Editorial Style Guide
Last revised April 2024
Jump to section: # - A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – J – K – L – M – N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – W – X – Y – Z
With a few exceptions, Swarthmore College adheres to AP Style in its communications.
Common style questions
Why are job titles sometimes uppercase and other times lowercase?
Following AP style, job titles are capitalized when they precede a person’s name, but lowercase when they follow a name.
- President Val Smith spoke at Commencement.
- Val Smith, president of Swarthmore College, spoke at Commencement.
Does this title get quotes or italics?
Italicize titles of books, plays, newspapers, magazines, operas, movies, television program titles, paintings, exhibits, album titles, works of art, famous statues, long musical compositions, boats, and legal cases.
Use quotation marks for titles of poems, short stories, lectures, short musical compositions, song titles, titles of articles within magazines and newspapers, book chapter titles, dance titles, podcast titles, and student projects.
Course names are capitalized but not italicized or in quotes.
For answers to other common style questions, see the entries for academic degrees, academic departments, academic majors, dates, states, hyphens, and times.
#
20X35
20X35 is shorthand for To Zero By Thirty-Five: Swarthmore’s Carbon-Free Future (formerly known as Roadmap to Zero Carbon). Write out the words on first reference. (Always capitalized, always hyphenated.) 20X35 is fine for subsequent references.
A
Use capital letters when writing out the names of the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, and Master of Science. Use lowercase letters when referring to bachelor’s degrees or master's degrees more generally. The following acronyms are also appropriate for degrees. B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., MFA, Ph.D., LL.D. Also, it's associate degree, not associate's degree. Ex. She has a Master of Arts degree in English literature. He is getting a bachelor’s in dance. She has nearly completed an M.S. in mechanical engineering.
Avoid constructions using M.D. after the name. In AP Style, only medical doctors and dentists are referred to as "Dr."
Honorary degree recipients:
For non-alumni: Gilbert Kalish H’36. For alumni, indicate first the earned degree, then the honorary degree with a comma preceding: Eugene Lang ’38, H’81
academic departments and programs
Capitalize when referring to the department or program, but not the major or minor. Ex: He works in the Engineering Department. I was an engineering major. Professor Zucker teaches in Engineering.
Lowercase general references: She majored in biology. (Exceptions include majors that are also proper nouns, like English, Spanish, and German.) He majored in Spanish.
acronyms
On first reference, spell out the words and follow them with the acronym in parentheses. On second reference, use just the acronym. There's no need to include an acronym if there is no second reference. Ex. The Council on Educational Policy (CEP) adopted new procedures. CEP paved the way for improved policies.
addresses (see also cities and states)
Postal addresses:
Use the abbreviations Ave., St., and Blvd. only with a numbered address: 500 College Ave. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number: The campus is on College Avenue. All similar words (drive, road, parkway, etc.) are always spelled out.
Abbreviate compass points with a numbered address: 101 S. Chester Road. Do not abbreviate if the number is omitted: The office building is on South Chester Road.
Email addresses:
Print as all lowercase. Ex: news@swarthmore.edu
Web addresses:
In most cases, it is preferred to omit “http://” and "www." Ex. swarthmore.edu, bit.ly/SwatScream
ages
Use numerals: His daughter is 3 years old.
Use hyphens when an age is used as a a noun (John’s oldest child is an 8-year-old ) or as an adjective before a noun (he also has a 3-year-old son ).
All-America, All-American
All-America is the adjective. All-American is the noun. This comes up mostly in the context of Athletics.
alphabetization
Disregard hyphens and apostrophes when alphabetizing names. Ex. Albert, Al-Masri, Amari, O’Brien, Olivera, O’Malley
alumna (female, singular), alumnae (female, plural), alumnus (male, singular), alumni (male plural or a group of people including more than one gender, plural), alum/alums (gender-neutral, for casual references)
ampersands (&)
Use the ampersand when it is part of a formal name or composition title: House & Garden, Procter & Gamble, Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway.
The ampersand should generally not otherwise be used in place of “and” in print except for some accepted abbreviations: B&B, R&B.
College-specific exceptions include:
- Dining & Community Commons
- Film & Media Studies,
- French & Francophone Studies,
- Gender & Sexuality Center,
- Gender & Sexuality Studies,
- Institutional Effectiveness, Research & Assessment (IERA),
- Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility,
- Latin American & Latino Studies,
- Peace & Conflict Studies,
- Sociology & Anthropology,
- and Track & Field.
