Using the Editorial Style Guide

In general, UCSF’s editorial style follows the Associated Press Stylebook and Webster’s New World College Dictionary. This UCSF Editorial Style Guide serves as a complement to those and outlines exceptions and provides clarifications where needed.

In this guide, you can find information on, how to refer to UCSF and affiliated institutions, style standards and conventions, and formatting and punctuation.

This content is updated annually, and was last revised January, 2025.

Have questions or feedback?
Send any inquiries, requests, or suggestions to [email protected] with the subject line “Editorial Style Guide.”

How to refer to UCSF and affiliated institutions

Official university location names

University official name

The university’s official name is University of California, San Francisco. The comma is used except in display type or logo form. On first reference in the body of a story, news release, or external-facing letter, use UC San Francisco. Thereafter, abbreviate as UCSF. Avoid UC San Francisco (UCSF).

Use UCSF on first reference when modifying another term, such as a school or program, e.g., UCSF Health, UCSF School of Nursing, UCSF Fresno.

Do not capitalize university when using it alone to describe UCSF.

 

Building names

Many UCSF buildings have specific names and shortened versions that have been agreed upon in the original gift agreements. See additional UCSF Health entries below.

Parnassus Heights:

• Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building
• Beckman Vision Center
• Millberry Union
• Kalmanovitz Library
• Koret Hall
• The Aldea Center on Mount Sutro

Mission Bay:

• Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Hall; on second reference Rock Hall
• UCSF Bakar Precision Cancer Medicine Building
• Byers Hall
• Genentech Hall
• UCSF Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building
• UCSF Joan and Sanford I. Weill Neurosciences Building
• William J. Rutter Center at UCSF Mission Bay; on second reference Rutter Center
• UCSF Sandler Neurosciences Center
• UCSF Smith Cardiovascular Research Building
• UCSF Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision; on second reference Valley Tower

 

Campus sites

UCSF is a campus of the University of California. UCSF owns facilities throughout the city of San Francisco and in Oakland. Its four primary campus sites are:

• Parnassus Heights (or Parnassus)
• Mission Bay
• Mount Zion (not Mt. Zion)
• UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland

In August 2024, UCSF Health also added two community hospital sites:

• UCSF Health St. Mary’s Hospital
• UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital

UCSF faculty also conduct research and provide care at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, and the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. See notes below on UCSF Health sites. Do not capitalize campus.

UCSF Fresno is a regional campus of the UCSF School of Medicine created to address the severe shortage of physicians in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Do not spell out University of California, San Francisco – Fresno.

 

Graduate division

The Graduate Division is UCSF’s home for graduate education (including PhD degree, master’s degree, and certificate programs) and postdoctoral scholarship. Graduate Division programs are offered by UCSF’s four schools and the UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences.

 

Schools

UCSF has four graduate schools that engage in research, education, and patient care. Do not capitalize school when used alone. Spell out and capitalize each school name. Use the full name on first reference, “School of ...” on second:

• UCSF School of Dentistry, or the School of Dentistry
• UCSF School of Medicine, or the School of Medicine
• UCSF School of Nursing, or the School of Nursing
• UCSF School of Pharmacy, or the School of Pharmacy

When mentioning all four schools as a group, list them alphabetically and use lowercase: the UCSF schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, and pharmacy.

 

UCSF Fresno

See campus sites.

 

University of California

Spell out on first reference; use UC on subsequent references.

Spell out University of California Office of the President (UCOP) on first reference; use only UCOP on subsequent references.

Campus abbreviations: Six of the 10 University of California campuses may be abbreviated on second and subsequent references:

• UC San Francisco to UCSF
• UC Irvine to UCI
• UC Riverside to UCR
• UC San Diego to UCSD
• UC Santa Barbara to UCSB
• UC Santa Cruz to UCSC

Always spell out these three University of California campuses:

• UC Berkeley (not UCB)
• UC Davis (not UCD)
• UC Merced (not UCM)

Always abbreviate this University of California campus:

UCLA (not UC Los Angeles)

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Affiliated institutions

UCSF-affiliated institutions

The following institutions are affiliated with UCSF but are separate entities. Each has its own separate entry in general naming conventions:

• California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences – UCSF (QB3-UCSF)
• UCSF Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI)
• Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco
• Gladstone Institutes (used as a singular noun)
• The Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI)
• NCIRE – The Veterans Health Research Institute
• Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
• Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG)
• San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC), or San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS)

 

UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences

The UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences is dedicated to improving health and reducing the burden of disease in the world’s most vulnerable populations. It includes:

• Center for Global Health Delivery and Diplomacy
• Center for Global Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
• Center for Global Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health
• Center for Global Nursing
• Center for Global Strategic Information and Public Health Practice
• Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia
• Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response

 

UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences

Composed of:

• The UCSF departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Neurological Surgery
• UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
• UCSF Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases

UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences on first reference; the Weill Institute thereafter.

When referring to faculty members who work for one of the entities that comprise the Weill Institute, it’s preferable – especially in editorial content – to refer to them as a professor/associate professor/assistant professor of [department] in the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. For more formal publications a professor/associate professor/assistant professor in the Department of [Dept. Name] in the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences is permissible.

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Hospitals and patient care centers

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals

The umbrella name for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. Both are part of UCSF Health.

For the Oakland location, use UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland on first reference; use UCSF Benioff Oakland on subsequent references.

For the San Francisco location, use UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco on first reference; use UCSF Benioff San Francisco on subsequent references.

Do not abbreviate BCH or BCHO in external communications. BCH-SF and BCH-Oakland are permissible on second reference for internal purposes only.

 

UCSF Board of Directors

The UCSF Foundation and its volunteer Board of Directors support UCSF’s core mission of advancing health worldwide by raising money for the university.

The UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Foundation serves as the Board of Directors for both of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.

