Office of Communications

Plurals of abbreviations

• YMCAs; SOSs; IOUs; PUIDs

Abbreviations with more than one period often use an ’s.

• M.A.’s, Ph.D.’s

When abbreviating years to two digits, put an apostrophe in front of the years of undergraduate college classes.

• Class of ’76

Abbreviate “page”

• p. or pp.

Academic Degrees

Formal Use	General Use	Abbreviated Use
Bachelor of Science	bachelor’s degree	B.S.
Bachelor of Arts	bachelor’s degree	A.B.
Master of Arts	master’s degree	M.A.
Doctor of Philosophy	doctoral degree	Ph.D.

The word “degree” should not follow an abbreviation:

• She has an A.B. in English literature.
• She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature.

Dr.

Use the title Dr. only when referring to a medical doctor.

Acronyms

Spell out the first reference followed by the acronym in parentheses; the acronym may be used for subsequent references.

• She joined the University Student Government (USG) later in the year. The USG agenda was posted in the morning.

Acronyms may be used for the first reference if they are widely recognized.

• SAT, NASA.

People

Capitalize a job title when it immediately precedes a person’s name. The title is not capitalized when it follows a name.

• Shirley M. Tilghman, president of Princeton University
• President Tilghman
• the president

• Professor of Molecular Biology Jane Flint
• Jane Flint, professor of molecular biology
• the professor

• Seymour Bogdonoff, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering emeritus

Exception: Endowed professorships are capitalized, even when the title follows a name.

• Anthony Grafton, the Henry Putnam University Professor of History, moderated the panel.

Departments, Offices, Committees, the Board of Trustees

Capitalize the formal names of departments, offices, programs, committees, and institutions; do not capitalize informal names and incomplete designations.

• Department of Chemistry, the chemistry department, the department

• Office of Communications, the communications office, the office

• The Princeton University Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees, the trustees, the board

Exception:
In copyright statements, write:

• Copyright © 2009 by The Trustees of Princeton University

Buildings and Places

Capitalize the word University, whenever referring to Princeton University, even though the word Princeton may not precede it. When referring to Princeton’s history and the College of New Jersey, “the College” is capitalized.

Omit the first name of the person for whom a building or center is named, unless the reference is for memorial or ceremonial purposes. When a building or center is new, the full name may be used for a year to further establish its identity.

• Burr Hall
• Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding
  (Now may be referred to as the Fields Center)
• Frist Campus Center
  (Depending on intended voice or tone, may be referred to informally as “Frist.”)
• Dillon Gymnasium
  (Depending on intended voice or tone, may be referred to informally as “Dillon Gym” or the “gym.”)

For a complete list of alphabetized building names, see list at the end of this document.

The formal names of buildings and places are capitalized.

• Princeton University Chapel, University Chapel, the chapel
• School of Architecture, the architecture school, the school
• Lake Carnegie
• Princeton University Art Museum, University Art Museum, art museum

Capitalize the word room when used to designate a particular room.

• The meeting was held in Room 200, Frist Campus Center.

Events

The formal names of special events are capitalized.

• Alumni Day
• Baccalaureate
• Class Day
• Commencement
• Opening Exercises
• Reunions
  

Exception:

• reading period

(not capitalized, as it’s a description of a specific period of time, not an event)

Publications, Course Listings, Films, Music, Works of Art

As a general rule, major works are set in italics, and minor works are put in quotation marks.

Titles of all published books, proceedings, collections, periodicals, and newspapers are set in italics. Do not capitalize or italicize “the” in the newspaper title.

• Copies of the Wall Street Journal are available in the lounge.
• Many students report for the Daily Princetonian.
• The New York Times is sold at the kiosk.

Unpublished works, such as theses and lectures, are set in roman type (nonitalic) and quotation marks. Full-length film titles and TV programs are italicized, but episodes of TV programs are put in quotation marks.

Capitalize a specific course, subject, or name of language

• ECO 420 Introduction to Economic Dynamics
  (no colon is used between the abbreviation, the numbers, and the title)

In text, put the course name in quotation marks.

• He selected “Introduction to Economic Dynamics” after meeting with his adviser.

Do not capitalize the word after a hyphen in a title.

• Her lecture is titled “An Introduction to 14th-century Franciscan Manuscripts.”

Do not capitalize major areas of study, unless referring to a language.

• She is studying economics and French.

Capitalize the titles of lectures, theses, and dissertations.

