Writing Style Manual THIRD EDITION The University of Pittsburgh, as an educational institution and as an employer, values equality of opportunity, human dignity, and racial/ethnic and cultural diversity. Accordingly, as fully explained in Policy 07-01-03, the University prohibits and will not engage in discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability, or status as a veteran. The University also prohibits and will not engage in retaliation against any person who makes a claim of discrimination or harassment or who provides information in such an investigation. Further, the University will continue to take afrmative steps to support and advance these values consistent with the University’s mission. This policy applies to admissions, employment, and access to and treatment in University programs and activities*. This is a commitment made by the University and is in accordance with federal, state, and/or local laws and regulations.

For information on University equal opportunity and afrmative action programs, please contact: University of Pittsburgh; Ofce of Diversity and Inclusion; Katie Pope, Title IX Coordinator, and Cheryl Rufn, 504 and ADA Coordinator; Second Floor, Webster Hall; 4415 Fifth Avenue; Pittsburgh, PA 15260; 412-648-7860.

For complete details on the University’s Nondiscrimination Policy, please refer to Policy 07-01-03. For information on how to fle a complaint under this policy, please refer to Procedure 07-01-03.

*Except where exempt by federal or state laws.

The University of Pittsburgh is an afrmative action, equal opportunity institution. Published in cooperation with the Ofce of University Communications. 111751-1119 Writing Style Manual THIRD EDITION

The University’s Writing Style: In an effort to better reflect how language Top Tips for Good Writing An Important Part of Its Identity is actually being used within the University community and among our higher education The Basics The University of Pittsburgh reaches out to peers, this third edition of the University of 1. The University of Pittsburgh, Pitt and the many audiences through its publications and Pittsburgh Writing Style Manual has been University are the only acceptable its websites. While each of the University’s revised to more closely align with the recom- references to this institution. schools, colleges, departments, and academic mendations outlined in the Associated Press and administrative units has its own special Stylebook. Because this reference does not 2. Check your facts. Sometimes we assume strengths and its own stories to tell, each is address all style questions that may be raised things that we don’t really know, and it can part of the same institution. The use of a clear, in an academic environment, we continue to be embarrassing. Check all proper nouns consistent writing style for all print materials recommend that users refer to The Chicago (names of people, places and events), and websites produced by and for the University Manual of Style, 17th Edition, for matters of numbers (dates, years and phone numbers), of Pittsburgh reinforces this fact and, just like a style and usage not addressed in the Associated and people’s titles, and generally check that conscientiously applied graphic style or identity, Press Stylebook or in this style manual. what you’re writing is true. When checking your facts, make sure the sources you helps to present the University to its audiences This style manual is a comprehensive road map in a consistent and professional manner, using are credible and up to date, to the style guidelines adopted by the University especially websites. making use of the highest standards of written of Pittsburgh. Within these guidelines are excep- English language expression. tions to and clarifications of style conventions 3. Writing style should be consistent— The University of Pittsburgh is a member of the listed in the Associated Press Stylebook and always—throughout a story, throughout a prestigious Association of American Universities The Chicago Manual of Style that are common magazine, throughout a series. Instances of (AAU), a consortium of top North American to written communications at Pitt. It has been inconsistency can look like mistakes. research institutions. When the process of prepared for the use of all who write University 4. When writing out a Pitt address, the frst creating this style manual was initiated, many promotional materials (brochures, magazines, line is always University of Pittsburgh. The AAU members were using The Chicago Manual newsletters, flyers, posters, etc.) and for next line is the school, then the department of Style, considered a highly authoritative websites that will carry the University’s name. and then a person’s name (if the mail is going reference in publishing and academia, as the In addition to serving as the basis for a consistent to someone specifc). Then write the ofce basis for their own writing styles. In June 2003, writing style, this manual also provides a handy number and building. Finally, write the street the University of Pittsburgh adopted style reference guide to some common spellings, address and the city, state and zip code. guidelines based on, but not identical to, those abbreviations and punctuation. For general See the Addresses section for details. in The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition, matters of spelling, the recommended dictionary 5. Don’t rely on spell check! One letter can as part of its institutional identity program. is the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. If two make the diference between the word you In 2007, following the release of 15th edition or more accepted spellings are given, the first is want and an embarrassing mistake. Spell of The Chicago Manual of Style, these guidelines the one preferred for University publications. check will not fag a misspelled word if your were updated. Any questions about University of Pittsburgh misspelling is another (correctly spelled) In the past several years, however, there writing style or this manual should be directed word. Check your spelling, and consider asking has increasingly been a blurring of the lines to the Office of University Communications. your colleagues to proofread your writing. between journalism and marketing communica- tions, both in the world at large and at Pitt.

1 6. To capitalize or not to capitalize? That 10. The law afects our writing. At Pitt, the Making It Sing is often the question. Capitalizing a word full names of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate 13. Don’t lean on jargon! We want people to because it is important may not be the School of Business, Swanson School of understand the great work that is being correct thing to do. For everything you ever Engineering and Kenneth P. Dietrich School done at the University of Pittsburgh and by wanted to know about capitalization, see the of Arts and Sciences must be used in the its alumni, so explain it in simple, everyday Capitalization section of this manual. frst and most prominent references in English. Jargon includes any words, phrases 7. Old habits are hard to break, but let’s break a publication. That stipulation is in the and descriptions used by members of a this one. In the word-processing age, we use contract between the University and the discipline to describe their work to other only one space after a period or a colon. donors. Court rulings about afrmative people in the same feld, and we must avoid The convention of using two spaces between action programs at the University of Michigan it when we write for external audiences. sentences and after a colon is a holdover have altered the way we describe outreach to disadvantaged and underrepresented 14. Keep your writing active whenever pos- from the typewriter age, and it went out with sible, including in headlines. All sentences carbon paper. student populations. We also must be careful not to libel or defame people in our have subjects, objects and verbs. When the 8. Learn the proper way to refer to degrees. writing. The Associated Press Stylebook subject of a sentence performs an action, These are right: includes an excellent summary of libel law. the sentence is written in active voice. Bachelor of Science, bachelor’s degree, BS When the subject is being acted upon, 11. See Appendix 1 for a list of commonly the sentence is written in passive voice. Master of Arts, master’s degree, MA misused words and how to use them prop- Doctor of Philosophy, doctorate, PhD Using passive voice makes writing harder erly. Your boss might even compliment you to understand. These are wrong: on how you’ve complemented your profes- Bachelor’s of Science, Bachelors Degree, B.S. sional development with this style manual! 15. Humor is a matter of personal taste, and wordplay, sarcasm, exaggeration and 12. Watch your words. To show sensitivity to other devices should be used with great The Finer Points the rich variety of ethnicities, races, religions care. Consider the context of what you’re and other aspects of individuals’ identities, 9. Don’t leave the rules of grammar back writing; a document that’s the ofcial voice we must respect cultural, personal and of University policy requires a diferent in grade school. Subject-verb agreement religious diferences. Don’t mention ethnic, is an important rule, and so is subject- tone than an email to colleagues or friends. racial or other individual characteristics When in doubt, leave it out. pronoun agreement. Beware of collective unless they are pertinent and their relevance nouns, and pay attention to subjects, verbs is clear to the reader. If an attribute is and pronouns, as these kinds of errors relevant and you’re writing about a specifc are both embarrassing and common. person, fnd out the term the person In addition, watch out for proper usage prefers. Avoid using gender-specifc words of gerunds, which are the -ing forms of such as chairman, mailman and freman verbs used as nouns. If the gerund is to be when you can easily substitute words modifed by a noun or pronoun, the noun such as chair, letter carrier and frefghter. or pronoun must be in the possessive case. Also, use the terms winter recess and Also, avoid superfuous prepositions. holiday party rather than Christmas break Finally, avoid dangling modifers, which are and Christmas party, as not everyone phrases or clauses—usually introductory celebrates the same holidays. phrases or clauses—that modify the wrong word, resulting in an illogical statement.

2 Table of Contents ART ...... 8 14. Geological eras, periods, epochs and strata 15. Titles of newspapers, magazines, journals, ARTICLES (IN NEWSPAPERS, websites and religious texts MAGAZINES, JOURNALS, ETC.) ...... 8 16. Titles of books, book chapters, poems, short ABBREVIATIONS ...... 7 AVENUE ...... 8 stories, essays, plays, movies, pamphlets, 1. Streets, avenues, roads, boulevards CDs, long musical compositions, radio and 2. Days of the week AWARDS, PRIZES ...... 8 TV programs, lectures, dissertations, articles, and works of art 3. Months of the year BC/BCE ...... 8 17. Titles of book sections 4. Acronyms BLACK ...... 8 18. Philosophical, literary, musical and artistic 5. City and state movements, styles and schools from proper 6. Beginning a sentence BOARD OF TRUSTEES ...... 8 nouns 19. Acronyms ACADEMIC CALENDAR/TERMS ...... 7 BOOKS, BOOK CHAPTERS ...... 8 CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY.. .. 10 AD/CE ...... 7 BUILDINGS...... 9 CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING ...... 10 ADDRESSES ...... 7 CAMPUSES ...... 9 1. Addresses in copy CD ...... 10 CANNOT ...... 9 2. Full mailing addresses CE ...... 10 3. Separating elements with commas CAPITALIZATION ...... 9 1. Hyphenated compounds CENTERS, INSTITUTES, ADVISOR ...... 7 LABORATORIES ...... 10 2. Parts of the world and regions of a country AFRICAN AMERICAN ...... 7 3. Compass directions CENTS ...... 10 4. Seasons AGE ...... 7 CENTURY ...... 10 5. Legislative, executive and administrative ALUMNA, ALUMNUS, bodies CHANCELLOR ...... 11 ALUMNAE, ALUMNI ...... 7 6. Corporate, professional and governmental titles before a name CHAPTERS (OF BOOKS) ...... 11 AMPERSAND ...... 8 7. Nonspecific noun and adjective references CITY OF PITTSBURGH ...... 11 APOSTROPHE ...... 8 8. Political organizations, members CLASS ...... 11 1. Plurals of figures, years or abbreviations 9. Political and economic systems 2. Plurals of letters and academic grades 10. Numerical designation of historical time COLLECTIVE NOUNS ...... 11 3. Possessives of abbreviations periods in a proper name COLONS ...... 11 4. Degrees 11. Nouns in major reference headings 1. Capitalization of first word after colon 5. Year of graduation 12. Nouns in minor reference headings 13. Genus names 2. Colons in titles

