Writing for SCHEV Audiences: A Style Guide · Avoid: There are many institutions of higher learning...

Revised - April 2019

Writing for SCHEV Audiences:

A Style Guide

Includes a Reference Guide

CONTENTS

Ways to Write with Impact 2

Best Practice: Proofreading 7

Proofing Checklist 7

SCHEV Reference Guide 8

SCHEV Style Guide – March 2019

STATE COUNCIL OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR VIRGINIA 2

WAYS TO WRITE WITH IMPACT

Use these principles to write clearly and effectively. Italicized examples follow many of

the explanations.

1. Prepare before you write.

Identify your audience. (Who will read it? What do they already know about

your topic, if anything?)

What do they want to know? What do you want them to know?

What is the most important point (or two or three points) you want the

audience to know and understand after they have read your document?

Your audience must understand your main message(s). Do not assume they

understand the material at the same high level as you do, or at all. A good rule of

thumb is to write for an eighth-grade audience, meaning use words (not acronyms)

that an eighth grader can comprehend (e.g., no industry jargon or multi-syllabic

words). Also, look at your message from the audience’s perspective to see if it

addresses their potential questions and concerns.

2. Define your purpose and lead with it.

Lead with the most important information first (at the beginning, rather than the

end, of the document). Journalists often use this “inverted pyramid” style.

Example: In-state undergraduate students at Virginia's four-year universities can expect to

pay anywhere between $9,056 and $23,400 in tuition and all mandatory fees for

the 2018-19 academic year. Students at Virginia’s two-year institutions will pay

$4,620 at the Community Colleges and $8,100 at Richard Bland College. These

figures represent an average increase of $612 (5.1%) over the previous year.

Expected increases in average room and board fees are $365 (3.5%).

Example: Virginians missed out on millions in grants and loans for college this year, simply

because they did not fill out a form. As a result, Virginia’s high school class of

2017 left on the table an estimated $53 million in potential student aid last year.

Many of those students may have fallen for common myths about the Free

Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.



3. Write logically and rationally. Include headers and bullets to direct the reader to

what is most important.

Help your reader move easily through your document by presenting information in

a clear and organized way:

Simplify complex subjects by using general language and avoiding acronyms.

Take advantage of headers and bullets to present lists of important items.

Use white space to avoid a “crowded,” text-heavy document.

Construct bullets in a parallel manner. (See the parallel construction entry in the

Reference Guide for additional examples.)

Example: Virginia’s system of higher education is among the nation’s strongest. However,

lack of stability and predictability in state funding place the system at risk. SCHEV identified

eight policy options to allow for more efficient use of funding that leads to more predictability

in tuition and fees for students and parents. Some examples include:

Authorizing institutions explicitly to retain annual balances in a reserve fund.

Expanding out-of-state enrollments to increase revenues and support the system.

Reducing increases in non-education related mandatory fees, such as athletics,

transportation and student life, from the current cap of 5% to 3% or less annually.

4. Focus on one idea per paragraph. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence.

An effective paragraph contains three key elements:

A topic sentence that introduces the main idea of each paragraph.

Support sentences that provide additional information on the topic.

Transitional words and phrases that show how ideas relate to each other and that

help take the reader smoothly from one idea to another.



Introduce the main idea of each paragraph with a topic sentence that is specific and

clear. Provide supporting information through the other sentences within the

paragraph. Use connecting words (however, also, or in addition), pronouns that refer

to the previous noun (Mr. Brown responded to the request. He suggested…) and words

that show progression (first, second, third).

Example: Recognizing high tuition and fees, Virginia embraced an approach to

increase financial aid for students with demonstrated need. For example, in

2016-17, Virginia undergraduate students at public institutions received more

than $856 million in grants and scholarships. For the 2018-20 biennium Virginia

appropriated $29.3 million in additional support for undergraduate, need-based

student aid.

5. Be precise and use clear, specific language.

Choose simple words over longer, more complex ones. Limit adjectives and adverbs.

Avoid jargon and technical terms that your audience may not understand. Eliminate

acronyms unless widely understood. See the Reference Guide for examples.

Avoid: Students who are willing to work hard usually graduate from college.

