Campus Information

Writing Style Guide

Contents (alphabetical)

abbreviations - course work | dashes - numbers | off-campus - wordiness

abbreviations and acronymsback to top

Use only official university abbreviations. See building names/abbreviations, colleges, course listings/titles, degrees and majors, and plurals.

In general, and especially for off-campus audiences, avoid acronyms. Explain or spell out an acronym at first use for any audience that may not be familiar with the acronym. Periods are not necessary after the letters that form an acronym.

The Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center (CADEC) is located in the Reynolds Warehouse.

addressesback to top

In text (as opposed to mailing labels), use full official names of offices, departments, and buildings in university addresses. Spell out names of buildings and Street and Avenue. Use the following format:

Department of Recreation and Parks Management
California State University, Chico
400 W. First Street
Chico, CA 95929-0560

Use the correct nine-digit zip code whenever possible. Note that just one space separates the state from the zip code.

Directing readers to campus offices:

For off-campus readers—use full official name of the office and office location.

Financial Aid and Scholarship Office, Meriam Library 161
Department of Religious Studies, Trinity Hall 239

For on-campus readers—the short form is acceptable

Financial Aid and Scholarship, MLIB 161
religious studies department, Trinity 239

advisorback to top

Use the -or ending.

African American, blackback to top

Both terms are acceptable, but African American is preferred by many. If the individual or group about which you are writing expresses a preference, use that term. Do not hyphenate African American (or other compound nationalities, even when used as an adjective:"an honored African American novelist"). Hyphenate compounds with name fragments: Afro-American, Indo-European.

alumniback to top

Use alumnus for an individual male, alumna for an individual female; alumni for a group of males, alumnae for a group of females; use of alumni when referring to a group composed of men and women is commonly accepted. Any individual who attended CSU, Chico is considered an alumna/us. Use of alum and alums is acceptable in informal prose.

American Indian, Indianback to top

See Native American.

and/orback to top

Avoid this shortcut whenever context allows. Instead of writing "You may file change of major forms on Monday and/or Tuesday," write "...on Monday or Tuesday."

ASback to top

Use AS as the abbreviation for the Associated Students at CSU, Chico.

The AS should be referred to in the singular, as an entity.
The Associated Students is committed to serving students.

Asian Americanback to top

No hyphen is used for either the noun or the adjective.

biased languageback to top

Sexist language:

When the context requires gender pronouns, use plural forms of pronouns. If plural won't work, use he or she or his and hers, but avoid he/she, him/her, and s/he.

Use inclusive references such as humankind and human-made rather than mankind and man-made; use inclusive verbs such as to staff a table rather than to man a table.

Use generic nouns such as photographer not cameraman; Representatives not Congressmen; supervisor not foreman; chair not chairman.

Replace stereotyped titles: professor not career woman; student not coed; doctor not lady/female doctor; nurse not male nurse; actor not actress.

Writing about people with disabilities:

The term disabled is preferable to handicapped. The phrase people with disabilities is preferable to the disabled. Write "He has muscular dystrophy" rather than"He is afflicted with..." or "...is a victim of . . . ." Write "She uses a wheelchair" or "walks with crutches" rather than ". . . is wheelchair-bound" or "confined to a wheelchair." Handicapped is, however, still used for references to parking and building access.

building names/abbreviationsback to top

Use these official building names and abbreviations.

25MST 25 Main Street
35MST 35 Main Street
AEWC Albert E. Warrens Reception Center
AGYM Arthur Acker Gymnasium
AJH Aymer J. Hamilton Building
AYRS John C. Ayres Hall
BMU Hugh M. Bell Memorial Union
BOWL Bidwell Bowl
BUTE Butte Hall
CCE Center for Continuing Education
CLSA Colusa Hall
DEEN The Deen House
ESKEN Esken Residence Hall
FARM University Farm (Agricultural Teaching and Research Center)
GLNN Glenn Hall
GRNH Greenhouse
HOLT Vesta Holt Hall
KNDL Glenn Kendall Hall
KONK Konkow Residence Hall
INFO University Information Center
LANG Herbert F. Langdon Engineering Center
LASS Lassen Residence Hall
LAXS C. Robert Laxson Auditorium
MECH Mechoopda Residence Hall
MLIB Meriam Library
MODC Modoc Hall
NETL Nettleton Stadium
OCNL John F. O'Connell Center
PAC Performing Arts Center
PHSC Physical Science Building
PLMS Plumas Hall
POOL Swimming Pool Complex
R Reynolds Warehouse (R Building)
RCVG Receiving
REC Recreation & Learning Center
ROTH Roth Building
S Stiles Warehouse (S Building)
SAPP Ella Caroline Sapp Hall (alumni)
SELV John I. Selvester Café-by-the-Creek
SGYM Jane W. Shurmer Gymnasium
SH Sierra Hall and Annex
SHAS Shasta Residence Hall
SHC Student Health Center
SSC Student Services Center
SSKU Siskiyou Hall
STAD Stadium and Track
TALR Alva P. Taylor Hall
THMA Tehama Hall
TRNT Trinity Hall
U U Building
UC University Center
UHFS University Housing and Food Service
UVIL University Village
WHIT Whitney Residence Hall
YOLO Yolo Hall
YUBA Yuba Hall

California State University, Chicoback to top

Use the full formal name in first references. CSU, Chico and the University may be used on second and subsequent references. (But lowercase university when it's used as an adjective, as in university policy.) Chico State is acceptable in informal contexts, such as newsletters.