3 3. Colons with quotations marks and parentheses 3. BC/AD and BCE/CE ENDOWED CHAIRS, 4. Space after colons 4. Inclusive years PROFESSORSHIPS ...... 14 5. Plurals of years COMMAS ...... 11 ETHNICITY AND RACE ...... 14 6. Referencing dates 1. In a series FELLOWSHIPS, 2. With Jr., Sr. or numerals in a name DAYS ...... 13 SCHOLARSHIPS ...... 14 3. Nonessential/nonrestrictive clauses DEGREES (ACADEMIC) ...... 13 FORMS ...... 14 4. Essential/restrictive clauses 1. Abbreviations 5. Between two adjectives FUNDRAISER/FUNDRAISING ...... 15 2. Doctorate COMMONLY MISUSED WORDS ...... 11 3. Honors GENDER SENSITIVITIES ...... 15 4. Certificates 1. Gender-specific terms COMMENCEMENT ...... 11 2. Preferred pronouns and they/them/their DEGREES (TEMPERATURE) ...... 13 COMMONWEALTH OF 3. Rewriting for unknown gender/ PENNSYLVANIA ...... 11 DEPARTMENTS, OFFICES, pronoun preference PROGRAMS, SCHOOLS ...... 13 COMPANY NAMES...... 11 4. Gender-inclusive language 1. Academic departments, offices, programs, ...... 15 COMPUTER TERMINOLOGY ...... 12 schools GENUS NAMES 1. Terms 2. Named schools GRADES ...... 15 2. Email 3. Administrative departments and offices GRANTS, GRANT PROPOSALS ...... 15 3. Breaking website URLs on two or more lines 4. Schools of the health sciences 4. Web addresses at the end of sentences 5. University of Pittsburgh Police Department HEALTH CARE ...... 15 5. Web addresses in text DIRECTIONS ...... 14 HEALTH SCIENCES ...... 15 6. Using http and www 7. Login/log in DISSERTATIONS ...... 14 HOMECOMING ...... 15

CONFERENCES ...... 12 DOLLARS ...... 14 HOSPITALS ...... 15

COURSES, CLASSES, MAJORS ...... 12 ELLIPSES ...... 14 HYPHENS, COMPOUNDS ...... 15 1. Within quoted material 1. Two-word compound adjectives before DASHES ...... 12 2. At the end of quoted material (full and a noun 1. Em dashes incomplete sentences) 2. Compound adjectives of three or more 2. Hyphens 3. At the beginning of a sentence words before a noun 3. Compound adjectives after a noun DATES, YEARS ...... 12 ...... 14 EMAIL 4. Adverbs ending in -ly before an adjective 1. Days of the month 2. Commas with dates

4 5. Compound adjectives where the second NON-ENGLISH WORDS QUOTATION MARKS ...... 18 word ends in -ed AND PHRASES ...... 17 1. Placing commas and periods 6. Nouns that represent different and equally 2. Placing colons and semicolons important functions NUMBERS ...... 17 3. Placing a question mark, exclamation point 7. Prefixes 1. General rule or dash 8. Self- and ex- compounds 2. Beginning a sentence 4. Single quotation marks for quotations 9. Suffixes 3. Age within a quotation 4. Percentages 5. Several paragraphs of a quotation INSTITUTES ...... 16 5. Dollars and cents 6. Topics of talks, papers or presentations JR., SR., NUMERALS IN A NAME .... 16 6. Numerical amounts equal to or greater than 1 million RACE ...... 19 LABORATORIES ...... 16 7. Temperature, degrees RADIO PROGRAMS ...... 19 LATIN TERMS ...... 16 8. Other exceptions REFERENCING PEOPLE ...... 19 1. Latin terms in text 9. Use of numerals for the sake of consistency 2. Emeritus, emerita, emeriti, emeritae OFFICES ...... 18 REGIONAL CAMPUSES ...... 19 3. Resume, curriculum vitae, vita, CV ROAD ...... 19 4. Plurals of Latin and Greek terms ORGANIZATIONS ...... 18 SCHOLARSHIPS ...... 19 LECTURES, LECTURE SERIES ...... 16 ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY, DEPARTMENT OF; SCHOOLS ...... 19 LISTS ...... 16 ORTHOPAEDIC ...... 18 1. Simplicity and concision SEASONS ...... 19 PERCENT ...... 18 2. Commas, semicolons and periods with SEMICOLONS ...... 19 complete sentences PHONE NUMBERS ...... 18 1. General rule 3. Consistency in list items PITTSBURGHESE ...... 18 2. In a series MAGAZINES ...... 17 3. With quotation marks and parentheses PLURALS, POSSESSIVES ...... 18 MAJORS ...... 17 SERIES ...... 19 POEMS ...... 18 MONEY ...... 17 SOCIAL SECURITY...... 19 POLICE ...... 18 MONTHS ...... 17 SONGS ...... 19 PREFIXES ...... 18 MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS SPACING ...... 19 PROFESSORSHIPS ...... 18 AND TERMS ...... 17 1. Between sentences in copy and after colons ...... 18 and semicolons NEWSPAPERS ...... 17 PROVED/PROVEN 2. Abbreviations in names

5 SPECIAL EVENTS ...... 19 TITLES (OTHER) ...... 21 APPENDIX 1: COMMONLY 1. Books, book chapters, television shows, MISUSED WORDS ...... 23 STREET ...... 20 movies, radio programs, plays APPENDIX 2: COMMONLY STUDENT TERMINOLOGY ...... 20 2. Articles in magazines, journals or newspapers MISSPELLED WORDS ...... 25 1. Academic years (first-year student, sophomore, graduate student, etc.) 3. Academic papers, dissertations, grant APPENDIX 3: SCHOOL, COLLEGE proposals, theses 2. Racial, linguistic, religious and other groups AND CAMPUS ABBREVIATIONS ..... 26 4. Musical works 3. Years of graduation APPENDIX 4: POSTAL 5. Lecture series, conferences, lectures, 4. Punctuating years of graduation speeches INFORMATION AND STATE 5. The word class when used with a year ABBREVIATIONS ...... 26 6. Officers of a class, social organization, etc. UNITED STATES ...... 22 APPENDIX 5: UPMC HOSPITALS ... 27 TELEVISION PROGRAMS ...... 20 UNIVERSITY ...... 22

TEMPERATURE ...... 20 UNIVERSITY BRAND AND VISUAL IDENTITY ...... 22 TERMS ...... 20 UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS ...... 22 TESTS ...... 20 WASHINGTON, D.C...... 22 THAT/WHICH ...... 20 WAY/WAYS ...... 22 THESES ...... 21 WEBSITE, WORLD WIDE WEB ...... 22 TIMES ...... 21 WHO/WHOM ...... 22 1. Hours of the day, a.m. and p.m., noon and midnight, use of :00 YEARS ...... 22 2. When used with o’clock 3. Precise times 4. Numbers of hours or minutes 5. No commas between time and day or date

TITLES OF PERSONS ...... 21 1. General rule 2. Courtesy titles and academic and professional degrees within text 3. Standing alone without a name 4. First, subsequent references

6 ACADEMIC CALENDAR/TERMS 3. When referencing an address within copy, A Lowercase the names of terms in text. separate elements with commas. University of Pittsburgh should always be the frst line The fall term runs from August through December. ABBREVIATIONS for all University addresses. I believe summer session I runs in May and June. 1. In body copy, do not abbreviate streets, Return all materials to University of Pittsburgh, avenues, boulevards or roads or directions Swanson School of Engineering, Department of that are part of their names unless listed AD/CE Bioengineering, John Smith, 749 Benedum Hall, as part of a numbered address. Although AD is more commonly used, CE 3700 O’Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261. The student lives on North Craig Street in Pittsburgh. (common era) is permissible and appropriate The GPS address for the William Pitt Union in writing in certain contexts and is more ADVISOR is 3959 Fifth Ave. inclusive of people of all faiths. Consider the When referring to those who provide academic Oakland is divided by Fifth and Forbes avenues. discipline and its conventions when selecting and career advice at the University of Pittsburgh, one or the other. Also use capitalized initials the spelling advisor is preferred. Adviser is 2. Spell out the days of the week. without periods. (Also see the BC/BCE and acceptable for nonacademic use. 3. Spell out the months of the year when Dates, Years sections.) they are on their own or given with a year. AFRICAN AMERICAN When given with a specifc date, abbreviate ADDRESSES Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. This phrase is never hyphenated unless it March, May, June and July are always 1. In body copy, do not abbreviate streets, is hyphenated as part of an official name. spelled out. avenues, boulevards, roads, cities or states Ethnicity and race should be mentioned only unless written as part of a numbered when they are pertinent and their pertinence 4. Use capitalized initials without periods for address. Do not abbreviate directions that acronyms and abbreviations used as words— is clear to the reader. (See the Student are part of these names. (Also see the Terminology section.) NATO, EPA, UPMC, NAACP, USO, NOW, Washington, D.C., section.) CDC, FBI, CIA, etc. With some exceptions The office is on South Craig Street in Pittsburgh, (e.g., UPMC, SAT, ACT, RSVP and ID), these Pennsylvania. AGE and other abbreviations are always written Use a numeral when referring to age, Lowercase the words streets, roads, avenues, etc. out on frst reference with the acronym when discussing more than one. even when it is less than 10. following in parentheses if the acronym is Oakland is divided by Fifth and Forbes avenues. The 3-year-old child went to nursery school each morning. used again in the same document. The word Children ages 3-5 attend nursery school in the building. the is not needed before an acronym, as 2. When giving a full mailing address with a zip it is typically understood. code, abbreviate the state with the proper The woman is in her 30s. (Note: no apostrophe) postal abbreviation. On business reply cards 5. Spell out the names of U.S. states when and all envelopes, postal regulations require they stand alone in text and when they ALUMNA, ALUMNUS, two spaces between the state abbreviation follow the name of a city. Always use the ALUMNAE, ALUMNI and the zip code. (See Appendix 4 for state’s two-letter postal abbreviation without An alumna is a female (or person who identifies postal abbreviations.) periods when giving a full mailing address, as female) who has attended or graduated both within text and on mailers, including all University of Pittsburgh from a particular school, college or university; Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences the plural is alumnae. An alumnus is a male envelopes. (See Appendix 4 for proper state Department of Psychology abbreviations and for postal information. John Smith (or person who identifies as male) who has Also see the Addresses section.) 3117 Sennott Square attended or graduated from a school, college 210 South Bouquet St. or university; the plural is alumni. In instances 6. Do not begin a sentence with an abbreviation. Pittsburgh, PA 15260 involving more than one gender, the term Right: Page 12 contains a mistake. alumni is used. Wrong: P. 12 contains a mistake.

