Associated*Press*Stylebook ChicagoManual*of*Style ... - Cairn
Transcript of Associated*Press*Stylebook ChicagoManual*of*Style ... - Cairn
The Communications and Marketing team has developed this editorial style guide for Cairn University faculty and staff, especially those who write for an external or formal audience. Relevant documents include print and electronic materials designed to promote Cairn, its departments, and its programs; and materials providing information about or accountability for Cairn and its activities.
In August 2014, we modified our Cairn editorial style guidelines to ensure that our communication style is consistent across campus, whether we’re writing news releases for the media, content for the Web, or copy for print publications. The main change is that we have adopted the Associated Press Stylebook as our official style guide, in place of the Chicago Manual of Style. There are a few cases where we depart from AP style, however. Please click here for a list of those exceptions.
Our primary focus with this guide is to provide university-‐specific information such as the official names of our schools and departments, a list of our buildings, the abbreviations for our major fields of study, and our nondiscrimination statements. For any style questions not addressed in this guide, please refer to the Associated Press Stylebook. For other spelling or usage questions not addressed in the AP guide, we encourage you to refer to Webster’s New World College Dictionary. A web version, Webster’s New World Online, is available with the AP Stylebook Online subscription.
Our goal is to present a consistent and high-‐quality standard of writing that appropriately reflects Cairn’s standard of excellence. We encourage University faculty and staff to become familiar with these guidelines and to follow them whenever possible. However, this guide is not intended to replace other writing style guides used for specific purposes or for publications such as scholarly journals.
Please direct questions or comments about this style guide to the Managing Editor of Cairn Magazine at [email protected].
Many thanks to the Communications department at University of Colorado – Boulder for granting permission to adapt the wording and table of contents of their style guide when appropriate.
COMMON STYLE ERRORS
• In general, avoid unnecessary capitalization. • In general, formal titles are capitalized only when they precede a name, not after.
o Dr. Todd Williams, president of Cairn University, spoke in today’s chapel. • Cairn does not adhere to AP Style’s use of periods regarding abbreviation of academic degrees.
Rather, it omits periods: BA, BS, MA, PhD, MBA, MDiv). • Use figures for numbers of 10 or higher, except when they begin a sentence. • Use a comma before the last item in a series (Oxford comma). • Periods and commas are always placed within quotation marks, never outside. • Use figures with am or pm (small caps or lowercase letters) to indicate specific times. Use noon
and midnight in place of 12 pm and 12 am, respectively, for clarity. o The ceremony will begin at 10 am. o The meeting starts at 2:30 pm.
-‐ Em dashes are used to denote a sudden break in thought that causes an abrupt change in sentence structure. Use no space before or after an em dash.
• Use an en dash rather than a hyphen between numbers. o 1947–2011 o 2007–12 o pages 483–511
• Capitalize only the complete and official names of schools, departments, offices, and official bodies. Lowercase informal and shortened versions of all such names.
o The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences now offers five undergraduate majors. In addition, the school offers three of the University’s nine minors.
o Exception: “the University” is capitalized whenever “Cairn University” could be substituted.
EXCEPTIONS TO AP STYLE
-‐ Abbreviations: May follow an organization’s full name with its abbreviation in parentheses. -‐ advisor – Use this spelling when referring to academic advising; otherwise, use adviser (AP). -‐ Capitalize department names (Department of Counseling) when a proper noun. For less formal
uses, use “the counseling department.” -‐ Capitalize “professor” before the person’s name: Professor Cheyney. -‐ Capitalize Web only when it’s a noun. When used as an adjective, lowercase it. -‐ Commas in a series: Use a comma before the last item in a series (Oxford comma). -‐ Em dash: No space before or after an em dash. -‐ homepage, not home page (AP) -‐ http:// -‐ Omit at the start of a URL unless needed for clarity -‐ State abbreviations: Use the two-‐letter, capitalized zip code abbreviation (PA, NJ, AZ) without
periods. -‐ Titles: Italicize titles of books, periodicals, journals, movies, television and radio programs,
musicals, plays, long poems, works of art, and campus publications. -‐ webpage, not Web page (AP)
WORD LIST
The following list includes easily confused words, as well as the preferred spelling and capitalization for words frequently used in Cairn writing. For words not included here, consult a good dictionary or the AP Style guide. Typically, US spellings are preferred over British.
• A.D. • advisor -‐ Use this spelling when referring to academic advising. • All-‐Steinway — always hyphenate • alum – Abbreviation for alumnus or alumna. Avoid this abbreviation in formal copy. • alumna – Singular for female graduate; alumnae is the plural when referring to only female
graduates. • alumni – Plural for male graduates or combination of male and female graduates. • alumnus – Singular for male graduate. Also used as a generic reference for male or female
graduate (“If you are a Cairn alumnus…”) • athletic / athletics – The term “athletic” is an adjective (athletic department); “athletics” is a
noun (Director of Athletics). • B.C. • biblical – lowercase (unless part of a proper noun or title – i.e., Philadelphia Biblical University) • biblically minded — No hyphen • biblical world and life view — phrase long used historically by the University, although less
recently • bilingual • biweekly • Board of Trustees – Use the full name for first reference. Subsequent references may be styled
the trustees or the board. “Board of Trustees” is singular; “trustees” takes a plural verb. • campuswide • cancel, canceling, canceled, cancellation (American English) • check-‐in, check in – Hyphenated as a noun, two words as a verb • checkout, check out – One word as a noun, two words as a verb • co-‐ -‐ Use a hyphen when forming nouns, adjectives, and verbs that indicate occupation or
status. Do not hyphenate in other combinations. o co-‐author, co-‐teacher o coeducational, cooperate, cocurricular o Exceptions: coworker
• commencement – Capitalize only when referring to a specific one. • compose/comprise/constitute – Compose means to create or put together. Comprise means to
be made up of. Comprised of is redundant. Constitutes means to be the elements of and may work best when neither compose nor comprise seem to fit.
