Editorial Style Guide

The University of Northern Iowa uses the The Associated Press Stylebook and Merriam-Webster Dictionary to resolve most style issues. This guide was created as a resource for common questions and in the hopes of encouraging a consistent style in university writing across campus.

When in doubt, particularly on sensitive topics, please contact the UR team.

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

A

abbreviations and acronyms

In general, avoid alphabet soup. Do not use acronyms or abbreviations that the reader would not recognize quickly.

Acronyms for job titles and names of organizations, centers, buildings, forms, tests and assorted other objects are generally spelled without periods.

CEO, UNI, UNESCO, FAFSA, TESOL, SAT, PA, UNI-CUE

Acronyms are pluralized without apostrophes, unless the last letter of the acronym is an “s,” in which case an apostrophe is needed. (This is one of the rare cases where a plural requires an apostrophe.)

GREs, IDs, LANs, W-2s, SOS’s, RAs

Usage:

Abbreviate titles when used before a name: Dr., Gov., Sen.
For academic degree guidance, see academic degrees.
With dates or numerals: Use B.C., A.D., a.m., p.m.
Abbreviate the following months: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
Addresses: Abbreviate avenue, boulevard and street in numbered addresses. He lives on Walnut Street. He lives at 89 Walnut St.

academic degrees

Capitalization in names of degrees conferred at UNI should match the official degree list. Note that in degree names containing the words “of science,” the discipline is part of the official degree name and is therefore capitalized.

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science in Physics

In many cases where science isn’t part of the degree name, the discipline isn’t part of the official degree name and is therefore not capitalized.

Bachelor of Arts in psychology, Doctor of Philosophy in mass communications

Note also the following types of degree names:

Bachelor of Arts in English (English is a proper noun and is therefore capitalized.)

Associate of General Studies, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Public Policy

When referring to degrees in a general way, don’t capitalize them. Note that while bachelor’s and master’s end in “’s,” the other generic words for degrees do not.

An associate degree, a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, a doctoral degree or a doctorate.

In references to the degrees, the word degree is never capitalized.

Caryn earned her Master of Music degree last spring.

In an exception to AP Style, do not use periods when abbreviating degrees except in formal writing.

Bachelor of Arts (BA), a bachelor’s degree; Master of Arts (MA), a master’s degree; Master of Business Administration (MBA), an MBA, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), a doctorate degree or PhD.

Pluralized abbreviations:

PhDs, JDs; There were four candidates with PhDs applying for the position.

Degrees conferred at institutions other than UNI may not conform to UNI style. Verify these degree names in order to preserve the correct capitalization, abbreviation and punctuation style.

academic terms and class standing

Use lowercase for semesters (fall, spring, summer), academic terms and class standing. The 2026 fall semester, spring term freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors.

advisor

Not adviser, when referring to academic advisors.

alum, alumni

To avoid gendered language and maintain a more casual tone, use “alum” when referring to a single UNI graduate. Use “alumni” when referring to multiple graduates.

a.m., p.m.

Write time using lowercase letters and periods with a space after the numbers.

ampersand

Use the ampersand (&) only when it’s an official part of the name or title — its formal approved name: Professional & Scientific, Continuing & Distance Education, AT&T Corp., Simon & Schuster, Proctor & Gamble Co. Ampersands are never used in running text unless they are part of an official name.

B

Black

Capitalize when referring to race: John Doe is a Black student at UNI.

Board of Regents, State of Iowa

Iowa Board of Regents is acceptable on first reference.

Buildings & Centers

Admissions Welcome Center
- AWC is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Bartlett Hall
Begeman Hall
Bender Hall
Biology Research Complex
Business and Community Services
- BCS is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Campanile
Center for Energy and Environmental Education
- CEEE is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Center for Multicultural Education
- CME is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Center for Social and Behavioral Research
- CSBR is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Child Development Center
- “The center” is acceptable on second reference, as the CDC is commonly understood as an acronym for the Centers for Disease Control.
Communications Arts Center
- CAC is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Crime Scene House
Curris Business Building
- CBB is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Dancer Hall
Dementia Simulation House
East Bartlett
Foundry 4.0 Center
Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center
- GBPAC is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Gilchrist Hall
Hagemann Hall
Innovative Teaching & Technology Center
- ITTC is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center
- JPEC is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Kamerick Art Building
- KAB is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Lang Hall
Latham Hall
Lawther Hall
Marshall Center School
Maucker Union
- Use Maucker Union on first reference. Thereafter “the union” is acceptable. Only capitalize union when it is used with the full name.
- The students had lunch in Maucker Union. The gathering will happen in the union.
McCollum Science Hall
- MSH is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
McLeod Center
Metal Casting Center
- MCC is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Noehren Hall
Redeker Center
Rider Hall
Russell Hall
Sabin Hall
Schindler Education Center
- SEC is acceptable on second reference or in internal communications.
Seerley Hall
Shull Hall
Strayer-Wood Theatre
Student Health Center
- SHC is acceptable for second reference or in internal campus communications.
Tallgrass Prairie Center
Towers Center
UNI-CUE
UNI-Dome
Wright Hall

