Tarleton State University’s Office of Marketing and Communications has developed written style guidelines to ensure consistency for official publications and other communications. The Associated Press Stylebook is the preferred source of guidance for items not included on this web page.
For any questions regarding the University Style Guide, please contact news@tarleton.edu.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y
⇧A
Abbreviations
In general, do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize. Never abbreviate university, department or association. The first mention of organizations, firms, agencies, groups, etc., should be spelled out.
Abbreviations of degrees, expressions of time and names of countries take periods with no space between the elements: M.F.A., a.m., U.S.
Academic degrees
Readers may not be familiar with academic degrees. It usually is better to use a phrase instead of an abbreviation. John Jones, who has a master’s degree in psychology, said the study was flawed.
Use an apostrophe: bachelor’s degree, master’s degree.
Uppercase: Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Doctor of Education.
Academic colleges
– College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
– College of Education
– College of Health Sciences
– College of Leadership and Military Studies
– College of Liberal and Fine Arts
– College of Science and Mathematics
– Dr. Sam Pack College of Business
– Mayfield College of Engineering
Academic titles
Lowercase and spell out titles when not used with an individual’s name. The dean provided a list of students.
Capitalize and spell out when a title precedes or immeditately follows a name. Chancellor John Sharp met with Dean Barry Lambert yesterday.
Very long titles are more readable when placed after a name: Tony Vidmar, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director for the Tarleton State University Foundation.
Acting/interim
When someone is filling in for an administrator who is temporarily on leave, the correct title is acting.
When someone is filling in while a permanent replacement is being sought, the correct title is interim.
Acronyms
When pluralizing an acronym, just add an “s” to the end (no apostrophe). LVADs.
Adjunct
Refers to a temporary faculty appointment; lowercase.
Adviser vs. advisor
Use the spelling that ends in -er (not advisor) unless the other spelling is part of an official title.
Ages
Always use numerals.
The 19-year-old student took graduate-level courses.
The student, who switched his major 11 times, is 24 years old.
The dean is in his 50s. (no apostrophe)
Alumnus, alumna, alumni, alumnae
Alumnus (alumni in the plural) refers to a man who has graduated from a school.
Alumna (alumnae in the plural, but rarely used) refers to a woman who has graduated from a school.
Alumni refers to a group of men and women.
Ampersand/&
Don’t use an ampersand (&) to replace “and” except in proper names of off-campus entities that include an ampersand.
Apostrophes
Use an apostrophe when referring to a class year; make sure the apostrophe is facing in the correct direction (it shouldn’t look like a backward apostrophe): Class of ’23
Use curly apostrophes (“), not straight up-and-down ones (‘, called primes) whenever possible.
Don’t use an apostrophe to make the plural of figures and letters unless confusion would result without the apostrophe: three Ph.D.s, five DVDs, there are two 5s in that number, but there are four s’s in that word.
B
Baccalaureate
In most cases, the less formal bachelor’s degree is preferred.
Buildings/facilities
– Aquatics Center
– Barry B. Thompson Student Center
– Campus Administration Building (Fort Worth)
– Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center
– Dick Smith Library
– Dr. Sam Pack College of Business Building
– E.J. Howell Education Building
– Event Center
– Health Professions Building
– Interprofessional Education Building (Fort Worth)
– Joe W. Autry Agriculture Building
– Lamar Johanson Science Building
– Mayfield College of Engineering Building
– O.A. Grant Humanities Building
– W.K. Gordon Museum and Research Center for Industrial History of Texas
For more information and a full list, click here.
C
Capitalization
Capitalize official names; do not capitalize unofficial, informal, shortened or generic names. Do not capitalize in phrases such as the center, the institute or the recently renovated museum.
Capitalize names of celebrations, such as Founder’s Week. Do not capitalize seasons, semesters or academic periods. (The exception is Spring Break.)
Avoid unnecessary capital letters. Use a capital letter only if you can justify it.
In general, only use capitals when using the full, proper name of a program, building, center, institute, etc. Do not use capitals on second reference.
Capital/capitol
Capital refers to the city; capitol refers to the building where the seat of government is housed.
Capitalize when referring to the building. Capitol building is redundant. The Capitol is in Austin, which is the capital city of Texas.
Chairman
Use chairman or chair in references to positions on the Board of Regents, even for female members.
Wendy Gramm was chairman of the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs. She also was chair of an ad hoc committee.
Class year
When referring to an alumnus in a publication listing, include the last two digits of his or her class year after the name preceded by an apostrophe: ’95.
