ACADEMICS

• Colleges, Schools and Departments: This list of naming conventions was approved by the Office of the Provost in July 2022. It applies to all uses, including, but not limited to, official university signage, website, print and digital materials, social media accounts, letterhead, business cards, etc. Oxford commas and ampersands were purposefully omitted, in compliance with AP Style, for a streamlined and consistent approach to naming university wide.
  • Colleges:
    • College of Business and Management
    • College of Health, Science and Technology
    • College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
    • College of Public Affairs and Education
  • Schools:
    • School of Communication and Media
    • School of Education
    • School of Health Sciences
    • School of Integrated Sciences, Sustainability and Public Health
    • School of Politics and International Affairs
    • School of Public Management and Policy
  • Departments:
    • Accounting, Economics and Finance
    • African-American Studies   
    • Art, Music, and Theatre *a special exception was given to the no Oxford comma rule
    • Computer Science
    • Counseling and Social Work
    • Criminology and Criminal Justice 
    • English and Modern Languages
    • History  
    • Legal Studies
    • Liberal and Integrative Studies  
    • Management Information Systems
    • Management, Marketing and Operations
    • Mathematical Sciences and Philosophy
    • Psychology
    • Sociology/Anthropology  
    • Women and Gender Studies 

Lowercase academic departments except when a proper noun is part of the name: the history department, the English department. Capitalize the official names of departments, schools and colleges: Department of History, School of Education, College of Business and Management.

• Degrees:  The preferred form is to avoid an abbreviation and use instead a phrase, such as John Doe, who has a doctorate in biology. Use apostrophes when the degrees are spelled out (bachelor’s degree, master’s degree). Lowercase a degree when it’s spelled out following a person’s name (Harold P. Simpson, doctor of law) or if it’s referred to in general terms (a master of science, a doctorate in physics). Use abbreviations for academic degrees (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) only when the need to identify many individuals by degree on first reference would prove cumbersome. According to AP Style, MBA can be used without periods. 
• Titles: Capitalize formal titles when they appear immediately before a person’s name. Lowercase titles when they follow a name or are used alone. Examples: Chancellor Janet L. Gooch; Janet L. Gooch, chancellor; Professor June Clemens; June Clemens, professor of archaeology.

ACTIVE/PASSIVE VERBS

• Use the active voice (the board decided) rather than the passive (a decision was reached by the board) whenever you can.

ADDRESSES

• Compass points and terms like street, avenue, and boulevard can be abbreviated in mailing addresses (818 N. Main St.).
• Use this format when sending U.S. mail to a campus address:
  John Q. Professor
  Aeronautics Department, UHB 6013
  University of Illinois Springfield
  One University Plaza, MS UHB 6000
  Springfield, IL 62703-5407

ALL RIGHT

Alright is all wrong.

BANNER vs. SELF-SERVICE

• As of February 2024, the term "Banner" should not be used to reference the internal system that students use to register for classes, check grades and other important tasks. Please use the term "Self-Service," which can be accessed through myUIS. 

BE BRIEF, CLEAR, and CORRECT

• Don't use several words when a few can say the same thing, and more clearly. For example:
  due to the fact that = because
  in the event that = if
  she is of the opinion that = she thinks
• If you're writing for a general audience, don't use a lot of jargon or technical terms unless you also explain what they mean.
• Use foreign words and phrases sparingly and provide an explanation when their meaning is not clear from the context. Do not italicize foreign words solely because they are from another language.

BUILDING NAMES

• In the acronyms for most of the structures on campus (such as HSB, SAB, or UHB) the final "B" stands for building. So rather than saying Student Life is in room 20 of the SLB building (or the Student Life Building building), say Student Life is in SLB 20.

CAMPUS/UNIVERSITY

• The name of the university is University of Illinois Springfield. By decision of the Chancellor’s Cabinet, we dropped the use of the word “at” and are now known as University of Illinois Springfield – or simply Illinois Springfield.
• Avoid using campus to refer to the three universities in Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield. These should be referred to as universities, unless the reference is to the grounds.
  • We are proud to be one of three universities in the world-class University of Illinois System.
  • UIS recently added a statue of Abraham Lincoln to its campus.
• Lowercase university for a generic reference. Do not use alone with an initial cap to refer to the System.
  • President Killeen was among the university leaders in attendance at the national conference.
• Effective with the approval of the 2016 Strategic Framework, University of Illinois System is the proper way to identify the entire organization. Acceptable second references are: U of I System, System, or University of Illinois on second reference.
  • The University of Illinois System is regarded as the flagship public university system for the state of Illinois. The value of a University of Illinois degree to its graduates is indisputable.
• “U of I”, shorthand for University of Illinois, is to be used on second reference only. No punctuation. Do not use UI (although this is used by some media outlets and some units, such as UI Health).

