Strategic Communications primarily creates and edits materials using the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook. However, we have adopted some exceptions to AP style. Consistency of style is important to establish our identity and provide clear direction to our audiences.

A

abbreviations (also see degrees, majors, U.S., company names)

In order to abbreviate or use the letters of the name of an organization, office, etc., spell out on the first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. The abbreviation can be used throughout the rest of the piece.

example:
The College’s Behavioral Health/Human Services (BHHS) program prepares students for work or transfer upon graduation.

academic and professional titles

Abbreviate these titles when used before a full name outside direct quotations: Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Mx., Rep., the Rev. and Sen. Only one title goes before or after a name: Dr. Ava Smith or Ava Smith, Ph.D.

acronyms

Abbreviate companies, organizations and institutions that are widely known by their abbreviations:
example: IBM, NAACP, NATO, UPS

courtesy or professional titles

Spell out titles before a name except Dr., Mr., Mrs., Ms. and Mx. when they are used in direct quotations.

Jr., Sr.

Separate abbreviations junior and senior before an individual’s name with a comma.
(exception to AP style)
example:
John Smith, Jr. is the president of a local company.

academic titles (also see titles)

Lowercase titles when they appear after a name or are eparated by commas; capitalize when the title precedes a name. Words that describe an occupation, such as author, professor or architect, are never capitalized, unless they begin a sentence.

example:
Jane Smith, assistant professor of Art, gave a lecture.
Professor Smith teaches three classes.

addresses

Abbreviate direction before streets, and abbreviate only Ave., Blvd., and St. when used with a specific, numbered address. Spell out and capitalize when used without a numbered address. Lowercase when referring to more than one street.

example:
1420 N. Charles Street
North Charles Street
25 Falls Road
At the intersection of 18th and Spring Garden streets

ages (also see numbers)

Use figures and hyphenate when used as a modifier.

example:
My daughter is 5 years old.
My 5-year-old daughter went to the movies.
Jane, 5, likes to go to school.

alum, alums

Use alumnus for an individual male, alumna for an individual female, alumni for a group of males, alumnae for a group of females and alumni when referring to a group of men and women.

Athletics Center

Includes the Gymnasium, or the Lions Den; fitness center; and exercise rooms. Room abbreviation: G

B

bi-

No hyphen with this prefix.

example:
That newspaper is a bimonthly publication.

Bonnell Building

Room abbreviation: B

bulleted lists (also see colon in punctuation section)

Bulleted lists attract readers’ attention, and are useful for identifying important points and shortening copy. Capitalize the first word, and no ending punctuation is necessary.

example:
Our program provides several services:

• Career planning and guidance
• Access to resources that will help you pay for college
• Free tutoring and mentorship program

C

capitalization (see also academic titles; titles)

city

Capitalize as part of a proper name and formal title before a name. Capitalize before the name of the city (exception to AP style). Lowercase elsewhere.

example:
Kansas City
City of Philadelphia
City Manager John Smith
I live in Philadelphia. The city is a great place to live.

College Community, College Family

Uppercase these terms when speaking about the students and employees of the College as
a whole.

Center for Business and Industry (CBI)

Room abbreviation: C

colloquialisms

Avoid in order to make communication more understandable and clear, unless something must be used as part of a quote.

comma (see punctuation section)

We do not use the serial comma, unless there is “and,” “or” between one item.

example:
I bought apples, oranges and grapes at the market.
The student has earned a Science degree, Health Services Management degree, and
Culture, Science, and Technology Degree.

The programs included Art and Design, Photographic Imaging, and Architecture.

Community College of Philadelphia

Capitalize “College” when referring to our institution, and CCP can be used, especially after our name is mentioned earlier, or there is a logo. Do not use the with Community College of Philadelphia.

example:
There are several events scheduled at the College today. Join us at CCP and see what resources can further your student success.
Community College of Philadelphia is located at 1700 Spring Garden Street.

company names (also see abbreviations)

Capitalize company names unless the company does not spell their names with a capital letter.
Note: If a company name that begins with a lowercase letter is the first word of a sentence,
capitalize the first letter.

example:
eBay
EBay attracts thousands of customers a day.