• course load — two words • coursework
• cross-‐cultural • cum laude – No italics for this or other commonly used Latin terms. (If it’s in Webster’s or
another standard dictionary, it’s common enough to not require italics.) • data – Both a plural noun and a collective noun—i.e., that represents a unit—that can take a
singular verb • database • day care — two words, no hyphen, for all uses • Degree Completion Program • decision-‐making • dodgeball • dual-‐degree programs • dual-‐level • eBook • eLearning • email – Capitalize the e only when the term appears at the beginning of a sentence, in a
heading, or on a form where other entries (such as Address and Phone Number) are capitalized. • emeritus – Honorary title for retired professor, whether male or female. Emeriti is plural. • eNews • every day/everyday – The single word everyday is an adjective. • extracurricular • faculty – A collective noun referring to an institution’s entire teaching staff. It takes a singular
verb. To refer to an individual who is part of the faculty, faculty member is preferred. • federal — lowercase unless beginning a sentence or part of a proper noun • fellowshipping • female/woman – For clarity, use female as an adjective only and woman as a noun only. • fieldwork • First Year Programs • flatwater • full time – Hyphenate only when used as an adjective immediately before a noun. • fundraising • gospel — Capitalize “Gospel” when referring to any or all of the first four books of the New
Testament. Lowercase in other references. See “Religious References” for examples. • GPA – Needs not be spelled out on first use • gray – Rather than grey (British spelling), unless part of a proper noun • head-‐on — Always hyphenate, whether adj. or adv. • homepage • homeschool • Honors Program • HTML — all caps • its/it’s – Its is the possessive pronoun (his, her, its). It’s is the contraction of “it is.”
• J Term – no hyphen • JAM — Junior High Adventures in Ministry — Name of annual YFM summer outreach event. No
periods in the acronym. No hyphen in the event name. • JavaScripting • junior high — adjective does not need to be hyphenated or capitalized. Do not abbreviate
“junior” as “jr.” • lifelong • login/log-‐in – One word when used as a noun or adjective; two words when used as a verb. “Log
in” is preferred over “log on.” • low impact skills — no hyphen, per LNT.org • magna cum laude – No italics necessary • middle level — no hyphen when referring to education • midsemester • midterm • mission trip (not “missions trip”) • more than/over – Over generally refers to spatial relationships. More than is preferred with
numerals or amount. • multicultural /multidisciplinary / multinational /mutlimedia • non-‐ -‐ Most words beginning with non-‐ do not use a hyphen (nonprofit, nonrefundable).
Exceptions include where the following word is a proper noun or when the resulting word would be unclear or confusing.
• off campus /off-‐campus – Two words when preposition plus noun; one word when adjective immediately preceding a noun
• on campus/on-‐campus -‐ Two words when preposition plus noun; one word when adjective immediately preceding a noun
• off-‐hours — hyphenate for all usages • online • para-‐church • part time – Only hyphenate when used as an adjective immediately before a noun. • post-‐ -‐ Most words formed with the post-‐ prefix are styled without a hyphen, unless the word
begins with a capital or unless confusion would result (post-‐World War II). • powder-‐puff football — per Webster’s dictionary • pre-‐ -‐ Most words formed with the pre-‐ prefix are styled as a hyphen. (Exceptions:
preprofessional, prequalify, preregister, prerequisite, preschool) • problem solving – No hyphen when used as a noun. Hyphenate only when used as an adjective
before a noun. • question-‐and-‐answer session • re-‐ -‐ In general, use a hyphen in compounds beginning with re-‐ only if the word following the
prefix begins with an e or if confusion would result (re-‐elect, re-‐establish, redo, rewrite, recover/re-‐cover)
• residence halls – Rather than dorms
• resume – No accents • SAT – Never spell out or use periods. It is no longer an acronym – it does not refer to anything
but itself. • Self-‐Service • sight-‐read, sight-‐reading (but sight reader) — per Webster’s dictionary • small-‐group / small group — hyphenated when used as an adjective, unhyphenated when used
as a noun • SPSS Statistics software — lowercase software (SPSS Statistics is the official name of the
program) • Statewide • story line — two words • student-‐athlete – Always hyphenate, whether used as a noun or adjective. • summa cum laude – No italics. • theater – Use this spelling except when it is spelled Theatre in a proper name. • travel, traveling, traveled (American English) • triquetra • toward – Not toward, which is the British spelling • underway • University, the (when referring to Cairn) • US, USA — no periods • viewbook • wait list, wait-‐list – Two words as a noun, hyphenated as a verb or adjective • web – Used whether noun or adjective • webpage • website • weeklong — per AP Style guidelines, one word as an adjective; an exception to Webster’s • whitewater • the Word – Capitalized when referring to the Bible • workload • work-‐study – Always hyphenate, whether used as a noun or adjective • worldview – one word • worshiping – American spelling (not British “worshipping”) • year-‐end
ABBREVIATIONS
Abbreviations should be restricted to situations where they enhance readability and/or comprehension – for example, when your copy refers repeatedly to a lengthy name or term that has a commonly accepted abbreviation.
