- abbreviations
In running text, use the traditional abbreviations for states when they appear in conjunction with a city, and spell out when they stand alone.
He lives in Pennsylvania, but plans to move to Tacoma, Wash.
The company is based in, New Jersey.
Academic degrees following a person's name are abbreviated and include periods with no spaces. Abbreviations are set off by commas.
Don Jones, Ph.D., has joined the faculty.
Astronomy professor Don Jones and his team are studying the origin of black holes.
When a civil or military title is used before a last name, it should be spelled out. With full names, the title should be abbreviated. Do not use the title on second reference, except in quoted material.
Gen. Tommy Franks
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY (or describe party affiliation in context)
Gen. Tommy Franks is leading the mission. Franks described the situation as "tense," but his aide explained, "If there is a man for this task, it's General Franks."
Abbreviate and capitalize Co. and Corp. and Inc. and Ltd., and do not precede with a comma. These abbreviations are not necessary when the company name is familiar and the context is clear.
The abbreviation U.S. is to be used as an adjective only. As a noun, United States is spelled out.
Do not abbreviate street addresses in running text. Exceptions are the abbreviations NW, NE, SE, and SW used in some street addresses.
The construction on Wilson Boulevard will continue until March.
Do not use "UR" as an abbreviation for the University in general publications. A few exceptions for graphic reasons or as a play on words have been sanctioned.
- academic degrees
When the listing of academic credentials with a person's name is standard practice (for example, in official bulletins of the University), the abbreviations for the credentials should be listed after the name and be set off by commas.
John Jones, Ph.D., Duke University
Sarah Smith, M.Phil., Cambridge University
In most University publications, the abbreviated title Dr. should not be used to indicate a person's credentials in a field. Many style guides—particularly guides intended for use by the news media—recommend restricting the use of the abbreviation only to those who hold medical degrees (a distinction followed, for example, in news releases written by University Public Relations), but in an institution such as the University, that can seem like an arbitrary limitation. On the other hand, using Dr. before the name of all who hold medical doctor degrees and doctorates is cumbersome for readers.
Instead, University style recommends that in most instances, a person's credentials can and should be noted within the context of the publication, typically close to the first appearance of the person's name.
Jennifer Johnson, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Strong Memorial Hospital, performed the procedure.
Arnold Smith, a professor of pediatrics, met the family in the child's room.
Cynthia Jones, who holds a doctorate in toxicology, read the results.
History professor Don James and his team are studying the origins of black holes.
Plurals of academic degrees do not take an apostrophe.
B.A.s, B.S.s, Ph.D.s
Bachelor of Arts | B.A. |
Bachelor of Music | B.M. |
Bachelor of Science | B.S. |
Master of Arts | M.A. |
Master of Arts in Teaching | M.A.T. |
Master of Public Health | M.P.H |
Master of Science | M.S. |
Master of Business Administration | M.B.A. |
Master of Science in Nursing | M.S.N. |
Master of Music | M.M. |
Medical Doctor | M.D. |
Doctor of Dental Surgery | D.D.S. |
Doctor of Philosophy | Ph.D. |
Doctor of Musical Arts | D.M.A. |
Doctor of Education | Ed.D. |
Doctor of Pharmacy | D.Pharm. |
- academic departments
Do not abbreviate to "dept."
Department of Biology
biology department
Department of English
English department
- acronyms and initialisms
Use full caps and no periods for acronyms and initialisms, with the exceptions noted in this style guide. In general, do not use acronyms on first reference for University organizations, committees, etc. There are some exceptions for nationally known organizations.
FBI, CIA, NASA
- A.D.
Precedes the year, no comma.
The skeleton dates to A.D. 800.
C.E. (Common Era) is also acceptable usage.
- addresses
Do not abbreviate street addresses in running text. Exceptions are the abbreviations NW, NE, SE, and SW used in some street addresses.
The construction on Wilson Boulevard will continue until March.