 

UCSF Breast Care Center

Part of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

 

UCSF Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research

The center is headquartered in the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building on the Parnassus Heights campus. Use the full name on first reference. On second reference use The Broad Center or the UCSF stem cell center.

 

UCSF Health

The umbrella name for UCSF’s clinical enterprise. Use when referring to the organization as a whole. UCSF Health includes:

• Three UCSF Medical Centers: UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights, UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, and UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion
• Two community hospitals: UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital and UCSF Health St. Mary's Hospital (Note the different spellings of Saint and St.)
• Two children’s hospitals: UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland – together known as UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals
• Multiple outpatient clinics and cancer centers in various locations, including San Francisco, the Peninsula, and the East Bay, North Bay, South Bay, and Hawaii. Ex. UCSF San Mateo Primary and Specialty Care Clinic; Berkeley Outpatient Center
• Pediatric outpatient centers in various locations, including San Francisco, Oakland, Walnut Creek, San Ramon, San Mateo, Los Gatos, Modesto, Monterey, and more. Ex. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Walnut Creek Outpatient Center on first reference. UCSF Benioff Walnut Creek Outpatient Center on subsequent references.
• The UCSF Faculty Practice Organization
• Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital (separate from the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute (LPPI) that is part of Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences)
• UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians (UBCP) foundation

UCSF has affiliate relationships with a number of other Northern and Central California hospitals and provider organizations, including Hill Physicians and Washington Hospital Healthcare System. A complete list of UCSF Health affiliates can be found at tiny.ucsf.edu/ucsfhealthaffiliates.

 

UCSF Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building

Located on the Mission Bay campus. Home to scientists investigating cancer’s basic biological mechanisms, including brain tumors, as well as researchers in urologic oncology, pediatric oncology, cancer population sciences, and computational biology. Use the full name on first reference; the cancer research building is permissible on subsequent references.

 

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

The UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center provides patient care at five San Francisco medical centers:

• UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion
• UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay
• UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights
• Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center
• San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Use the full name on first reference; the cancer center is permissible on subsequent references. Avoid using “HDFCCC.”

 

UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital

The future adult hospital at UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights (anticipated opening in 2030). Use the full name on first reference; UCSF Helen Diller Hospital on subsequent references.

 

UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights

The adult hospitals, adult and pediatric outpatient services, and research facilities on UCSF’s Parnassus campus are referred to as UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights on first reference and UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center on subsequent references. See UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital, above.

 

UCSF Medical Center

The proper name for UCSF’s adult hospitals is UCSF Medical Center (no “the” before “UCSF”). When relevant, these can be specified as UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights, UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, and UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion. For example: UC San Francisco celebrated the opening of UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay in February 2015.

 

UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay

UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay is home to three hospitals:

• UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco
• UCSF Bakar Cancer Hospital
• UCSF Betty Irene Moore Women’s Hospital

For UCSF Bakar Cancer Hospital, the cancer hospital is permissible on subsequent references.

For UCSF Betty Irene Moore Women’s Hospital, the women’s hospital is permissible on second reference.

 

UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health

Formerly the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. Always use UCSF on first reference. The Osher Center is permissible on second reference.

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Style standards and conventions (A - Z)

A  |  B  |  C  |  D  |  E  |  F  |  G  |  H  |  I  |  J  |  K  |  L  |  M  |  N  |  O  |  P  |  Q  |  R  |  S  |  T  |  U  |  V  |  W  |  Z

A

Abbreviations and acronyms

When abbreviating a name or term, spell it out on first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses:

San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
atrial fibrillation (AFib)

On first reference in the body of a story, news release, or external-facing letter, use UC San Francisco, when referring to the university. Thereafter, abbreviate as UCSF. Use UCSF on first reference when modifying another term, such as a school or program, e.g., UCSF Health, UCSF School of Nursing, UCSF Fresno.

Use UCSF Health in all instances when referring to the clinical care system.

Except for U.S. and U.K., which follow Associated Press style and use periods, do not use periods with acronyms or abbreviations formed by two or more words: AIDS, MD, PhD.

Add s without an apostrophe to plural forms of acronyms: CEOs, HMOs.

 

Academic degrees

Do not use periods when abbreviating a degree.

Proper names of degrees:
Capitalize degree name but lowercase the area of academic concentration: Bachelor of Science in psychology, Master of Science degree, Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

Informal names of degrees, areas of academic concentration, and subject areas:
Lowercase: bachelor’s degree in physiology, master’s degree in health data science, doctorate in nursing, medical degree.

With a person/faculty:
Degree abbreviations follow a person’s last name. On first reference, include the person’s degree: Alan Ashworth, PhD, president of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. On subsequent references, use their last name only.

Order of usage:
UCSF lists degrees first by importance, then alphabetically. By importance, they are:

1. Medical (MD, DO), dental (DDS, DMD), pharmaceutical (PharmD), and nursing (DNP) doctoral
2. Nonmedical (PhD, EdD, JD, DPH, DSc, ScD, DNS) doctoral
3. Master’s (MS, MA, MPH, etc.)
4. Bachelor’s (undergraduate degrees aren’t typically included, including in editorial content)
5. Certificates and fellowships (RN, FAAN)

If the person has degrees in multiple fields, list only the top degree in any field. List no more than three degrees in editorial copy: Gordon Fung, MD, PHD, MPH. UCSF also lists Registered Nurse (RN) certifications: UCSF School of Nursing Dean Carol Dawson-Rose, PhD, RN, FAAN.

