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Content Style Guide

When working on the UHD website and materials for internal and external audiences, we have the following style guide to create the content. UHD follows AP Style. Please review the guidelines below to help ensure consistent communication styles across the UHD website.

Abbreviations and acronyms

A few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some circumstances. Some others are acceptable, depending on the context. But in general, avoid alphabet soup. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize.

As a rule, write out the University of Houston-Downtown on first reference. UHD is acceptable on second reference.

Example: Bill was accepted into the University of Houston-Downtown yesterday. UHD was his first choice of universities.

Avoid abbreviations and most acronyms in headlines, except those that are widely recognizable (FBI, EU, US, CIA, IRS, NASA, NATO, COVID, for example).

Guidance on how to use a particular abbreviation or acronym is provided in entries alphabetized according to the sequence of letters in the word or phrase.

An acronym is a word formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words: laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation).

An abbreviation is not an acronym.

Some general principles:
BEFORE A NAME: Abbreviate titles when used before a full name, such as Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Rep., the Rev., Sen.

AFTER A NAME: Abbreviate junior or senior after an individual’s name.

Abbreviate company, corporation, incorporated and limited when used after the name of a corporate entity.

In some cases, an academic degree may be abbreviated after an individual’s name.

WITH DATES OR NUMERALS: Use the abbreviations A.D., B.C. (or C.E., B.C.E.), a.m., p.m., No., and abbreviate certain months (Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.) when used with the day of the month.

Right: In 450 B.C.; at 9:30 a.m.; in room No. 6; on Sept. 16.

Wrong: Early this a.m. he asked for the No. of your room. The abbreviations are correct only with figures.

Right: Early this morning he asked for the number of your room.

IN NUMBERED ADDRESSES: Abbreviate avenue, boulevard and street in numbered addresses: He lives on Pennsylvania Avenue. He lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

STATES: The names of certain states and the United States are abbreviated with periods in some circumstances.

AVOID AWKWARD CONSTRUCTIONS: Do not follow an organization’s full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses or set off by dashes. If an abbreviation or acronym would not be clear on second reference without this arrangement, do not use it. Names not commonly before the public should not be reduced to acronyms solely to save a few words.

CAPS, PERIODS: Generally, omit periods in acronyms unless the result would spell an unrelated word. But use periods in most two-letter abbreviations: U.S., U.N., U.K., B.A., B.C. (AP, a trademark, is an exception. Also, no periods in GI, ID and EU, among others.) In headlines, do not use periods in abbreviations, unless required for clarity.

Use all caps, but no periods, in longer abbreviations when the individual letters are pronounced: ABC, CIA, FBI.

Use only an initial cap and then lowercase for abbreviations and acronyms of more than five letters, unless listed otherwise in this Stylebook or Merriam-Webster.

Addresses

Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd. and St. only with a numbered address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number: Pennsylvania Avenue.

Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with more than one street name: Massachusetts and Pennsylvania avenues.

All similar words (alley, drive, road, terrace, etc.) always are 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: 9 Morningside Circle.

Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names; use figures for 10th and above: 7 Fifth Ave., 100 21st St.

Abbreviate compass points used to indicate directional ends of a street or quadrants of a city in a numbered address: 222 E. 42nd St., 562 W. 43rd St., 600 K St. NW. Do not abbreviate if the number is omitted: East 42nd Street, West 43rd Street, K Street Northwest. No periods in quadrant abbreviations — NW, SE — unless customary locally.

Use periods in the abbreviation P.O. for P.O. Box numbers.

Alum, Alumni, Alumnus, Alumna, etc.

In most cases "alum," “alums,” and “alumni” are most appropriate as they are gender neutral and suggested by AP.

If you do need to specify, use the following as a guide:

  • An "alumna" is a female graduate.
  • An "alumnus" is a male graduate.
  • "Alumni" refers to a group of male and female graduates.
  • "Alumnae" refers to group of female graduates.
  • "Alums" could possibly be used to reference a group of graduates, but only in the most casual of situations.

