Style Guide
Last updated: July 19, 2011
Medaille College uses The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook as its primary style reference, with significant
accommodations for specific content related to the College. Spelling is based on the Merriam-Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary; if a conflict occurs, the AP Stylebook supersedes Merriam-Webster. This information is
subject to change at any time. Exceptions may be made for specific instances of advertising copy or graphic
uses at the discretion of the Office of College Relations.
Contents
A
4
Abbreviations
4
Academic catalog (college catalog)
4
Academic degrees
4
Academic departments and programs
4
Academic year
5
Active vs. passive voice
5
Adviser
5
Age
5
All
5
Alumni
5
a.m. / p.m.
5
“And” and “ampersand (&)”
5
Arabic numerals
5
Athletic teams
5
B
6
Board of trustees
6
Buildings
6
Business and organization names
6
C
6
1 Canadian provinces
6
Campuses
6
Capitalization
7
Centuries
7
Class of
7
College offices
7
College Store
7
Comma
7
Comma in a series (the serial comma)
8
Commencement
8
Cost and references to money
8
Course titles
8
D
8
Dates and times
8
Decades
8
Doctor (Dr.)
8
E
9
e.g. and i.e.
9
Ellipsis
9
email
9
em dash
9
Emeriti
9
en dash
9
Et al
9
Etc.
9
Extra-
9
F
10
Foreign words and phrases
10
Forward
10
Full time / full-time
10
Fundraising; fundraiser
10
H
10
2 Hyphens
10
J
10
Junior (suffix)
10
M
10
Medaille College
10
Media Derelicts
11
N
11
Names
11
Newspapers
11
New York
11
Non-
11
None
11
P
11
Part time / part-time
11
Phone numbers
11
Professor
12
Publications
12
R
12
Reunion, reunion
12
Reading Center
12
S
12
Scholarships
12
School of Adult and Graduate Education (SAGE)
12
School of Education
12
Senior (suffix)
12
Spaces
12
T
12
Theater
12
Titles – academic, administrative and courtesy
13
Toward
13
U
13
U.S. states
13
3 V
14
Verb tense
14
Veterans Education Tuition Scholarship (VETS)
14
W
14
Western New York, Upstate New York
14
Work-study
14
Commonly misspelled words
15
A
Abbreviations
Spell out on first reference, and include the abbreviation immediately after. Use the abbreviation on the
subsequent references. Example: “He was the first person to teach in the Student Success Center (SSC). The
SSC opened in 2011.”
Academic catalog (college catalog)
Use “college catalog” to refer to the document outlining the college's programs and other information. Note:
Course catalog refers to the Medaille’s inventory of course descriptions in the student information system.
Academic degrees
Follow AP style. Use lowercase letters in body copy when spelling out a degree: associate degree, bachelor’s
degree, bachelor of arts degree, bachelor of science degree, master’s degree, master of business
administration degree, doctorate or doctoral degree.
Majuscules, i.e. capital letters, may be used when the degree stands alone on a page: for example, Master of
Arts in Organizational Leadership.
Use capital letters with periods when referring to degrees offered by Medaille or earned by graduates, faculty,
etc.
A.S., B.A., B.S., M.S.Ed., M.A., M.Arch., M.S., Ph.D., Ed.D.
For terminal degrees MBA, MOL, MFA or PsyD, periods are not required.
Academic departments and programs
Department names are capitalized, and “Department of” precedes the name. Example: “The Department of
Humanities invited students to a reception. The Departments of Veterinary Technology and Social Sciences
were recognized at the event.”
4 Program names use lowercase, except proper nouns. Example: “He earned a degree in English. She studies
sport management.”
Academic year
2010-11, not 2010-2011
Active vs. passive voice
In most instances, active voice is preferred. Avoid using state-of-being verbs, e.g., is, was, has been, will be, if
an alternative can be written.
Adviser
As suggested by AP style.
Age
Use hyphens for adjective forms: the nine-year-old facility; the thirty-year-old man. Use numerals in text: The
man, 54, attended the event.
All
When using “all,” make the verb match with the nouns or pronouns being referred to, e.g., “All the cars have
been parked. All the cheese has been eaten.”