Degree and abbreviations:

• APRN – Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
• BA/BS – Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science
• CNM – Certified Nurse-Midwife
• CNS – Clinical Nurse Specialist
• DDS – Doctor of Dental Surgery
• DMD – Doctor of Dental Medicine
• DNP – Doctor of Nursing Practice
• FAAN – Fellowship of the American Academy of Nursing
• FAAP – Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics
• FACC – Fellow of the American College of Cardiology
• FACD – Fellow of the American College of Dentists
• FACE – Fellow of the American College of Endocrinologists
• FACP – Fellow of the American College of Physicians
• FACS – Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
• FNP – Family Nurse Practitioner
• LPN – Licensed Practical Nurse
• MA – Master of Arts
• MBBS – Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery; medical degree granted in some countries outside the United States
• MD – Doctor of Medicine
• MEd – Master of Education
• MPH – Master of Public Health
• MS, MSc, SM, ScM – Master of Science
• MSW – Master of Social Work
• PharmD – Doctor of Pharmacy
• PhD – Doctor of Philosophy
• PMHNP – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
• RDH – Registered Dental Hygienist
• RN – Registered Nurse

Avoid using Dr. unless in a quote or in a written speech. Instead, use physician and include their specialty when appropriate; for example, pediatric physician. Note that UCSF Health uses “Dr.” in its patient-focused materials in reference to physicians.

See titles.

 

Addresses

For campus addresses, use the building name or abbreviation followed by the room number, with a space (not a hyphen) in between:

Medical Sciences Building, room S 20; room N 431.

 

Academic schools, centers, divisions, institutes, departments, programs, offices, courses

See departments, divisions, schools, institutions, centers, programs, offices.

 

Adviser

The preferred spelling in American English, as opposed to the British advisor.

 

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
 
Formerly the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, it is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is the lead federal agency on health care quality research.

 

Alum, alumni

Use nonbinary terms in all cases, alum (singular) and alumni (plural).

 

Alzheimer’s disease

Use the possessive. When using the proper name of a disease that includes the name of the person or place associated with it, the proper name or place is capitalized, but disease is not.

See possessives.

 

And/or

Avoid this ambiguous, awkward construction. Use and or or.

 

Anniversary

Since the meaning includes a year, use ordinal numbers for recurrences of a date: first anniversary (not one-year anniversary), 25th anniversary. Spell out “first” through “ninth” and use figures and letters beginning with “10th.”

 

Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock

Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Hall (Rock Hall), on first reference, on the Mission Bay campus, is home to programs in human genetics, developmental biology, developmental neuroscience, and the Center for Brain Development. Rock Hall on subsequent references.

Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor is Chancellor Sam Hawgood’s second title, which should only be used in leadership messages. Use it like this:

Sam Hawgood, MBBS
Chancellor
Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor

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B

Bay Area

Capitalize.

 

Bench-to-bedside medicine

See translational medicine.

 

Big data

Lowercase.

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C

California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3)

Research institute at UC Berkeley in partnership with UCSF, UC Santa Cruz, and private industry. One of four California Institutes for Science and Innovation.

 

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)

The State of California’s stem cell agency. CIRM provides grants to promote areas of stem cell research that show promise to accelerate treatments to patients.

 

Cancer stages

Stages progress from 0 through 4, written lowercase and with numerals: stage 1 cancer, stage 4 melanoma.

 

Captions

When describing the lineup of two or more people pictured in a photograph, spell out “left,” “right,” or “from left” and set off with parentheses:

Physical therapy student Amy Schultz (right) tests the cervical range of motion of classmate Katy Chee (left) at the new Clinical Skills Center.

The Diversity “Founders’ Champions,” with Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Outreach Renee Navarro, are (from left) Angela Echiverri, Sharon Youmans, Navarro, Lisa Cisneros, and Bobby Baron.

 

CAR T cell, CAR-T therapy, CAR-T cell therapy

Short for chimeric antigen receptor T cell. The cells are T cells, and CAR is a type of T cell.

When used as a noun, T cell is not hyphenated: CAR T cells are part of the immune system.

When used as an adjective, hyphenate T cell: CAR-T cell therapy is one form of immunotherapy.

Cell is preferred over cellular.

 

CDC

See U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

CEO

Acceptable on first reference for chief executive officer. Spell out other chief titles on first reference: chief operating officer, chief information officer.

 

Central Valley, Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley

These are not interchangeable terms. California’s Central Valley runs from approximately Redding to Bakersfield. The northern one-third, Redding to Sacramento, is the Sacramento Valley; the southern two-thirds, Sacramento to Bakersfield, is the San Joaquin Valley.

 

Chair, chief

The chair is the head of a UCSF academic department. Do not use chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson.

Use chair when referring to an endowment only if it is part of the formal name. See endowed and distinguished professorships.

The chief is the head of a UCSF division.

 

Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco

The San Francisco location (UCSF, UC Berkeley, Stanford) used to be the only one, but there now are locations in Chicago (University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign) and New York City (Columbia University, The Rockefeller University, and Yale).

 

Chancellor Awards

Do not use Chancellor’s. These include the Chancellor Award for Diversity, Founders Day Awards, and the UCSF Medal.

 

Clinical research

Scientific research conducted in conjunction with caring for patients, often involving clinical trials to test new medical therapies. Note that clinical trail participants are not necessarily patients.

 

Clinical trials

Lowercase the phase and use numerals: phase 2 clinical trial.

 

Compared to, compared with

Compared to means “to liken one thing to something similar”: She compared the heart to a sophisticated pump.

Compared with means “to look at similarities and differences”: The study compared the defibrillators made by Acme with those made by Nadir.

 

Continual, continuous

Continual means “repeating steadily at intervals:” He was troubled for days by continual coughing.

Continuous means “uninterrupted:” The healthy heart beats in a continuous rhythm.

 

Coronavirus

A family of viruses, some of which cause disease in people and animals, named for the crownlike spikes on their surfaces (Corona is Spanish for crown). The common cold is a coronavirus, as is SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

 

COVID-19

Short for coronavirus disease 2019. A respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Capitalize and hyphenate on first reference; COVID is acceptable in subsequent references. Do not use Covid.

