PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE WRITING AND STYLE GUIDE www.ox.ac.uk/toolkit/
As well as a guide to the use of the University’s brand identity, we also have rules and conventions for our writing. These are set out in the following style guide which is intended to help those writing or editing material for publication by the University, both for internal and external audiences. SPELLING
CONTENTS The style guide applies whether the material is for printed formats or for the web. Among the issues we have tracked are:
Use British English rather than American English, e.g.: towards NOT toward; amid NOT amidst; while NOT whilst Use ‘s’ spellings rather than ‘z’ spellings, e.g.: organisation, recognise, specialise
Spelling
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The en rule
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Hyphenation
2
The apostrophe
2
The comma
2
Ellipses
2
Quotation marks
3
Italics
3
Foreign words
3
Numbers
3
Abbreviations / acronyms
4
Capitalisation
4
Dates
4
The en rule (–) is longer than a hyphen (-).
Headings
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Titles / people
4
URLs
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Use as a parenthetical dash – spaced – in a sentence such as: This morning’s lecture – given by Professor Bloggs – was very interesting.
Email addresses
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Colleges
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Spellings
5–6
Use ‘yse’ spellings rather than ‘yze’ spellings, e.g.: analyse, paralyse When ‘-ment’ is added to a verb ending in ‘-dge’, the final ‘e’ is retained, e.g.: abridgement, acknowledgement, judgement (exc. in legal context, when ‘judgment’ is used) ‘-ce’ and ‘-se’ endings depend on whether it is a verb or noun in the following: practice (noun) / practise (verb); licence (noun) / license (verb) ‘ae’ in middle of words: more technical words retain ‘ae’ archaeology, haematology BUT note the now more customary spellings of: encyclopedia, medieval
THE EN RULE
Use without spaces: to express a connection: Oxford–Cambridge bus; staff–student relationship in ranges, and number/date extents: pp. 25–45; 2007–8; Monday–Friday; 40–50 students
a r t s fir
h c r a e s e r te 1
WRITING AND STYLE GUIDE
HYPHENATION
THE COMMA
Hyphenation generally depends on the word’s or words’ role in a sentence. There isn’t a hard-and-fast rule for the hyphenation of compound words (e.g. anti-slavery/antislavery; socio-economic/ socioeconomic), but whatever form is adopted should be used consistently within a single document. Do not use an en rule in place of a hyphen (see separate section for en rules).
As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write ‘a, b and c’ not ‘a, b, and c’. But when a comma would assist in the meaning of the sentence or helps to resolve ambiguity, it can be used – especially where one of the items in the list is already joined by ‘and’: They had a choice between croissants, bacon and eggs, and muesli.
Compound modifiers that follow the noun are not hyphenated: the book is up to date the building is from the twentieth century
There are some cases where the comma is clearly obligatory: The bishops of Canterbury, Oxford, Bath and Wells, and Salisbury
Compounds that contain an adjective should be hyphenated when they precede the noun: first-rate research; low-level energy Compound nouns need not be hyphenated: labour market research; hospital bed statistics Compounds made up of an adjective and a verb participle should always be hyphenated: good-looking; better-rated Adverbs ending in ‘-ly’ are not hyphenated: frankly discussed subject; newly discovered fact Hyphenate words to avoid confusion or mispronunciations: pre-eminent; anti-intellectual; de-emphasise Use hyphens in spelled out numbers, in compass points and in fractions: twenty-one; fifty-five; south-west; north-east; two-thirds
THE APOSTROPHE Possession The teacher’s book (one teacher) The students’ essays (several students) Use ’s after plural nouns that don’t end in s: people’s rights; children’s toys Use the apostrophe alone after plural nouns that end in s: the neighbours’ house Use an apostrophe in time constructions such as: eight weeks’ time; two weeks’ leave Do not use the apostrophe in possessive pronouns: hers, its, yours, etc. Do not use the apostrophe in year dates: the 1960s, the 1990s As a general rule, do use ’s after names that end with an s or z sound: Marx’s; Charles’s; Jones’s; Davis’s. If it is awkward to pronounce, then leave off the final s. Classical names don’t use the final s: Herodotus’; Erasmus’