Alumni
When referring to one graduate, use alumnus (male) or alumna (female). When talking about alumni or
graduates in general, use lowercase. (“Across the country, alumni with degrees in business…) The word
“alum” may be used to refer to a single graduate.
References to alumni in publications should include a class year when appropriate, e.g., John Smith ’97. Use an
apostrophe, not a single quotation mark, in front of an individual’s class year. (The “9,” not the “6”).
a.m. / p.m.
Use as lowercase with periods. Do not include zeros for hours. Use 5 p.m., not 5 PM or 5 pm. Never 5p.m.
“And” and “ampersand (&)”
Follow AP style. In text, spell out the word “and”. The ampersand (&) may be used in graphic treatments.
Arabic numerals
Follow the AP Stylebook. Arabic numbers ten and greater are used in numerical form, e.g., 14, 250 and 3,679,
except at the beginning of a sentence. See AP's numerals entry for several exceptions, such as ages, percents,
years and numbers beginning a sentence.
Athletic teams
Lowercase within body copy, e.g., “the women’s volleyball team, the men’s basketball team”. Uppercase
within headlines per AP’s capitalization entry.
5 The school mascot is the Maverick. The teams are known as the Mavericks or the Lady Mavs.
“Team” is used in the singular case.
B
Board of trustees
Always lowercase. See “organizations and institutions” entry in the AP Stylebook. Example: “Medaille’s board
of trustees voted on the policy.”
Buildings
2 Agassiz (Office of Campus Safety; Facilities; Office of Institutional Research and Planning)
73 Humboldt (Office of College Relations; Perspective newspaper)
77 Humboldt (School of Education)
121 Humboldt (Wellness Center, Health and Counseling)
Admissions Building
Amherst Campus
Main Building
The Vincent and Harriet Palisano Foundation Television Studio; use Palisano Foundation Television
Studio on second reference.
Fourth Floor Academic Commons: use Academic Commons or The Commons on second reference.
Kevin I. Sullivan Campus Center; shortened to Campus Center on second reference
Downey Science Building
North Residence Hall
South Residence Hall
Humboldt Residences
Huber Hall
Student Success Center
Business and organization names
For businesses and organizations, use their preferred spelling and capitalization style. Examples: BlueCross
BlueShield of Western New York, Wegmans. eBay.
C
Canadian provinces
Do not abbreviate Canadian provinces. Refer to them in text: “I went to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.”
Campuses
The Buffalo, Amherst and Rochester Campuses should be referred to for any event or announcement.
6 The proper forms are: Buffalo Campus, Amherst Campus or Rochester Campus. When multiple campuses are
mentioned, capitalize Campuses: Buffalo and Amherst Campuses.
The Buffalo Campus address is: 18 Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, NY 14214
The Buffalo Campus should never be referred to as the Main Campus.
The Rochester Campus address is: 1880 South Winton Road, Suite 1, Rochester, NY 14623
The Amherst Campus address is: 30 Wilson Road, Williamsville, NY 14221
Capitalization
Follow AP style. In headlines, capitalize all nouns, principal words, pronouns and verbs, first and last words,
and all other words of four or more letters. Do not capitalize lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating
conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet), and prepositions (to, toward, with, under, etc.) unless they are the
first or last word. Example: Veterinary Technology Students Take Awards and Advance to Next Phase of the
Science Exhibition.
Centuries
Spell out, and do not capitalize. Example: “It happened during the twentieth century. The book is from the
nineteenth century.”
Check in, check-in
Use check-in as a noun and adjective: Check-in was smooth; use check in as a verb: We check in at the desk.
Class of
Do not capitalize the “c” when referring to a particular class with the year. Example: “Four members of the
class of 2007 spoke to current students.”
When referring to current students, give their expected graduation year after their last name (Jane Smith ’10).
When referring to alumni, give their graduation year(s) and degree program(s) after their last name (Jane
Smith ’88 MC; John Smith ’99 MC ’01 MBA).
College offices
As with academic departments, campus offices should be capitalized in body copy. “Office of” precedes the
name, e.g., Office of the President, Office of Residence Life.
College Store
The College Store should not be called the bookstore, and should be capitalized.
Comma
Use a comma after state abbreviations (The team travelled to Erie, Pa., for the game.)