• He gave the lecture “In Pursuit of Flight” to the class of auditors.

Titles of operas and oratorios are italicized. Titles of songs are usually set in roman type and quotation marks.

• “Old Nassau”

Many musical compositions do not have titles but are identified by the name of a musical form plus a number or key or both. When used as the title, the form and key are usually capitalized, but no italics are used.

• Symphony No. 5 in C Minor; Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony

But a descriptive title given to a work, either by a later critic or performer, is italicized if the work is long, but put in quotes if it’s short.

• Air with Variations (“The Harmonious Blacksmith”) from Handel’s Suite No. 5 in E; William Tell Overture

Titles of paintings, drawings, statues, and other works of art are italicized; titles of exhibitions are put in quotation marks.

Tests

The formal names of standardized tests are capitalized.

• GRE General Test, SAT I: Reasoning Test

Captions

Do not use periods in captions that are not full sentences.

Do not use a middle initial if it is included in a person’s full name in the associated story.

Computer Terminology

• e-mail
• home page
• http

It is not necessary to write “http” at the start of a Web address.

• Internet
• log in, log out
• netID
• online
• the Web
• website

Dates and Times

Use figures for days of the month.

Omit nd, rd, st, th

Place a comma between the month and the year when the day is mentioned.

• On April 27, 2002, Communiversity brought together hundreds of people.

Do not place a comma between the month and the year when the day is not mentioned.

• In April 2002, Communiversity brought together hundreds of people.

Times come before days and dates.

• The performance was held at 3 p.m. Friday, October 12.

Even, half, and quarter hours are usually spelled out.

• She left the office at five o'clock. He ate at half past six.

When emphasizing the exact time, or are using a.m. or p.m., use figures.

• 7 p.m.; 7:30 p.m.

Centuries and decades

Noun:

• the 20th century

Adjective:

• 20th-century literature
• the 1960s
• ’60s fashion

Use nonsexist language and follow these recommendations:

Don't say "he" when referring to an unspecified person. Instead, recast the sentence into the plural, or avoid the use of pronouns altogether.

example:

• Each student is expected to turn in his paper by the deadline.

better:

• Students are expected to turn in their papers by the deadline.

If it's impossible to solve the problem using these approaches, remember that “he or she” is preferable to “he/she.”

Avoid gender-specific titles or terms.

Instead of	Say
chairman	chair
businessman	business executive, manager
cameraman	camera operator
coed student	female student
congressman	representative, senator
fireman	firefighter
foreman	supervisor
mailman	mail carrier

When the following statements are included, they should be written in their entirety. The Nondiscrimination Statement should always be included when a publication has a recruitment purpose. The Copyright Statement should be included on all publications that are owned by the University.

Nondiscrimination Statement

In compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other federal, state, and local laws, Princeton University does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, or status as a disabled or Vietnam-era veteran in any phase of its employment process, in any phase of its admission or financial aid programs, or other aspects of its educational programs or activities. The vice provost for institutional equity and diversity is the individual designated by the University to coordinate its efforts to comply with Title IX, Section 504 and other equal opportunity and affirmative action regulations and laws. Questions or concerns regarding Title IX, Section 504 or other aspects of Princeton’s equal opportunity or affirmative action programs should be directed to the Office of the Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity, Princeton University, 205 Nassau Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544 or (609) 258-6110.

Copyright Statement

• Copyright © 2009 by The Trustees of Princeton University

Include on all University-generated publications.

• In the Nation’s Service and in the Service of All Nations

Use in italics in inside front or inside back cover of publications.

Emergency Phone Numbers

For a campus emergency, dial 911 from a land line or (609) 258-3333 from a cell phone.

Spell out numbers one through nine and general numbers in narrative text.

• There were seven people at the meeting.
  
• There were 36 students in the class.
  
• There are approximately 4,500 undergraduates.
  
• There are a thousand reasons.

When a number is the first word of a sentence, spell it out.

When two or more numbers apply to the same category in a paragraph or a series of paragraphs, don’t use figures for some and spell out others. Instead, use all figures.

• There are 25 graduate students in the philosophy department, 9 in the music department, and 8 in the comparative literature department, making a total of 42 students in the three departments. (“Three” is spelled out because it does not belong to the same category, and it’s under 10.)

Express all percentages as figures.

• 3 percent; 130 percent

For very large sums of money use figures with a dollar sign; spell out million or billion.