Examples:

Edward U. Gator, UHD alum, ’74.

Edward Gator ('74, Criminal Justice).

A.M. and P.M./Times

Use figures except for noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 9-11 a.m., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Do not use the double zeros in time designation, should be 10 a.m., not 10:00 a.m.

Avoid such redundancies as 10 a.m. this morning, 10 p.m. tonight or 10 p.m. Monday night. Use 10 a.m. or 10 p.m. Monday, etc.

The construction 4 o'clock is acceptable, but time listings with a.m. or p.m. are preferred.

Ampersand

Use the ampersand when it is part of a company's formal name or composition title: College of Humanities & Social Science, College of Sciences and Technology, Writing & Reading Center.

The ampersand should not otherwise be used in place of and, except for some accepted abbreviations: B&B, R&B.

Artworks

Lowercase impressionism, modernism and other art styles and movements unless used in formal titles of shows or exhibits with quotation marks. Exception: Gothic, Renaissance and other historical periods are capitalized for art and architecture from those ages. Titles of paintings are enclosed in quotes: "Mona Lisa."

Buildings

College names may stand alone, but when followed by the word building, use lower case b. In emergency communications, use the names designated in the UHD Graphic Standards guide. As of Jan. 1, 2024, those standards specify the below:

LETTER/BUILDING
OMB One Main Building
CSB Commerce Street Building
SLC Student Life Center
ACAD Academic Building
WSPS Willow Street Pump Station
SSB Shea Street Building
VSG Vine Street Garage
GSB Girard Street Building
STB Sciences and Technology Building
WSC Wellness & Success Center
Capitalization

In general, avoid unnecessary capitals. Use a capital letter only if you can justify it by one of the principles listed here:

  • PROPER NOUNS: Capitalize nouns that constitute the unique identification for a specific person, place, or thing: John, Mary, America, Houston.
  • PROPER NAMES: Capitalize common nouns such as party, river, street and west when they are an integral part of the full name for a person, place or thing: Democratic Party, Brazos River, Main Street, Texas.
  • POPULAR NAMES: Some places and events lack officially designated proper names but have popular names that are the effective equivalent: the Combat Zone (a section of downtown Boston), the Main Line (a group of Philadelphia suburbs), the South Side (of Chicago), the Badlands (of South Dakota), the Street (the financial community in the Wall Street area of New York).
  • DERIVATIVES: Capitalize words that are derived from a proper noun and still depend on it for their meaning: American, Christian, Christianity, English, French, Marxism, Shakespearean.
  • SENTENCES: Capitalize the first word in a statement that stands as a sentence.
  • COMPOSITIONS: Capitalize the principal words in the names of books, movies, plays, poems, operas, songs, radio and television programs, works of art, etc.
  • TITLES: At UHD, formal titles are capitalized when referring to a specific role. Lowercase when referencing a role generally.
    • Example: Bob Smith, UHD Associate Professor of History.
    • Example: There were many UHD professors in attendance.
  • COLON: Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence.
    • Examples: He promised this: The company will make good on all the losses. But: There were three considerations: expense, time and feasibility.
  • Capitalize all academic majors when using the actual title of the major. Examples: Computer Science, Humanities, Communication Studies.
  • Capitalize Downtown when referring to Downtown Houston as a region/location.
  • Capitalize “greater” when used to define a community and its surrounding region: Greater Houston.
  • Capitalize job titles in all cases. Associate Director of Giving Minnie Smith; Minnie Smith, Associate Director of Giving.
  • Capitalize Regent when referring to a member or former member of the UH System Board of Regents.
  • Capitalize the four points of the Institutional Compass and strategic plan goals, but not the phrase “student success.”
Comma

UHD always uses the serial comma.