7 In more casual writing or instances in which 3. Possessives of abbreviations are formed the Dickson Prize in Medicine, Dickson Medal, the medal, the gender of a graduate is unknown, alum same way they would be if the nouns were medal awardee may be used. spelled out. Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize winner, Nobel laureate Identify graduates of the University of Pittsburgh the AMA’s committee by the abbreviations of their schools and/or the two RAs’ decisions colleges and their class years with an apostrophe 4. Associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees B before the last two digits of the year (within the should always be written with an ’s. Never last 100 years; use all four digits of the year for write masters’ degree or masters degree. BC/BCE alumni who graduated more than 100 years (Also see the Degrees section.) Although BC is more commonly used, BCE ago). If a person received more than one degree Mary received her master’s degree from Pitt in 1967. (before the common era) is permissible and from Pitt, use the school/college abbreviation(s) appropriate in writing in certain contexts and is and years separated by a comma. A G after a 5. Punctuate the year of graduation with more inclusive of people of all faiths. Consider year indicates a graduate degree. If a school an apostrophe. the discipline and its conventions when selecting grants only graduate degrees (e.g., School of Tom McGuire (SOC WK ’83) one or the other. Also use capitalized initials Medicine, School of Law), the G is redundant without periods. (Also see the AD/CE and Dates, and should not be used. (See Appendix 3 for ART Years sections.) school and college abbreviations.) Capitalize the titles of works of art (paintings, Mary Stuart (SOC WK ’74, ’76G) attended the reunion last year. drawings, sculptures, etc.) and place them in BLACK James Harper (A&S ’03, ’05G, GSPIA ’09) will be speaking on quotation marks. the panel. Capitalize this term. It may sometimes be used Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” is one of his most interchangeably with African American. When famous paintings. AMPERSAND practicable, ask the person(s) being described for input. An ampersand (&) may be used in graphic marks ARTICLES (IN NEWSPAPERS, Ethnicity and race should be mentioned only and acronyms as well as in official names of MAGAZINES, JOURNALS, ETC.) companies, organizations and publications. when they are pertinent and their pertinence Articles in magazines, newspapers or academic Never use an ampersand instead of the word is clear to the reader. (See the Student journals are in quotation marks and principal and in text. Terminology section.) words are capitalized; magazine, newspaper Mary Smith (A&S ’05) and journal titles are capitalized. BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mary Smith majored in psychology in the Kenneth P. Dietrich She wrote “Raising Healthy Horses,” published in the latest School of Arts and Sciences. On first reference, capitalize Board of Trustees issue of Equus. when referring to Pitt’s governing body; thereafter, Mary bought The New York Times at the airport. APOSTROPHE use the board or the trustees. She found his name in a New York Times article. 1. Do not use apostrophes in the plurals Eva Tansky Blum, chair of the Board of Trustees, said today George Will’s “The INS in Flux” in today’s Pittsburgh that the University had a very successful year. She noted of fgures, years or abbreviations. Post-Gazette was interesting. that three new trustees were appointed to the board. the late 1700s, the late ’60s, CDs, PCs, MBAs 2. Use apostrophes in the plurals of single AVENUE BOOKS, BOOK CHAPTERS letters and academic grades. See the Addresses section. See the Capitalization and Titles Three r’s and two s’s were missing from the sign after (Other) sections. the windstorm. AWARDS, PRIZES “Getting all A’s on a report card is best,” she said, Capitalize the official names of awards and “but a few B’s and C’s aren’t awful.” prizes but not some terms used with the names.

8 BUILDINGS CANNOT 5. Capitalize the frst letter of each principal Capitalize the official names of buildings and Cannot is preferred. Do not use can not. word in full names of legislative, executive specially designated rooms. Refer to this list and administrative bodies on frst reference. for official building names and correct CAPITALIZATION The U.S. Supreme Court debated the case yesterday. mailing addresses. (Also see the Departments, Offices, Programs, The Federal Reserve Board helps to determine Wesley W. Posvar Hall (subsequent references: Posvar Hall) Schools section.) fiscal policy. Litchfield Towers A (subsequent references: Tower A) 6. Capitalize corporate, professional and 1. Capitalize the frst letter of elements of governmental titles when they immediately Thomas Detre Hall of the Western Psychiatric Institute and hyphenated compounds only if they are precede a person’s name. Clinic (subsequent references: Detre Hall, or, if referring to proper nouns or adjectives. the hospital only, WPIC, not Western Psych) President Franklin D. Roosevelt Arab-Israeli negotiations Heinz Memorial Chapel (subsequent references: Heinz Chapel Queen Elizabeth II or the chapel) post-World War II economy Senator Bob Casey Cathedral of Learning (subsequent references: the Cathedral) Spanish-speaking people Professor White UPMC Presbyterian (not Presbyterian University Hospital; an A-frame house see Appendix 5) 7. Lowercase nonspecifc noun and 2. Capitalize the frst letter of nouns or adjectives adjective references. Hillman Cancer Center (Do not use Hillman Center or the designating parts of the world or regions center on subsequent references; use the entire name.) of a country or those used as part of a We sat in on the congressional hearings. Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower (subsequent street name. The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federal agency. references: Starzl Tower) The situation in the Middle East is always in flux. He wants to be governor of Pennsylvania. Biomedical Science Tower 3 (subsequent references: BST3) The Western Hemisphere contains many industrialized The president was elected yesterday. countries. 8. Capitalize political organizations and C The South seceded from the Union during the Civil War. their members. He lived on South Marigold Street. The article said that Democrats were criticizing CAMPUSES Jane lived on the East Coast, Mary on the West Coast. the Republican Party. Do not refer to the Pittsburgh campus as the Coal and steel were two important industries in 9. Lowercase nouns and adjectives designating main campus or the Oakland campus. This Western Pennsylvania. political and economic systems and their campus may be referred to as the Pittsburgh He lived on the South Side. proponents unless derived from a proper noun. campus or the Pittsburgh campus in Oakland. Also capitalize the frst letter of each word in The country’s ideas of democracy originated in Greece. There are also four regional campuses: regional terms that are considered cultural Some countries, however, lean toward Marxism. University of Pittsburgh at Bradford entities as much as geographic locations. (subsequent references: Pitt-Bradford or UPB) 10. Capitalize numerical designations of Many Pitt students come from Southwestern historical time periods when they are part Pennsylvania. University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg of a proper name. (subsequent references: Pitt-Greensburg or UPG) 3. Lowercase when a reference is to a The Third Reich ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown simple direction. (subsequent references: Pitt-Johnstown or UPJ) But lowercase the following. Also, do not She drove north for several miles. University of Pittsburgh at Titusville superscript st/rd/th in ordinal numbers. The town was east of the Mississippi River. (subsequent references: Pitt-Titusville or UPT) Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th Do not refer to these as branch campuses. 4. Do not capitalize the names of the seasons century. within text. On subsequent references to the regional Technology changes quickly in the 21st century. campuses, hyphens are used to link the city Her book is due out in the spring. The Venerable Bede died in the eighth century. name to the name of the University. Applications for the fall term are due in April.

9 11. Capitalize nouns used with numbers or letters 17. Capitalize common titles of book sections CD to designate major reference headings. when they refer to a section in the same This abbreviation for compact disc does not I believe Volume V of the magazine came out in June. book. need to be spelled out on first reference. See Table 3 for more information. See the Appendix for further information. Titles of CDs and the songs on them are See Chapter 7 for more details. But: Smith said that her husband wrote the introduction capitalized and placed in quotation marks. to her book. But: the third chapter “Piano Man” was her favorite song on Billy Joel’s 18. Capitalize nouns and adjectives designating “Greatest Hits.” 12. Lowercase nouns designating minor philosophical, literary, musical, and artistic reference headings. movements, styles, and schools if they are CE She turned to page 101 for more information. derived from proper nouns. See the AD/CE and Dates, Years sections. The war was described in paragraph six. Chopin was a composer of the Romantic period. 13. Capitalize genus names in biological termi- But: Irving Berlin was a composer of romantic songs. CENTERS, INSTITUTES, nology, but lowercase species names. 19. Capitalize acronyms/initialisms and do not LABORATORIES The domestic dog is included in the genus Canis. use periods. With the exception of UPMC, (Also see the Departments, Offices, Programs, A common fruit fly is Drosophila melanogaster. RSVP, CD, SAT, ACT and ID (as in ID badge), Schools section.) abbreviations are usually written out on 14. Capitalize terms that identify geological eras, Capitalize the full name on first reference. frst reference with the acronym following periods, epochs and strata; also capitalize See examples for subsequent references. the word age in names such as Age of Fishes. in parentheses. Give acronyms/initialisms only if they will be used. John C. Mascaro Learning Center (subsequent references: The class studies the Mesozoic era. Mascaro Learning Center or the center) Individualized Educational Program (IEP) The Quaternary period will be studied in the spring. Institute for Higher Education Management (subsequent references: the institute) All the students wanted to learn more about the Age of Reptiles. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY Heinz Nutrition Laboratory (subsequent references: On first reference, use Carnegie Mellon the laboratory) 15. Capitalize the titles of newspapers, magazines, University. On subsequent references, journals, websites and religious texts. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (subsequent use Carnegie Mellon. Do not use CMU. references: McGowan Institute or the institute) The article will be published in the next issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. A list of official names at the University of Details of the event will be posted on Facebook. CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING Pittsburgh is available online. Both the C and the L in Cathedral of Learning The course on comparative religions will cover the Bible, the Torah and the Koran. should always be capitalized. In subsequent CENTS references, Cathedral may be used, but the C 16. The titles of books, book chapters, poems, Sums of dollars and cents are transcribed in should be capitalized. The reason for this is numerical figures, whether below 10 or not. plays, short stories, essays, movies, pamphlets, that the building is not actually a cathedral. CDs, long musical compositions, songs, radio $5 (not $5.00), $35, 54 cents and TV programs, lectures, dissertations, The Cathedral of Learning is one of the tallest academic buildings in the world. The Cathedral houses the beautiful articles, and works of art should be capitalized Nationality Rooms. CENTURY and put in quotation marks. Heinz Memorial Chapel is a remarkable architectural (Also see the Dates section.) Shakespeare’s “Othello” will be presented next week. achievement. The chapel is a favorite wedding spot for Do not capitalize the c in century, and do not Pitt alumni. Gainsborough’s “Blue Boy” will be part of the exhibition. superscript st/nd/rd/th after the number. Robert Frost’s “Dust of Snow” is a beautiful poem. Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century. The third chapter of “Treasure Island” is titled The professor said to read the chapter about 18th-century art. “The Black Spot.” The Venerable Bede died in the eighth century.