C

capitalization

Avoid unnecessary capitalization. A general rule is that official names are capitalized; unofficial, informal, shortened or generic names aren’t. This rule applies to names of offices, buildings, schools, departments, programs, institutes, centers and so on. Therefore, phrases such as the center, the institute or the new museum aren’t capitalized.

The Office of the Registrar, the registrar’s office, this office, the registrar
The College of Business Administration, the business college, the college
The University of Northern Iowa Department of Physics, the physics department, the department
The University Museums, the museum

A person’s title is only capitalized if it precedes their name: President Mark A. Nook. Mark A. Nook, UNI president.

CatID

Username and password used for systems throughout the university.

comma

AP Style punctuation guidelines state:

"As with all punctuation, clarity is the biggest rule. If a comma does not help make clear what is being said, it should not be there. If omitting a comma could lead to confusion or misinterpretation, then use the comma.
For detailed guidance, consult the punctuation section in the back of Webster's New World College Dictionary.

IN A SERIES: Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in most simple series: The flag is red, white and blue. He would nominate Tom, Dick, Harry or Jeannette. She goes to school, plays league soccer and takes private dance lessons.

Include a final comma in a simple series if omitting it could make the meaning unclear. The governor convened his most trusted advisers, economist Olivia Schneider and polling expert Carlton Torres. (If Schneider and Torres are his most trusted advisers, don’t use the final comma.) The governor convened his most trusted advisers, economist Olivia Schneider, and polling expert Carlton Torres. (If the governor is convening unidentified advisers plus Schneider and Torres, the final comma is needed.)
Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.

Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases: The main points to consider are whether the athletes are skillful enough to compete, whether they have the stamina to endure the training, and whether they have the proper mental attitude."

composition titles

These guidelines apply to the titles of books, movies, plays, poems, albums, songs, operas, radio and television programs, lectures, speeches, and works of art:

Capitalize all words in the title except articles (a, an, the), prepositions of three or fewer letters (for, of, on, up, etc.), and conjunctions of three or fewer letters (and, but, for, or, so, etc.).
Exceptions are for the Bible, the Quran and other holy books and books that are primarily of reference.

course numbers and titles

Each course has a course number and course title, which is always capitalized (even if the course is referred to without the number). There is no punctuation between the course number and course title. Numerals are generally only used in the course catalog.

870:142 Igneous Petrology

450:121 Mental Deviance and Mental Health Institutions

Professor Henry is teaching Physics I this spring.

I can’t wait to take Stratigraphy and Sedimentation this fall.

D

dean

Capitalize when used as a title before a name. Dean John Jones. Lowercase in all other uses.

dean’s list

Lowercase in all uses and using a singular possessive apostrophe.

departments

Department names used in an official way are uppercase (e.g. Department of Biology) as are all formal names of centers, etc. General references such as “the biology department” are lowercase.

directions and regions

Lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate direction; capitalize when they refer to regions. He drove west. The storm is forming on the West Coast.

doctor

Use Dr. in first reference as a formal title before the name of an individual who holds a doctorate in medical fields, including dentists and veterinarians.

Do not use before the names of individuals who hold other types of doctoral degrees.

E

emeritus

Note that emeritus is the singular, masculine form; for references to women, use emerita (singular) or emeritae (plural). Emeriti may serve as the plural for a group that is composed of men only or of men and women together. All references follow the noun.

professor emerita of music, professor emeriti, faculty emeriti

em dash, en dash, hyphen

Dashes separate; hyphens join. The distinction usually holds true for em vs en dashes, too.

