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To achieve consistent messaging and meet the expectations of our various audiences, the University of Michigan-Flint follows editorial style standards established by The Associated Press Stylebook and by the Office of Marketing and Communications. The style standards apply to public-facing, editorial content on the UM-Flint website and in publications produced on behalf of the university. Because copy is often moved from letters and brochures to web pages, news releases, advertising copy and other materials, preparing it “in style” reduces the time needed for proofing on subsequent uses.

Below are some often-referenced style guides, which follow AP and university styles unless noted.

THE UNIVERSITY

University of Michigan-Flint

For external audiences, spell out the complete name the first time you refer to it, unless the context and nature of the document require an abbreviation (e.g., in an advertisement).

Unless it is the first word in a sentence or part of an official title, ‘the’ should not be capitalized in running text.

Abbreviations for the University of Michigan and its campuses.

Note the elimination of the hyphen from the abbreviated form when a campus designation is used: UM-Flint, NOT U-M-Flint. Although U-M is usually pronounced “U of M” when spoken, this abbreviation should not be used in written text.

Because it can cause confusion with the state of Michigan, avoid referring to U-M as “Michigan” unless the context is obvious. For example, in this sentence: “Michigan donors can take advantage of a new tax law that allows deductions for charitable gift annuities,” is it the university or the state of Michigan that is being referenced?

NOTE: In all cases where the word “university” means UM-Flint, the word “university” is lowercase.

FUNCTIONAL AREAS

Academic Colleges & Schools

Use capitalization as shown. Acronyms shown are for use on second reference and should not be used on first reference behind the name of the college or school.

 

Academic Degrees

The names of academic degrees and honors should not be capitalized:

When academic degrees are referred to in such general terms as associate, doctorate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, they are not capitalized. When writing the full name of the degree, capitalize Master of Science or Bachelor of Arts but not the specialty, unless it is a proper noun such as English.

Note the lone exception, which should be capitalized when referring to a degree as an institutional program: "UM-Flint's Master of Science in Accounting program is 33 credits."

Try to avoid abbreviating degrees, but if required, use capitals with no spaces:

Classes & Courses

Use lowercase when you are referring to generic courses and classes; capitalize and quote specific course name:

Committees

Capitalize the name of specific committees and lowercase second references. Do not capitalize an ad hoc or temporary committee’s name:

Departments & Offices

Use capitalization of formal names. Lowercase informal and shortened versions:

Majors/Programs

Do not capitalize academic majors, programs, specializations or concentrations (exception: English or other foreign languages) unless the word “program” is part of the formal name:

PEOPLE

Alum/Alumnus/Alumni/Alumna/Alumnae

Use alum or alums in cases where a gender-neutral word is needed or in more informal contexts, e.g., in communications to students or on social media.

Use alumnus/a/i/ae in more formal or institutional uses, e.g. in magazines or annual reports, the standard Latin words should be used:

Alum Designation

For communications for external audiences, do not use numerical abbreviations, e.g., Jane Doe, ’10. Instead, use:

If it is necessary to establish that the person graduated from the university with multiple degrees, it can be established later in the story as in the following example:

For communications destined exclusively and solely for internal campus or alumni audiences, use of abbreviations for class year is acceptable. Follow the name with a comma and make sure to use a close apostrophe before the year when referring to class years.

Class Standings

Avoid using the term “freshman” or “freshmen.” Instead, use the term, “first-year student.” Sophomore, junior and senior designations continue to be common practice.

Courtesy Titles

In general, do not use courtesy titles (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.) except in direct quotations. When it is necessary to distinguish between two people who use the same last name, as in married couples or brothers and sisters, use the first and last name.

Note: This guidance does not include military titles, political titles and job titles, such as medical doctors. See section below for further guidance.

Graduates

All who received diplomas from UM-Flint are graduates. Avoid “grad” in written communications.

Job Titles

In general, job titles should appear after a full, formal name in lower case: instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, professor, director, vice president, president, clerk typist, etc. Capitalize the job title when it appears before a name.