Stronger: Students willing to work hard usually graduate from college.

Avoid beginning sentences with “there is” or “there are.” Rewording these sentences

makes them more interesting and straightforward.

Avoid: There are many institutions of higher learning in Virginia.

Stronger: Virginia is home to many institutions of higher learning.

6. Write with an appropriate and positive tone for the audience and the subject.

Write in a professional and conversational way; i.e., use plain language that sounds

business-like without being stuffy or too informal. Avoid pretentious and overly

formal wording. Also, use active verbs. (See entry No. 7 below for additional

examples.)



Avoid: Enclosed please find attached the plethora of information that was

requested. In the event that you may have questions, you may contact our

office at your convenience.

Stronger: Here is the information you requested. If you would like additional

information, please call our office.

7. Use active voice (vs. passive voice).

Write in active voice to communicate ideas directly and concisely and to show

accountability. Minimize the use of “to be” verbs; e.g., am, is, are, was, were, and been.

Versions of the “to be” verb weaken the impact of your writing. See the Use active

voice entry for additional examples.

Passive Voice: All students have been notified of the December deadline.

Active Voice: Our office notified students concerning the December deadline.

8. Write concisely using short paragraphs and sentences.

Aim for paragraphs of no more than 3-5 sentences and sentences with no more than

15-20 words.

Example: Each year, students enroll in an institution and do not return. For some

students, they may incur student debt and have no degree. Based on

SCHEV analysis of 2012-13 student dropouts, 10% of students who

enroll for the first time in a public or private non-profit college in Virginia

do not return after the first year. Of these students, 40% have loans with

an average debt amount of $8,036.

Example: The Council meets six times per year, and all meetings are open to the

public. Three meetings occur in Richmond at the SCHEV offices, two on a

public college campus on a rotating basis, and one at a private institution.

In addition, the Council typically holds a joint meeting once a year with

the public college presidents.

Use paragraph breaks to break up large blocks of text and make your document

easier to read.



9. Proof your documents carefully using the techniques below. (Also, refer to the

Proofing Checklist on p. 7.)

Read aloud.

Print and proofread a hard copy.

Read it in reverse. Begin at the bottom of the page and move up, or begin on the

right and move to the left. This will force you to focus on each word.

Distance yourself. Put the writing aside for a little while. When you come back

and proof it, you will be better able to see it more objectively and critically.

Ask someone else to take an objective look at your writing.

Pay specific attention to sensitive areas such as name spellings, company

spellings, job titles, etc.

10. Avoid using SCHEV’s “Forbidden Words and Phrases.”

Avoid using these business jargon or “corporate speak” phrases. This type of

language can be annoying and confusing to the reader. Instead, use clear, specific

and simple words to make your point.

As you know Low-hanging fruit Thinking outside the box

Clearly Paradigm shift Utilize

Degree mill/visa

mill

Proactive Wheel house

Deliverables Push the envelope

Empower Reach out

Finalize Schools (as a substitute for college or university)

Holistic Sentences beginning with There is/are

In the weeds Take it offline



BEST PRACTICE: PROOFREADING & CHECKLIST

To ensure accuracy and consistency of messaging, a cross-unit peer review of any

document distributed to an external audience (e.g., website, partners, other agencies,

etc.), should occur before circulating.

Please send your document to either the communications department or another

trusted proofreader outside your division.

Proofing Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure consistent standards.

PROOFING TIPS

• Begin by proofing the body of the text. Then proof headings separately.

• Read it aloud and/or read it back to front.

• Focus on spelling of words. (Do not rely on spell check; it misses words and

punctuation!)

• Use a blank sheet of paper to cover the part of the document not yet proofed.

• Do not proof for every type of mistake at one time – proof once for spelling,

once for missing/additional words, once for consistency of word usage, once

for font sizes, etc.

• Check to ensure you did not use any of the Forbidden Words!

NOTE: Use the agency templates to ensure fonts, colors, headers, line spacing, logo

usage, etc., are correct.