Do not spell company names in all capital letters unless the letters are individually pronounced.

example:
IBM, CSX

Spell and space company names according to their official spellings.

example:
FedEx, Hewlett-Packard, Barnes & Noble

composition titles (books, music, play—see titles)

comprise

A whole comprises its parts; means consists of. “Comprised of” is incorrect.

example:
The department comprises both divisions.

course titles

Capitalize and do not put in quotations when the formal name of the course is written as it
appears in the College catalog. When referring to course areas in general, lowercase.

example:
Every student must take Introductory English.
All of the intermediate biology courses are full.

coursework

D

data

Since this noun is plural, it normally takes the plural forms of verbs and pronouns. Use singular forms when the group or quantity is regarded as a unit.

example:
The data have been carefully collected.
The data is sound.

dates

Spell out months and days of the week. Abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. when used in a date. When listing only the month and the year, do not separate with a comma. Use commas when the month, year, and date are used. Do not use th, st or nd superscripts with dates.

example:
Sept. 1, 2003
September 2003
class of ‘03
the ‘80s
Sept. 2, 2003, was the first day of school.
The lecture is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 5.

degrees and majors

Capitalize full degree titles; lowercase the shorter form.

example:
Bachelor of Arts degree
bachelor’s degree
baccalaureate degree
Master of Arts
Master of Science degree in Mathematics
master’s program in Public Administration
doctorate

Use periods in abbreviations of academic degrees.
B.A., B.S., M.B.A., M.P.A., Ph.D., D.Ed., M.Ed., Psy.D

When referring to degrees in general, lowercase the first letter and use ’s.

example:
Fifty teachers hold master’s degrees.

Note: It is more common to not use periods in the abbreviation of Master of Business Administration and other degrees when it is used to describe individuals with this educational background, not an individual’s degree.

example:
The firm just hired several MBAs for their business accounting division.

departments and divisions

Capitalize names of departments, offices and divisions. Only capitalize the words department, office or division if it is an official title.

example:
the Office of Financial Aid (official title)
Financial Aid office
Division of Math, Science and Health Careers
Psychology, Education and Human Services Department
Allied Health Department

dual heritage

No hyphen is needed for terms such as African American or Asian American, used when relevant and referring to an American person’s heritage. The same applies to describe non-Americans, if applicable: Turkish German for a German of Turkish descent. Use a hyphen to denote individuals with dual citizenship.

example:
a dual U.S.-Australian citizen

E

e-book, e-business, e-commerce, email, e-shopping

Use a hyphen after the “e” except for email.

emeritus

Lowercase when used after a name with a title and uppercase before a name.

example:
Professor Emeritus Jane Smith
Jane Smith, professor emeritus

F

farther, further

Farther involves physical distance, and further indicates to a greater degree.

example:
I can run farther than you.
I am looking into this matter further.

fewer, less

Use fewer with things that can be counted; use less with quantities that are considered whole or as a single item.

example:
fewer jobs
less income
The tickets cost less than $5.00.
Fewer than 100 people attended the party.

full time, full-time

Hyphenate when used as an adjective.

example:
full-time student
I work full time.

fundraising, fundraiser

One word in all cases.

G

Gymnasium

In the Athletics Center, called the Lion’s Den. Room abbreviation: G

H

health care

Spell as two words.

example:
Health care is a field that rapidly changes.
I reviewed the health care plan today.

high-tech

Hispanic

Preferred to the term Latino.

home page

The “front” page of a website.

I

Internet

Capitalize this term, as well as the Web.

J

Jr., Sr.

Abbreviate and separate from the last name with a comma.

L

long term, long-term

Hyphenate when used as a modifier.

example: This will be best for the long term. I have a long-term assignment.

long time, longtime

Hyphenate when used as a modifier.

example: We have known each other a long time. They are longtime friends.

M

mid-

No hyphen unless a capitalized word follows or when mid precedes a figure.

example:
mid-Atlantic
mid-America
midterm
midsemester
mid-80s

millions, billions

Indicate amounts with a dollar sign and million or billion. Always use numerals; do not spell out numbers.

example:
The house is worth $2.5 million.

Do not mix millions and billions.

example:
2.5 billion people, not 2 billion, 500 million people.

Do not drop million or billion when describing a range.

example:
He is worth from $2 million to $4 million.

Mint Building

Room abbreviation: M

monetary figures

Do not use decimal places for monetary figures. For amounts over $1 million, use up to two decimal places.

example:
$50
$4.35 million

more than, over

More than is preferred with numerals; over generally refers to spatial relationships.

example:
The plane flew over the mountain.
The event hosted more than 100 people.

multicultural

One word.

N

newspaper names

Italicize newspaper and periodical names.

non-

In general, no hyphen when using this prefix. Use a hyphen if the word becomes awkward or hard to understand, especially when a letter is repeated.

example:
noncredit
non-nuclear

no one

numbers (also see ages)

Spell out whole numbers below 10, and use figures for 10 and above.

When large numbers must be spelled out, hyphenate numbers when the first word ends in a “y.”

example:
twenty-one
one hundred fifty-eight

Note: Do not begin a sentence with a number.

example:
Ten days ago, I visited my aunt.

