This guide is composed of two main sections. The first deals primarily with usage related to this campus and the University of California. The second provides some rules for general usage (though it is not intended as a comprehensive guide). In addition, a list of editorial reference works is provided at the end.
addresses, telephone numbers, web site, campus
adviser
buildings, names of campus
California State Universities
campus
chairman or chair
classes and graduates
college
Colleges Eight, Nine, Ten
comprehensive examination
course notations and grades
courses
degrees
department, committee of studies, board of studies
disciplines, majors, and programs
divisions, Jack Baskin School of Engineering
evaluations
fees
fellow
field programs
financial aid
forms
freshman
grades
graduate programs
junior
library
majors
office names, administrative and academic
programs
publications, campus
quarter
Regents
senior
senior thesis, senior project
sophomore
theater
titles, academic and administrative
university
University of California campuses
University of California, Santa Cruz
years, academic
abbreviations
apostrophe
capitalization
capitalization, italics, and quotation marks in titles of works
commas
dates
gender
hyphenation
italics
numbers
quotation marks
time of day
words, compound
(831) 459-0111 (campus information)
web site: www.ucsc.edu
Webster's first spelling--adviser--is preferred at UCSC and is used in official campus publications (e.g., UCSC General Catalog, Schedules of Classes, Navigator). However, Webster's lists advisor as an acceptable second spelling.
Baskin Visual Arts Center
Jack Baskin Auditorium
Jack Baskin Engineering Building (formerly Applied Sciences Building)
Bay Tree Building
Center for Adaptive Optics
Center for Ocean Health
Classroom Units 1 and 2
East Field Center
East Field House
Engineering 2 Building
Graduate Student Commons
Hahn Student Services Building
Horticulture 1 and 2 Buildings
Humanities 1 and 2 Buildings
Interdisciplinary Sciences Building
McHenry Library
Merrill Library
Music Center
Music Center Recital Hall
Natural Sciences 2 Building
Physical Sciences Building
Quarry Plaza
Science & Engineering Library
Seymour Center at Long Marine Laboratory
Sinsheimer Laboratories
Social Sciences 1 and 2 Buildings
Student Union
Theater Arts Center (formerly Performing Arts Center) (the entire complex)
Theater Arts Mainstage
Theater Arts Second Stage
Thimann Laboratories
Thimann Lecture Hall
University Center
University Town Center
Lowercase library and theater when used alone or in plural form:
the theater
the campus libraries
Note the er form of theater.
Cite room numbers as follows:
His office is located at 102 Hahn Student Services Building.
California Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime)
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo)
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly, Pomona)
California State University, Bakersfield (CSU Bakersfield)
California State University, Channel Islands (CSU Channel Islands)
California State University, Chico (CSU Chico)
California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSU Dominguez Hills)
California State University, Fresno (CSU Fresno)
California State University, Fullerton (CSU Fullerton)
California State University, East Bay (CSU East Bay)
California State University, Long Beach (CSU Long Beach)
California State University, Los Angeles (CSU Los Angeles)
California State University, Monterey Bay (CSU Monterey Bay) (CSUMB)
California State University, Northridge (CSU Northridge)
California State University, Sacramento (CSU Sacramento)
California State University, San Bernardino (CSU San Bernardino)
California State University, San Marcos (CSU San Marcos)
California State University, Stanislaus (CSU Stanislaus)
Humboldt State University (Humboldt State)
San Diego State University (San Diego State)
San Francisco State University (San Francisco State)
San Jose State University (San Jose State)
Sonoma State University (Sonoma State)
the campus
the Santa Cruz campus
To show possession, add apostrophe s:
the campus's reputation
freshman, sophomore, junior, senior
alumnus (a male), alumna (a female), alumni (two or more males or mixed males and females), alumnae (two or more females)
Note that either freshman or first-year student is acceptable. Frosh and alum(s) are acceptable in informal contexts.
For class years, use this style:
class of '78
Crown '97
Porter '02
Oakes '00
Graduate Studies '90
Stevenson College
Stevenson
Lowercase college when used alone, as a general term, or in the plural, even when referring to UCSC colleges:
the college
the college system
the ten UCSC colleges
Uppercase college when used in the plural following more than one name:
Kresge and Porter Colleges
College Eight
College Ten opened in fall 2002.
Eight, Nine
Use lowercase.
