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Editorial Style Guide

Editorial Style Guide

 

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR WRITING  

 

North Park University’s voice reflects the university’s three distinctives: Christian, city-centered, and intercultural while also highlighting our status of an emerging model for Christian higher education in the 21st century which provides an affordable, transformative, and challenging education in a world-class city.  

 

When writing, first consider the audience (prospective or current students, alumni, donors, parents, etc.) and craft your copy accordingly. Overall the voice should be intelligent and approachable, but not overly academic or conversational. 

 

DO: 

  • Write copy in short sentences with active verbs. 

  • Create a connection with your audience by speaking to them in second person (you, your) when possible. 

  • Think about a key message or goal. Make sure that message is communicated in the heading, first paragraph or first sentence. 

  • Keep paragraphs short—two to three sentences when possible. 

  • Break lists into bullet points for easy scanning. 

  • Use bold for emphasis. 

DO NOT: 

  • Write in passive voice. 

  • Use jargon. 

  • Uppercase text solely for emphasis. Bolding is preferred. 

  • Underline text solely for emphasis. Underline on the web is reserved for links. 

 

This Editorial Style Guide aims to give clear and straightforward guidelines for preparing and editing copy for North Park’s publications, website, email or labeling of physical spaces. For answers to specific questions, you should consult The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition, published by the University of Chicago Press, and the Webster’s Third New International Dictionary for correct spelling, hyphenation, and division of words not listed.  

 

Chicago Manual of Style 
merriam-webster.com 

 

Most of the entries in this writing guide are consistent with the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). If you have questions that are not answered by the guide, you can reference the complete Chicago Manual of Style at the link above. For the few instances that are a departure from CMOS, sources include the AP Stylebook. 

 

This Editorial Style Guide is subject to change and will be updated as needed. If you have additions or corrections, please contact: 

 

Ana Funduk

Senior Director of Marketing and Communications afunduk@northpark.edu 

University of Marketing and Communications 

 

 


 

NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY BOILERPLATE

Short version:

North Park University is city-centered, intercultural, and emerging as the model for Christian higher education in 21st century America. 

Long version: 

North Park University is city-centered, intercultural, and emerging as the model for Christian higher education in 21st century America. Students experience hands-on learning in a tight-knit community while benefiting from the university’s state-of-the-art facilities. Accomplished faculty and staff make deep connections with their students as they take advantage of the tremendous resources of Chicago. North Park is the university of the Evangelical Covenant Church and, since its founding in 1891, continues to embody the church’s values. Students practice faith in a vibrant community, and faculty and staff reflect this community’s rich breadth and depth. North Park respectfully welcomes students from all faiths, preparing them for lives of significance and service through education in the liberal arts, professional studies, and theology.

 

 

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE 

Here are some general guidelines for representing identities in written materials: 

  • Use racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, disability, and religious identification when it is relevant to a story. One way to determine whether it is relevant is to ask “Will the story make sense without the information?” 

  • Ask people how they would like to be identified in this story. This could change based on the context or timing of the story. Strive for respectful accuracy that observes how people self-identify and allows for multiple categories. 

  • Familiarize yourself with key identity terms and concepts and how categories can intersect. 

  • Do not use identity-based adjectives as nouns. For example: use Black students, not Blacks; a transgender woman, not a transgender. 

  • Never use transgendered as a noun or adjective. 

  • When writing or speaking about people with disabilities, please consult the National Disability Authority guidelines. 

 

The guidelines below were adapted from the following reference guides: 

GLAAD Media Reference Guide 

Race Reporting Guide 

 

 

 

WORD USAGE 

America 
Refers to the entire Western hemisphere and does not apply solely to the United States. North America and South America together are often referred to as the Americas. When referring to the United States of America, use the United States on first reference, and US for all subsequent references. 

 

BIPOC 
An acronym that stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color. The term is meant to unite all people of color while acknowledging that Black and Indigenous people face different and often more severe forms of racial oppression and cultural erasure as consequences of systemic white supremacy and colonialism. BIPOC is not a one-size-fits-all term and should not be used in place of recognizing a specific racial identity or experience. 

 

Black (adjective) 
Use an uppercase B when referring to Black Americans. Not all Black people identify as African American, which means that Black and African American are not interchangeable terms. 