7 Comma in a series (the serial comma)
Follow AP style. In a series of three, use only one comma unless not using a second comma causes a
misunderstanding. Example: “There are sophomore, junior and senior students in attendance.”
Commencement
Capitalize when referring to the graduation event for Medaille held in May. When including a year, style as
“Commencement 2011.”
Cost and references to money
Follow AP style. For example, always use lower case and the $ sign in all instances, except casual references or
amounts without a figure. Example: “The book costs $4.” For amounts more than $1 million, use the $ and
numerals up to two decimal places. Example: “It is worth $18.4 million.”
Course titles
Course titles are capitalized, unless referring to a subject that is capitalized in proper use. Example: “She
taught Introduction to English.” Use lowercase when not referring to the course’s proper name. Example: “She
taught clinical psychology courses to high school students.”
D
Dates and times
Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone, and do not set off with a comma: Example: “He graduated in
May 2010.”
Dates should not include “th” after the day or the month. Use “th” when referring to a century: the 19th
century or for an anniversary: the 10th annual event. The same applies for “st” and “rd.”
Times should have a.m. or p.m. (with punctuation); no zeros, i.e. 1 p.m. or 1:15 p.m.; no capitalization (p.m., not
P.M.). Use 3 p.m. instead of 3:00 p.m.
For a time range, use the format [4 – 6 p.m.]. If the time range spans across noon, use 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
For a date range, use the format [April 1-15, 2011]. If the date range spans across two years, use December 10,
2011 – January 8, 2012.
Decades
Spell out or use numbers preceded by apostrophes. Examples: “The show debuted in the ‘80s.” “The seventies
were a time of cultural revival.” “He doesn’t remember much of the 1960s.” Use an apostrophe “s” when the
decade’s term is possessive. Example: “She listened to a stack of 1960’s music.”
Doctor (Dr.)
Dr. may be used to signify a person has earned a doctoral level degree (Ph.D., Ed.D.) in the context of college
information. Do not use Dr. for honorary degrees. See “academic titles.”
8 E
e.g. and i.e.
“I.e.” is an abbreviation of id est, Latin for “that is.” “E.g.” is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase exempli gratia,
meaning “for the sake of the example.”
A helpful way to remember the difference is to associate “i.e.” with “in essence,” and “e.g.” with “example
given.”
Ellipsis
Use three dots to indicate a gap or omission in quoted material. Do not leave a space on each side. Example: “I
hope to travel the world…it’s an offer I can’t refuse.”
email
Noun, no hyphen. Use lowercase unless it starts a sentence. When including an email address in print or web
copy, use the generic option if possible (admissionsug@medaille.edu; ALP@medaille.edu)
em dash
Use the em dash (—) to set off parenthetical material or to show a sudden change in thought – it can also
replace a colon. It is the width of the capital M in the typeface used. Do not set off with a space on each side.
Example: “He said he wanted three books—one on science, one on food, and one on animals. “
Emeriti
Use emeritus for masculine singular, emerita for feminine singular, and emeriti for plural.
en dash
The en dash (–) is longer than the hyphen (-) and shorter than the em dash (—). It connects inclusive numbers
for dates, times or reference numbers. Do not set off with a space on each side. Example: “He served from
1968–1977. “
Et al
Latin for “and the rest,” and abbreviated from et alli. Use one period after “al.” Use as lowercase in all
instances, as the phrase will generally occur at the end of a sentence or phrase.
Etc.
A Latin abbreviation for et cetera, meaning “and so forth.” Do not italicize and do not precede with “and.”
ExtraGenerally closed: extracurricular, extraterrestrial.
9 F
Foreign words and phrases
Use italics, e.g. “The student referred to his paper as a magnum opus.”
Forward
Do not use “forwards”. Refer to “toward”.
Full time / full-time
Use a hyphen when used as a compound modifier, e.g. “She works full time. He is a full-time student. Refer to
“part time”.
Fundraising; fundraiser
No space and no hyphen, e.g. “He worked as a fundraiser. She ran a fundraising event.”
H
Hyphens
Use hyphens when appropriate: to avoid ambiguity (small-businessmen; re-covered); as a compound
modifier (The play was first-rate.); with compound proper nouns and adjectives (Italian-American); with
numerals (twenty-five); as a suspension hyphen (The event is for full- and part-time students.). Use also for
words where two letters side-by-side could cause confusion, e.g. “The terms were non-negotiable.”
