Rackham Communications Style Guide

A

Accomodation Language

To appear in event listings on the website and in Sessions registration pages:

“We want to ensure full and equitable participation in our events. If an accommodation would promote your full participation in this event, please indicate your accommodation requirements. Please let us know as soon as possible in order to have adequate time (one week preferred) to arrange for your requested accommodation(s) or an effective alternative."

Address of the Rackham Building

The address of the Rackham Building in all instances:

915 East Washington Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070

adviser

See advisor.

advisor

Not adviser.

affirmative action

lowercase

alum or alums

Perfectly acceptable term to use to refer to U-M graduates; use your ear and judgment with regard to whether one of these or a more formal variation is appropriate.

alumni

Grad years are most often noted parenthetically with the appropriate degree abbreviation:

• Stanley Cohen (Ph.D. 1949) was the co-winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discovering growth factors in human and animal tissue.

Grad years can also be written out as part of a larger thought:

• John Taylor earned his master’s in 1983.

For accepted abbreviations of specific U-M degrees, please see the University style guide.

Exception: M.A. for Master of Arts instead of A.M.

For grad years prior to 2000, list the complete year. For grad years 2000 or later, use only the last two digits.

• Shari Brown (M.A. ’07, Ph.D. ’11) recently published a book about urban recycling efforts.
• Karl Henize (Ph.D. 1954) was an American astronaut who passed away during an expedition on Mt. Everest.
• Victor C. Vaughn (Ph.D. 1876) earned one of the first two doctorate degrees bestowed by U-M.

For grad years of multiple degree holders, list the complete year (if prior to 2000) for the first degree only. For subsequent degrees, use only the last two digits.

• Elizabeth Douvan (M.S. 1948, Ph.D. ’51), became a professor in the Institute for Social Research.
• Frank Teasley (M.A. 1999, Ph.D. ’02) never envisioned a life in finance.
• Lawrence Kasdan (A.B. 1970, M.A. ’72, HLH.D. ’00) worked on The Big Chill and Body Heat, among other films.

For people listed in Rackham stories who are U-M graduates but not Rackham graduates, list their degrees according to the University style guide.

• John Terkel (A.B. ’02) knows well what it’s like to be married to a graduate student.

For people who attended Michigan but did not graduate, list “U-M” and the last year that they attended.

• Alfred Taubman (U-M ’48) made the largest gift in history to any school of architecture nationwide.

For Dearborn and Flint alumni, follow this format:

• Maxine Frankel (A.B. 1966 Dearborn) has been an avid supporter of the art museum.
• A campus rally in support of John Sinclair (A.B. 1964 Flint) led to his release from prison.

B

Band Names

Singular band names take singular verbs and pronouns, and plural band names take plural verbs and pronouns.

• XTC is releasing its first album in 13 years.
• The Rolling Stones are playing their 21st show at the Hollywood Bowl.

C

Colons

We capitalize the first word after the colon if it’s the start of a complete sentence; leave it lowercase if it’s a fragment.

• Daniel Klionsky is an example of that change: He throws out the textbook.
• Eight years old and on top of the world: a Tibetan girl in Namtso.

Comma, Serial

Rackham uses the serial comma:

• Lions, tigers, and bears—oh my!

Cube

Capped.

D

Dashes (em and en)

Em dashes do not have a space on either side.

• She knew that three things—perseverance, courage, and plenty of strong coffee—would carry her through until deadline.

Ranges of numbers, dates, or time are separated by an en dash in print materials:

• The 2003–04 academic year.
• He really needed to reread chapters 8–11.
• The professor holds office hours every Wednesday, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
  • For web and email accessibility, replace with “to” or omit dashes.
• He really needed to reread chapters 8 to 11.
• The professor holds office hours every Wednesday, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Dates

Specific dates have a comma separating them from the year:

• April 1, 2003, was fun.

Months are not separated from the year:

• I came to Ann Arbor in April 2003.

Year ranges are separated by an en dash:

• The 2003–04 academic year.

When referring to an event, with date and time:

• March 26–28; 12:00–7:30 p.m.
• Note: For email and web, use "to" instead of an en dash for accessibility reasons. March 26 to 28; 12:00 to 7:30 p.m.
• Duderstadt Center, Video South, U-M North Campus

We do not use ordinals (for example, March 23rd).

Dean, The

Mike prefers to be listed as “Mike Solomon” in nearly all instances, reserving “Michael J. Solomon” only for certificates and other formal instances.

Emails

• From Line: Dean Mike Solomon, Rackham Graduate School
• From Address: [email protected]

dean

Dean is lowercase unless used with a name:

• The dean said it was one of the biggest challenges facing graduate students today.
• Dean Fierke left to become provost of Texas A&M.

dean’s office

Dean’s Office is capitalized when used as a formal entity

• The Dean’s Office is located on the east side of the building.

