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The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Publications Style Guide dictates the proper capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation and usage of words and phrases used by the Department of University Communications; we would like to see it used throughout campus to ensure consistency, but this is not mandated.
The style guide is a work in progress, and suggestions for additions are welcome. Please contact Josh Reinhart at jdreinhart@eiu.edu or 581-7400.
The style guide is based on Associated Press style. An asterisk (*) denotes a departure from AP style.
| adviser not advisor |
| building/facility/office names at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Booth Library, Health Service, Lantz Arena, Library Quad, Life Sciences Building, McAfee Gym, O'Brien Stadium, Physical Science Building, Martin Luther King Jr. University Union or MLK Jr. Union. |
| central Illinois |
| commas don't use a comma before last item in a series unless it considerably helps readability |
| committees capitalize when referring to the formal name of the group (Presidential Search Advisory Committee), but lowercase when using an informal/shortened version (search committee) |
| course titles * capitalize (Nutrition in a Global Society) |
| degrees Avoid abbreviations if possible. Instead, use bachelor's degree, master's degree, doctorate, bachelor of arts, etc. |
| department math department, captialize if part of proper name (Department of Math) |
| department chair * (not chairman or chairwoman) Capitalize when directly before a name (ex.: "math department Chair John Doe," "John Doe, chair of the math department") |
| Dr. only use Dr. if the person is a medical doctor; for others with doctorates, use Ph.D. after the name (ex.: "Mike Smith, Ph.D., won the award."), if necessary |
| east-central Illinois |
| email (AP changed to this format in 2011) |
| fall lowercase unless referring to the academic calendar |
| grade point average |
| Greek (Note: We no longer use lowercase when referring to sororities and fraternities -- updated March 2013.) |
| Internet |
| Jr. Ray Parker Jr. (no comma before Jr.) |
| log on (verb), logon (noun) |
| majors/minors don't capitalize |
| months Spell out months when used with a year (January 2004), but abbreviate when used as part of a full date (Jan. 3 or Jan. 3, 2004). When abbreviating: Jan., Feb., March, April, May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. |
| more than not "over," unless you're addressing a spatial issue |
| OK not "okay" |
| online |
| phone numbers 217-581-7650, 800-555-5555 |
| president lowercase unless directly before the name |
| semicolon Use when a series includes an item that contains one or more commas (ex: "He attended Bagelfest; Red, White and Blue Days; and the Coles County Fair."). Can also use to connect two sentences (ex.: "He loves to paint; she loves to shop."). |
| spring lowercase unless referring to the academic calendar |
| statesUse the following abbreviations when used in sentence form: Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kan., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Neb., Nev., N.C., N.H., N.J., N.M., N.Y., N.D., Okla., Ore., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.D., Tenn., Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., Wyo. (Don't abbreviate Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas or Utah.) With full addresses that include a ZIP code, use standard, capitalized two-letter USPS abbreviations. |
| summer lowercase unless referring to the academic calendar |
| theatre * |
| times Don't use ":00" on times on the hour (it's 7 p.m., not 7:00 p.m.). The proper format for a.m. and p.m. is as follows: 9 a.m. (space after the numeral; periods after both letters). |
| titles always lowercase unless directly in front of the name (ex.: "Lou Hencken, president, spoke." "Speakers included President Lou Hencken.") |
| vice presidents' titles Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Blair Lord; Vice President for Business Affairs William Weber; Vice President for University Advancement Robert Martin; Vice President for Student Affairs Dan Nadler (don't capitalize a title if not directly in front of a name) |
| website, webmaster, web page*, the Web (This entry was modified to reflect, in part, changes made in AP Style in April 2010.) |
Booth House
ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ
600 Lincoln Ave.
Charleston, IL 61920
217-581-7400
jdreinhart@eiu.edu