Tips for writing. The following summarizes some common issues in writing style that we deal with each day in University Marketing and Communications.

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1 Tips for writing The following summarizes some common issues in writing style that we deal with each day in University Marketing and Communications. This tip sheet is a brief and general guide to help maintain consistency in the many types of projects that are produced at Brock University. It s also an evolving document and is reviewed periodically for its effectiveness and relevance. Our main sources of reference are the Canadian Press Stylebook, Canadian Press Caps and Spelling, the Canadian Oxford Dictionary and the Canadian Oxford Thesaurus. There are, however, exceptions to the rules. We ve developed our own writing style that s been established over time and is unique to our campus. Our voice is conversational and friendly, and we make an effort to use plain language that s understood by everyone. For more information, please refer to the writing style section in the Brand Standards Manual. Academic degrees Don t use periods in academic degree abbreviations (BA, BEd, BKin, MAcc, PhD). When referring to degrees in a general sense, write bachelor of arts or bachelor s degree; master of arts or master s degree; doctorate or doctoral degree. (He s graduating with a master s degree.) According to CP style, Dr. is to be used only when the person is a medical professional. Otherwise, for faculty, use professor or Prof. Bill Smith. Acronyms and Abbreviations On first mention, write out in full the names of buildings, institutes, schools, centres, departments (Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts; Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute; Brock University Students Union). After first mention, acronyms are acceptable (for example MIWSFPA or CCOVI). However, copy that is filled with acronyms or abbreviations is unsightly and hard to read, so writers are encouraged to use other descriptions, such as the school, the institute and so on in subsequent references. Omit periods in all-caps abbreviations or acronyms (SSHRC, NSERC, MA, BA, PhD, COU) unless the abbreviation is geographical (U.S., P.E.I., B.C., N.L.) or a single letter (E., p.) The correct abbreviated form in text for Ontario is Ont., but on mailing addresses it is acceptable to use ON. Sept. 21, 2009 Page 1 of 10

2 Metric symbols are not abbreviations and are followed by a period only when they are at the end of a sentence. Professor can be abbreviated as Prof. if it is directly followed by a name (Prof. Bill Smith, but professors Bill Smith, Patty Wiens and Henry Gibson). University programs: Smart Start (formerly SMART Start); the Plus programs are now written as Experience Plus, Med Plus, Mentorship Plus, and so on. Addresses without a specific street number are written out in full (Glenridge Avenue, St. Paul Street, Lakeshore Road). When an address includes a specific number, the address is abbreviated (45 Somewhere St., 13 MyHome Ave., 1234 Brock Pky.) One exception is 24 Sussex Drive. Material that correctly displays the University s street address as 500 Glenridge Ave. (not 500 Glenridge Avenue) will be gradually phased in. The 1990s can be shortened to the 90s, not the 90 s. Alumni Preferred use is graduate or graduates, but to clarify: alumna = one female graduate alumni = plural for a group of male alumnae = more than one female graduate graduates or plural for a mixed group of alumnus = one male graduate male and female graduates Ampersand (&) Don t use in text or in titles, but do use for marketing purposes in formal names where the use has been established (Cool Climate Oenology & Viticulture Institute). Bullets Short bullets with few words Students are required to bring the following documentation: valid driver s permit student card Ontario health card Note that each item starts with a lowercase word (unless it s a proper noun) and does not end with a period. Longer bullets that could stand as a phrase or sentence Accessible customer service provides service to people with disabilities in a manner that: Respects their dignity and independence. Is integrated as fully as possible in the method of service delivery. Is responsive to delivering service in a timely manner. Note the capital letter to start the bullet item and the use of periods to end them. Page 2 of 10

3 Capitalization The University When we refer specifically to Brock, we capitalize University to distinguish it from other universities. Faculty (with a capital letter) refers to academic divisions (Faculty of Business); faculty (lower case) refers to academic staff. Capitalize names of departments (Department of Biology, Biology Department, but departments of Biology, English and Classics). If used in a general sense and not referring specifically to a program, use lowercase. (He s studying quantum physics.) Government Government of Ontario, Government of Canada when using formal name; otherwise the federal government, the provincial government, the Ontario government, government funding, etc. City of St. Catharines when referring to the corporate entity; the City when referring to the corporation; the city in a geographical or general sense. Regional Municipality of Niagara when referring to the political entity; the Region on second mention; the region in a geographic or general sense; Niagara region or Niagara when referring to the geographical area. An exception: Brock s envelopes, business cards and other institutional material will continue to display Niagara Region as a graphic element. However, CP style is recommended above for text. Headlines and titles In body copy, headlines, subheads and so on, the first letter of the initial word is capitalized, followed by lower case. (Brock launches capital campaign, not Brock Launches Capital Campaign.) There will be obvious exceptions when proper names or proper program names, are used in the headline. (Youth University launches another season) Job titles Mayor Alice O Flynn; former mayor Bill Smith; acting mayor Jeb Stevenson; mayoralty Result of a recent review: We ll capitalize some titles of University administrators and faculty in all instances. This includes those individuals at a level of Associate Dean and higher, or of Associate Vice-President and higher. (For example, President Jack Lightstone, or Jack Page 3 of 10