In General
• Use abbreviations sparingly unless your audience is familiar with them. • Spell out the full entity or term on its first occurrence and follow with the abbreviation in
parentheses to prepare readers for your subsequent use of only the abbreviation. • Avoid using periods in abbreviations, unless confusion may result.
o VP rather than V.P. • If using periods in an abbreviation, do not add a second period if the abbreviation ends a
sentence.
Articles (a, an, and the) with Abbreviations
The choice between using a or an is determined by how the abbreviation is pronounced.
o She is enrolled in an MBA program.
Abbreviations that Stand Alone
GPA and SAT are not spelled out. In fact, SAT is no longer an abbreviation; it is a trademark.
State Abbreviations
When standing alone in a text, spell out the names of the 50 US states.
When used in conjunction with the name of a city, county, town, village, or military base, use the two-‐letter, capitalized zip code abbreviation (PA, NJ, AZ) without periods.
Do not put a comma between the state and the zip code.
• The class of 12 included students from Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
• The Outdoor Action First Year Program went to Speculator, NY, to learn ice climbing and environmental science.
• Alumni donations came in from Harrisburg, PA; Washington, DC; and La Mirada, CA. • Download and mail the printable form to: Cairn University, School of Music, 200 Manor Ave,
Langhorne PA 19047.
United States
Do not use periods with the three-‐letter abbreviation for the United States of America or for the United States.
• The US government requires academic institutions to meet certain requirements in order to qualify for federal funds.
• Most of their products were made in the USA.
ACADEMIC DEGREES
Cairn does not adhere to AP Style’s use of periods regarding abbreviation of academic degrees. Rather, it omits periods: BA, BS, MA, PhD, MBA, MDiv
When spelling out degrees, lowercase bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctorate; but capitalize Bachelor of Arts, Master of Sciences, etc.
The title Dr. is used only for those with earned doctorates, not recipients of honorary doctorates.
ACCREDITATION INFORMATION
Noting Accreditation Status in Institutional Print and Electronic Communications
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (hereafter, “the Commission”) receives many questions about the appropriate wording institutions should use when describing their accreditation status. In addition, some institutions may not be aware that there are federal requirements associated with reference to accreditation status.
For example, under federal regulations (CFR 602.23[d]), when an institution notes its accredited status, it must name the accreditor and provide the accreditor’s mailing address and telephone number. This practice provides students, employees, and the public with the necessary information to contact the accreditor to verify the institution’s accreditation or file a complaint against the institution.
Thus, the correct statement for MSCHE institutions is as follows:
Cairn University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19104. Phone: 267.284.5000.
• The use of the MSCHE logo is also subject to the Commission’s regulations. • The phrase, “fully accredited” should never be used, since partial accreditation is not possible.
Institutional Accreditation Statements • Middle States Commission on Higher Education* (1967)
o *MSCHE, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, Phone: 267.284.5000 • Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Accreditation+ (1950)
o + ABHE, 5850 T. G. Lee Blvd., Ste. 130, Orlando, FL 32822, 407.207.0808 Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) 3624 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 267.284.5000 Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) 5850 T. G. Lee Blvd., Ste. 130 Orlando, FL 32822 407.207.0808
Programmatic Accreditations • Association of Christian Schools International (1981) • Council on Social Work Education (1974) • International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (2000) • National Association of Schools of Music (1979)
o NOTE: NASM gave associate membership to the program in 1972. Full membership was given in 1979. Use 1979 date as the standard, unless a footnote is included. (Per TJW – 100826)
ADDRESSES Abbreviations
Abbreviate Avenue, Boulevard, and Street only with a numbered address. Spell them out and capitalize them when part of a formal street name without a number.
• 1800 Arch St • the former Arch Street location
Per USPS standards, do not use periods in abbreviations.
Address Order
Campus addresses should begin with Cairn University, followed by the name of the school or office, followed by the name of the department (if applicable), followed by the street address. Mail to individuals (including students and employees) should include their first and last name (and middle initial, if possible), followed by the street address.
NOTE: Per USPS standards, please do not include any punctuation in the address block – including periods at the end of abbreviations and commas between the city, state, or zip code. (Although USPS suggests that addresses be in all-‐caps, the University standard is to use mixed case in the address block.)
Please use street abbreviations; the first letter should be capitalized and the rest lowercase: St, Ave, Rd Click here to download a list of all street abbreviations.
Please use state abbreviations. Although USPS suggests two spaces between the state and ZIP code, the University standard is to use only one. Do not use a comma between the state and zip code. Click here to download a list of all state abbreviations.
Secondary unit designators (such as Apartment or Suite numbers) should appear on the first address line. Example: 255 E Lincoln Hwy Apt 555 or 255 E Lincoln Hwy #255 Click here to download a list of all secondary unit designators.
