abbreviate academic degrees as follows:
bachelor of science--B.S.
master of science--M.S.
master of arts--M.A.
master of business administration[~]M.B.A.
doctor of philosophy--Ph.D.
doctor of education--Ed.D.
2.8
Abbreviate the department name of a course when it is followed by the course number.
In addition to an elective course in English, MATH 333 should be taken.
2.9
Abbreviate the names of states in text as follows (AP Style) If the name of the state stands alone (without a city preceding it), then it should be spelled out. Within text:
Ala. Md. N.D.
Ariz. Mass. Okla.
Ark. Mich. Ore.
Calif. Minn. Pa.
Colo. Miss. R.I.
Conn. Mo. S.C.
Del. Mont. S.D.
Fla. Neb. Tenn.
Ga. Nev. Vt.
Ill. N.H. Va.
Ind. N.J. Wash.
Kan. N.M. W. Va.
Ky. N.Y. Wis.
La. N.C. Wyo.
Note: Eight states are never abbreviated. They are Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho,
Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah.
Note: Washington, D.C.
Do not abbreviate:
2.10
Do not abbreviate names of foreign countries.
2.11
Do not abbreviate the words association, avenue, boulevard, department, institute
and street in narrative text, unless they are accompanied by a numeral.
Wrong: The White House is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Right: The White House is at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Right: Wheaton College is located on Main Street.
2.12
Do not abbreviate March, April, May, June or July. Do not abbreviate the names
of other months when they do not precede a day.
July 25, Dec. 25
Valentine's Day falls on Feb. 14. Winter break is in January.
2.13
Do not abbreviate Christmas as X-mas.
2.14
Do not abbreviate "percent" in narrative text. In technical and statistical copy,
such as charts, the symbol % may be used.
2.15
Do not abbreviate parts of geographic names unless they occur in tabular matter.
Fort Wayne, not Ft. Wayne
North Dakota, not N. Dakota
2.16
Do not abbreviate assistant and associate when used in a title, such as assistant
professor of astronomy.
Apostrophes
3.1
When abbreviating, punctuate with an apostrophe years of college classes.
However, do not use an apostrophe for plural.
Class of '97
Heather Corbett '86
1960s
3.2
Master's and doctor's degrees should always be written with an 's. Never write
masters' degrees.
Colons
3.3
Follow a statement that introduces a direct quotation of one or more paragraphs
with a colon.
3.4
Use a colon to introduce a list.
Wheaton fields 21 teams: lacrosse, field hockey, softball, baseball[sigma].
Commas
3.5
Do not employ the serial comma before "and" and "or."
Dale, Catherine, Sue and Suzanne spoke at Commencement.
3.6
Place a comma after digits signifying thousands: 1,150 students.
Exception: Use no commas when referring to temperature: 4600 degrees.
3.7
Introductory words or phrases such as i.e., and e.g., should be immediately
preceded by a comma or semicolon and followed by a comma.
3.8
When listing names with cities or states, punctuate as follows:
Sue Alexander, Norton, college administrator.
3.9
When writing a date, place a comma between the day (if given) and the year, and
after the year.
Nov. 9, 1969, is the date of Joe's birth.
3.10
Do not place a comma between the month and year when the day is not
mentioned, or between season and year.
October 1965
Fall 1997
Dashes
3.11
Use em (long) dashes to indicate an abrupt change of thought or to set off a
parenthetical phrase with more emphasis than commas, or to set off an appositive
whenever a comma might be misread as a series comma. Do not put a full space
before or after em dashes.
Carmen[~]the new student[~]won the design award.
The frontier[~]upland and mountain regions to be settled later in the
eighteenth century[~]offered much more uniform conditions.
3.12
Use en (short) dashes to replace the word "to" when it represents a duration of
time. Do not put a full space before or after the en dash.
The physics class will be held 3 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays.
The physics class will be held 3[^]6:30 p.m. on Thursdays.
Hyphens
3.13
Do not hyphenate words beginning with the prefix non, except those containing a
proper noun.
Non-German
nontechnical
3.14
Do not place a hyphen between the prefixes pre, semi, anti, co., etc., and nouns or
adjectives, except proper nouns.
Exception: Hyphenate to avoid duplicated vowels or triple consonants.
coauthored
bell-like
reapply
pro-American
pre-enroll
predentistry
3.15
Do not place a hyphen between the prefix sub and the word to which it is
attached: i.e., subtotal
3.16
Use a hyphen to avoid ambiguity.
small-business profits, rather than small business profits.
3.17
Hyphenate part-time and full-time when used as adjectives, and hyphenate any
modifying words combined with well when preceding a noun.
A part-time job, but he works full time
well-built engine, but the machine was well built
well-grounded in mathematics
3.18
Hyphenate the word X-ray and use a capital X.
3.19
Hyphenate the word e-mail and do not capitalize it unless beginning a sentence.
3.20
When in doubt, use the nonhyphenated spelling of a word not listed here if either
spelling is acceptable.
Quotation Marks
3.21
Use single quotation marks in newspaper or magazine headlines.