 

Critical, crucial

Critical may describe an approach to a crisis or turning point: Her symptoms have reached a new and critical phase.

Crucial applies to an actual crisis situation, often one viewed with fear, worry, or suspense: The next few months are crucial to our bottom line.

As a general guideline, if a condition or circumstance is described as critical, an element of danger is often implied; if something is crucial, it’s important.

 

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM)

A technology for studying the architecture of cells, viruses, and protein assemblies at molecular resolution. Spell out on first reference followed by (cryo-EM). Use only cryo-EM in subsequent references.

 

Culture

See Associated Press Stylebook, race-related coverage.

 

Current Good Manufacturing Practices

Spell out on first reference followed by (CGMP). Use CGMP in subsequent references.

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D

Data

A plural noun when referring to individual items: The data were validated by subsequent research.

A singular noun when referring to a unit: The data is sound.

 

Deaf

See Associated Press Stylebook, deaf, Deaf, hard of hearing.

 

Degrees

See academic degrees.

 

Departments, divisions, schools, institutions, centers, programs, offices

Academic departments, divisions, schools, institutes, centers, programs, offices, and course titles:
Capitalize the complete, formal names: UCSF School of Pharmacy; UCSF Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; UCSF Division of Orthodontics; Program in Biomaterials, Biophysical Sciences, and Engineering; Center for Drug Development Science; Institute for Health Policy Studies; Nurse-Midwifery Management II.

Fragmentary or informal names:
Lowercase: the school, UCSF nursing school.

When entity descriptor follows the name:
Capitalize the entity name but lowercase the descriptor: Pharmaceutical Chemistry department; Pediatric Surgery division; Biomaterials, Biophysical Sciences, and Engineering program.

When entity descriptor is excluded:
Capitalize the names of departments, divisions, and programs when the entity descriptor is excluded: Pharmaceutical Chemistry (referring to the department); Pediatric Surgery (referring to the division); Biomaterials, Biophysical Sciences, and Engineering (referring to the program).

Departments or other entities in a series of two or more:
Lowercase: departments of medicine, neurology, and anatomy.

 

Diabetes

Do not capitalize type: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes.

 

Disabilities

The terms disabilities and disabled are generally embraced by disabled people and are acceptable when relevant. Do not use euphemisms such as handicapable, special needs, or physically challenged, other than in direct quotations or in explaining how an individual describes themself.

See Associated Press Stylebook, disabilities.

 

Disc, disk

Use disc when referring to an optical storage medium, such as a compact disc or videodisc, or when referring to an intervertebral disc.

Use disk when referring to a magnetic storage medium, such as a computer disk.

 

Disease names

Lowercase all disease names unless they include the name of a person or geographical area identified with it, in which case only the proper noun is capitalized: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Tay-Sachs disease, Lyme disease, Ebola virus, Legionnaires’ disease.

See Parkinson’s disease, parkinsonian, parkinsonism.

 

Distinguished professorships

See endowed and distinguished professorships.

 

Doctor, physician

A physician is a medical practitioner who holds a professional medical degree. A physician trained in the U.S. has either a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree.

A doctor is a professional who has earned a doctorate-level degree, such as an MD, PhD, PharmD, or DNP. All physicians are doctors, but not all doctors are physicians.

Avoid using Dr. unless in a quote. Instead, use physician, when appropriate, and include their specialty: pediatric physician.

Note that UCSF Health uses “Dr.” in its patient-focused materials in reference to physicians.

See resident.

 

Drug names

Capitalize brand names, lowercase generic names: Tylenol (acetaminophen); Xanax (alprazolam); Glucophage (meformin)

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E

Ebola

Capitalize. The disease is named for a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa where one of the first outbreaks of the disease occurred in 1976.

 

Emeritus, emeriti

A Latin term used in academia to denote a retired professor. In some cases, it is used after a title specifically to denote distinguished service. Use nonbinary terms in all cases, emeritus (singular) and emeriti (plural).

 

Endowed and distinguished professorships

Endowed professorships (preferred term; less common: endowed chairs) and distinguished professorships are honorific titles appointed by the Academic Senate and funded by endowments specifically set up for the purpose. Distinguished professorships are considered a higher honor due to the higher minimum endowment amount.

Professorships and distinguished professorships:

• Are considered an honor in the academic world; UCSF can use these positions to honor faculty members or recruit top professors from other institutions
• Allow the donor to name the position after themselves or others
• Have gift agreements that define how payouts are to be used, and may include research, teaching, service activities, and salary support

Refer to the faculty member as the recipient (not the chair, chair holder, or professorship holder) of the professorship. Avoid confusing the name of the fund with the name of the faculty member.

Fund name: Leland and Gladys Barber Endowed Chair in Dentistry
Recipient: the Leland and Gladys Barber Professor of Dentistry

Names of professorships are always capitalized.

When writing about the recipient of a professorship, use the full name of the professorship title on first reference. Use discretion and context to guide the appropriate inclusion of the professorship title in subsequent references. The field may often be omitted on second reference.

Margaret R. Wrensch, PhD, UCSF professor of neurological surgery and epidemiology and biostatistics and the Stanley D. Lewis and Virginia S. Lewis Professor of Brain Tumor Research (or the Lewis Professor of Brain Tumor Research, or the Stanley D. Lewis and Virginia S. Lewis Professor).

Presidential chairs were created as part of a UC Office of the President initiative. Both the fund and the recipient are referred to as Presidential Chair, an exception to the rules above.

 

Entitled, titled

Entitled means “to have a right to”: The customer was entitled to a refund.

Titled means “named”: The book was titled Roots.

When naming a lecture or publication, use titled.

 

Ethnicity

See Associated Press Stylebook, race-related coverage.