A space is used on either side of any dash, except at the start of a paragraph or in sports agate summaries.

The two dashes most commonly used by typesetters are the em dash and the en dash. The em dash is what is usually meant by the word dash — a long mark that can be created by using the dash character (Option Shift Hyphen). In manuscripts, dashes are often represented with a double hyphen (--); these must be replaced.

The en dash is simply a specialized, slightly elongated hyphen that looks like this – (Option Hyphen). En dashes serve primarily to connect numbers (1–10).

A hyphen is the shortest version of a dash, made by pressing the hyphen key (next to =). Hyphens connect linked words and phrases and they break words at the ends of lines.

Em dashes are frequently used to set off parenthetical phrases, especially long or complex ones where something stronger than a comma is called for. If the parenthetical phrase comes at the end of a sentence, only one dash is needed to set it off — like this. If it’s inserted into the middle of the sentence — like this — you need dashes on both sides.

The building — one of our oldest — will be reroofed.

F

fellow, fellowship

Lowercase except when used with proper names:

He received a UNI fellowship.

Jeff earned a GE Fund Faculty for the Future Fellowship.

Clifford was a Fulbright Scholar.

G

GED

Abbreviation for General Education Development. Use as an adjective, not a noun. Those passing the test earn a GED diploma not a GED.

gender

Not synonymous with sex. Gender refers to a person’s social identity while sex refers to biological characteristics. Avoid references to both, either or opposite sexes or genders as a way to encompass all people.

In general, use language that the subject of the story is comfortable with, rather than conforming to a certain style. Language around gender is evolving, and you may need to make decisions, based on your audience, that are not covered in this style guide.

governmental bodies

Capitalize the full proper name of governmental agencies, departments and offices: the U.S. Department of State, the Waterloo City Council, the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors.

Do not capitalize when referring to multiple government bodies or when the name does not refer to a specific, existing body.

GPA

Acceptable in all references.

Don’t hyphenate grade point average or put periods in its abbreviation, GPA. GPAs refer to numbers, not grades. Always extend to one decimal point. On external references, qualify by saying on a 4.0 scale. On internal publications, it‘s not necessary to make reference to the scale: A GPA of 3.0, not a GPA of B.

grade, grades, grader

Capitalize the letters used for grades, as well as official grade names where applicable. Don’t put quotation marks around grades.

A, B, C, D, F, W, I, P, FX, S/F, P/F, R, Incomplete, Pass, Deferred, a grade of B

When referring to a grade, use a capital letter.

A B average for the course, a P/F course, a grade of I (Incomplete)

Pluralize single letter grades with apostrophes.

She got mostly B’s and C’s all year.

No hyphen needed when describing a student through their year in school: a fourth grade student. Hyphenate to avoid confusion. He was the sixth fourth-grade student to win the prize.

H

healthcare: Write as one word.
honorary degrees: Specify the degree was honorary.

I

Indigenous: Capitalize
international students: The phrase international student is preferable to foreign students.

J

job classifications: Capitalize the full versions of Merit, Professional and Scientific (P&S), and Supervisory Confidential Merit Personnel (SCMP). The acronym is acceptable on the first or second reference when used for internal publications.

K

L

lectures

Capitalize for formal names of talks being held on campus. Lowercase when not used as a proper name.

UNI welcomes award-winning writer for the Hearst Lecture Series.

The professor gave a lecture on copyright law.

M

N

Native American: Capitalize.
No.: Use the abbreviation for number when used to indicate rank.
numbers: In general, spell out numbers one through nine. Use numerals for 10 and above and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to ages of people, animals, events or things.

O

office

Capitalize when it’s part of an official name: Office of the Registrar

Lowercase in all other uses: the registrar’s office

oxford comma

See comma.

P

Panther

Capitalize when referring to UNI’s athletic teams or to students, alums or other UNI groups. Also capitalize Panther Pride.

We’re proud of our Panther graduates. The Panthers pummeled the Cyclones in last night’s football game.

parking lot designations

Capitalize the lot letter, but not the word “lot” when referring to a specific parking lot in running text.

I always park in the B lot. Parking is available in Gilchrist A lot.

part time

Hyphenate as an adjective before the noun; otherwise, leave as two words.

Lisa is a part-time student. Lisa attends classes part time.

percentage

We follow AP style in using the percent symbol.