 

he/she; his/her 
Avoid this construction; rewrite to use the plural “they” or “their” instead. 

 Example: Students are given a North Park online account once they are admitted to the university. 

 Instead of: A student is given a North Park online account once he/she is admitted to the university. 

When it is not possible to rewrite, use “they” or “them” as singular pronouns. 

 

Indigenous 

While an official definition of Indigenous is not agreed on, the United Nations has developed an understanding of the term based on self-identification; historical continuity to pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies; links to territories and resources; distinct social, economic, and political systems; and possession of distinct languages, cultures, and beliefs. In the case of the United States, tribal membership or citizenship denotes Indigenous identity. These factors make the words Indigenous and Aboriginal identities, not adjectives, and the Native American Journalists Association urges organizations to capitalize these terms to avoid confusion between indigenous plants and animals and Indigenous human beings. Finally, avoid referring to Indigenous people as possessions of states or countries. Instead of Wyoming’s Indigenous people try the Indigenous people of Wyoming. [There are an estimated 370 million Indigenous peoples worldwide, living in 70 different countries, according to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.] 
 

LGBTQ and LGBTQ+ 
Acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (or sometimes questioning). The term “gay community” should be avoided, as it does not accurately reflect the diversity of the community. Rather, LGBTQ community is preferred. LGBTQ+ is sometimes used to include other gender and sexual orientation identities such as intersex, asexual, nonbinary, polyamorous, pansexual, and more.  

 

man/manning 
Avoid using “man” or “manning” as a verb, for example “manning the table.” Use gender-neutral language such as “staff” or “staffing” instead. 

 

minority/minorities 
This term has historically referred to nonwhite racial and ethnic groups, indicating they were numerically smaller than a more populous white majority. Defining people of color as “minorities” is not recommended because of changing demographics and the ways it reinforces the ideas of inferiority and marginalization of a group of people. Defining people by how they self-identify is preferred. 

 

Native American 
Native American gained traction in the 1960s for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Over time, Native American has been expanded to include all Native people of the continental United States and some in Alaska. The term is only used to describe groups of Native Americans—two or more individuals of different tribal affiliation. Always identify people by their preferred tribal affiliation when reporting on individuals or individual tribes. See Indigenous.

 

people of color 
Often the preferred collective term for referring to nonwhite racial and ethnic groups rather than “minorities.” Before using this term, consider whether racial identity is the relevant factor in the story or the group or community’s access to services, representation, or lack of resources. If the latter is the case, use underserved, underrepresented, or underresourced instead. 

 

pronouns 
When writing about transgender people, ask which pronouns they prefer you use. If it is not possible to ask, use “they” or the person’s name. 

 

 

white (adjective) 
Use a lowercase “w” when referring to white Americans. CMOS acknowledges that, as a matter of editorial consistency, White and similar terms may be capitalized when used in this sense, so individual preferences should be respected, and usage may depend on context.

 

 

 

WRITING FOR THE WEB 

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of applying best practices for search engine ranking to web pages. When search engines determine a web page’s relevancy for a specific query, keywords are an important part of the equation. Identify the keywords that people may use to find your website. Do not “stuff” your copy with these keywords, just make sure you use them naturally in your copy rather than their synonyms.  

 

Where to place your keywords 
The word placements that carry the most weight in search engine rankings are: 

  • Heading tags 

  • First word of first paragraph 

  • Links to other pages 

 

You can help people find the information they are looking for by putting the most relevant keywords for the content on the page in these positions. 

 

Back to top. 

 
 

STYLE AND USAGE 

AN A TO Z LISTING OF GUIDES TO CAPITALIZATION, ABBREVIATION, SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, NUMERALS, AND USAGE. 

 


A B C D E F G HI JK LM NO PQ R  S TU VW XY Z

 

A 

 

abbreviations and acronyms 

Names not commonly known by your audience should not be abbreviated. Acronyms should be all caps, no periods, and closed up. 

  • Examples: GPA, ID cards 

 

In running text, always spell out the full name, title, or phrase in the first reference and then put the acronym in parentheses directly following the spelled-out name. 

  • Examples: North Park launched a new graduate degree program—a Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing (DEMSN) program. The DEMSN program will prepare students with the skills to provide safe and competent care to patients.  

  • The School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers several orientation dates in the spring semester. SPS also offers a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. 