Refer to the University of Illinois System Style Guide for additional information.

CAPITAL/CAPITOL

• Springfield is the capital city, so we have the capitol building. (It helps to remember that the capitol building has a dome, which is spelled with an "o.")

CAPITALIZATION

• Please resist the urge to use lots of capital letters, and especially to use all caps, except OCCASIONALLY for emphasis.
• Do capitalize:
  Proper names of specific persons, places, or things.
• Don't capitalize:
  • References to academic semesters and terms: fall semester 2026, spring 2027, summer term. Capitalize only when the words are part of an official proper name.
  • State in the phrase state of Illinois; words like center or auditorium when they stand in for the unit’s complete proper name; academic degrees when spelled out (a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, a doctorate degree); academic subjects (My adviser says I need to take a botany course.) Also use lowercase in these instances: the city of Springfield, central Illinois.
• In titles and headlines, capitalize only the first word and proper nouns. Lowercase all other words unless they would normally be capitalized, such as the name of a person, place, organization or other proper noun. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or begins a complete sentence. Examples: A long way to run, To have and have not, Planning a sit-down dinner party, Your next dinner party: Buffet or sit-down.

COMMAS

• Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series. (We ate toast, eggs and cereal. I had my choice of red, black or blue pens.)

COMPOSE/COMPRISE/CONSTITUTE/INCLUDE

• In this sense, compose means to create or put together. (Jack's comic book collection is composed of several first editions.)
• Comprise means to contain or include. (The panel comprises people from all parts of campus.) Note, however, that the panel is not "comprised of" people from all parts of campus.
• You may want to use constitute, or something entirely different, if neither compose nor comprise seems to work. (Eleven problems constitute the math test.  The math test consists of eleven problems. People from all parts of campus make up the panel. Panel members are drawn from all parts of campus.)
• Use include when a list may not be complete.  (The list of confirmed guests includes Senator Gatsby.)

DAYS/DATES*

• For dates and years, use figures.
• Capitalize days of the week, but do not abbreviate. If an event occurs more than seven days before or after the current date, use the month and a figure.
• Spell out the month unless it is used with a date. When used with a date, abbreviate only the following months: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Always capitalize months.
• Do not use st, nd, rd, or th with dates.
• Use commas as follows:
  The twins were born in April 1989.
  The twins were born on Tuesday, Feb. 30.
  The twins turned 16 on Dec. 30, 2005.
  The twins started driving on May 1, 2005, and they went to the mall twice.
• Use apostrophes carefully: the 1990s, the '90s (not the 1990's or 90's)

*Information provided by the OWL Purdue website

DEAN

• Capitalize the title as follows: Dean Olivia Gordon; Dean Gordon; Olivia Gordon, dean of the School of Architectural Sciences; Dean of the School of Architectural Sciences Olivia Gordon. Olivia Gordon is the dean of architectural sciences. (Also see the "Titles" section below.)

DR.

• Follow AP Style in the use of the title Dr. Use Dr. on first reference before the names of individuals who hold medical degrees, such as doctors of medicine, osteopathic medicine, dental surgery, veterinary medicine, optometry or podiatric medicine.
• Do not use Dr. before the names of individuals who hold academic doctorates. When an academic credential is relevant to the person’s expertise or the context of the story, identify it in another way.
• Examples:
  • Jane Smith, who holds a doctorate in history, will lead the discussion.
  • Jane Smith, professor of history, will lead the discussion.
  • Smith earned a doctorate in history from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

ENSURE/INSURE/ASSURE

• Although they both mean "to make certain," ensure and insure are not quite interchangeable. Insure more properly refers to finances.  (Using this method will ensure success. Insure yourself against the high cost of illness.)  Assure implies the removal of doubt or suspense. (I assure you that I mean no harm.)

ENTITLED

• Entitled means to have a right to something. (Martin was entitled to a third of his grandfather's estate.) Don't use it if you're talking about the name of a book, play, etc. (The presentation was titled "Learning to Use Algorithms.")

F

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GRADE-POINT AVERAGE

• Note the hyphen.  Abbreviate GPA and give the number with two decimal places (a GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale).