Pass, No Pass, Incomplete, In Progress, Withdrawal; P, NP, I, IP, W; A, B, C, D, F
Enclose in quotation marks only as necessary for clarity. Do not underline or use all capitals:
The notation "In Progress" is reserved for a single course extending over two or three quarters of an academic year.
To receive an "I" you must. . . .
Use the word notation rather than grade unless you are referring to letter grades.
She received a poor evaluation for Politics 20, Democracy and Liberalism in American Politics.
In a sequence of courses with a single title and course description, either of the following styles is acceptable:
Chemistry 112A-B-C
Chemistry 112A, Chemistry 112B, Chemistry 112C
In a sequence with the same number but different titles and separate course descriptions, the number should be repeated with each letter:
American Studies 107A and 107B
John Smith, Doctor of Law
Capitalize abbreviations and insert periods:
B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Lowercase short forms and degrees referred to in general terms:
bachelor of arts degree
master's
doctorate
graduate certificate
Department of Anthropology
Anthropology Department
Lowercase department when used alone:
The Women's Studies Department includes faculty from a number of areas. The department offers a range of courses.
a department
departments
committees of studies
Note: The term board of studies should only be used in a historical context. As of July 1, 1997, all boards became departments. Use of the term committee of studies is unchanged.
See also disciplines, majors, and programs.
astronomy and astrophysics program
biology
courses in sociology
Earth sciences courses
history of consciousness program
legal studies
literature major
master's program in chemistry and biochemistry
M.S. program in applied economics and finance
Capitalize disciplines when part of the department name:
Department of Sociology
Sociology Department
Capitalize disciplines when used to indicate a course:
Anthropology 101
Capitalize proper names within the names of majors and disciplines:
American studies
French literature
Latin American and Latino studies major
Capitalize the formal names of other campus programs:
Science Communication Program
Writing Program
Do not abbreviate the name of a program unless you have already given it in full:
Education Abroad Program
EAP
Division of Social Sciences
Social Sciences Division
Social Sciences and Arts Divisions
Division of Graduate Studies
Lowercase general terms:
humanities courses
natural sciences breadth requirement
Lowercase division when used alone:
The division is housed. . . .
Use the following:
Jack Baskin School of Engineering
Baskin School of Engineering
Baskin School
(Please use the terms Narrative Evaluation System and narrative evalutions in a historical context only.)
Registration Fee
Nonresident Tuition
Lowercase general terms and names of fees in text:
UCSC registration fees are . . . and the nonresident tuition was . . . in 1996-97.
Elizabeth Bennett, a fellow of Kresge College
Regents Scholarships
Regents Fellowships
University Loans
Pell Grants
Application for Undergraduate Admission and Scholarships
Request for Graduate Application Fee Waiver
Lowercase shortened or general forms:
admission application
fee waiver form
Office of the Department of Theater Arts
Theater Arts Department Office
Office of the Chancellor
Chancellor's Office
Note that the Office of the Registrar prefers that its complete name be used, as does the Office of Admissions.
Lowercase office when used alone:
the department office
the office
University of California, Santa Cruz, General Catalog, 2004-06
Annual Report of the UC Santa Cruz Foundation & Honor Roll of Donors, 2003-04
UCSC General Catalog
UCSC Annual Report
Fall 2004 Schedule of Classes
General and descriptive titles should be lowercased and set in roman (not italic) type:
catalog
fall schedule
Note that the names of unpublished works such as master's theses and dissertations should be enclosed in quotation marks in roman type:
Her dissertation was titled "Women in Early America."
See also capitalization, italics, and quotation marks in titles of works.
winter quarter
No comma between quarter and year:
spring quarter 2005
In general, use quarter instead of term, though the latter may be necessary with references that include UC Berkeley.
the Board of Regents of the University of California
the Board of Regents
the Regents
Alumni Regent
Student Regent
See also financial aid.
Ann Draper, interim director of financial aid
The chancellor has agreed. . . .
the dean of the Division of Graduate Studies
the provost of Crown
professor, lecturer, coordinator, emeriti faculty
These titles are exceptions: Regents' Lecturer, Regents' Professor, University Professor
Capitalize titles directly preceding a personal name:
UC President Robert C. Dynes
Acting Chancellor George Blumenthal
Chancellor Emeritus Karl S. Pister
Professor Emerita Audrey Stanley
Dean Georges Van Den Abbeele decided. . . .
