Writing style guide

This guide is designed to promote clarity and consistency in all our writing. We recommend the Guardian and Observer style guide for issues not covered here.

The page is split into:

University references
Academic terms
General style preferences

To find specific items we suggest using Ctrl+F (cmd+F on a Mac keyboard) to search the page in your browser.

University references

The University

Always use ‘University of Worcester’, never ‘Worcester University’, ‘UoW’ or ‘The University of Worcester’. For example:

When you arrive at the University of Worcester…

To avoid repetition, you can also refer to us as the University (note the capital U) or Worcester. For example:

While studying at Worcester you can…

When you’re talking about universities in general, please use a lower case u. For example:

Going to university is an exciting step

University sites

The University is multi-sited. The official sites are:

St John’s Campus
Severn Campus
City Campus
Lakeside Campus

‘We','us' and 'you'

Use names for schools and departments. However, don't keep on repeating the name on a single page. Think about using 'we', 'our', 'us' or even just 'the School’ depending on the context.

It is fine to use 'we' on a top-level page to refer to the University as a whole and then refer to a school by name.

It's also fine to use 'we' on a school page to refer to that school, as it should be clear to the reader from the context.

When talking to the reader, use 'you' and 'your' to make your text more engaging and friendly.

Students' Union

In the first instance, use 'Students' Union (SU)', then 'SU' for every subsequent reference.

People and job titles

Use capital letters when referring to a specific individual and lower case when generalising or describing a role. For example:

‘the head of science’ (note that this is not a title, just a description)
‘the group of vice chancellors met Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Joan Smith’

Courses and subjects

When you’re talking about a specific course, please use its full name and initial capitals (you can use the course later to avoid repetition). For example:

Animal Biology BSc (Hons)
Journalism and Politics BA (Hons)

If you’re talking more generally about a subject area, use lower case. So: Sarah enrolled on the Animal Biology course. But Sarah has always wanted to study biology.

Academic terms

Qualifications

Please note use of capitals and punctuation on these qualification titles:

A Level
Bachelor’s degree
BA (Hons)
BSc (Hons)
CertHE
DipHE
FdA
FdSc
Foundation degree
GCSE
Graduate Diploma
HNC or Higher National Certificate
HND or Higher National Diploma
Honours degree
MA
Masters degree
MSc
NVQ / GNVQ
PGCE or Postgraduate Certificate in Education
PgCert or Postgraduate Certificate
PgDip or Postgraduate Diploma
PhD
Top-up degree

Undergraduate degree classifications

Academic years

Use the format '2018/19'. Follow it with 'academic year', unless space is limited. For example:

'tuition fees for the 2018/19 academic year'

For any other spans of years, write them out in full. For example:

'she held the post from 2014 to 2018'

Alumni

Instead of using 'alumni', use 'graduate' or 'graduates' where possible. This is easier to understand for all our audiences, particularly international ones.

If you need to use 'alumni' remember that:

'alumnus' means a male in the singular
'alumna' means a female in the singular
'alumni' means a mixed or all-male group
'alumnae' means an all-female group

General style preferences

Dates

Please write dates in the following format:

Sunday 26 September 2018

Don’t use 21st, 23rd, 27th. Write the year out in full.

Days and months should have initial capitals (Monday, January) but seasons don’t need capitals (spring, summer).

Numbers

In running text, use words for the numbers one to ten.

Exceptions to this are, in bullets or charts use figures if this looks clearer. Please also use figures if you’re talking about measurements or times of day (40km, 5.30pm).

Use figures for 11 and above.

If you need to use two numbers close together and one is ten or under, it’s OK to make them both figures. For example:

there’s room for 8 to 12 students

In numbers over 1,000 please use commas. For example:

4,530

If you need to begin a sentence with a number, please express it as a word. For example:

Thirty people attended the event.