• Sentence form: o Checks and money orders can be sent to Cairn University, Office of Advancement, 200
Manor Ave, Langhorne PA 19047. o Download and mail the printable form to: Cairn University, School of Music, 200 Manor
Ave, Langhorne PA 19047.
• Stacked address: o Cairn University
Communications and Marketing 200 Manor Ave Langhorne PA 19047
o Marissa A. Rumpf 200 Manor Ave Langhorne PA 19047
Campus Box Numbers
Student mail should no longer include Cairn box numbers in the address block.
• Joe C. Schmo 200 Manor Ave Langhorne PA 19047
CAMPUS
Cairn University may be shortened to Cairn or the University, never CU.
Buildings and Rooms
Safety and Security building (NOT the Carriage House)
Ellwood Cook Biblical Learning Center (BLC)–Shortening to Biblical Learning Center is also acceptable.
• Classrooms – BL ### (with a space) • Connie A. Eastburn Gallery–Shortening to Eastburn Gallery is also acceptable. • Lewis Holmes Hall–Shortening to “Holmes Hall” is acceptable. “BL210” is not.
Fairview Manor
maintenance building (lowercase)
Masland Library (NOT Masland Learning Resource Center or LRC)
Mason Activity Center (MAC)
• Campus Store (NOT Cairn Bookstore) • Furman Dining Commons –Shortening to “the dining commons” is acceptable. • gymnasium (lowercase) • Highlander Café (NOT the Eagles Nest)–Shortening to Café after initial reference is acceptable. • Office of Safety and Security
music building (lowercase)
Smith Administration Building (SAB)
• Chatlos Chapel (Shortening to “the chapel” is acceptable.) • Smith Administration Education Wing (NOT “Education Building”)
Technology Services
University Housing
Collectively, these are referred to as “residence halls,” not “dorms.”
Manor Residence Halls
• Souder Hall • Stillman Hall • Schofield Hall
• Memorial Hall • Davis Hall
Penndel Apartments (with a capital A)
Heritage Hall
Offices and Departments
For a full list of offices & departments, visit http://cairn.edu/resources/.
Office of Admissions / admissions office
Academic Resource Center (ARC)
Athletics / Athletic Department
Office of Business Services / business services office
Center for University Studies (CUS)
Communications and Marketing
Degree Completion Program (with a capital P)
Office of Financial Aid / financial aid office
First Year Programs (with a capital P)
Office of Alumni Relations / alumni office
Safety and Security
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (SLAS)
Technology Services (TS) (NOT IT)
University Ministry Center
Academic Leadership Team (the ALT)
Board of Trustees (Shortened to “the board”)
President’s Advisory Council (the PAC)
Women’s Ministries Bible Study
CAPITALIZATION
See also Religious References.
In General
In general, avoid unnecessary capitals – both Initial Caps and ALL CAPS.
Official names and proper nouns are capitalized. In subsequent references, any common nouns are lowercased. Use the full, official name the first time it appears in a document or section of a document.
• Cairn’s Wisconsin Wilderness Campus opened in 1987 at Lake Owen in Cable, WI. After 25 years, the campus closed and four new First Year Programs were begun on the Langhorne campus.
Do Not Capitalize
• bachelor's degree • department, the • doctorate • form names, unofficial (e.g., drop/add form, admission form) • master’s degree • orientation • program, the • school, the • spring break • spring, summer, fall, winter • state of Pennsylvania, the • university, the (when not referring to Cairn University)
Academic and Nonacademic Units and Bodies
Capitalize only the complete and official names of schools, departments, offices, and official bodies (such as the Board of Trustees, President’s Advisory Council, etc.). Lowercase informal and shortened versions of all such names. See also “Ampersand (&)” in the Abbreviations section.
• All of the trustees were present at the Board of Trustees meeting last week. • The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences now offers five undergraduate majors. In addition, the
school offers three of the University’s nine minors. • The Department of Social Work has four full-‐time faculty members. • Brenda Ebersole of arts and sciences recently earned her doctorate.
Exception: “University” is capitalized whenever “Cairn University” could be substituted.
• Cairn University is committed to educating students to serve Christ in the church, society, and the world. To that end, the University provides opportunities for students to grow both academically and spiritually.
• Cairn is the only university in Bucks County.
Academic Degrees
Capitalize the names of degrees unless they’re referred to generically, as in the second example.
• Julie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Cairn University. • Marissa earned a master’s degree in education in 2012.
Committee, Center, Group, Program, and Initiative Names
Unless a committee, center, group, program, or initiative is officially recognized and formally named, avoid capitalizing. Do capitalize the official, proper names of long-‐standing committees and groups, as well as formally developed programs and initiatives.
• The Degree Completion Program provides working adults with a flexible and convenient way to earn a bachelor’s degree.
• The Teacher Education Academic Standards Committee provides a process for evaluating the arts and sciences curriculum component of the teacher education programs.
• The Grace Livingston Hill Collection showcased the life and work of a prolific Christian novelist. The collection was located on the third floor of the Masland Library until May 2013.
• Cairn’s First Year Programs give students the opportunity to pursue their interests in a cohort setting. Each program is a dynamic one-‐year accredited university experience.
Composition Titles
Capitalize the following in titles:
• the first word • the last word • the first word after a colon • all nouns, verbs (including short verbs, such as is/are/be), pronouns, adjectives, prepositions of
four or more letters (with, before, through), and conjunctions of four or more letter (that, because).
