(Last updated: February 27, 2008)
The Department of University Publications is charged with setting University editorial style and keeping publications consistent so that they present a positive image of the University. Editorial style helps all divisions, departments, and offices present a unified, logical picture to the public through the materials they produce. The University’s style guidelines, although flexible, are to be followed as much as possible in the interest of a unified University image.
The Editorial Style Manual is to be used as a tool when preparing manuscripts, whether for publication or presentations. It is especially useful for helping to ensure that Penn State titles, campuses, etc., are used in a consistent manner across the University.
The style points raised in the Editorial Style Manual are guidelines, not rules chiseled in stone. Each guideline must be applied to each case and the judgment of the writers and editors is a part of that application. The guidelines were created for a purpose and, in the interest of supporting the University as a whole and helping readers easily understand printed material, all divisions, departments, and offices should strive to follow them. The manual, however, also includes some rules of grammar and punctuation that are just that—rules—and they should not be arbitrarily changed.
If you have questions about or suggestions for the Editorial Style Manual, please contact Beverly Molnar, senior editor/writer, 814-863-1870.
Resources
As a general style guide for preparing promotional communications, use the most recent edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. For points of style specific to the University, use this manual. The index in this manual should enable you to find entries with relative ease.
Materials that may be helpful to you in preparing communications include:
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, current edition (spelling, hyphenation, foreign words and phrases, geographical names, biographical names, signs and symbols, brief style guide)
Webster’s New World Dictionary of Computer Terms
Penn State's faculty/staff telephone directory
Penn State’s Undergraduate Degree Programs Bulletin
and Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin (academic and general information)
and Schedule of Courses (course and schedule information)
American Universities and Colleges from the American Council on Education
(names and locations, other detailed information on American universities and colleges)
International Handbook of Universities
Standard & Poor’s Register of Corporations
Directory of Corporate Affiliations
International Directory of Corporate Affiliations
The Elements of Internet Style by the editors of EEI Press
NOTE: Throughout this manual, italics are used (per University style) to signify words that are the subject of the entries. The italics DO NOT mean that those words should be printed in italics in normal use. The italics are meant only to set off specific words within the context of each entry.
Contents
Recent Updates
Penn State Information
Capitalization
Ethnic Group Designations
Geography
Hyphens
Manuscript Formatting
Numbers
Punctuation
Spacing
Spelling
Technology Terms
Type Style
University Policy
Word Usage
Recent Updates
Berkey Creamery
New name for the University Creamery, recently reopened in the new Food Science Building on the east side of campus. Use full name (Berkey Creamery) on first mention; the Creamery on subsequent mention.
Penn State Brandywine (formerly Delaware County)
Effective November 2, 2007, Penn State Delaware County has changed its name to Penn State Brandywine.
Penn State Greater Allegheny
New name for Penn State McKeesport, effective January 19, 2007. This change is intended to support the campus' regional presence, facilitate an expanded vision and evolving mission for the campus, and raise general awareness of the campus.
James M. Elliott Building; Rider Building
Rider I Building, located on South Burrowes Street at Penn State's University Park campus, has been renamed the James M. Elliott Building, effective January 18. Approved by the Board of Trustees, the new name is in honor of the late James M. Elliott, director emeritus of human resources in the Office of Human Resources, in recognition of his nearly fifty-two-year career at the University. Rider II Building, located at South Burrowes Street and West Beaver Avenue, has been renamed Rider Building.
The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute
The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (PTI) at Penn State has been renamed to honor the late transportation leader Thomas D. Larson following approval from the University's Board of Trustees on January 18. The new name is The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. Larson was a student and professor of civil engineering at Penn State who served as the first secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and later as head of the Federal Highway Administration.
Penn State Information
Below are many of the decisions that have been made about the way Penn State—its people, programs, and procedures—should be presented in text for publications. Many questions about University style must be solved on a case-by-case basis. However, these general points may be helpful to you.
how text fits into the Penn State visual identity system
Penn State is the communicative name for the University. All publications originating from Penn State should use the communicative name rather than the full name. The full name (The Pennsylvania State University) is reserved for formal documents, legal contracts, some mailing addresses, and form entries, such as the line, “Make checks payable to The Pennsylvania State University.” The full name also is used in the formal version of the statement of nondiscrimination. It may be used in some faculty listings and on formal certificates, if the originating department checks with the Department of University Publications first.
In text, the words Penn State are separate and both should be capitalized. Penn State may be referred to as the University on subsequent mention, but only if you are referring to the entire institution, not just a single campus, college, or other location. It is not acceptable to call the University PSU.
If the University visual identity mark appears on the cover of a publication, on a certificate, or on any other page that has words on it, the words Penn State or The Pennsylvania State University need not be used on the same page as part of a title, heading, or cover text. The mark serves as the identifier.
For further information regarding the mark, contact Karen Magnuson, assistant director and manager, University Editor Representative System, in the Department of University Publications: 814-863-1870.
Penn State campus names
Penn State is a complicated institution. Thus, it is important to use consistent terminology when communicating about the University and its campuses.
To prospective students, parents, and Pennsylvania residents, the Penn State name and location of a campus will mean more than an administrative/academic designation such as “college.” Campus names should always be used for location-specific references. Therefore, when communicating with external audiences, avoid use of Abington College, Altoona College, Berks College, and Capital College unless it is absolutely necessary for clarification.
The University College is composed of the fourteen campuses that are not associated with one of the location-specific colleges (those mentioned above, plus Penn State Erie). It is an administrative term for internal use only, and should never be used in any external communications about Penn State.
When you refer to a Penn State campus, do so as listed below. Use the full name on first mention and the partial name indicated on subsequent mention.
- Penn State Abington; Abington campus
Penn State Altoona; Altoona campus
Penn State Beaver; Beaver campus*
Penn State Berks; Berks campus
Penn State Brandywine; Brandywine campus*
Penn State DuBois; DuBois campus*
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College; Penn State Behrend
- (Alphabetize under “E” for “Erie.”)
- Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus; Penn State Fayette or Fayette campus*
- (Alphabetize under “F” for “Fayette.”) Penn State Greater Allegheny; Greater Allegheny campus*
- Penn State Harrisburg; Harrisburg campus
- (Penn State Harrisburg, The Capital College may be used when appropriate if clarification is called for, as noted above.) Penn State Hazleton; Hazleton campus*
Penn State Lehigh Valley; Lehigh Valley campus
Penn State Mont Alto; Mont Alto campus*
Penn State New Kensington; New Kensington campus*
Penn State Schuylkill; Schuylkill campus
Penn State Shenango; Shenango campus*
Penn State University Park; University Park campus
Penn State Wilkes-Barre; Wilkes-Barre campus*
Penn State Worthington Scranton; Worthington Scranton campus*
Penn State York; York campus*
College or campus?
Abington College, Altoona College, Berks College, Capital College, and University College are not Penn State campus names. They refer to administrative/academic entities and should be used only in that context and only as necessary to clarify the academic standing of the campus.
Correct: Jennifer was a first-year student at Penn State Berks.
Incorrect: Jennifer was a first-year student at Penn State Berks College.
NOTE: When referring to campuses of the University College as well as single-campus colleges, the preferred term is campus rather than location.
Other campuses
Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies (first reference); Penn State Great Valley (subsequent reference). Alphabetize under “G.”
Penn State Hershey Medical Center/College of Medicine—The official name of the clinical enterprise is Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center; on subsequent reference, Penn State Hershey Medical Center; the Medical Center (uppercase “M” and “C”). Alphabetize under “H” for Hershey. On first mention, Penn State College of Medicine; on second reference, College of Medicine; the college. Alphabetize the College of Medicine under “M” for Medicine.
Pennsylvania College of Technology (on first reference); Penn College (on subsequent mention). Penn College is an affiliate of Penn State.
Penn State University, The Dickinson School of Law (on first reference); Penn State Dickinson School of Law or The Dickinson School of Law (on subsequent mention); the Law School (uppercase). Alphabetize under “D.”
Penn State World Campus (on first reference); World Campus (on subsequent mention). Note that the name World Campus is a registered trademark of The Pennsylvania State University.
Listing Penn State campuses
In Penn State publications, a listing of all twenty-four campuses should appear as listed below. (Note that the Penn State World Campus is listed but not counted as a twenty-fifth campus.)