Professor Olga Najera-Ramirez lectured. . . .
However, note the following:
The Academic Senate listened to a report by dean of humanities Van Den Abbeele.
The senate made a recommendation based on a report by professor of anthropology Najera-Ramirez.
UCSC anthropology professor Olga Najera-Ramirez. . . .
Titles used in lists may be capitalized, even when they follow a name:
Olga Najera-Ramirez, Professor
Ann Draper, Interim Director of Financial Aid
Lowercase occupational or descriptive titles:
novelist Toni Morrison
historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. (note that Jr. is not set off by commas)
Use chair instead of chairman:
the department chair
Chairwoman or chairman may be used with a name:
Chairwoman Alison Galloway
the university faculty
the policies of the university
The University of California, Santa Cruz, opened in 1965.
Abbreviations do not take commas or periods:
UC, UCSC
UC Santa Cruz
Use shortened forms only after the full name of the campus has been given. Never use SC as an abbreviation.
1996-97
1999-2000
2000-01
2004-05
Do not use 1996-1997, 1996/97, 1996/1997, 96-97, 96/97.
See also classes and graduates.
EOP, UN, NATO, CIA, URL, CD, DVD
Here are some exceptions:
B.A., Ph.D., U.S., D.C., L.A., M.D., Mrs., etc., St., Co., pp.
Note that you should insert a letterspace between the initials in a proper name:
E. B. White
Note, however, an exception to this rule: M.R.C. Greenwood (no spaces between initials).
campus's
Liz's
Dickens's
To plurals ending in s, add an apostrophe only:
nine dogs' tails
Be careful not to confuse possessive adjectives, which do not take apostrophes, with contractions, which do:
The tree lost its leaves.
It's time to go.
Omit the apostrophe from plurals:
1990s
POWs
M.A.s and Ph.D.s
state of California
state Department of Health
U.S. Department of State
New York State
The state is experiencing a surplus.
central Africa
Central Coast
Central Valley
city of Santa Cruz
county of Los Angeles
Earth (planet)
East Coast
Eastern philosophy
eastern U.S.
Los Angeles County
Monterey Bay Area
North Africa
the North Atlantic
Sacramento Valley
San Francisco Bay Area
San Joaquin Valley
Silicon Valley
the South
the South Bronx
Southeast Asia
southern California
Southern Hemisphere
south Georgia
western Asia
We walked east
African American
American Indian
Asian American
Mexican American
Native American
European American
Hispanic
Chicano/Chicana
Latino/Latina
black
white
Note also the adjectival forms:
African American student
European American heritage
Italian American neighborhood
Bush administration
federal
U.S. government
Santa Cruz City Council; the city council
Articles, prepositions, and coordinate conjunctions should be lowercase in titles unless they are the first or last words; lowercase the to in infinitives.
The Last of the Mohicans
A Rage to Live
In addition to published books, pamphlets, newspapers, and periodicals, the titles of long poems, plays, major musical works, paintings, records, compact discs, audio- and videocassettes, radio and television programs, and movies are capitalized and set in italics:
a story in the San Jose Mercury News
an article in Foreign Affairs
Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice
the film Monster's Ball
the television program West Wing
the radio program All Things Considered
Don Giovanni by Mozart
El Greco's View of Toledo
Tom Jones by Fielding
Exception: musical titles identifying musical form and/or key are set accordingly:
Fantasy in C Minor
Hungarian Rhapsody no. 12
William Tell Overture
Emperor Concerto
The titles of articles, songs, short poems, and parts of books are capitalized, set in roman type, and enclosed in quotation marks:
"Silent Night"
"The Raven"
Professor Thackeray's article is titled "Which Way Is Up?"
Note that commas and periods are set inside of quotation marks; colons and semicolons are placed outside of quotation marks (unless they are part of the matter quoted).
His thesis, "Man and His World," was. . . .
Do you like the song "Frere Jacques"?
See also publications, campus (Section I).
April 1, 1950, was. . . .
April 1950 was. . . .
The program was scheduled for 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 12, 2000.
A word, phrase, or clause that is in apposition to a noun and that is parenthetical is set off by commas:
Washington, D.C., is. . . .
My wife, Amanda, works. . . .
I live in Santa Cruz, which I enjoy very much.