We also make exceptions (in the Commencement program and diplomas) for students who make their own majors.
Ampersands can be used more liberally on the web as space-savers in titles and headers. Ex. Admissions & Aid
apostrophe
The apostrophe before a class year should always face the left. Ex. ’87
Athletics
This is used both to refer to sports teams collectively, and also as shorthand for the Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation. Spell out the longer version in formal documents. Shorthand is fine for less formal documents. Always use uppercase when referring to Athletics at Swarthmore. The A can be lowercase when referring to athletics outside the College.
B
Baccalaureate
Always capitalize the B when referring to Swarthmore’s.
Big Chair
Capitalize the B and C when refering to the one on Parrish Lawn.
Board of Managers
Capitalize the B and M when referring to Swarthmore's.
breaks
Lowercase the B except when names of breaks include a proper noun. Ex. fall break, spring break, Thanksgiving break
brown (when referring to race)
Lowercase the B, per AP Style. Avoid the term by being more specific when possible. (Name the groups you mean to include instead of using “brown” as shorthand for them.)
C
campuswide
Campuswide is one word, no hyphen.
Center City Philadelphia
Capitalize the first C, the second C, and the P.
cities (see also states)
Always follow a city name with the state in which it is located, unless it is exceptionally well known: Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia. But: Washington, D.C. See AP Stylebook’s “Datelines” entry for full list of cities that can stand alone.
class
Generally lowercase the C: class officers, the class, class reunion. An exception is made when referring to class years. Ex. the Class of ’87
Do not capitalize first-year, sophomore, junior, or senior.
Collection
Capitalize the C when referring to the College-specific events. Ex. First Collection, Last Collection
colleges and universities
Familiar abbreviations are acceptable in informal text or on second reference: Ex. NYU, UCLA, UMass.
Universities with several campuses are denoted with an en-dash (see dashes). Ex. UMass–Amherst, UC–Davis
Unless part of a proper name (ex. Williams College), “college” is capitalized only when referring to Swarthmore and preceded by “the.” Ex. He returned to the College for Alumni Weekend.
commas
Ages:
- List ages with a comma on both sides: Eileen, 17, and Ellen, 15, play soccer.
Dates:
- Use commas before and after the year in a full date: April 1, 1993, was a Monday.
- Don’t use a comma when there’s only a month and year: the May 1996 issue.
Quotes:
- Use a comma to introduce a quote of one full sentence: Mary asserted, “He was not here at the time.” Use a colon to introduce quotes of more than one sentence.
- No comma is needed to introduce a partial quote: Mary asserted that he was “not here at the time.”
- A comma is used instead of a period when attribution follows a complete sentence: “He was not here at the time,” Mary asserted.
- Commas are always placed inside quotation marks.
Serial/Oxford comma:
- Use a comma before a conjunction: Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford
Suffixes:
- Don’t use commas before or after Jr. or Sr.: John Smith Jr. ’70, John Smith Sr. ’40
Commencement
Always capitalize the C when referring to Swarthmore's graduation ceremony.
course names
Course names should be capitalized, not in quotes or italics.
Crum Creek
There's no B at the end of Crum. Crum Creek (from the Dutch, meaning "crooked creek") is a creek in Delaware County and Chester County, Pa., flowing approximately 24 miles, generally in a southward direction and draining into the Delaware River in Eddystone, Pa. It begins in a swamp (formerly a lake, dammed out) near Newtown Square, Pa., along which several mills were established in the 19th century. It crosses under Pennsylvania Route 29 and winds one and a half miles downstream until it hits the hamlet of Crum Creek. It later flows into the Delaware River near Philadelphia.
Crum Woods
There's no B at the end of Crum. Crum Woods encompasses 220 acres of mostly forested land straddling the Crum Creek in Swarthmore, Pa. Most of this land is adjacent to the developed portion of the Swarthmore College campus. The woods contain walking trails and provide recreational opportunities for the College community as well as visitors to the campus. In addition to recreational uses, the woods are an integral part of 35 courses in 12 academic departments.