STATE COUNCIL OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR VIRGINIA

8

SCHEV REFERENCE GUIDE

SCHEV adheres to the AP Stylebook with a few exceptions. This reference guide answers common questions about style

and highlights exceptions to AP Style. For more information on AP Style, refer to The Associated Press Stylebook or contact

Laura Osberger for a digital version.

Style Rules Examples

abbreviations and

acronyms

Using these shortcuts often results in jargon-filled,

hard-to-understand text. Write the official name of a

program or organization and follow it with an

acronym in parentheses (exception to AP style).

Exceptions apply for agencies or acronyms with near-

universal public recognition.

We contacted the college’s accreditor, the

National Accrediting Commission of

Career Arts & Sciences (NACCAS).

About 4,000 students applied for the 42

spots at Virginia Tech Carilion School of

Medicine. The college's first class will

arrive at the end of July.

the FBI, IRS and CIA, RSVP

academic degrees Do not precede a name with a courtesy or

professional title and follow it with an abbreviation

for the degree in the same reference. Use Ph.D. only

after a full name: See also the Dr. entry.

Use correct spelling and apostrophes as shown in the

examples at right.

Joseph G. DeFilippo, Ph.D.

Not: Dr. Joseph G. DeFilippo, Ph.D.

associate degree (no possessive)

baccalaureate degree

bachelor’s degree, bachelor’s, Bachelor of

Arts, B.A., B.S.

master’s degree, master’s, Master of

Science; M.A., M.S., MFA, MBA



9

When used after a name, use commas to set off an

academic abbreviation.

Joseph G. DeFilippo, Ph.D., spoke at the

conference.

academic departments Use lowercase except for words that are proper

nouns or adjectives or when using the full official

and formal name.

Capitalize the names of language departments.

the department of history

the University of Virginia Department of

Political Science

the English and Spanish departments

active voice

Write in active voice to communicate ideas directly

and concisely and to show accountability. In active

voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action.

In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted

upon. The sentence construction requires some form

of the verb “to be” (e.g., is, are, was, were, be or been)

with the past participle (for regular verbs, add –ed).

Passive: Many languages are spoken by

SCHEV employees.

Active: Many SCHEV employees speak

more than one language.

Passive: Ninety-five percent of high

school dual enrollment activity is

produced at the Virginia Community

College System.

Active: The Virginia Community College

System produces 95% of high school dual

enrollment activity.

bulleted lists

Use a sentence to introduce the bulleted information.

Capitalize the first word in each bullet item.

Bulleted lists are useful because they:

Focus attention on important

details.

Provide white space, making it

easier for the reader to understand

the information.



10

Punctuate each bullet as if it was a sentence, even if it

is not one.

Keep each bullet consistent with the introductory

clause and use parallel construction. (See parallel

construction entry in this reference guide for

additional information.)

Organize the information into its

most important components.

capitalization Capitalize proper nouns that identify specific people,

places or things.

Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division,

board, program, sections, unit, etc., unless the word is

part of a formal name.

Capitalize regions and cities.

See titles and other entries in this reference guide for

additional information.

The citizens of the Commonwealth of

Virginia.

The federal government’s three branches

include the executive, legislative and

judicial.

Northern Virginia, Eastern Shore,

Southwest Virginia (but southwestern

Virginia in general descriptions)

colon vs. semicolon Use a colon to introduce a formal statement, a long

quotation or to introduce an illustrating item or series

of items.

Also, use a colon after the salutation of a business

letter.

The Commencement speaker stated: “The

time has come.”

Certain imports rose sharply: steel, cars

and electronic equipment.

Dear President Rowe:



11

Use a semicolon between independent clauses not

joined by a coordinating conjunction and between

independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb

(however, indeed, nevertheless and so forth). Place a

comma after the adverb.

Also, use a semicolon to replace the comma in

separating elements of a series if the elements

themselves contain commas.

Summer is almost gone; winter is coming.

Summer is almost gone; however, winter

is coming.

The tour of capital cities included Vaduz,

Liechtenstein; Luxembourg,

Luxembourg; San Marino, San Marino;

and Andorra, Andorra.

commas Use a comma when two clauses, which could stand

alone as separate sentences, are joined by a

conjunction such as and, but or for.

