Public Relations: Fitchburg State College Style Manual
Note: This manual is intended to serve as a guide to those
writing Fitchburg State College publications and includes common
terms or concepts used on a regular basis for those publications.
For a complete listing, see the Associated Press Stylebook; Elements
of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White; and the Chicago
Manual of Style.
Style guidelines in alphabetical order: A B
C D E F
H I L M
N O P S
T U W
Additional guidelines: Capitalization,
Commas, Effects, Quotation
marks, Space after period
A
academic degrees - Do not abbreviate academic
degrees. An apostrophe is used with bachelor's degree, master's
degree, etc., but do not use an apostrophe in Bachelor of Arts or
Master of Science degree. She received a bachelor's degree from
Fitchburg State, and then earned
a Master of Science from Boston College.
academic departments
- Behavioral Science
- Biology/Chemistry
- Business Administration
- Communications Media
- Computer Science
- Education
- English/Speech/Theater
- Exercise and Sport Science
- Geo/Physical Sciences
- Humanities
- Industrial Technology
- Mathematics
- Nursing
- Social Science
The department names are capitalized in Fitchburg State College
documents when talking about the department and majors. Otherwise,
they are lowercased. The Nursing Department increased its enrollment
by 50 students. One of the nursing students is from Canada.
academic titles - Titles such as chancellor, chairman,
dean, etc., are capitalized when used with a name. They are lowercased
otherwise. Dean Jim Smith will hire a new department chairman
this semester.
acronyms - Use acronyms only after spelling them
out in first reference to eliminate confusion. The students
recently won third place at the Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM) International Student Research Competition.
addresses - When writing an address, use the abbreviations
Ave., Blvd. and St. only with a numbered address. Fitchburg
State College is located at 160
Pearl St. If using the street name without a number,
capitalize as part of the name. The new signs can be seen on
Pearl Street. Similar words, such as alley,
drive, road and terrace are always spelled out.
affect/effect - Affect is a noun and describes
emotion: She was affected by the tragic events. Effect
is a noun and a verb. When used as a noun, effect is talking about
the result of something. The effects of the tuition increase
will be felt by next year's students. Effect as a verb talks
about the cause of something. He will effect a number of changes.
ages - Always use figures. An 18-year-old
freshman from Leominster is the president of
the Biology Club. By the age of 21, the student had completed three
internships. The curriculum policy is 8 years old.
alumna - A female graduate.
alumnae - A group of female graduates.
alumni - A group of graduates (male and/or female).
alumnus - A male graduate.
B
B.A. - Always spell out as bachelor of arts.
boards and committees
- All College Committee
- Sub-committees of the All College Committee:
Curriculum Committee
Academic Policies Committee
Student Affairs Committee
Strategic Planning Committee
Teacher Education Council
- Department chairs - The collective chairs
of the academic departments
- Board of Trustees - A group of appointed individuals,
including a student representative, who vote on campus policies
B.S. - Always spell out as Bachelor of Science.
Bachelor's degree is also acceptable.
buildings on campus
- Alumni/Development House
- Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library - Named for alumna and benefactor
Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio, class of 1938.
- Anthony Building - Named for Willis B. Anthony, director of
Industrial Arts Department, class of 1929. Houses Shipping and
Receiving, the Treasurer's Office, Financial Aid and Health Services.
- Aubuchon Hall - Named for William E. Aubuchon Jr., founder of
the Massachusetts State College Board of Trustees (now the Board
of Higher Education), and of the Massachusetts State College Building
Authority. In addition to housing students, the building includes
the Campus Living office.
- Condike Science Building - Named for Dr. George F. Condike,
academic dean 1947-1956. Science classrooms and the Geo/Physical
Sciences Department are located here.
- Conlon Building - Named for Florence D. Conlon, professor of
Fine Arts 1919-1961. It houses Communications Media and Industrial
Technology departments, Information Technology and Print Services.
- Dupont Facilities Building - Named for John P. Dupont, chief
Power Plant engineer 1947-1986.
- Edgerly Building - Named for Joseph Gardner Edgerly, 1838-1922,
superintendent of Fitchburg Public Schools. The Computer Science
Department and some members of Industrial Technology are located
here.
- Elliot Field - Named for Robert J. Elliot, athletic director
1942-1967.
- Ellis White Lecture Hall - Named for Dr. Ellis White, who was
president from 1950 to 1953.
- Hammond Campus Center - Named for James J. Hammond, president
of the college from 1963 to 1975.
- Herlihy Hall - Named for Charles M. Herlihy, who was president
from 1927 to 1945.
