The editorial style guide has been created to provide an easy and effective way to maintain a consistent format.

A

Academic Department Names
Art and Music
Biology and Medical Laboratory Technology
Business and Information Systems
Chemistry and Chemical Technology
Communication Arts and Sciences
Education and Reading
English
Health, Physical Education and Wellness
History
Mathematics and Computer Science
Modern Languages
Nursing and Allied Health Sciences
Physics and Technology
Social Sciences

accept, except
Accept means to receive.
Except means to exclude.

Address
Bronx Community College
2155 University Avenue
Bronx, NY 10453

Ages
Use figures for the ages of people and animals.
Use hyphens for ages that serve as adjectives before nouns or ages that substitute nouns.

Example: She is 25 years old. He is 7.
Example: He is a 7-year-old boy. The game is for 5-year-olds.

alma mater
alumna (female, singular)
alumni (two or more graduates of any gender combination)
alumnus (male, singular)
audiovisual

B

Bronx Community College, BCC, the College

When using the abbreviation BCC in place of the full name Bronx Community College, periods are not needed after each letter.
In running text, “College” (capitalized) can be used in place of the full name Bronx Community College.
Use a lowercase “college” if you are not specifically referring to Bronx Community College.

Example: Bronx Community College will be closed for the holiday. The College will reopen on Tuesday. Check the BCC website for additional information.

Example: Christine will attend a four-year college after graduating from BCC.

C

childcare

Course Titles
Course titles should be set in roman type without quotation marks.

Example: He will take Introduction to Biology in the spring.

coursework

D

Dates
Spell out the names of months and the days of the week. Write dates as follows:

January 12, 2011 (not January 12th, 2011)
March 2007 (not March of 2007 or March, 2007)
1990s (not 1990’s)

Example: The event was held on Wednesday, January 12, 2011, in the Student Center.
Example: She started her new job in March 2007.
Example: His favorite music is from the 1990s.

day care

daylong

daytime

Degrees
Capitalize formal names of degrees. Periods are added to most degree abbreviations.

Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Associate in Arts (A.A.)
Associate in Science (A.S.)
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Master of Science (M.S.)
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Example: He has an Associate in Applied Science.
Example: Kevin has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Science in chemistry.
Example: Carmen Jones, Ph.D.

Lowercase generic terms for degrees.

associate degree (no possessive)
bachelor’s degree
master’s degree
doctoral degree
doctorate

Example: He has an associate degree.
Example: Shelley has a master’s degree in engineering and a doctoral degree in chemistry.
Example: Her doctorate is in psychology.

Do not precede a name with a courtesy title for an academic degree, and then follow the
name with an abbreviation for the degree in the same reference.

Incorrect: Dr. Harshan Suri, Ph.D.
Correct: Dr. Harshan Suri or Harshan Suri, Ph.D.

Departments and Offices
In general, use department when referring to an academic unit and use office when referring to a non-academic unit.

Example: Office of the President
Example: Office of Disability Services
Example: Department of Communication Arts and Sciences
Example: Department of Modern Languages

Dimensions and Measurements
Use figures and spell out the words inches, feet, yards, etc. Hyphenate adjectival forms that appear before nouns.

Example: Alexa is 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Example: He is a 6-foot-2-inch man.
Example: The basketball team has a 7-foot player this year.
Example: The storm left 9 inches of snow on the ground.

Directions and Regions
In general, lowercase compass directions (north, south, east, west, northeast, southern, etc.).
Capitalize these words when they designate regions or refer to widely known sections. (If in doubt, lowercase.)
Capitalize when the word is part of a proper name (such as South Carolina).

Example: He drove west. (compass direction)
Example: She is from the East Coast, but now lives in the Midwest. (region)
Example: I visited North Dakota last month. (proper name)
Example: He attended a conference in Southern California last week. This week he will host a meeting on the Lower East Side. (widely known sections)

Dollars and Cents
For dollars, use figures and the $ sign. Do not include the decimal point and two zeros if the amount is on the dollar. For cents, use figures for amounts less than a dollar, and lower case and spell out the word “cents.” For dollar amounts of one million or more, use the words million, billion, or trillion.

Example: 50 cents, $25, $79.50, $150, $1 million, $3.75 million, $1.75 billion
Note: $2 million to $5 million (not $2 to $5 million)

driver’s license

E

email
Exhibit Titles
Exhibit titles should be set in roman type (without any quotation marks). Also for exhibit titles, always capitalize the first and last words; capitalize all principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions that are four or more letters; lowercase articles (the, a, an); lowercase prepositions and conjunctions that are less than four letters.

Example: The Many Faces, Many Stories exhibit will be held in Bliss Hall.

F

fieldwork

full time, full-time
Hyphenate when used as an adjective.

Example: He works at the College full time.
Example: She is a full-time student.

G

giveaway

grade point average (GPA)

Grades
Grades are capitalized and set in roman type. An apostrophe is not
needed in plural instances.

Example: She earned one A, three Bs, and two Cs last semester.

H

he or she (versus he/she)

Example: If a student needs to register, he or she should do so in Colston Hall.