In running text, use the traditional abbreviations for states when they appear in conjunction with a city, and spell out when they stand alone.
He lives in Pennsylvania, but plans to move to Tacoma, Wash.
The company is based in New Jersey.
- alumni, alumnus
When discussing an alumnus with multiple degrees from the University, list the degrees in the order in which they were received, with abbreviations following the graduate degrees.
"You have to drink tea everywhere, all day," says Pelin Aylangan ’90, ’98S (MBA), an expert on tea and Turkish culture.
- a.m.
See time.
- B.A., B.S., and B.M.
See academic degrees.
- B.C.
Follows year or century; no comma.
painted in the ninth century B.C.
died in 12,500 B.C.
B.C.E. (Before Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era) are also acceptable usage.
- biblical references
In citing passages from the Bible, use book, chapter, and verse; roman type, no abbreviations.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Proverbs 3:5-11
- CD
Acronym for compact disc is acceptable on first reference when referring to audio/music discs. Do not refer to CD-ROMs as CDs.
- CD–ROM
Acronym for compact disc–read-only memory is acceptable on first reference when referring to discs that store data and/or software. Do not refer to CDs as CD–ROMS.
- Center for Optoelectronics and Imaging
Located on the South Campus. May be abbreviated COI on second reference.
- coed
May be used as an adjective as an abbreviation of coeducational, meaning the education of both sexes at the same institution. Do NOT use as a noun to refer to a female student.
- company names
Abbreviate and capitalize Co. and Corp. and Inc. and Ltd. and L.L.P, and do not precede with a commas. These abbreviations are not necessary when the company name is familiar and the context is clear.
The panel will be led by Xerox chairman Anne Mulchahy.
- courses
Course names are capitalized. Course numbers are all caps with no periods.
Women in Early Modern Europe
HIS 447
- cox-2
Lowercase. Use on first reference and provide context later in publication. The full name of the enzyme is cyclooxygenase-2.
cox-2 inhibitors; cox-2 enzyme
- curriculum vitae
A summary of professional and educational experiences, usually used by academics. More complete than a resumé. No italics. Can be abbreviated as C.V. when the context is clear.
- Dr.
See academic degrees.
- DVD
Has stood for both digital video disk and digital versatile disc. Acronym
is acceptable in first reference to movie format. Do not use DVDs to refer
to DVD-ROMs. DVD-ROMs store music, movies, or software and are played in the
DVD-ROM drive of a computer.
-
- Eastman School of Music
May be shortened to "Eastman School" on second reference, but not to simply "Eastman." Do not abbreviate to ESM in formal writing.
- faculty
Do not use the abbreviation "prof." when referring to faculty.
- FAQ
Stands for Frequently Asked Questions. Can use this abbreviation on first reference in running text or as a heading in electronic or print publications.
- GED
General equivalency diploma. No periods. Acceptable on second reference.
- GPA
Grade point average. No periods. Acceptable on second reference
He had a 3.4 grade point average in high school.
- Graduate Living Center Maisonettes
Graduate student residences located on the South Campus. May be abbreviated
to GLC Maisonettes.
- GRE
Graduate Record Exam. No periods. Acceptable on second reference.
- HIV
Stands for human immunodeficiency virus. "HIV virus" is redundant.
- honorific titles
Use the honorifics Miss, Mr., Mrs., and Ms. only in quotes. When it is necessary to distinguish family members from one another, use first names rather than honorifics.
The Smiths agreed that John would support the family while Jane went to graduate school.
- Inc.
Abbreviate and capitalize; do not set off with commas. This abbreviation is not necessary when the company name is familiar and the context is clear.
- initials
When a person uses initials for their first name, the initials are followed by periods and a space.
H. L. Mencken
W. E. B. DuBois
- Information Technology Services
May be abbreviated as ITS on second reference.
- IT
Information technology. Do not use this abbreviation in general text. Acceptable as part of the proper name or a group or organization.