Dates
  • Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone.
    • Example: Jan. 3, 2021
    • Example: He arrived at the University in December.
  • When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas.
  • Always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd or th.
    • Example: Jan. 6 – Correct
    • Example: Jan 6th - Incorrect
Dashes vs. hyphens

An em dash (—) should be used in printed and digital materials without spaces around it.

Example: “She founded the Financial Literacy Carnival—an initiative picked up by McGraw-Hill.”

Em dashes can be inserted into Word documents using the Insert>Symbol>More Symbols>Special Characters menu, or by holding down the Alt key plus 0151 on the keypad (for PCs).

A hyphen hyphens (-) should be used without spaces around it between numbers for date and time ranges:

  • April 6-7
  • 3-4 p.m.
  • Spell out to if the construction could be confusing or if the word from precedes the time: 6 a.m. to noon, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone.
    • Example: Jan. 3, 2021
    • Example: He arrived at the University in December.
  • When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas.
  • Always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd or th.
    • Example: Jan. 6 – Correct
    • Example: Jan 6th - Incorrect
Degrees
  • If a mention of degrees is necessary to establish someone’s credentials, the preferred form is to avoid an abbreviation and use instead a phrase such as: Fatima Kader, who has a doctorate in Psychology.
  • Use an apostrophe and lowecase bachelor’s degree, a master’s. There is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science. Capitalize when writing out the full degree, and use the appropriate degree title.
  • Example: He earned a Masters in Business. – Incorrect
  • Example: He earned a Master of Business Administration – Correct
  • Example: He earned a master’s degree. - Correct

Also: an associate degree (no possessive).

  • Use such abbreviations as A., M.A., LL.D. and Ph.D. only when the need to identify many individuals by degree on first reference would make the preferred form cumbersome. Use these abbreviations only after a full name — never after just a last name.
  • When used after a name, an academic abbreviation is set off by commas: John Snow, Ph.D., spoke.
Departments

Capitalize proper names of departments and offices.

Example: The Department of History; The Office of Impact Learning

Doctor

Use Dr. in 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. Jonas Salk.

The form Dr., or Drs. in a plural construction, applies to all first-reference uses before a name, including direct quotations. Do not continue the use of Dr. in subsequent references.

AP says to not use Dr. before the names of individuals who hold other types of doctoral degrees. Instead, when necessary or appropriate: Cassandra Karoub, who has a doctorate in mathematics, was lead researcher. However, in writing for UHD, it sometimes becomes necessary to use “Dr.” referring to someone who holds a doctoral degree. The writer should use their best judgement.

In a list: Doug Marlowe, Ph.D.

Ellipsis ( … )

In general, treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, constructed with three periods and two spaces, as shown here.

Use an ellipsis to indicate the deletion of one or more words in condensing quotes, texts and documents. Be especially careful to avoid deletions that would distort the meaning.

An ellipsis also may be used to indicate a thought that the speaker or writer does not complete. Substitute a dash for this purpose, however, if the context uses ellipses to indicate that words actually spoken or written have been deleted.

Email

Acceptable in all references for electronic mail. Also: esports. Use a hyphen with other e- terms: e-book, e-reader, e-commerce.

Events

AP does not prescribe how to list event details. UHD follows the below method: When describing an event, include time of day, day of the week, month, date, and location in that order.

When describing an event, include time of day, day of the week, month, date, and location in that order.

Examples:

  • 2-3 p.m., Tuesday, April 28, in Academic Building Room A300.
  • 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 17, One Main Building Room N912.
  • 9-10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 13, Shea Street Building lobby.
Freshman, freshmen

Use freshman when referring to a single student and freshmen for two or more. The freshman class is also appropriate.

Gender-Neutral Language

In general, use terms that can apply to any gender. Such language aims to treat people equally and is inclusive of people whose gender identity is not strictly male or female.

Balance these aims with common sense, respect for the language, and an understanding that gender-neutral or gender-inclusive language is evolving and in some cases is challenging to achieve.

