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Abbreviations

Capitalization

Change of Terms

Commas

Dates

Hyphen

Numbers

Wordiness, Active/Passive Voice

The following style sheet was obtained from Publications Services, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2 Bolin Heights CB# 6200, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-6200, Phone: (919) 962-3761. It has been modified slightly.

Many of the rules listed here are taken from the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed. (herein after referred to as the Manual).

Abbreviations

• Most spell checkers suggest mail abbreviations, i.e., NC instead of N.C. However, this gets tricky when it comes to DC and US. Write out the full word when possible. For tables, mail addresses, and in situations where space or style warrants an abbreviation, the Manual recommends the traditional style: N.C., Mass., Neb., etc.

  State Abbreviations
  Ala., Alaska, Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., D.C., Del., Fla., Ga., Hawaii, Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kan., Ky., La., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Neb., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.M., N.Y., N.C., N.D., Ohio, Okla., Ore., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.D., Tenn., Texas, Utah, Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., Wyo.

• United States should be written out when possible. In addition, because United States is a noun it should not be used as an adjective if a nonclumsy construction can be found (Students who are citizens of the United States. . ., not U.S. students or United States students).

• The Manual recommends Ph.D. instead of PhD.

• The most important consideration for style decisions is consistency.

• The Manual recommends a down style. This means "the use of fewer capitals" (236)

  Professor Simon Blackburn of the Department of Philosophy

  but downstyle text for a nonspecific second reference:

  He is a professor in the department.
  Simon Blackburn, professor of philosophy.

  unless the document is a list as shown below:

  Simon Blackburn, Professor of Philosophy
  Brian A. Boehlecke, Clinical Associate Professor of Epidemiology

  Other examples:

  John Smith is a professor in the Department of Computer Science.
  Professor John Smith teaches computer science.
  John Smith is a professor of computer science.

• Department names are usually capitalized

  John Donne, chair of the Department of English, but
  The chair of the department.

• Degrees and fields are not capitalized within text:

  He is working toward a master of science degree,

• Capitalize the name of a specific field:

  He received a master's degree in Law and Regional Planning.

• Academic fields are not capitalized when they are used generically:

  He teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, and evidence.

• State is usually not capitalized:

  The state of North Carolina

• Use African American (no hyphen) instead of black or Black. If you prefer Black, capitalize the B.

• Use disability, disabled, etc. instead of handicap, handicapped, retarded.

• Short introductory phrases can do without a comma:

  In 1991 the building was opened.
  During his tenure he instituted a number of changes.

• But if there is any chance of ambiguity, use a comma:

  In spring, time slows down.

• Short sentences joined by the conjunctions and, or, but can do without a comma:

  No academic credit is given for this experience but it is a curriculum expectation.

• Definitely don't use a comma when the subject is the same in the second half of the sentence as in the first:

  The director is in charge of all administrative functions and handles complaints also.

• which is used to set off a nonrestrictive clause, i.e., the clause doesn't restrict the meaning:

  Particular efforts are made to develop short-term programs, which meets student needs.

• that "restricts" the meaning of the clause:

  Particular efforts are made to develop programs that meet students' needs.

• Leave out the comma in most not only but constructions:

  She is not only a great teacher but a competent athlete as well.

• The Manual recommends 16 July 1993 or 16 July. No commas are used between month and year.

• Don't use a hyphen for adverb-participle constructions:

  ideally situated building

• Don't use a hyphen for simple verb phrases:

  She is good at decision making.

• Do use a hyphen when the phrase modifies a noun:

  decision-making process

• Again, use a down style when deciding whether to hyphenate words or not. If there is no chance of ambiguity, it's fine to eliminate the hyphen:

  Small section instruction

• The Manual lists the following prefixes as not needing a hyphen:

  ante, anti, bi, bio, co, counter, extra, infra, inter, intra, macro, meta, micro, mid, mini, multi, neo, non, over, post, pre, pro, proto, pseudo, semi, socio, sub, super, supra, trans, ultra, un, under.

• Write out numbers up to ninety-nine.

• Twenty-one through twenty-nine, thirty-one through thirty-nine and so on are hyphenated.

• Whole numbers through ninety-nine followed by hundred, thousand, million, and so on are spelled out (twenty-one thousand students).

• Categories use the same style, spelled out or in figures within a paragraph and in succeeding paragraphs: There are 56 students of classics, 25 students of philosophy, 117 students of math.

• Ordinal numbers follow the same rules as cardinal numbers.

• Reduce wordiness as much as possible: All rules are strictly enforced sounds better than It should be recognized that all rules are strictly enforced.

• Readers understand active voice more readily than passive voice:

  The University enforces all rules.