University Style Guide

Quick Reference Guide

Malone University typically follows the AP style guide, except with noted exceptions where mentioned below. Also included are some grammar tips. Is something missing? Email cboring@malone.edu to ask for it to be added. 

The following is a quick reference guide - or you may also print the full  version.  

abbreviations

99% of the time: DO NOT USE THEM! 

• Do NOT abbreviate March, April, May, June, or July. You may use: Jan., Feb., Aug., Oct., Nov., Dec., when space is needed.
• Do NOT abbreviate days of the week, names, or “hours” to “hrs.”
• Do NOT abbreviate president, vice president, professor, administrative assistant, etc.

academic degrees

• Lowercase degrees if spelled out: bachelor of arts, master of science, doctorate, doctor of education.
• Do not follow this form with the word “degree.”
• Use an apostrophe in the short form: bachelor’s degree, master’s degree.
• If you use the abbreviations for degrees, it is B.S., B.A., M.A., Ph.D., etc. Use periods to separate the words. 

acronyms

Acceptable after first full reference  

accept/except

Accept=receive; Except=exclude

adviser 

Not advisor

alumni 

alumni=plural, men and women

Alumnae=women
Alumnus=man 
Alumna=woman

Use graduation years whenever possible: Brandon Bapst ’17

affect/effect

affect=to influence; effect=result

a.m., p.m. 

• lowercase, with periods
  7 p.m., not 7:00 PM
  12 noon or 12 midnight
• list the time before date and location

apostrophes

Apostrophes indicate possessives and should NOT be used in plural terms.

Right: The Department of Visual Arts has five quilts on display.
Wrong: Five quilt’s are on display in the McFadden Gallery.
Right: That is Steve’s question.
Wrong: He had four Steve’s in his class.

Also use apostrophes with class years:
Right: Jake Belair ’15     Wrong: Jake Belair ‘15 

bullet lists

• introduce with a colon
• when using full sentences or paragraphs as list items, ensure the grammar is correct as for any sentence and list each normally
• single words or small phrases that are not complete sentences do not require punctuation

campus locations

Use full names on first reference in publications & on the website to eliminate confusion. View the campus map for reference. 

1. Alumni Entrance 
2. Founders Hall (FH) 
3. East Campus
4. Timken Science Hall (TS) 
5. Mitchell Hall (MH) 
6. Regula Hall (RH) 
7. Cattell Library (CL) 
8. Strand Building (SB) 
9. Herbert W. Hoover Courtyard
10. Randall Campus Center (RC) (The Barn) 
11. Brehme Centennial Center (CC) 
12. Johnson Center for Worship and the Fine Arts (JC) 
13. Haviland Hall (HA) 
14. Heritage Hall (HH) 
15. Blossom Hall 
16. Fox Hall 
17. Whittier Hall
18. Myers Lounge
19. Woolman Hall 
20. The Quad 
21. Penn Hall
22. Gurney Hall 
23. Barclay Hall
24. DeVol Hall (DH) 
25. Osborne Hall (OH)
26. Ewing Varsity Center
27. Wellness Center 

capitalization

• Capitalize all proper names, trade names, brand names, government departments and agencies, associations, companies, religions, languages, nations, states, and addresses.
• Capitalize words derived from a proper noun, such as Christian, Ohioan, etc.
• Capitalize “University” when referring specifically to Malone University. Malone University is located in Canton, Ohio. The University was founded 125 years ago.
• Do not capitalize “university” when it is used generally.
  Malone University is one of five universities located in Stark County, Ohio.
• When in doubt, lowercase.

catalog

not catalogue

chair

Preferred title of the head of a department. Avoid chairman, chairperson. Lowercase. 

click here

Avoid using this phrase for the benefit of users with screen readers – it’s not descriptive enough. Instead, hyperlink the nouns or verbs that better describe where you would like the user to go. In our system, linked words are indicated by underlined red words, that is the user’s visual clue to click on the link.

course titles

Capitalize official course titles in text, with no quotation marks.

All first year students must enroll in The College Experience. 

dates 

• Do not use “st,” “nd,” “th,” or “rd” unless it is in the title of an event.
• Spell out the month when it is used alone or with a year, but not a date. December of 2016
• If you need to use the numerical form of a date, please use numbers and dashes. 12-21-17
• Do NOT use the year if it is in the same year, or the year coming up in the near future. 

faculty

• Plural except when used with “member.” Faculty are expected to attend as many chapels as possible. She has been a faculty member since 1983.
• In writing, person’s name, then terminal degree. Scott Waalkes, Ph.D., not Dr. Scott Waalkes
  Ex. Scott Waalkes, Ph.D., spent his sabbatical in Washington, D.C. Waalkes, professor of international politics, researched political transitions.
• You may uppercase official titles when used before a name. Professor of History Jay Case will discuss his blog.

its/it’s

its=possession;  it’s=contraction of “it is” 

money 

• Use a dollar sign and omit “.00.” $125 not $125.00
• (With some exceptions) Do not write out “dollar.” The campaign goal is $175 million.
• For amounts under $1, use numerals and “cents:” The pencil cost 20 cents.
• Spell out casual phrases: I can think of a million reasons not to do that. She borrowed five bucks.

numbers

• Write numbers one through nine and use numeric figures for numbers 10 and greater. Exceptions are ages and measurements. Her daughters are 6 and 8 years old. The snake is 27 inches long.
• Do not begin a sentence with a numeral, except for a year: 2009 was a banner year. Five students participated in the program.
• Use a comma to separate thousands. 4,000

Oxford comma 

• Use an Oxford comma before the last “and” or “or” in a list; it prevents ambiguity. She asked the student worker to pick up pens, paper, and a T-shirt.
  

Percentages

Spell out "percent" in text; use the percent symbol (%) in tables and graphics. The class was 40 percent male.

Punctuation

• Use a colon when introducing lists. Do not capitalize the first letter of a sentence that follows a colon unless it is a quote.
• Avoid exclamation points except when part of a quotation.
• Place a period or comma inside quotations marks. Please a question mark, dash, or semicolon outside quotation marks except when they apply to the quoted matter (as in dialogue). "I think he's right," she said. "Do you think it's fair to sum this up by saying 'All's well that ends well' "?

Residence Hall

• Not dorm or dormitory

Staff

• Plural. Staff have indicateed they prefer receiving news in an electronic format.

Telephone numbers

Use dashes (330-471-8240) instead of periods (330.471.8240) to prevent the phone number appearing as an IP address.

That/Which

• "That," used to identify an essential clause, is not preceded by a comma. The sidewalk that crosses the library also leads to the wellness center.
• "Which," used to identify an essential clause, is preceded by a comma. Watermelon, which can be purchased cheaply in season, makes a great summer side dish.

Time

• Avoid "o'clock." The event is from 7-9 p.m."
• Avoid redundancy, such as 10 a.m. in the morning or 4 p.m. in the afternoon
• Avoid 12 p.m. or 12 a.m. Use noon or midnight.
• Place time before date and location: The concert is at 6 p.m. September 24 in the Stewart Room.

Titles

• Only use courtesy titles for members of the military, when appropriate, or religious figures (Fr., Rev.). Do not use Dr. except for those who have earned an M.D. and only on a first reference. Do not use Dr. and M.D. together: Dr. Clark is a surgeon or Matthew Clark, M.D., is a surgeon.
• Never use courtesy titles such as Mr. Mrs., Ms.
• See also academic titles

T-shirt

Hyphenate and use a capital "T."

Versus

In text, write out "versus." In court cases or sports schedules, use "v." Malone v. Walsh.