When referring to an alumnus with multiple degrees, list the degrees in the order in which they were received.
When referring to a couple who are both alumni of the same university, include the last two digits of the class year with an apostrophe after each person’s name.
Commas
Do not use a comma before the “and” or other conjunctions in a series. Elsewhere, use commas only when the potential for confusion exists without them, such as complex sentences, or before the concluding conjunction of a series if one of the elements in the series contains a conjunction.
She served on the committee to review scholarships, grants and financial aid.
The lecture began with a discourse on the professor’s breakfast, which consisted of orange juice, a decaf latte, and ham and eggs.
Committee names
Capitalize the names of committees.
The Academic Affairs Committee will meet tomorrow.
Course work
Two words.
Composition titles
Apply these guidelines 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 a 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, nor, or, so, yet, etc.) unless any of those start or end the title.
– Capitalize prepositions of four or more letters (above, after, down, inside, over, with, etc.) and conjunctions of four or more letters (because, while, since, though, etc.)
– Capitalize “to” in infinitives: “What I Want To Be When I Grow Up.”
– Put quotation marks around the names of all such works except the Bible, the Quran and other holy books, and books that are primarily catalogs of reference material.
– Do not use quotation marks around software titles; apps; or around names of video, online or analog versions of games.
Courtesy titles
Refer to men and women by first and last name, then last name on second reference.
Use Dr. if they are a medical doctor, have an Ed.D. or Ph.D. Use Drs. to list multiple doctors: Drs. Jorge Gonzalez and Isabelle Garcia.
Avoid using courtesy titles Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms., except in direct quotations. Include first name to distinguish between two people with the same last name.
Abbreviate these titles when used before a full name outside direct quotations: Gov., Lt. Gov. Rep., the Rev., Sen.; otherwise, spell them out.
Don’t use commas before or after Jr. or Sr. or the designations I, II, IV, etc. When used in conjunction with an earned degree, follow the designation with a comma.
The first reference to a clergyperson normally includes a capitalized title before the individual’s name. In many cases, the Rev. is the designation that applies before a name on first reference.
Credit hours
Use numerals to refer to credit hours: 3 credit hours
D
Dates/months/years
The order when combining dates with time and place is time, date, place. Summer commencement will be at 6 p.m. Friday, July 26, in Memorial Stadium.
Capitalize the names of months in all uses.
When referring to month and year, add a comma after the year unless it ends the sentence. Do not add a comma following the month unless a date is used. She graduated in May 2002.
Use two commas to set off the year in dates giving the month, day and year. Your memo of July 28, 2024, summarized the issue perfectly.
In dates giving the month, day and year, abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. He referenced the Nov. 14, 2023, newsletter issue.
Spell out months when using alone (we were married in December) or with a year alone (we were married in December 2020).
Except in formal invitations, use cardinal (not ordinal) numbers for the date. The ceremony is scheduled for May 17, 2025.
Be sure to use numerals for days of the month, omitting rd, th, st, nd. He arrived Feb. 21 and left April 8.
In general, don’t use “on” with a date or day. Summer commencement will be Friday, July 26.
When writing dates within a decade, repeat the 0 (2006-08). When the century or millennium changes, all digits are repeated (1999-2019).
Days of the week
Don’t abbreviate days of the week.
Decades
You may spell out the decade (the nineties), use numerals (the ’90s) or use the full numeric (the 1990s).
Don’t use an abbreviated format if there could be any confusion about the century.
Don’t use ’s in numeric decades: 1990s, not 1990’s.
Doctor
Use Dr. on first reference as a formal title before the name of an individual who holds a doctor of dental surgery, doctor of medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathic medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine or doctor of veterinary medicine: Dr. Elena Ramirez. Also use as courtesy title for one who holds a doctoral degree, including honorary doctorates from Tarleton State. These individuals should be introduced with Dr. from first reference on.
Doctoral, doctorate
Use doctoral as an adjective and doctorate as a noun.
She received her doctoral degree last Saturday.
She received her doctorate in English.
Dormitory/dorm
Avoid these terms. Use residence hall or the name of the residence hall instead: Heritage Hall, Honors Hall.
E
Ellipsis ( … )
In general, treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, constructed with three periods and two spaces, as shown above. If the words that precede an ellipsis constitute a grammatically complete sentence, either in the original or in the condensation, place a period at the end of the last word before the ellipsis. Follow it with a regular space and an ellipsis.