Use the % when used with a numeral: In the department of biology, 40% of students complete undergraduate research.

Use decimals rather than fractions with percentages: Only 4.25% of students surveyed said they would recommend it to a friend.

For numbers less than 1%, precede it with a 0: The campus population grew by 0.8% last year.

phone numbers

Use figures and separate by hyphens. Never use periods in place of hyphens: 319-555-3333

For on-campus numbers in internal publications, use the last five digits of the number, with a hyphen between the first number and the last four digits.

plurals

Avoid misusing the apostrophe to form plurals. The only nouns that commonly take an apostrophe “s” in the plural are abbreviations with more than one period or single letters.

MBA’s, R.N.’s; x’s and y’s; A’s and B’s

Otherwise, acronyms, hyphenated coinages and numbers used as nouns (either spelled out or as numerals) generally add s (or es) alone to form the plural.

An exception is acronyms ending in the letter s.

AIs, W-2s, 747s, FAFSAs, 1980s, follow-ups, at sixes and sevens; but: SOS’s

Apostrophes are never used to form the plural of any proper noun.

The Johnsons will attend.

As with any plural noun, though, plural proper nouns do add a single apostrophe (no s) to indicate possession.

The reception will be at the Johnsons’ home.

policies

Names of official policies such as the Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Policy or Equal Opportunity Policy should be capitalized. If the concept, rather than the official name, is being discussed, lowercase is appropriate.

possessives

See The Associated Press Stylebook for the complete listing.

For plural nouns not ending in s, add ’s.

The alumni’s contributions made a big impact.

For plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe.

The girls’ contributions made a big impact.

For nouns plural in form and singular in meaning, add only an apostrophe.

Mathematics’ rules are hard to understand.

post-

Follow Webster's New World College Dictionary. Hyphenate if not listed there.

Some words without a hyphen:

postsecondary education
postdoctorate
postgame
postbaccalaureate

pre-

The rules in prefixes apply. The general rule is that a hyphen is used if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel.

Pre-established, pre-election, pre-eminent, pre-employment, pre-emptive.

Otherwise, follow Webster’s New World College Dictionary.

Pregame, pretest, preheat, precondition, prearranged.

president

Capitalize only if immediately preceding a person’s name.

President John Doe; John Doe is president of the University of Northern Iowa.

professor

Do not capitalize professor. Upon second reference, use the person’s last name without using their title.

The latest report published by professor John Doe explains the risks associated with too much screen time. According to Doe, effects range from migraines to sleep disruptions.

John Doe, professor of physics, received an award for his new book. Doe will accept the award at tonight’s ceremony.

Professor Emeritus

Emeritus is an honorary rank bestowed on some retired university faculty. Not every retired faculty member has emeritus status, so do not use the terms interchangeably.

Always use the term "Professor Emeritus" NOT "Emeritus Professor."

It’s appropriate to capitalize Professor Emeritus as a conferred title before a name, but don’t continue on second reference.

Emeritus and emeriti are the preferred singular and plural terms of professors of any gender. The feminine term emerita may be used given the context of the publication or the preference of the subject.

John Doe, Professor Emeritus, will be joining us for lunch.

Professors Emeriti Jane Doe and John Doe are highly involved in the UNI community.

Professor Emerita Jane Doe is the guest speaker for today’s event.

Q

Q&A

Use Q&A within the body of the story.

The Multicultural Theatrical Society will hold a Q&A session for new members tomorrow.

R

Regents institutions, Iowa’s

The University of Northern Iowa is one of five Iowa Regents institutions.

The University of Northern Iowa is one of Iowa’s five Regents institutions.

UNI is one of five institutions governed by the Iowa Board of Regents.

registrar

Lowercase in informal usage, but uppercase as part of the official name.

registrar’s office, the registrar, Office of the Registrar

room names and numbers

Refer to rooms on campus in this format:

115 Seerley Hall; University Room, Maucker Union; or University Room, MAU

S

subcommittee

One word, no hyphen. Lowercase when using with the name of the full committee.

The UNI Brand Messaging subcommittee has compiled a robust style guide.

State names

Spell out, don’t abbreviate in story.

Student athlete vs student-athlete

A student athlete is a participant in an organized competitive sport sponsored by UNI. A student-athlete is a full-time student and athlete at the same time.

syllabus, syllabi

Syllabi is the preferred plural term for syllabus.