Consider any word or term that has the effect of emphasizing one gender over another. Is there another word that could be substituted? For example: search instead of manhunt. Police officer instead of policeman. Door attendant instead of doorman.

A true gender-neutral noun often presents itself easily: chair or chairperson, firefighter, workforce. In other cases, a noun may technically not be gender-neutral but instead be a masculine noun that assumes the generic case under English language convention: actor, host.

In general, use terms such as chair or chairperson, councilperson or council member, and spokesperson unless the -man or -woman terms are specified by an organization. Councilmember is acceptable in jurisdictions that have adopted the one-word version. Mother/father, son/daughter, sister/brother, husband/wife, girlfriend/boyfriend and other relationship terms are generally acceptable. But parent, child, sibling, spouse are acceptable if preferred by an individual. Also: fiance/fiancee and divorce/divorcee are acceptable if relevant.

While some -person constructions, such as chairperson and spokesperson, are commonly used, avoid tortured or unfamiliar constructions such as snowperson, baseperson or freshperson. Similarly, don’t use siblinghood in place of brotherhood or sisterhood.

The terms U.S. representative, representative, member of Congress are preferred. Congressman and congresswoman are acceptable because of their common use. Do not use congressperson.

Sports terms such as man-to-man defense and third baseman are acceptable for both men’s and women’s events, though often rephrasing is better: She plays third base. Royal titles such as princess, duchess and lady are standard. Also acceptable: goddess in religious or mythology references.

Unless city leaders (not city fathers) decide otherwise, Philadelphia remains the City of Brotherly Love. History recognizes the seven Founding Fathers of the United States. Frosty the Snowman is the character’s name, though Frosty can work as shorthand.

Here are some other examples of preferred usage. Some are new to the Stylebook. Others are changes from past style. This list is not all-inclusive; it can serve as a framework by which to consider other words. Multiple terms are not necessarily interchangeable. Choose what is appropriate and accurate in the context.

  • actor In general, use this term for any gender. Use actress for a woman only in stories about the Oscars, Emmys or Tonys, all of which use the word actress in their awards.
  • alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae, alum The terms alumnus (s.) and alumni (pl.) for men, and alumna (s.) and alumnae (pl.) for women, are acceptable. If a gender-neutral term is desired, alum or alums is acceptable.
  • blond Use blond as an adjective in all applications when relevant: She has blond hair. Avoid using either blond or blonde as a noun: He has blond hair, not he is a blond. If necessary to use as a noun in a direct quotation, use blond for any gender.
  • brown (hair) Use brown as an adjective in all applications when relevant: She has brown hair. Avoid using brunette as a noun unless in a direct quotation. She has brown hair, not she is a brunette.
  • business owner, businessperson Not businessman/businesswoman.
  • busser Not busboy or busgirl.
  • city leaders Not city fathers.
  • confidant Not confidante.
  • crew, staff, workforce, workers Not manpower.
  • dancer, ballet dancer But ballerina is acceptable because of broad use by dancers.
  • firefighter Not fireman.
  • first-year student Freshman is acceptable but not preferred. Do not use freshperson or freshwoman. First-term lawmakers is preferred over freshman lawmakers.
  • hero Not heroine.
  • host Not hostess.
  • humanity, humankind, humans, human beings, people Not mankind.
  • human-made, human-caused, artificial, synthetic Not man-made.
  • maintenance hole Not manhole. mail carrier or letter carrier Not mailman.
  • police officer Not policeman/policewoman or patrolman.
  • salesperson, sales associate, sales clerk, sales executive Not salesman/saleswoman.
  • search Not manhunt.
  • server Not waiter/waitress.
  • singer, songwriter, singer/songwriter Not songstress.
Headlines
  • Headlines are key to any story. A vivid, accurate and fair headline can entice people to dig in for more. A bland, vague or otherwise faulty headline can push readers away. Often, a headline and photo are all that many readers see of a story. Their entire knowledge of the piece may be based on those elements.
  • Headlines must stand on their own in conveying the story fairly, and they must include key context. They should tempt readers to want to read more, without misleading or overpromising.
  • For digital headlines, keep to 50-60 characters.
Internet
  • A decentralized, worldwide network of computers and other devices that can communicate with each other.
  • The web, like email, is a subset of the internet. They are not synonymous and should not be used interchangeably in stories.
  • In stories, use the name of the website or service rather than the web address — so it’s Facebook, not com.
Junior, senior