10 CHANCELLOR COLONS called nonrestrictive. Set of nonrestrictive (Also see the Referencing People section) 1. The frst word following a colon is usually elements with commas. George Washington, the first president of the United All of the following are correct: lowercased, except when what follows is a quotation, a title or a complete sentence. States, lived at Mount Vernon. University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher Also, uppercase after a colon in a brief The Ohio River, which flows to the Mississippi, forms Chancellor Gallagher heading or introductory term. in Pittsburgh. Patrick Gallagher, chancellor, University of Pittsburgh He had only one pleasure: eating. His wife, Vicky, is an expert at sewing. Patrick Gallagher, Pitt’s chancellor When asked, the publisher said: “This book will become 4. Restrictive words, phrases or clauses are When the title stands alone without the name a best seller.” necessary to the meaning of a sentence or follows the name, use lower case, as in the 2. Capitalize the frst word following a colon and are not set of by commas. University chancellor or the chancellor. in a title. Shakespeare’s play “Othello” was presented at the theater. (The name of the play is essential to the meaning.) Mary Smith: An Annotated Biography People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. CHAPTERS (OF BOOKS) 3. A colon is placed outside quotation marks See the Capitalization and Numbers sections. and parentheses. 5. Do not use a comma between two adjectives when the frst modifes the combination There were three reasons she liked the article “A New CITY OF PITTSBURGH Millennium”: its organization, its flow and its ending. of the second adjective plus the word or phrase it modifes. Capitalize the c in city when it is part of an The following is from the World Dictionary (published official name of a municipality, committee or in 1985): Language evolves from older forms into a cheap fur coat event. Lowercase the word city when making newer ones. a modern three-story building general references. 4. Use one space after a colon. The city of Pittsburgh is a great place to live. COMMONLY MISUSED WORDS I ran in the 2005 Richard S. Caligiuri City of Pittsburgh COMMAS See Appendix 1. Great Race. 1. Use a comma between the elements in The City of Pittsburgh levies taxes on its residents. a series of three or more except in the COMMENCEMENT simplest of series, when the comma after See the Special Events section. CLASS the penultimate item in the series (the serial For information on writing the names/titles comma) can be omitted. Use the serial comma in any series if there is any possibility COMMONWEALTH OF of classes, see the Courses, Classes, Majors PENNSYLVANIA section. Capitalize the word class when it is of confusion or misunderstanding. Pennsylvania is legally a commonwealth, used with a year. Otherwise, it is lowercased. The colors red, white and blue are symbolic of the United States. not a state. Lowercase commonwealth He graduated as a member of the Class of 1970. To be eligible to graduate, students need to fill out when the word stands alone or in the phrase He was treasurer of the class for several years. and file the proper forms and applications, complete commonwealth of Pennsylvania. all outstanding assignments, and be sure that they Many students who attend Pitt are residents of the COLLECTIVE NOUNS are in good standing with the University. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A collective noun takes a singular verb when it 2. Do not separate a name from a sufx (Jr., Sr., Many students live in the commonwealth. refers to the collection as a whole and a plural or a numeral) with a comma. verb when it refers to the members of the Mark L. Conley Jr. will speak to the group. COMPANY NAMES collection as separate persons or things. William P. Frederick III Use official company names, and follow the The faculty is deliberating its decision. 3. Any word, phrase or clause that is not company’s lead regarding punctuation and The faculty have all gone home. essential to the meaning of a sentence is the use of the word and or an ampersand. A shortened or less formal name may be 11 used if the company is best known by that name. a web address, verify that the URL works Capitalize the word the before a company name as written and then publish it accordingly. D if it is part of the official name. If necessary, consult the ofce, department or unit responsible for the website and DASHES COMPUTER TERMINOLOGY found out the appropriate address. Below is a summary of the main uses of em dashes and hyphens. There should be no 7. Login/log in: Logon and login can be nouns 1. Terms: Use blog, CD, database, Ethernet, space between the dash/hyphen and the text or adjectives, but log of, log on and log in homepage, internet, online, ofine, surrounding it. username, podcast, web, website, are verbs. Use your login name to log on, webcast, webmaster, World Wide Web. but be sure to log of when you are done 1. Em dashes are used to set of parenthetical with the network. content that deserves emphasis; set of 2. Email: Use email within copy; in a list, such appositives that contain commas; and set as on a poster or brochure, use Phone, CONFERENCES of a list, a restatement, an amplifcation Fax, Email. or a dramatic shift in tone or thought. 3. Breaking website URLs on two or more Capitalize principal words of the titles of confer- ences or annual meetings. Titles of individual She uses all sorts of seasonings in her cooking— lines: Use good judgment in continuing cumin, tarragon, ginger and coriander, for example. website addresses onto another line within lectures or presentations at a conference are capitalized and in quotation marks. The kiwi—a small, flightless bird—is the national symbol copy. Generally, try to break after a slash. of New Zealand. Breaking a URL after a dot (leaving what Mina Smith gave the lecture “Women in the Arts” at the I just don’t see the point of this—but I digress. looks like a period at the end of a line) may annual Arts and Writing Conference. cause confusion for the reader. It would The School of Education will host the 2020 Principals 2. Hyphens are used for connecting continuing be better to place the dot at the beginning Conference on Psychology in Education. or inclusive numbers, like dates or reference of the next line. Using a hyphen to break a numbers. word at the end of a line is not a good idea COURSES, CLASSES, MAJORS 1968-72 pp. 38-45 because some URLs contain hyphens as Capitalize a subject of study when used as the May-June 2003 John 4:3-6:2 part of the address. Instead, put the entire name of a specific course. Otherwise, do not Hyphens also are used to separate noninclu- word on the next line. If the URL covers two capitalize names of fields of study, major areas sive numbers, such as phone numbers and or more lines of text, consider using a URL or major subjects except those words that are Social Security numbers. shortener to make it both easier to ft in proper nouns (names of languages, geographic your text and easier for someone to type locations, etc.). 412-555-1212 correctly into a browser. I have to take Economics 204 to graduate, but I won’t need Additionally, hyphens are used in compound 4. Web addresses at the end of sentences: any more economics courses after that. words and in word divisions. (Also see the Use a period after a web address that ends She will take Anthropology 780: Cultural Anthropology Hyphens, Compounds section.) a sentence. next term. non-English-speaking countries 5. Web addresses in text: When referencing All students must meet requirements in the humanities, poverty-stricken individuals social sciences and natural sciences. complete website addresses, there is no much-needed vacation need to underline, italicize or boldface them. Mary is studying biology now, but her first major was English literature. Also avoid using angle brackets around URLs. DATES, YEARS 6. Using http and www: Http stands for (Also see the Century section.) Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is no longer 1. Use fgures for the days of the month. Omit necessary when printing website addresses rd, th, st and nd following the numerals. to start them with http. In addition, not all URLs start with www, and some addresses Nov. 3 will not work if www is added. Before including

12 2. Commas are used to set of the year from DEGREES (ACADEMIC) department, ofce, program or school if the day of the month. When only the month (Also see the Student Terminology section.) lack of capitalization could create confusion. and the year are given, the comma is omitted. Use lowercase in all other instances. Refer to Use a comma to set of a full date (month, 1. Academic degrees can be abbreviated or this page for an updated list of formal names day, year) from the text that follows. spelled out. If abbreviations are used, of the University’s departments, ofces, do not use periods between initials. On Tuesday, Dec. 3, 1991, at 10 a.m., the board met to programs and schools. Baker earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism. discuss the issue. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is among The play was introduced to the public in July 1950. Smith earned a BA in journalism at Pitt in 1989. the best in the country. The medical school is located in Scaife Hall. 3. Although BC and AD are more commonly Baker received his bachelor’s degree from Pitt. used, BCE (before the common era) and Jones earned a Master of Fine Arts at Pitt. The School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences awards both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Many Health CE (common era) are permissible and Jones received an MFA from the University. and Rehabilitation Sciences undergraduates go on to appropriate in writing in certain contexts Jones received a master’s degree from Pitt. purse graduate degrees. and are more inclusive of people of all faiths. The Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program Consider the discipline and its conventions 2. When referring to a doctorate, use the following: at Pitt is very popular. when selecting BC/AD or BCE/CE. Be Many students apply for the program in gender, sexuality, Jones earned her doctoral degree at Pitt. consistent. Also use capitalized initials and women’s studies during their sophomore year. without periods. Jones earned her doctorate at Pitt. The Department of Philosophy owns a large number 4. Use a hyphen for inclusive years. For inclusive Jones received her PhD in psychology in 1970. of research books. years in the same century, use only the Jones received a Doctor of Philosophy from Pitt “Where is the philosophy department located?” asked last two digits of the year after the hyphen. in June. the student. For inclusive years spanning more than one 3. For honors references, do not capitalize 2. There are three named schools at the century, use all four digits of the year after or italicize cum laude, magna cum laude University of Pittsburgh: the Joseph M. Katz the hyphen. or summa cum laude. Graduate School of Business, the Swanson This fee applies to the 2019-20 academic year. 4. In references to certifcates, capitalize the School of Engineering and the Kenneth P. The years she lived in Pittsburgh were 1982-2003. ofcial name of the certifcate. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. The legal contracts between the University 5. Do not use apostrophes in the plurals of years. Amy received a Certificate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from Pitt. She said that this certificate and the donors stipulate that the full name the 1800s, the ’60s helped her to qualify for a job at a women’s shelter. of each school must be used in the frst 6. Avoid vague references to dates. This student has earned a Graduate Certificate and most prominent references. Shortened Use specifc dates instead. in Gerontology. names may be used on subsequent references In fall 2006 as follows: Not: Last fall DEGREES (TEMPERATURE) Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business: Katz Graduate School of Business, Katz School, Katz Spell out the word degree(s) after a number. DAYS (See the Numbers section.) Swanson School of Engineering: Swanson School Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences: Spell out the days of the week. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Dietrich School We usually meet on Thursdays, but this week we will be DEPARTMENTS, OFFICES, 3. Capitalize the names of administrative meeting on Tuesday. PROGRAMS, SCHOOLS departments and ofces when the formal 1. Capitalize the names of academic depart- name is used. Also capitalize a short form ments, ofces, programs and schools of the name when not accompanied by the when the formal name is used. Also word department or ofce on a subsequent capitalize a short form of the name reference if lack of capitalization could create when not accompanied by the word confusion. Refer to this page for an updated 13 list of the formal names of the University’s Not: There is a five-million-dollar endowment. The company’s gift helped to establish the J.W. Smith Chair in Psychology. departments, ofces, programs and schools. There is a $5,000,000 endowment. Pitt Magazine is produced by the Office of Robert Brandom, Distinguished Service Professor of University Communications. Philosophy, will present some of his research findings at the conference. University Communications produces more than E 6,000 print projects each year. Weidlein Chair in Environmental Engineering; the Weidlein professorship 4. Lowercase a general reference to the ELLIPSES University’s schools of the health sciences. 1. Use three ellipsis points to indicate the ETHNICITY AND RACE Do capitalize the entity University of omission of one or more words within Pittsburgh Health Sciences. quoted materials. Use a space before Ethnicity and race should be mentioned only and after, but not between, ellipses. when they are pertinent and their pertinence The University of Pittsburgh’s schools of the health is clear to the reader. sciences have earned much praise in recent years. “Ellipsis points are used … to indicate the omission of one or more words.” This program is presented by University of Pittsburgh In light of the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Health Sciences and the Office of International Services. 2. Use four ellipsis points to indicate the (Grutter v. Bollinger et al.) related to the University of Michigan Law School’s admissions 5. University of Pittsburgh Police Department omission of the last words of a quoted policy, language concerning affirmative action is the ofcial name of the University’s law sentence. If the portion of the sentence and the recruitment of traditionally under- enforcement agency. On subsequent that is being quoted reads like a complete represented populations must be carefully references, use University police or Pitt sentence, use one period, a space, and chosen and consistent with the law. The specific police. Do not use campus police. three ellipsis points. If the sentence is incomplete, use a space and four language that should be used is the province ellipsis points. of legal counsel and should be decided on a DIRECTIONS case-by-case basis. When working on copy/text “Ellipsis points are used by editors to indicate See the Capitalization section. omissions. …” related to the recruitment of traditionally under- represented populations, contact the Office of “Ellipsis points are used by editors to indicate ….” DISSERTATIONS University Communications for assistance. 3. Do not use ellipsis points at the beginning of Capitalize the principal words and place a sentence when part of a quote is omitted. quotation marks around the names of academic papers, dissertations, essays, “And Jill came tumbling after” is the part of the nursery F rhyme that most people forget. lectures and theses. (See the Capitalization and Titles [Other] sections.) FELLOWSHIPS, SCHOLARSHIPS Her dissertation was titled “Reactions in the Luteal Phase.” EMAIL Capitalize the official names of fellowships and See the Computer Terminology section. scholarships. On subsequent references, the terms fellow and school should be lowercased DOLLARS unless they come directly before a name. Sums of dollars and cents are transcribed in ENDOWED CHAIRS, PROFESSORSHIPS Helen Faison Scholarship; Faison scholar or numerical figures whether below 10 or not. Faison scholarship (See the Numbers section.) When a faculty member holds an endowed Fulbright scholar; Fulbright Scholar Jane Doe $5 (not $5.00), $35, 54 cents chair or distinguished professorship, the first letter of each principal word is capitalized. National Merit scholarships When describing numerical amounts equal to When the chair itself is part of a formal name, Andrew Mellon Fellowship; Mellon fellow or greater than a million, use a numeral and the it also should be capitalized. word million, billion, etc. William P. Thomas, who is the R.K. Mellon Professor of FORMS There is a $5 million endowment. Physics and Distinguished Service, will be the guest speaker. For the sake of clarity, capitalize the names of forms in copy-dense material, such as school 14 bulletins and admissions, scholarship and Instead of: Each child brought his/her/their snack The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System benefits many veterans. financial aid materials. (Note: Do not capitalize from home. the word form.) Do this: The children brought their snacks from home. HEALTH SCIENCES Students must fill out the Grade Option form and the 4. Generally make sure that any language you See the Departments, Offices, Programs, Request for Education Benefits form. use is gender inclusive. This includes avoiding Schools section. words and phrases that imply a gender binary, FUNDRAISER/FUNDRAISING such as the phrase “ladies and gentlemen.” HOMECOMING Use as one word, without a hyphen, in all For additional guidelines on gender-inclusive See the Special Events section. instances, unless it is set for differently as part language, see the Resources page on the of a proper name. Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies HOSPITALS Program website at gsws.pitt.edu/resources. UPMC is the umbrella organization for most of the hospitals and clinical activities associated G GENUS NAMES with the University. See Appendix 5 for the names GENDER SENSITIVITIES See the Capitalization section. of UPMC hospitals. 1. Avoid using gender-specifc terms and titles. GRADES For example: HYPHENS, COMPOUNDS Capitalize letter grades, and use an apostrophe Instead of: Use: (Also see the Dashes section.) before the s to make them plural. chairman chairperson or chair 1. Most two-word compound adjectives are waiter/waitress server “Getting all A’s on a report card is best,” she said, “but a few hyphenated when placed before the noun steward/stewardess flight attendant B’s and C’s aren’t awful.” fireman firefighter they modify. mailman mail carrier Aspirin is usually a fast-acting medication. mankind humankind GRANTS, GRANT PROPOSALS The artist uses high-quality metals in his jewelry. congressman representative Capitalize the principal words of and put in policeman police officer quotation marks the titles of grant proposals. The committee followed the established decision- freshman first-year student making process. Nicole Ansani earned one of four research grants from Many art galleries feature 17th- and 18th-century art. 2. When writing about a specifc person, use the Drug Information Association for her proposal, titled that person’s preferred personal pronouns. “Provision of Drug Information to Patients with Diabetes She is a full-time student. They, them and their are acceptable singular Using an Interactive Forum.” He lives in on-campus housing. personal pronouns for those who identify The principal words of funded grants should 2. Compound adjectives of three or more as gender nonbinary or who prefer a gender- be capitalized. words are generally hyphenated when neutral pronoun. Provide context that placed before the noun they modify. suggests that they, them and their refer to a specifc person. H It was strictly a spur-of-the-moment decision. Catherine has just finished their third year at Pitt. 3. When the words that make up a compound They hope to go to medical school after graduation. HEALTH CARE adjective follow the noun they modify, they 3. When writing about an unknown person or Use as two words without a hyphen in all cases are generally not hyphenated. A hyphen can people, avoid using awkward constructions unless the term is treated differently as part of be used if confusion would occur without it. like he/she/they or his/her/their (as well as a proper name. Decisions made on the spur of the moment generally are not good ones. unintentionally mis-gendering someone) The program provided young children with access to quality by rewriting to make the subject of any health care. The main streets in the town were tree lined. given sentence plural. Health care benefits are part of the company’s compensation He attends college part time. package. She lives on campus.

15 4. Do not put a hyphen between an adverb The statewide initiative was successful. 3. The terms resume, curriculum vitae, vita ending in -ly and an adjective. The policy on nondiscrimination is University-wide at Pitt. and CV may be used interchangeably. He is a highly skilled craftsperson. The internet outage is occurring campuswide. 4. Be aware of the plural forms of some terms 5. Do hyphenate all compound adjectives The instrument had a bell-like sound. adopted from other languages. The word when the second adjective ends in -ed. data is plural (the singular is datum), as are media (the singular is medium) and the He is a high-spirited youngster. I Greek term criteria (the singular is criterion). 6. Use hyphens with nouns that represent The plurals of curriculum and symposium diferent and equally important functions INSTITUTES are curricula and symposia, but stadiums when they form a single expression. See the Centers, Institutes, Laboratories section. and gymnasiums are commonly accepted Sparta was an important city-state in ancient Greece. plural spellings of stadium and gymnasium. This award recognizes exceptional student-athletes. Refer to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary for the preferred spellings of The schools of the health sciences are home to many J notable physician-scientists. plural Latin and Greek terms. 7. The following prefxes are generally not JR., SR., NUMERALS IN A NAME hyphenated. They are hyphenated when the Do not separate a name from a suffix (Jr., Sr. LECTURES, LECTURE TITLES second element is capitalized or is a fgure or a numeral) with a comma. Capitalize the principal words of the titles of (e.g., post-Victorian, pro-Soviet, pre-1960s), Mark L. Conley Jr. will speak to the group. lecture series or conferences. Titles of speeches there is a homonym (e.g., to recover a lost William P. Frederick III will attend. or lectures should be capitalized and placed object and to re-cover a couch), or the use of within quotation marks. (See the Capitalization a hyphen avoids a strange vowel connection and Titles [Other] sections.) that might cause confusion or be misleading L Mina Smith gave the lecture “Women in the Arts” at the (e.g., anti-infation, co-owner, etc.). annual Arts and Writing Lecture Series. ante inter non sub LABORATORIES anti intra over super See the Centers, Institutes, Laboratories section. LISTS bi macro post supra 1. Aim for simplicity and concision in any list. Most lists can be written as running lines bio meta pre trans LATIN TERMS of text, without the need for bullet points, (Also see the Alumna, Alumni, Alumnae, Alumni co micro pro ultra numerals or any other way of indicating section.) counter mid pseudo un each item in the list. 1. Do not italicize Latin terms such as emeritus, extra mini re under 2. If the items in a list read as a complete alumnus, curriculum vitae (CV), pro bono or infra multi semi sentence, punctuate the entire list as such, ad hoc when they appear in text. Postmaster Ken Smith is a post-master’s degree student. using commas or semicolons at the end of But: Ken Jones is a postdoctoral student. 2. Emeritus is a term used for a person who each item, a conjunction at the end of the has retired from an ofce or position or who penultimate item, and a period at the end. 8. Almost all self- and ex- compounds are has completed a term of service and has hyphenated except selfess, selfsh The charges brought against the driver included retained the last title held; emerita is the • leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, and selfsame. feminine form. The plurals of these terms • driving with a suspended license, and I will not indulge in self-pity. are emeriti and emeritae, respectively. • driving while intoxicated. His ex-wife is coming to the wedding. Louise Smith, professor emerita of archaeology, After careful investigation, the committee was 9. Sufxes are rarely hyphenated. Exceptions gave a guest lecture last week. convinced that include some forms of -wide and -like. 1. the organization’s lawyer, Watson, had consulted Professors Emeriti Thomas Brown, Michael Gray no one before making the decision; A hyphen can be used to aid in comprehension. and Hugh McFadden attended the anniversary gala. 16 2. neither the chair, the president, nor the secretary “Piano Man” was her favorite song on Billy Joel’s CD The 3-year-old child went to nursery school each morning. of the organization had contacted Watson; and “Greatest Hits.” Children ages 3-5 attend nursery school in the building. 3. the president was as surprised as anyone by what had happened. The woman is in her 30s. (Note: no apostrophe) 3. Strive for consistency within the list. If one N 4. When using percentages within body copy, of the items in the list starts with a capital the number is expressed in fgures, even letter, capitalize the frst letter of all items. NEWSPAPERS when it is less than 10, with the percent If one or more items is a complete sentence, Capitalize titles of newspapers. If the word the symbol (%). The word percent may be used ending with a period, punctuate all items precedes the name, capitalize it if it is part of in casual language. (Note: Percent is one as such. the official name of the newspaper. word and is singular.) “Some people miss The Pittsburgh Press,” she said, Sam Rich said that 8% of the population is eligible “but most are happy with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.” for the program. M He has a zero percent chance of winning. NON-ENGLISH WORDS 5. Sums of dollars and cents are written in MAGAZINES AND PHRASES numerical fgures whether below 10 or not. Capitalize titles of magazines. Capitalize an $5 (not $5.00), $35, 54 cents initial the in the title of a magazine if it is part Many non-English words and phrases have of the official name of the publication. been so frequently used in English-speaking 6. When describing numerical amounts equal countries that they have been incorporated into to or greater than a million, use a numeral (See the Capitalization and Titles [Other] the dictionary. If a word or phrase from another and the word million, billion, etc. sections.) language appears in the Merriam-Webster The government spent $3.5 billion on the project. online dictionary, it can appear in text in roman. MAJORS If it does not appear in the dictionary, put the There are 100 million people in that country. See the Courses, Classes, Majors section. word or phrase in quotation marks and give a There is a $5 million endowment. definition in parentheses if necessary. Not: five million dollar endowment MONEY 7. Use numerals for temperature. See the Numbers section. NUMBERS Write out the word degree(s). 1. Spell out the frst nine cardinal numbers It was 80 degrees in Florida that day. (one to nine), zero, and the frst nine ordinal MONTHS 8. Always use numerals when referring to numbers (frst to ninth). Use fgures for measurements, times, page numbers, Spell out March, April, May, June and July. numbers above nine. Abbreviate the remaining months of the year volumes, tables and chapters. Jane had four kittens in the basket. as follows: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sep., Oct., Nov., Dec. 9. All numbers, even those less than 10, Peter put 14 gerbils in the cage. may be written as numerals for the sake MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS Read the ninth chapter but not the 10th chapter of consistency. by tomorrow. AND TERMS The University offers 4-, 6- and 12-week sessions during She teaches grades two and three. Titles of operas, long works and CDs are capital- the summer. ized and placed in quotation marks, as are titles His daughter is in the 11th grade. The school has been ranked 9th, 11th and 14th in the of songs and short musical compositions. 2. Spell out any number that begins a sentence. last three years by U.S. News & World Report. (Also see the Capitalization, Titles [Other], Fifty-four students attended the event. CD and Songs sections.) Exceptions: We saw an amazing performance of “Don Giovanni” in Italy 3. Use a numeral when referring to age, last year. even when it is less than 10.