4 Lightstone, president, Brock University.) We will also capitalize Librarian for the University s head Librarian, and the Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Senate in all references. Professor can be abbreviated as Prof. if it is directly followed by a name (Prof. Bill Smith, but professors Bill Smith, Patty Wiens and Henry Gibson). Generally, if the job title precedes the person s name, it s capitalized. If the job title follows, it s lowercase. (Energy Minister Buzz Cassidy, but Buzz Cassidy, energy minister; Dean Elizabeth Rimando, but Elizabeth Rimando, dean). However, lowercase occupational titles and descriptions (Widget president Sally Chan; general manager Aaron Friedan; public relations director Ahmed Haiyan). A title set off from a name by commas is lowercased (The prime minister, Stephen Harper, will represent Canada at the talks.) Seasons Don t put capitals on seasons of the year unless they are in a formal reference (Fall Preview Day, Spring term, the Summer 2009 issue of Surgite!) Colons Generally, don t capitalize the first letter of a sentence that follows a colon. (Their experience at Brock will be pivotal: lifelong friendships will be forged, intellectual curiosity will be sparked.) However, a capital letter may be used if emphasis is desirable. (Verdict: Not guilty) Use a colon, rather than a comma, to introduce a direct quotation longer than a short sentence. (Winston Churchill said in 1942: This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. ) Dates No st, nd, rd or th on numbers in dates (Jan. 1, not Jan. 1st) For months with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. (Jan. 12, 1984); March, April, May, June and July are written out in full, but can be shortened to the first three letters of each month in tabular material. Spell out the month if it stands alone or with a year alone (The conference lasted throughout January 2007.) The 1990s can be shortened to the 90s, not the 90 s. The same format applies to other decades. Page 4 of 10

5 Exclamation marks Don t overuse this strong mark of punctuation. Use it to denote great surprise, a command, deep emotion, emphasis and sarcasm. (We won! Take aim! Fire! Ouch! Never! Oh, sure!) Hyphens, slashes and dashes Hyphens: Generally there is no spacing with the hyphen. (mother-in-law) Slashes (/): No space between words (and/or, either/or) Dashes: Takes one equal space on each side. (She works and plays hard.) Italics Use italics for proper names of books, newspapers, magazines (The Toronto Star, War and Peace, Maclean s magazine). Also italicize long musical works, names of CDs, operas, movies, television and radio programs, works of visual art, names of plays, and so on. IT (information technology) In text and marketing material, drop so that the website address appears as, for example, brocku.ca If a website address or an address concludes a sentence, don t finish the sentence with a period it looks like part of the web address or address. E.g. For more information, please contact personsname@brocku.ca Measurements In general, spell out terms such as pounds, tonnes, metres, kilograms. (A 20-kilogram sack, not a 20-kg sack). Common symbols, such as km/h, should be written out as kilometres per hour on first reference. On subsequent references, the symbol can be used as long as it s preceded by a number (70 km/h). Money No.00 with even dollars: Tickets are $5 at the door (not $5.00) 30 cents, not $0.30 C$800 and US$800 to denote Canadian and U.S. dollars. Please note that the periods have been omitted in the U.S. example. Down payment is two words. Page 5 of 10

6 Numbers Spell out numbers from one to nine; use figures for 10 or above, except when preceded by a monetary sign ($2). This includes ordinal numbers, so write first, not 1 st ; 20 th, not twentieth (unless in an official title). No. 1, number 1 (not number one) Phase 2 Scene 3, the third scene Year 3, Year 2, fourth-year program, first-year student. Hyphens join the numerator and denominator of fractions: three-fourths, one-half, etc. Per cent versus %: Use the per cent symbol (%) only in financial listings, graphs and charts. In text, use per cent (two words). Also, write percentage or six per cent increase (no hyphens). First annual, second annual: do not capitalize unless part of the official title (second annual Shoot for the Top conference.) Telephone and fax numbers In text, separate the telephone number or fax number with hyphens ( ). In a graphic element, such as a list of contacts on the back of a pamphlet or on a business card, Brock s number will be separated by blank spaces ( ). The extension number will appear as an x, not ext. (number, space, x1234) in all cases. Times 7 p.m. not 7:00 p.m. (same for a.m.) Not PM or pm Brock uses 12 noon, not 12 p.m. or noon Titles Individuals Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock. Do not use courtesy titles of Mr., Miss, Mrs., Ms. and so on. Page 6 of 10