“Yes, I am the spirit of Tarleton. …”
Em dash
Put a space on both sides of the dash in all uses except the start of a paragraph.
Integrity — a Tarleton State core value — is central to the character of the university.
Capitalize the “e” only when the word is used at the beginning of a sentence or on a form. There is no hyphen.
Extension agent/Extension
Uppercase Extension agent when used as a title before a name. Extension Agent Tasha Boggs is a 2005 graduate of Tarleton State University.
In other uses, uppercase “Extension” (because it refers to the agency name) and lowercase “agent.” She attended the annual meeting of all Extension agents in College Station.
When referring to extension and/or research in general terms, do not capitalize. The initiative seeks to solve critical organic agriculture issues through the integration of research and extension activities.
When referencing AgriLife Extension, use the full name of “Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service” on first reference and “AgriLife Extension” on second reference.
F
Faculty
When used as a collective noun, faculty is singular.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions. Spell it out in copy.
The student referred to the website’s frequently asked questions page for guidance.
If abbreviated in a headline, use all caps, with no apostrophe to make it plural: FAQs.
First-gen
First-generation or first-gen students.
Fiscal year
Do not capitalize when spelled out. When abbreviated, capitalize and put a space between FY and the year.
She planned to give all of her lottery winnings to the university in fiscal year 2025.
The university’s FY 2024-25 budget will reflect her generous donation.
Fractions
Simple fractions are spelled out and a hyphen is used: one-half, three-fourths.
Fundraising, fundraiser
One word in all cases.
G
Grade point average/GPA
GPA is an acceptable abbreviation in all references.
Grades
Use a capital letter when referring to a grade. When pluralizing, use an apostrophe before the “s.”
She made all A’s last year.
H
Half staff/half mast
Flags are lowered to half staff, not half mast.
Headlines
Capitalize the first letter of all words in a headline, except articles and prepositions shorter than five letters. Do not uppercase the second word following a hyphen in headlines: Tarleton State Committed to First-gen Student Success; A&M System Approves Stand-alone College. Spell out ordinal numbers from first through ninth. Use numerals in all other instances except casual usages. One of the first, hundreds of people, etc. or proper names. Capitalize “to” in infinitives. Use single quotation marks to denote a quotation or a composition title.
Historical periods
Capitalize widely recognized epochs in anthropology, archaeology, geology and history: the Bronze Age, the Dark Ages, the Renaissance.
Homecoming
Uppercase Homecoming when referring to the Tarleton State Homecoming.
Hyphens
Student-athletes
Student-parents
I
Initials
Use periods and no spaces when individuals use initials instead of a first name: T.R. Dey, G.Z.H. Ling
International students
Not foreign students.
Internet
Capitalize.
L
Land-grant university
Hyphenate when used as an adjective.
Legislation
Refer to bills as House Bill 1 or Senate Bill 1, or as HB 1 or SB 1 (no space between the letters, then a space between the letters and the number).
Legislature
Capitalize in all references to a particular legislative body, such as the Texas Legislature or the Legislature. Do not capitalize when it is used as a generic term.
The law-making body in a democracy is called a legislature.
Lists/listed items
– Use en dashes to introduce individual sections of a list. Put a space between the dash and the first word of each item in the list.
– Capitalize the first word following the dash.
– Use periods at the end of each complete sentence, but don’t use punctuation at the end of a single word or single phrase. Do not use semicolons.
– Maintain consistency for all items in a list (don’t mix sentence and nonsentence items). Use the same part of speech, voice, verb tense and sentence type for each item in the list.
Location Listings
In datelines, location should be based on where the news is originating from.
Locations
Tarleton State’s Fort Worth campus or Tarleton State University Fort Worth on first reference. Tarleton State Fort Worth for second reference.
Tarleton State’s Waco campus or Tarleton State University Waco on first reference. Tarleton State Waco for second reference.
Texas A&M-RELLIS on first reference and RELLIS Campus on subsequent references.
Tarleton State University Online on first reference and Tarleton State Online on subsequent references.
When listing out all Tarleton State locations in text or with the logo, the proper order is: Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan, Online.
For further reference, see www.tarleton.edu/brand/university-name/
M
Measurements
Use numerals and spell out inches, feet, yards, meters, etc.
Metroplex
Capitalize when used alone to refer to the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area Metroplex. Lowercase when used in combination with Dallas-Fort Worth. Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Money
Spell out the word “cents” (note lowercase) and use numerals for amounts less than a dollar (5 cents, 12 cents). Use the dollar sign ($) and numerals for fractional amounts over $1 ($1.45, $3.15).