Decades

1920s and ’30s (no apostrophe between the year and “s”)

degrees

• A Master of Arts degree in political science.
• A master’s in computer science.

See alumni

Departments and Subjects

Departments are capitalized.

• Skip Lupia works in the Department of Political Science.

Subjects of study are not.

• Julia studies history.

Only official names of departments and programs are capitalized.

• Joe Brooks is a professor in the Department of History.
• Joe Brooks is a professor in the history department.

This holds true of museums as well:

• Joe Brooks is a curator in the Museum of Anthropology.
• Joe Brooks is a curator in the anthropology museum.

Diag

Capped.

E

EDT/EST

EDT is the time zone used in summer and spring, while EST is the time zone used in winter and autumn. One way to remember the difference is that the D in EDT stands for Daylight. The season with the most daylight is summer, when the sun rises early and sets late.

Ellipses

Three dots together (not separated by spaces) with no space preceding it and a space after

• He was less sure than ever... could there be a social life in graduate school?

Note: This is an exception to Chicago style.

email

One word, not hyphenated.

F

first-year student(s)

Not freshman or freshmen

flyer

Use to refer to a handbill, leaflet, etc. or to someone on a plane.

G

Gender

Terms in this section are taken from the U-M Spectrum Center’s web course Introduction to LGBTQIA2S+ Communities and Identities. Please keep in mind guidance from the Spectrum Center when referring to this section: 

“Understand that LGBTQIA2S+ identity can be incredibly personal, and that the definitions we offer may not suit everyone who claims a specific identity.

“Although these definitions are well-researched, thoughtfully crafted, and based on current understandings of identity, they are not perfect. These definitions are here to provide a baseline understanding.

“Believing and accepting another person's description of themselves is a sign of respect, and should always be practiced. When a person states their identity, that identity is to be respected and accepted. It is not our place to tell anyone they cannot identify a certain way because of real or perceived attraction or behavior.”

Gender 

Gender is a complex social identity. One's gender is influenced by their culture, sex assigned at birth, upbringing/socialization, and lived experiences, among other things. Gender, in turn, relates to how one dresses, their personal identifiers like name and pronouns, their sense of self, and more. 

In the United States of America, the genders most people are familiar with and identify as are girl/woman and boy/man. We call this the gender binary because these are defined as the two mutually exclusive options that are inextricably tied to one's sex. However, there are many more genders one can be. 

Cisgender

Someone whose birth-assigned sex and gender identity align.

Transgender

Someone who does not identify or align with the gender associated with their assigned sex at birth. The word is occasionally shortened to "trans." 

Nonbinary

Someone whose gender identity does not neatly fall into the categories of “man” or “woman,” or who rejects the gender binary. 

Agender

Someone who does not identify with any gender; someone who lacks gender.

Bigender

Someone who aligns with two genders simultaneously. This may be both man/woman or any other two identities.

Demi-Gender

Someone who partially identifies with one of the binary genders, but not fully. "Demi-" usually comes before the gender that the individual most closely aligns with. For example: Demi-Boy, Demi-Woman.

Genderfluid

Someone whose gender is not fixed and often changes. This can come with changes in the name or pronouns the individual uses, how they dress, or just a change in an internal sense of self.

Gender Non-Conforming / GNC

Someone who dresses or acts outside of the societally prescribed ideas of one's own gender or gender in general. You do not need to be transgender in order to be gender non-conforming.

Genderqueer

Someone who does not identify with traditional ideas of genders. Sometimes used as a synonym for nonbinary.

Transsexual/Transvestite

"Transsexual" and "transvestite" are generally considered offensive today, but LGBTQIA2S+ community elders who came into themselves using those words still identify with them. Use only in deference to a person's stated preference.

Two-Spirit

Two-Spirit is an identity term created by and exclusively for Native Americans. It’s a complex term that varies in meaning and use from tribe to tribe, but there are two general ways it's defined:

1. A specific gender identity that indicates that someone has two differently gendered souls or spirits inside of them.
2. An umbrella term that encompasses all Native LGBTQIA+ people and identities2

Go Blue!

Always capped.

Grades

Simply state the letter grade and add “s” to make plural:

• He got an A in the class
• She was getting As every semester

H

hashtags

Hyphens

We follow Chicago style and open hyphenation, without hyphens for adjectival compounds unless necessary for clarity.

If you are forming a compound modifier, and the first word of the compound is an adverb that ends in –ly, do not hyphenate between the compound.

Do not hyphenate Americans of any sort, even when they appear in an adjective phrase. (CMOS 7.90) African Americans, an African American, a Chinese American child, French Canadians.