O

offices (see also Capitalization)

Capitalize when used before the actual name of an office; lowercase otherwise.

example:
Office of Financial Aid, Financial Aid office

offline

online

on-site

Hyphenate when used as an adjective or adverb.

example:
on-site classes, print on-site

P

Pavilion Building

not Pavillion Building; room abbreviation: P

percentages

Use the word, not the symbol. Always use numerals with percentages; do not spell out.

example:
More than 80 percent of students attend class.
He earned a 5 percent increase this year.

photo captions

Use a period only if the caption is more than one complete sentence long.

example:
Employees celebrate the holidays
New students are starting their path at the College
The annual event hosted staff and students in the Pavilion. The successful evening helped
raise funds for scholarships.

professor

Always lowercase.

programs

Preferred term at College, not major.

example: Nursing students; Helen, a student at the College, is interested in studying business

R

Regional Centers

Capitalize the Northeast, Northwest, and West Regional Centers, and the Career and Advanced Technology Center. Not referred to as “campuses.”

room

Capitalize room when used with a figure.

example:
The lecture will be held in Room 17.

S

seasons

Always lowercase unless part of a formal name.

example:
John is prepared for the fall 2013 semester.
Many people enjoy the Summer Olympics.

states

Lowercase state when used in all state constructions:

example:
state of New York

Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Virginia are legally Commonwealths. This term is only necessary for formal or legal contexts.

Capitalize state names when they stand alone in textual material.

In datelines and text, abbreviate the state name when used with a city, except for Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah.

Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kan., Ly., 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., Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., Wyo.

State postal codes for states are different:

AL., AZ., AR., CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS., KY, LA, MA, MD, 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

Postal code abbreviations for Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah: AK, HI, ID, IA, ME, OH, TX, UT. Also, District of Columbia – DC.

T

telephone numbers

Use periods or hyphens between digits and phone numbers with no parentheses.

that, which

That is preferred in most situations. That introduces a restrictive clause (restricts meaning), and

which introduces a nonrestrictive clause. If a comma is necessary in the sentence, use which.

example:
Jane is wearing the sweater that her mother gave her.
The sweater, which is made of wool, was very expensive.
The time of day that seems best for her is 10 a.m.

they/them pronouns

please use gender neutral pronouns, or first names, when this is how an individual identifies, or you do not know someone’s gender identity. Please use the correct pronouns (she, he, she/they, etc.) as shared with you by the individual.

time of day

Use a colon in a figure of time only to denote minutes.

example:
3 p.m., 3:30 p.m.

Use a.m. or p.m. once when denoting a frame of time; use both a.m. or p.m if necessary.

example:
The lecture will be held from 3 - 5 p.m. on Monday.
We met from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Do not say 12 noon or 12 midnight; preferably use 12 p.m. or 12 a.m.

Do not separate the time from the day with a comma.

example:
The appointment is at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 12.

titles (people); also see academic titles

Capitalize official titles preceding a name; do not capitalize titles following a name or set off by commas. This rule applies to both academic and administrative titles. Professor is never capitalized.

Do not forget to capitalize the company or organization name when used with a title.

example:
John Smith is an assistant professor of Biology at Community College of Philadelphia.

Long titles usually sound and read better after a name, not before.

example:
Bob Johnson, assistant superintendent for instruction, attended the meeting.

titles (works)

Note: These are exceptions to the Associated Press rules; the Modern Language Association

guidelines are followed for titles of works.

The following are set in italics:

titles and subtitles of published books, pamphlets, proceedings and collections, periodicals and newspapers and sections of newspapers published separately
titles of collections of poetry and long poems
titles of plays and motion pictures
titles of operas, oratorios and other long musical compositions
titles of works of art

The following are set in plain type and enclosed in quotation marks:

titles of articles and features in periodicals and newspapers
titles of short stories, essays and chapter titles

toward

not towards

U

United States

In text, spell out when used as a noun.
Abbreviate when used as an adjective.

example:
We live in the United States.
For our trip, we had to exchange our U.S. currency.

V

voicemail

W

Web

webcam

webmaster

webpage

website

West Building

Room abbreviation: W

Winnet Building

full name: Winnet Student Life Building
Room abbreviation: S

workday

workforce

workweek

 

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Punctuation Guide

ampersand

Only use this symbol when it is a formal name of a business. Spell out the word “and.”

apostrophes

When indicating a graduation year of an alum, use a backward apostrophe and the last two numerals of the graduation year, offset by commas.

Creating a shortcut for this symbol for those who use it often is highly recommended.

example:
Joe Smith, ’80, was elected to the finance committee.

colons

Use a colon to introduce and separate ideas.

example:
For our vacation, we brought a number of items: a map, suntan lotion, guidebooks and a sense of adventure.

Capitalize the first letter of the word after a colon if it is part of a complete sentence.

example:
The professor issued an ultimatum: Students must write four papers for the course.

