Editorial Style Guidelines
Here are written guidelines that will help bring stylistic uniformity
to the university’s many publications, presentations and Web sties.
Information is provided about abbreviations, capitalization, references
to gender and ethnicity, punctuation and numerical references.
How was this information compiled?
Writers for this manual consulted with faculty, administrators and publication
editors from our own university system, as well as those from universities across the country.
The consensus is that when it comes to “style,” it is not possible
to please everyone. But it is possible to develop guidelines for the university’s
publications to ensure that their quality is consistent with and representative
of the university’s identity, missions and goals.
The styles used on campus are based on two publications: the Associated
Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style. For questions
not covered by either of these publications, refer to Webster's Collegiate
Dictionary.
Abbreviations
Abbreviations and acronyms
Spell out the name of an organization on first reference, followed by
the abbreviation or acronym if the organization is going to be referred
to again. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader will not
quickly recognize. Acronyms do not take periods: CATI, IBM.
Academic Degrees
Abbreviate with periods with no spaces in between: Ph.D., M.S.W., B.A.,
M.S.
Ampersand (&)
Do not use the ampersand in place of and, except in charts, graphs and
tabular material or when it is part of a company’s formal name: AT&T.
Avoid abbreviations of schools, programs, and organizations
Your copy will read better if you avoid the alphabet soup syndrome: The
Counseling Center at California State University, Fresno received a grant
from the American Medical Association to study student attitudes on health
care. The center will begin its research as soon as the association sends
the money. The university is grateful for the recognition and support
of such a prestigious organization.
Note above example: On second reference, the common nouns – center,
university and association – are not capitalized.
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