- Kent Recital Hall - Named for Richard Kent, professor of music
1947-1982.
- Mara Village - Named for Dr. Vincent J. Mara, Fitchburg State
president from 1976 to 1995.
- McCluskey Park - Named for Robert McCluskey, institutional maintenance
foreman 1964-1994.
- McKay Campus School - Named for Edith F. McKay, who in 1950
donated the land to the city of Fitchburg for McKay Park; the
city sold the land to the state in 1961.
- Parkinson Gym - Named for William D. Parkinson, principal 1920-1927.
- Percival Hall - Named for Harry F. Percival, professor of psychology
1928-1955.
- Russell Towers - Named for Helen Ross Russell, professor of
biology and dean of studies, 1949-1966.
- Sanders Administration Building - Named for Dr. William J. Sanders,
principal 1945-1950.
- Thompson Hall - Named for John G. Thompson, principal 1895-1922.
- Townhouses - Named for counties within Massachusetts.
- Weston Auditorium - Named for Ralph F. Weston, who was president
from 1953 to 1963.
C
cities - For most cities, use
the city name and then the abbreviated state (see abbreviations
under the state entry below). If the city is within Massachusetts,
no state is necessary. Most of the teammates are from Fitchburg
or Leominster, but one is from Waterbury,
Conn. There is a list of
30 well-known cities that do not need the state listed: Atlanta,
Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver,
Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,
Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City,
Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San
Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington. The
professor attended conferences in Seattle, Chicago and San Jose,
Calif.
conference rooms, lecture halls
- Alumni Rooms - Alumni A, Alumni B and Alumni
C are in the Hammond Center, ground floor.
- Ellis White Lecture Hall -
Located in the Hammond Campus Center, G-Lobby.
- G-07 - Meeting room in the Hammond Campus
Center ground floor.
- Kent Recital Hall - Located in the Conlon Building,
first floor.
- Campus Center Lounge - The lounge is on the
first floor of Hammond Campus Center.
- Miller Oval Room - Located in Miller Hall,
first floor.
college - Do not capitalize in subsequent references
to Fitchburg State College. The college will be closed on Columbus
Day.
composition titles - Titles that refer to books,
movies, operas, plays, poems, television shows, lectures, speeches
and art are listed in quotation marks. The class will watch
"The Wizard of Oz," attend a showing of "Wicked" and read "Son of
a Witch."
course titles - Course titles are capitalized
only; do not use italics, bold or quotation marks. The professor's
course, Art Appreciation, meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
D
dates - When writing dates, you may use two forms,
one with the day of the week and one without. In each, the month
should follow the style for months. The event will be held on
Tuesday, Oct. 18 or the event will be held on Oct. 18. Never
use the ordinal abbreviations - 1st , 15th , 22nd - with a date.
days of the week - Do not abbreviate the days
of the week.
dean - Capitalize when used with a name. It is
lowercased otherwise. Dean Jennifer Jones will meet with deans
from other state colleges.
decades - Use numerals to list decades and place
an apostrophe to take the place of numerals that are omitted. The
college was founded in the 1800s. Enrollment grew in the '90s.
directions - Lowercase north,
south, etc. when they determine compass direction. Capitalize when
they are used to indicate regions. Fitchburg State
College is a growing school on the East Coast. It is located
west of Boston.
E
ellipses - an ellipsis is three periods with a
space before and after. It is used for suspense or to take the place
of omitted words. "I never thought graduation day would come
... it's been a long four years," he said.
ensure /insure - Ensure means to guarantee something.
The word insure refers to insurance.
F
federal - Capitalize federal when it is part of
a title - Federal Trade Commission - but lowercase when
used to describe as a government entity. She is taking the
case to federal court.
Fitchburg State
College - Always use Fitchburg State College or Fitchburg
State on second reference. Never use FSC, which is also the abbreviation
for Framingham State College.
full time, full-time - If used as an adjective,
hyphenate. Registration for full-time students will begin Monday.
She will work full time in the Registrar's Office.
fund raising, fund-raising and fund-raiser -
Fund raising is the act of collecting money for a cause. Use fund-raising
as an adjective. The sorority is holding a fund-raising campaign.
Fund-raiser is a title for a person who is involved in the
effort.
H
holidays - Capitalize names of holidays. New
Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Christmas, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving,
Patriot's Day, Evacuation Day, etc.
I
insure/ensure - The word insure refers to insurance.
Ensure means to guarantee something.
Internet terminology
- blog - Short for Weblog
- e-mail
- Internet
- online
- Web address - Do not include http:// and do
not underline: For more information, visit www.fsc.edu.
