The Xavier Brand

Editorial Standards

To aid in making all Xavier University communications consistent, effective and on-brand, the Office of Marketing and Communications produces, maintains and updates the following style guide for use by our community members.

The written materials we produce should speak with one voice to present clear and precise messages in a distinctive manner. To accomplish this, we need guidelines for all our graphic and editorial messages.

We ask everyone communicating with our various audiences — both internal and external — to help us maintain a consistent and strong identity and image.

Xavier University has adopted the following editorial guidelines based primarily on The Associated Press Stylebook (also referred to as AP style), and it includes certain guidelines that deviate from AP style or are specific to Xavier.

In specific cases related to the publication of faculty research, each department should follow the accepted style for their discipline.

This guide contains some of the most frequently encountered elements of editorial style common to Xavier. Every effort should be made to adopt these guidelines when developing copy for publications or simple correspondence.

If there are specific questions about style or usage not covered in the style guide, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications.

A

Abbreviations

Avoid abbreviations in text material. If you must use an abbreviation, spell out the entire name on the first reference. The abbreviation, generally without periods, can be used thereafter.

Abbreviations are acceptable if part of a formal name: Procter & Gamble Co.

Words that are NOT abbreviated: Fort, Mount, Saint.

Note: use the full word Saint when referring to a person; use St. when referring to a city).
U.S. is acceptable as an adjective but use United States as a noun.

DO abbreviate titles before a name when appropriate: Dr., Gov., Lt., Mr., Mrs., Rep., The Rev., Sen., etc.

DO abbreviate when using with dates or numerals: A.D., B.C., a.m., p.m., No., and certain months (Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.) when used with the day of the month.

For degree abbreviations, see academic degrees.

Academic Degrees

Abbreviations

If the degrees are abbreviated, capitalize in the following manner. Most degree abbreviations require periods, while a select few do not. (For reference, assume the degree abbreviation uses periods with the exception being degrees that, when abbreviated, begin with M and use three or more capitalized letters.)

Periods: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., Ll.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., M.Ed., M.D., O.D.

No periods: MBA, MFA, MSN, MOT, MHSA

Correct: He has a B.A. in marketing.

Incorrect: He has a BA in marketing.

(For a complete list of Xavier degrees and degree abbreviations, see below)

Degree as a Word

The word degree should never follow an abbreviation.

Correct: He has a B.A. in history.

Incorrect: He has a B.A. degree in history.

General Usage

Use an apostrophe and lower case when citing the degree in a general sense:

He earned his master’s degree in theology.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing.

But capitalize and don’t use an apostrophe when citing the specific degree:

She received a Master of Science in biology.

He received the Bachelor of Science degree in physics.

Capitalize the name of the field or degree program only when the full degree name is spelled out and the discipline is included. If abbreviating a degree, the discipline should be lowercase:

He has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
She will receive a B.S. in psychology.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics.
Seventy people hold bachelor’s degrees.
He has a Master of Arts in history.
She will receive an M.S. in recreation.
He earned a master’s degree in mathematics.
Forty of those people hold master’s degrees.
She is enrolling in a Master of Arts in teaching program.
Mary has a Master of Arts from SUNY Albany.
She has a Ph.D. in chemistry.
He received his doctorate in chemistry.

Xavier currently issues the following degrees:

B.A. (Bachelor of Arts)
B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts)
B.L.A. (Bachelor of Liberal Arts)
B.M. (Bachelor of Music)
B.S. (Bachelor of Science)
B.S.B.A. (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration)
B.S.N. (Bachelor of Science in Nursing)
B.S.W. (Bachelor of Social Work)
A.A. (Associate of Arts)
A.B.A. (Associate of Business Administration)
A.S. (Associate of Science)
M.A. (Master of Arts)
MBA (Master of Business Administration
M.Ed. (Master of Education)
MHSA (Master of Health Services Administration)
MOT (Master of Occupational Therapy)
M.S. (Master of Science)
MSN (Master of Science in Nursing)
D.N.P. (Doctor of Nursing)
O.T.D. (Occupation Therapy Doctorate)
Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology)