The comma in relative clauses: The defining clause: if the defining clause were omitted, the meaning would be radically changed – NO COMMAS Students who study here are very intelligent The researcher who uses the library is likely to be better informed The non-defining clause: this adds information to an otherwise complete sentence – USE COMMAS Students at Oxford University, who are all members of one college or another, have to work very hard NOTE that in the defining clause either ‘which’ or ‘that’ may be used: The research was carried out with a thoroughness that was enviable The research was carried out with a thoroughness which was enviable But in the non-defining clause, only ‘which’ should be used: The research, which was carried out over a period of three years, was very thorough Note the difference a comma makes in the following two sentences, which are both correct – the first is a DEFINING clause, the second a NON-DEFINING clause (where ‘that’ could be substituted for ‘which’): Dr Jones researches food flavourings which pose a risk to human health (he researches only those flavourings that pose a risk …) Dr Jones researches food flavourings, which pose a risk to human health (implies that all food flavourings pose a risk …)
ELLIPSES Three points that denote missing words from quoted matter. There should be a space before and after the three dots, but do not use square brackets: ‘This morning’s lecture … was very interesting.’
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. J A.
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The hyphen is used if the modifier precedes the noun: the up-to-date book the twentieth-century building
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WRITING AND STYLE GUIDE
QUOTATION MARKS
NUMBERS
Use single quotation marks for quotes, and double quotation marks for a quote within a quote: ‘I have an existential map; it has “You are here” written all over it.’ Quotation run on in text: the punctuation should be outside the quote mark: He told me the book was ‘extremely interesting’, though I’m not sure I believed him When the quotation forms a complete sentence, the full stop should be inside the quote marks: He said: ‘This is a very interesting book, which you should read.’ NOTE the position of the punctuation in the following: ‘This is’, he said, ‘a very interesting book, which you should read.’ ‘This is a very interesting book,’ he said, ‘which you should read.’ The comma is outside the quote mark, before ‘he said’, in the first case because it does not form part of the quoted sentence; it is inside the quote mark in the second case because it does form part of the quoted sentence.
• Twenty students were present at the lecture • There were 20 students present • At least 8 of the 20 students were not concentrating • Eight of the twenty students were not concentrating • In general, 8 or 10 students were present at all three lectures In the last example listed, numerals are used for one category, and the number is spelled out for the other category: this is acceptable. Shorten number extents, including in dates: 24–5, 106–7; 245–54; 1980–91; 2006–7 (NOTE the en rule) NOTE that numbers in the group 10 to 19 are not shortened: 16–19; 112–14; 310–11 NOTE that in titles and headings, dates are generally not shortened: The Life of Charles Dickens, 1837–1896
ITALICS Use sparingly for emphasis. Italics should be used for: book titles; newspaper and periodical titles (see below); film and play titles; TV and radio series; titles of paintings and other works of art; collections of verse or songs; some foreign words (see below) NOTE that titles of individual chapters and journal articles, and of a song or poem should be in single quotation marks NOTE the use of italics in names of newspapers: The Times and The Economist but for all other newspapers: the Guardian, the Independent, the Sunday Times
These should be in italics, unless they have become common English usage, such as: pro bono; petit bourgeois; a priori; elite; regime; et al.; etc.; ibid. NOTE that accents are retained in such words only where they are necessary for pronunciation: café; cliché; protégé Foreign newspaper titles are italicised, including the definite article: Le Monde, Die Welt
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Spans in bc years are not shortened (NOTE the small caps – see below): 190–155 bc (190–55 bc is a century longer) When specifying a range use either ‘from xxx to xxx’, or ‘xxx–xxx’ • The period from 1910 to 1940 • The period between 1910 and 1940 • BUT: The period 1910–40 DO NOT USE: The period from 1910–40 NOTE that the financial year uses a solidus, not an en rule: • The financial year 2007/8 • The academic year 2007–8 Use figures for measurements attached to units: 5kg; 10oz Use figures for ages: The 5-year-old boy