Nixon: 'I am not a crook'
3.22
Set quotation marks outside periods and commas and inside semicolons. They
should be set inside of exclamation points and interrogation marks that are not
part of the quotation (see example in 3.22).
3.23
No quotation marks are necessary in printing interviews when the name of the
speaker is given first, or in reports of testimony when the words question and
answer or Q and A are used, such as:
Q: Who will benefit from the fee waiver program?
A: Full-time faculty and staff.
Doug: Who wrote the poem "The Raven"?
Clark: Edgar Allan Poe.
IV. Figures
4.1
In general, use figures for numbers 10 or greater, spell out numbers one
through nine.
4.2
Use figures for days of the month, omitting st, nd, rd and th:
Oct. 18, Nov. 2
4.3
Use figures for numbers within a series in order to maintain consistency if more than half of the numbers are 10 or greater; otherwise spell out numbers within a series.
3 hours, 12 minutes, 15 seconds
Twelve cats, five dogs, five birds and sixteen turtles were sold yesterday.
4.4
Use figures for sums that are cumbersome to spell out; however, spell out the
words million and billion.
5.75 million
4.5
Write phone numbers as follows:
Ext 1111 or (1111) for on-campus callers
286-1111 or 508-286-1111 for off-campus callers
4.6
Use figures for hours of the day: 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. (never 7:00 p.m., unless used
in lists of events, etc. to preserve alignment of type).
4.7
Use figures for all ages.
4.8
Use figures for amounts of money with the word cents or with the dollar sign
(i.e., $3, $5.09, or 77 cents) unless tabulated in columns.
4.9
Do not begin a sentence with numerals; supply a word or spell out the figures. Please note: Numbers less than 100 should be hyphenated when they consist of two words:
thirty-nine
V. Titles
5.1
The titles of long works, such as books, epic poems, plays, newspapers, musical compositions and magazines, should be in italics. The titles of shorter works, such as lectures, course titles and chapters of a book, essays in journals, short stories and lyric poems, should be in quotations.
Boston Globe
War and Peace
"The Road not Taken"
5.2
Include the first name and middle initial of persons the first time they appear in an
article. Thereafter, use the person's last name.
Dale Rogers Marshall, president; thereafter, Corrigan states that...
5.3
Use the courtesy title Dr. when referring to a doctor of medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine. Do not use it to designate doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.)
VI. Special Instructions
6.1
Emeritus is the singular, masculine form; for references to women, use emerita (singular) or emeritae (plural). Emeritae/i may serve as the plural for a group that is composed of men only or of men and women together. All references follow the noun.
professor emerita of music, professors emeritae/i, faculty emeriti
6.2
Alumnus is the singular, masculine form; for references to women, use alumna (singular) or alumnae (plural). At Wheaton, alumnae/i is the preferred plural for group that is composed of men and women.
6.3
Do not identify individuals by race, religion, sexual orientation or national origin unless such identifications are essential to understanding.
6.4
When a sentence ends with an e-mail address or a URL, do not omit the final period.
To visit us on the Web, go to www.wheatoncollege.edu.
For further information, contact quarterly@wheatonma.edu.
6.5
Troublesome words and preferred treatments:
a lot: two words, as in "This style stuff sure is a lot of trouble."
e-mail: hyphenated and not capped (unless at the beginning of a
sentence).
fundraising: one word as a noun and as an adjective.
the Internet: capped, both as a proper noun and as an adjective.
online: not hyphenated.
under way: two words, not one.
World Wide Web, or the Web: capped, both as a proper noun and as an
adjective.
Web site: two words.
Below are the official names of some campus buildings and offices:
Academic and Administrative Buildings
Kollett Academic Computing Center
Alumnae/i Guest House
Balfour-Hood Center:
Ellison Dance/Aerobics Studio
Pappas Fitness Center
Hood Café
Information Center
The Loft
Media Center
Post Office
Residential Life
Student Activities
Student Government Association
Wheaton Wire
WCCS Radio Station
Chase Dining Halls
Clark Center
Cole Memorial Chapel
Doll's House:
Academic Advising
Registrar
Student Financial Services
Elisabeth W. Amen Nursery School
Emerson Dining Hall
Filene Center for Work and Learning
Haas Athletic Center:
Beard Field House
Balfour Natatorium
Emerson Gym
Health Center
Hebe Hall
Hollyhock House
Knapton Hall
Mary Lyon Hall
Meneely Hall
Multicultural Center
Park Hall
Presidents' House
Provost's House
Science Center
Madeleine Clark Wallace Library (the library or Wallace Library is acceptable
on second reference)
Watson Fine Arts Center
Old Town Hall Bookstore
The Lyon's Den
Residence Halls
Chapin Hall
Clark Hall
Cragin Hall
Emerson Hall
Everett Hall
Gebbie Hall
Kilham Hall
Keefe Hall
Larcom Hall
McIntire Hall
Meadows Center
Meadows East
Meadows North
Meadows West
Metcalf Hall
Stanton Hall
Young Hall