Xavier has previously issued the following degrees:

A.S.R., A.S.A. (Associates of Arts)
A.B. (Bachelor of Arts)
A.B.A, A.B.U. (Associates of Business Administration)
A.D.G. (Associate in General Business)
A.N.D. (Associate in Nursing)
A.D.R. (Associate in Industrial relations)
A.D.U. (Associate Degree Undeclared)
A.R.E. (Associate Science in Real Estate)
S.S.C. (Associate of Science)
A.S.B., S.S.B. (Associate in Business)
A.S.C. (Associate in Child Care)
A.S.D. (Associate Degree)
A.S.F. (Associate in Finance)
A.S.N. (Associate in Nursing)
B.B.A. (Bachelor of Arts)
B.A.U. (Bachelor of Arts-University Scholar)
B.B.U. (Bachelor of Science-University Scholar)
B.C.S. (Bachelor of Computer Science)
B.D.U. (Bachelor Degree Undeclared)
B.F.S. (Bachelor of Fine Arts-University Scholar)
B.G.S. (Bachelor of General Study)
B.L.T. (Bachelor of Literature)
B.S.B. (BSBA University Scholar)
B.B.A.* (Bachelor of Science-Business Administration)
B.S.C. (Bachelor of Science)
B.S.E. (Bachelor of Science Education)
B.S.M. (Bachelor of Mortuary Science)
B.S.N. (Bachelor of Science Nursing)
B.S.O. (Bachelor of Science Occupational Therapy)
B.S.U. (Bachelor of Science-University Scholar)
C.A. (Certificate of Art)
C.A.C. (Certificate in Accounting)
C.B. (Certificate in Business)
C.F. (Certificate in Finance)
C.F.R. (Certificate in French)
C.G.B. (Certificate in General Business)
C.M. (Certificate in Management)
C.M.G. (Certificate in Marketing)
C.S. (Certificate in Science)
C.S.P. (Certificate in Spanish)
H.A.B. (Honors Bachelor of Arts)
J.D. (Juris Doctorate)
L.L.B. (Bachelor of Law & Letters)
EMB (Master of Business Administration)
M.C.S (Master of Computer Science)
M.H.A. (Master of Hospital Administration)
MPA (Master of Public Administration)
M.S.W. (Master of Social Work)
N.D. (Non-Degree)
P.H.B. (Bachelor of Philosophy)
S.A.S. (Associate of Arts and Sciences)
S.S.S. (Associate of Social Sciences)

Academic Titles

Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as chancellor, provost, dean, chair, etc. when they precede a name. Lowercase elsewhere.

Chair Jodi Wyett expressed pride in the department’s growth this year.
The College of Arts and Sciences recently appointed Joe Smith, Ph.D., as the new dean.

When referring to someone with a doctorate degree, use the full name and follow with a comma and Ph.D. On second reference, do not use Dr. unless from a direct quote. Use Ph.D. only after the full name in the first mention.

Jane Doe, Ph.D. has done extensive research on the topic. Doe gave a public lecture on the topic last month.
Dr. Brown performed the surgery. Brown indicated the surgery was successful.

An exception to this rule is when referencing to the university president.

Formal communications (including invitations): President Hanycz, President Colleen Hanycz, or Colleen M. Hanycz, Ph.D.

Informal communications, also acceptable: Dr. Hanycz

For more ways to address students and alumni, see class years.

For additional ways to address individuals, see titles.

Academic Subjects

Uppercase when the academic subject is the name of a language or used as a specific

course title.

He majored in history with a minor in Japanese.
She teaches Applied Mathematics.

Lowercase an academic subject when it is used as a general field of study.

Xavier University offers programs in art, psychology, criminal justice and education.
She teaches literature.

Avoid using course numbers.

Correct: She teaches Lit and Moral Imagination.
Incorrect: He teaches Theology 258.

Acronyms

Spell out the entire name on the first reference followed by the letters in parentheses. If the organization is never mentioned again in the text, do not put the acronym in parentheses.

The acronym is generally used without periods.