Penn State Campuses
- Abington
Altoona
Beaver
Berks
Brandywine
The Dickinson School of Law
DuBois
Erie, The Behrend College
Fayette, The Eberly Campus
Great Valley
Greater Allegheny
Harrisburg
Hazleton
Lehigh Valley
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (College of Medicine)
Mont Alto
New Kensington
Pennsylvania College of Technology
- (Pennsylvania College of Technology is an affiliate of Penn State.)
- Schuylkill
Shenango
University Park
Wilkes-Barre
Worthington Scranton
York
Penn State World Campus
To the or not to the?
Whether to use the in front of a campus name depends on the judgment of the writer, the meaning of the sentence, and the way the sentence reads. Most of the time, the is appropriate but it’s not always necessary.
It’s best to use the if you’re distinguishing one campus from another:
She attended the York campus for two years and the University Park campus for two years.
Although you may if you want to, it’s not necessary to use the if you’re referring to the same campus all the way through a printed piece:
Penn State Shenango campus has a lot to offer.
Students find a variety of academic and social activities at Shenango campus.
NOTE: Always include and cap The when referring to Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, and follow The Behrend College with a comma in running text.
change of assignment
When a student moves from another campus in the Penn State system to Penn State University Park, he or she is not transferring, but rather moving from one campus to another within the Penn State system. Use change-of-assignment to describe the student and relocate or move to to describe the action. The same descriptions apply to students who move to Penn State Erie or Penn State Harrisburg for their final two years.
The meeting was scheduled for all change-of-assignment students from Schuylkill and Hazleton campuses.
After two years at the Shenango campus, Mayala moved to Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, to complete the program.
mailing addresses
Additional information about U.S. mailing regulations can be found in Postal Addressing Standards, available from Mailing Services at the University Park campus, 814-865-4051.
Automation is changing requirements for U.S. mail. To be read by machines, envelope information should be typed in all caps, with no punctuation except for the hyphen in the zip-plus-four code, leaving two spaces between the city and state abbreviation and the state abbreviation and the zip. For times when all caps seem to put a strain on the eyes, try using all caps in a smaller type size.
For University Park campus addresses, keep the full University name in the address as the line above the room number and building name:
MIROKI OCHO
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
212 SACKETT BLDG
UNIVERSITY PARK PA 16802-1408
At University Park campus, some offices are located off campus. An example of how to address these offices for U.S. mail is:
GERALD TALLFEATHER
DEPARTMENT OF TRAVEL SERVICES
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
120 S BURROWES ST
UNIVERSITY PARK PA 16801-3857
Note that although a University Park campus mailing address is used, the zip code 16801 is used for University Park campus offices that are located in State College. To send material to downtown University Park campus offices via intercampus mail, use the name, department name, and building name:
Rebecca Cohn, Travel Services, Rider Building
The correct zip code for University Park business reply envelopes is 16802-9976. The correct zip code for University Park business reply cards is 16802-9959. For University Park business reply letters heavier than one ounce, use 16802-9989.
For sending material via U.S. mail to Penn State campuses other than University Park, use the campus name, person’s name, office or department name, and address:
BRENT CHIANG
OFFICE OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES
PENN STATE BEAVER
100 UNIVERSITY DRIVE
MONACA PA 15061-2799
Use PA, not Pa., in Pennsylvania mailing addresses. Use U.S. Postal Service abbreviations for other states in mailing addresses.
A detailed mailing list of Penn State campuses can be obtained from University Mailing Services, 108 Business Services Building; or refer to Appendix 6 in the General Forms Usage Guide for a list of all leased property addresses.
NOTE: There has been confusion regarding the zip-+-4 codes for the admissions office postal box and rooms 0100–0199 in the Business Administration Building—both were listed as 16802-3000. This duplication has been resolved as follows:
The zip-+-4 code for rooms 0100–0199 in the Business Administration Building remains 16802-3000; the zip-+-4 code for the admissions office postal box has changed to 16804-3000. This new code for the admissions office applies only for mail being sent to the office postal box, and should not be used as part of their return address on letterhead or envelopes.
Call Mailing and Addressing Services, 814-865-4051, with any questions.
Penn State campuses
(as of October 2007)
PENN STATE ABINGTON
1600 WOODLAND ROAD
ABINGTON PA 19001-3990
215-881-7300PENN STATE ALTOONA
3000 IVYSIDE PARK
ALTOONA PA 16601-3760
814-949-5000PENN STATE BEAVER
100 UNIVERSITY DRIVE
MONACA PA 15061-2799
724-773-3500PENN STATE BERKS
TULPEHOCKEN RD
PO BOX 7009
READING PA 19610-6009
610-396-6000PENN STATE BRANDYWINE
25 YEARSLEY MILL RD
MEDIA PA 19063-5596
610-892-1350THE DICKINSON SCHOOL OF LAW
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
150 S COLLEGE ST
CARLISLE PA 17013-2899
717-243-4611THE DICKINSON SCHOOL OF LAW
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
100 BEAM BUILDING
UNIVERSITY PARK PA 16802-1910
814-867-1251PENN STATE DUBOIS
COLLEGE PLACE
DUBOIS PA 15801-3199
814-375-4700PENN STATE ERIE, THE BEHREND COLLEGE
4701 COLLEGE DR
ERIE PA 16563
814-898-6000
(Check detailed mailing list for specific units and zips.)PENN STATE FAYETTE, THE EBERLY CAMPUS
1 UNIVERSITY DRIVE
PO BOX 519
ROUTE 119 N
UNIONTOWN PA 15401-0519
724-430-4100PENN STATE GREAT VALLEY
30 E SWEDESFORD RD
MALVERN PA 19355-1443
610-648-3200PENN STATE GREATER ALLEGHENY
4000 UNIVERSITY DR
MCKEESPORT PA 15132-7698
412-675-9000PENN STATE HARRISBURG
777 W HARRISBURG PIKE
MIDDLETOWN PA 17057-4898
717-948-6000PENN STATE HAZLETON
76 UNIVERSITY DR
HAZLETON PA 18202-1291
570-450-3000PENN STATE LEHIGH VALLEY
8380 MOHR LN
FOGELSVILLE PA 18051-9999
610-285-5000PENN STATE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
THE MILTON S HERSHEY MEDICAL CENTER
500 UNIVERSITY DR
PO BOX 850
HERSHEY PA 17033
717-531-8521PENN STATE MONT ALTO
1 CAMPUS DR
MONT ALTO PA 17237-9703
717-749-6000PENN STATE NEW KENSINGTON
3550 SEVENTH STREET RD
UPPER BURRELL PA 15068-1798
724-334-5466PENN STATE SCHUYLKILL
200 UNIVERSITY DR
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN PA 17972-2208
570-385-6000PENN STATE SHENANGO
147 SHENANGO AVE
SHARON PA 16146-1537
724-983-2803University Park campus:
NAME
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
ROOM NUMBER AND BUILDING NAME
UNIVERSITY PARK PA 16802-ZIP PLUS FOUR
814-865-4700 (information)PENN STATE WILKES-BARRE
Old Route 115
PO BOX PSU
LEHMAN PA 18627-0217
570-675-2171PENN STATE WORTHINGTON SCRANTON
120 RIDGE VIEW DR
DUNMORE PA 18512-1699
570-963-2500PENN STATE YORK
1031 EDGECOMB AVE
YORK PA 17403-3398
717-771-4000WORLD CAMPUS
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNVERSITY
128 OUTREACH BUILDING
UNIVERSITY PARK PA 16802-7012
800-252-3592 or 814-865-5403PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
1 COLLEGE AVE
WILLIAMSPORT PA 17701-5799
570-326-3761Penn State Community Recruitment Centers
HARRISBURG AREA COMMUNITY RECRUITMENT CENTER
777 W HARRISBURG PIKE
MIDDLETOWN PA 17057-4898
717-948-6297PHILADELPHIA COMMUNITY RECRUITMENT CENTER
4601 MARKET ST SECOND FLOOR
PHILADELPHIA PA 19139
215-471-2202PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY RECRUITMENT CENTER
LEXINGTON TECHNOLOGY PARK
BUILDING I
400 N LEXINGTON ST
PITTSBURGH PA 15208
412-241-8268Penn State Continuing Education off-campus locations
PENN STATE HARRISBURG EASTGATE CENTER
CONTINUING EDUCATION
1010 N SEVENTH ST
HARRISBURG PA 17102-1410
717-772-3590PENN STATE, THE LANCASTER CENTER
1383 ARCADIA RD
ROOM 102
LANCASTER PA 17601
717-299-7667PENN STATE NORTHERN TIER CENTER
218 MAIN ST
TOWANDA PA 18848-1697
570-265-2171PENN STATE CONTINUING EDUCATION AT PENN COLLEGE
1 COLLEGE AVE
WILLIAMSPORT PA 17701-5799
717-322-5771
academic and administrative titles
Titles are capitalized when they immediately precede names and are used as part of the names.
