Writing Style Guide

As a general rule, do not use abbreviations or acronyms that readers will not readily or quickly recognize.

Always spell out the meaning of an acronomy for first usage on a page, such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM),

See individual categories below for when abbreviations are recommended, such as dates,  titles, etc.

In Titles Abbreviations should be written out in their full text when they are part of website or article titles. If an abbreviation is part of an already published work, do not change it to the full text. Example: In Defense of American Liberties: A History of the ACLU by Samuel Walker

Initial/Subsequent Use The first time an abbreviation is used in a publication, the expanded form should be used in the sentence, with the abbreviated form in parentheses. Example: The campus chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded in 1978.

Ampersands In running text, use and rather than an ampersand. Ampersands may be used in lists, charts, and graphic elements. In titles of publications and names of organizations, departments, institutes, and centers, change ampersands to and. Use and with multiple authors. Example: She sold her AT&T stock because of the company’s R&D policies. Example: Black & Decker won the Clear Manual Award from Editor and Publisher. Example: Bailey, Rachel. Victorian Childhood. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003.

a.m. and p.m. Use a space between the number and a.m. and p.m. Write a.m. and p.m. with periods, no spaces, and lowercase formatting. Examples: 6 a.m., 10 p.m., from 1 to 3 p.m., 1:30–3 p.m., at 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

e.g., i.e and etc. The abbreviations e.g. and i.e. are not interchangeable. The abbreviation e.g. means “for example,” whereas i.e. means “that is” or “namely.” Both are set off by commas in running text, and both are followed by a comma in standard usage. Example: Foothill students have access to internships in numerous fields, e.g., tech, medicine, and education. Example: The cost of living, i.e., high rents and mortgages, can prove prohibitive for our students. Etc. (etcetera) is used to say, "and so forth." Example: Equipment for the field trip includes tents, sleeping bags, etc.

States In running text, spell out state names when standing alone or following the name of a city. For example, the District of Columbia may be spelled out or abbreviated when used alone, but use DC (no periods). If the city may be confused with the state of Washington, use formalized “Washington, D.C.” For bibliographies, tables, lists, and mailing addresses with zip codes, states are usually abbreviated. Use the two-letter postal code (caps and no punctuation). Example: Foothill College is located in Los Altos Hills, CA. Capitalize the word state (and city) only if part of the official name (i.e., when state is used to distinguish a state from a city of the same name.) Examples: New York state, New York City, the city of New York, in the state of Maryland

Political affiliations Political affiliations in parentheses use postal code abbreviations. Example: Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) Example: Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Units of measurement and symbols 10 mi. 3 mph 5 mm 9½’, 96” (use the prime [‘] and double prime [“] symbols for foot and inch, not curly quotation marks and apostrophes) 77° 5¢ or $.05 $5 billion US$4 (no spaces, no periods when distinguishing U.S. dollars from other dollar-based currencies) from $6.75 to $8.00, but from $6 to $8 (use zeros after the decimal if one or both numbers include a decimal fraction) 10 percent (at the start of a sentence: Ten percent)

Spell out a degree on first formal use and then use the abbreviation with periods.

Associate Degrees Associate in Arts, A.A. degree Associate in Science, A.S. degree Associate in Arts for Transfer, A.A.-T degree Associate in Science for Transfer, A.S.-T degree Example: Jayla Jones, who has an Associate in Science degree, joined Google.

Use of Possesive There is no possessive in associate degree.

Capitalization Use lowercase when not referring to a specific area of study. Example: Sue earned her associate degree from Foothill College

Capitalization and Punctuation

Always capitalize academic grades, except when using a grade name as an adjective.  Do not use quotes or italics. No apostrophe for the plural.

Examples:

B+, C, F  B grade, grade of B, a grade of Incomplete.

He got all As.

The professor marked her math assignment incomplete.

Capitalize when referring to a specific quarter or session; otherwise, use lowercase.

Fall Quarter 2020.  She will offer the course in fall.  Summer session begins July 29. Summer session six-week course.

Capitalize Before Name

Capitalize a title before a name. If a title appears before a name, no comma is needed.

Examples: Professor of History Jane Doe; Professor Jane Doe; Instructor Jane Doe.

Do Not Capitlize After Name If the title does not precede the name, do not capitalize it. The same applies for dean and president. Examples: Jane Doe, professor of history, will introduce a new course starting next quarter. Marietta Jones, dean of the language arts, spoke at November's Rotary event.

Repeating of Name Once a professor or instructor's title is mentioned, that professor or instructor can be referred to by his/her last name only. Example: Professor Sam Smith's history class is one of the most popular on campus. Smith expects to teach two new classes this fall.