Students who are looking to participate in the program can learn more in the Office of Student Involvement (OSI). OSI is located in the Gallagher Student Center on the second floor.

Ages

Always indicated with a numeral.

Hyphenate when using as an adjective.

The 3-month-old baby is crying.
The 90-year-old woman is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Do not hyphenate otherwise.

She turns 5 years old today.
The baby is 1 day old.

All Card / ALL Card and Xavier One Pass

Do not capitalize ALL. All Card may be used when appropriate. Reference may also be made to the Xavier One Pass.

All for One / All For One

The phrase All For One uses all capitalized words ONLY for standalone placement, program titles, graphic exceptions and letter sign-offs.

All for One uses the lowercase ‘f’ whenever used in body copy.

Alumni

alumni: plural, masculine; plural form when referring to both men and women
alumnae: plural, feminine
alumnus: singular, masculine
alumna: singular, feminine

For more specifics when referring to alumni, see class years.

Alumni Association

The official name is the Xavier University National Alumni Association. After mentioned once, it can thereafter be referred to as the Alumni Association.

Other relevant parts of the Alumni Association to note:

The Xavier University LatinX & Hispanic Alumni Community
After mentioned once, can thereafter be referred to as the LatinX Alumni Community

The Xavier University LGBTQ+ Alumni Community
After mentioned once, can thereafter be referred to as the LGBTQ+ Alumni Community

Apostrophes

Singular nouns not ending in s: add [’s].
Xavier’s history dates back to 1831.

Singular common nouns ending in [s]: add [’s] unless the next word begins with [s].
The hostess’s invitation was to begin. The hostess’ seat was at the head of the table.

Singular proper names ending in [s]: use only an apostrophe.
Jesus’ life was perfect.
Tennessee Williams’ plays are funny.

Plural nouns NOT ending in s: add [’s].
The children’s contributions are wonderful.

Plural nouns ending in [s]: add only an apostrophe.
The students’ needs are great.

Nouns in plural form, singular in meaning: add only an apostrophe.
Mathematics’ rules are confusing.

Do NOT use an apostrophe to indicate plural with a number.
He graduated in the 1950s.

DO Use an apostrophe to indicate omitted numbers.
He graduated in the ’50s.

Ampersand (&)

Ampersand symbols are NOT to be used unless part of a company’s formal name or composition title.

Procter & Gamble
House & Garden

One exception is for Xavier specific job titles — ampersands may be used when combining titles with a person’s name:

Becky Cull, J.D. (’05), General Counsel & Secretary to the Board of Trustees
Debra Mooney, Ph.D., Vice President for Mission and Identity & Chief Mission Officer
Greg Christopher, Vice President for Administration & Athletic Director

B

Bible/Bible Verses

Scripture used in Roman Catholic public liturgy is from the New American Bible. Full texts of all the books are available at usccb.org for reference.

Capitalize without quotation marks when referring to Scriptures in the Old Testament or New Testament. Capitalize related terms, such as Gospels, Gospel of Mark, or the Scriptures.

Lowercase biblical in all uses.

Lowercase bible when used in nonreligious terms.

The dictionary is my bible.

Do not abbreviate books of the bible. Capitalized book in such uses as Book of Genesis.

Citations listing a chapter number and verse(s) use this form: Matthew 3:16, Luke 21:1-13, 1 Peter 2:1.

Book Titles

See Composition Titles.

Building/Room Names

Uppercase building names in all references. Uppercase rooms when referring to a specific room in a building.

Gallagher Student Center
Schott Hall, Room 711
Buenger Hall
Cintas Center
Alter Hall, Room 105

Cintas Center does not include ‘The’ before its name:

Correct: The convocation was held in Cintas Center.
Incorrect: We went to the Cintas Center for the event.

When referring to University housing, use residence halls, NOT dorms.

Correct: The information can be found in each of the residence halls.
Incorrect: The information can be found in the dorms.

Bullets

Capitalize the first letter in each bulleted item.

Do NOT use a comma or the word and in the penultimate item before the last item.

C

Catholic (and Religious) Terminology

Xavier University identifies itself as a Jesuit, Catholic university. Do NOT use the phrase Catholic, Jesuit or other variations.