Dean Jeanne DuBois said …
Associate Professor Hans Ringger said …
Titles are lowercased if they follow names or are used to help describe or identify people further.
Jill Johnson, professor of history, …
Well-known professor of history, Jill Johnson, …
If the person holds a named professorship or chair, such as an endowed professorship, capitalize the title whether it precedes or follows the name:
Dan Miller, Evan Pugh Professor of Mathematics …
Erwin W. Mueller Professor Jan Smith …
Gita Bashir, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry …
Also:
Instructor in, not instructor of
Professor emeritus, not emeritus professor
Professor of, not professor in—but,
professorship in
Research associate in, not research associate
of
When the title includes the specific name of an academic or administrative unit, the name of the unit is capitalized.
Sondra Wong, director of the Office of Style and Substance, …
Dr. Randy Jones, dean of the College of Science, …
The word president is capped whenever it is used to refer to current and former Penn State presidents, whether it’s before or after the name. This policy is designed to make it easy for readers to quickly determine that a printed piece refers to the University President as opposed to any other president.
When naming Penn State faculty, staff, or students in a document, in most cases the person should be described or identified by title, such as “James Gonzalez, a graduate student in chemical engineering, …” or “Dr. Caitlin Martin, technical specialist for the college, …”
Those who have earned doctorates should be referred to as, for example, Dr. Maria C. Lastname on first reference and Dr. Lastname in later references. Those who have not earned doctorates should be referred to, for example, as Frederick N. Lastname on first reference. In later references, those without doctorates may be referred to by last name only or by last name and courtesy title, such as: Mr. Lastname, Ms./Mrs./Miss Lastname (according to preference), or Ms. Lastname when the named person can’t be consulted and preference is unknown. (However, if Dr. is used with one name, use courtesy titles with all other names as well: “Dr. Smith and Mr. Jones…”)
Titles and academic degrees earned by University faculty and staff are listed in the Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin and in the faculty/staff list that appears in the back of some of the Baccalaureate Degree Programs Bulletins. If you believe a person’s title has changed since the most recent list was published, check with the person or with the office of the dean or division head of the college or administrative unit where the person works.
You may want your publication to have an informal tone and wish to use first names. If so, on first reference give the person’s full name (with Dr., if appropriate) and title or position, and use the first name on second and later references. It is not acceptable to call some people by their first names and others by title and last name or by last name alone within the same publication. Nor is it acceptable to use courtesy titles with some last names but not with others within the same publication. An exception is that children, after being identified by first and last name, may be referred to by first name alone even though adults are referred to differently.
Note: It is redundant to refer to someone as, for example, Dr. Paul Lastname, Ph.D. Use either Dr. Paul Lastname or Paul Lastname, Ph.D.
Effective July 1, 2005, all former campus executive officers assumed the title of "chancellor," followed by the respective campus:
Jack Burke, chancellor of Penn State Erie
Lori Bechtel, chancellor of Penn State Altoona
This change was made to reflect the expanded role that Penn State's campus executives have assumed in the past decade, and places them at the same level as campus leaders at similar institutions. The chancellors of all Penn State campuses report directly to the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses.
Chancellors who previously served as academic deans of the single-campus colleges (Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks, and Capital) continue to serve in this capacity, although they do not use the title of "dean," which would duplicate the academic nature of the "chancellor" title.
academic degrees
Spelled out: associate degree; baccalaureate degree, bachelor’s degree; master’s degree; doctoral degree, doctorate; bachelor of arts, master of science, doctor of philosophy
Abbreviate degrees with periods and without spaces: B.A.; M.S.; Ph.D.; M.Mus.; M.Eng.; M.B.A.; D.Ed.; J.D.; M.D., etc. See the entry M.B.A./MBA in this section for some exceptions. Note that the honorary doctor and master of law degrees are abbreviated LL.D. and LL.M. (not L.L.D. or L.L.M.).
Plural of B.A., M.A., Ph.D., and other abbreviations with periods—B.A.’s; M.A.’s; Ph.D.’s, etc. That’s Chicago Manual style, designed to prevent confusion. With plurals of acronyms where no periods are used, do not use an apostrophe (e.g., CACs). Use B.A., M.A., Ph.D., and other degree abbreviations primarily in listings, such as departmental faculty rosters:
Alicia Kwanda, professor of physiology, B.A., Temple University; M.S., Syracuse University.
It’s more readable in regular text to spell the degrees out:
He earned a bachelor of science degree in physics.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.
academic year
fall semester, spring semester, summer session, intersession—no caps when used to refer to the time of the academic year. Use summer session when you’re referring to the time of academic year. When you’re referring to the sessions themselves (the six- and eight-week sessions), use Summer Sessions (capped), as that is the name for Penn State’s summer programs.
It’s the Office of Summer Sessions (with an s).
The word commencement is lowercased, as is the semester (spring commencement, fall commencement).
ADA statements
The following ADA alternative-format statement must be included in ALL publications (except formal invitations) in easy-to-read type, directly above the statement of nondiscrimination.
This publication is available in alternative media on request.
The following ADA accommodation statement must be printed in any publication that describes a specific program or special event (except formal invitations). It should be included in the section describing how to register for the program or how to locate further information.
Penn State encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact __________ in advance of your participation or visit.
A contact person’s name and telephone number should be provided in the statement where indicated above.
See the University Policy section for the Spanish version of each statement.
administrative area
Do not capitalize the reference to a general administrative area of the University in which a person works.
- She has worked in food service for fifteen years.
- but
- She worked in Housing and Food Services for fifteen years.
admissions/admission
Admissions is used to refer in a collective way to the many different types of admission (e.g., freshman, transfer, readmission, provisional, nondegree, and extended). Admissions also is used when referring to the fact that thousands of students are admitted: the admissions of thousands vs. the admission of an individual.
Admission is used to refer to a single type of admission (e.g., freshman admission, transfer admission). Use admission when referring to an individual’s admission.
admissions office
It’s the Undergraduate Admissions Office on first mention; the admissions office thereafter, except in certain predetermined admissions pieces.
Contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for more information.
Meet me in the admissions office this afternoon.
Contact the admissions office at any Penn State campus.
advanced standing student
but
advance registration, advance register
affirmative action statement
See Statement of Nondiscrimination and University Editor number.
The Arboretum at Penn State
On first reference; simply the Arboretum (capped) on subsequent reference.
Lowercase "the" in reference to designated areas within the Arboretum: the March Bowl, the Pavilion, the Winter Garden.
The Arboretum, to be located on the north end of campus, will be a facility for teaching, research, and outreach, with the mission of finding solutions through interdisciplinary scholarship to the challenge of maintaining healthy and appealing landscapes in the presence of a growing human population.
Audiovisual Services
Previously hyphenated as Audio-Visual Services. The abbreviation AVS is still used.
auditoriums
Milton S. Eisenhower Auditorium; Schwab Auditorium; Palmer Lipcon Auditorium (in the Palmer Museum of Art); Recital Hall (in Music Building I)
Berkey Creamery
New name for the University Creamery, recently reopened in the new Food Science Building on the east side of campus. Use full name (Berkey Creamery) on first mention; the Creamery on subsequent mention.
Big Ten
Cap and spell out as shown. Penn State is one of eleven schools in the Big Ten Conference. The others are:
- Indiana University
Michigan State University
Northwestern University
The Ohio State University
Purdue University
University of Illinois
University of Iowa
The University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Wisconsin—Madison
The University of Chicago, while not a member of the Big Ten athletic conference, is a member—with the Big Ten universities—of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), an academic consortium.
bookstore
It’s no longer the Penn State Bookstore on Campus. Use Penn State Bookstore on first reference to the bookstore at University Park campus; the bookstore after that. Names of campus bookstores should be capped as necessary.