  • North Park University (NPU) offers more than 70 academic programs and majors. NPU also offers graduate and doctoral degrees.  

 

 

academic degrees  

Degrees are abbreviated without periods and closed up. 

  • Examples: BA, BS, MA, MS, PhD, MD, MDiv 

 

When spelling out degrees in running text, use proper grammar. A student can receive a master of arts or a master's degree, but NOT a master of arts degree. The same rule applies to bachelor's and doctoral degrees. 

 

Academic degrees are lowercased when referred to generically but uppercased when referred to specifically: baccalaureate degree, bachelor's degree, bachelor of arts, master's degree, master of science, doctoral degree, doctorate, doctor of philosophy, etc. (Note the plural form: bachelor's degrees; master's degrees; doctoral degrees.) 

Examples: 

  • He received a bachelor of arts. 

  • He received a Bachelor of Arts in Education. 

  • She earned a master's and a doctorate. 

  • She earned an MA and a PhD in English. 

 

 

academic departments 

Capitalize when using the official names of divisions and programs. The official names of divisions begin with "Division of Sciences” or “Division of Humanities and Social Sciences” or “Department of Biology.” 

 

In second reference or informal uses, we often say "biology department" instead of "Department of Biology." It is acceptable to lowercase here. Do not capitalize "the department."  

 

In general use, disciplines and academic departments should be lowercased, unless they are proper nouns or adjectives, like English. Names of majors, minors, concentrations, and programs are lowercased. 

Examples:  

  • College of Arts and Sciences; the college 

  • Division of Sciences; the division  

  • Department of Psychology; the department, the psychology department 

  • Brandel Library; the library 

  • He is a chemistry professor. 

  • She is a biology major. 

  • I am going to my English class. 

  • I took two courses in physics and one in sociology. 

  • She majored in Spanish, and he majored in music. 

 

academic year 

When referring to the academic year, fall semester, spring semester, fall quad, spring quad and summer session are lowercased, as are first-year, second-year, third-year, and fourth-year. They are never uppercased. 

 When written out, academic year notations are always styled with the years joined by an en dash: 2018–19 or 2020–22. See punctuation

 

add/drop period (never uppercased) 

 

addresses 
(See buildings and locations)  

 

administrative departments and offices  
Capitalize when using the official titles of departments and offices. 

  • Examples: Office of Admissions, Office of the Provost, Office of the Registrar.

In second reference or informal uses, it is acceptable to lowercase terms like admissions office, provost’s office, and registrar’s office. 

 

When listing multiple offices, capitalize if "offices" falls before the description of the office, but not if it follows. 

  • Example: The Offices of Admissions and Advancement met for a special celebration of new North Park parents.
    • Example: Representatives from the accounting and financial aid offices hold regular meetings.

 

Terms like "the provost," "the registrar" and "the dean of admissions and financial aid" should be lowercased, unless they precede the name of the person. See titles: people  

 

advisor (not adviser) Always lowercase 

  • Example: A student may request a change of academic advisor. 

 

aka (never uppercased) 

 

ages 

always use figures when referring to age. See numbers for more.

 

all caps 

All caps should never be used except for acronyms and states' postal abbreviations. See states.

 

alphabetical order  

Last names with a hyphen are alphabetized by the first surname 

  • Example: Anne Marie Andreasson-Hogg, alphabetize by Andreasson  

 

Last names without a hyphen are alphabetized by the last surname 

  • Example: Harriet Beecher Stowe, alphabetize by Stowe 

 

alumna/alumnae/alumnus/alumni 

Use the correct word for gender and number. Avoid using “alums” 

  • Alumna is feminine singular: Michelle is an alumna of North Park. 

  • Alumnae is feminine plural: Michelle and Carrie are alumnae of North Park. 

  • Alumnus is masculine: Marcus is an alumnus of North Park.  

  • Alum can be used for gender-neutral singular: We hope every alum can attend Homecoming. 

  • Alumni is masculine or gender-neutral plural: Marcus and George are alumni of North Park. Michelle, Carrie, Marcus and George are alumni. 

 

**In internal and external communications including the North Parker, use standard academic degree notations: BA, BS, BME, MA, MS, MM, MSN, MOL, MNA, MDiv, MBA, MHRM, DNP, etc. 