Abbreviate as Jr. and Sr. and do not precede by a comma: Martin Luther King Jr.

Names

In general, use only last names on second reference. When it is necessary to distinguish between two people who use the same last name, generally use the first and last name on subsequent references.

Nonprofit

Nonprofitis one word, without hyphens, when used either as an adjective or a noun. Not-for-profit, which is also acceptable, however, does take hyphens.

Numerals
  • In general, spell out one through nine: The Texans finished second. She had eight months to go.

  • Use figures for 10 or above and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to ages of people, animals, events or things.
Percent, percentage, percentage points
  • Use the % sign when paired with a number, with no space. Average hourly pay rose 3.1% from a year ago.

  • For amounts less than 1%, precede the decimal with a zero: The cost of living rose 0.6%.

  • Use decimals, not fractions, in percentages: Her mortgage rate is 4.5%.
School

Capitalize when part of a proper name: Public School 3, Madison Elementary School, Doherty Junior High School, Crocker High School.

Seasons

Lowercase spring, summer, fall, winter and derivatives such as springtime unless part of a formal name: Winter Olympics, Summer Olympics, Summer 2021

Telephone Numbers
  • Use figures. The form: 212-621-1500. For international numbers use 011 (from the United States), the country code, the city code and the telephone number: 011-44-20-7535-1515. Use hyphens, not periods.
  • The form for toll-free numbers: 800-111-1000.
  • If extension numbers are needed, use a comma to separate the main number from the extension: 212-621-1500, ext. 2.
UHD President
  • Capitalize President when referring to UHD’s leadership. Do not use Dr. next to President.
    • Example: The UHD President attended the event.
    • Example: UHD Interim President Deborah E. Bordelon attended the event.
    • Example: UHD Interim President Dr. Deborah E. Bordelon – Incorrect
    • Example: UHD Interim President Deborah E. Bordelon - Correct

Signature for email messages, internal or external memos/letters:
Deborah E. Bordelon, Ph.D. Interim President, University of Houston-Downtown

In text, first reference: Interim President Deborah E. Bordelon

Example: “At the meeting, Interim President Deborah E. Bordelon invited students to provide comments on the soft opening.”

Subsequent references in the same piece: Bordelon

UHD.edu

Always capitalize UHD when mentioning the website.

  • Example: Visit UHD.edu for more details.
United States

Use periods in the abbreviation, U.S. within texts. In headlines, it's US (no periods).

University
  • This is an exception to our normal capitalization rules. When referring specifically to the University of Houston-Downtown, capitalize University.
  • When referring to universities in general or to higher education, use lowercase.
University of Houston-Downtown

Spell out on first reference for formal documents. On subsequent references, use university (lowercase u) or UHD but avoid abbreviating too frequently in one communication. Never use UH-Downtown.

Capitalize the University’s name and always use a hyphen. Lowercase “the” when the institution appears in the middle of a sentence.

Never write UH-Downtown, U of H Downtown, UH Downtown.

  • Example: She loved the University of Houston-Downtown.
Web

Short form of World Wide Web, it is a part of the internet that enables the distribution of image-rich content and information. The web is not the same as the internet, but is a subset; other applications, such as email, exist on the internet.

ZIP code
  • Run the five digits together without a comma, and do not put a comma between the state name and the ZIP code: Houston, TX 77002.