Bryce Jordan Center; Jordan Center
Use full name on first reference (no The). On second reference, the Jordan Center is preferred, and on subsequent reference, simply use the center.
bulletins (catalogs)
The Penn State Undergraduate Degree Programs Bulletin, the Undergraduate Bulletin; the Penn State Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin, the Graduate Bulletin. The full names of the bulletins are in italics, as is the partial name of each bulletin on subsequent mention.
The Penn State degree programs bulletins are now online only.
Bursar
Cap on all references.
Students should contact the Bursar’s office before registering.
Registration cannot be completed without prior approval from the Bursar.
The Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business; Smeal College of Business
"Administration" has been dropped from both the official and communicative names. In text, use Smeal College of Business on first mention and Smeal College on subsequent mention. Alphabetize under Business.
campus
Lowercase, even in campus names: Shenango campus, University Park campus (see also Commonwealth Campuses).
Career Services
Formerly Career Development and Placement Services.
college and university names
For names of colleges and universities other than Penn State, consult American Universities and Colleges, available as a reference tool at Pattee Library or in the Department of University Publications at the University Park campus. For foreign colleges and universities, check the International Handbook of Universities. It is preferable to designate a foreign college or university as it would itself—any translation, if necessary, can follow in parentheses: Universität zu Koln; Turun Yliopisto (University of Turku).
college names within the University
Uppercase College when used as part of the proper name of a college; lowercase when used with the unofficial name of a college. Lowercase when used alone, whether it refers to a specific college or not.
They enrolled in the College of the Liberal Arts.
Belinda was most interested in the engineering college.
The college offered a number of psychology courses.
Commonwealth Campuses; Commonwealth College
Do not use these phrases. Use Penn State campuses instead.
College of Communications
Don’t forget the s. Alphabetize under Communications.
Continuing and Distance Education/Continuing Education/continuing education
Continuing and Distance Education is now the Division of Outreach and Cooperative Extension. Continuing Education (capped) is one unit within that division.
Continuing Education encompasses the areas of Conferences and Institutes, the State College Office of Continuing Education, the Williamsport Continuing Education Center, the Continuing Education Outreach Operations Office, the Intensive English Communication Program, the Institute for Justice Education and Research, Management Development Programs and Services, Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, Labor Studies, the Wastewater Biology Program, and the Alumni Continuing Education Office. All other area and regional offices, including those at other Penn State campuses, are referred to as Continuing Education offices.
Lowercase continuing education when referring to the function; cap when referring to the unit or program.
She wanted to enroll in the course to further her continuing education efforts.
The courses were part of Penn State’s Continuing Education program.
He received credits through Continuing Education at Penn State.
Continuing Education Unit
Continuing Education Units, based on a standard of 1 unit per ten hours of classroom contact, are awarded to participants in some Continuing Education courses. On subsequent reference, use CEU, no periods or spaces. Plural is CEUs, no apostrophe.
Upon completing the course, each participant receives a certificate or record of the 2.0 CEUs earned.
Cooperative Education Program
Cap all three words when full program name is used. Co-op is capped when it refers to Penn State’s Co-op program, but lowercased in general and descriptive references (co-op student, co-op assignment).
copyright issues
For information or questions on copyright issues, contact the Copyright Clearance Office in the Department of Document Services, 107 Business Services Building, 814-865-2679.
course names, numbers, descriptions
Names of courses should be given as they are listed in the appropriate bulletin. Ordinarily, a course name and number appear together in all cases, along with the General Education suffix, if any.
CLASS 033 (GH) Roman Civilization
For course numbers, always use numerals, using zeros to create a three-digit number. The General Education suffix, if any, is part of the course number and should not be omitted; for example, BI SC 001 (GN). To prevent confusion, a course’s name should be listed along with its number; for example, BI SC 001 (GN) Structure and Function of Organisms. Check the most recent edition of the General Education Guidebook or the appropriate bulletin for General Education suffixes and correct course names. This also applies to diversity designations.
Course descriptions (as they appear in the bulletin) should be used with numbers and titles, or readers should be referred to the appropriate bulletin for descriptions.
Note: When used alone, course titles should be set in roman type and capped.
Becky looked forward to her Roman Civilization class.
Creamery
See Berkey Creamery.
credits in, units of
Always use numerals: 3 credits; 18 credits in history; a 3-credit course; 4 units of English; 1 unit of geometry; 2 units of a foreign language. Also, use numerals when referring to credit hours.
Credit is earned in a subject, not of it; therefore, a major may require 25–29 credits in health education, but it does not require 25–29 credits “of” health education. It is the opposite for units: units “of” a subject, not units “in” a subject.
crime statistics
Some admission applications require a statement on the availability of crime statistics for that particular Penn State campus. For more information and the text of the statement, contact the Department of University Safety.
Dean’s List
Cap.
department names
Cap when used as formal name: Department of Art History; lowercase as informal name: the art history department, the department.
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders; Department of Speech Communication
There is no s at the end of communication.
discipline-based colleges
There are eleven, based at Penn State University Park:
- College of Agricultural Sciences
College of Arts and Architecture
Smeal College of Business
College of Communications
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
College of Education
College of Engineering
College of Health and Human Development
College of Information Sciences and Technology
College of the Liberal Arts
Eberly College of Science
drop/add
Separated by a slash, not a hyphen.
endowed professorships; named professorships and titles of chairholders
Cap all nouns in the title, whether the title appears before or after the person’s name.
Dan Miller, Evan Pugh Professor of Mathematics …
Erwin W. Mueller Professor Jan Smith …
Patrick Bashir, Distinguished Professor of Biology …
John Stone, Holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Chemistry …
EOPC
Acronym for Equal Opportunity Planning Committee.
extension
It’s the Penn State Cooperative Extension on first mention; extension, no cap, on subsequent mention.
faculty, graduate faculty
Lowercase, as shown.
faculty—plural or singular?
Faculty, like other collective nouns, is used with the singular form of a verb when considered one unit and the plural form of a verb when considered as a group of individuals.
The faculty insists that students be allowed to speak.
The faculty include distinguished scholars in many fields.
the Farmers’ High School
Penn State began as this.
Federal Work-Study Program
Note that there is a hyphen in this name and that it is capped. It can be Work-Study Program in second and later references.
Lowercase work-study when used in a general sense (i.e., not referring to the specific program).
Fellow
When used to refer to an academic Fellow, cap on all references. Fellowship, when not used as part of the name of a specific fellowship, is not capped.
fields of study, Penn State programs
Do not cap names of fields of study. Cap the names of majors or minors when used as specific programs offered at Penn State. Do not cap the words major, minor, option, or program, only the program name if appropriate.
He was studying history at Penn State.
but
He majored in History at Penn State.The college offers the Aerospace Engineering major.
The Nursing program has undergone changes.
When referring to specific degree programs at Penn State, cap the program name but not the degree:
Penn State offers a master of engineering degree program in Engineering Science.
The master of engineering degree in Environmental Engineering is a highly competitive degree program.
financial aid
Consult the current Undergraduate Degree Programs Bulletin for current names of fellowships, loans, grants, etc. Or call the Office of Student Aid, 814-865-6301.
freshman, freshmen
Avoid this word. It’s part of a perpetuation of language-based stereotypes. Use first-year students to avoid sexism. If it’s impossible NOT to use it, remember that freshmen is the plural, but it’s freshman year, freshman students (as an adjective).
general deposit
Lowercase.
General Education
Uppercase when referring to the University’s program.
grade-point average
Hyphenate grade-point average. Avoid abbreviating this if you can, in the interest of reducing “alphabet soup” in language. But if you can’t resist the urge, use GPA (all caps, no periods).
Office of Graduate Enrollment Services
The offices of Graduate Admissions and Graduate Programs have combined to form the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, located in 114 Kern Building.
Graduate School
Uppercase on all mentions that refer to Penn State’s Graduate School. Lowercase when using it in a general sense or for graduate schools at other colleges and universities.
