NSU Editorial Style Quick Tips and Guidelines
NSU EDITORIAL STYLE QUICK TIPS
Keep an eye out for these as you develop your copy.
Punctuation
•
NSU uses the serial/Oxford comma (before the “and”) in
a series. (She will have a ham sandwich, cookies
,
and
milk for lunch.)
•
Use em dashes (long dashes), not hyphens, to show an
abrupt change or to emphasize something. Do not place
any space before or after the em dash. (The professor’s
idea
—
though rejected by scholars
—
actually had merit.)
Capitalization
•
DON’T
capitalize titles after a name in running text
(George L. Hanbury,
president
); majors, minors, and
areas of specialization (
history, nursing
); or general degrees
(
bachelor’s degree in accounting
).
•
DO
capitalize titles before a name in running text (
President
George L. Hanbury), complete academic degree names
(
Bachelor of Arts in Dance
,
M.S. in Psychology
), and formal
names of departments (
Office of Publications
).
Grammar
•
Use “faculty and staff members,” not “faculty and staff,” when
talking about more than one person or group. (The gifts will
be given to students, alumni, and
faculty and staff members
.)
•
Use
alumni
only when referring to
multiple graduates
(all
male or male and female). For
one male
graduate, use
alumnus
.
One female
graduate is an
alumna
.
Multiple female
graduates are
alumnae
.
Alum
can be used
ONLY
in informal
writing; it refers to
a single male or a single female
graduate
(
alums
, the plural, also informal, can also be
a mixed group
).
Numbers
•
Spell out all numbers
one through nine
. Use
numerals for 10
and above
.
•
Phone numbers are written with
area codes in parentheses
:
(954) 262-8850.
Toll-free numbers
, however, do not use
parentheses but
are written with hyphens
: 800-555-1234.
Keep in Mind
•
Write
a.m.
and
p.m.
in lowercase letters with periods. Write
degrees in capital letters with periods (
B.A., M.B.S., Ph.D.
).
•
All website URLs and email addresses should be
italicized
(
www.nova.edu
). Also, the word “
website
” is now spelled by
NSU as one word, lowercased.
For more examples or editorial help, please contact one of the
NSU editors or check out the
NSU Style Manual
(
https://www.nova.edu/publications/style-manual/
).
Sheryl Koral, university editor,
skoral@nova.edu
Carol Reynolds-Srot, associate editor/copywriter,
carolrs@nova.edu
NSU Style Questions?
Learn valuable NSU editorial style quick tips on punctuation, capitalization, grammar, numbers, and more to enhance the clarity and professionalism of your writing. Get insights on when to use the serial/Oxford comma, em dashes, and proper capitalization rules. Understand the correct usage of faculty and staff members, alumni, and numbers. Keep in mind essential formatting details such as writing a.m. and p.m. in lowercase and italicizing website URLs and email addresses. For comprehensive examples and editorial assistance, refer to the NSU Style Manual or reach out to NSU editors for guidance.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author.If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
You are allowed to download the files provided on this website for personal or commercial use, subject to the condition that they are used lawfully. All files are the property of their respective owners.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
NSU EDITORIAL STYLE QUICK TIPS Keep an eye out for these as you develop your copy.
Punctuation NSU uses the serial/Oxford comma (before the and ) in a series. (She will have a ham sandwich, cookies, and milk for lunch.) Use em dashes (long dashes), not hyphens, to show an abrupt change or to emphasize something. Do not place any space before or after the em dash. (The professor s idea though rejected by scholars actually had merit.)
Capitalization DON T capitalize titles after a name in running text (George L. Hanbury, president); majors, minors, and areas of specialization (history, nursing); or general degrees (bachelor s degree in accounting). DO capitalize titles before a name in running text (President George L. Hanbury), complete academic degree names (Bachelor of Arts in Dance, M.S. in Psychology), and formal names of departments (Office of Publications).
Grammar Use faculty and staff members, not faculty and staff, when talking about more than one person or group. (The gifts will be given to students, alumni, and faculty and staff members.) Use alumni only when referring to multiple graduates (all male or male and female). For one male graduate, use alumnus. One female graduate is an alumna. Multiple female graduates are alumnae. Alum can be used ONLY in informal writing; it refers to a single male or a single female graduate (alums, the plural, also informal, can also be a mixed group).
Numbers Spell out all numbers one through nine. Use numerals for 10 and above. Phone numbers are written with area codes in parentheses: (954) 262-8850. Toll-free numbers, however, do not use parentheses but are written with hyphens: 800-555-1234.
Keep in Mind Write a.m. and p.m. in lowercase letters with periods. Write degrees in capital letters with periods (B.A., M.B.S., Ph.D.). All website URLs and email addresses should be italicized (www.nova.edu). Also, the word website is now spelled by NSU as one word, lowercased.
NSU Style Questions? For more examples or editorial help, please contact one of the NSU editors or check out the NSU Style Manual (https://www.nova.edu/publications/style-manual/). Sheryl Koral, university editor, skoral@nova.edu Carol Reynolds-Srot, associate editor/copywriter, carolrs@nova.edu
