EOU Style Guide

Eastern Oregon University Style Manual for media, marketing, Web and publications

 

As an institution of higher education, it is critical that all written materials produced and utilized by Eastern Oregon University be professionally executed and presented.

Writing for the general public is different than writing for collegiate publications or research journals. As such, different writing styles pertain to different audiences. Media, marketing, Web and publication writing should be oriented toward a general audience and follow the guidelines listed below.

 

Style Guides:

•  General: The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual

•  The Chicago Manual of Style

•  Wired Style

 

Academic degrees:

Degrees are abbreviated with periods (Ph.D., M.A., B.A.)

Capitalization of degrees should match the Registrar's official degree list. When the discipline listed with the degree is not part of the official degree name, it is not capitalized - Bachelor of Arts in mass communication, Master of Arts in counseling.

Exception: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (if an official name).

The word "degree" is never capitalized when referring to academic degrees

In general reference to degrees, do not capitalize them - master's degree, bachelor's degree (note the apostrophe in these two, other generic degree names do not - associate degree, doctoral degree, or doctorate).

Use "master's degree" or "bachelor's degree" over abbreviations in general reference.

 

Cyberspace

 

General: Follow Wired Style .

Internet, not internet

Citing e-mail addresses­: name@host.domain (yourname@eou.edu, or yourname@hotmail.com) delete http:// before addresses

e-mail, not email

Web site, home page, online

 

Eastern Oregon University:

Refer to Eastern Oregon University by its full name upon first reference.

When abbreviating "Eastern Oregon University" upon subsequent references, use EOU, not EO or E.O.U.

Avoid referring to Eastern Oregon University as "Eastern."

 

Buildings:

Use official building names in all titles, photo descriptions and upon first reference in stories, releases and letters.

Ackerman Hall, Ackerman Gym, Alikut Hall, Badgley Hall, Community Stadium, Dorion Hall East/Dorion Hall West, Eocene Courts, Hoke Center, Hunt Hall, Information Booth, Inlow Hall, KEOL Radio Station, Loso Hall, Pierce Library, Physical Plant, Quinn Coliseum, Regional Services Institute, Small Business Development Center, Student Health/Counseling Center, Tennis Dome, Zabel Hall

 

Dates :

Spell out month if alone or with year: January 1993.

Abbreviate if followed by the date: Jan. 12, 1993.

In tabular material, use these forms without a period: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec

 

EOU Logo, Seal and Sports Logo:

Cannot be changed; must have authorization to use university logo, seal or sports logo on official outgoing University publications; see guidelines on web@www.eou.edu/uanews/policies

 

Numbers :

Spell out when below 10 or when beginning a sentence.

 

Quotations :

Commas introduce quotations of a sentence or a phrase.

Colons introduce quotes of more than one sentence.

Commas always go inside quotation marks.

Speakers introduce quotes in the past tense. "We held the Spring Symposium in Loso Hall at EOU," said Dixie Lund, EOU president.

 

Schools:

College of Education

College of Business

College of Arts and Sciences

Series of items:

Commas separate series of simple items and no comma precedes the final item of a simple series: Scholarships, financial aid and loans.

A comma may separate the final items of a complex series in order to avoid confusion.

Use semicolons to separate more complex series involving individual items with comma separations.

EXAMPLE: Boise, Idaho; Dallas, Texas; Seattle, Wash.; and Miami, Fla.

 

Sports :

Team differentiation: There are no "Lady Mountaineers." Men's basketball team, women's basketball team, etc.

Student names - Reference position, name, year and hometown: Right tackle Jason Follett (Sr., Hermiston)

No state identification necessary for Oregon cities - Portland, Salem; but Omaha, Neb., Sioux Falls, S.D.

No standing transfer identification: Right tackle Jason Follett (Sr., Hermiston/Spokane C.C.).

 

States :

Use AP Style abbreviations. DO NOT use postal abbreviations: Minn. Colo., not MN, CO.

Spell out Iowa, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Ohio, Texas and Utah.

No state identification for Oregon cities: While in Portland, the student group toured.

 

Titles :

Name of individual is followed with complete appropriate title upon first reference: Khosrow Fatemi, president of Eastern Oregon University.

Titles of faculty and staff are not capitalized unless used before name: David Allen, assistant professor of mathematics; Assistant Professor of Mathematics David Allen.

Please use name, followed by title.

Political titles: Sen. Hubert Humphrey (D-Minn.)

University vs. university:

Capitalize "University" when in direct reference to Eastern Oregon University.

 

Other common questions:

For students, include class status at time of publication upon initial use: Joe Student, a junior from Burns...

 

In first reference to alumni in articles: use year ( ' XX) directly after name: Joe Graduate '82.

For class of 2000, use '00

 

In bylines, students and alum are followed by years:

By Stephanie Pratt '94

 

Faculty and staff bylines include titles:

By Jay Miller '82

 

Sports Information Director

"percent," not %; unless in graph or chart.

 

Job titles are not capitalized when following a name: Joe Alumni '67 is the director of public relations at Super Industries, Inc., in Big Town, N.Y.

 

Use quotation marks around titles of books/publications except reference books:

"To Kill a Mockingbird," Encyclopedia Britannica

 

For play titles, use quotes - "Pippin"

 

Spell out grades first through tenth and hyphenate: first-grader. After that, use numbers and hyphenate: 11th-grade, 12th-grader.

 

Capitalize names of months in all uses. When used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Spell out all others and when using alone or with year alone. Joe Alumni '67 and his spouse, Jane, announced the birth of their son, James, on Jan. 22, 1994.

 

Commonly used words::

 

Adviser - not advisor

 

Days of the week: Capitalize and do not abbreviate, except when needed in tabular format: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat

 

Pacific Standard Time (PST)

 

Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)

 

Ph.D.

 

Telephone numbers : 800-541-3475 or 541-962-3740

 

Time: a.m. or p.m., 1 p.m. or 3:30 p.m.,

Time zone: 9 a.m. PST

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