D
An en-dash is used:
- between numbers, dates, and times. Ex. 1996–97, June 20-27, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
- in university names where there is more than one campus. Ex. UC–Berkeley (see colleges and universities)
- in compound adjectives with one element consisting of two words: Pennsylvania–New Jersey area
An em-dash is used when a dash is desired for an abrupt shift in a sentence. Put spaces on each side. Ex. “The frozen turkey was the murder weapon — but you knew that, didn’t you?”
When someone trails off in the middle of a sentence, use an em dash, not an ellipsis, per AP. (see also hyphens)
Forming en- and em-dashes:
en-dash: option + hyphen on a Macintosh; on a PC, go to “Insert” on top menu, then “Symbol,” and seek the en-dash in the symbol chart. Highlight, hit “insert” button, then close.
em-dash: shift + option + hyphen on a Macintosh; on a PC, go to “Insert” on top menu, then “Symbol,” and seek the em-dash in the symbol chart. Highlight, hit “insert” button, then close.
When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Do not abbreviate months when they stand alone or with a year alone. Ex. She gave her first performance on Aug. 3, 2016, but her next will not be until February 2018. (Note that it’s Aug. 3, not Aug. 3rd.)
In formal text, months may be written out, even if with a specific date.
When announcing upcoming events, it is useful to include the day of the week. Ex. The lecture will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. in Kohlberg Hall. (Note: A comma follows “23” and the day of the week is never abbreviated.)
day care
Day care is always two words and never hyphenated.
degrees
Use capital letters when writing out the names of the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, and Master of Science. Use lowercase letters when referring to bachelor’s degrees or master's degrees more generally. The following acronyms are also appropriate for degrees. B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., MFA, Ph.D., LL.D. Also, it's associate degree, not associate's degree. Ex. She has a Master of Arts degree in English literature. He is getting a bachelor’s in dance. She has nearly completed an M.S. in mechanical engineering.
Avoid constructions using M.D. after the name. In AP Style, only medical doctors are dentists are referred to as "Dr."
Honorary degree recipients:
For non-alumni: Gilbert Kalish H’36. For alumni, indicate first the earned degree, then the honorary degree with a comma preceding: Eugene Lang ’38, H’81
departments, academic and administrative
The names of departments are capitalized whether you are using the full name or shorthand. The same is true for offices, academic programs, and divisions. Ex. the Chemistry Department, Chemistry, the Educational Studies Program, Educational Studies, the Office of Advancement, Advancement, the Division of the Humanities, Humanities, etc. (see also titles)
Dining & Community Commons (DCC)
This the is name of building that houses both Sharples Commons and the Dining Center. Capitalize the D, the first C, and the second C.
Dining Center
This is the College’s primary dining facility. Capitalize the D and the C.
Du Pont Parking Lot
Du Pont is two words.
E
ellipses
A three-point ellipsis, with a space before and after but not between points, is used mid-sentence to indicate deleted text: The weather forecasters predicted rain tomorrow … and a warm and sunny weekend.
If the words preceding an ellipsis constitute a grammatically complete sentence, place a period at the end of the last word before an ellipsis: “Our first item is a sales report. … We will wrap things up with lunch,” read the director’s memo.
When someone trails off in the middle of a sentence, use a dash instead of an ellipsis, per AP.
Email is one word, lowercase, with no hyphen.
emeritus, emerita, emeriti
Emeritus is the masculine singular. Emerita is the feminine singular. Emeriti is the plural. Ex.
- Professor Emerita of History Allison Dorsey
- Barry Schwartz, Dorwin P. Cartwright Professor Emeritus of Social Theory (Keep uppercase because it’s a named professorship.)
emissions
All scopes of emissions are lowercase in AP style.
F
faculty, staff
Use “faculty members” and “staff members” to avoid awkward singular constructions.
Field House Lane
Field house is two words, per AP.
first-year student
Use instead of "freshman."
financial manager
Lowercase the F and the M.
first generation/low income (FLI)
First generation and low income should be hyphenated only when they come directly before a noun. Ex. Swarthmore’s FLI Program supports first-generation and low-income college students. We define first generation broadly.
food and housing
Use instead of “room and board,” per the U.S. Department of Education.
Friend
Capitalize for Quaker usage.
freshman
Use “first-year student” instead.
G
Garnet, the
Use the singular, Garnet, when referring to Swarthmore's sports teams.