17 PHONE NUMBERS POLICE O As area codes are now required when dialing, See the Departments, Offices, Programs, OFFICES omit parentheses and use hyphens when Schools section. listing phone or fax numbers. See the Departments, Offices, Programs, Schools section. 412-624-4141 PREFIXES Not: (412) 624-4147 or 412.624.4147 See the Hyphens, Compounds section, item 7. Although the official title of an office is usually “Office of …,” exceptions do exist. Use the 1 in front of toll-free numbers. One exception is the University of Pittsburgh 1-800-123-4567 or 1-877-987-6543 PROFESSORSHIPS Parking Services Office. See the Endowed Chairs, Professorships section. PITTSBURGHESE ORGANIZATIONS Avoid the use of Pittsburghese, as in the following: PROVED/PROVEN Capitalize formal names of University The clothes need washed. The word proved is always either a verb or part organizations. The dog needs out. of a verb phrase. The University Senate has two subgroups: the Faculty Say/write instead: Joe proved that the problem existed. Assembly and the Senate Council. Joe has proved that the problem existed. The clothes need to be washed. The Staff Council will meet next Friday afternoon. The dog needs to go out. Use the word proven only as an adjective. In running text, an initial the in front of an The medicine was a proven remedy. organization name should be capped if part of the formal name. PLURALS, POSSESSIVES The department has received a number of grants from 1. An apostrophe should be used to form a The Pittsburgh Foundation. plural only in the case of single letters. Q Never use an ’s to form a plural of a word. QUOTATION MARKS ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY, p’s and q’s 1. The comma and period go inside DEPARTMENT OF; ORTHOPAEDIC Make sure to cross your t’s and dot your i’s. quotation marks. The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the He received two A’s and three B’s on his report card. “I’m going home now,” said Mary. School of Medicine spells orthopaedic with an a. 2. To form a possessive of a singular word, She said that the condition was “only temporary.” To be consistent, do the same. add ’s, including to words that end in s, 2. The semicolon and colon almost always go with the exception of proper nouns ending outside quotation marks. in s and those words used primarily in a P descriptive sense. She read “Dust of Snow”; it was her favorite poem. Find the following in the article “The Guide to Writing”: the hostess’s invitation PERCENT rules for capitalization, hyphens and commas. the witness’s answer When using percentages within body copy, the 3. A question mark, exclamation point or dash number is expressed in figures, even when it is Dickens’ novels goes outside quotation marks unless it is less than 10, with the percent symbol (%). The Texas’ population part of the quotation. A single question word percent may be used in casual language. teachers college mark goes inside quotation marks when (Note: Percent is one word and is singular.) both the nonquoted and quoted elements Sam Rich said that 8% of the population is eligible for POEMS are questions. the program. See the Capitalization section. Did he say, “Where are my books?” He has a zero percent chance of winning. “When did Fred go to Pitt?” asked Jean. What is meant by “dog eat dog”? 18 4. Use single quotation marks for quotations REGIONAL CAMPUSES SERIES printed within other quotations. See the Campuses section. Capitalize the principal words of (and do not The witness said: “I heard him clearly state, ‘I will be put in quotation marks) the titles of lecture/ back,’ before he left.” ROAD speaker series and conferences. Titles of indi- 5. If several paragraphs are to be quoted, See the Addresses section. vidual speeches or lectures in a series should use quotation marks at the beginning be capitalized and placed in quotation marks. of each paragraph but only at the end Mina Smith gave the lecture “Women in the Arts” at the of the last paragraph. S annual Arts and Writing Lecture Series. “We are very excited about the opening of the 13th The School of Education will host the 2020 Principals annual art show. As in years past, the artwork will SCHOLARSHIPS Conference on Psychology in Education. be exhibited outdoors, weather permitting. See the Fellowships, Scholarships section. “While many local artists will still be featured, new SOCIAL SECURITY to the roster are artists from Ohio, West Virginia and New York.” SCHOOLS Within text, capitalize all references to the See the Departments, Offices, Programs, U.S. Social Security system. 6. Do not use quotation marks for topics of Schools section. Be sure to include the student’s Social Security number. talks, papers or presentations. Quotation marks should be used only for the titles See Appendix 3 for official school names. Contact the Social Security Administration for more information. of talks, papers or presentations. The guest lecturer gave a talk on democracy in SEASONS SONGS ancient Greece. Do not capitalize fall, winter, spring or summer. The guest speaker presented “Athens and Sparta: Views (See the Capitalization section.) See the Titles (Other) section. of Democracy in Ancient Greece” at the symposium. SEMICOLONS SPACING 1. Use a semicolon to separate independent Double spacing after a period dates back to the R clauses not joined by a coordinating days of typewriters. Today, computers adjust for RACE conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for). proper spacing. 1. Therefore, in copy, use a single space after See the Ethnicity and Race and Student I know how to bake a cake; my mother would never attempt it. the period at the end of a sentence as well Terminology sections. 2. Semicolons are used in place of commas as a single space after colons and semicolons. RADIO PROGRAMS to separate phrases in a series when the 2. For abbreviations in names, use periods with phrases themselves contain commas. no spaces between initials. See the Titles (Other) section. He went to several factories, buildings and institutions; R.K. Mellon walked several miles, visiting friends; and then returned W.E.B. DuBois REFERENCING PEOPLE home to eat, rest and relax. Include the first name and/or initials of persons 3. A semicolon is placed outside quotation SPECIAL EVENTS the first time they appear in an article or story. marks and parentheses. Subsequent references are to last name only. Generally, use lowercase letters for orientation, I read the article “Children Today”; John Smith wrote it. Patrick Gallagher spoke before the group. Gallagher commencement, homecoming and the like. There were three dogs in the park (two golden retrievers stressed the importance of education in today’s society. Capitalize the names of those events when and one collie); all of them were on leashes. Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Ann E. Cudd was asked they immediately follow the words University to comment on the award. Cudd praised the departments’ of Pittsburgh or when they follow or precede a efforts in securing this source of funding. year. Engineers Week, Greek Week and the like