HYPHENS

• Check a recent dictionary. Treatment of a word can change as it moves into common use.
• Or read for clarity. "Her reply was thought provoking." Does that mean her reply was thought (considered) provoking or that it was thought-provoking (it made you stop and think)?
• Words made with these prefixes are generally not hyphenated:
  anti: antihero
  bi: biannual
  co: coauthor
  extra: extraterrestrial
  inter: interrelated
  micro: microeconomics
  mid: midlife
  multi: multiracial
  non: nonviolent
  over: overprotective
  post: postdoctoral
  pre: prenatal
  pro: prorated
  re: reexamine
  semi: semiannual
  sub: subatomic
  un: unwashed
  under: underpaid
• Some exceptions:  If the resulting word is difficult to pronounce or looks odd, hyphenate it (cochair/co-chair; coworker/co-worker).  Hyphenate words that can be mistaken for other words (co-op/coop; re-creation /recreation).
• Hyphenate two words combined to make an adjective. (It was a hair-raising experience. Helen is a full-time student, so she can only work part time.)
• Ex is hyphenated when it's used to mean former (ex-spouse).

IMPACT

• Impact may be used as either a noun or a verb. Consider more specific alternatives, such as affect, when they make the meaning clearer.

INCLUSIVES

• Don’t mix prepositions and dashes in the same phrase. These are ok: “He works from 9 to 5.” “He works 9-5.” This is not: “He works from 9-5.” These are also ok: “People between the ages of 18 and 25 will love this movie.” “People aged 18-25 will love this movie.” “Everyone aged 18 through 25 will love this movie.”
  Note: Using thru for through is acceptable only in very informal writing, or in tabbed or other materials where space may be a consideration.

J-K

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LISTS

• Simple, short lists don’t require much punctuation. “To go camping we need a tent, sleeping bag and insect repellant.” “We need a tent, sleeping bag and insect repellant to go camping.”
• Complex lists may require additional punctuation. “We need these things to go camping: (1) a lightweight, easily assembled tent; (2) sleeping bags that are comfortable and can be zipped open and closed quickly and (3) hypoallergenic insect repellant, preferably a brand that contains an FDA-approved sunblock.” [Note: You can substitute (a), (b), and (c) for (1), (2), and (3).]

MONEY

• For even amounts, omit the .00 except if needed in tabbed lists ($5, not $5.00). It's easy to misread $5.00 as $500.
• For amounts less than $1, use figures and spell out cents (5 cents, 75 cents).
• "The new library cost $1 million." "The chips cost 88 cents." "He looked like a million dollars." "Jason had to put in his two cents."

NUMBERS

• In general, spell out numbers one through nine and use figures for numbers 10 and higher. "The woman had four children and 12 grandchildren."

OFFICE OF

• The complete, proper name of an office should be capitalized. Other references should be lowercased (the Office of Financial Assistance, the financial assistance office).

PERCENT/PERCENTAGES

• Use the % sign when paired with a numeral, with no space, in most cases (a change in 2019): Enrollment rose 3.1% from a year ago. Use figures: 1%, 4 percentage points. For amounts less than 1%, precede the decimal with a zero: Funding rose 0.6%.

PHONE NUMBERS

• Phone numbers should be hyphenated (example 217-206-0000).

PLURALS

• Form the plural of most abbreviations without an apostrophe: M.A.s, Ph.D.s, URLs. Use an apostrophe for the possessive form.
• Proper names are never made plural by using an apostrophe. (The Joneses (not Jones's) left on vacation.  All the Sallys (not Sally's) are here.
• A collective noun is a group of individuals considered as a unit – an audience, jury, or committee, for example. Collective nouns take singular verbs and pronouns when you're thinking of the members as a whole. (The family who lives next door is named Mulligan.) These nouns take plural verbs and pronouns when group members are thought of as individuals. (The jury are washing their hands before they go to dinner.)
• Words like athletics and politics are generally considered singular. (Politics is a dirty business.)

POSSESSIVES

• For singular common and proper nouns ending in s, use an apostrophe followed by s: the class’s schedule, UIS’s enrollment, James’s book. For plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe: the students’ projects.
• Possessive pronouns ending in "s" do not take an apostrophe. (My hand is cleaner than yours. Your hand is cleaner than hers.)
• Don't confuse it's (it is) with its. (It's time to go. The dog bit its trainer.)

PROVED/PROVEN

• Proved is a verb. (He proved to be an exciting speaker.) Proven is an adjective. (He has a proven talent for speaking.)