 Anything after “in” in a degree name isn’t included (e.g., Master of Arts in Christian Formation is abbreviated as MA, not MACF); the exception is MSN, according to Chicago Manual of Style

 

Exception: North Park Academy designation should be as follows:  

 

Carolyn Anderson A ’37  

Note in the copy that “A” denotes North Park Academy, which was a secondary school from 1894–1969. 

 

If the person received only a certificate from NPU, note that in running text. Joseph Klein, who received a certificate in accounting, went on to work at Chase Bank.  

 

Names of alumni should be followed by degree and year of graduation whenever possible. 

 

Class years should be listed in abbreviated form, omitting the century digits (i.e., "19" and "20"), unless the class year is 100 or more years ago or wherever context doesn't remove all ambiguity. 

Examples: 

  • Charlene (Smith) Johnson BA ’60 has a nephew, Robert Johnson BS ’02, who works in Chicago. 

  • Megan O'Reilly BA 1912 became one of the first Covenant nurses to work in Thailand. 

There should always be a space between the degree and year but never a comma between names of alumni and their graduation years. When listing more than one graduation year, there should be a comma between the years. 

  • Erica Olson BA ’02, MS ’08 

Maiden names of alumnae should be listed in parentheses, followed by their married names. 

List the full name of the person who graduated earliest, followed by the full name of his or her spouse. 

Examples: 

  • Ingrid Olson BA ’90 and Andrew Olson BS ’91 

  • David Olson BA ’59, MS ’63 and Joan (Peterson) Olson BS ’63 

 

When spouses are alumni of the same class, list the woman's name first with appropriate class year, followed by the man's name with the appropriate class year. 

  • Example: Marie (Olson) Anderson BS ’65 and Charles Anderson BS ’65 

 

For current North Park students, degrees are noted in two ways depending on the type of publication.

 

For social, web stories, zines, and external marketing materials, the standard degree notation is not used. Instead, use the student's current year and major if applicable.

      Example: Brett Ravitz, third-year marketing major, works at University Marketing and Communications.

 

For event programs, magazine masthead, or any ceremonial or formal publications, use the current student's expected degree and anticipated graduation year. 

      Example from North Parker masthead: Writer: Brett Ravitz, BS '26

 

a.m./p.m. 
Use the lowercase, with periods.  

Examples: 3:00–4:30 p.m. 

7:00–10:00 a.m. 

10:00 a.m.–noon 

 

Noon and midnight are acceptable to avoid confusion. 

 

Never 3p.m. or 3 p.m. 

  

ampersand (&) 
Refrain from using in place of "and," unless it is part of a composition title or an organization’s formal name. 

 

artwork (never art work) 

 

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B 

Bible 

Capitalize, without italics, when referring to the Scriptures in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Capitalize also related terms such as the Gospels, Gospel of St. Mark, the Scriptures, the Holy Scriptures. 

 

The word “book” is usually lowercased, and the words “gospel” and “epistle” are usually capitalized. 

  • Examples: Genesis; the book of Genesis 

  • Job; the book of Job 

  • 2 Chronicles; Second Chronicles; the second book of Chronicles 

  • Psalms (but a psalm) 

  • John; the Gospel according to John 

  • Acts; the Acts of the Apostles 

  • 1 Corinthians; the First Epistle to the Corinthians 

 

Lowercase biblical in all uses. Lowercase bible as a nonreligious term: The Chicago Manual of Style is my bible.  

 

Black 

See inclusive language

 

board of trustees 

Only capitalize as part of a formal name or when referring to the North Park University Board of Trustees. In subsequent references, use the board (lowercase). Lowercase “trustee.” 

  • Examples: The Board of Trustees met on Monday. Two trustees were unable to attend. 

  • The board approved funding for the new building.  

 

book titles 

See Titles: works.

 

buildings  

In formal and official documents (e.g., grant applications), use the complete names of buildings. 

  • Example: The physics and mathematics departments are located in the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life.
    • Example: There are sculptures on North Park’s campus located near Anderson Chapel and Nyvall Hall.

 

In posters, email announcements and other informal uses, it is not necessary to use the complete name. 

  • Example: The tour begins at Helwig. Participants will get to see laboratories in the Johnson Center.

See also buildings and locations.  

 

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C 

campus addresses 

See buildings and locations.