FOREIGN WORDS
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Whether or not to spell out numbers or express in numerals depends partly on the length of the piece. In longer prose, spell out numbers one to nine; use numerals for 10 upwards, unless the number starts the sentence, in which case it should be spelled out. Do not mix the two styles within a paragraph when they refer to the same category:
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PERCENTAGES: use ‘per cent’ in longer prose, % in tables and figures and in shorter pieces or where space is tight. Whichever is used, be consistent and adopt the same system throughout the text. Always use numerals, not words, for percentages and fractions: 50%; 50 per cent; 2.5%; 2.5 per cent MONEY In longer prose, ‘£50 million’, ‘£1 billion’ should be spelled out. In shorter pieces and captions, or where there is more than one column on the page, these can be expressed as ‘£50m’ and ‘£1bn’. TIME: 9am, 10.30am, 6–7pm (NOTE the en rule). Or use the 24-hour clock: 19.00. 13.50. SPACING Insert a single space in the following instances: p. 5, pp. 16–25, 250 bc, ad 950
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Do not insert a space in the following: 9am, 3.30pm, 3lb 2oz, 7kg, 25cm. $4m, 25% (BUT 25 per cent) 3
WRITING AND STYLE GUIDE
ABBREVIATIONS / ACRONYMS
DATES
Give in full at the first use, unless the abbreviation or acronym is so familiar that this is clearly unnecessary (e.g., BBC, DNA, USA)
Present as day/month/year, with no punctuation: 25 July 2007
Most acronyms should be written without full stops: BBC, TUC, BLitt, USA, PhD
If the name of the day is also included, insert comma, thus: Thursday, 12 July 2009
Where the abbreviation is partially or wholly lower case, no full stop is needed if the final letter of the abbreviation is also the final letter of the full word: Mr Dr Ltd
In narrative, ‘on the 10th’ is acceptable Do not use an apostrophe when referring to a period: In the 1960s, hair was longer
Where the abbreviation is all lower case, the full stop is increasingly omitted: mph plc am pm oz lb NOTE these exceptions: e.g. i.e. p. pp. ch. (BUT chs) no. (BUT nos) Use a full stop in these cases: ibid. et al. (NOT et. al. Also note that et al. is NOT italicised) Do not use in initials, which should be spaced: Dr A J Smith; S M Barney; Crankers, O J; Thomas M Jones Do not use a full stop at the end of picture captions or at the end of headings. When an abbreviation can be pronounced (NATO, UNESCO), the definite article is not necessary. Where it can’t be pronounced (the BBC, the USA), include the definite article.
CAPITALISATION Use sparingly in prose. The University is capitalised when referring specifically to Oxford, but not when used generally: The University has existed for 900 years; this is longer than most universities. University faculties, departments, colleges, etc. are capitalised only when they form part of a title: The buildings of St Catherine’s College were designed by Jacobsen, giving the college a modern feel. Most students have lectures in departments and tutorials in colleges; my lectures are in the Chemistry Department. Many colleges were open to the public on Saturday; Wadham and Corpus Christi Colleges were open on Sunday too.
http
Note the capitalisation of University terms: Michaelmas term, Hilary term, Trinity term
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Do not capitalise seasons: summer, winter, spring, autumn
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In longer prose, ‘ the fourteenth century’, ‘the twentieth century’, etc. should be spelled out. In shorter pieces (especially where there is more than one column on the page) and picture captions, it can be expressed ‘the 14th century’, ‘the 20th century’, etc. Do not use ‘14th century’, ‘20th century’, etc. (i.e. no superscript). bc and ad should be in small capitals. bc follows the date; ad precedes it: 250 bc; ad 950 Circa should be written as c.2008 – i.e. italic c. with full stop, and no space before the date
HEADINGS Subheadings are useful for breaking up text, but limit the number of levels to a maximum of three. When submitting text make sure that the different levels are clearly distinguished, either by typing them in different ways or by coding them as A, B or C in the margin so the designer can distinguish between them. Use initials capitals sparingly in headings; as a general rule, use initial capital for the first word and proper nouns only.