Capitalization

The following terms are always capitalized:

Advent
Ash Wednesday
Apostle’s Creed
Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Virgin
Catholic, Catholicism
Christmas, Christmas Day, Christmastime
College of Cardinals
Easter
Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite
Good Friday
Holy Communion
Holy Father
Holy Spirit
Holy Week
Jesus
Last Supper
Latin Rite
Lord’s Supper
Nativity scene (only the first word is capitalized)
New Testament
Old Testament
Pentecost
Roman Catholic Church
Society of Jesus
Sabbath
Satan (but lowercase devil and satanic)

Church, (Diocese, Parish)

Capitalize as part of the formal name of a building, a congregation or denomination; lowercase in other uses:

St. Mary’s Church

The Roman Catholic Church (referring to the collective community/institution)

A Roman Catholic church (referring to the building)

Sacraments

Capitalize the proper names used for a sacramental rite that commemorates the life of Jesus Christ or signifies a belief in his presence: the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, Holy Eucharist

Lowercase the names of other sacraments: baptism, confirmation, penance/the sacrament of reconciliation, matrimony, holy orders and sacrament of anointing the sick

Religious Titles

For religious titles, see Titles.

Capitalization

Avoid overcapitalization.

Capitalize the formal name of courses.

Capitalize the formal names of non-University organizations.

Cintas Center

See Building/Room Names.

Cities and States

The following cities can stand alone and do not require a state affiliation afterward:

Atlanta
Baltimore
Boston
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington

Avoid using Postal Code abbreviations when using a state name after a city and spell out the state fully both after a city and when standing alone in text material.

Class Years

In general, write out the class year in text.

John W. Jones, a member of the Class of 1966, attended the event.

John W. Jones, a 1966 graduate, attended the event.

Uppercase “Class” when referring to a specific class followed by a year.

He was a member of the Class of 1925.

Lowercase “class” when referring to a stage of study or the classification of a student.

Members of the sophomore class are eligible.

She was a freshman.

He was a member of the 1988 graduating class.

Co-

Generally, do not hyphenate when forming new words, unless the word forms a noun,
adjective or word indicating occupation or status: Co-author, co-chairman, co-host, costar, co-worker.

See the dictionary for a more complete list of examples.

Colleges, Divisions, Departments, Centers and Offices

Colleges

Uppercase all colleges in all references.

College of Arts and Sciences

Williams College of Business

College of Professional Sciences

College of Nursing

College of Medicine

Centers

All centers should be referred to as Center for.

The Center for Management and Entrepreneurship serves the needs of the business community.

The Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice is known as CFJ.

Departments

All academic departments should be referred to as Department of.

The Department of History is offering a series of seminars this semester.

The Department of Psychology is looking for volunteers.

The Department of Athletics has extra tickets for the game.

Divisions

Uppercase names of divisions, offices, departments and centers in text copy.

The Department of English works with the Department of Spanish.

Offices

All offices or service areas should be referred to as Office of.

The Office of Academic Affairs will hear the case.

The Office of Safety and Security offers safety tips to the University community.

The Office of University Communications put this together.

The Office of the President is in Schmidt Hall.

Commas

In a series, use commas to separate elements.

Do not use a comma before the conjunction in a series unless the last item or next-to-last item contains an and.

The flag is red, white and blue. I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.

With conjunctions, as a rule of thumb, use a comma if the subject of each clause is expressly stated.

We are visiting Cincinnati, and we also plan a side trip to Lexington.

No comma is needed when the subject of the two clauses is the same and is not repeated in the second.

We are visiting Cincinnati and plan to see the Aronoff Center.

Do not use a comma between the month and year or the season and year. Commas are used in dates primarily when a specific day is given.

The building is slated for completion in July 1998. He is on sabbatical during the summer 1997.

A comma should also follow the year when used with a month and day.

The story will appear Jan. 10, 1997, in the local media.

Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives preceding a noun.

It was a cold, gray winter.

Set apart the name of a spouse or child with commas.

