Editorial style guide

This document is the UW Bothell Editorial Style Guide. It includes style guidelines for a number of words, terms and points of punctuation and grammar.

What you see in this document are exceptions to the University of Washington style guides.

  • If the information you are looking up is NOT in this guide, please refer to the main UW guides. (See the links at right and below.)
  • If the information you are looking up is NOT in any of the various UW guides, please refer to The Associated Press Stylebook.

AP style is the foundation of all these guides. This main style — plus special notes and exceptions to the various University guides as noted above — should be followed for all official UW Bothell publications, be they printed, digital or online.

Did you not find what you were looking for in this UW Bothell Editorial Style Guide?

Please refer to the following sites for information about UW style:

If you cannot find what you need on any of these webpages, please follow AP style.

Alphabetical Listings

Aa

abbreviations and acronyms

AVOID AWKWARD CONSTRUCTIONS: Do not follow an organization’s full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses or set off by dashes. If an abbreviation or acronym would not be clear on second reference without this arrangement, do not use it.

academic quarters

Lowercase autumn quarter, winter quarter and spring quarter.

adviser

adviser not advisor

ampersand

Use ampersand only if it is part of the formal name. Otherwise, spell out the word “and.” Examples: School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, School of Nursing & Health Studies

Bb

building names

Whenever possible, use full name only or full name with campus map designation: Founders Hall or Founders Hall (UW1), not just UW1; Commons Hall or Commons Hall (UW2), not just UW2; Discovery Hall, not DISC.

Cc

Campus Farm

Capitalize the name of this specific space on campus.

campuswide

one word

capitalization

Capitalize majors, programs, certificates, schools, divisions, departments and offices when using their full, formal name. Examples: School of Educational Studies; major in Society, Ethics & Human Behavior; the Office of Marketing and Communications.

child care

two words

Collaboratory

Capitalize when referring to this specific place on campus. Don’t use Makerspace, which was the original name for the space.

commas (serial comma)

  • Do not use the serial comma in a simple series of nouns or phrases. Example: purple, gold and gray (no comma before “and”)
  • Use the serial comma before the terminal conjunction in a complex series or in other cases where the serial comma will provide clarity and improve readability. Example: Members of the faculty at the University of Washington Bothell provide educational programs for students from throughout the Pacific Northwest, conduct original research and scholarship, and engage in a wide variety of projects with community partners. (use comma before “and engage”)

The Commons

A gathering space in the lower level of Commons Hall. Name includes the word “The” in all uses to distinguish it from the hall.

course names

Capitalize; do not use quotation marks.

Dd

degree attribution

Reference the school for alumni publications but use the major in other uses:

  • alumni newsletters: John Doe (IAS ’96)
  • website: John Doe (Culture, Literature & the Arts ’96)

diversity center/student diversity center

Lowercase unless formally named and then use full name: UW Bothell’s Student Diversity Center or the Student Diversity Center. On second reference, can just use the word “center.”

division

Capitalize the full name of campuswide divisions. Examples: Division of Academic Affairs, Division of Advancement, Division of Planning & Administration; Division of Enrollment Management & Student Affairs

Dr.

  • Use to refer to those who hold an Ed.D, J.D. M.D. or Ph.D. Avoid degree abbreviations if possible.
  • If degree information is essential to story, try to embed descriptive, humanizing language in text.

dual majors or minors

For long majors and/or minors listed together, punctuate with semicolon and repeat the word “in” for clarity. Example: He majored in Law, Economics & Public Policy; and in Society, Ethics & Human Behavior.

Ee

em dash —

Put a space before and after.

Ff

first-generation

hyphenated

first-year

hyphenated

Hh

health care

two words

Ll

library

Campus Library or UW Bothell / Cascadia College Library on first reference, then lowercase library in future references.

links

  • In news stories, hyperlink to schools.
  • In news stories, hyperlink to faculty pages if only one or two faculty are featured. Avoid link soup.

Mm

majors/minors

  • Capitalize for clarity. Examples: Law, Economics & Public Policy; Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies.
  • Lowercase in phrases such as I like physics.

Nn

North Creek Events Center – NCEC is okay on second reference.

Oo

office

Capitalize when a formal name. Examples: the Office of Marketing and Communications or the Office of Career Services

Pp

Plaza

Capitalize when referring to this specific place on campus.

Promenade

Capitalize when referring to this specific place on campus.

Qq

Quad

Capitalize when referring to this specific place on campus.

Rr

residence hall

not dormitory or dorm

Ss

STEM

Acceptable on first reference for science, technology, engineering and math.

This is a departure from AP style, which adds “but spell out the full phrase shortly thereafter.” We will use STEM in all references — without spelling it out at length — in news stories (but might spell out in print materials). Examples: We have a School of STEM. She is interested in the field of STEM.

student diversity center/diversity center

Lowercase unless formally named and then use full name: UW Bothell’s Student Diversity Center.

Tt

tri-campus

hyphenated

Uu

University of Washington Bothell

  • Use UW Bothell on second references
  • Do not use UWB as this may not make sense to many external audiences.
  • Capitalize University when referring to UW Bothell specifically. Example: All universities do good work in the world, but our University is an amazing community partner.

University of Washington

  • UW on second reference or the University.

Ww

webpage

  • lowercase, one word
  • preferred over using just the word page

website

  • lowercase, one word
  • preferred over using just the word site

wetlands/wetland

Use plural for generic wetlands in most cases. For campus, use the North Creek Wetland on first reference and wetland on second reference.

Yy

yearlong

one word

Related links

University of Washington’s central guidelines: