PLACES & THINGS

PEOPLE

ABBREVIATIONS & NUMBERS

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

PUNCTUATION

CAPS & SPELLING

This style guide was prepared by the communications office (External Relations) at the University of Calgary. It is intended as a guide to any member of the campus community who writes about the university for internal or external audiences. 

The University of Calgary follows style guidelines outlined in the Canadian Press Stylebook and Caps and Spelling. Other references include the Oxford Canadian Dictionary and Fowler’s Modern English Usage. 

Copies of the Canadian Press Stylebook and Caps and Spelling can be ordered online at: www.thecanadianpress.com/products_and_services.aspx?id=86.

We use Canadian spellings (honour and centre). For University of Calgary departments, units and buildings, we use spellings from the university website (eg. archaeology, and not archeology). The exception is that we do not use symbols, such as “&” or “+” in proper names. (eg. Faculty of Communication and Culture, and not Communication & Culture.)

We welcome comments or suggestions for the next edition of the University Style Guide. If you have any questions or comments about this style guide, email Colleen Turner (colleen.turner@ucalgary.ca) Senior Director, Communications, in External Relations. 

Writing

Some basic rules, courtesy of George Orwell and others:

1. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
2. If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out.
3. Never use the passive tense where you can use the active.
4. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. In other words, avoid clichés like the plague.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

Short paragraphs are preferred because they help break up blocks of text. Long sentences, like long paragraphs, should be used judiciously.

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Places and Things

Capitalize only full proper names and titles but avoid where possible. Casual reference, in lower case, is more conversational and, thus, preferred:
the University of Calgary
or
the U of C
but
the university

the Faculty of Fine Arts
but
the fine arts faculty

the Department of Applied Chemistry
but
the applied chemistry department 

the Board of Governors
but
the board 

the University of Calgary Bookstore
but
the campus book store 

Do not capitalize faculties, schools, departments and offices when referring to more than one:
the faculties of nursing and law
but
the Faculty of Nursing and the Faculty of Law

The names of buildings on campus are capitalized:
MacKimmie Library Tower
but
the library

MacEwan Student Centre
but
the student centre

The proper names of courses are capitalized:
Chemistry 302
but
300-level chemistry course

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People

Titles that precede a proper name are capitalized:
Vice-President (Academic) Joe Black

also permissible is
VP (Academic) Joe Black

Titles set off by commas are not capitalized (this is the preferred usage): 
Roman Cooney, vice-president (external relations),
Kevin McQuillan, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences,
Tom Feasby, dean of medicine

Set off long titles with commas; avoid front-loading:
Joan Smith, director of risk management, safety and security,
and not
Director of Risk Management, Safety and Security Joan Smith

Do not capitalize titles standing alone:
Contact the dean of graduate studies for more information.

Do not capitalize unofficial titles preceding a name:
arbitrator John Smith, or the university’s president Harvey Weingarten, or GM’s vice-president Joe Blow (as opposed to GM’s Vice-President of Development Joe Blow)

Capitalize the proper names of chairs and professorships:
the Nortel Chair in Intelligent Manufacturing
but
the industry-supported chair in intelligent manufacturing

The honorific “Dr.” is used for medical doctors only, not those holding a PhD, as per Canadian Press Style. Second reference is last name only.

Titles of U of C administrative officers are hyphenated, with areas of responsibility in brackets afterwards. See U of C website for reference. Where possible, follow this style with similar titles: Students’ Union VPs.
vice-president (development)
vice-president (finance and services)
vice-provost (international)
associate vice-president (external relations)

When U of C alumni are mentioned in stories, the style is to follow their name on first or second reference with their degree:
Joe Blow, BA’87, MSc’91, was elected to the Alberta Legislature.

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Inclusive Language

It’s important to recognize that language around age, race, sex, disabilities and religion must be handled thoughtfully. Use fairness, sensitivity and good taste when identifying age, colour, creed, nationality, personal appearance, religion sex and any other heading under which a person or group may feel slighted.

The U of C follows Canadian Press Stylebook guidelines for inclusive language. If you have the guide, refer to pages 19-24 of the 14th edition.

Here are some examples:

Aboriginal Peoples

1. CP uses uppercase for Aboriginal Peoples, which includes all Indian, Métis and Inuit people in Canada. First Nations is also uppercase. Other variations—indigenous people, aboriginals (except for Aboriginals of Australia), native peoples—are lowercase.