T

teachers college

(SEE ALSO: Iowa State Teachers College/when and how to use old UNI names - borrow from UNI section of style guide)

Iowa State Normal School, 1876–1909
Iowa State Teachers College, 1909–1961
State College of Iowa, 1961–1967
University of Northern Iowa, 1967–present

When mentioning one of UNI’s former names, make note that it was called that at the time, and has since changed.

Dolores graduated from Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) in 1948, and received a teaching certificate.

theatre

Use the -re spelling of theatre in reference to Strayer-Wood Theatre, Bertha Martin Theatre or the Theatre Department.

Strayer-Wood Theatre, theatre department

Don’t use theatre in running text, unless referring directly to the Strayer-Wood Theatre or Bertha Martin Theatre.

She’s taking theater classes. I’m going over to the Strayer-Wood Theatre for rehearsals.

TheatreUNI

Refers to the Department of Theatre’s production work. Distinct from the Department of Theatre, which is pedagogical/teaching in nature. Refer to it as “TheatreUNI” in headlines and “Theatre UNI” in the body of copy.

times

Use numerals in all cases. Omit the zeros from on-the-hour times. Use periods for a.m. and p.m. An exception may be made in more decorative layouts. Use of o’clock is generally discouraged. Don’t use numerals with noon and midnight. Noon and midnight aren’t capitalized unless at the beginning of a sentence.

9 a.m., 11:15 p.m., noon, midnight, 3-4:30 p.m. or 3 to 4:30 p.m., 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Note that “from” is only used in time expressions when the word “to” is included.

From 9 a.m. to noon

Not: from 9 a.m.-noon

titles of people

Titles preceding a name are capitalized; those following a name or set off by commas aren’t. Don’t use the honorific title Dr. in reference to an academic who has earned a doctorate, unless used in a direct quote. Professor is appropriate but isn’t capitalized.

Capitalize Professor Emeritus as a conferred title before a name, but don’t continue on second reference. Dr. may be used in reference to a medical doctor.

The latest discovery by professor John Doe…

John Doe, professor of physics, has discovered…

Professor Emerita Susan Johnson...

This rule applies not only to academic titles, but also to administrative titles.

President John Doe, president since 1995,…

Doe, who has been president of UNI since 1995,…

An exception to this rule is a “named” title.

John Doe is the Martin Chair Professor of Piano at UNI.

Do not capitalize a qualifying word that precedes a capitalized title. Today, staff members honored former Faculty Senate Chair David Smith. Treat references to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa in the same way as other personal titles discussed above.

Our office recently received a visit from Regent Bob Smith.

U

U-Bill: Abbreviation for University Bill.
US vs U.S.: When using an abbreviation for United States in story text include periods (U.S.). In headlines, use US.
UNI, university (“the university” etc.): Generally use University of Northern Iowa on first reference and UNI or university after. When starting a sentence use “The University of Northern Iowa” unless referring to aspects of UNI such as “University of Northern Iowa students.”

V

vice president: Use the same capitalization rules as president.

W

Wilson College of Business

The David W. Wilson College of Business is the first named college in UNI history. Please use the full college name on first reference when possible: David W. Wilson College of Business. On second reference: Wilson College of Business. Continue to reference the University of Northern Iowa and/or UNI:

David W. Wilson College of Business at the University of Northern Iowa

The University of Northern Iowa and its esteemed Wilson College of Business.

How to refer to the college:

Primary:
- Wilson College of Business

Formal:
- David W. Wilson College of Business
- Wilson College of Business at the University of Northern Iowa

Informal:
- Wilson College
How not to refer to the college:
- UNI's Wilson College of Business
- UNI Business
- UNIBusiness

work-study

Use a hyphen. Only capitalize when referring to specific programs like Federal Work-Study.

XYZ

years

Do not include the year when referring to a month and date in the current year: Please submit your application by July 12. If the reference is to a future or past year include the year and set off with commas: Nov. 8, 2018, was an incredible day.

Centuries or decades should be referred to without an apostrophe, such as the 1970s or the 1600s.

Years are an exception to the rule of not starting a sentence with a figure: 2020 was a challenging year.

When referring to alumni by graduation year, the preferred reference is ‘19, offset by commas. Use this format on first reference with any alumni in a story, unless it’s previously mentioned in the story.

Jane Doe, ‘17, successfully climbed Mt. Everest.