Health and Human Development complex
The complex housing the College of Health and Human Development consists of three buildings: Henderson Building, Henderson Building South, and Health and Human Development Building East.
Honors
Cap when formal name of campus program (e.g., Campus Honors program; Penn State Mont Alto Honors program). Lowercase in informal use (honors program, honors student, honors courses).
Housing and Food Services Contract
Cap everything except and.
HUB-Robeson Center
Opened in 1999 when the Hetzel Union Building was expanded to include the Paul Robeson Cultural Center. Use full name on all references.
Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
Full name: The Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. Use Huck Institutes on subsequent reference. Formerly the Life Sciences Consortium. Since the Huck Institutes is an umbrella organization, it should be treated as a single entity:
The Huck Institutes is responding to rapid changes in technology.
ID card
Refers to Penn State student identification card. Cap ID, with no periods or spaces. Do not cap card. Faculty/staff card is not capped.
Innovation Park at Penn State
Formerly Penn State Research Park. A mixed-use development welcoming personal and professional services, research and development firms, light manufacturing, offices, and laboratories. Built on 130 acres of University land, two miles northeast of University Park campus.
Use full name on first reference, and Innovation Park on second and subsequent mention (note caps).
International Programs
International Programs has two subsections: Education Abroad and International Student Services (formerly Office of International Students and Scholars).
Kinesiology
Formerly Exercise and Sport Science; a major offered through the College of Health and Human Development.
land-grant
The Morrill Land Grant Act set forth goals for land-grant universities.
Penn State is a land-grant university.
Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education
on first mention; Leonhard Center or the center on subsequent mention. (pronounced len’ ard)
LIAS
Library Information Access System—no periods or spaces, all caps for abbreviation. Use the full name first, the abbreviation on subsequent mention.
College of the Liberal Arts
College of the Liberal Arts, not College of Liberal Arts; whether to use the in text when referring to liberal arts as a field depends on the sentence. Alphabetize under Liberal Arts.
Libraries, University
It’s University Libraries on first mention; the Libraries thereafter. For a specific library, on first mention use the library name and cap Library with it: Pattee Library. Lowercase library when using the word by itself on subsequent references.
mailing and addressing guidelines
campus mail
The address format is: recipient’s name, department name, and building name. There is no need to include a city, town, or zip code.
Janet Jones, Travel Services, Procurement Building
U.S. Postal Service mail
Please follow these guidelines when typing addresses:
—Do not use punctuation, except for the hyphen in the nine-digit zip
code (example: 16802-9976).
—Use all caps or small caps instead of uppercase and lowercase.
—Use the correct two-letter capitalized state abbreviation.
For correct University mailing addresses, please consult the Penn State Directory online at www.psu.edu/ldap/ or the faculty/staff phone directory.
Use the following format for all return addresses:
SENDER’S NAME
DEPARTMENT NAME
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
ROOM NUMBER AND BUILDING NAME
CITY STATE ZIP CODE+4
Note: There are two spaces between “city” and “state” and between “state” and “zip code.”
Be sure to use the correct five-digit zip code. Zip codes can be found on the U.S. Postal Service Web site at www.usps.com/zip4/.
Some University Park off-campus locations do not use the 16802 zip code:
Human Resources, Rider Building I, University Park PA 16801 (not 16802)
To locate zip codes for Penn State employees, consult the Penn State Directory online at www.psu.edu/ldap/. For Penn State office zip codes, consult the faculty/staff phone directory. When in doubt, contact the recipient directly.
bulk mail
In order to qualify for bulk mail (Standard A Nonprofit rate), a mailing must:
—contain 200 or more identical pieces or weigh fifty pounds or more;
—contain domestic addresses only;
—be official mail of The Pennsylvania State University.
Document Services will prepare your bulk mailing according to postal standards and include the appropriate postal form. Certain types of advertising and products are not eligible for the Standard A Nonprofit rate. For details, contact Addressing and Mailing Services at 814-865-7544.
Use the following format for the return address on all Standard A Nonprofit mailings:
DEPARTMENT NAME
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
ROOM NUMBER and BUILDING NAME
CITY STATE ZIP CODE+4
Use of a bar code for bulk mailings may allow the mail to be processed more efficiently. Document Services can evaluate your project and apply the appropriate bar code (certified by the U.S. Postal Service) as necessary. For more information, call 814-865-7544.
For bulk mailings that qualify as permit mailings, permit indicia are printed in the upper right corner, in the same spot a postage stamp might be affixed. For mail from the University Park campus, the indicia is:
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
P A I D
State College PA
Permit No. 1
Please note that the “State College, PA” pertains only to the permit indicia for bulk mailings. The official city, state, and zip code for addresses is “University Park, PA 16802.”
Other Penn State campuses have their own nonprofit mailing permits. Contact the Office of Business Services at your campus for indicia formatting information and regulations.
For University Park business reply mail, the following official zip codes should be used:
Postcard (one flat, two-sided piece with no folds or perforations)—16802-9959
Letters weighing less than one ounce—16802-9976
Letters weighing more than one ounce—16802-9989
For further information on addressing and mailing regulations, contact Addressing and Mailing at Document Services, University Park campus (814-865-7544 or www.DocumentServices.psu.edu).
Materials Research Laboratory; Materials Research Lab
Materials Research Laboratory is the department name; Materials Research Lab is the building name.
Matson Museum of Anthropology
Use full name on first reference (note caps); Matson Museum (note caps) or the museum (lowercase) on subsequent mention.
M.B.A./MBA
The degree is M.B.A., with periods, in all references. However, when referring to the program or to a person who has earned the degree, use MBA—no periods, no spaces. Plural: M.B.A.’s, MBAs.
Marisa Shala, B.S., M.B.A., will head the task force on improving MBA negotiating skills.
Two hundred MBAs attended the alumni workshop.
named colleges (in lists)
List separately from other colleges when part of a list in running text.
The program is presented in cooperation with the Smeal College of Business, the Eberly College of Science, and the Colleges of Engineering and the Liberal Arts.
The Nittany Lion Inn
On first reference (capitalize The); the Inn on subsequent reference. Note that the Inn has a State College, not University Park, mailing address: 200 W. Park Ave., State College PA 16803.
Nittany Lion Shrine
Cap when using full name. Lowercase shrine when using alone.
Noll Physiological Research Center
No longer Noll Human Performance Lab; a research center within the College of Health and Human Development. The building name is simply Noll Lab.
OASIS
Stands for Open Access to the Student Information System (computer network with terminals at all Penn State campuses).
office names
This tends to be tricky. Cap the formal name of the office, but lowercase when used informally.
Jason had an appointment in the Office of Student Aid.
Carmen was late leaving the student aid office.
option, major, program
For specific options that are part of specific Penn State programs, capitalize the name of the option, but not the word option: Actuarial Mathematics option; Athletic Training option. This follows the same logic as University style does for program or major specific to Penn State: Music major; Biology program. Remember that a field of study is not capped (majoring in engineering) but a specific Penn State degree program is (majoring in Architectural Engineering Technology).
orientation
Generally, lowercase: orientation; orientation week; orientation programs
Outreach and Cooperative Extension
Formerly the division of Continuing and Distance Education. The new division encompasses the following units: Cooperative Extension, Continuing Education, Distance Education/World Campus, and Public Broadcasting.
Palmer Museum of Art; Museum Store
It’s the Palmer Museum of Art on first mention and the museum on subsequent mention. It’s the Museum Store on first mention; on subsequent mention, it’s either the full name, with caps, or the store, no caps. Some museum publications have special style sheets that are a little different from this general style.
Pattee Library and Paterno Library
Official name for the two major libraries at University Park campus. Paterno Library was built adjacent to the existing Pattee Library, which underwent extensive renovations; the two libraries were dedicated in fall 2000.
Paul Robeson Cultural Center
On first reference; the Robeson Center on subsequent references.
Penn State Press
Full name is The Pennsylvania State University Press, but the preferred usage is Penn State Press. Also known as the University Press.
Penn State Research Park
See Innovation Park at Penn State.
The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel
On subsequent mention: the Penn Stater. Located in the Innovation Park at Penn State. Formerly the Penn State Conference Center Hotel; originally the Penn State Scanticon.
Penn State songs
“Alma Mater,” Fred Lewis Pattee; “Fight on State,” Joe Sanders ’15; “The Nittany Lion,” J. A. Leyden ’14.