John Smith and his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Amy and Roger, live in Cincinnati.

Composition Titles

Capitalize the principal words of four or more letters. Also capitalize both parts of a phrasal verb and to in infinitives.

Only capitalize articles (a, the, an) or words less than four letters if it is the first or last
word in the title.

AP Style calls for quotation marks to be used in conjunction with the following compositions.

Book titles
Magazines
Newspapers
Play titles
Albums/CDs
Catalogs and reference material
Book chapters
Movie titles
Television programs
Lecture and speech titles
Song titles
Article titles
Art exhibits
Artwork titles
Courtesy titles

Certain works do not require quotations, including the Bible, the Quran, other holy books and books that are primarily catalogs of reference materials, as well as almanacs, dictionaries, handbooks and similar materials. Also, do not use quotations marks around software titles, apps, or video, online or analog versions of games.

Curas

See Latin Words/Phrases.

D

Dates

When used with a specific date, abbreviate the months Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov.
and Dec. Do not abbreviate March, April, May, June and July.

Her birthday is Dec. 10.

The event takes place Feb. 4, 2003.

The target date is April 14, 2026.

Spell out all months when using alone or with a year alone.

August 1997 was a hot, humid month.

Christmas is in December.

Use the Fourth of July, NOT July 4th.

Use New Year’s Day, NOT Jan. 1st.

Whenever referencing a date with a time and location, follow time-date-place (TDP) format:

The event will take place from 4-6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 14 in Cintas Center.

Decades

Use numerals to indicate decades of history. Use an apostrophe to indicate numerals that are left out; show plural by adding [s]: 1980s,’90s, the mid-2010s

For inclusive dates, separate with a dash and use full years.

The 2002-2003 academic year begins in September.

Dean’s List

Lowercase in all uses.

She made the dean’s list last semester.

Doctor/Dr.

See Academic Titles and Titles.

Dual Heritage

When used as an adjective or noun, hyphens are not necessary for people who identify with dual heritages. (i.e. African American, Asian American, Filipino American, Turkish German, etc.)

E

Email

Do not hyphenate. Lowercase unless at the start of a sentence. There is no need to capitalize words in an e-mail address: johndoe@xavier.edu.

If an e-mail address does not all fit on one line, do not hyphenate but break the line at a natural spot.

Also note: esports. Use a hyphen for all other e- terms: e-book, e-reader, e-commerce.

Emeritus

Emeritus is a title given to an individual who is retired but retains his rank or title.

Entitled/Titled

Books, lectures and movies are titled. People are entitled.

Etc.

Avoid except within parenthetical expressions.

Exclamation Points

Avoid.

F

First Year/First-Year

The noun (referring to a student at Xavier): a first-year was seen volunteering on the Xavier Yard

The adjective (describing a type of student): a first-year student

When referring to a generic amount of time, use as normal.

This is his first year at Xavier University.

Avoid using the term freshman or freshmen. Instead, use first-year.

Fort

Do not abbreviate.

Fractions

Spell out in text material. Hyphenate them when they are used as adjectives or adverbs, but not when used as nouns.

The book is three-fourths edited.

Nearly one quarter of the year is completed.

Freelance

One word.

Full Time/Full-Time

Hyphenate only when used as a compound modifier.

She is a full-time employee.

She works full time in the office of the registrar.

Fundraising

Always written as one word.

G

Grades

Use an apostrophe for plurals.

Her grades were mostly A’s and B’s.

He received two C’s this semester.

Grade-Point Average (GPA)

The abbreviation for grade point average is GPA, no periods. This is acceptable in all references.

H

Hyphenation

Hyphenate compound words that are used as adjectives.

Both on- and off-campus activities are planned.

Do not hyphenate adverbs (often words ending in –ly).

Don’t hyphenate nouns.

Vice president is not hyphenated.

I

Ignatius/Ignatian

Capitalize the term Ignatian whenever it appears.

Xavier University focuses on the gifts of its Ignatian heritage.

It's/Its

It’s is a contraction for “it is” or “it has.”

It’s been a part of the Xavier campus since 1924.

Its is the possessive form of the neuter pronoun.