Use commas to separate items in a series. Do not put

a comma, often referred to as an Oxford or serial

comma, before the conjunction in a simple series.

se a comma to separate an introductory clause or

phrase from the main clause.

Use a comma with the words “Yes” and “No.”

Use a comma when directly addressing someone in

writing.

More recipients are women and minority

students, but the gap is closing.

The reports provide information on the

number of graduates by domicile status,

gender and race over five years.

While the report is not complete, 11

institutions appear on track to meet the

deadline.

Yes, I will be there.

No, sir, I did complete the application.

Delegate Jones, please attend Tuesday’s

committee meeting.



12

Commonwealth, the Capitalize Commonwealth as part of the formal name

of Virginia or as a synonym for Virginia (exception to

AP Style).

The Commonwealth of Virginia has a

long and noble history of higher

education.

Citizens of the Commonwealth will vote

tomorrow.

contractions Spell out contractions in formal writing, such as

reports, but not necessarily in informal writing, such

as emails.

Incorrect: “We don’t recommend taking

that action.”

Correct: We do not recommend taking

that action.”

data Always plural (exception to AP style). The data are clear.

The data indicate an increase in tuition

and fees.

dates, days, months

and times

Capitalize and spell out all days and months

(exception to AP style).

Do not use st, nd, rd or th when writing numbers.

When writing a month and year, do not separate with

a comma.

Wednesday

We will meet on the fourth Monday of

the month.

We will meet in November 2018.

When writing a month, date and year, add a comma

before and after the year.

We will meet on Monday, November 28,

2018, at SCHEV’s office in Richmond.

We will meet from noon until 4:30 p.m.



13

Use numbers for times except for noon and midnight.

delegate Spell out in all uses.

Capitalize when it precedes

a name.

The delegate from Albemarle

Delegate Marcus Simon

Dr. Avoid overuse.

May use as a title for all people holding doctorates,

not just medical doctors (exception to AP Style).

VCU President Michael Rao, who holds a

doctorate in higher education

administration, will attend today’s

session.

Michael Rao, Ph.D.

Occasionally: Dr. Rao

e.g., E.g., means “for example.” A semi-colon precedes it,

and a comma follows it.

See also “i.e.,” entry.

Students have the potential opportunity

to reduce the time it takes to obtain an

undergraduate credential; e.g., diploma,

certificate or degree at the postsecondary

level.

fewer vs. less Use fewer if you are referring to people or things in

the plural (e.g., houses, newspapers, dogs, students,

children).

Use less when you are referring to something that

cannot be counted or does not have a plural (e.g.,

money, air, time, music, rain).

People these days are buying fewer

newspapers.

Fewer students are opting to study

science-related subjects.

It’s a better job, but they pay you less

money.



14

Less than is also used with numbers when they are on

their own and with expressions of measurement or

time.

People want to spend less time in traffic

jams.

His weight fell from 200 pounds to less

than 175 pounds.

She served in the General Assembly for

less than 10 years.

Fiscal Year The 12-month period that a corporation or

governmental body uses for bookkeeping purposes.

Virginia’s fiscal year is July 1 through June 30. Fiscal

year is abbreviated FY.

In FY 2018, the Virginia Community

College System and the Southern

Virginia Higher Education Center

offered training aligned to high-demand

occupations and fields as identified by

the Virginia Board for Workforce

Development.

FTE In higher education, FTE refers to Full-Time

Equivalent (not full-time employee), a unit to

measure students in a way that makes them

comparable, although they may work or study a

different number of hours per week.

Governor Spell out and capitalize in all uses (exception to AP

Style).

The Governor attended the meeting.

The first speaker was Governor Ralph

Northam.



15

General Assembly

Capitalize in all uses.

The 1992 General Assembly established

the Virginia Guaranteed Assistance

Program in Section 23-38.53:4 of the

Code of Virginia.

House of Delegates Capitalize in all uses. There are 100 members in Virginia’s

House of Delegates

hyphen

AP Style states the fewer hyphens the better.

Use hyphens as “joiners” to avoid ambiguity or to

form a single idea from two or more words. When

two or more words express a single idea, use hyphens

to link all the words in the compound.

Words hyphenated before a noun generally do not

use a hyphen when they occur after a noun.