PENNTAP
All caps. Acronym for the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program, Penn State’s statewide technical outreach network.
program names, capping
Program should be capped only when it is part of a formal name, particularly one whose initials are used as an abbreviated name: Minority Engineeering Program (MEP), Women in Engineering Program (WEP).
See fields of study, Penn State programs and option, major, program in this section.
Reber Mechanical Engineering Building
Name change. No longer just Mechanical Engineering Building.
recreational facilities
Recreation Building (Rec Hall on subsequent reference); Intramural Building (IM Building on subsequent reference)
Registrar
Cap on all references.
Students should check with the Registrar before enrolling.
Contact the Registrar’s office for more information.
residence hall; resident assistant; resident instruction
Use residence hall, not dormitory.
It’s resident assistant on first mention and RA, no periods, as an abbreviation on subsequent mention. Plural of RA is RAs, no apostrophe.
Lowercase resident instruction.
Ritenour Building
Not Ritenour Health Center. Ritenour Building houses University Health Services, the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Health Promotion and Education, Occupational Medicine, and Women’s Health Services.
room numbers and building names
Use the room number and building name, as follows:
121 Wagner Building on first mention;
121 Wagner on subsequent mention.
If a building name is used without a room number, use the word Building, Lab, or the equivalent on every reference, and cap: Schwab Auditorium; Moore Building.
Schreyer Honors College
Established through an endowment from William A. and Joan L. Schreyer; one of the most comprehensive scholars programs in the nation. Participating students are Schreyer Scholars; cap Scholars on all subsequent references.
Eberly College of Science
It’s the Eberly College of Science on first reference and the college thereafter. Do not use College of Science alone. Alphabetize under Science.
Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center
Cap as shown on first mention; Shaver’s Creek (cap) or the center (lowercase) on subsequent mention.
Shaver’s Creek is a part of Penn State, under Continuing Education. It includes the Nature Center (natural and cultural history exhibits and live animals); the Raptor Center (injured hawks, owls, and eagles); and Horatio’s Natural History Bookstore. The center features environmental education programs, team-building programs, rental facilities, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, and gardens. For more information, call 814-863-2000.
Statement of Nondiscrimination (affirmative action statement)
All University publications (except formal invitations) must carry a form of the Statement of Nondiscrimination. In general, the complete text of the statement should always be used. However, in certain situations a shortened version may be used. Exceptions to the use of the complete text are to be made by the University Editor or designated representative.
See the University Policy section for the complete text of the official University nondiscrimination statement (English and Spanish versions).
The shortened version: Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.
student loans
The names of some student loan programs have changed in the recent past. The Stafford Loan is now the Federal Stafford Loan. The Perkins Loan is now the Federal Perkins Loan. See the Student Aid section of the Baccalaureate Degree Programs Bulletin for correct names of other programs.
Also, the term “recommended completion date” is now preferred over “deadline.”
teaching assistant
It’s teaching assistant on first reference; TA—caps, no periods—after that.
School of Theatre
Formerly the School of Theatre Arts, in the College of Arts and Architecture.
thesis/dissertation
A scholarly paper written to earn a graduate degree at Penn State, whether at the master’s or doctoral level, is a thesis (not a dissertation). Plural: theses.
Thon (Penn State Dance Marathon)
Thon, the communicative reference for the Penn State Dance Marathon, has an initial cap, with no apostrophe preceding it.
trustees
Board of Trustees—cap on first mention; the board or the trustees thereafter.
University
University should be capped any time it refers to Penn State. Do not cap university if the reference is a general one, even if Penn State is in the same sentence.
Penn State is an affirmative action, equal opportunity university.
When students leave for semester break, they usually return to the University three weeks later.
State College residents strive to build a pleasant university community.
University Editor (U.Ed.) number
Every University publication that circulates outside the University system should include a University Editor number. The number may be placed on a printed piece with approval of your college or administrative unit’s University Editor Representative or the Department of University Publications.
University Faculty Senate
On first reference; on all subsequent references, just faculty senate (lowercase).
University Health Services
University Health Services on first mention; health services thereafter. University Health Services is located in Ritenour Building, and Shulze and Johnston Halls.
University Park Airport
About twenty-five commuter flights are available daily both to and from the University Park Airport. US Airways Express has service to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; United Express to Washington (Dulles); Northwest Airlink (Mesaba) to Detroit; and Delta Connection to Cincinnati. Phone 814-865-5511.
University Park
The Penn State University Park campus is located in the borough of State College and surrounding townships. University Park is the name of the post office substation for use in mail addressed to the University Park campus, but is not, itself, a geographic location. Therefore, the University Park campus or things or events occurring there should not be described as located in University Park, Pennsylvania, because such a place does not exist. They should be described as being on the Penn State University Park campus.
University Scholars Program; University Scholars; Scholars
No longer used. The program has been expanded and augmented to become the Schreyer Honors College. Participating students are Schreyer Scholars; continue to cap Scholars on subsequent reference.
University-wide
It’s University-wide, hyphenated, but it’s statewide, nationwide, and just about every other “-wide” spelled solid. University-wide is hyphenated as an adjective before a noun, but two words as an adverb or after a noun. Consult the Chicago Manual (Table 7.90) and the Hyphens section of this manual.
World Campus
On first reference: Penn State World Campus; thereafter, the World Campus.
Penn State established the World Campus in response to an increasing interest in virtual university campuses that provide anytime-anywhere learning. The World Campus offers specialized signature programs (including undergraduate and master’s degrees, certificate programs, and continuing education opportunities) in a variety of academic disciplines.
Capitalization
Use Webster’s Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary and the latest edition of the Chicago Manual to check on capitalization of non-University-related words. Consult the Penn State Information section of this manual for the capitalization of University-related words. Whether to cap a word depends on many factors, including the word’s position in a sentence and its function.
armed forces/military titles
Full names of armies, navies, air forces, etc., are capitalized (U.S. Marine Corps, Royal Air Force, the British Navy, Army Corps of Engineers). The words army, navy, etc., are lowercased when not part of an official title.
See academic and administrative titles in the Penn State Information section for guidelines on capitalizing titles with names. The same rules apply for military titles, with two exceptions: General of the Army and Fleet Admiral, which are capped to avoid ambiguity.
astronomical terms
Capitalize the names of stars, satellites, planets, etc. Capitalize Earth when it is used as the planet name; lowercase when it is used to mean soil or when it is used in a phrase such as the earth sciences.
brand names, registered trademarks
Brand names and registered trademarks are capitalized: Band-Aid; Kleenex; Xerox; Styrofoam; Frisbee; Velcro. But whenever possible, use the generic term, such as adhesive bandage, tissue, photocopy.
buildings, other structure names
Names of buildings, thoroughfares, monuments, etc., are capitalized: the White House; the Capitol (when referring to the U.S. Capitol building); the Mall (including those on the University Park campus and in Washington, D.C.—not shopping malls).
campus
Lowercase, even in campus names: Altoona campus, Shenango campus, University Park campus (see also Penn State campus names).
cardinal directions
north, south, east, west, central, southeastern, northwestern, central Pennsylvania; but the Northwest, the South, the Far East, the West Coast, the Eastern Seaboard. See the Chicago Manual for details.
college names within the University
Uppercase College when used as part of the proper name of a college; lowercase when used with the unofficial name of a college. Lowercase when used alone, whether it refers to a specific college or not.
They enrolled in the College of the Liberal Arts.
Belinda was most interested in the engineering college.
The college offered a number of psychology courses.
commencement
The word commencement is lowercased, as is the semester (spring commencement, fall commencement).
committee names
In general, committee names are not capped. However, if lowercasing a committee name confuses readers, cap it.
Commonwealth
Cap when referring to Pennsylvania.
We are being asked to obey the laws of The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (note cap on The in this case; alone, make it the Commonwealth).
Cap in vice president of Commonwealth Campuses.
Continuing Education/continuing education
Lowercase when referring to the function; cap when referring to the unit or program.
She wanted to enroll in the course to further her continuing education efforts.
The courses were part of Penn State’s Continuing Education program.
He received credits through Continuing Education at Penn State.
cultural movements, periods, and styles
Numerical period designations are lowercased unless they are part of a proper name: eighteenth century (but Eighteenth Dynasty).