Do not use a colon immediately after a verb.

example:
Wrong: The recipe requires: flour, two eggs and brown sugar.
Right: The recipe requires flour, two eggs and brown sugar.

commas

Use a comma:

Before a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses.

example:
Sue had planned to leave work early, but she was in a meeting for two hours.

To separate a dependent (subordinate) clause from an independent clause when the dependent clause comes first in the sentence.

example:
After I left the library, I went to the computer lab.

To separate introductory words and phrases from the rest of the sentence.

example:
Unfortunately, I forgot my umbrella.
Annoyed by the new rules, the woman complained to the manager.

To separate a nonrestrictive phrase or clause from the rest of a sentence. (A nonrestrictive phrase or clause is added to a sentence but does not change the sentence’s basic meaning.)

example:
My sister, who is a mail carrier, is afraid of dogs.
Mail carriers who have been bitten by dogs are afraid of them.

To separate items in a series. Use only one comma.

example:
I plan to take math, psychology and writing next semester.

Include the second comma in a series when necessary to avoid confusion:

example:
She ordered a Coke, ham and cheese, and apple pie.

To separate coordinate adjectives: two or more adjectives that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction and that equally modify the same noun or pronoun.

example:
The thirsty, hungry children returned from a day at the beach.
Sarah is an excellent psychology student.

To separate parenthetical expressions from the clauses they modify.

example:
The pope, for example, does not need to get a job.

To separate a transition from the clause it modifies.

example:
In addition, I will clean the windows.

To separate dates, place names and long numbers.

example:
Oct. 10, 1961, is my birthday.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an exciting city.

To separate phrases expressing contrast.

example:
John’s good nature, not his wealth, explains his popularity.

To set off nonrestrictive appositives.

example:
Grant, a famous Civil War general, holds an important place in history.
John Smith, and his wife, Jane, left on an early flight to Europe.

dashes

Use a dash:

To indicate sudden changes in tone or thought and to set off some sentence elements.

Note: Dashes are often overused. Sometimes a simple comma will do. Reserve the dramatic dash for cases when you seek the most emphasis.

example:
The movie business is undergoing dramatic changes—changes that may affect what movies are made and shown.

In spite of my frequent reminders—and I reminded him nearly every day—John still failed to lock up his bike.

exclamation points

Overused. In general, use only if you are quoting a written source.

hyphens

Use hyphens for compound modifiers.

example:
I washed my mud-covered vehicle.
His well-intentioned meaning was lost on the woman.
A 30-year-old woman has won a national book award.

parentheses

Parentheses are used to indicate information indirectly relating to the topic of a sentence. They can be distracting to the reader and should be used as a last resort when information cannot be contained in the sentence or cannot be used with a dash. Try rewriting the sentence. Parentheses are commonly used to represent a passing comment or aside; be sure that the information you want to put in parentheses is necessary and important.

example:
Wrong: It is safe to say, (for the time being), that we have a good chance of winning the game.
Right: It is safe to say, for the time being, that we have a good chance of winning the game.

Do not use parentheses to list information.

example:
Wrong: Other colleges (Temple, Drexel and Penn) also offer that program.
Right: Other colleges, such as Temple, Drexel and Penn, also offer that program.

Place commas, semi-colons, or dashes after the closing parenthesis, not before.

example:
I phoned him when I arrived (as I had promised), and we went out to dinner.

Place punctuation marks outside a closing parenthesis when the phrase is a not a complete sentence.

example:
I phoned him when I arrived (as I had promised).

Place punctuation marks inside a closing parenthesis when the phrase is a complete sentence. Capitalize the first word of the parenthetical phrase.

example:
My friend told me she was going shopping. (I found out later that is was untrue.)

Note: Complete sentences that are dependent upon the surrounding material do not need to end with a period or be capitalized.

example:
Carrie is next on the waiting list (she has waited over a year for this opportunity) and is excited about moving to her new apartment.

quotation marks

Follow these examples:
I heard her say, “Let’s go to the party.”
“Let’s go to the party,” she said.
“The party,” she said sadly, “is over.”
“I never wanted to go to the party in the first place,” Joe said. “They were not planning many fun activities.”

semicolons

Use a semicolon:

Between two main clauses.

example:
She requested that the students pay rent, help out around the house or move out; the students resisted this plan.

Between a main clause related by “however,” “thus” or another conjunctive adverb.

example:
Her husband’s vacation was cancelled; consequently, the family will be staying home this summer.

Between items in a series.

example:
The advisory board comprises Amy Johnson, B.S. ’81; John Smith, M.B.A. ’90; and Sue Smith, B.S. ’93. (note the semicolon before “and”)

Do not use a semicolon to separate a subordinate clause from a main clause.

Do not use a semicolon to introduce a series.

One space is used between sentences.

Questions Regarding Style

Please contact Nikki Sarpolis if you have any questions. Thank you!