Do not capitalize the following in titles (unless they fall into one of the previously listed categories):
• articles (a, an, the), unless they are part of a proper noun • conjunctions of fewer than four letters (and, but, or, for, nor, so, yet) • prepositions of fewer than four letters (on, of, to, by)
• By Design: Developing a Philosophy of Education Informed by a Christian Worldview by Marti MacCullough was published by Cairn University in 2012.
• The Masland Library provides access to thousands of eBooks, such How to Laugh Your Way Through Life: A Psychoanalyst’s Advice.
Course Titles
Style official course titles with initial capitals but without quotation marks, italics, or any other formatting.
• Students should consider taking Global Economics, as well as Global Business Environments.
Geographical and Related Terms
Capitalize geographical terms commonly accepted as proper nouns. In general, capitalize words that designate regions, but lowercase words that indicate compass directions.
• the Schuylkill, the Adirondacks, the Jersey Shore • the West, the Midwest, the East Coast, a Southern accent, the Western culture, Eastern
influence • The storm is moving east.
Grades
Capitalize and italicize letter grades, and use two numerals after the decimal point in GPAs.
• She got an A in Macroeconomics, which brought her overall GPA up to 3.89.
Job and Position Titles
Capitalize formal titles only when they immediately precede the individuals’ names or when they are named positions or honorary titles.
• President Todd Williams has two children, Caitlin and Connor. • The president, Dr. Todd Williams, was inaugurated in January 2008. • The president of the United States serves a four-‐term term of office. • Barack Obama, president of the United States, is serving his final term in that office. • Have you been reprimanded by Dean Sherf? • Tom Sherf, the dean of students, loves to surf. • Dr. Sherrill Babb is the first chancellor of Cairn University. • In his commencement speech, Chancellor Dr. Sherrill Babb quoted Bob Sjogren’s book Cat and
Dog Theology. • During the annual open enrollment period, the vice president of human resources conducts
annual meetings reviewing employee benefits. • Paula Gossard, School of Education, has been promoted to the rank of professor.
• Alumnus Allen Guelzo serves as Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era at Gettysburg College, where he coordinates the college’s Civil War Era Studies program.
Titles in Addresses and Display Format
When a title appears in an address or other display format (such as email signature or a directory), as opposed to running text, the title can be capitalized even if it appears after the name.
• John Mulvaney, Creative Director • Kevin McFadden, Assistant Professor of New Testament
Long Titles
When a person has a very long title, put the title after the name to avoid clumsy syntax and too much capitalization.
• Scott Cawood, senior vice president for enrollment and student affairs, is concerned with both prospective and current students’ experience with Cairn.
Job Descriptions
Use lowercase at all times for terms that are job descriptions rather than formal titles.
• Before teaching at Cairn, Ann Rivera was a teacher and administrator in Philadelphia for 25 years.
Seasons and Semesters
Seasons, semesters, and terms should all be lowercase.
• spring semester • summer 2014 • the spring 2015 semester (no commas) • summer classes • spring break
Trademarks
The symbols ® and ™ (which often appear on product packaging and advertisements) need not be used in running text.
DATES
Graduation Dates
When referring to a graduation year in running text, use all four digits. When you abbreviating the year, use the final two digits of the graduation year (or expected graduation year) preceded by an apostrophe, and enclose the year in parentheses. Be sure that the apostrophe is facing away from the year.
• Grace Note, who graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in music performance, was the guest soloist.
• At The Gallery event last April, Art Smith (’11) was awarded a one-‐year student membership to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Inclusive Dates
Use an en dash for continuing or inclusive numbers (NOT a hyphen). Do not use a dash as a substitute for the word “to.”
• The 2013–2014 academic year concluded with the usual graduation ceremonies. • He taught in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 2001 to 2014.
o NOT He taught in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 2001–2014.
Punctuation with Dates
No comma is needed between a month and a year. Commas are required before and after a year when month, day, and year are used.
• She began her studies in September 2009 and completed them in May 2013. • She began her studies on August 23, 2009, and completed them on May 2, 2013. • She began class on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 8 a.m.
LISTS
Lists Within Sentences
Within a sentence, separate items in a list with commas (or semicolons, if the items in the list include commas).
• The roommates came from Boise, ID; Akron, OH; and Lancaster, PA.
Vertical Lists
Introduce items in a vertical list with numbers only when the order matters. Otherwise, use bullets or other typographical symbols. If items are numbered, each entry begins with a capital letter—whether or not the entry forms a complete sentence. Avoid putting long sentences or consecutive sentences in list form; rather, set them as numbered paragraphs and indent only the first line.
Follow the posted fire emergency procedures:
1. Shut off all equipment in immediate area. 2. Close windows and doors. 3. Calmly and quietly evacuate your department area. Use the posted evacuation routes. Do
not use elevators 4. Assemble in designated location at least 75’ away from the building. 5. Take class attendance, if possible. 6. Report whether all employees and students are accounted for to security personnel.
This course covers four genres of theological writing and thinking:
• Theological reflection • Theological argument • Theological critique • Theological construction
If any or all of the items in a vertical list are complete sentences, punctuate all items in the list with periods.
If the list completes a sentence, lowercase each item & follow each item with a comma or omit punctuation at the end of each item (including the last one). Be consistent within a document in how you treat similar types of lists.