19 are capitalized. Always use lowercase letters commas. A G after a year indicates a graduate TERMS when making a general reference. degree. If a school grants only graduate See the Academic Calendar/Terms section. Students should arrive at commencement an hour before degrees (e.g., School of Medicine, School of the start of the program. Law), the G is redundant and should not be TESTS The University of Pittsburgh Commencement Convocation used. (See Appendix 3 for proper school/ was enjoyable. campus abbreviations.) For widely known standardized tests that would be familiar to a general audience, it is acceptable Many student organizations have committed to planning Elizabeth Mary Baker (SOC WK ’65, ’68G) and John special events for homecoming. Schmidt (ENGR ’82, ’85G) wrote notes to the editor. to use an acronym on the first reference. If the name of the test would be unfamiliar to a gen- She outlined the school’s activities for Homecoming 2019. Gavin Johnson (LAW ’98) will speak to this year’s graduating class. eral audience, however, spell out and capitalize Many universities plan to hold honors convocations. the full name of the test on first reference and If a student received more than one degree give the acronym in parentheses. Lowercase STREET from the same school in the same year, the the names of general tests. year needs to be noted only once. So, if Jane See the Addresses section. Doe received a BA in anthropology and a BS Note: Some standardized test names that in biological sciences from the Kenneth P. appear to be acronyms, such as SAT and ACT, STUDENT TERMINOLOGY Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in 2014, are now trademarked terms and do not need 1. Lowercase the terms designating academic her name would appear as follows: to be spelled out in any instance. years. Jane Doe (A&S ’14) Graduating nursing students often take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) following the completion of first-year student, sophomore, junior, senior, 5. Capitalize the word class when it is used with their studies. graduate student a year. Otherwise, it is lowercased. Joan has just finished her algebra and biology tests. 2. Use the names of racial, linguistic, religious He graduated as a member of the Class of 1970. and other groups. Ethnicity and race should be mentioned only when they are pertinent He was treasurer of the class for several years. THAT/WHICH and their pertinence is clear to the reader. 6. Lowercase designations of ofcers of a class, If the clause can be omitted without leaving Caucasian, French, Hispanic, Catholic, African American, social organization, etc., except in front of a the noun it modifies incomplete or without Black, White (Note: African American is not hyphenated. person’s name. materially altering the sense of what is being The terms Black and African American can sometimes She was treasurer of the Student Alumni Council. said—or if it could be enclosed in parentheses— be used interchangeably. If practicable, ask the person use which; otherwise, use that. being described for input.) He was elected junior class president. In other words, that is better used to introduce The group was composed of both Black and White Student Alumni Council Vice President Ann Jones also students. was present. a limiting or defining clause, which to introduce a nondefining or parenthetical clause. The word 3. When discussing years of graduation within which should be preceded by a comma and refers text, use only the last two numerals of the to the word directly before it. year if the graduation year was in the last T The Ohio River, which flows to the Mississippi, forms 100 years. Use all four numerals if there TELEVISION PROGRAMS in Pittsburgh. could be confusion between the 20th and The river that forms in Pittsburgh is the Ohio. 21st centuries. See the Titles (Other) section. Pam Schmidt (’12) is the most recent member of her Generally speaking, which refers to things, who family to graduate from Pitt. The first in her family to TEMPERATURE to persons, and that to either persons or things. graduate from Pitt was her great-great-aunt Selma Spell out the word degree(s) after a number. The man who answered the phone was my uncle. Johnson (1912). (See the Numbers section.) My old car, which I dearly loved, was relegated to the junk heap. 4. Punctuate the year of graduation with an The book that you sent arrived yesterday. apostrophe before the year. Set of graduation information within text in parentheses, not The crew that worked here left last week. 20 THESES James R. Martin II, U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering, He watched “Wheel of Fortune” every evening. attended the center’s grand opening. Capitalize the principal words of and place “Raiders of the Lost Ark” made millions of dollars quotation marks around the names of academic Elizabeth Farmer, dean of the School of Social Work, at the box office. also attended the meeting. papers, dissertations, essays, lectures and theses. Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” was the reading David Blair, assistant professor, and Mary March, A.W. assignment. Her dissertation was titled “Reactions in the Luteal Phase.” Mellon Professor, presented papers at the conference. 2. Article titles in magazines, journals and See the Capitalization and Titles (Other) sections. Virginia Lesner, assistant professor of engineering, newspapers are placed in quotation marks, teaches at Pitt. The professor says that the study of engineering is her passion. and principal words are capitalized; magazine, TIMES journal and newspaper names (including 1. Use numerals for the hours of the day. 2. Within text, do not use courtesy titles such the word the, if part of the ofcial name of Use lowercase letters for and periods as Dr., Mr., Ms., Mrs., Miss or Esq. In addition, the publication) are capitalized. Also see between a.m. and p.m. Also use noon and it is preferred that reference to degrees the Magazines and Newspapers sections midnight, not 12 p.m. or 12 a.m. Do not be omitted. In an academic environment, for proper handling of publication names. a person’s academic title is more descriptive use :00 for time that falls on the hour She wrote “Raising Health Horses” in the latest issue (except to accommodate specifc design than a degree abbreviation. If individuals’ of Equus. degrees are listed, they must be used considerations on invitations, posters, Mary bought The New York Times at the airport. catalogs or similar materials). consistently for everyone throughout. Exceptions include direct quotes or usage George Will’s “The INS in Flux” in today’s Pittsburgh 4 p.m. (not 4 PM, 4 P.M., 4:00 p.m. or 4 pm) in certain lists, as they might appear in Post-Gazette was interesting. 11 in the evening (not 11:00 in the evening or 11 p.m. programs, brochures or posters—e.g., 3. Place quotation marks around the names in the evening) in donor lists, credentials on a poster or of academic papers, dissertations, grant from 10:30 a.m. to noon (not from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon) invitation, or addresses. proposals and theses, and capitalize principal words. 2. Use numerals for the time of day when it is 3. When a title stands alone without a name, followed by the contraction o’clock: use lowercase letters. Her dissertation was titled “The Impact of Foreign Films on American Audiences.” My appointment is at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning. He wanted to be governor of the state. 4. The principal words of the titles of musical 3. Use numerals for precise times. The chief executive officer of the bank was not available works—operas, symphonies, CDs/albums, Her plane is due in at 1:07 this afternoon. for comment. songs, etc.—are capitalized, and the titles The chancellor was in attendance. I’ll be there at 9:15 in the morning. are placed in quotation marks. 4. When writing about a quantity of hours, 4. Always include the frst name and/or initials Verdi’s “Aida” is a famous opera. minutes or seconds, spell out the frst nine of persons the frst time they appear in text. Subsequent references are to last name only. Some people say that “America the Beautiful” should numbers (one through nine) as well as zero. be our national anthem. Use fgures for numbers greater than nine. Ann E. Cudd spoke before the group. Cudd stressed the importance of education in today’s society. 5. Capitalize the principal words of (and do not We drove for four hours and 20 minutes before we put in quotation marks) the titles of lecture/ reached Washington, D.C. speaker series and conferences. Titles of 5. No comma is necessary between a time TITLES (OTHER) lectures and speeches should be capitalized and a day or date. (Also see the Capitalization section.) and in quotation marks. Her final paper is due by 5 p.m. Dec. 12. 1. Book, book chapter, television show, movie, Mina Smith gave the lecture “Women in the Arts” at the radio program and play titles are placed annual Arts and Writing Lecture Series. TITLES OF PERSONS in quotation marks, and principal words The School of Education will host the 2020 Principals are capitalized. Conference on Psychology in Education. 1. Lowercase titles of persons except when used in front of the name or when a title I read “Of Mice and Men” for my assignment. is one of a kind. Who wrote “The Color Purple”?

21 UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS U Use these official names to refer to the following Y UNITED STATES University publications: YEARS Spell out United States when used as a noun; Pittwire See the Dates, Years section. use U.S. (with periods) when used as an adjective Pittwire Health or in tables and graphs. @Pitt People of many different ethnic origins live in the Pitt Magazine United States. Pitt Med The U.S. Congress is in session now. University Times UNIVERSITY The proper name of the institution is the W University of Pittsburgh, and this should be used on first reference. Pitt or the University may be WASHINGTON, D.C. used on subsequent references. Never refer to Use Washington, D.C., in text. Do not spell the University as the U of Pitt, U of Pittsburgh, out District of Columbia. In an address, or Pitt U. (Note: On subsequent references, the use Washington, DC (no periods). U in University is capitalized when referring specifically to the University of Pittsburgh. WAY/WAYS Lowercase university when referring to any The word way is singular; the word ways other institution or using the generic term.) is plural. There are many fine programs at the University of Pittsburgh, and Pitt’s dental school is one of the best in the country. Pittsburgh is a long way from Los Angeles. The University faculty held its meeting in the Cathedral There are several ways to travel from Pittsburgh of Learning. to Los Angeles. Pitt is an exceptional university. WEBSITE, WORLD WIDE WEB UNIVERSITY BRAND AND See the Computer Terminology section. VISUAL IDENTITY A brand is an enduring platform that articulates WHO/WHOM an organization’s unique identity and point of Who and whoever are used as subjects of verbs view. It helps an organization to connect with or as predicate pronouns. Whom and whomever many broad, diverse communities through are used as objects of verbs and prepositions. informed and relevant interactions. The University Jane was the woman who told the story. has a master brand that is rooted in research Whoever comes to the shelter will get help. and truth. Visit the University’s brand website Whom were they talking about? for more details and for tips on crafting content. Bring whomever you like to the party. The primary logo of the University is the shield and signature. The primary colors are Pitt Blue and Pitt Gold. Visit the University brand website for more details and for approved logos and color palettes. 22 APPENDIX 1: COMMONLY author curricula MISUSED WORDS best as a noun, not a verb plural (more than one curriculum, which is a beside/besides program of academic courses or learning activities) Our thanks to the Carnegie Mellon University Use beside to mean (1) at the side of (sit beside data Writer’s Style Guide, the primary source for me); (2) to compare with (beside other studies); The plural noun usually takes a plural verb. the following, which is used with permission. or (3) apart from (that’s beside the point). If used as a collective noun, when the group or adverse/averse Use besides to mean (1) furthermore (Besides, quantity is regarded as a singular noun, it takes Adverse means unfavorable. Averse means I said so.); (2) in addition to (and elm and maple a singular verb. (The data is sound.) reluctant. trees besides); or (3) otherwise (There’s no one daylight saving time affect/effect here besides Bill and me.). not daylight-savings time or daylight-saving time To affect means (1) to influence, change or between produce an effect; (2) to like to do, wear or use; different from Between takes an objective pronoun—me, her, not different than or (3) to pretend. As a noun, affect is best avoided. him. “Between you and me” is correct; “Between (It is occasionally used in psychology to describe you and I” is not. disinterested/uninterested an emotion.) Effect is most commonly used as Disinterested means impartial. Uninterested a noun, and it means result. Used as a verb, to biannual/biennial means lacking interest. effect means to accomplish, complete, cause, Biannual means twice a year. Biennial means every two years. Eastern Standard Time make possible or carry out. not Eastern standard time or eastern As a general rule, if you’re looking for a noun, complement/compliment standard time A complement is something that supplements. you’re probably looking for effect. If you’re using entitled/titled a verb, you’re safest with affect. (A correct use A compliment is praise or the expression of courtesy. Entitled means having the right to something. of effect as a verb is: The committee hopes to Use titled to introduce the name of a work. effect a change in the current policy.) compose/comprise/constitute She is entitled to the inheritance. afterward Compose is to create or put together. Comprise The article is titled “Love and Illusion.” not afterwards is to contain, to include all, or to embrace. Constitute is to make up, to be the elements of. farther/further all right Never write “is comprised of.” Farther refers to physical distance. Further not alright The whole comprises the parts. refers to an extension of time or degree. allude/refer The parts constitute the whole. fewer/less To allude to means to speak of indirectly, without In general, use fewer for individual items, mentioning specifically. To refer to means to The whole is composed of parts. less for bulk or quantity. speak of directly. The department comprises 12 people. hang/hung/hanged allusion/illusion Twelve people constitute the department. Hang means to fasten or suspend, usually from An allusion is an indirect reference. An illusion is The department is composed of 12 people. above, with no support from below. Hung is a false impression or image. continual/continuous the past tense of this verb and is used to refer around/about Continual refers to a steady repetition. to objects. Hanged refers to people and means Around should refer to a physical proximity or Continuous means uninterrupted. to kill or commit suicide by suspending from surrounding: I’ll look for you around the front of criteria the neck. the building. About indicates an approximation: plural (more than one criterion, which is a quality, She hangs artwork for the gallery. Last week she hung Let’s have lunch about 11:30 a.m. a value, or a standard of judgment) 48 pieces. Police found the prisoner had hanged himself before the trial.