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F

Faculty

A collective noun: UCSF’s faculty is the best in the country. Use faculty member when referring to one person: The faculty member took a sabbatical.

See titles and academic degrees.

 

Fellow, fellowship

Lowercase when used alone and when referring to faculty members of a college or in combination with a granting organization: Elizabeth Bennett, an AAEA fellow; a Guggenheim fellowship; a fellow of the American Economics Association.

 

Fiscal year

Spell out on first reference, fiscal year 2023-24. Fiscal 2024 is acceptable on subsequent references. FY24 is acceptable in charts and tables.

 

Founders Day awards

See Chancellor Awards.

 

Full-time equivalent (FTE)

Adjective; avoid using as a noun or in plural form. Spell out on first reference with abbreviation in parentheses: The department has 45 full-time equivalent positions and plans to add another 12 FTE positions in the next fiscal year.

 

Fundraising (noun, adjective)

One word.

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G

Gender

As much as possible, UCSF follows AP Style and uses gender neutral terms.

See LGBTQIA+ and transgender; see also Associated Press Stylebook, gender, sex, and sexual orientation.

 

Gene names

In general, gene names are italicized while protein names are not. For example, INS refers to the human insulin protein while INS refers to the human insulin gene.

 

Genus and species

Italicize genus and species names. Capitalize the first letter of the genus when using the full species name: Caenorhabditis elegans, or C. elegans.

 

Gladstone Institutes

Although an independent research entity, the Gladstone Institutes is formally affiliated with UCSF and is located adjacent to UCSF’s Mission Bay campus. Gladstone investigators hold UCSF appointments. In the first mention of a Gladstone employee who occupies a leadership position, use the appropriate Gladstone title: Nevan Krogan, PhD, director of the Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at the UCSF School of Pharmacy and senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes.

Gladstone comprises five institutes, the:

• Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease
• Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology
• Gladstone Institute of Genomic Immunology
• Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease
• Gladstone Institute of Virology

Do not capitalize “the” in the name. Used collectively, it takes a singular verb: Since its founding, the Gladstone Institutes has been renowned for its research.

After the first mention, it is acceptable to use Gladstone. At or soon after the first mention, include a reference to the institutes’ affiliation with UCSF: At the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes, investigators participate in many university activities, including teaching and training graduate students.

 

Graduate Division

The UCSF Graduate Division offers programs for graduate students and postdoctoral research fellows in all four schools at the university and the Institute for Global Health Sciences.

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H

Headlines, deks, sub-headlines

See headlines and subheads.

 

Health care (noun, adjective)

Two words, unless used as one word in a formal name like Washington Hospital Healthcare System.

 

Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building

See Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building.

 

Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

See UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

 

Hospitalist

A dedicated in-patient physician who works exclusively in the hospital. The term was coined by UCSF’s Robert Wachter, MD, and Lee Goldman, MD, in a 1996 article in the New England Journal of Medicine.

 

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

A national scientific organization that seeks to advance biomedical research and science education. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the U.S. HHMI is acceptable on second reference.

HHMI’s flagship research effort, the HHMI Investigator Program, joined with more than 70 distinguished U.S. universities (including UCSF), hospitals, institutes, and medical schools to create a network that provides financial support for HHMI scientists and their research teams. Another initiative, the HHMI Early Career Scientist Program, supports some of the nation’s most promising scientists at a crucial early stage of their careers.

See UCSF-affiliated institutions.

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I

If, whether

If means “in the event that” or “on the condition that”:

If the preliminary results hold up over time, the research will be a success.

Whether creates an indirect question involving alternatives:

The investigator asked whether the results were valid.

 

Impact

Used as a noun meaning “effect,” impact has positive connotations in the fundraising world, so much so that some stewardship and donor relations offices call their reports “impact reports.” In general, however, effect may be a better choice: The chemotherapy had a positive effect.

 

Inpatient, outpatient

One word, no hyphen.

 

Intensive care

Two words, no hyphen.

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J

Joint Commission

Formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). An independent, nonprofit organization, the Joint Commission accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the U.S. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.

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K

Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center

Use Kaiser Permanente as a shortened form in reference to one of the hospitals or to the health insurance plan. Avoid using Kaiser alone, to not to confuse it with other Kaiser entities.

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L

Learners

Term used for groups of individuals pursing a degree or training at UCSF, including professional and graduate students, medical residents, and postdoctoral scholars. In a group context, preferred to students. When the group only includes one category, such as "nursing students," the specific category is preferred.

 

LGBTQIA+

Short for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, plus other sexual and gender minorities.

LGBTQIA+ is best used as a collective adjective: Morgan joined the LGBTQIA+ business association.

See transgender; see also Associated Press Stylebook, gender, sex, and sexual orientation.

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M

Microbiome, microbiota

The microbiome is the community of microorganisms (including bacteria, fungi, and viruses) that live in or on the human body.

Microbiota are the individual organisms that make up the microbiome.

 

Modality

Avoid the jargonistic use of this word as a synonym for method or treatment.

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N

National Academy of Medicine

Part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The academies are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine.

 

National Centers of Excellence

Advanced research facilities selected by the U.S. government to lead national research, development, and education efforts to address crucial global needs. UCSF has two National Centers of Excellence:

• UCSF’s National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health was founded to correct historical imbalances in health care while acting as a catalyst for change in women’s health.
• UCSF’s Smoking Cessation Leadership Center was named a National Center of Excellence for Tobacco-Free Recovery by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

 

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Not Institute. A collective noun, it is singular in construction: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced new guidelines regarding stem cell research.

Spell out on first reference with the abbreviation in parentheses afterward; abbreviate as NIH thereafter.