In general, most historical or cultural period names are lowercased except for proper nouns and adjectives (baroque period, classical period, colonial period, romantic period; but Hellenistic period, Victorian era) or to avoid ambiguity (Bronze Age, Enlightenment, Middle Ages, Reformation, Renaissance).
Capitalize names of cultural movements and styles if they are derived from proper nouns; otherwise they should be lowercased: Cynicism, Doric, Gothic, Neoplatonism, Pre-Raphaelite, Romanesque; but baroque, classical, cubism, Dadaism, modernism, neoclassicism, postmodernism, romanticism.
For more information, see section 8.85 of the Chicago Manual.
Dean’s List
Cap.
fax
Lowercase unless it is the first word in a contact line:
Robin considered his fax machine a good investment.
Contact Dr. Abramson at:
Phone: 123-555-6789
Fax: 123-555-2468
federal, state
Lowercase:
The program is awaiting state and federal funding.
Fortune 500
Be sure to cap. It is not necessary to italicize registered trademarks. (See the Chicago Manual.)
G.I. Bill
Caps, periods on G.I., no space; cap Bill.
Homecoming
Cap when referring to Penn State’s Homecoming. Lowercase in general use:
June looked forward to her son’s homecoming.
musical notes and keys
For musical notes and keys, use roman caps for major and roman lowercase for minor. For clarity, use the words major and minor with the letters when naming keys.
One of Mozart’s best-known symphonies is in g minor.
middle C; key of G major; the D triad
Olympic, Olympic-size
Always cap.
op. and opus
Music reference—lowercase
Pennsylvania General Assembly
Capitalize, but do not cap the informal name, Pennsylvania legislature.
political parties, philosophies
Names of national and international political organizations, movements, and alliances and of members of political parties are capped, but not the words party, movement, platform, etc. Nouns and adjectives designating political and economic systems of thought and their proponents are lowercased, unless they come from a proper name. In other words, the party is capped, the philosophy is not.
program names
See fields of study, Penn State programs and option, major, program in the Penn State Information section.
Realtor
Per Webster’s Eleventh. Cap when referring to a real estate agent who is a member of the National Association of Realtors. Use real estate agent if you’re not sure.
scientific and medical terms
See sections 8.127–8.152 of the Chicago Manual for guidelines on capping scientific and medical terms.
seasons of the year; semesters; holidays
The four seasons are lowercased. Semesters are lowercased: fall semester, spring break, summer session. Religious holidays are capitalized, as are most secular holidays.
senate, congress
Lowercase when used alone.
Social Security
Cap the words Social Security only. Do not cap number, tax, office, etc.
A student’s Social Security number no longer doubles as his/her student ID number.
I tried to reach the Social Security office all afternoon.
the
Capitalize The when used as part of the University’s full name: The Pennsylvania State University. Also cap when used as part of the following names: Penn State Erie, The Behrend College; Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus; The Four Diamonds Fund; The Nittany Lion Inn; The Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business Administration; The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel; The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Otherwise, do not cap the as part of the name of an organization, newspaper, etc.
titles of departments and administrative areas
On first mention, use the full name of the department or administrative area and cap all words except prepositions. On subsequent reference, when only a partial name is used, lowercase.
The Department of University Publications prepared this manual.
The University publications department provides editing and design services for Penn State.
titles of works
Cap all words except prepositions, unless the writer did otherwise or the style manual requires otherwise. See the Chicago Manual for a more complete listing of capitalization rules for titles.
Ethnic Group Designations
Different designations are acceptable to different groups when they are referring to themselves. The following designations have been recommended for general use by the terminology committee of Penn State’s Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity.
Note: Designations should not be hyphenated when used as modifiers. For example, Hispanic American student, not Hispanic-American student.
African/Black American
On first reference; either African American or Black American after that. If the person or group is not American, then African or Black (whichever is most specific and accurate) is used.
Asian & Pacific American
On first reference; or use the federal affirmative action term Asian/Pacific Islander, for people of that ethnic origin living in the United States. On second reference, use Asian Pacific American, Asian American, or Pacific American, as appropriate. Do not use Oriental when referring to people. The word Asian alone usually refers to international students.
Latino/Hispanic American
On first reference. For subsequent references, Latino may be used as the collective noun or adjective form. Regional designations and nationalities, such as Latin American, Peruvian, Bolivian, Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Colombian, are used when they are more accurate and specific than a general designation would be. Spanish is the correct adjective to describe people from Spain—avoid Spaniard.
American Indian/Alaskan Native
On first reference (all words capped) to refer to individuals or groups of individuals who are members or descendants of members of American Indian tribes or Alaskan Native villages. This is appropriate when the name of the specific tribe or Alaskan Native village of the individual is not known to the writer or when the group consists of members of multiple tribes and/or Alaskan Native villages. On subsequent reference, shortened versions may be used: American Indian or Alaskan Native, as appropriate. If the individual and/or group has a preference for one of the shortened terms, use it. When the meaning is clearly established, the term Native may be used to refer to Indians.
Whenever possible, the name of a specific tribe or Alaskan Native village of the individual or group should be used. The name of the tribe or village, the manner of combining names of tribes or villages, and the spelling of names vary among tribes and villages. The usage and spelling approved by the tribe or village government should be used. Spellings are published by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian (Todd Publications), and in various tribal publications.
The term Indian always is capped. When the term tribe, nation, or village is a part of the name, it also should be capped. The term Indian Country is used by tribes and the U.S. government to refer to tribal lands within tribal jurisdiction. Indian Nations is a general term used widely by both the tribes and the U.S. government.
Indians should not be referred to in the past tense unless appropriate for the meaning of the sentence. Indians should not be uniformly referred to as descendants of American Indians, which implies that all of the real American Indians are dead. Referring to Indian heritage is generally inappropriate as a means of identifying a person as an Indian.
Philippines; Filipino
Note the spellings.
White American
Cap.
Geography
America
Remember that America is more than just the United States. North, Central, and South America are made up of a number of countries. When you mean the United States of America, use United States instead of just America. Be as specific as possible in your references to countries and their citizens, keeping the planet, rather than just the little piece of it that’s the United States, in mind.
central Pennsylvania
No cap on central.
Centre Region
Includes the borough of State College and the surrounding townships of College, Ferguson, Halfmoon, Harris, and Patton, with a total population of about 72,000.
Germany
It’s just plain old Germany, no east or west.
high schools with state designations
for city and state with schools: Mamardneck (N.Y.) High School
Penn State University Park latitude and longitude
40°46' N, 77°53' W
Pennsylvania counties
Pennsylvania has sixty-seven counties. For county names and locations, see a state map.
state names
When a state name is used in text with a town but no street address, it is spelled out.
The student was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania.
When a state name is used as part of a mailing address, use the two-letter post office abbreviation.
Send applications to 2237 E 23rd St/Amarillo TX 79103.
Do not use the two-letter post office abbreviations in lists, tables, notes, bibliographies, or indexes. For the correct abbreviations to use in these cases, see section 15.29 of the Chicago Manual.
United States/U.S.
Spell out when used as a noun; abbreviate when used as an adjective.
After their move, they spent a lot of time adjusting to the United States.
U.S. policy in Europe was the topic of discussion.
University Park campus
Penn State University Park is located in the borough of State College and surrounding townships. University Park is the name of the post office substation for use in mail addressed to the University Park campus, but is not, itself, a geographic location. Therefore, the University Park campus or things or events occurring there should not be described as located in University Park, Pennsylvania, because such a place does not exist. They should be described as being on the Penn State University Park campus.
use of comma with state names
Use a comma before and after a state name when it’s used with a town or city name in text.
We were passing through Herkimer, New York, when we discovered that the tire was going flat.
Hyphens
Use Webster’s Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary and the Chicago Manual for entries not covered in this list. The easiest way to determine whether to hyphenate or where to break a word is to look it up in the dictionary. Avoid breaking words in a publication—move to the next line whenever possible.
Refer to the Chicago Manual’s Table 7.90, “A Spelling Guide for Compound Words”, for more examples.
Do not hyphenate compounds preceding or following a noun where the hyphen would be placed after a word ending in ly: highly regarded student; ridiculously long take-home exam; beautifully framed painting.
adjectival phrases
Hyphenate phrases used as adjectives before a noun.