23 health care verbs can be confusing, especially because the object, an ending, or extent of authority. Use as two words without a hyphen in all simple past form of the verb lie (which is lay) is Right: More than 25 professors participated. cases, unless it is treated differently as part the same word as the simple present lay. The Wrong: The campus has over 50 buildings. of a proper name. tenses are as follows: Lay (simple present), laid (simple past), laid (past participle), and nor historic/historical Use this word any time you use neither. Historic means important in history. laying (present participle). Lie (simple present), Historical refers to any event in the past. lay (simple past), lain (past participle), lying past experience (present participle). This is redundant. Use experience alone. hopefully She usually lays the book on the table, but I don’t know presently/currently Unless you’re describing the way in which where she laid it this morning. someone spoke, appeared or acted, do not Many writers use these terms as if they were When he is sick he likes to lie on the sofa. use this word. synonymous. The preferred meaning of When he had the flu last week, he lay there for three presently is soon. Presently can also be used Right: I hope we can go. days straight. to mean for the time being or temporarily. Wrong: Hopefully, we can go. lectern/podium Currently means now. In most cases you can do Right: It is hoped the report will address that issue. A speaker stands on a podium and behind without using currently. For example, “We are Wrong: Hopefully, the report will address that issue. a lectern. currently revising the plan” works better when simply stated, “We are revising the plan.” Right: She eyed the interview list hopefully. let/leave imply/infer To let alone means to allow something to pretense/pretext Imply means to suggest or indicate indirectly. remain undisturbed. To leave alone means Pretense is a false show or unsupported claim To infer is to conclude or decide from some- to depart from or cause to be in solitude. to some distinction or accomplishment. Pretext is a false reason or motive put forth to hide the thing known or assumed. like/as real one—an excuse or a cover-up. In general, if you imply something, you’re Use like to compare nouns and pronouns. Use sending out a message. If you infer something, as to introduce clauses and phrases. Like is the principal/principle you’re interpreting a message. preferred expression (rather than such as) in Principal as a noun is a chief person or thing; this kind of phrase: painters like Rubens. as an adjective, it means first in importance. in regard to Principle is a noun meaning a fundamental not in regards to literally/figuratively truth, doctrine, or law; a guiding rule or code Literally means in an exact sense. Figuratively As regards or regarding may also be used. of conduct; or a method of operation. means metaphorically or in a manner of speaking. insure/ensure John is a principal in the law firm. Right: The furnace literally exploded. Insure means to establish a contract for insur- The principal rule in medicine is to do no harm. Right: He was so furious he figuratively blew his stack. ance of some type. Ensure means to guarantee. I had difficulty understanding the principles of physics. Wrong: He was so furious he literally exploded. irregardless rebut/refute me/myself Use regardless instead. To rebut is to argue to the contrary. To refute Me is the objective case of I. Myself is used -ize is to disprove. However, refute can also mean reflexively, for emphasis, or in absolute Do not coin verbs with this suffix, and do not to deny the truth or accuracy of, as in “refute construction. use already coined words such as finalize (use the allegations.” Right: It’s between you and me. end or conclude) or utilize (use the word use). regardless Wrong: You can tell your supervisor or myself. lay/lie This is a word. Irregardless is nonstandard Lay means to place something or someone Right: I, myself, believe otherwise. and should be avoided. down. It must be followed by a direct object. more than/over RSVP Lie means to rest or recline. Lie is not followed Use more than to mean in excess of. Use over Always use RSVP, not rsvp or R.S.V.P. Never say by a direct object. The tenses of these two when referring to physical placement of an please RSVP; this is redundant. 24 shall/will APPENDIX 2: COMMONLY occurred Shall is used for the first-person future tense. MISSPELLED WORDS occurrence I shall be indisposed in the days following my surgery. accommodate perseverance If will is used for first-person future, it expresses acknowledgment prerogative his or her determination or consent. At other (preferred over acknowledgement) times, will is used for the second- and third- privilege aesthetic person future tense. (preferred over esthetic) proceed Although I have a cold, I will attend the luncheon tomorrow. antiquated sponsor theater/theatre tyrannous In references to departments or proper nouns catalog that use the spelling theatre, retain that spelling. (preferred over catalogue) vacuum In all other cases, use theater. commitment vilify Students have many opportunities to go to the theater. conscience The Pittsburgh Public Theater and City Theatre both have consensus nice venues. Charity Randall Theatre counselor Henry Heymann Theatre dissension Studio Theatre drunkenness toward/towards ecstasy Toward is standard U.S. usage; towards is the embarrass predominant form in British English and should be avoided. exhilarate use/utilize foreword Use the word use. Utilize is the awkward verb harass form of the obsolete adjective utile. hors d’oeuvres -wise inadvertent Do not use this suffix to coin words such as weatherwise. indispensable inoculate insistent irresistible judgment (preferred over judgement) knowledgeable liaison memento millennium nickel

25 APPENDIX 3: SCHOOL, COLLEGE REGIONAL CAMPUSES APPENDIX 4: POSTAL INFORMATION AND CAMPUS ABBREVIATIONS University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (UPB) AND STATE ABBREVIATIONS SCHOOLS University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (UPG) Envelopes Now that computerized bar-coding and Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ) address-scanning equipment is used, the U.S. and Sciences (A&S) University of Pittsburgh at Titusville (UPT) Postal Service advises against putting phone Subsequent references: Kenneth P. Dietrich numbers, web addresses (particularly web * These schools grant only graduate degrees, School of Arts and Sciences, Dietrich School addresses with numbers in them), or teasers so when listing a degree year with a graduate’s (Note: A&S is to be used only with degree that have numbers in them on envelopes name, a G is not required after the year. year) or mailers. Contact the Office of University College of General Studies (CGS) For correct ways to refer to these schools Communications for assistance with envelope and their students and graduates, see the or mailer copy to ensure proper and timely Graduate School of Public and Student Terminology section. delivery. International Affairs (GSPIA)* Abbreviations Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH)* (Note: Use two spaces between state and zip (Note: GSPH is to be used only with degree year) code on business reply cards and on all envelopes.) Subsequent references: Pitt Public Health Alabama AL Ala. Pitt Business (BUS): Alaska AK Alaska (Note: BUS is to be used only with degree year) American Samoa AS American Samoa Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business Arizona AZ Ariz. (KGSB) Arkansas AR Ark. Subsequent references: Katz School of Business, California CA Calif. Katz School Colorado CO Colo. Connecticut CT Conn. College of Business Administration (CBA) Delaware DE Del. School of Computing and Information (SCI) District of Columbia DC D.C. Florida FL Fla. School of Dental Medicine (DEN)* Georgia GA Ga. School of Education (EDUC) Guam GU Guam Swanson School of Engineering (ENGR) Hawaii HI Hawaii Subsequent references: Swanson School Idaho ID Idaho Illinois IL Ill. School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Indiana IN Ind. (SHRS) Iowa IA Iowa School of Law (LAW)* Kansas KS Kan. Kentucky KY Ky. School of Medicine (MED)* Louisiana LA La. School of Nursing (NURS) Maine ME Maine School of Pharmacy (PHARM) Marshall Islands MH Marshall Islands Maryland MD Md. School of Social Work (SOC WK) Massachusetts MA Mass. University Honors College (UHC) Michigan MI Mich. Minnesota MN Minn. Mississippi MS Miss.

26 Missouri MO Mo. APPENDIX 5: UPMC HOSPITALS Use either the full name or the hospital on Montana MT Mont. UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh subsequent references. Nebraska NE Neb. (Use Children’s Hospital or Children’s on † If an explanation is needed for how these Nevada NV Nev. subsequent references.) hospitals are related to UPMC (because New Hampshire NH N.H. UPMC is not in their names), the appropriate New Jersey NJ N.J. UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital phrasing is: a hospital of UPMC. New Mexico NM N.M. (Use Magee on subsequent references.) New York NY N.Y. Note: There is no apostrophe in Womens. North Carolina NC N.C. UPMC Presbyterian OTHER HOSPITAL REFERENCES North Dakota ND N.D. (Do not use Presby on subsequent references.) (not UPMC hospitals) Ohio OH Ohio Oklahoma OK Okla. Eye & Ear Institute † VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System- Oregon OR Ore. (Use Eye & Ear on subsequent references.) University Drive Palau PW Palau UPMC Montefiore H. John Heinz III Department of Veterans Pennsylvania PA Pa. Affairs Medical Center Puerto Rico PR Puerto Rico Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic † (Use WPIC on subsequent references, (Do not use VA Hospital. Use VAPHS on Rhode Island RI R.I. subsequent references.) South Carolina SC S.C. not Western Psych.) South Dakota SD S.D. UPMC Shadyside Tennessee TN Tenn. (Do not use Shadyside on subsequent references.) Texas TX Texas UPMC Altoona Utah UT Utah Vermont VT Vt. UPMC Bedford Virgin Islands VI Virgin Islands UPMC Chautauqua Virginia VA Va. Washington WA Wash. UPMC Cole West Virginia WV W.Va. UPMC East Wisconsin WI Wis. UPMC Hamot Wyoming WY Wyo. UPMC Horizon - Greenville UPMC Horizon - Shenango UPMC Jameson UPMC Kane UPMC McKeesport UPMC Mercy UPMC Northwest UPMC Passavant UPMC Pinnacle UPMC Somerset UPMC St. Margaret UPMC Susquehanna

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