When you move to college for the first time, you usually
• bring too many items for your dorm room, • forget a few essential items, and • end up sharing some items with your roommate.
If the sentence introducing the list is a complete sentence, it can end in a period or colon, whichever seems appropriate. (Exception: following and as follows must be followed by a colon.) If the introductory material is not a complete sentence, use the punctuation mark appropriate for the context, whether that’s a comma, colon, semicolon, dash, or nothing at all.
Use a line space (or partial line space) before and after all vertical lists.
NAMES AND TITLES
Government Programs
Following the general rules of capitalization, full formal or official names of plans, policies, laws, and similar documents or agreements, together with the programs resulting from them, are usually capitalized. Incomplete names are lowercased.
• The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. The act guarantees the following:
Names with Degrees
Use a comma between a person’s name and degree.
• Martha MacCullough, EdD, is the author of By Design.
Names with Initials
No space between initials. If an entire name is abbreviated, spaces and periods are omitted.
• The Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot was chosen by the members of the book club. • Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often referred to as FDR, is the only U.S. president to have served
more than two terms.
Names with Jr., Sr.
Omit commas before and after Jr., Sr., and the designations I, II, III, and IV.
• Each year, Cairn’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is organized by Evan D. Curry III.
Names with Titles
Capitalize formal titles only when they immediately precede the individual’s name. Use lowercase for titles that serve as occupational descriptions.
• Professor Christopher Palladino OR Christopher Palladino, professor of history • Dean Tom Sherf OR Tom Sherf, dean of students • conductor Joseph Caminiti, astronaut John Glenn, tour guide Giovanni Antoine
NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENTS
Cairn is legally required to include the following statement in all publications intended for external audiences.
Equal Opportunity Admissions Policy (used in catalogs,
Cairn University admits students of any race, gender, color, age, handicap, and national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the University. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, color, age, handicap, or national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-‐administrated programs.
Equal Opportunity Employer (for use on employment advertisements)
Cairn University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any person because of race, gender, color, age, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, or known disability except as such conditions may constitute a bona fide occupational qualification.
NUMBERS
The following guidelines apply to University for most purposes, excepting writing about certain fields (scientific, statistical, technical, mathematical, etc.).
In General
Spell out one to nine. Use figures for 10 and above, except when they begin a sentence. (Alternatively, you may wish to rephrase a sentence so that it no longer begins with a number.)
• Last November, Highlanders teams earned two of the seven 3-‐D Awards presented by the Colonial States Athletic Conference. They were chosen for these awards above the other 11 members in CSAC.
• Twenty-‐four different academic degrees were awarded at the final Centennial commencement.
Use a combination of figures and words with numbers in the millions and larger.
• The new campaign seeks to raise $2.5 million for the Cairn Fund.
Use a comma for numbers with more than three digits unless they represent SAT scores or years.
• Full-‐time tuition for the 2014–15 is $23,035 per year. • The book, which was published in 2006, has 2,260 pages. • Her combined SAT score was 2200.
Use figures for percentages, decimals, credit hours, GPAs, book sections and pages, ages, distances and dimensions, quantities combining whole numbers and fractions, and when symbols rather than abbreviations are used for units of measure.
• We printed the first draft on 8.5” x 11” paper. • In her third semester, she carried 21 credits and earned a 3.72 GPA. • The answer is found in Chapter 2 on page 31. • Her brother gave $5 to the Cairn Fund. • Her sister gave $1 million to the Cairn Fund. • He is 22 years old. • She ran 3 miles. • She is 5 feet 2 inches tall.
Use the word percent in running text. Use the percent sign in tables, charts, scientific and statistical copy, and some informal and promotional copy. Most importantly, be sure to be consistent throughout a document.
• They spend nearly 60 percent of their budget on printing projects.
Dates
Use the U.S.-‐preferred styling: month, day, and year. Do not use ordinal numbers in dates. When listing a month, day, and year, set off the year with commas. When listing only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas.
• Spring commencement will be held on May 2, 2015. • Undergraduate course registration begins on March 23, 2015, at 8 a.m. • The awards were announced in November 2014.
Fractions
Spell out fractions less than 1, using hyphens between the words.
• Two-‐thirds of the class was late. • A four-‐fifths majority voted in favor of the proposal.
Inclusive Numbers
When dealing with ranges of numbers (such as page numbers and years), carry over all the digits that change and include at least two digits for the second number. Use an en dash rather than a hyphen between the numbers.
• Pages 1,004–05 • 2013–14
Unless the century changes, inclusive years should be styled with only the last two digits of the second number.
• 2007–12, but 1947–2011
In running text, the en dash is not an acceptable substitute for the word to unless the numbers are in parentheses.
• He taught piano from 1972 to 2011. • He taught composition courses at Writing Community College (1992–2002), Reading University
(2000–2010), and The School of Really Liberal Arts (2010–present).
Units of Money
Do not include .00 for even dollar amounts (without cents).
• The student activity fee is $210. • The toner for the printer cost $10.85 cents. • Printing charges are 10 cents per page. • Advancement hopes to raise $1 million for the Cairn Fund by June 30, 2015.
Ordinal Numbers
Spell out ordinal numbers from first to ninth. Do not superscript the letters.