For hyphenated items in headline capitalization, capitalize all words that would usually be capitalized.

• Rackham Announces Committee on Student Mental Health and Well-Being
• Provost Promises a Soup-to-Nuts Overhaul of Campus Dining Options

I

Initials

Groups of more than one initial standing for given names are followed by a period and no space.

• Karl C.K. Ma
• J. Mo

internet

Lowercase.

• She used the internet in the study lounge.

L

Leaders and Best

Always capped.

Linked Text

Linked running text should clearly and concisely tell the user where the link will lead.

• Do not use “click here,” “read more,” “here,” or similar link text

N

Names and Titles

Always capitalize a title if it comes before a name:

• To add fuel to the fire, Professor of Mathematics Tilly Smith said she was right.
• In a world of germs, Professor Howard Markel reigns.

If it comes after the name, leave it lowercase:

• To add fuel to the fire, Tilly Smith, a professor of mathematics, said she was right.
• Please plan to join our hosts at a reception to honor Studs McKenna, a professor of molecular biology.

Generic or common roles are not capitalized:

• U-M developmental psychologist Joan Schulenberg is shocked at the results.
• It’s widely known that systems analyst Paul Betan works with students daily.

Named professorships or deanships always take caps regardless of placement:

• Debra Barton is the Mary Lou Willard French Professor of Oncology Nursing.

Use a person’s last name on second reference.

• Except in quoted material or in rare exceptions to accommodate a person’s stated preference, avoid preceding the name with “Mrs.,” “Dr.,” “Mr.,” etc.

Nonprofit

No hyphen.

Numbers and Percents

Spell numbers from one to nine:

• There were six cats, three birds, and 42 mice.
• The first time she called, I didn’t mind. By the 19th time, I was irritated.

Spell out any number that begins a sentence.

• Twenty-four books were stacked in his office.

Spell out percent in running text:

• There was a six-percent reduction in accidents.

In graphics and charts, the percent sign is used.

• 25% of Students

Use numerals if there is a decimal:

• He uses 2.5 percent of his allotted funds.

When noting money, use numbers:

• $2 million

Some quantities consisting of whole numbers and fractions are often better expressed in numerals:

• Susan is 5 feet 2¼ inches tall.

P

Parentheses

If an entire sentence is enclosed in parentheses, the period is inside:

• (The dinosaur’s eggs were found close to the nest.)

If only a portion or fragment of the sentence is in parentheses, the period is outside:

• The dinosaur’s eggs were found close to the nest (in Brazil).

Periods

• BC and AD – use them with no periods
• Periods for D.C., as in Washington, D.C.
• a.m. and p.m. (lowercase with periods)
• CEO and VIP do not get periods

Phone Numbers

Separated by periods: 734.657.1041

Photography

Website Sizes

• Carousel: 1800 x 1200
• Feature: 1800 x 1125 (vertically centered 790 is what appears on homepage in Discover Rackham)
• Inline: 1800 x 1200

Newsletter Sizes

• Feature: 1200x600
• Square: 600x600

Social Media Sizes

• Facebook: 1200x630 (post), 851x315 (cover)
• Twitter: 1024x512 (post), 1500x500 (cover)
• Instagram: 1080x1080 (post), 1080x1920 (story)

Kiosk Size

• Deck: 1024x768

PowerPoint Size

• Deck: 1280x720

Video Size

• HD: 1920x1080

Place Names

Generic terms like mountain, river, delta, etc., are capitalized if they’re part of the name. When these generic terms are used descriptively, they’re not capitalized.

• the Black Forest
• the Hawaiian Islands (but the islands of Hawaii)
• the Amazon basin
• the Hudson River valley

Possessives

House style is to use a single apostrophe at the end of a single name or entity regardless of whether it ends in “s.”

• Paul’s boutique
• Jimmy James’s mic control
• Dallas’s problem

Postdoctoral or Postdocs

Not hyphenated.

Prepositions

In headline capitalization, lowercase all prepositions four letters or shorter, and cap all prepositions longer than four letters

• A Room with a View
• A Farewell to Arms
• A River Runs Through It

Exception: Capitalize prepositions if they are used adjectivally or adverbially.
• Rec & Ed to Step Up Its Game

P.S. and P.P.S.

Uppercase, with periods.

Q

QR Codes

QR codes require an app to read them and have been shown in numerous studies to be ineffective for conversion. U-M’s Office of VP Comm does not recommend their use on printed materials. Instead, use the university URL shortener. Plus, QR codes kill kittens.

R

Race

Capitalize Black when referring to race (preferred to “African American”), but not “white.”