The proposal was a last-ditch effort at credibility.
The child produced a mile-long list for Santa.
three-mile limit; 100-yard dash; one-inch margin; full-time student; fifteen-week semester; eight-week session; but a 10 percent increase
When a number and unit of measurement are used adjectivally, they should be hyphenated: 12-inch rule; nineteenth-century painter
all, fold, half, like, self, wide, multi
Hyphenate compounds that use all whether they precede or follow the noun.
I once thought my parents to be all-knowing and all-seeing. Hers is an all-encompassing compassion; she serves without thought of praise or other reward.
Adjectival compounds with fold are spelled solid, unless they are formed with figures.
The professor noticed a threefold increase in class attendance when he started using more videos.
The results indicate an amazing 175-fold decrease in cellular mutation.
Hyphenate half compounds whether they precede or follow the noun.
Dirk was only half-awake during the review session.
Gina refused to consider the half-baked scheme.
However, halfhearted and halfway are spelled solid, according to Webster's Eleventh. If in doubt, check the dictionary.
Any like words can be spelled solid.
He had a childlike sense of wonder and enthusiasm that made class really interesting.
Self words should be hyphenated.
self-employed; self-serving; self-sufficient
Use a hyphen with all proper nouns and wide: University-wide. Do not hyphenate other wide words: statewide, nationwide, countywide.
Multi words are spelled solid unless such a spelling makes for awkward reading.
“co” words
Words formed with the prefix co should be hyphenated. This is University style, not in line with the Chicago Manual or, in some cases, Webster’s Eleventh. Using a hyphen between the co and the root word makes the word more readable and prevents confusion. Exceptions: coed, coeducational, cooperate.
co-author, co-chair, co-owner, co-founder
compounds preceding a noun
Compounds with well-, ill-, better-, best-, high-, little-, lesser-, low-, etc., are hyphenated when they precede the noun unless the expression carries a modifier: well-known man; he is well known; high-quality work; very high quality work.
grade-point average
Hyphenate grade-point. Avoid abbreviating this, but if you must, use GPA—all caps, no periods.
hyphens, dashes
A general rule is that hyphens link items and dashes separate items.
A hyphen joins words to form compound adjectives or is used to attach certain prefixes or suffixes to words.
The dash that is usually typed as two hyphens (--) is typeset as an em dash (—). It indicates a break in thought and can be used within a sentence to insert a parenthetical phrase. Macintosh users can insert their own em dashes by holding down the shift and option keys and typing a hyphen. Neither a double hyphen nor an em dash should have spaces on either side.
The en dash (–) is used between ranges of numbers or dates, or between adjectival phrases containing two-word concepts (1984–87; pp. 123–34; New York–Dallas flight). To typeset an en dash on a Macintosh computer, hold down the option key and type a hyphen. (On a typewriter, use a hyphen.) En dashes do not have spaces on either side. Do not use an en dash to replace a hyphen.
If you need a detailed description, see the Chicago Manual.
“non” prefixes
noncredit
nondegree-seeking student
nondiscrimination
nonpreregistered
nonprofit
nonstudent
non-University
one word or two? hyphens or not?
advanced standing student
Penn State Harrisburg
child care
classwork is one word, but course work is two words
coed; coeducational
cross-country (the sport)
daytime; nighttime
decision-making process; the process of decision making
fifteen-week semester
full-time—full-time student (adjective),
he will be working full-time (adverb); part-time
grade-point average
grant-in-aid
health care
inter—spell solid: intercollege, interorganizational
Penn State is a land-grant university; Morrill Land Grant Act
lifelong—adjective (daylong; monthlong; weeklong; yearlong)
life span (noun); life-span (adjective)
long-range (adjective)
long-term (adjective)
longtime (adjective)
low-income families; very low income families
multicampus
on-site (hyphenate as adjective or adverb)
postbaccalaureate, postdoctoral, postdoctorate
prelaw
premedicine
preregistration and preregistered
primary care physician
quasi—as part of a compound noun, use separately; as adjective,
use with hyphen: quasi scholar (noun), quasi-judicial
(adj.)
student aid program
student-athlete
tax-deductible
turfgrass
ultra—spell solid: ultrafine, ultraviolet
under—spell solid: underline, underfunded
up-to-date
Wilkes-Barre campus
workforce, workplace, workstation; but work site
Worthington Scranton campus
X-ray
off campus, on campus
As adverb, no hyphens; as adjective, hyphens.
The two had rented an apartment off campus for the summer. On-campus housing was impossible to find during fall semester.
semi
No hyphen is used after semi unless it is connected to a word beginning with i.
semiconducting
semi-intelligent
vice president
No hyphen. This is University style, not Chicago Manual style.
word breaks
as-sis-tant
called—no break
dis-ease
geog-raphy; geo-graph-i-cal
knowl-edge
pro-cess or proc-ess/pro-ject or proj-ect, depending on
pronunciation and meaning
Always consult a dictionary (preferably Webster’s Eleventh Collegiate) if you’re not sure about where to break a word.
Manuscript Formatting
When preparing a manuscript for publication, you may have questions about formatting. Here are solutions to some of the most common situations that arise.
alphabetizing/indexing
See the Chicago Manual for guidelines on alphabetizing and indexing.
bibliographies and references
University style is to follow the Chicago Manual for all footnote and bibliographic entries. Exceptions are permitted only for the recognized style manual of the respective scholarly discipline (examples: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for psychology; A Manual for Authors of Mathematical Papers for mathematics; The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual for journalism and for news releases prepared by the Department of Public Information). No other manuals or stylesheets may be used. Ad hoc styles are not permitted. University style calls for listing references alphabetically by author. If another order, such as chronological, is preferred, that should be made clear when the manuscript is submitted to the Department of University Publications. Chronological order is preferred for lists of research publications written by faculty members (see next entry).
faculty publications in reference lists
The following examples from the Chicago Manual illustrate how to cite faculty publications in reference lists (commonly used in graduate program recruitment pieces):
H. G. Baker, K. S. Bawa, G. W. Frankie, and P. A. Opler. 1983. Reproductive biology of plants in tropical forests. In Tropical rain forest ecosystems, ed. F. G. Golley, 183–215. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
M. L. Arnold, R. L. Honeycutt, R. J. Baker, V. M. Sarich, and J. K. Jones, Jr. 1982. Resolving a phylogeny with multiple data sets: A systematic study of phyllostomid bats. Occas. Pap. Museum, Texas Tech Univ. 77:1–15.
R. D. Alexander. 1974. The evolution of social behavior. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 5:324–83.
G. M. Allen. 1939. Bats. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
In this case, article titles are not enclosed in quotation marks. Also note en dashes between page numbers.
For more information, see sections 16.107 through 16.120 of the Chicago Manual. University style differs from Chicago style in that publications are listed chronologically (most recent first) instead of alphabetically. Journal titles may be either abbreviated or spelled out; just be consistent.
footnotes
University style is to follow the Chicago Manual for all footnote and bibliographic entries. Exceptions are permitted only for recognized style manuals of a respective scholarly discipline (examples: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for psychology; A Manual for Authors of Mathematical Papers for mathematics). No other manuals or stylesheets may be used. Ad hoc styles are not permitted.
publications check
Before you submit a manuscript for review by the Department of University Publications or produce it yourself, double-check the following items:
names—spelling of names of people and places
dates—make sure day and date correspond
phone numbers and addresses
courses—name, number, and description must correspond exactly with the degree program description in the bulletin or on the University Faculty Senate blue sheets
tuition—must be as stated on information sheets from the Bursar, approved by the Board of Trustees
rank of University faculty members (professor, assistant professor, instructor, etc.)
accuracy and completeness of quotes and references
If you are submitting a manuscript on computer disk, call the Department of University Publications for instructions.
reply card/application format
When including an application or reply card in your publication, follow the format example below. Cap first word only, unless you’re asking for the person’s Penn State ID number.
First name:
Middle initial:
Last name:
Street address:
City/State/Zip code:
Date of birth:
PSU ID:
Previous courses taken:
Numbers
The Chicago Manual includes extensive information about the use of numbers. Whether to use figures or words depends on the overall style by which you abide and the nature of the material with which you are working.
numbers or words?
Spell out numbers