• They placed sixth out of 150 teams competing at the national level. • The 21st was fodder for many imaginative novelists and entrepreneurial visionaries.
Room Numbers
Campus room numbers should be referred to with the abbreviated name of the building and the room number, in that order. Include a space between the abbreviation and the number.
• The Faculty and Staff Prayer Service is held in BL 210. • The office of the magazine editor is in AD 227.
In a Series
Apply the standard guidelines.
• She has 10 nieces, six nephews, and 15 cousins.
Telephone Numbers
Do not put the area code in parentheses, and use periods (not hyphens): 215.702.4315.
Time
Use figures with am or pm (small caps or lowercase letters) to indicate specific times. Use noon and midnight in place of 12 pm and 12 am, respectively, for clarity.
• The ceremony will begin at 10 am. • The meeting starts at 2:30 pm.
Use 4 pm., not 4:00 pm, etc.
Years
Use an s without an apostrophe to indicate spans of decades or centuries.
• the 1800s • the ‘80s
Use the correct placement for A.D. and B.C. (all caps).
• Hannibal died in 183 B.C. • King George IV died in A.D. 1830.
For ranges of dates, see “Inclusive Numbers” in this section.
PUNCTUATION
In General
Use a single space after punctuation at the end of a sentence and after colons and semicolons.
Apostrophes
When indicating the possessive for names, use an apostrophe followed by an s unless the name ends in s.
• Jesus’ blood • Arius’ heresy • Brenda’s ideas • Exception: the campus’s newest addition
With a few exceptions, the possessive of a singular common noun is formed with the addition of an apostrophe and s, and the possessive of a plural noun by the addition of an apostrophe only.
• the horse’s mouth • the puppies’ tails • the children’s program
Do not use an apostrophe to indicate plurals, including the plurals of acronyms and abbreviations, unless confusion would result without the apostrophe (as in the first example).
• There are five s’s in that word. • There are five 5s in that number. • There are six PhDs in that department. • Five NGOs were represented at the conference.
Apostrophes are required for bachelor’s degree and master’s degree.
Avoid apostrophes in titles of events.
• Church Leaders Conference • Kids Day
Colons
Use a colon to introduce a series or a list, especially a list preceded by as follows or the following.
Use a colon to introduce an explanatory phrase or sentence. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence.
• Notice who is in the boat: two figures wearing buckskin trousers and moccasins, an African American, a man in a Scottish bonnet, and a woman.
• In addition to the teacher’s comment, the painting itself was a turning point in Fujimura’s life: “By drawing this painting, I did not realize I would be literally drawing out my life’s calling.”
Commas
In a Series. Cairn uses the Oxford comma: a comma before the conjunction and final element in a series.
• The flag is red, white, and blue. • Master’s degrees are offered in divinity, education, business and leadership, and counseling.
In Complex and Compound Sentences. Use a comma before a conjunction (and, but, or, nor, because, etc.) that introduces an independent clause. Note that you do not need a comma before every conjunction – if what follows the conjunction is not a complete clause, you do not need a comma. See also Nonrestrictive and Parenthetical Phrases.
• The President’s Advisory Council is meeting on Thursday, and the Board of Trustees will arrive on Monday.
• I like to go to soccer games and watch the fans.
With Appositives. Use commas with appositives that are nonrestrictive (not essential to the meaning of the sentence). Do not use a comma with appositives that are restrictive (essential to the noun it belongs to).
• The former dean, Scott Cawood, was promoted to vice president of enrollment and student affairs in 2012.
• Professor Palladino teaches the course American Pop Culture.
With Dates. When listing a month, day, and year, set off the year with commas. When listing only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas.
• Spring commencement will be held on May 2, 2015. • Undergraduate course registration begins on March 23, 2015, at 8 a.m. • The awards were announced in November 2014.
With Introductory Phrases. Use a comma to separate an introductory clause or phrase from the main (independent) clause.
• When students returned to campus after the winter break, they discovered that Bookstore Butler had already delivered their textbooks.
With Nonrestrictive Phrases. Use commas to set off phrases which are non-‐essential to the meaning of the sentence.
• The Global Mission Week, which takes place each January, intends to educate students to view their majors and careers in the context of God’s work around the world.
• My office, located between the President’s and Provost’s offices, gets cold in the winter.
With Names of States and Countries Names of states (or countries) are enclosed in commas when they are preceded by a city (or state).
• The international campus is located in Kandern, Germany, but students fly into Basel, Switzerland. The vast majority of instructors fly in from Philadelphia, PA.
Dashes
En Dashes Use en dashes between inclusive numbers.
• You’ll find the examples on pages 223–26 of your text.
Em Dashes Em dashes are used to denote a sudden break in thought that causes an abrupt change in sentence structure. Set dash with a space on either side.
• How much more robust was every leg of the hike — every view, every water source, every bird and flower and rock and tree — for us who know the One who made and sustains all things!
Ellipses
Use ellipses to indicate that material has been omitted from the middle of a quotation. Do not use ellipses at the beginning or end of a quotation, even if you start or stop in the middle of the quoted sentence. Ellipses are created with three period characters, with one space on either side of each character:
. . . NOT …
• “She gave me a pack of Magic Markers and asked me to copy . . . Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware,” Fujimura recalled.
When the omitted material includes a period, use a period plus ellipses:
• Crouch charged, “We have the dignity of representing something greater than ourselves. . . . This [graduation] is a rehearsal, a practice.”