- Jr.
Do not set off with commas.
Sammy Davis Jr.
- Laboratory for Laser Energetics
Located on the South Campus. LLE is acceptable on second reference. Can also be referred to as "Laser Lab" in informal writing.
- M.A., M.S., M.M., M.B.A., M.A.T., M.P.H., M.S.E., M.S.N.
See academic degrees.
- M.D.
See academic degrees.
- Memorial Art Gallery
Always capitalized. May be referred to as "the art gallery" when the context is clear. Avoid the abbreviation MAG in running text.
- military titles
When a civil or military title is used before a last name, it should be spelled out. With full names, the title should be abbreviated. Do not use title on second reference, except in quoted material.
Gen. Tommy Franks
Gen. Tommy Franks is leading the mission. Franks described the situation as "tense," but his aide explained, "If there is a man for this task, it's General Franks."
- months
Do not abbreviate the months of the year in running text.
The events of December 7, 1941, will long live in infamy.
BUT if the day is not specified then there is no comma before or after the year.
The events of December 1941 will long live in infamy.
- Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss
See honorific titles.
- Mt. Hope Campus
Always capitalized. Always abbreviated Mt.
- New York
In running text, spell out the name of the state when it appears alone; abbreviate as N.Y. when it appears in conjunction with a city.
He just moved to New York.
He just moved to Geneseo, N.Y.
In complete postal addresses, abbreviate as NY.
When there is a confusion as to whether the state or the city is meant, write New York State or New York City. Do not overuse this construction; the context of the sentence should make it clear which is meant.
See states.
- p.m.
See time.
- PC
Acceptable for both personal computer and political correctness when the
context is clear.
- Ph.D.
See academic degrees.
- plurals
-
LETTERS: Add s to multiple letters.
ABCs, PACs, HMOs, Ph.D.s, M.A.s
Add 's to single letters.
She got all A's this semester.
- professor
See faculty.
- SAT
Scholastic Assessment Tests. May be abbreviated on first reference when the context is clear.
Her SAT scores were very impressive.
- School of Medicine and Dentistry
Capitalize when complete official name is used. Do not capitalize references
to "the medical school." Do not abbreviate as SMD in formal writing.
- ships
Names of ships are in italics, but not the abbreviations: SS, USS, HMS, etc.
The president landed on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln.
- states
In general University style,
use the traditional abbreviations for states when they appear in conjunction with a
city, and spell out when they stand alone.
He lives in Pennsylvania, but plans to move to Tacoma, Wash.
Traditional state abbreviations |
STATE NAME | ABBREVIATION |
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming |
Ala. none Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo. Conn. Del. D.C. Fla. Ga. none none Ill. Ind. none Kan. Ky. La. none Md. Mass. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont. Neb. Nev. N.H. N.J. N.M. N.Y. N.C. N.D. none Okla. Ore. Pa. R.I. S.C. S.D. Tenn. none none Vt. Va. Wash. W.Va. Wis. Wyo. |
- Strong Memorial Hospital
Located on the Medical Center campus, Strong Memorial Hospital is the main clinical component for the Strong Health network and for clinical education at the School of Medicine and Dentistry and the School of Nursing. Can be referred to as Strong on second reference. Do not abbreviate as SMH in formal
writing.
- time
Use figures for clock time and for hours, minutes, seconds, days, weeks, months and years greater than nine.
3 p.m.; 5:30 a.m.; 6 o'clock; 18 years
- University Athletic Association
Athletic association of which the University is a member. May be abbreviated UAA on second reference.
- UR
Do not use an an abbreviation for the University in general publications. A few exceptions for graphic reasons or as a play on words have been sanctioned.
- URL
Universal Resource Locator. Synonymous with Web address. Always abbreviated.
- U.S.
Use abbreviation as an adjective only. As a noun, spell out United States.
the U.S. government
a citizen of the United States