Do not use the “hyphenate” option in design or word processing programs. Hyphens should be “turned off” in
body copy and headlines.
J
Junior (suffix)
Use to distinguish a child from a parent with the same name. Do not precede with a comma, e.g. John Smith
Jr.
M
Medaille College
On first reference with external audiences, use Medaille College. It is not necessary to use the word “College”
on second reference; the word “Medaille” can stand alone. When referring to Medaille as “the College” on
second reference, use a capital “C”.
10 Médaille, Jean Paul
Our College’s namesake, when referring to him (generally, in a historical context), use Father Jean Paul
Médaille, S.J. on first reference, and Fr. Médaille on subsequent references. For invitations and formal printed
announcements for events like Founders’ Day, Fr. Jean Paul Médaille may be used for the first reference, and
Fr. Médaille for subsequent references.
Media Derelicts
This term is used by and for a group of media/communication graduates from the late 1970s and 1980s.
Capitalize when used in body copy.
N
Names
Use an individual’s first name and last name on the first reference; use the last name on subsequent
references, e.g., “Jane Smith made a statement. Smith also won an award.”
Newspapers
Use italics for formatting newspaper titles. If the “the” precedes a newspaper title, it is set in lowercase and
roman type, unless it starts a sentence. Example: “I read the article in the New York Times. The Buffalo News hit
the stands yesterday.”
New York
Example: New York State; the state of New York.
NonFollow AP style’s guideline that the rules of prefixes apply, e.g. nonprofit, noncredit, nonemployee,
nontraditional.
None
The word “none” generally stands for “not one.” When none quantifies a singular or mass noun, use singular
agreement. Example: None of the cake is left. When none quantifies a plural noun, singular and plural
agreements may be used. Example: None of the pieces are left. When none doesn’t quantify anything, either
agreement is acceptable.
P
Part time / part-time
Use a hyphen when used as a compound modifier, e.g. "He works part time. She is a part-time student.”
Phone numbers
Use parentheses, spaces and hyphens when using phone numbers: (716) 880-2000, not 716.880.2000.
11 Professor
Not capitalized when used as a noun. Example: John Smith, Ph.D., has been a business professor for four years.
Capitalize when part of an official title, e.g. the Dean of the School of Education Jane Smith, Ph.D.
Publications
Print publications are italicized, not underlined. Use Buffalo News, Medaille Magazine, the Perspective.
R
Reunion, reunion
Capitalize Reunion Weekend and Reunion 2010; when referring in general to a reunion, use lowercase.
Reading Center
The Reading Center is a service within the School of Education. It should be capitalized in all uses.
S
Scholarships
Capitalize words in named scholarships according to AP style. Example: “He received the Allen Lee Downing
Memorial Scholarship last year.”
School of Adult and Graduate Education (SAGE)
Use School of Adult and Graduate Education (SAGE) on first reference, and SAGE on subsequent references.
Do not use periods between the letters.
School of Education
Medaille has a School of Education. There is no Education Department. Within the School, there is a literacy
program and a special education program.
Senior (suffix)
Use to distinguish a parent from a child with the same name. Do not precede with a comma, e.g. John Smith
Sr.
Spaces
Use one space after a period.
T
Theater
Not theatre, unless part of a proper noun.
12 Titles – academic, administrative and courtesy
Use a title, or a degree, but not both.
Richard T. Jurasek, Ph.D. (good)
Dr. Jurasek (second reference)
Dr. Richard T. Jurasek, Ph.D. (wrong)
John M. Smith, Ed.D., dean of the School of Education (good)
Dr. Smith (second reference)
Dr. John M. Smith, Ed.D. (wrong)
Capitalize an academic title when it precedes a name or is used as identifier, e.g. President Richard T. Jurasek,
Ph.D. When the title follows a name, or it stands alone, use the lowercase, e.g. Richard T. Jurasek, Ph.D.,
president of Medaille College; Sam Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of English.
When using a plural of a title, refer to the individuals separately on first reference. Example: Jane Jones, Ph.D.
and Jill Smith, Ed.D. earned a summer research grant. Drs. Jones and Smith will conduct the research on
campus.