Hyphens
Most questions about whether to hyphenate can be readily answered by consulting a dictionary. Compound adjectives that precede nouns should be hyphenated when necessary to avoid ambiguity.
• dual-‐level programs • dual-‐degree students • on-‐campus housing • on-‐site medical care • student-‐led initiatives
• on-‐site medical care • second-‐semester freshman • second-‐grade classroom; fifth-‐graders
Do not hyphenate adjective phrases when used without a noun.
• She had a part-‐time job, but her roommate worked full time. • Out-‐of-‐pocket expenses were limited. She could not afford to pay for it out of pocket.
Do not use a hyphen in a compound that begins with an adverb ending in ly.
• This is a highly regarded program.
In general, use a hyphen in compounds beginning with re-‐ only if the word following the prefix begins with an e or if confusion would result (re-‐entrant, re-‐elect, re-‐establish, redo, rewrite, recover/re-‐cover)
Quotation Marks
Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks. Colons and semicolons always go outside quotation marks. With question marks and exclamation points, it depends: If the punctuation is part of the quotation, put it inside the quotation marks; if it’s not part of the quotation, put it outside.
Use quotation marks:
• to indicate the exact words that someone spoke or wrote • the first time you refer to a nickname • when you are introducing an unfamiliar term • around titles of articles, episodes, short stories, book chapters, poems, conference papers,
presentations, musical compositions, essays, pages within a website, and individual blog posts.
Semicolons
Use semicolons to separate closely related independent clauses. Also use to separate items in a series when at least one item contains a comma.
• BOT members at the meeting included Ed Stillman, Chair of the Advancement Committee; Dr. Jean MacFadyen, member of Academic Standards Committee; and Elizabeth Mason Givens.
RELIGIOUS REFERENCES
Scripture
Capitalize all nouns referring to the Bible. Lowercase related adjectives.
• Scripture, the Scriptures, the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God • biblical, scriptural
Capitalize “Gospel” when referring to any or all of the first four books of the New Testament. Lowercase in other references.
• Please open to the Gospel of John… • the synoptic Gospels • Christians should be eager to share the gospel.
Do not say, “The Bible should guide their studies and careers.” The Bible should be presented at the core, not just as a guide.
Deity
Most pronouns (He/Him/His, Thee/Thou/Thine/Thy, You/Your/Yours) are capitalized when referring to God (or any of the three persons of the Trinity). Who/whom/whose are not capitalized when referring to God.
• Praise God from whom all blessing flow. Praise His name!
Lowercase words such as godliness and godsend.
Church
Capitalize as the formal name of a building, a congregation, or a denomination; lowercase in other uses.
• Cornerstone Community Church • the Roman Catholic Church • a Roman Catholic church • the Catholic and Episcopal churches • the universal church
Lowercase in phrases where the church is used in an institutional sense.
• She believes in the separation of church and state. • The pope said the church opposes abortion.
Lowercase churchgoer.
Life of Christ
Capitalize the names of major events in the life of Jesus Christ in references that do not use His name.
• The doctrines of the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension are central to Christian belief.
Use lowercase when the words are used with His name:
• The ascension of Jesus into heaven took place 40 days after His resurrection from the dead.
Religious Titles
The first reference to a clergyman normally should include a capitalized title before the individual’s name. On second reference, use only a last name.
• the Rev. Billy Graham (on first reference); Graham (on second reference)
Use the Rev. Dr. only if the individual has an earned doctoral degree (doctor of divinity degrees frequently are honorary) and reference to the degree is relevant.
Do not routinely use pastor before an individual’s name.
Sacraments
Capitalize proper names for rites that commemorate the Last Supper:
• the Lord’s Supper • Holy Communion • Holy Eucharist
Lowercase the names of other sacraments (baptism, matrimony, etc.).
Word List
angel -‐ lowercase apostle – lowercase biblical -‐ lowercase devil -‐ lowercase fellowshipping (two p’s) godly -‐ lowercase Hades heaven/heavens/heavenly -‐ lowercase hell -‐ lowercase priest Satan scriptural – lowercase the Scriptures – capitalize
the Word – capitalized when referring to the Bible worshiping (one “p” – American spelling)
TITLES OF PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND REPORTS
Titles of books, periodicals, journals, movies, television and radio programs, musicals, plays, long poems, works of art, and campus publications are styled italic with initial caps. (See Capitalization for more information.)
Titles of articles, episodes, short stories, book chapters, poems, conference papers, presentations, musical compositions, and essays are styled roman (nonitalicized) and enclosed in quotation marks.
Titles of forms, reports, workshops, conferences, etc., are set in roman text with initial caps.
Titles of websites are styled roman and without quotation marks or underlining; pages within a website are placed in quotation marks. Titles of blogs and podcasts are italicized; individual blog entries are placed in quotation marks.
• “New Every Morning” was the feature story in the Centennial issue of Cairn magazine. • Complete the Residency Certification Form shortly after moving to avoid paying year-‐end taxes. • The online version of Cairn magazine can be found at magazine.cairn.edu. • Dr. Brian Luther, associate professor in the School of Divinity, presented a paper at the 66th
Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on October 20th. The title of the paper was “Reading the Song of Songs as Scripture: The Necessity of Intertexts.”