 

NCIRE (Northern California Institute for Research and Education)

The leading nonprofit research institute in the U.S. devoted to advancing veterans’ health. It is affiliated with UCSF and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The acronym is preferred, even on first reference, and set it off with en-dashes: Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffer alarmingly high rates of post-traumatic stress and other psychiatric disorders, according to a study by researchers at NCIRE – the Northern California Institute for Research and Education – and other organizations.

 

Needlestick

One word.

 

Nonprofit

No hyphen.

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O

OB-GYN

The abbreviation is acceptable on first reference for obstetrics and gynecology. Spell out when referring to the specific department:

Andrea Jackson, MD, is chair of the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Services.

 

Orthopedic, orthopaedic

Use the American English spelling (orthopedic) unless an entity name explicitly uses the British spelling (orthopaedic): UCSF Health Orthopedic Surgical Oncology Clinic, UCSF Health Orthopedic Trauma Service, the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, the Orthopaedic Trauma Institute at ZSFG.

 

Outpatient, inpatient
 
One word, no hyphen.

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P

Parkinson’s disease, parkinsonian, parkinsonism

When using the proper name of a disease that includes the name of the person or place associated with it, the proper name or place is capitalized, but disease is not. Adjectival forms of proper nouns, like parkinsonian, are lowercase.

See possessives.

 

Photo captions

See captions.

 

Physician

See doctor, physician.

 

Possessives

In general, follow the guidelines under possessives in the Associated Press Stylebook, with these exceptions and additions:

Disease and syndrome names:
Convention is rapidly changing with regard to whether ’s should be appended to disease or syndrome names. Down syndrome and Tourette syndrome are well established. Many other names, like Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease, are now in transition, with some organizations using the possessive form and others not. For now, use ’s except where noted. Some frequently used examples:

• Addison’s disease
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Barrett’s esophagus
• Chagas’ disease
• Charcot’s disease
• Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Cushing’s syndrome
• Down syndrome
• Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• Ewing’s sarcoma
• Graves’ disease
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Hansen’s disease
• Huntington’s disease
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Kaposi’s sarcoma
• Klinefelter syndrome
• Lesch-Nyhan syndrome
• Marfan syndrome
• Meniere’s disease
• Munchausen syndrome
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Parkinson’s disease
• Rendu-Osler-Weber disease
• Reye’s syndrome
• Sjögren’s syndrome
• Tay-Sachs disease
• Tourette syndrome
• Turcot syndrome
• Turner syndrome

 

Post-

Do not hyphenate postdoctoral, postgraduate, and postsecondary.
 
Hyphenate post-baccalaureate.

 

Postdoctoral scholar

Use postdoctoral scholar on first reference; postdoc is acceptable on subsequent references.

 

Presidential Chair

See endowed and distinguished professorships.

 

Preeminent

Do not hyphenate.

 

Pre-med

Hyphenate. Short for premedical student; no need to spell out in first use.

 

Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG)

Use the complete name with the abbreviation at the end on first reference. On subsequent references, use Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital or ZSFG.

ZSFG is an academic community hospital under the auspices of the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Community Health Network. It has been affiliated with UCSF since 1873. University faculty members from all four schools – dentistry, medicine, nursing, and pharmacy – provide patient care services, conduct research, and teach at the hospital.

Note: SFGH is no longer acceptable as an abbreviation.

 

Professorships

See endowed and distinguished professorships.

 

Pronouns

Growing numbers of people, including some transgender, nonbinary, agender or gender fluid people, use
they/them/their as a gender-neutral singular personal pronoun. As much as possible, UCSF also uses  
they/them/their as a way of accurately describing and representing a person who uses those pronouns for themself.

See Associated Press Stylebook, pronouns.

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Q

QB3

See California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences.

 

Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI)

An organized research unit within the UCSF School of Pharmacy. Its mission is to:

• Help make precision medicine a reality by using quantitative research tools to understand the underlying biology behind different disease states
• Use that knowledge to develop new therapies
• Put those therapies into the hands of clinicians

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R

Race

See Associated Press Stylebook, race-related coverage.

 

Regent, regents (noun), regental (adjective)

Always capitalize when referring to one or more of the Regents of the University of California. On first reference, spell out University of California Board of Regents. UC is acceptable in subsequent references.

Regental is the adjective form and is lowercase:

Final approval of the plan depends on regental approval.

 

Resident, residency, fellowship

Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is someone who has received the title of physician and practices medicine, usually in a hospital or clinic, under the supervision of a senior medical clinician, such as an attending physician. A residency may follow the internship year or include the internship year as the first year of residency.

In medical school, physicians gain a broad range of medical knowledge, basic clinical skills, and supervised experience practicing medicine in a variety of fields. During their medical residency, they receive in-depth training within a specific branch of medicine. A residency may be followed by a fellowship, during which the physician is trained in a specialty or sub-specialty.

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S

San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center

See Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

 

San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS)

A major referral center for veterans throughout Northern California that provides services at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and nine VA clinics throughout Northern California. SFVAHCS has been affiliated with all four UCSF schools since 1968. All SFVAHCS physicians are jointly recruited by the SFVAHCS and the UCSF School of Medicine.

Spell out on first reference; abbreviate as SFVAHCS thereafter. At or soon after first reference, include a reference to the health care system’s affiliation with UCSF:

The UCSF-affiliated SFVAHCS provides veterans with outstanding health care, trains America’s future health care providers, and conducts important medical research.

 

San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC)

A hospital for veterans throughout Northern California that has long-standing affiliations with all four UCSF schools. UCSF medical students, residents, and fellows rotate through the SFVAMC, which provides nearly one-third of all of UCSF’s medical training. The SFVAMC has no freestanding training programs of its own; every aspect is fully integrated with UCSF.

Spell out on first reference; abbreviate as SFVAMC thereafter. At or soon after first reference, include a reference to the medical center’s affiliation with UCSF:

The UCSF-affiliated SFVAMC receives the most research funding of any Veterans Affairs medical center in the nation.