 

Campus Green (Never Greenspace without a space) (Green Space acceptable in informal publications) 

 

campuswide  

Spelled as one word, no hyphen.  

 

capitalization of people’s titles (occupational): 

  • Capitalize if using directly before a person’s name in running text: The keynote will be delivered by Dean Cindy Hudson. Dean Hudson’s published work and presentations include childhood obesity, academic clinical partnerships to service the underserved and interprofessional education. 

  • Capitalize when the person’s complete name and title are standing alone: Mary K. Surridge, President. 

  • Lowercase and set off with commas when the title follows the person’s name in running text: Michael Carr, provost, will deliver the keynote. 

  • Lowercase if using generically: Cindy Hudson is a dean at North Park. 

  • If a title is occupational, do not capitalize: faculty member Ilsup Ahn, movie star Nicole Kidman, astronaut Neil Armstrong.  

 

capitalization of place names: Capitalize popular or legendary names. Do not place them within quotation marks or italics: the Windy City, the Big Apple, Honest Abe, the Big Hurt. Capitalize directional words—and related common nouns, if applicable—when they refer to an understood region: the Midwest, the South, the East Coast, Southeast Asia, Northern Ireland, the Western Hemisphere, the South Side. Otherwise, lowercase directional words: northwest Mississippi. 

 

capitalization of proper nouns: 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, Mississippi River, Fleet Street, West Virginia. 

 

Lowercase these common nouns when they stand alone in subsequent references: the party, the river, the street.  

 

Catalyst (no underscore, no “606”) 

 

ceremonies and celebrations 
Capitalize the university’s major ceremonies: Threshold, Launch Day, Commencement, and Homecoming, Honors Convocation. 

 

church 

Capitalize as part of the formal name of a building, a congregation or a denomination; lowercase in other uses. North Park Covenant Church, but There are many covenant churches in Chicago. 

 

City of Chicago: Capitalize when referring to the government of the city: The City of Chicago announced plans for a Veterans Day commemoration.  

 

Lowercase in generic references: North Park University is located in the great city of Chicago. When writing about Chicago, do not include Illinois (or any abbreviation of it) after the city name. 

 

classwork (never class work) 

 

codirector 
Do not hyphenate.  

Exceptions: co-op, co-opt 

Refer to CMOS Hyphenation Guide for details. 

 

CollegeLife (no space) 

 

collegewide 
Spelled as one word, no hyphen. 

 

collective nouns 

Nouns that denote a unit take singular verbs and pronouns: class, committee, crowd, faculty, family, group, herd, jury, orchestra, staff, team. 

  • Example: The faculty is voting on the measure in its committee meeting today. 

 

commas and semicolons 

North Park follows CMOS in its inclusion of the serial/oxford comma.  

North Park University is Christian, city-centered, and intercultural. 

 
In a series of three or more entries in a sentence, use serial commas and semicolons as follows: 
Alumni from Columbus, Ohio; Gothenburg, Sweden; and Des Moines, Iowa, came together for Homecoming. 

Do not use a comma before Jr., Sr., II, III, IV, etc. 

  • Example: John H. Jones III presented the guest lecture. 

 

communiqué (with the accent) 

 

contact us phrases 

Make email the primary method of contact by placing it first in the phrase. 

  • Example: For more information contact John Jones, department chair, via email or at (773) 244-5691. 

 

contractions 

In most nonacademic writing, contractions make your text easier to read with a more conversational tone. Unless a more formal construction helps emphasize the meaning of a sentence or phrase, use contractions, and use them consistently. 

 

core curriculum 

Uppercase as Core Curriculum when referring to the official course sequence. 

 

coursework 
One word, not two and not hyphenated. 

 

COVID-19 
Always capitalize. On second reference, it is acceptable to use “COVID.” 

 

Crux  

never all uppercase 

 

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D 

database 
One word, not two, and not hyphenated. 

 

datelines: use AP Stylebook for guidance 
When mentioning cities in a story, also list the state in which the city is located unless it appears on the list below. If the context of the story makes it clear that the city is in a particular state, listing the state is not necessary.  

 

  • Example: There are Evangelical Covenant Church camps in many cities, including Iron River, Michigan, and Grand Marais, Minnesota.