- Web page
- Web site
- World Wide Web
its and it's - The word its is possessive; it's
is a contraction for it is.
L
legislative titles - If using before one's name,
the title is abbreviated. They are spelled out otherwise. Other
titles, such as city counselor, mayor, etc. are capitalized when
used with a name and lowercased when used alone. Gov. Mitt Romney,
Rep. Jen Flanagan, Sen. John Kerry, Mayor Dan Mylott and
Ward 4 Councilor Matthew Straight were among the guests. The governor,
representative, senator, mayor and councilor also attended a dinner
later in the evening.
M
media titles - Capitalize the names of newspapers
and magazines; do not use quotation marks. The Telegram and
Gazette is sold in the Commuter Café, but they do not have
Time or Newsweek.
measurements - If citing a measurement, always
use the number and spell out inches, feet, yards, etc. If the phrase
is an adjective, use a hyphen: The posters are 11 by 7 inches
and should fit on the 20-foot bulletin board in the G-Lobby.
money - When listing a price or value, use the
dollar sign, use commas for amounts that exceed 999 and do not use
cents if there are none. The books cost $200 and had a shipping
fee of $3.29. The department has $1,294 left in its budget for books.
months - When using the name of the month on its
own, spell it out. When using the month with a date, the following
months are abbreviated: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and
Dec. If using a month, a date and a year, use a comma after the
year. Examples: Orientation will take place in August. The first
orientation date is Aug. 12. The College's newest orientation program
kicked off Aug. 19, 199, and served 500 students.
N
numbers - There are several categories for numbers.
Arabic numerals are the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0.
Cardinal numbers are figures that use the Arabic numerals and corresponding
words (1, one; 16, sixteen;, 111, one hundred and eleven; etc.)
Ordinal numbers are 1st, 2 nd, 3rd, 125th, first, second, third,
one hundred and twenty-fifth, etc.) Several guidelines on what should
be used regarding numbers, based on context.
- Figures vs. words: When indicating sequence in time or location,
spell out numbers under 10. Everything higher than 10 is a figure.
The seminar will be held in two weeks. There is room for 50
people in the audience. The semester will end in six days. There
are 12 weeks of summer school classes.
- Money: Do not spell out; use cardinal numbers. She gave
me $6. The new building will cost the college $5.5 million.
- Time: Use cardinal numbers. The meeting will begin at 1:30
p.m.
- Dates: Use cardinal numbers. Do not use ordinal numbers. The
Christmas party will be held on Dec. 21. The spring semester begins
Jan. 16.
- The beginning of a sentence: Avoid using numbers at the start
of a sentence. Instead of 56 new students enrolled in the
fall, use This fall, there were 56 new students. Spell
them out if they must be used, except when the figure is a calendar
year. Nine state colleges exist in Massachusetts
. 2005 was an important year in the college's history.
- Percentages: Always use a figure and spell out percent. Tuition
will increase by 2 percent. As of August, 60 percent of freshmen
signed up for orientation.
- Ages: Use figures (see the ages entry above).
O
office names - When referring
to an office by its proper name, capitalize. The Human
Resources Office will distribute the information. The Nursing Department
welcomed staff members. The Admissions Office received new equipment.
over - The word over is a term
that describes something happening through time. Use more than if
describing amounts. They raised $1.3 million more than last
year. The capital campaign was started over a period of years.
P
part time, part-time - If used as an adjective,
hyphenate. Registration for part-time students will begin Monday.
The Registrar's Office will be open part time during the holiday.
Ph.D. - Always say the person holds a doctorate.
She holds a doctorate in mathematics from Harvard.
plural - When making something plural, simply
add an s. Incorrect: The students must submit the CD's of their
work, along with the scores for their SAT's and forms signed by
their parent's. Correct: The students must submit the CDs of their
work, along with the scores for their SATs and forms signed by their
parents.
possessive - To make a word possessive, add 's.
If the word ends in s, add 's. The professor's students were
reading "Bridget Jones's Diary."
S
states - When using states alone,
do not abbreviate. If using a city, abbreviate the state, except
for cities within Massachusetts , since they are well known to those
in the area, and the list of the 30 well-known cities in the cities
entry in this stylebook. There are eight states that are never abbreviated:
Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. The rest
use state abbreviations followed by Associated Press style:
Ala. ( Alabama ) Md. ( Maryland ) N.D.
( North Dakota )
Ariz. ( Arizona ) Mass. ( Massachusetts ) Okla.
( Oklahoma )
Ark. ( Arkansas ) Mich. ( Michigan ) Ore.