QUALITY

• Quality can be used as a modifier, but avoid it when a more specific description would be clearer. Instead of quality faculty, consider language that explains what makes the faculty notable, such as experienced faculty or nationally recognized faculty.

R

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STATE NAMES

• Spell out all state names in the middle of a story, even when used in conjunction with a city name (Springfield, Illinois). Abbreviate state names when they are used as part of a dateline, list, agate or tabular material. The following state names are not abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. For a full list of state abbreviations, visit the OWL Purdue website.

THAT/WHICH

• The choice of that or which can make a difference in the sense of your sentence. "Norma never wore perfume that made her sneeze." (But she drenched herself in the other kind.)
  "Norma never wore perfume, which made her sneeze." (She had allergies.)
• Use that to introduce an essential clause, one that can't be eliminated without changing your meaning.
  Use which to introduce a nonessential clause, one that can be left out without changing the basic meaning of the sentence. (Frank couldn't recall the Latin phrase that he used as a password. Frank couldn't recall the Latin phrase, which he used as a password.)

TIME

• Times should be designated by a.m. or p.m. Don't use :00 except as needed in tabular material.
• Times should come before the date "8 p.m. Friday." 
• 12 midnight, 12 noon, or Friday evening at 8 p.m. are redundant.  Use "Midnight," "Noon" or "8 p.m. Friday." 

TITLES

• A personal title is capitalized when it comes immediately before the holder’s name and is used as part of that name (Chancellor Daniel Henderson), but not if it follows the name (Daniel Henderson, chancellor). Some titles can be abbreviated if they’re used with a person’s full name (Sen. Daniel Henderson). Consult a reference source if you have questions about the use of religious or honorary titles.
• Use quotation marks around the titles of books, movies, plays, poems, songs, television programs, lectures, speeches and works of art. Capitalize the principal words in composition titles, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Capitalize the, a and an when they are the first or last word of a title.
• Capitalize the first word after a colon or dash in a title.
• Put commas and periods inside closing quotation marks. Put other punctuation inside quotation marks only when they are part of the quoted material or title.

Examples:
Books: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Elements of Style”
Movies: “The Wizard of Oz,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Plays: “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Death of a Salesman”
Poems: “The Road Not Taken,” “Still I Rise”
Songs: “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Here Comes the Sun”
Television programs: “60 Minutes,” “Saturday Night Live”
Lectures and speeches: “I Have a Dream,” “The Gettysburg Address”
Paintings and other works of art: “American Gothic,” “The Starry Night”

• Do not use quotation marks around the names of newspapers, magazines, journals, reference works, software, apps, websites, statues or monuments.

Newspapers: The State Journal-Register, Chicago Tribune
Magazines and journals: Time magazine, The New England Journal of Medicine
Reference works: Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Encyclopedia Britannica
Software and apps: Microsoft Word, Instagram
Websites: Google, Wikipedia
Statues and monuments: the Lincoln Memorial, the Statue of Liberty

UNIVERSITY/CAMPUS

• See the "Campus" entry above.

UTILIZE

• Use use.

VICE CHANCELLOR

• No hyphen.
• The correct form when referring to a UIS vice chancellor is "vice chancellor for" not "of." (Michael Millroy is vice chancellor for human resource management.)

WHO/WHOM

• Use who or whom instead of that to refer to people and to animals with names.  Use who when it's the subject of the sentence, clause, or phrase. (Lassie is the dog who saved Timmy.)  Use whom when it's the object of a verb or preposition. (Timmy is the boy whom Lassie saved.)

X-Y-Z

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ELECTRONIC STYLE GUIDE
 

Email

• Use email, not e-mail.

Emoticons and acronyms

• Please don't use little smiley faces  : )   or similar emoticons in anything but the most casual messages.
• Likewise, don't assume that everyone knows what "BTW," "LOL," or other trendy acronyms mean.

Internet

• Lowercase "internet" in the middle of a sentence.

Online/software/website

• One word

Web addresses

• When possible, use descriptive linked text instead of displaying a full web address. If a web address must be written out, omit https:// and www. when they are not necessary for the address to work. Do not use "click here" as link text; describe the destination of the link.
• Opinions differ about putting a period at the end of a web address that is also the end of a sentence; some prefer to leave a space between the address and the closing punctuation (www.uis.edu .). Our preference is to punctuate the end of the sentence, with no extra space. Questions or exclamations that end in a web address still require the closing ? or ! (You bought that at Amazon.com! How could you buy anything at Amazon.com?)

World Wide Web

• Lowercase "web" in the middle of a sentence.