Acronyms should be included in the first reference to an organization or program.

Example: Extended Opportunities Programs & Services (EOPS) is designed to increase the retention, graduation and transfer rates of students who are financially and educationally disadvantaged. EOPS offers various services to ensure student success.

A program may be referred to by its acronym on subsequent references.

No periods are used with acronyms.

Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd., Rd, and St. only with a numbered address.

Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name.

• • 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
  • Foothill College is located on El Monte Road

Always use figures when dealing with ages. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun. When using decades for age, do not use an apostrophe.

1. • The student is 18 years old. She is an 18-year-old student.
   • He is an older gentleman in his 80s.

Use an ampersand when it is part of a company, department or program formal name or a composition title.

It should not be used in place of and, except for some accepted abbreviations. Exceptions can be made for creative use in graphic design as needed.

Procter & Gamble

Do not use apostrophes in pluralized numbers or acronyms.

Examples: her late 20s; multiple DUIs

When referring to a Foothill College campus location, you should always start with the building, followed by the room number. In the long version, a comma separates the building and the room number. In short version, a dash (-) separates the building and the room number, with spaces on either side of the dash.

Long Version: Toyon Room, Campus Center, Building 2000, Room 2020
Short Version: Toyon Room (2020)

The long or short version can be used at writer's discretion

Please refer to approved names of all campus locations.

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Foothill College includes two locations and several community partner dual enrollment high school and community-based education location partnerships.

Foothill Main Campus Info

Sunnyvale Center Info

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Use first-year student rather than freshman. Terms denoting student status are lower cased.

Registration for first-year students starts on Wednesday, July 22; registration for continuing students begins Thursday, July 20.

Use prospective students rather than future students.

Graduating Class of 2020

First-generation college students, first-gen college student; first to college in your family

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Colon

A colon introduces an element or a series of elements illustrating or amplifying what has preceded the colon.

When a colon is used with a sentence, the first word is NOT capitalized.

The study involves three food types: protein, carbohydrates and fats.

When the colon introduces two or more sentences, the first word following it is capitalized.

Jane was faced with a choice: Should she accept the internship? Or should she remain working at her current job?

After a colon, use only one space.

Semicolon (;)

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: The semicolon's most common use is between two independent clauses not joined by a conjunction.

Julia intends to transfer to UCLA; her plans, however, are still quite vague.

In a series: the final comma in a series does not need to be used unless required for clarity in a series of complex elements.

She studies math, science and history.

In addresses: Do not use a comma before or after a ZIP code.

1427 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637

 

With quotation marks: A comma rather than a colon is used after said, replied, asked, and similar verbs.

Garrett replied, "I hope you are not referring to me."

With Jr. and Sr.: do not use commas around Jr. and Sr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

With academic, professional  and religious designations: Use a comma following a personal name.

Jane Doe, PhD

Jane Doe, J.D.

In compound sentences: use a comma to separate the two parts of a compound sentence.

Example: Yumi worked on her screenplay every morning before class, and Ivan worked on his novel.

Example: He worked on his novel, and she wrote her screenplay.

When you have a compound verb, do not insert a comma between the subject and a compound verb unless you have a good reason, such as a parenthetical.

Example: Yumi worked on her screenplay every morning and studied in the evening.

Example: Yumi worked on her screenplay every morning, no matter how exhausted she was, and studied every evening.

The use of contractions is directly related to tone.

It is acceptable to use contractions in informal writing such as the website and other marketing materials.

Mirriam-Webster Dictionary includes many entries for contractions: aren't for are not, it's for it is, for example. The contractions listed in the dictionary are acceptable to use.

Credits, Units and Grades

Unit is the favored term for credit received at Foothill College.

Use the term "unit" any time it appears with a numeral to refer to the number of units.

Examples: The course is 3 units.

Credits, Units and Grades

Unit is the favored term for credit received at Foothill College.

Use the term "unit" any time it appears with a numeral referring to the number of units.

Examples: The course is 3 units. Students must pass the 3-unit course (include hyphen (-) unit when using it as an adjective).

The word credit may be used as a general word for a non-specific number of units.

Students will receive credit for this course.

 

We offer non-credit classes and courses for non credit.

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Dates Always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd or th. Example: June 30, 2023 (Not June 30th, 2023)

Months Capitalize months in all uses, and spell out all when used alone or only with the year. Example: Winter solstice occurs in December. The next leap year occurs in February 2023. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate the following: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Spell out all others that include five characters or less: March, April, May, June, and July. Example: Feb. 14, 2023 When used in tabular form, such as in a table or calendar list, use three-letter form without period: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Days of Week Always captialize and spell out except when used in tabular format: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun (three letters, no periods).