 

SARS-CoV-2 virus

See coronavirus.

 

Sex and sexual orientation

See LGBTQIA+, transgender; see also Associated Press Stylebook, gender, sex, and sexual orientation.

 

Small cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer

Common usage makes the meaning clear enough without hyphenating small cell as a description for the type of lung cancer. However, when including non, a hyphen is still needed between it and small.

 

Staff

Collective noun: Our staff is highly trained.

When referring to individuals, use staff members: Staff members are required to take training classes every quarter.

 

Stem Cell Center

See UCSF Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research.

 

Student

See learner.

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T

T cell

Hyphenate only when used as an adjective:

A new cancer immunotherapy uses the body’s T cells in the fight against tumors. The lab’s research focuses on the regulation of T-cell responses.

See CAR T cell.

 

Telehealth

The use of technology, such as a telephone or video streaming, to help patients receive health care over a geographical distance.

 

Telephone numbers

Always include the area code with a telephone number, even if local, separating the area code and prefix with periods, parentheses, a hyphen, or two hyphens, depending on the publication:

415.476.2577 (the most common format) or (415) 476-2577 or 415-476-2577

For numbers with toll-free area codes (800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844), it is not necessary to use the term “toll free” or include the prefix “1-” before the number.

Do not use a slash between the area code and the prefix, as in 415/476-2577.

 

Tetrad graduate program

The Tetrad curriculum provides students with a strong foundation in the basic concepts of biochemistry, genetics, developmental biology, and cell biology through interactive courses.

 

That, which

Use that to introduce a restrictive clause – a clause essential to the meaning of the noun it modifies such that the meaning will change if the clause is left out: She wants a copy of the book that just came out today.

Use which for an unrestricted clause – a clause that can be omitted without changing the meaning – and set it off with commas: She wants a copy of his latest book, which she’ll read tonight, and a cup of coffee.

 

Them/they pronouns

See pronouns; see also Associated Press Stylebook, pronouns.

 

Time elements

In general, follow the guidelines under time element in the Associated Press Stylebook with these exceptions and additions:

Days of the week: When listing an upcoming event, use the day of the week and date:

The State of the University Address is on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

 

Titles

Composition/art titles: For books, magazines, journals, newspapers, television shows, movies, album titles, plays, and works of art, use initial caps and italicize the words, including prepositions and conjunctions. Capitalize articles (the, a, an) or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title – The New York Times, New Yorker magazine, Meet the Press, The Corrections.

Be careful not to capitalize or italicize articles of speech that are not in the actual title: the San Francisco Chronicle.

If italics are not available, like in some sections of webpages, use initial caps and enclose in quotation marks: “Moby Dick.”

Lectures and articles: Use quotes and no italics: The professor published an article, “Study Habits of Highly Successful Students,” in a top scholarly journal.

Faculty titles: As a default, use the individual’s UCSF Directory title after their name and make lowercase: Eddie Chang, MD, professor and chair of the Neurological Surgery department (not Professor and Chair of the UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery Eddie Chang, MD).

When an entity descriptor follows a name: Capitalize the entity name but lowercase the descriptor: Pharmaceutical Chemistry department; Pediatric Surgery division; Biomaterials, Biophysical Sciences, and Engineering program.

The faculty member’s department usually is sufficient, but you can use their division if you decide it is more relevant or descriptive. It is not necessary to include a faculty member’s school; we do not usually use School of Dentistry, School of Nursing, etc., to identify faculty members.

Because the School of Medicine’s Department of Medicine is so large (16 divisions, 750 faculty members) and Department of Medicine is so vague, we always try to identify that department’s faculty members by division:

Pamela Ling, MD, internal medicine, is internationally known for her research on tobacco, tobacco marketing, and tobacco industry strategies targeting youth and young adults. The Division of General Internal Medicine is part of the Department of Medicine.

Some faculty members have multiple academic, clinical, or research titles as well as a professorship or distinguished professorship, or both. In body text, use titles in sentence format. Long titles can be split into two references:

Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD, founder and executive director of the Neuroscape translational neuroscience center at UCSF, develops video games to help people improve their cognitive function. Gazzaley, who also is the David Dolby Distinguished Professor in the UCSF departments of neurology, physiology, and psychiatry, was included in Newsweek’s 2021 inaugural list of America’s Greatest Disruptors.

The hierarchy for listing such titles, if applicable, after the faculty member’s name (for example, stacked at the top of a stewardship report) is as follows:

• Chancellor, Dean, President, or CEO (including for external hubs)
• Vice chancellor, assistant/associate dean, vice president
• Distinguished professor
• Endowed professor (In the examples below, note that endowed is not included, only professor)
• Academic professor (Professor, associate professor, assistant professor, etc.) – If an individual holds more than one position at the same level, follow the overall hierarchy. If the positions are equal in the hierarchy, list in alphabetical order.
• Department chair/vice chair
• Division chief/vice chief
• Institute director (Exception: Director, Weill Institute for Neurosciences would be listed after Chancellor, Dean, President, or CEO but before Vice Chancellor)
• Center director
• Program director
• Medical/surgical director
• Section leader
• Principal investigator
• Investigator/member of lab

Avoid using Dr. unless in a quote or in a written speech. Instead, use physician and include their specialty when appropriate; for example, pediatric physician.

See academic degrees.

See departments, divisions, programs, schools.

See endowed and distinguished professorships.

 

Toward

Not towards, which is the British English spelling.

 

Translational medicine

Translational medicine brings together clinicians, research scientists, and industry partners to speed the translation of medical advances made in the laboratory into clinical services to benefit patients. It is sometimes referred to as “bench-to-bedside” medicine, meaning from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside.