• $1.8 million; between $1 and $2 billion

Place a comma after digits signifying thousands, except when reference is made to temperature.

• 1,160 students
• 2200 degrees

Use the words “more than” instead of “over” in conjunction with numbers.

• More than 200 students signed the petition.

Class numerals

When class numerals are used following an undergraduate student’s or an alumnus’s last name, there is a single space and an apostrophe before the numbers.

• John Doe ’92

When referring to the parent of a student, the student’s class year is immediately preceded by a “P” and an apostrophe, with no spaces. If the parent has more than one child at Princeton, there is a comma and a space before the second class year.

• Bob Doe P’91, Mary Smith P’89, ’91

For internal Princeton audiences, Graduate School alumni are depicted with an *.

• Jane Doe *78

For external audiences, use GS.

• Jane Doe GS’78

Colon

Use a colon to introduce long lists.

Leave a colon outside quotation marks unless it is part of a quotation.

Comma

Use a comma before the words and and or in a series.

• She brought apples, oranges, and grapes to the picnic.

Commas always go inside quotation marks.

Ellipsis

In a sentence, add a space before and after a three-dot ellipsis and add a space between each of the dots. This makes it easier for typesetting.

• She reported what the speaker said . . . and then followed up with her own comments.

Hyphens and Dashes

hyphen: -

Do not hyphenate words beginning with non, except if there is a proper noun.

• non-American; nonscholarship

Do not place a hyphen between the prefixes pre, semi, anti, sub, etc., and nouns or adjectives, except before proper nouns, but avoid duplicated vowels or consonants.

• reapply
  
• semidetached
  
• antiwar
  
• pre-enroll

Hyphenate part-time and full-time only when used as adjectives.

• She has a full-time job at Princeton. She works at Princeton full time.

Use a hyphen to break words at the end of a line.

Use a hyphen between numbers that are not inclusive.

• 231-29-0002

en dash: –

Use an en dash between numbers that are inclusive.

• 2002–03, March–April 1900, pp. 20–26

em dash: —

Use an em dash to relay a break in thought. Do not place spaces on either side of the em dash.

• Chartered in 1746 as the College of New Jersey—the name by which it was known for 150 years—Princeton University was British North America's fourth college.

An em dash can be used to set off elements within a sentence.

• The materials used by the artist—wood, steel, and plastic—created a powerful contrast.

An em dash can be used to set off a parenthetical statement.

• The children came down the staircase—had they been waiting long?—and ran to the table to open the presents.

Quotation Marks

The period and comma always go inside the quotation marks.

• "He will stop by tomorrow," she said.

The question mark goes inside when part of the direct quote, outside when applying to quoted material within an entire sentence.

• “Will you explain distribution requirements to me?” asked the student.
• What is meant by “distribution requirements”?

The semicolon goes outside quoted material within a sentence.

• Refer to them as “conference participants”; all others should be known as “guests.”

Semicolon

Use the semicolon to set off a series of commas.

• The main offices are in Mercer County, New Jersey; Marion County, Indiana; and Broward County, Florida.

a/an and the letter h
Use the article a before consonant sounds, e.g.,

a historic event; use an before vowel sounds e.g. an honorable person (the h is silent)

adviser

African American/African American Studies

Do not use a hyphen when African American is used as a noun or as an adjective.

The enrollment figures included African Americans.

The enrollment figures included African American applicants.

alumnus/alumni (male graduate/plural); alumna/alumnae (female graduate/plural)

and/&

Avoid using & except in specific business names.

campuswide; University-wide

e.g.

Put a comma after e.g.

• Flowers from the garden (e.g., lilies, cosmos, gladioli, and daisies) were being sold.

emerita

Retired faculty woman who keeps her rank or title.

emeritus

Retired faculty man who keeps his rank or title.

etc.

Put a comma after etc.

• Call if you have questions about punctuation, grammar, capitalization, etc., so that we can follow a consistent style.

i.e.

Put a comma after i.e.

foreign words

In general, italicize the word unless it has been Americanized or is commonly used.

fundraising

Jr., Sr., III

Names followed by Jr., Sr., or a Roman numeral do not have a comma after the last name.

• Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
• W. James Hart III

that/which

If you’re using which properly, it typically is preceded by a comma.

• The director was pleased with the announcement in the media that reported on his department’s hiring efforts.
• The announcement about his department’s hiring efforts, which was reported in the media, pleased the director.

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