Phone numbers

Generally, avoid using hyphens or brackets. For example:

01905 54 1234

The exception is when the audience is clearly international. In this case, add the UK dialling code and brackets. For example:

+44 (0)1905 54 1234

Times

Express times in figures, making sure you use am or pm for clarity. For example:

8am
7.30pm
12 noon
12 midnight

If you're writing a page aimed at an international audience, you'll need to consider your audience's time zone. Use the 24-hour clock with a colon to separate the minutes and hours in these instances. For example:

You can visit our stand at the International Fair at the University of Arizona from 13:30 PST

Money

Please follow these examples:

25p
£35.50
£40
£9,500
£5 million or £5m

Measurements

Please follow these examples of abbreviated measurements:

45cm
12m
30km
2.5kg
7lb 4oz
6ft 2in

Titles and headings

Please only capitalise the first letter of a title or heading, unless it includes a name which needs initial capitals. For example:

Inspired for life
A reputation built on solid foundations
Building for the future
Exciting opportunities at the University of Worcester
Rewarding careers start at the School of Education

Bold text

Use bold text sparingly and for emphasis only. Do not use bold text for headings, for example 'the final deadline is 28 May'.

Italics

Only use italics for book, journal and newspaper titles, for example, 'The Guardian'.

Underlining text

Do not underline any content as users may confuse it with links.

Abbreviations

Avoid abbreviations, unless there is no room to spell out the words in full.

One exception is 'Dr', which should be used instead of 'Doctor', however, 'Professor' should only be abbreviated to 'Prof' when there are space issues.

Avoid using 'eg', 'etc' or 'ie'. Instead use 'for example', 'and so on' and 'in other words'.

Acronyms

Write names in full and include the acronym in brackets after the first mention, for example, ‘Association for Dementia Studies (ADS)'. You can then use the acronym for any further mentions.

If space is an issue, as in headlines, it's okay to use an acronym instead of the full name. If you do this, be sure to write the name in full followed by the acronym the next time you mention it.

You should use well-known acronyms like BBC, NUS or NHS without the full name.

Ampersands

Always use 'and' instead of an ampersand (&) unless the ampersand is part of an official name, for example 'Marks & Spencer'.

Bulleted lists

Use bullet points when listing information that isn't in a specific order.

Do not create a bullet point with more than one sentence. Stick to one idea per bullet point.

There are two types of bulleted list, each with different styling. Neither uses full stops.

Using a bulleted list immediately after a heading

Start each bullet point with an upper case letter, for example:

Priorities for the University in 2018

Enable all our students to engage with our excellent research culture
Extend our education network
Ensure all our students have access to a wide range of support

Using a bulleted list after an introductory sentence

Start each bullet point with a lower-case letter (unless it starts with a proper noun, such as 'Charles Darwin Building' or 'A level'), for example:

Following consultation, the University has defined our priorities for 2018 as:

enabling all our students to engage with our excellent research culture
extending our education network
ensuring all our students have access to a wide range of support

Numbered lists

Only use numbered lists when you're explaining instructions that need to be performed in sequence. In all other cases use a bulleted list.

Each point in a numbered list should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop, for example:

How to connect to the internet:

Connect your PC to the network point.
Start up your device and open a web browser, like Internet Explorer. It will take you to the registration page.
Type in your University username, like abc123, and password.

Gender

Avoid using gender-binary language. Ideally, you should address the reader directly as 'you'.

If you are writing in the third person, use 'they', 'their' and 'them' instead of 'he' or 'she', 'his' or 'hers', or 'him' or 'her'. For example:

Good: 'You must submit your dissertation by 13 March'
Okay: 'Every student must submit their dissertation by 13 March'
Bad: 'Every student must submit his dissertation by 13 March'

Writing about disability

Use language that conveys a positive message rather than emphasises impairment or limitations.

Use terms like:

students with disabilities
wheelchair users/person who uses a wheelchair
person with epilepsy
learning disabilities
mental health condition
health conditions
physical impairments
seizures

Don't use terms like 'the disabled' or 'handicapped', as they're old-fashioned and have negative connotations. Also avoid:

afflicted by/victim of
mentally handicapped
able-bodied
mental patient
fits, spells, attacks

Most people with disabilities are, however, comfortable with words and phrases that are used to describe daily living. People with visual impairments can be pleased (or not) 'to see you'; people who use wheelchairs can 'go for a walk' around our beautiful campus.

Essentially, don't patronise or define people by their impairment, but don't be over-sensitive. For more guidance on appropriate language, read this guide from the Office for Disability Issues.