 

Transgender

Not transgendered. Describes people whose gender does not match the one usually associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Identify people as transgender only when relevant and use the name and gender by which they live publicly. Trans is acceptable on second reference.

See LGBTQIA+; see also Associated Press Stylebook, gender, sex, and sexual orientation.

 

Trauma center

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland is a level 1 trauma center, providing the most advanced care for every aspect of injury – from prevention through rehabilitation.

 

Tumor grades

Grades progress from 1 through 4, from least to most aggressive.

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U

University

Do not capitalize unless part of a proper name:

University of California, San Francisco; Harvard University; Office of University Development and Alumni Relations.

 

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Not Center. Spell out on first reference with abbreviation in parentheses after; abbreviate as CDC thereafter. A collective noun, it is singular in construction:

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces new guidelines for COVID-19.

 

U.S. News & World Report

A publication (formerly printed, now online only) that issues annual rankings for graduate schools and hospitals, including UCSF. U.S. News & World Report on first reference; U.S. News on subsequent reference.

The ampersand is part of the formal name of the publication; do not substitute and. Italicize in all references.

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V

Vice chancellor

Two words, no hyphen. Capitalize when used before a name as a formal title.

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W

Whether

See if, whether.

 

Which

See that, which.

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Z

Zebrafish

One word in scientific usage.

 

ZIP code

Capitalize all three letters in ZIP; lowercase code.

 

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG)

See Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

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Formatting and punctuation

Ampersand, &

In general, follow Associated Press Stylebook style.

When referring to a UCSF entity, do not use an ampersand unless it is part of a formal name:

Bixby Center for Reproductive Health Research & Policy, Institute for Health & Aging.

 

Bullets, bulleted lists

Use bullets to introduce individual sections of a list. Introduce the list with a short phrase or sentence, followed by a colon:

• Format the bulleted content so there is a space between the bullet and the first word of each item in the list.
• Capitalize the first word following the bullet.
• Use periods at the end of each sentence in a bulletted list.
• Use no punctuation at the end of a single word or phrase in a bulletted list.
• Do not use semicolons.

Use parallel construction for each item in a list:

• Start with the same part of speech for each item.
• Use the same voice (active or passive) for each item.
• Use the same verb tense for each item.
• Use the same sentence type (statement, question, exclamation) for each item.
• Use just a phrase for each item, if desired.

Example:

Please get me the year-end figures on:

• The number of COVID-19 cases in San Francisco
• The total number of cases statewide
• The national mortality rate

 

Comma

Use the Oxford (serial) comma in a series, which means placing a comma before the and before the last item in a series of three or more items: masks, gauze, and bandages. Follow the Associated Press Stylebook otherwise.

Essential and nonessential clauses:
Both types of clauses provide additional information about a word or phrase in the sentence.

The difference between them is that the essential clause cannot be eliminated without changing the meaning of the sentence – so restricts the meaning of the word or phrase that its absence would lead to a substantially different interpretation of what the author meant. Do not use commas before and after an essential clause.

The nonessential clause, however, can be eliminated without altering the basic meaning of the sentence — it does not restrict the meaning so significantly that its absence would radically alter the author's thought. Use commas before and after an essential clause.

Correct (nonessential clause): Her daughter, Vivian, suffers from a genetic disorder.

Correct (essential clause): She has three children. Her daughter Vivian suffers from a genetic disorder, but her daughter Ellen does not, nor does her son, Jonas.

 

Dash

In alignment with the Associated Press Stylebook, use the em-dash (—, shift, opt, dash on Mac), as opposed to the shorter en-dash (–, option, dash on Mac), and add a space before and a space after:

The measure — designed to get around restrictions in funding — puts California at the forefront.

 

Ellipsis

Include spaces on either side.

The honor roll hospitals are an elite group. Just 176 hospitals scored high enough this year ... out of all 6,007 U.S. medical centers.

 

Headlines and subheads

Be aware of headline character length and try to avoid triple stacking that can detract from the user experience on the web and especially mobile.

An article dek, or sub-headline (subhead), describes for readers what they can expect to find in the article in sentence format. Avoid repeating a version of the headline. SEO should be considered.

An in-body subhead should be included at a ratio of about one per 500-600 words to improve scannability. It does not need to be a full sentence. It should summarize or tease an interesting takeaway from that section of the article. SEO should be considered.

Best practice is to write active, subject-verb-object (S-V-O) headlines whenever possible. We try to avoid “ing-ing” headlines and subheads, a pattern that is common in all sorts of publications.

 

Hyphen

General usage: Do not hyphenate compound words with common suffixes such as -less, -long, -out, -over, -wide, -wise, etc.:

clueless, yearlong, walkout, carryover, citywide, clockwise

Exception: -in: break-in, walk-in, write-in

When using -like: Hyphenate only when the stem word ends in L or is a proper noun: childlike, bell-like, Ebola-like.

When using -maker or -making: Do not hyphenate most constructions using -maker or -making: policymaker, decision making, troublemaker.

For unusual or cumbersome constructions containing -maker or -making: Use two words for readability: tea maker, furniture maker.

Constructions using -up: Do not hyphenate most nouns and adjectives that use -up:

cleanup, makeup, roundup, startup.

But: follow-up, grown-up, close-up, shake-up.

If used as verbs, use two words: clean up, make up, follow up, shake up.

 

Slash, slant, diagonal

Use a slash only in common expressions or with numerals in fractions:

HIV/AIDS, 24/7.

Do not use a slash in dates:

May 1, 2016, not 5/1/16 or 1/5/16.

Do not use a slash in phone numbers:

(415) 476-1000 or 415-476-1000, not 415/476-1000.

Whenever possible, avoid constructions in which a slash substitutes for a conjunction:

telecommunications and data rooms, not telecommunications/data rooms.

Avoid the ambiguous, awkward and/or. Use and or or.

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