California State University campusesback to top

Use the official campus names on first reference.

California Maritime Academy
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State University, Bakersfield
California State University, Channel Islands
California State University, Chico
California State University, Dominguez Hills
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Hayward
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Monterey Bay
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, San Bernardino
California State University, San Marcos
California State University, Stanislaus
Humboldt State University
San Diego State University
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Sonoma State University

capitalizationback to top

Capitalize proper nouns. Words derived from proper nouns or associated with them are lowercased without loss of clarity or significance (as in Department of History, the history department, and the department). See additional examples below.

Academic terms and class standing
Use lowercase for seasons, academic terms, and class standing.

the fall semester 2009; the spring term (not Fall Semester 2009 or Spring semester)

freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors (first-year students is an acceptable substitute for freshmen)

Courses
See course listings/titles.

Degrees
See degrees and majors.

Colleges, Departments, Majors, and Committees
Capitalize when using the official name of a specific college, department, school, office, or committee, but lowercase second references. (See colleges for a list of official names and abbreviations.)

Do not capitalize the names of disciplines, majors, or programs unless they are proper nouns, derivatives of geographical references, or part of a designated degree.

The College of Natural Sciences offers courses in biology, chemistry, geology, mathematics, and physics.

astronomy program; courses in history; economics major; English major; courses in American history; courses in Asian political systems; School of Social Work; the school

He has a BA in international relations and a minor in African American studies.

The Department of Economics; the economics department;

the Office of Admissions and Records; the admissions office

the Academic Status Committee; the committee

The California State University System

the Board of Trustees of the California State University; the
Board of Trustees (See complete list of official CSU campus names above.)

Geographical Terms
Geographical terms commonly accepted as proper names are capitalized.

Northern California (but northeastern California)
the North State (but Northstate Public Radio)
Central Valley
Sacramento Valley

Titles
See titles of works and titles of people.

Chicano, Hispanic, Latino, Mexican Americanback to top

While dictionaries provide distinct definitions for these terms, they are often interpreted and applied differently, according to individual preference. Generally, Chicano is used to refer to an American of Mexican descent (but some persons of Central and South American heritage also consider themselves Chicanos). Chicana is the feminine form of Chicano. Hispanic is used to refer to the people, culture, or speech of Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. Latino or Latina refers to a person of Latin American heritage. Mexican American is used to refer to a native-born or naturalized American of Mexican heritage. If the individual or group about whom you are writing expresses a preference, use that term.

collegesback to top

Use the full official name of the college on first reference.

College of Agriculture
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
College of Business
College of Communication and Education
College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Construction Management
College of Humanities and Fine Arts
College of Natural Sciences

Capitalize the official college name; lowercase unofficial versions (the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences; the college). Use the abbreviation BSS (not CBSS) in an index, table, or chart but generally not in text.

College abbreviations
AGR, BSS, BUS, CME, ECC, HFA, NS

colonsback to top

A colon is used most often to introduce a list, statement, quotation, or summary. It is also used to introduce a clause relating to the preceding clause. (See also lists.)

Jane does not study for enjoyment: it is expected of her.

Participants should bring the following items: pens, paper, pillows, and coffee.

The colon should not be used after an incomplete sentence.

Participants should bring pens, paper, pillows, and coffee.

commasback to top

Appositives
Use a comma to set off a nonrestrictive appositive (a noun or noun phrase that renames a noun).

Professor Chao's most recent book, Interpersonal Mis-Communication, has received favorable reviews.

Commas in a Series
In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.

grades of A, B, and C

Coordinating Conjunctions
Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, so, or, nor, for, yet) joining two independent clauses.

These examples do not include all possible violations, but they do provide a sample of behavior that will result in disciplinary action.

Introductory Clause or Phrase
Use a comma to set off an introductory clause or phrase.

When faculty suspect students of cheating, they may bring
formal charges.

Parenthetical Elements
Use commas to set off parenthetical elements (i.e., amplifying, explanatory, or digressive elements) that retain a close logical relationship to the rest of the sentence.

The work is, on the whole, very satisfactory.

Note: Use parentheses to set off parenthetical elements where the logical relationship to the rest of the sentence is more remote. Parentheses tend to minimize the importance of the part set off.

The last sample we collected (under difficult conditions)
was contaminated.

compose, comprise, constituteback to top

Compose means to put together:
The committee is composed of faculty and staff.

Comprise means to contain, to include all, or embrace:
The committee comprises faculty and staff. (not The committee is comprised of. . . )

Constitute means to make up the elements of the whole:
Faculty and staff constitute the committee.

contractionsback to top

Most readers consider contractions informal, so for most university publications, it's best to avoid them. But for newsletters and other documents or publications that you want to have an informal, friendly tone, contractions, used sparingly, are fine.

course listings/titlesback to top

In academic planning guides and program requirement documents, refer to specific courses by their official identification, using the abbreviation and course number. Capitalize, no quotation marks.

ENGL 130, POLS 055, BLAW 090 (not English 130, Poli Sci 55, or Bus Law 90)