N
Names
Use last names instead of first names on subsequent references unless the subjects share the same last name.
Nobel Prize
The correct designations are Nobel Prize in physics (as well as in physiology or medicine). But, it’s the Nobel Peace Prize and Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. A person who has received this prize is a Nobel laureate.
Numbers
Spell out one through nine. Use numerals for 10, 11, 12, etc.
O
Of vs. For
Vice President for Research, Economic Impact and Development, but Dean of the College of Education.
Office
When using the proper title of an office, capitalize both the name and the word “office,” but not the preceding “the.” She referred him to the Office of Financial Aid.
P
Percent
Use the percent symbol (%) when paired with a number, with no space in between (12%). For amounts less than 1%, precede the decimal with a zero (0.6%). In casual uses and with zero, spell it out. She said he has a zero percent chance of winning. If it is necessary to start a sentence with a percentage, spell out both. Eighty-nine percent of sentences don’t have to begin with a number.
Photo Cutlines
Use a colon to lead in when introducing a left to right arrangement.
From left to right:
From left:
R
Room
Capitalize when used before a room number or after a room name. The seminar will be held in the Joe W. Autry Agriculture Building, Room 113.
S
Semicolon
In general, use the semicolon to indicate a greater separation of thought and information than a comma can convey but less than the separation that a period implies.
To clarify a series: Use semicolons to separate elements of a series when the items in the series are long or when individual segments contain material that also must be set off by commas.
He is survived by a son, John Smith, of Chicago; three daughters, Jane Smith, of Wichita, Kans., Mary Smith, of Denver, and Susan, of Boston; and a sister, Martha, of Omaha, Neb. Note that the semicolon is used before the final “and” in the series.
Spring Break
Capitalize.
State/federal
Capitalize when referring to a governmental entity by its official name, but not when referring to geographical areas.
The student is from the state of Arkansas.
The city is seeking federal aid to help with rebuilding costs.
Texas State Guard
Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
State names
Spell out the names of states when they stand alone in text. She drove through Oklahoma on her way to Kansas.
If the state is preceded by a city in that state, enclose the abbreviation for that state in commas (see middle column in list below, note exceptions: Do not abbreviate Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas or Utah.
His last job was in Sparks, Nev., where he lived in 2021. Her parents live in Sitka, Alaska.
Use the two-letter postal abbreviations (see right column in list below) in mailing addresses.
| State | Abbreviation | Postal Abbreviation |
| Alabama | Ala. | AL |
| Alaska | Alaska | AK |
| Arizona | Ariz. | AZ |
| Arkansas | Ark. | AR |
| California | Calif. | CA |
| Colorado | Colo. | CO |
| Connecticut | Conn. | CT |
| Delaware | Del. | DE |
| Florida | Fla. | FL |
| Georgia | Ga. | GA |
| Hawaii | Hawaii | HI |
| Idaho | Idaho | ID |
| Illinois | Ill. | IL |
| Indiana | Ind. | IN |
| Iowa | Iowa | IA |
| Kansas | Kans. | KS |
| Kentucky | Ky. | KY |
| Louisiana | La. | LA |
| Maine | Maine | ME |
| Maryland | Md. | MD |
| Massachusetts | Mass. | MA |
| Michigan | Mich. | MI |
| Minnesota | Minn. | MN |
| Mississippi | Miss. | MS |
| Missouri | Mo. | MO |
| Montana | Mont. | MT |
| Nebraska | Nebr. | NE |
| Nevada | Nev. | NV |
| New Hampshire | N.H. | NH |
| New Jersey | N.J. | NJ |
| New Mexico | N.M. | NM |
| New York | N.Y. | NY |
| North Carolina | N.C. | NC |
| North Dakota | N.D. | ND |
| Ohio | Ohio | OH |
| Oklahoma | Okla. | OK |
| Oregon | Ore. | OR |
| Pennsylvania | Pa. | PA |
| Rhode Island | R.I. | RI |
| South Carolina | S.C. | SC |
| South Dakota | S.D. | SD |
| Tennessee | Tenn. | TN |
| Texas | Tex. | TX |
| Utah | Utah | UT |
| Vermont | Vt. | VT |
| Virginia | Va. | VA |
| Washington | Wash. | WA |
| West Virginia | W.Va. | WV |
| Wisconsin | Wis. | WI |
| Wyoming | Wyo. | WY |
Strategic Plan
Tarleton Forward 2030: Our Future-Focused Strategic Plan should be italics. But it’s Tarleton State’s strategic plan.