Time Use numerical figures except for noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate hour from minutes. Example: 11 a.m., 10:30 a.m.-noon, 1:30-2:45 p.m. Do not use o'clock.

Time Sequence

Time Zone

Division, Departments and Programs

Courses and Sections- Capitalize the simple names of academic courses (Math 125). Use standard rules of capitalization for the full name of the course. (Math 010: Linear Algebra and Applications). On first reference, use the full name of the course. On subsequent references, use the simple name.

There are 15 sections in the Math 125: Beginning Algebra; Math 125 meets in room 103.

Schools- Foothill College is divided into the following five schools. When referencing a school, they should always be written as follows:

School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
School of Science and Mathematics
School of Health Sciences
School of Business, Engineering and Technology

Departments- Within each school there exists specific academic departments. Capitalize a formal name (Department of Geology). Do not capitalize an informal name (geology department) unless it is a proper noun.

The Department of English is within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Students can go to the English department to view their finals grades.

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1. Hyphen (-) Do not use a space between hyphens. Do not use a hyphen in cases such as African American, Asian American, etc. Commonly hyphenated terms include:

First-year student
Two-year or four-year institution
Question-and-answer
Short-term, long-term
Student-oriented, college-bound

2. En dash (–) The en dash signifies up to and including (or through). There's no space immediately before and after a long en dash.

Her college years, 1998–2002, were the happiest in her life.

3. Em dash (—) The em dash is the long dash. It is the most commonly used dash and shows an abrupt change in thought. Insert a space on both sides of an em dash.

Steve Jones — a first-year student — received a Fullbright scholarship.

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Use the term website, not Website or web site.

Capitalize Internet; lowercase intranet.

Do not use http://  or www. when including a url link label

Example: foothill.edu

However,  use the https:// on the backend  and check Internet links for accuracy and accessibility

Spell out whole numbers from one through nine and any number beginning a sentence.

For other numbers, numerals are used.

• There were 32 students at the conference. We saw three of my friends.
• One hundred and ten candidates were accepted.

Spell out ordinal numbers in text.

• First, second, third—not 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

For numbers of four digits or larger, use a comma.

• 1,500; 35,000.

Very large numbers should be expressed with a numeral and word. Decimals are preferred where practical.

• 450 million; 1.5 million

In headlines, abbreviate only millions and billions.

• Announcing the $5M capital campaign.

Percentages are always given in numerals and the word percent is used.

• Males make up 31 percent of the class.

If the sentence begins with a numeral, it should be spelled out.

• Fifty percent of Foothill College students receive financial assistance.

When referring to a specific century it should be spelled out and in lowercase.

• The new technology was invented in the twenty-first century.

First and Second Reference An individual's first and last name should appear the first time he/she is introduced. In subsequent references, use only the individual's last name. Jane Garcia is the new president of Foothill College. Previously Garcia was president of College of San Mateo.

Maiden Name Maiden name precedes married name and is not placed in parentheses or quotation marks. Elizabeth Smith Brown

Commas Jr. and Sr. Commas should not be used before or after Jr. and Sr. or to set off II, III. George W. Wilson Jr. has eclipsed his father's fame. John A. Doe III is the son of John A. Doe Jr.

1. Capitalize when referring to a specific semester or session. Otherwise, lowercase.

Fall Quarter 2014. She will offer the course in fall.

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Do not use a space before or after a slash (/).

P/NP grade

Use noon, not 12 p.m. Use midnight, not 12 a.m. Do not put 12 in front of either noon or midgnight.

The seminar is at noon. We expect the meeting to run until midnight.

Numbers: Do not include 00s Do not add "00" to the time. Exceptions can be made for purposes of graphic design in posters.

Letters: Use a.m. and p.m. Use lowercase and with periods, and include a space after the number. Example: 10 a.m. (Do not use 10:00AM or 10am.) When including a span of time, do not repeat a.m. or p.m. if both times fall into the morning or afternoon period. Example: 10–11:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Use noon and midnight Use noon (not 12 p.m.) or midnight (not 12 a.m.), with no 12 in front of either. Example: The seminar is at noon. We expect the meeting to run until midnight

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Add an introduction here.

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Add an introduction here.

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Academic years: include both the beginning and ending year, spelling out with lowercase words.

Examples: academic year 2018–2019;  academic year 2018–19; the 2018–19 academic year

If a fiscal year spans two calendar years, use only the year of the final month.

Examples: fiscal year 2018