Do not include Ph.D. or other certifications and academic degrees after the name. Do not include Dr. before a person’s name unless the person is a medical doctor and their designation is necessary for the story.

Put a very long title after the name to avoid clumsy syntax and excessive capitalization.

Military & First Responder Titles

Capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an individual’s name. On first reference, use the appropriate title before the full name of a member of the military.

Only use military titles for active military. Mention an officer who has retired if it is relevant to a story. Do not, however, use the military abbreviation “Ret.” Instead, use “retired” just as “former” would be used before the title of a civilian:

Also, only use “retired” if the person retired from a military career. All veterans are not “retired.” If it is relevant to the story, refer to them as a “veteran” or “who served in the military achieving the rank of sergeant,” but do not precede the name with a rank. In some cases, say “former active-duty marine” but not “ex-marine” or “former marine.”

Political Titles

On first reference, Use Gov., Govs., Rep., Reps., Sen. and Sens. as formal titles before one or more names. Spell out and lowercase governor, representative and senator in other uses. Spell out other legislative titles in all uses. On second reference, just use the last name.

Names

In general, use only last names on second reference. When it is necessary to distinguish between two people who use the same last name, generally use the first and last name on subsequent references.

Generally use the name a person prefers, Thomas or Tom, depending on preference and/or occasion.

Student names in editorial copy should be accompanied with an identifier as follows:

Include Jr., Sr., III, etc. after a name if the person prefers it or to distinguish between father and son. Abbreviate as Jr. and Sr. and do not precede by a comma:

Remove middle initials unless it is needed to more accurately identify a person (if there are two Joe Smiths in a story).

Student/Faculty/Staff Naming Structure

First references to students, faculty and staff mentioned in any news story should follow the naming structures as they appear below:

PLACES

Buildings

Use the official name of the campus facility capitalized on first reference. Second reference can be less formal, as in “... the White Building.” On subsequent references, use lowercase … the building, hall, field house, center, etc.

Geographical and related terms

Capitalize geographical terms commonly accepted as proper nouns. Do not capitalize descriptive or identifying geographical terms that do not apply to only one geographical entity or are not considered proper names. In general, lowercase cultural or climatic terms are derived from geographical proper names.

Room locations

Adhere to the following structure of room number and building name/acronym as they appear below:

States

Do not abbreviate states in editorial copy except when referring to a postal address or

Abbreviations are accepted in some instances such as photo captions, tabled lists, etc. Refer to AP style for state abbreviations in these instances. Do not add the state name (or country) for cities or towns in Michigan or for large metropolitan areas that are easily identified without the state name or country.

TIME

Time of Day

At

The “at” symbol (@) may not be used in general text.

Ranges

See section in numbers.

Days of the Week

The day of the week is not necessary in dates. Only use the date, and with a few expectations where reinforcement is needed, include both.

The year (assuming the current year or the obvious meant year) is required only if there may be confusion.

Do not abbreviate days of the week.

On

In nearly all cases, “on” before a day is unnecessary. Don’t use it. “The concert is Nov. 7.”

Months

Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out when using alone or with a year.

Seasons

Lowercase spring, summer, fall and winter and all derived words such as springtime. Capitalize only when part of a formal name:

NUMBERS

Numbers

Spell out numbers one through nine and use figures for 10 and above. Spell out numbers that begin a sentence. An exception to this rule is when referencing credit hours, which should always be numerals, except to begin a sentence.

Always use numerals for dimensions, percentages, ages, distances and computer storage capacities.

Over/More Than

While AP style says both are acceptable to indicate greater numerical value, UM-Flint style calls for the use of “more than.” The use of “over” should be limited to showing distance or physical placement.

Under/Less Than

While AP style says both are acceptable to indicate greater numerical value, UM-Flint style calls for the use of “less than.” The use of “under” should be limited to showing distance or physical placement.