H
Halcyon
Capitalize and italicize the title of the Swarthmore student yearbook.
health care
Health care is always two words, except when it’s part of a proper name. Ex. He is a health care worker. She works at North East Healthcare Academy.
Honors, Honors Program
Always capitalize the H when referring to Honors at Swarthmore. Ex. She graduated with High Honors. He is taking an Honors seminar.
Hyphenate compound modifiers (two or more words that describe a third) except when the first word ends in -ly. Ex. first-year students, the newly elected president
Ethnicities, such as African American and Italian American, are no longer hyphenated in AP Style. (see also dashes)
I
initials
There's no space between initials. Ex. B.J. Smith
italics
Italicize titles of books, plays, newspapers, magazines, operas, movies, television program titles, paintings, exhibits, album titles, works of art, famous statues, long musical compositions, boats, and legal cases. (see also quotation marks)
Italicize words from other languages if they are not commonly used in English.
J
job titles
Capitalize titles only when they appear immediately before the person’s name or at the beginning of a sentence. Ex. The speech was given by President Valerie Smith. Valerie Smith, president of Swarthmore College, led the committee. The president held open office hours.
junior, senior
Abbreviate as Jr. and Sr. No comma is needed. Ex. Edward Borer Jr. ’80
L
liberal arts
Liberal arts are always plural, never hyphenated, and only capitalized when in headlines.
Light
Capitalize in Quaker usage.
M
M’
Swarthmore used to offer master’s degrees. Recipients of these get an M’ next to their graduation year.
majors
Do not capitalize majors unless they are proper nouns like Spanish, Arabic, and English. History and engineering, for example, should be lowercase when referring to the major, but capitalized when referring to the academic department.
Managers
When referring to members of Swarthmore’s Board of Managers, use a capital M.
Matchbox Fitness Center
Write out on first reference; "the Matchbox” is fine for subsequent references.
Matchbox Couple
A couple that met at Swarthmore College.
meeting
Lowercase when referring to Quaker meetings in general, but capitalize when referencing specific Quaker meetings. Ex. meeting house, monthly meeting, Friends meeting, Friends Meeting House, Swarthmore Friends Meeting
N
names, married
For alums who changed their last name when they married, include their prior last name on first reference. Ex. Cindy White Lohr ’43
For non-alums who changed their last name when they married, do not include their prior last name unless it is their preference. Ex. Cindy Lohr
newspapers
Follow the exact title style. Check if “The” is part of the actual title for each one. Ex. the Delaware County Daily Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Inquirer
numbers
In most cases, spell out whole numbers below 10; use figures for 10 and above.
Spell out first through ninth; use figures for 10th and above: Ex. the first victory, the 21st century
Spell out when beginning sentences. Ex. Three hundred students attended Last Collection.
Use figures for times, measurements, decimals, fractions, percentages, sports scores, and ages. Ex. 3 ounces, 3.5, 3%, final score was 5-2, the child was 5 years old.
With times, use figures except for noon and midnight, inserting one space after the number but no further spaces: 9 a.m., 10 p.m.
O
office names
Always capitalized, whether the word “office” comes at the beginning, at the end, or not at all. Ex. Office of Admissions, Admissions Office, Admissions
Orientation
Always capitalize the O when referring to Swarthmore’s New Student Orientation.
one-on-one
Hyphenate one-on-one whether it's being used as an adjective or a noun.
P
P’
This is used to denote the parent of a student or alum, and the student or alum’s year of graduation follows the apostrophe. P’ is not needed for headlines, but should be used upon first reference in body copy when relevant, space permitting. It is not needed in subsequent references.
Parade of Classes
Capitalize the P and C.
Parrish
At Swarthmore, Parrish has two Rs. It's usually used to refer to Parrish Hall, the oldest building on campus. Parrish Parlors and Parrish Lawn (also known as Parrish Beach) are proper nouns and always get capitalized.
Penn
Do not use this as shorthand for UPenn, as it can easily be confused with Penn State and other Penns. If you are referring to the University of Pennsylvania, write out University of Pennsylvania on the first reference. UPenn is acceptable on second reference. For Penn State, please write out “Penn State.”