If, however, the word, phrase, or clause is restrictive (identifies or restricts the meaning of the noun), commas should not be used:
My sister Ellen works. . . .(the speaker has more than one sister)
Milton's work Paradise Lost was. . . .
The book that I received for Christmas . . . (use that, not which, in restrictive clauses).
In a series, use a comma before the conjunction:
Cowell, Merrill, and Oakes
Use a comma before a conjunction connecting two independent clauses:
Course 20 is required for the major, and students should complete it by the end of their junior year.
As a general rule, do not use a comma before a conjunction connecting a compound predicate:
Joe bought two books and looked at the magazines.
Avoid man, mankind, and words ending in -man. Substitute:
humanity, people, worker, firefighter, etc.
Avoid singular pronouns (he, she, his, hers) when referring to both sexes. Substitute they or you:
Students pay their fees. . . .
You should pay your fees. . . .
If absolutely necessary, both pronouns can be used with or. Do not use he/she or his/her:
A student should pay his or her fees. . . .
See also classes and graduates; titles, academic and administrative (Section I).
Note: numbers are mixed in the same sentence or paragraph:
UCSC had two administrators and 11 faculty giving reports. Eleven journalists, three legislators, and 146 community members voiced their opinions.
Use the same rules for ordinal numbers:
second, ninth, 10th, 25th, 169th
UCSC's five tennis players ranked first, third, 10th, l6th, and 23rd in the men's singles competition.
Exceptions: College Ten, College Eleven, College Twelve
Spell out numbers one through nine if they occur with century, and use figures for 10 and over. However, remember to spell out the numeral if it appears at the beginning of the course title:
Twentieth-Century Chinese Art
French History: The 19th Century
Classical Chinese Culture and Literature: Sixth Century through 16th Century
Professor Nicole Paiement specializes in 20th-century French music.
Twentieth-century African American culture is Professor Tricia Rose's field.
In scientific text, physical quantities, such as distances, lengths, or areas, should be expressed in figures; in ordinary text such quantities should be treated according to the rules above.
Use figures for course numbers, course credits or units, scores, percentages, compound numbers, decimal fractions, and very large numbers:
Biology 3
5-credit course
5 percent
4 feet 7 inches
1.34
$5 billion
3 million years ago
Also use figures for page numbers:
The footnote was on page 7.
7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
For typeset copy, use small capitals. When small capitals are used, periods are unnecessary:
4:32 PM
11:30 AM
For typeset copy, use small capitals.
These forms are preferred for noon and midnight:
12 noon; noon
12 midnight; midnight
Do not use 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.
For class time ranges and other durations involving minutes, use the following style:
8:00-9:10 a.m.
4:15-11:00 p.m.
prewar, nonprofit
Exceptions: when the second element is capitalized, when the second element is a figure, or to distinguish homonyms:
pre-Civil War
pre-1960
re-create, un-ionized
Many compounds that are spelled open as nouns are hyphenated as adjectives:
field-study program
high-level job
long-range planning
lower-division course
ninth-century manuscript
off-campus housing
Compounds that begin with adverbs ending in -ly are spelled open:
highly complex species
poorly organized paper
Use this form for compound hyphenation:
two- to three-hour period
Here are our preferred forms of some commonly used compounds and other terms:
archaeology
audiovisual (or audio-visual)
bilingual
campuswide
CD-ROM
coauthor
cooperative
co-op (store)
copy edit
corequisite
course work
cross-cultural
database
decision making
e-mail
fax
field house
field study
fieldwork
freelance
full-time
fundraising, fundraiser
groundbreaking
home page
interdisciplinary
Internet, the net
log in (or log on)
midcentury
mid-June
multicultural
nonmajor, nonresident
online, offline
part-time
postdoctorate
postgraduate
pre-enrollment
prelaw, premedicine
prerequisite
re-enter, re-entry
semiconductor
socioeconomic
statewide
Third World
underrepresented
under way (adverb)
universitywide
Unix
vice chancellor
vice president
work-study
World Wide Web, the web, web site
*These publications contain a list of proofreaders' marks and brief examples of how these marks are used.
Many software applications have spellcheck and even grammar-checking systems. These tools are useful for checking and correcting text online. However, for text of any length, proofreading a printed copy is likely to catch many more errors.
Prepared by UCSC Publications and the Office of Publications and Scheduling. Revised December 2008.©2009 UC Santa Cruz Maintained by pioweb@ucsc.edu