Editorial Style and Usage Guidelines

Most of the information available to the public about the University is in written form. Whether via a printed publication or on a Web site, the University relies heavily on the use of text to get its message out. For this reason, the University subscribes to a clear, consistent, unified style of writing.

University Communications has developed editorial guidelines for use by all who produce written material for the University. The guidelines are based on The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), a widely-used reference guide in matters of style. In addition, the guidelines include some usages specific to the university which differ from the manual. The guidelines should be checked first, and if a particular entry is not found, CMS should be consulted.

Note: The guidelines are for general use. Scientific, technical, and academic publications may have their own rules and style guidelines, which should be followed.

Editorial Style and Usage Guidelines