The Phoenix
The Swarthmore Phoenix is often just referred to as The Phoenix. Italicize the name of this student newspaper as you would with other publications.
phone numbers
Do not put parentheses around the area code. Ex. 610-328-3609
physical education
Spell out on first reference. PE (no periods) is acceptable on second reference.
place names on campus
Use full name on first reference. Feel free to abridge on second and following, but retain capitalization.
This is a partial list. For a complete list of destinations, see the campus map. For a complete list of gardens, see the Arboretum map.
- Benjamin West House
- Clothier Bell Tower
- Clothier Hall
- Dining & Community Commons (DCC)
- Dining Center (part of the DCC)
- David Kemp and Mertz Halls
- Kohlberg Hall
- Lamb-Miller Field House
- Magill Walk
- Martin Hall
- Matchbox
- Metasequoia Allee
- North Quad
- Old Tarble (houses the Connie Hungerford Art Studio and Photography Lab)
- Parrish Hall
- Parrish Porch a.k.a. Parrish Portico
- Parrish Lawn a.k.a Parrish Beach
- Scott Outdoor Amphitheater
- Sharples Commons (part of the DCC)
- Tarble Pavilion (1,200-seat gymnasium for basketball, volleyball, and badminton)
- Theresa Lang Garden of Fragrance (Fragrance Garden on second reference)
- Upper Tarble a.k.a Tarble-in-Clothier (in Clothier Hall)
- Wharton Courtyard
president's staff
Lowercase the P and S.
program
Uppercase the P when it's part of an official title, lowercase in general references. Ex. Swarthmore College's Honors Program is over 100 years old. The Swarthmore Recreation Association has an excellent children’s program.
Q
Quaker Matchbox
quotation marks
Use quotation marks for titles of poems, short stories, lectures, short musical compositions, song titles, titles of articles within magazines and newspapers, book chapter titles, dance titles, podcast titles, and student projects. (See also italics.)
quotes
Capitalize the first word of a quote unless it is mid-sentence. Precede the first word by a comma (if the quote is one sentence or less) or a colon (if the quote is longer than one sentence).
R
race
When referring to race or ethnicity, the following words are capitalized:
- Black,
- Indigenous,
- Hispanic,
- Latino/a/x/e,
- Arab,
- Native,
- Middle Eastern,
- Asian, and
- Pacific Islander.
When referring to race or ethnicity, the following words are NOT capitalized:
- white
- brown
Ex: a celebration of Black culture; a predominantly white high school; professors who identify as Hispanic or Latino/a; a group dedicated to Indigenous/Native students
Try to avoid acronyms like POC (people of color) and BIPOC (Black/Indigenous/People of Color) when possible. When it’s not possible, spell out on first reference.
Ethnicities, including African American, are not hyphenated.
African American vs Black: The terms are not completely interchangeable.
- African American refers to Black people living in the United States, whereas Black can refer to a person of African descent living anywhere in the world.
- Be more specific when possible. Ex. Nigerian American musician Osa Atoe spoke on the panel.
- If you don’t know a person’s preference, please ask.
Native American vs Indigenous: The terms are not completely interchangeable.
- Native American refers to people indigenous to the land now known as the U.S.
- Indigenous is very broad and can be used to refer to people native to any part of the world.
- Be more specific when possible. Ex. Bryan Warner, a member of the Cherokee Nation, said XYZ. (Not every Native person is an enrolled member of a tribe.)
- You can also mention someone’s tribal affiliation (if relevant) in parentheses. Ex. Bryan Warner (Cherokee)
- If you don’t know a person’s preference, please ask.
Latino/a/x/e: Latino is masculine, Latina is feminine, and both Latinx and Latine are gender neutral. Latinx is more common among English speakers and Latine is more common among Spanish speakers. If you don’t know a person’s preference, please ask.
residence halls
Lowercase the R and H when referring to them as a group (as opposed to one specific residence hall). Do not use “dorm.”
the Rev.
Reverend is an adjective and a title. Capitalize when using before the name of pastor or minister.
room and board
We no longer use this, due to a Dept. of Education mandate. Use “food and housing” instead.
S
Scott Outdoor Amphitheater
Capitalize the A in Amphitheater whether you are referring to is as the Scott Outdoor Amphitheater, Scott Amphitheater, or simply the Amphitheater.