( Oregon )
Calif. ( California ) Minn. ( Minnesota ) Pa.
( Pennsylvania )
Colo. ( Colorado ) Miss. ( Mississippi ) R.I.
( Rhode Island )
Conn. ( Connecticut ) Mo. ( Missouri ) S.C.
( South Carolina )
Del. ( Delaware ) Mont. ( Montana ) S.D.
( South Dakota )
Fla. ( Florida ) Neb. ( Nebraska ) Tenn.
( Tennessee )
Ga. (Georgia) Nev. ( Nevada ) Vt.
( Vermont )
Ill. ( Illinois ) N.H. ( New Hampshire
) Va. (Virginia)
Ind. (Indiana) N.J. ( New Jersey ) Wash.
(Washington)
Kan. ( Kansas ) N.M. ( New Mexico ) W.
Va. ( West Virginia )
Ky. ( Kentucky ) N.Y. ( New York ) Wis.
( Wisconsin )
La. ( Louisiana ) N.C. ( North Carolina ) Wyo.
( Wyoming )
However, when writing an address, use the proper ZIP code abbreviation.
seasons - Do not capitalize seasons unless they
are part of a proper noun: The fall semester begins on Sept.
8. The annual Winter Carnival will be held in December.
T
telephone numbers - When listing
a phone number, always put the area code in parenthesis. The
information line for Fitchburg State
College is (978) 345-2151. Extensions are listed
as follows: Ext. 4500.
time - The time is always used with a.m. or p.m.
If something takes place on the hour, do not include :00. Homecoming
activities will start at 9 a.m. and end by 6:30
p.m.
titles - Lowercase most titles. Jennifer Smith
is the coordinator for special programs. These often serve
as occupational or job descriptions. The exceptions are formal titles.
They are only capitalized when used with a person's name. Coach
Jim Jones attended the conference, along with Dr. John Taylor and
President Sue Adams. What is the difference between these
informal and formal titles? According to the Associated Press Stylebook:
"A formal title generally is one that denotes a scope of authority,
professional activity or academic accomplishment so specific that
the designation becomes almost as much an integral part of an individual's
identity as a proper name itself." Examples: President Bush,
Sen. John Kerry.
T-shirt - The proper way to write it is with
a capital T and a hyphen.
U
United States - Spell
out when used as a noun, and use U.S. as an adjective. There
are thousands of colleges in the United States.
They receive guidance from the U.S. Department
of Education.
W
Washington, D.C. -
The nation's capital has a comma after Washington and periods after
D and C.
Additional Guidelines
Capitalization
In general, capitalize proper nouns and proper names. Incorrect:
The Graduate Program Chair, the Resident Assistant and the Financial
Aid Counselor ask that students return their Financial Aid and Federal
Work Study documents. Correct: The graduate program chair, the resident
assistant and the financial aid counselor ask that students return
their financial aid and federal work study documents.
If a common noun is part of a title, do not capitalize when using
the word without the title on subsequent references. Return
the paperwork to the Office of Financial Aid. The office will accept
forms through the end of July.
Commas
When referring to three or more items, do not use a comma before
and. Money, gently used clothing, toiletries and toys are needed
for the collection drive for hurricane victims.
If you have a list that uses commas to set off individual segments
that contain information set off by commas, use a semicolon to separate
those segments. A semicolon is used before the and in the series
for clarification purposes. Jessica White, a sophomore; Amy
Smith, a junior; and Tim Jones, a senior; will represent the college
at the conference.
Effects
Bold, italics, words in all capital letters and underline are to
be used sparingly and only if necessary. The current campus guidelines
call for using only bold effects to draw attention to something
in a publication that is to be sent out to the public. The commencement
processional will begin promptly at 10
a.m. on Highland
Avenue.
Quotation marks
Quotation marks are used to indicate quoted material from a person,
some publication titles (see publication titles) unfamiliar terms
on first reference and foreign terms that are not well known to
the general public. Punctuation is placed inside the quotes. "This
scholarship donation is dedicated to my husband," said the benefactor.
The professor's lecture on the popular book "Tuesdays With Morrie"
will be held on Thursday, Sept. 29. Students learned about "la banlieue,"
the French term for the suburbs.
Make sure that quotation marks are needed and are appropriate.
In many cases, the simple word or phrase by itself will do. Incorrect:
They announced that the "One Card" system will be updated this week
and students need to "register" by Friday. Correct: They announced
that the One Card system will be updated this week and students
need to register by Friday.
Space between sentences -
The current style calls for only one space between
a period and the beginning of the next sentence.
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