  • Example: The main campus of the University of Wisconsin is in Madison. (understood from context that Madison is in Wisconsin and not Alabama)

 

Cities that stand alone and do not need a state  

Atlanta 

Baltimore 

Boston 

Chicago 

Cincinnati 

Cleveland 

Dallas 

Denver 

Detroit 

Honolulu 

Houston 

Indianapolis 

Las Vegas 

Los Angeles 

Miami 

Milwaukee 

Minneapolis 

New Orleans 

New York 

Oklahoma City 

Philadelphia 

Phoenix 

Pittsburgh 

St. Louis 

Salt Lake City 

San Antonio 

San Diego 

San Francisco 

Seattle 

Washington 

An international city should be listed with the country in which it is located. The AP Stylebook provides a list of exceptions to this rule (such as London, Paris, Berlin). 

 

dates 

When a date appears in the middle of a sentence, the year is also followed by a comma. If using only the month and year, there is no comma. 

 
May 3 never May 3rd 

June 5 never June 5th
Students must register between May 3–10, 2022. 

Classes start on August 29 and end on December 12. 

 
Always use an en dash (option + hyphen on Mac, alt + 0150 on PC) between dates. 

 
Registration begins May 3 after spring break. 

Today, March 20, is the first day of spring. 

 

Include the year: 

in all formal invitations 
for events or publications that span years 
to avoid confusion if the event occurs in a year other than the current one 
if including the year, then only include on first reference 

 

Do not include the year when: 

event occurs in the current year 

event does not span years 

Blue & Gold Day took place on April 26 with more than 100 attendees.  

 

decimals 

use a period and numerals to indicate decimal amounts. Decimalization should not exceed two places in textual material unless there are special circumstances. For amounts less than 1, use the numeral zero before the decimal point: 0.03 

She earned a 3.75 GPA at North Park. 

 

degrees  

Examples of use: 

bachelor’s degree, bachelor’s program 

Bachelor of Arts (BA) 
Bachelor of Science (BS) (includes BS in Nursing) 

Bachelor of Music Education (BME)  

 

master’s degree, master’s program 

Master of Arts (MA) (instead of listing out separately, all that are MA should be under this umbrella including Education and Christian Ministry, as they are first and foremost MA degrees) 

Master of Business Administration (MBA) 

Master of Nonprofit Administration (MNA) 

Master of Human Resource Management (MHRM) 

Master of Organizational Leadership (MOL) 

Master of Music in Collaborative Piano (MM) 

Master of Music in Vocal Performance (MM) 

Master of Divinity (MDiv) 

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) 

Master of Science in Athletic Training (MS) 

 

doctoral degree, doctoral program 

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) 

 

For degree notation for alumni and current students, see alumna/alumnae/alumnus/alumni.  

 

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E 

e.g.
Always enclose in parentheses and follow with a comma (e.g., this sentence and other uses). This is the abbreviation in Latin meaning, “for example.” 

 

ellipsis 
In general, construct an ellipsis as a three-letter word, with three periods surrounded by a space on either side: space-period-period-period-space. When preceding an ellipsis with a complete sentence, include end punctuation on the sentence before proceeding with the ellipsis. 

  • Example: I wanted to eat everything in Magnuson Campus Center. … I held back.
    • Example: “I appreciate all North Park did for me … I learned a lot as a student here.”

 

Use an ellipsis to indicate deletion of words when condensing quotes or text. (Take care to not change the meaning of the text when choosing which words to omit.) When omitting material at the end of one paragraph and the beginning of one that follows, use an ellipsis in both locations. Do not use ellipses at the beginning and end of direct quotes.  

 

email 

 

exclamations 
Do not attempt to emphasize simple statements by using a mark of exclamation. Use the mark to express a high degree of surprise, incredulity, or other strong emotion. 

 

It was a wonderful show. 
Instead of: It was a wonderful show! 

 

Join us tomorrow. 

Instead of: Join us tomorrow! 

 

The exclamation mark is to be reserved for use after true exclamations or commands. 

What a wonderful show! 
Stop! 

Ready, set, go! 

 

ex-officio (hyphenated) 

 

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F 

 

FAQ not FAQs 

Frequently asked questions (plural questions is implicit in FAQ) 

 

file extensions 
Always uppercase and use brackets next to a link followed by the file size if available—Housing Form [PDF] 2MB 

 

first come, first served 

 

first-generation student