7 We ll capitalize some titles of University administrators and faculty. This includes those individuals at a level of Associate Dean and higher, or of Associate Vice-President and higher. (For example, President Jack Lightstone, or Jack Lightstone, president, Brock University.) We will also capitalize Librarian for the University s head Librarian, and the Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Senate in all references. Professor can be abbreviated as Prof. if it is directly followed by a name (Prof. Bill Smith, but professors Bill Smith, Patty Watson and Henry Gibson). Generally, if the job title precedes the person s name, it s capitalized. If the job title follows, it s lowercase. (Energy Minister Buzz Cassidy, but Buzz Cassidy, energy minister). However, lowercase occupational titles and descriptions (Widget president Sally Roberts; general manager Aaron Friedan; public relations director Ahmed Haiyan). A title set off from a name by commas is lowercased. (The prime minister, Stephen Harper, will represent Canada at the talks.) Papers Use uppercase and lowercase: Tobin, Globalization and Capital Flows. Capitalize all words in a title except articles (a, an, the), prepositions, and conjunctions of fewer than four letters. Titles of papers should be enclosed in quotation marks. Example: Professor Mark Smith recently gave a paper entitled The Evolution of Urban Space at a conference in Toronto. Publications Use italics for proper names of books, newspapers, magazines (The Toronto Star, War and Peace, Maclean s magazine). Also italicize long musical works, names of CDs, operas, movies, television and radio programs, works of visual art, names of plays, and so on. Quotations Use single quote marks in headlines (Resident fights scandalous tax) Titles of papers should be enclosed in quotation marks. (Professor Mark Smith recently gave a paper entitled The Evolution of Urban Space at a conference in Toronto.) Punctuation marks go inside the quote. ( This is an outstanding year for the University, said President Jack Lightstone; The period goes inside the quotation mark. ) Page 7 of 10

8 Spelling accessible (not able) aesthetics, not esthetics Aboriginal (always uppercase) archeology (not -aeology) accommodate (two c s, two m s) adviser barbecue (not barbeque or BBQ) benefit, benfited, benefiting bestselling, bestseller biannual (twice a year); biennial (recurring every two years) cellphone, but cellular phone centre, centred, centring chamber Communist (party, government or member), anti-communist, non-communist, pro-communist, communism complementary (serving to complete); complimentary (free, expressing compliment) co-ordinate, co-op, co-operation criteria (plural, so takes a plural verb) day care (but day-care centre, day-care legislation) e.g. (exempli gratia, but avoid) (we ve moved to CP style) emeritus (Jean Duval, professor emeritus of history) endeavour Page 8 of 10

9 enrol, enrolled, enrolment en route (always two words) first-come, first-served first-hand (adj. and adv.) followup (n. and adj.) fulfil, fulfilled, fulfilling, fulfilment fundraising, fundraiser health care (n.); health-care (adj.) home, homemade, homeowner, home page, hometown, homework honour, honourable, but honorary jeweller, jewelry judgment kick off (v.); kickoff (n.) icewine inoculate, inoculation install, installation, instalment instil, instilled Internet (capitalized), Net (capitalized) it s (contraction for it is); its (possessive) led (past tense of the verb lead) licence and practice nouns; license and practise verbs life (prefix), life cycle, lifelike, lifelong, life-size, lifestyle, lifetime likable (not eable) Page 9 of 10

10 multicultural, multidisciplinary, multimillion-dollar, multimedia, multinational but multi-year neighbour, neighbourhood nerve-racking (not wracking) online (all uses) part time, part-time job, part-time student, part-timer (also applies to full time) pastime Pond Inlet (not the Pond Inlet) post-doctoral, post-secondary, but postgraduate principal (main, most important); principle (fundamental belief) proactive, reactive program (not programme) regime (a method or system of government); regimen (a prescribed course of exercise, way of life) Second World War, not World War II (also applies to First World War) Smart Start (not SMART Start) spin off (v.); spinoff (n. and adj.) stationary (not moving); stationery (writing materials) web, web browser, webcam, webcast, web-enabled, webmaster, web page, weblog, web server, website, but World Wide Web Vice-Chancellor, Vice-President, vice-chair (takes a hyphen) Wilfrid Laurier University (not Wilfred) Page 10 of 10