Toward
Use toward, not towards. Refer also to forward.
U
U.S. states
Follow AP style. When a state is used alone in a sentence, write it out, e.g. “I live in New York.” If the state is
used with a city, use the following abbreviations, e.g. “I live in Atlanta, Ga.”
Alabama – Ala
Georgia -- Ga.
Maryland -- Md.
New Jersey -- N.J.
Alaska – Alaska
Hawaii -- Hawaii
Massachusetts -- Mass.
New Mexico -- N.M.
Arizona -- Ariz.
Idaho -- Idaho
Michigan -- Mich.
New York -- N.Y.
Arkansas -- Ark.
Illinois -- Ill.
Minnesota -- Minn.
North Carolina -- N.C.
California -- Calif.
Indiana -- Ind.
Mississippi -- Miss.
North Dakota -- N.D.
Colorado -- Colo.
Iowa -- Iowa
Missouri -- Mo.
Ohio -- Ohio
Connecticut -- Conn.
Kansas -- Kan.
Montana -- Mont.
Oklahoma -- Okla.
Delaware -- Del.
Kentucky -- Ky.
Nebraska -- Neb.
Oregon -- Ore.
D.C. -- District of Columbia
Louisiana -- La.
Nevada -- Nev.
Pennsylvania -- Pa.
Florida -- Fla.
Maine -- Maine
New Hampshire -- N.H.
Rhode Island -- R.I.
13 South Carolina -- S.C.
Texas -- Texas
Virginia -- Va.
Wisconsin -- Wis.
South Dakota -- S.D.
Utah -- Utah
Washington -- Wash.
Wyoming -- Wyo.
Tennessee -- Tenn.
Vermont -- Vt.
West Virginia -- W. Va.
V
Verb tense
Avoid passive voice whenever possible. In news items, press releases, and feature stories, use past tense,
including those for quotes. “I thought it was great,” she said.
Veterans Education Tuition Scholarship (VETS)
Use Veterans Education Tuition Scholarship (VETS) on first reference, and VETS on subsequent references. Do
not use periods between the letters.
W
Web addresses / URLs
Before publication in print or on the web, URLs should be tested and approved by the College Relations Office.
Use the full address (www.medaille.edu, sage.medaille.edu, www.medaillesports.com, etc.) unless design
considerations directly prevent it. http:// is not required. ftp:// and https:// are required.
Western New York, Upstate New York
Capitalize, as the region is known this way to local readers.
Work-study
Use a hyphen; can be used as a noun or adjective. Example: “He applied for work-study. She is a work-study
student.”
14 Commonly misspelled words
absence
accelerate
accidentally
accomplish
accumulate
acknowledge
acquaintance
acquire
advice/advise
affect
anoint
apology
barbecue
beginning
believe
benefit
business
camouflage
candidate
challenge
chauvinism
commemorate
congratulations
coolly
criticize
duel
deceive
defendant
defiant
definite
desperate
despise
deterrence
development
difference
disappear
disappoint
dissipate
marriage
marshmallow
mischief
misogyny
missile
murmur
nauseous
necessary
no one
official
parallel
parliament
particular
peninsula
pharaoh
Philip
physical
piece
pigeon
playwright
pleasant
plenitude
preceding
preferable
prejudice
presumptuous
principal
privilege
proceed
propagate
pursue
raspberry
receipt
refrigerator
religious
remembrance
renowned
repetition
ecstasy
effect
especially
exercise
existence
explanation
Fahrenheit
fiery
finally
flabbergast
formerly
fourth
fulfill
generally
genius
government
grammar
handkerchief
horrific
humorous
hypocrisy
imitate
immediately
inadvertent
incidentally
incredible
ingenious
irascible
irresistible
knowledge
labeled
latter
led
liaison
lieutenant
liquefy
lose
magically
15 rhyme
rhythm
ridiculous
sacrilegious
salary
sandal
sandwich
savvy
scissors
seize
sensible
separate
septuagenarian
shepherd
sheriff
siege
similar
simile
special
subpoena
success
their/they're/there
tomorrow
tongue
too
too/to/two
tragedy
tries
truly
undoubtedly
until
usage
withhold
you're/your
based on Strunk and White,
The Elements of Style