The company sold one of its subsidiaries.

Invitation and Programs (Formal)

The general rule is to spell out times, dates and years.

For years, use two thousand two, NOT two thousand and two.

For additional assistance in developing formal materials, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications. See example below.

The Xavier University Board of Trustees
cordially invites you to the
Third Annual Alumni Achievement Dinner
Thursday, September seventh
Two thousand twelve
at six o’clock in the evening
in the
Duff Family Banquet Center
Cintas Center
Xavier University
RSVP by the fifteenth of August
Black Tie

J

Job Titles

President, Vice President, Dean, Associate Vice President, and Director are all capitalized before the individual name on first mention, but not professor, which is more of a profession than a title. (see Academic Titles or Titles)

Capitalization

Uppercase when the title precedes the name and lowercase when it does not:

Morgan Publishing President Jacob W. Anthony attended the event.

He was introduced by professor of business John Williams, Ph.D.

Lowercase when the name precedes the title:

Jacob W. Anthony, president of Morgan Publishing

William Brown, vice president for design and research

John Williams is a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Formal Titles

Xavier titles should be referred to as:

vice president for academic affairs
administrative vice president
vice president for spiritual development
vice president for development
vice president for financial administration
vice president for student development
director for safety and security
associate vice president for marketing and public relations
professor of history

Titles Involving Two or More Roles

Whenever an individual’s job title involves two or more official roles or offices, use an ampersand to join the titles into one:

Becky Cull, J.D. (’05), General Counsel & Secretary to the Board of Trustees

Debra Mooney, Ph.D., Vice President for Mission and Identity & Chief Mission Officer

Greg Christopher, Vice President for Administration & Athletic Director

Junior, Senior

Do not use a comma to separate Jr., Sr., II, III, etc. from the surname. It is also unnecessary to use a comma after Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.

John Brown Jr. and William Meyer II are not related.

L

Latin Words/Phrases

When used as a header OR when referring specifically to the tenets of the Strategic Plan or specific University programs or initiatives, capitalize and do NOT italicize:

Cura Studiorum

Magis

When used in body copy, do not capitalize but DO italicize:

cura apostolica

magis

cura personalis

Lists

See commas and punctuation when making a list within body copy.

Do NOT use the word and in the penultimate or last item whenever making a bulleted list.

LGBTQ+

Used as an adjective and acceptable in all references for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer and/or questioning. In quotations and formal names of organizations and events, other variations such as LGBTQ or LGBTQIA are also acceptable. Queer is often used as an umbrella term covering people who are not heterosexual or cisgender and is acceptable for people and organizations that use the term to identify themselves. For more specific information and examples, refer to the Associated Press Stylebook’s section on gender, sex and sexual orientation.

M

Mass

Always capitalize. Mass is celebrated, not said. Priests officiate over a Mass.

Mount

Do not abbreviate when used in the name of a city.

Musketeers/Muskies

Always refer to the Xavier Musketeers. Do NOT use the term Muskies.

Majors

Lowercase unless a language.

Smith, an accounting major, plays on the club volleyball team.

Mary Powers is an English major and Jack Meachem is a physics major.

Avoid using the terms majoring and minoring when possible:

Instead of: She is minoring in Spanish.

Use: She is working towards a minor in Spanish.

Use the term exploratory, NOT undecided.

See also student reference and academic subjects.

N

Names

For names that are hyphenated, such as Olivia Newton-John, refer in second reference by both names: Newton-John. For individuals with two last names, like Joanne Smith Stevens, that are not hyphenated, refer in second reference only by the second name: Stevens.

Numerals

Spell out numbers under 10 (one through nine).

Spell out first through ninth when they indicate sequence in time or location. Starting with 10th, use figures. Use two letters for 22nd, 45th, etc.

He was first in his family to attend college.

Among all Midwestern universities, Xavier ranked fifth in academic reputation and ninth overall.

He was the 12th person to receive the award.

Use numbers with percentage (7%), money ($5), temperature (8 degrees), scores (7-3), pages (page 2), rooms (Room 3) and chapter (chapter 5).