Headings and Subheadings
In headings and subheadings, always capitalize the first and last words; capitalize all principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions that are four or more letters; lowercase articles (the, a, an); lowercase prepositions and conjunctions that are less than four letters.

Example: New Training Program Prepares Professionals for the Work Force

health care

I

i.e., e.g.
i.e. is the abbreviation for id est (that is)
e.g. is the abbreviation for exempli gratia (for example)

When using i.e. or e.g., always follow it with a comma.

it’s, its
It’s is a contraction for it is or it has.
Its is the possessive form of it.

Example: It’s been a long time since we have seen her. It’s cold today.
Example: The company will release its quarterly report next week.

J

junior, senior
Abbreviate as Jr. and Sr. with full names, and do not precede by a comma. Do not set off II and III with commas.

Example: James Toure Jr. will speak at the opening ceremony.
Example: Leonardo Vasquez III is the new director of operations.

L

Lecture, Lecture Series, and Conference Titles
In running text, lecture and conference titles are set in roman type and placed in quotation marks. Lecture series titles are set in roman type (without any quotation marks).

Example: This year’s Robeson Memorial Lecture will focus on leadership. Wanda Adams will be the featured speaker of the lecture “Student Leadership in the 21st Century.”
Exception: If a lecture or conference title is part of a headline (for a poster, press release, flyer, etc.), it can be set in roman type without quotation marks.

M

Majors
Lowercase the name of an academic major unless the name is a proper noun
(such as English). Capitalize the major if it is used as part of a department name
(e.g., Department of Mathematics and Computer Science).

Example: Karen’s major is biology. Jose is majoring in English.

N

Names
On first reference, refer to a person by his or her full name. On subsequent references, use the last name only.

Example: Angela Stone will be the keynote speaker at the annual conference. Stone is an experienced marketing executive with more than 20
years of experience.

nonprofit

Numbers
Spell out numbers one through nine. Use figures for 10 and above. (Also see the “ages” and “dimensions and measurements” entries above.)

Example: We are expecting seven people at the meeting.
Example: Calvin Perez has been with the company for 15 years.

Spell out a number when it appears at the beginning of a sentence, or revise
the sentence to avoid beginning it with a number. Revise a sentence when
possible to avoid beginning it with a year.

Example: Ninety percent of the class passed the final exam.
Example: In 2007, the College celebrated its 50th anniversary.

O

ongoing

online

P

part time, part-time
Hyphenate when used as an adjective.

Example: She works part time.
Example: He is a part-time student.

percent (one word)
Use figures to express percentages. Also, use decimals (not fractions). For amounts less than 1 percent, precede the decimal with a zero.

Example: 2.5 percent
Example: The professor said 70 percent was a passing grade.
Example: The tuition increased 0.8 percent.

Phone Number Format
718-289-5100, ext. 5100

Position Titles
Lowercase the position title of a person except when the title appears directly in front of the person’s name.

Example: Carline Nakamura, dean, will attend the meeting.
Example: I will speak to Vice President Medina when he arrives.

R

RSVP
Do not precede with the word “please” since RSVP is an abbreviation for the French sentence that means “please reply.”

Example: RSVP by Friday, November 11, 2011.

S

Seasons
Lowercase the four seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall) unless they are part of a formal name.

Example: She will take 12 credits during the spring semester.
Example: The Fall Convocation will be held on Friday.

T

The City University of New York or CUNY (“The” should always be capitalized.)

Example: Bronx Community College is a college within The City University of New York.

Time
Use figures and a.m. or p.m., except when using noon and midnight.
When using noon and midnight, it is not necessary to place a 12 in front of them.
For times on the hour, drop the :00.

Example: The meeting will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday.
Example: Noon–3:30 p.m.
Example: 12:30-2 p.m.

Titles of Books, Magazines, Newspapers, Films, TV Shows, Plays, Radio Programs, and CDs
In running text, the titles of books, magazines, newspapers, films, TV shows, plays, radio programs, collections of poetry, and CDs should be italicized only. Quotation marks are not needed.

Also for these titles, always capitalize the first and last words; capitalize all principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions that are four or more letters; lowercase articles (the, a, an); lowercase prepositions and conjunctions that are less than four letters.

Example: I read Toni Morrison’s novel Song of Solomon this past summer.

Titles of Songs, Articles, Poems, Essays, and Short Stories
In running text, the titles of songs, articles, poems, essays, and short stories are set in roman type and enclosed in quotation marks.

Also for these titles, always capitalize the first and last words; capitalize all principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions that are four or more letters; lowercase articles (the, a, an); lowercase prepositions and conjunctions that are less than four letters.

Example: My favorite song is “All You Need Is Love.”

tryouts

W

website

weeklong

Weights
Use figures and spell out the words ounces, pounds, etc. Hyphenate adjectival forms that appear before nouns.

Example: The baby weighs 8 pounds, 6 ounces.
Example: She had an 8-pound, 6-ounce girl.

workday

work force

workplace

workweek

Y

year-end

yearlong