2. In all references, be guided by the preference of those concerned.

3. Use Indian with discretion. Some people object to it because it originated with the European explorers’ misconception that they had landed in India. Others, especially status Indians, prefer it to be used.

4. Use native advisedly. Aboriginal and First Nations are more specific and are preferred by many in the community.

5. Where reasonable, prefer the actual name of the community—Cree, Mohawk, Blackfoot, Ojibwa—to a generality. For band names, use the spelling the band prefers, which is also the spelling used by the federal government.

Names of races

1. Capitalize the proper names of nationalities, peoples, races and tribes.

Aboriginal Peoples, Arab, Caucasian, French-Canadian, Inuit, Jew, Latin, Negro, Asian, Cree

2. Note that black and white do not name races and are lowercase.

3. The term black is acceptable in all references in Canada and the United States. In the United States, African-American is also used; in Canada African-Canadian is used by some people but not by others.

4. There is usually no need to use hyphenated descriptions such as Polish-Canadian or Jamaican-Canadian, given they may put an inappropriate emphasis on the person’s ethnic background. But these descriptions can be used if the individual prefers and it is relevant.

Sexism

Shoppers (not housewives) are paying more.

When writing in general terms prefer police officer or constable to policeman, firefighter to fireman, mail carrier to mailman, flight attendant to stewardess.

Some readers find the use of he (him, his) as a word of common or indeterminate gender to be sexist. His or her and the like can be used but may prove awkward. In that case reword the sentence if possible. Instead of: Whoever is promoted will have $50 added to his or her pay, write: Whoever is promoted will get a $50 raise. As a last resort, they (them, their) is an increasingly acceptable alternative to he (him, his).

Sexuality

Gay is usually preferred as an alternative for homosexual men and is also commonly used for women, although lesbian is preferred by many women. Use sexual orientation, not sexual preference. Language is still evolving on what to call the individuals in a same-sex relationship or marriage. Partner, husband and wife are all acceptable options depending on preference.

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Abbreviations and Numbers

In general, avoid introducing unfamiliar acronyms if they are to be used only once or twice. When in doubt, spell it out. 

Do not use periods for well-known acronyms:
CBC and RCMP

A few well-known campus abbreviations don't require formal introduction: 
Mac Hall, for the large performance space in MacEwan Student Centre. This is not an abbreviation for MacEwan Student Centre.
the Oval, for the Olympic Oval

Most buildings and groups, though known by many, should still be formally introduced on first reference:
General Faculties Council; subsequently, GFC
The University of Calgary Faculty Association; subsequently, TUCFA
Omit periods in abbreviations for university degrees:
Bachelor of Arts, BA
but
bachelor's degree 
PhD
but
doctorate
(See below for specific degrees.) 

Geographical abbreviations receive periods:
U.S. is the abbreviation for the nation known as the United States
but
US denotes the currency
eg. The loonie today slid to 52 cents US, raising fears that Canada will be overrun by U.S. tourists. (Where possible, simply convert to Canadian dollars to avoid altogether.)

When using the month and date, abbreviate the month:
Feb. 9
and not
February 9
and not Feb. 9th
When referring only to the month, spell it out:
exams were held in December
and
January 1997 was a watershed month (no comma)

Seasons are always lower case:
The new philosophy course will be offered in the winter of 2008
and
The fall semester saw an increase in fundraising.

The modifiers a.m. and p.m. have periods:
Classes begin at 8 a.m. 
Do not use unnecessary ciphers:
8 a.m.
and not
8:00 a.m.
Do not use the 24-hour clock.

Spell out whole numbers below 10, and use figures for 10 and above. Spell out numbers in fractions below one and standing alone:
200 students attended the seven sessions
one-third
12 one-hundredths

Avoid starting a sentence with a number; if you must, spell it out. 

When writing about money, use the $ symbol. When referring to denominations smaller than a dollar, write cents:
$248-million budget
lemonade costs five cents

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Punctuation

Hyphens are useful for avoiding ambiguity. Use a hyphen to join two or more words serving as a single adjective modifying a noun. Do not use a hyphen with words ending in -ly. The -ly suffix is adequate notice that the next word is being modified.

Use hyphens with ex-, self-, all-, post- and -elect. Some words which begin with co- also take a hyphen, such as co-worker, or when a hyphen avoids doubling a vowel, such as co-operate or co-ordinate.

Almost all punctuation marks go inside quotation marks. If more than one paragraph of quotation from a single speaker runs in succession, use quotation marks at the beginning of each paragraph but at the end of the last paragraph only. 