Also, capitalize specific race terms:

• Asian American (also, no hyphen, even if it’s modifying something).
• Caucasian

Exception

For students who capitalize “white” with reference to race in their blog posts, please flag and let them know that, while our style is to lowercase this term, we will follow their preference in their post.

Rackham Graduate School

Use “Rackham” informally.

The full formal name is the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, though this is rarely used.

Regents

Capitalize the formal name “Board of Regents.” Otherwise, lowercase.

• The issue was set to go before the regents.
• The March regents meeting was interrupted by protesters.
• Andrea Fischer-Newman, a regent with close ties to the issue, disagreed.
• Regent Mark Bernstein led the initiative.

S

Sexuality

Terms in this section are taken from the U-M Spectrum Center’s web course Introduction to LGBTQIA2S+ Communities and Identities. Please keep in mind guidance from the Spectrum Center when referring to this section: 

“Understand that LGBTQIA2S+ identity can be incredibly personal, and that the definitions we offer may not suit everyone who claims a specific identity.

“Although these definitions are well-researched, thoughtfully crafted, and based on current understandings of identity, they are not perfect. These definitions are here to provide a baseline understanding.

“Believing and accepting another person's description of themselves is a sign of respect, and should always be practiced. When a person states their identity, that identity is to be respected and accepted. It is not our place to tell anyone they cannot identify a certain way because of real or perceived attraction or behavior.”

A-/Allo-

As a suffix, “a-” usually indicates an absence of something. For example, asexual and aromantic refer to those who feel little to no sexual or romantic attraction, respectively. 

Someone who does feel sexual or romantic attraction would be allosexual and/or alloromantic. “Allo-” identities exist alongside other sexual or romantic identities. Just like a cisgender person is also a man or a woman, an allo- person also identifies as hetero-, bi-, pan-, etc.

Bisexual

A sexual identity term for a person who is sexually attracted to people of two or more genders, although not necessarily to the same degree. 

Pansexual

A sexual identity term for a person who is sexually attracted to people of all genders, although not necessarily to the same degree. 

Gay

A sexual identity term that is most commonly used to describe men who experience sexual attraction to other men. 

Homosexual

The term “homosexual” was considered a diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual until 1973. Due to this, many LGBTQIA2S+ reject this term. We strongly suggest refraining from using the term homosexual. However, if an individual identifies as homosexual, that is their right. 

Lesbian

A sexual identity term that is most commonly used to describe women who experience sexual attraction to other women.

State Names

Spell out state names in all instances except as part of a postal address on an envelope.

Superscripts

We don’t use them.

T

3-D

Times

Use complete times and lowercase “a.m.” and “p.m.” Always use periods, though sometimes “a.m.” and “p.m.” can be capped if part of display text in all caps. Put a space before “a.m.” and “p.m.” In digital communications, spell out "to" instead of using a hyphen for accessibility.

• 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
• 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. | VANDENBERG ROOM

For events that don’t span noon or midnight, it’s not necessary to use “a.m.” or “p.m.” twice.

• 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
• 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Titles: Books, Movies, Art, TV shows, Music, Plays, Newspapers, and Magazines

For web, do not italicize linked text.

• Read the full story in the University Record.

Titles of books and movies are italicized.

• The book Mailman made her cry.
• Star Wars: A New Hope is the fourth movie in the storyline.

Titles of TV shows are italicized.

• Happy Days jumped the shark.

Specific episodes of TV shows are put into quotes.

• “The Soup Nazi” was one of Seinfeld’s most memorable episodes.

Works of art are italicized.

• The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

Named photographs take quotes.

• “North Dome” is one of Ansel Adams’s photographs of Kings River Canyon.

Titles of operas, albums, and other long musical compositions are italicized. Titles of songs are set in quotation marks.

• Lennon and McCartney’s song “I Will” appeared on the Beatles’ famous White Album.
• Handel’s Messiah

Titles of plays are italicized.

• A play based on Chekhov’s The Seagull.

Titles of poems take quotes.

• “Annabelle Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe.

Titles of court cases are italicized.

• Brown v. Board of Education

Names of newspapers and magazines are italicized, but do not cap or italicize “the” as part of the name.

• He purchased a copy of the New York Times so he could do the crossword.
• The Atlantic ran a story on off-track betting in the Himalayas.

Transgender

Not “transgendered.”

U

United States

The abbreviation is permissible when used as an adjective.

• U.S. dollars (with periods)
• United States as a noun should be spelled out.

University

Do not capitalize university unless using the complete and proper name: University of Michigan. Lowercase in running text.

• LSA is the largest college at the university.

W

Web Addresses

Exclude the http:// and www:

• Students are asked to visit umich.edu for more information.

Website

One word, lowercase

• The flier encouraged students to visit the organization’s website.

Words and U-M terms

• U-M (never “the U-M”)
• Go Blue!