Street names
Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd. and St. only with a numbered address: 1333 W. Washington St. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number: Washington Street.
Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with more than one street name: Washington and N. Lillian streets.
All similar words (alley, drive, road, terrace, etc.) are always spelled out. Capitalize them when part of a formal name without a number; lowercase when used alone or with two or more names.
Always use figures for an address number. Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names; use figures for 10th and above.
T
Tables
In tables, use one format — either with or without decimals — consistently. Use a label (dollars) to avoid repeating the same symbol ($).
Tarleton State
Tarleton State University on first reference or Tarleton State if you use university in the same sentence. Tarleton State broke ground this afternoon for a $80 million Health Professions Building that will further establish the university as the leader of rural healthcare throughout the state.
Never uppercase university when used alone.
Tarleton State on second reference and thereafter.
Avoid using Tarleton by itself in headlines; use Tarleton State.
Never use TSU.
Telephone numbers
Be consistent with usage throughout a document, however you choose to write the number:
254-555-0000.
Texas A&M System
The Texas A&M System (uppercase The) on first reference. Do not use The Texas A&M University System. Uppercase System when referring to The Texas A&M System. Second reference: A&M System or Texas A&M System. Avoid using TAMUS.
Texan Nation
Capitalize when referring to the Tarleton State Texans as a school spirit group entity.
Theater/Theatre
Tarleton Theatre program or Theatre @ Tarleton, but theater when referring to auditorium.
For composition names, put quotations around the title: Tarleton State University’s production of “LIZZIE: The Musical” has earned a spot in one of eight regional competitions of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
In headline, use single quotation: Theatre at Tarleton to Present ‘LIZZIE: The Musical’ at Kennedy Center Competition.
Time (a.m./p.m.)
Note use of lowercase and periods.
Use noon instead of 12 p.m.; use midnight instead of 12 a.m.
The correct abbreviation for morning times is a.m.
The correct abbreviation for afternoon and evening times is p.m.
Use a colon to separate hours from minutes: 3:45 p.m., 11:15 a.m.
Don’t use zeros for even hours: 7 a.m., not 7:00 a.m.
The order when combining time with date and place: time, date, place: 6 p.m. Friday, June 8, at the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center.
Titles
Uppercase President any time it refers to President Dr. James Hurley, even without his name. Use Tarleton State President Dr. James Hurley on first reference, then Dr. Hurley on second. Alternate President Hurley and Dr. Hurley throughout the remainder of the story or news release. Always use Dr.
Uppercase all university titles — before and after names. Dr. Diane Stearns, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (note that it’s for, not of). Tarleton State Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Diane Stearns.
For non-Tarleton State titles, confine capitalization to formal titles used directly before a person’s name.
Do not capitalize when it follows a name or stands by itself.
President Bob Smith addressed the crowd.
John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M System, spoke at graduation.
The president of the faculty senate was late, but the chairman of the Board of Regents was on time.
But, capitalize and abbreviate “governor” before that individual’s name: The next speaker was Gov. Greg Abbott.
Occupational titles are always lowercase. We met actor Meryl Streep, golfer Tiger Woods and director Peter Jackson at the fundraising dinner.
Trademarks
For the first mention of any trademarked brand, use the trade name followed by ® or ™. After the first mention, use the trade name without the ® or ™.
U
United States
Spell out as a noun; abbreviate (with no space between the letters) as an adjective.
The United States is a popular destination for international students.
The official U.S. policy has not changed.
V
Versus/vs.
Spell out versus in ordinary speech and writing.
The proposal to revamp Medicare versus proposals to reform Medicare and Medicaid at the same time.
In short expressions, however, the abbreviation vs. is permitted.
The issue of guns vs. butter has long been with us. For court cases, use v.: Marbury v. Madison.
W
-wide
Do not hyphenate “systemwide” when referring to The Texas A&M System. Similarly, do not hyphenate “statewide” or “nationwide.” Hyphenate if the word preceding “-wide” is capitalized.
His achievements once were known only systemwide; today they are known Texas-wide.
Y
Years
In most cases, use the full four digits. Occasionally, the use of only the last two digits is preferred. Do not use an apostrophe to indicate spans of decades or centuries (1980s, the 1900s).
Enrollment for fall 2024 rose sharply.
He graduated in the 1990s.
The Legislature is working on appropriations for the 2024-2025 biennium.
We have plenty of travel money for FY 2024.
The banner read, “The Class of ’92 welcomes you to Stephenville.”