Omit the last comma before "and" in a list of three or more items, unless a comma is needed to prevent confusion. 
Professors, students and administrators rallied against the government.
but
The smooth grey of the beech stem, the silky texture of the birch, and the rugged pine were skillfully depicted in a variety of brushstrokes. (Without the comma after birch, the rugged pine assumes a silky texture.) – Fowler’s

Use an em-dash without spaces before and after, such as: The biology field school—the first of its kind in Canada—offers 20 students a chance to study in Ghana each summer.

Do not italicize the titles of books, magazines, songs, etc. If, within the context of the sentence, it is unclear that you are referring to a publication, you can put quotes around the title. The titles of theses, scholarly papers, etc., should be in quotation marks.

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Capitalization and Spelling

A

aboriginal
advisor
alumnus: a male graduate
alumni: a group of male grads, or a gender neutral reference to a group of grads
alumna: a female graduate
alumnae: a group of female grads
alum: an acceptable shortform of alumni
a.m.
anaesthesia (Department of Anaesthesia)
analyse not analyze – although in general, prefer -ize over -ise, as in, "TUCFA wants to further democratize GFC."
archaeology, not archeology

B

bachelor's degree
biological sciences (the field of study)
Biological Sciences (the building)
the Department of Biological Sciences (proper name of the administrative entity)
book store - however, the proper name of the retail outlet in the basement of the student centre is University of Calgary Bookstore (one word). 

C

Campus Food Bank
Campus Security
Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
centre
centred on, never centred around

D

Degrees:
BA
Bachelor of Arts
BComm
Bachelor of Commerce
BCR
Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation
BEd
Bachelor of Education
DipEd
Diploma of Education
BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
BHRM
Bachelor of Hotel and Resort Management 
BKin
Bachelor of Kinesiology
LLB
Bachelor of Laws
BMus
Bachelor of Music
BN
Bachelor of Nursing
BPE
Bachelor of Physical Education
BSc
Bachelor of Science
BSc (Eng)
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Geomatics Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
BSW
Bachelor of Social Work
MArch
Master of Architecture
MA
Master of Arts
MBA
Master of Business Administration
MCS
Master of Communication Studies
MCE
Master of Continuing Education
MEc
Master of Economics
MEd
Master of Education
MEng
Master of Engineering
MEDes
Master of Environmental Design
MFA
Master of Fine Arts
MKin
Master of Kinesiology
LLM
Master of Laws
MMus
Master of Music
MN
Master of Nursing
MSc
Master of Science
MSW
Master of Social Work
MD
Doctor of Medicine 
PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
LLD
Doctor of Laws
EdD
Doctor of Education
doctorate

E

email, not e-mail (contrary to CP style)
enrol
enrolled
enrolment
Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall

F

favour
fellowship, but Killam Fellowship
fibre
field work: (two words) an investigation or search for material, data, etc., made in the field as opposed to the classroom or lab.
flavour
Murray Fraser Hall (the former Professional Faculties Building, Block B)
fundraising, fundraiser, fundraise
fundraising drive

G

governors, not governers
gynaecology (Department of Gynaecology) 

H

home page
honorary degree
honour 

I

internet – lower case

M

MacKimmie Library
master's degree
Medical Research Council of Canada (MRCC)
Mount Royal College (MRC)
Murray Fraser Hall (the former Professional Faculties Building, Block B)

N

native
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
the New University Television Society (NUTV)
The Nickle Arts Museum, often shortened on second and subsequent reference to The Nickle

O

Obstetrics & Gynaecology
online

P

paediatrics (Department of Paediatrics)
Pepsi, Pepsi-Cola
percent (one word; avoid the symbol %)
p.m.
program, not programme
Professional Faculties Building

R

Rozsa Centre
Royal Society of Canada

S

Senate (national legislature)
the university senate, the senate
the University of Calgary Senate
senator
Senator Heather Travers; Hal Godwin, U of C senator
sizable (not sizeable)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
Students' Union (SU)
Students' Legislative Assembly (SLA)

T

theatre
TUCFA - The University of Calgary Faculty Association
town hall (two words)

U

U.S. - the abbreviation for the nation
US - the abbreviation denoting American dollar currency, goes after the amount as in $100 US.
University Technologies International Inc. (UTI)
UVic, U of A - abbreviations for post-secondary institutions well known to campus readers are acceptable. 

V

vice-president
vice-provost
vice-chancellor
vice-chair 

W

web – lowercase
web page, website, webcast, webmaster, web server.
World Wide Web – upper case

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