| abbreviations
In headlines and subheads, do not include acronyms or initialisms
[Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities instead of
Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO)].
In body copy, use the official name of companies, associations,
organizations, etc., on first reference. On second reference,
an abbreviation or acronym may be used if its meaning will
be clear to the reader. Be leery of acronyms and abbreviations
that are used within a given unit but not beyond.
For all usages, the University of Georgia may be abbreviated
as UGA on second reference. [UGA
Style Guide, pg. 2]
a.m., p.m.
Lowercase, with periods. [AP, pg. 13]
ampersand (&)
Do not use an ampersand in body copy unless it is part of
a proper name (The Red & Black). [AP, pg. 325; UGA
Style Guide, pg. 3]
apostrophe, quotation marks
Use “,”, ‘, ’ (smart quotes) instead
of ", ' (straight quotes).
cutline
Capitalize the first word in a sentence.
dash
There are two kinds of dash—of different length and
for different purposes—in addition to the hyphen.
The em dash (—) is the true dash, used for parenthetical
remarks or abrupt changes of thought, epigraphs and datelines.
The en (–) dash is shorter than the em dash and longer
than a hyphen. It is used for continuing or inclusive numbers
or words (range constructions: pages 7–10; Jan. 5-9)
but not when the word “from” is actually used
(1968–72 or from 1968 to 1972, never from 1968–72).
An en dash is also used in place of a hyphen in a compound
adjective when one of the elements is an open compound (post–Civil
War, Athens–Clarke County government).
Do not use spaces before and after dashes. [UGA, pg. 9]
degrees
The preferred form is to avoid abbreviation. However, if it
is necessary or appropriate to list the degrees an individual
has earned, abbreviations are acceptable.
Use “Dr.” before a name only when the person in
question has an M.D. or D.V.M. degree; it is assumed that
UGA faculty possess the terminal degree in their field.
Use apostrophes when writing bachelor’s and master’s
degrees; do not use the genitive when naming the full degree
(a bachelor of arts degree is a bachelor’s degree).
Doctorate is a noun; doctoral is the adjective; you may have
a doctorate, or a doctoral degree, but not a doctorate degree.
[UGA Style Guide, pg. 10]
e-mail
In body copy, hyphenate the word “e-mail.” Spelling
is lower case.
headlines
Capitalize first word only (and proper nouns).
inch/inches, foot/ feet
Use " and ' (straight quotes).
Internet
The Internet is upper case; use lower case for the (rare)
generic use: There will soon be two internets. [UGA
Style Guide, pg. 16]
nicknames
Use a person’s given name (Dean John Crowley not Dean
Jack Crowley) unless the individual is know by his or her
nickname: Jimmy Carter, Sonny Perdue. [AP, pg. 172]
numbers
Use a comma with numbers larger than 999. [AP, pg. 177]
our
Replace with “the” (The school’s research
and service programs instead of Our research and service programs).
paragraph spacing
Double space between paragraphs. Do not indent paragraphs.
serial comma
Omit the serial comma (the comma preceding “and”
or “or” in a series) when it is not needed: The
university flag is red, black and white.
AP notes, however, that complex constructions may read more
smoothly with the comma, and in those cases the comma is preferred.
[UGA Style Guide, pg. 23]
state names
For postal address, use city name and ZIP code abbreviation
with no comma between them (Athens GA).
In body copy, use city name and state abbreviation with comma
between them (Athens, Ga.).
For dateline in news releases, use city name and ZIP code
abbreviation with comma between them (Athens, GA).
[AP, pg. 236 for list of state and ZIP code abbreviations]
telephone, fax numbers
Use the form: 706/542-8083.
Spell out the words “phone” and “fax.”
university
When “the university” stands alone and refers
to the University of Georgia, use a lower case “u”
in the word “university.” [UGA
Style Guide, pg. 26] |