Avoid using numbers to begin a sentence. If unavoidable, always spell out at the beginning of a sentence without regard to consistency.

One hundred seventy-eight international students are included in Xavier’s total enrollment.

Use a comma in numerals of one thousand and above, except for temperatures and years.

2,987

18,462

3000 degrees C

We look forward to the year 2036.

When referring to rankings, use No. to indicate number, not #.

The basketball team is ranked No. 10 in the nation.

We are No. 1.

P

Part Time/Part-Time

Hyphenate only when used as a compound modifier.

She was a part-time employee.

She works part time in the front office.

Percent

Use numerals (even those below 10) paired with a percentage sign (%) in most cases.

Approximately 90% of the class was there. Less than 3% of the students earned an A.

Spell out the word ‘percent’ when speaking figuratively.

She had a zero percent chance of being on time.

Use decimals instead of fractions.

Roughly 10.5% of the population has six toes, but only 0.6% of the population really cares.

Punctuation

Use a single space after a period.

Avoid the Oxford comma. That is, do not use commas before a conjunction in a simple series.

In art class, they learned that red, yellow and blue are primary colors.

His brothers are Tom, Joe, Frank and Pete.

However, a comma should be used before the terminal conjunction in a complex series, if part of that series also contains a conjunction.

The University’s English Department offers majors in Literature, Second Language Studies, English Language and Linguistics, and Rhetoric and Composition.

Use hypens (-) as joiners, such as for compound modifiers, and for ranges (as for dates or times).

small-business owner

Jan. 1-4

Use em dash ( — ) with spaces on both sides to signal an abrupt change, to set off a series within a phrase, before an attribution to an author or composer, after datelines and to start lists. (note: an em dash is roughly the width of a capital M in the typeface being used).

Do not worry — everything is already arranged.

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” — Oscar Wilde

Avoid using the en dash (a shorter dash that is not used in AP Style).

Avoid using the exclamation point (!).

Q

Quotation Marks

Commas and periods go within quotation marks.

“I did nothing wrong,” he said.

She said, “Let’s go to the soccer game.”

R

Religious Titles

See section on religious titles under titles.

Residence Halls

Residence hall is the preferred reference to University housing facilities, not dorms.

Correct: The information can be found in each of the residence halls.

Incorrect: The information can be found in the dorms.

S

Saint

Abbreviate when used in the name of a city or institution but spell out whenever referring to a person.

St. Louis is along the Mississippi River.

The first book of the New Testament was written by Saint Matthew.

Seasons of the Year

Uppercase when part of a formal name.

He took part in the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics.

Otherwise, lowercase.

The seasons of the year are spring, summer, fall and winter.

A copy of our summer sessions’ catalog is enclosed.

Students don’t attend classes during spring break and the winter holiday but do attend classes during the fall semester.

Student references

When referring to current students, do not use expected graduation year (Joe Smith, exp.’26) but rather, use class year and major reference (Joe Smith, a junior Marketing major).

Use the term first-year, NOT freshman.

Use the term exploratory, NOT undecided.

T

Telephone numbers

Do not put 1 in front of area code or put parenthesis around area code. Connect area code

with phone number with a dash, making it a 10-digit number. (If you have a question

about the University’s editorial style, call 513-745-3331.)

Separate extensions with a comma. (To call the office from outside of Greater Cincinnati,

call 800 344-4698, ext. 3331.)

The

Lowercase “the” in the names of institutions, organizations, companies, schools, restaurants, hotels, etc., in text.

He works for the Procter & Gamble Co.

Uppercase “the” when it is the first word of a book or periodical.

She reads The New York Times daily.

Titles

For specifics regarding academia, see academic titles and student references.

In general, confine capitalization to formal titles used directly before an individual’s name.

President Joe Biden addressed the crowd.

Lowercase and spell out titles when they are not used with an individual’s name.

The president issued a statement.

The pope gave his blessing.

Lowercase and spell out titles in constructions that set them off from a name by commas.

The vice president, Kamala Harris, was elected in 2020.

Pope Francis, the current pope, was born in Argentina.