Scott Arboretum
Capitalize the A in Arboretum whether you are referring to it as the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, Scott Arboretum, or simply the Arboretum.
scope 3 emissions
This comes up a lot in reference to our sustainability work. All scopes of emissions are lowercase in AP style.
seasons
Lowercase spring, summer, fall, and winter. Capitalize only when they appear before a year (referring to a specific semester). Ex. She took the class in the fall semester. She took the class in Fall 2024.
Sharples Commons
Sharples Commons is a campus hub that offers an array of inclusive social and community spaces for students, faculty, and staff members.
states (see also cities)
Spell out when the state name stands alone.
Abbreviate as follows when following a city name: Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kan., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Neb., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.M., N.Y., N.C., N.D., Okla., Ore., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.D., Tenn., Va., Vt., Wash., W.Va., Wis., Wyo.
Use postal uppercase abbreviations in mailing addresses as follows: AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.
Do not abbreviate except for postal addresses: Alaska (AK), Hawaii (HI), Idaho (ID), Iowa (IA), Maine (ME), Ohio (OH), Texas (TX), Utah (UT).
sports teams, names of
Always lowercase the names of sports teams. Ex. men’s swimming team
When referring to sports teams in the singular as "the Garnet," lowercase the T.
Swarthmore, Swarthmoreans
Always write out in formal text. Swat, Swatties, S’more, and S’moreans are OK colloquially, but discouraged in formal writing.
T
teams, names of sports
Always lowercase the names of sports teams. Ex. men’s swimming team
When referring to sports teams in the singular as "the Garnet," lowercase the T.
theater
Lowercase and use the -er ending unless referring to a specific theater that uses the -re ending. Ex. Pearson-Hall Theatre, the Theater Department, the Pig Iron Theatre Co.
they
Many people use “they” as a singular pronoun, including some transgender and nonbinary people. We do not need to explain the use of “they” as a singular pronoun in the body of a story. However, we should make it as clear as possible whether we are using “they” to refer to one person or multiple people. If you don’t know a person’s pronouns, please ask politely.
till
Acceptable for “until.” Do not use not “’til” (unless it’s part of a direct quote).
Use figures except for noon and midnight, inserting one space after the number but no further spaces: 9 a.m., 10 p.m., 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
When using the full name of the time zone, capitalize rthe first letter of every word: Eastern Standard Time, Eastern Daylight Time, Central Standard Time, etc.
Lowercase all but the region when using short forms: the Eastern time zone, Eastern time, Mountain time, etc.
titles
Capitalize the title of someone's position only when it appears immediately before their name. Ex. The committee was led by Valerie Smith, president of Swarthmore College. In August, President Valerie Smith addressed the nervous parents. The president held open office hours.
Tri-College Consortium
Refers to the consortium between Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr. Always hyphenate Tri-College, and always capitalize. Tri-Co is appropriate shorthand on second and subsequent references.
U
United Nations
U.N. is acceptable in all cases.
United States
U.S. is acceptable in all cases.
UPenn
This shorthand for the University of Pennsylvania is acceptable upon second reference. On first reference, please write out “University of Pennsylvania.”
V
V-12
The Navy V-12 Program was created to generate a large number of officers as well as to offset the dropping enrollment at colleges during World War II. Backed by the federal government, the program paid tuition to participating colleges and universities for college courses that were taught to qualified candidates. Eligible candidates included naval enlisted personnel who were recommended by their commanding officers and high school seniors who passed a qualifying exam. Alumni who attended the College through the V-12 program do not have a graduation year listed next to their name.
vice president
Do not hyphenate. Lowercase except when preceding a name: Former Vice President Al Gore was a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Joe Biden is no longer vice president.
Visitor Information Center
Referred to in some places as Visitor Information and others as Visitor Center, so we combined them here.
Ville, the
The Ville is an affectionate nickname for downtown Swarthmore.
W
Washington, D.C.
D.C. is acceptable on second reference.
web
Lowercase the word web. Please note that webpage, webcast, website are all each just one word.
well-being
Always hyphenate well-being.
Y
years
Separate the beginnings and ends of time spans by an en-dash in schedules, calendars, lists, reports, etc.: the budget report for fiscal year 2007–08 (see dashes)
Use “from/to” in articles and stories: From 2007 to 2008, the college graduate worked as a shoe-shine boy at Penn Station.
Z
zero waste
Never hyphenate zero waste, per AP.