TITLES / PEOPLE Use upper case for ranks and titles when it is attached to a name or when referring to a particular person: the Vice-Chancellor, President Sarkozy, the Prime Minister In prose, use the title and full name (forename and surname) of a person at the first mention. Thereafter, the surname only can be used, or the title and surname. Whichever system is adopted should be used throughout: Dr John Smith was present at the ceremony, as was Professor Susan Jones. Dr Smith had to leave early. Dr John Smith and Professor Susan Jones presented their research paper to a large audience. The results will be published in book form, which, says Smith, will be available in the spring. For a person with a knighthood or who is a Dame and also a professor, the method of address is: Professor Sir John Smith; Professor Dame Susan Jones The shorter version would be: Sir John OR Professor Smith; Dame Susan OR Professor Jones NOTE: Lord Patten (NOT Lord Chris); Lady Jones (NOT Lady Susan)
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WRITING AND STYLE GUIDE
URLs
SPELLINGS
For the purposes of print, the leading http:// should be omitted from URLs (although there is an exception to this rule – see below). Do not include a trailing slash in URLs www.ox.ac.uk NOT www.ox.ac.uk/ www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford NOT www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/ The same applies to subdirectories several layers down: www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/awardwinners NOT www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/awardwinners/ and to an URL that points directly to a page (i.e. ends in .shtml): www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/history.shtml NOT www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/history.shtml/ NOTE: Occasionally an URL will not start with www. – in these instances, the leading http:// should be included (without the www.): http://alumni.balliol.ox.ac.uk NOT www.alumni.balliol.ox.ac.uk NOT http://www.alumni.balliol.ox.ac.uk
EMAIL ADDRESSES Regardless of how an email address is supplied, use lowercase throughout: john.smith@admin.ox.ac.uk
COLLEGES Use initial capitals when referring to a specific college: Magdalen College, Corpus Christi College, New College. The word ‘College’ can be omitted in many cases: She attended a lecture at Magdalen / Corpus Christi / Wadham / Queen’s NOTE these exceptions, where ‘College’ must be included: She is a fellow of New College / Jesus College ALSO NOTE: The Queen’s College; Christ Church (NOT Christ Church College) When used on its own, ‘college’ is lower case (see above): She is an undergraduate at Balliol College. Her room in the college is on the ground floor.
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A-level, AS-level Alumni Weekend, the Blue, a Campaign, the CD ROM Chancellor, the chapel college, the (BUT Wadham College) cooperate coordinate (BUT in maths use co-ordinate) coursework degree ceremony department, the (BUT the Chemistry Department) desktop dining hall e.g. email Encaenia (NOT the Encaenia) encyclopedia ethernet extracurricular faculty, the (BUT the History Faculty) fellow of a college fieldwork figurehead filmmaking Final Honour School first year, second year, etc. (BUT first-year, second-year, etc. when adjectival) focused fundraising government, the Hilary term homepage honorand Honoraris Causa honorary degree honorary fellow Honour Moderations intercollegiate interdepartmental internet, the interrelationship, interrelated iTunes judgement (BUT judgment in legal works) lecturership library lifelong learning longstanding Master’s degree means-testing medieval Michaelmas term multimedia multisite Nominating Committee no one online open days (BUT the Science Open Day) Oxford application form Oxford Thinking Part 1 examination
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WRITING AND STYLE GUIDE
part time, part-time when adjectival plc (lower case) postdoctoral postgraduate preclinical Preliminary examination prospectus Pro-Vice-Chancellor Queen’s Anniversary Prize round-up Säid Busines School Science Area sixth form, the sixth-form college sixth-formers subcommittee sub-faculty subfusc subtype Trinity term tutor twenty-first century, the UCAS form underway university (universities in general) University, the (of Oxford) Varsity match vice-chairman Vice-Chancellor, the visiting professorship visiting students web, the website worldwide X-ray
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May 09 Publications and Web Office, Public Affairs Directorate
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