Do not use hyphens with common phrases such as

high school student, higher education institution or

postsecondary education. Refer to an up-to-date

dictionary for specific word entries.

No hyphen is used with very or adverbs ending in –ly.

The first-quarter results are available.

There are many time-consuming tasks

for faculty, staff and students at the

beginning of the academic year.

The institution has many part-time jobs

available to students. Most students

prefer to work part time.

The team made an effort to complete the

incredibly difficult task on time.



16

i.e., i.e., means, “that is (to say)” or “in other words.” A

semi-colon precedes it, and a comma follows it.

See also “e.g.,” entry.

Some students graduate with the

occasional D or F; i.e., they are able to

graduate despite failing a class.

institution names On first reference, use the full name then follow with

the acronym.

Do not use periods between the letters in the

abbreviations.

Public Institutions

Christopher Newport University, CNU

the College of William & Mary, W&M

George Mason University, GMU

James Madison University, JMU

Longwood University, LU

Norfolk State University, NSU

Old Dominion University, ODU

Radford University, RU

Richard Bland College, RBC

the University of Mary Washington,

UMW

the University of Virginia, UVa

the University of Virginia’s College at

Wise, UVa-Wise

Virginia Commonwealth University,

VCU

Virginia’s Community Colleges OR the

Virginia Community College System,

VCCS

Virginia Military Institute, VMI

Virginia State University, VSU

Virginia Tech, VT



17

Private, Nonprofit Institutions (sample)

Averett University (Averett)

Bluefield College (Bluefield)

Bridgewater College (Bridgewater)

Eastern Mennonite University (EMU)

Emory & Henry College (EHC)

Ferrum College (Ferrum)

George Washington University (GWU)

Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC)

Hampton University (Hampton)

Hollins University (Hollins)

Liberty University (LU)

Mary Baldwin University (MBC)

Marymount University (Marymount)

Randolph-Macon College (R-MC)

Regent University (Regent)

Roanoke College (Roanoke College)

Shenandoah University (Shenandoah)

Sweet Briar College (SBC)

the University of Lynchburg (Lynchburg

U.)

the University of Richmond (UR)

Virginian Union University (VUU)

Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU

Washington & Lee (W&L)



18

months Spell out the name of each month (exception to AP

Style).

When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not

separate the year with commas.

When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off

the year with commas.

See also dates, days, months and times and years

entries.

His birthday is August 14, 2013.

Governor Northam took office in January

2017.

She testified that it was December 3,

2017, when the crash occurred.

names Use a person’s first and last name the first time

mentioned. On second reference, use only the last

name with a professional or courtesy title; e.g., Dean,

Mr. or Ms.

Tod Massa started at SCHEV in 2001. As

policy analytics director, Mr. Massa

oversees the development of …

numbers Spell out numbers one through nine.

Use numerals for 10 and above and before a unit of

measure or when referring to ages and dates.

Spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence,

except years.

He waited five years and 10 months.

On December 3, he will be 9.

One hundred employees received

information concerning changes to the

benefit plan.

2018 was a banner year for first-time

college student enrollment.



19

Use numerals with million, billion or trillion unless

the exact figure is important.

1 million

1.5 million

300 million

2 billion

It cost $3,456,789.01.

The program’s training completion rate

reached 93.6%.

Outstanding Faculty

Awards

Spell out on first reference. Use OFA on second

reference.

The Dominion Foundation sponsored

last year’s Outstanding Faculty Awards

(OFA). The OFA event recognized 13

recipients.

parallel construction,

parallel structure

Use similar sentence and bullet structures to express

similar ideas. Begin each bullet with a similar word

(verb, noun, etc.)

Within a sentence, express matching ideas in

similar ways.

Oversee the application process.

Allocate awards to students.

Determine final eligibility for

federal, state and institutional

financial aid.

Not Parallel: Working for a university is

interesting, challenging and offers

rewards.

Parallel: Working for a university is

interesting, challenging and rewarding.

percent, percentage Use the percent symbol (%) rather than spelling

out (exception to AP Style).

The score rose 56%.