Money

Use the dollar sign and numbers. Do not use a decimal and two zeroes (except in columns). For amounts beyond the thousands, use the dollar sign, numeral and the appropriate word: $10 million.

Percent

Use the % symbol when paired with a number, with no space.

Use figures, such as 1%, 4 percentage points. Spell out when beginning a sentence.

Ranges

Use hyphens to connect ranges of time (within same increments), money and other numbers. Use “to” to avoid confusion.

For academic years, hyphenate: 2022-23, not 2022-2023.

Telephone Numbers

All phone numbers require area codes. Use hyphens in the formatting of the full number:

If extension numbers are needed, use a comma to separate the main number from the extension:

GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, USAGE

Acronyms

Acronyms are not used immediately following use of the full title.

Use the full title on first reference, the acronym on second and subsequent references.

In some cases, the acronym is so well known it may be used on first reference. Example: FBI, NCAA, ROTC.

Comma

All commas go inside the quote marks.

Spouse and children names are set off by commas unless someone has more than one.

Use a comma after the year in a date.

The serial comma is unnecessary (most of the time). Therefore, use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before “and” or “or” in a simple series.

However, include a comma if clarification calls for it, including when an element within a series contains a conjunction:

Only use a semicolon when elements in a series include commas.

Headlines

Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns. Do not use quotation marks unless the complete headline meets criteria for what’s described in the quote marks section. Do not capitalize the entire headline unless for graphical effect.

Parenthetical Text

Do not use brackets [ ]. Use parenthesis ( ) to insert extraneous and editor-entered, reader-helpful materials within a quote, not single or double quote marks:

Pronouns, Singular/Plural Verbs

People and animated objects get pronouns (he, she, their, etc.). Inanimate objects and other things, including collective nouns (university, faculty, team, organization), use “its.” They/them/ their is acceptable in limited cases as a singular form when alternative wording, such as “his or her,” is awkward or too wordy. Consider rewriting the sentence. Use they/them/their if the person uses the gender-neutral pronoun.

Some collective nouns can use either singular or plural verbs if the group or quantity is regarded as a unit or countable item.

Space

Use only one space after all punctuation marks: periods, semicolons, colons, etc.

Quote Marks

Use double quotation marks to attribute direct or partial quotations, on first reference of unfamiliar terms and to indicate a pun, exaggeration, irony or sarcasm.

There is no single quote mark of grammar, but here are the exceptions:

Headlines

Within a quote already started with a double quote mark:

To represent missing letters or numbers:

MISCELLANEOUS THINGS

Alma Mater

Do not capitalize unless used in the complete formal name: the University of Michigan Alma Mater or U-M Alma Mater.

Composition Titles

Book titles (except the Bible), song titles, article titles, television show titles, etc., are quoted, not italicized. Journal, newspaper and magazine titles are capitalized but not in quotes.

Email

Use email in all references for electronic mail. Use a hyphen with other e- terms: e-book, e-reader, e-commerce. Capitalize “E” only if it begins the sentence:

Federal

Federal is lowercase when standing alone.

Health Care

Health care is two words, even when it modifies a noun, such as “health care provider.” The exceptions are formal names of organizations (Family Healthcare Express).

Inc.

Abbreviate and capitalize as Inc. when used as a part of a corporate name. Do not set off with commas:

Internet, Web, Website, Webpage

Lower case

LGBTQIA+ (preferred campus usage per CGS, July 2024)
Acceptable in all references for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex and asexual plus other sexual and gender minorities. Use of LGBTQIA+ is best used as a collective adjective, as in: “Walters joined the LGBTQIA+ business association.” Avoid using LGBTQIA+ to describe individuals, and don't default to LGBTQIA+ if discussing a more specific population, such as: “a bisexual advocacy group,” “a transgender health program,” etc.

Medical and Scientific Terms

Capitalize proper names but use lowercase for other words when referring to diseases, syndromes, theorems, laws, etc.

Online

Use as one word. Do not hyphenate.