A formal title generally is one that denotes a scope of authority or professional activity.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto

Dr. Benjamin Spock

retired Gen. Colin Powell

Other titles serve primarily as occupational descriptions.

astronaut Sally Ride

poet Maya Angelou

author Cormac McCarthy

Do NOT use Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Professor before someone’s name in text unless in a direct quote or in formal invitations.

Religious titles

First reference normally includes a capitalized title before the individual’s name. In many cases, the Rev. is the common designation that applies for Catholic priests who are not Jesuits or other applicable Christian denominations. For example, the Rev. Billy Graham on the first reference, Graham on any subsequent references.

Do NOT use Father or Brother before the name, unless in a direct quote.

Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops

The preferred form for first reference is to use Cardinal, Archbishop, or Bishop before the individual’s name on first reference: Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston. On second reference: DiNardo or the cardinal.

In some cases, the Very Rev. or the Most Rev. may be precede a name of cardinals, archbishops, or bishops (Jesuit or otherwise). This is often used for formal invitations.

He spoke to the Most Rev. Jose Gomez, archbishop of Los Angelos.

Do NOT use former for job titles that are bestowed in perpetuity, such as bishop, unless those designations have been revoked. Instead, use language like retired bishop to indicate someone no longer serving.

Jesuits

For members of the Society of Jesus, include the full name, followed by S.J. Always use a comma to separate the name and the order.

Eric Sundrup, S.J. presided at the Mass of the Holy Spirit.

Pope

Capitalize when used as a formal title before a name; lowercase in all other uses.

Pope Frances spoke to the crowd. At the close of his address, the pope gave his blessing.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI or Benedict XVI, the pope emeritus with Benedict for any subsequent references.

Sister

Capitalize in all references before the names of nuns. If no surname is given, the name is the same in all references.

If a surname is used in first reference, drop the given name and sister on second reference: Sister Rose Ann Fleming on first reference, Fleming in subsequent references.

Use Mother the same way when referring to a woman who heads a group of nuns: Mother Superior Agatha Smith, Mother Theresa.

Time of Day

Always include the minutes, separated by a colon, unless the time is the top of an hour.

10 a.m.

10:30 p.m.

6:15 a.m.

Always include a.m. or p.m. unless the time is noon or midnight. They should be

lowercase with periods (a.m., p.m.).

Use midnight, NOT 12 a.m.

Use noon, NOT 12 p.m.

Do NOT use o’clock.

If an event has a beginning time and end time, separate the two with a dash, unless one of

the times is noon or midnight, or the time transitions from a.m. to p.m. during the time

window.

In those cases, time periods should be separated with to.

The event lasted from 2-4 p.m.

Tomorrow’s event lasts from 10 a.m. to noon.

Next week’s event is from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Avoid the redundant.

Correct: The class started at 10 a.m.

Incorrect: The class started at 10 a.m. this morning.

Whenever referencing time with a date and location, follow time-date-place (TDP) format:

The event will take place from 4-6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 14 in Cintas Center.

Technology terms

Correct spelling and capitalization rules for some common terms are as follows:

database (one word, capitalize when referring to specific titles)

download (noun and verb usage)

eBay Inc. (use EBay Inc. when the word begins a sentence)

e-book

e-book reader

e-reader

cellphone

Facebook

Google, Googling, Googled

hashtag

IM (IMed, IMing; for first reference, use instant messenger)

Instagram

direct-message(d) (abbreviation DMs can be used as a plural but avoid in formal writing)

internet

iPad, iPhone, iPod (use IPad, IPhone, or IPod when the word begins a sentence)

post, posted

social media

smartphone

TikTok

Twitter, tweet, tweeted, retweet

Webmaster

website

web page

YouTube

U

United States

Spell out as a noun; abbreviate when used as an adjective.

The United States is in North America.

The U.S. Court of Appeals voted on the case.

University

Uppercase when specifically referring to Xavier.

For more than 150 years, the University has provided a values-oriented education in the Jesuit tradition.

Lowercase when the reference is non-specific or to another university.

Gonzaga is a Jesuit university in Seattle.