20

Spell out percentage. This year’s score was 14 percentage

points above last year’s score.

plural possessives Add only an apostrophe to plural nouns ending in s.

For singular common nouns ending in s, add ’s unless

the next word begins with s.

The schools’ needs, states’ rights, the

VIPs’ entrance.

The hostess’s invitation, the hostess’

seat, the witness’s answer, the witness’

story.

podium, lectern One stands on a podium, dais or rostrum and behind

(or at) a lectern.

postsecondary No hyphen in postsecondary. He selected the University of Richmond

for his postsecondary education.

report titles Capitalize and italicize the proper titles of studies and

reports.

He referred to the Advancing Virginia:

Access, Alignment, Investment report.

SCHEV, fonts, colors

and logos

Approved fonts are Palatino and Franklin Gothic.

The Intranet contains templates and instructions for

how to use SCHEV’s specific fonts, colors and logo.

Visit the Communications section of the

Intranet for more info.

Senate Capitalize in all uses. If referring to the U.S. Senate, it

may be necessary to add U.S. to avoid confusion.

The Virginia Senate elected to send a

delegation to Washington, D.C., to speak

to a U.S. Senate subcommittee on higher

education.



21

senator Spell out in all uses (an exception to AP).

When referring to members of the U.S. Senate,

include U.S.

Lowercase unless used before a name.

Senator Siobhan Dunnavant

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine

The senator voted “present.”

sentence length Use short, simple sentence structures for ease of

reading. Aim for no more than 15-20 words per

sentence.

spaces after periods,

colons or semicolons

Use only one space between two sentences (not two).

split infinitives Avoid awkward constructions that split infinitive

forms of a verb.

Incorrect: She had to immediately leave

on an assignment.

Correct: She had to leave immediately on

assignment.

Incorrect: Everyone needs to fully

understand the reference guide.

Correct: Everyone needs to understand

fully the reference guide.

staff When referring to the agency as a whole or as a

section, staff is singular.

Incorrect: SCHEV staff expect to be

there.

Correct: SCHEV staff expects to be there.



22

State Council of

Higher Education for

Virginia, Council,

Committee

Use full name on first reference; SCHEV or Council

on further references.

Capitalize as a proper noun when used as a synonym

for the 13 members appointed by the Governor of the

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

When referring to a specific committee use the full

title on first reference and then use either lower case

committee or the appropriate acronym.

In a 9-4 vote, Council approved the

change.

The Instructional Programs Advisory

Committee (IPAC) meets monthly. The

committee includes chief academic

officers of the 15 four-year, state-

supported colleges and universities,

Richard Bland College and the Virginia

Community College System.

telephone numbers When writing a phone number, use the following

format: 804-225-2600.

SCHEV’s main number is 804-225-2600.

titles Capitalize full, formal titles when used before a

name; lowercase if the title comes after the name.

Senior Vice President for Academic

Affairs Jerry Benson attended the

meeting.

Jerry Benson, senior vice president for

academic affairs, attended the meeting.

Virginia Spell out in all publication usage. Do not use VA or

Va. other than in mailing addresses or tabular

material.



23

Virginia Plan for

Higher Education, The

Virginia’s strategic plan for higher education.

Capitalize The in The Virginia Plan for Higher Education

and The Virginia Plan but not in the plan.

SCHEV is implementing The Virginia Plan

for Higher Education, the state’s strategic

plan.

The General Assembly approved The

Virginia Plan, the Commonwealth’s guide

for higher education.

years

When a phrase refers to a month and day within

the current year, do not include the year.

If the reference is to a past or future year, include

the year and set it off with commas.

Use an “s” without an apostrophe to indicate

spans of decades or centuries.

When writing a compound number, use the full

year, followed by a hyphen and only the last half

of the second number.

We will meet on June 26.

February 14, 2025, is the target date.

the 1890s, the 1980s.

The 2017-18 annual report is on the

website.

The General Assembly approved the

Governor’s 2018-20 biennium budget.

ZIP code All capitals. It is an acronym for Zoning

Improvement Plan.

SCHEV’s ZIP code is 23219.

Writing for SCHEV Audiences: A Style Guide · Avoid: There are many institutions of higher learning...

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