Editorial Guidelines

• In general, avoid alphabet soup. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms on first reference if the reader would not quickly recognize them. Some widely-used acronyms, such as ROTC or HTML, are acceptable on first reference. Ask College Communications for guidance.
  • and – In general, do not abbreviate in text. Use an ampersand (&) only when it is part of a company’s formal name or when space is a concern.
  • Sister – Do not abbreviate as “Sr.”. Always capitalize Sister or Sisters when referring to the Sisters of St. Scholastica.
  • The Rev. – used in first reference to a Catholic priest; second reference use is Father. Example: The Rev. Michael Schmitz; Father Michael Schmitz.
  • Nursing Sim Lab or Nursing Simulation Lab (in second reference, Sim Lab or Simulation Lab is OK).
  • Nursing Sim Center or Nursing Simulation Center (in second reference, Sim Center or Simulation Center is OK). A Sim Center can contain multiple Sim Labs.
  • Do not abbreviate days of the week
  • Job titles – do not abbreviate (Prof., Assoc. Dir., etc.) unless space constraints force it.
  • Abbreviate long months only when a date is used: The training will be on Jan. 7. Otherwise, spell it out: Move-in Day is in September.
  • Short months that are never abbreviated are easy to remember since they are consecutive: March, April, May, June, July.
• Acceptable abbreviations:
  • Use GPA on first reference when used with figures: a 2.5 GPA is required.
  • Do not spell out ACT or SAT

• When degrees are used in a generic, informal sense, use an apostrophe and don’t capitalize. Examples: She has a master’s degree; I have a bachelor’s degree.
  • In text, use the more conversational “bachelor’s degree” or “bachelor’s” rather than “BA” or “BS”; use “master’s degree” or “master’s” rather than “MA” or “MS” ; “doctoral degree” or “doctorate” rather than “PhD” or “EdD”: He has a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s in exercise physiology, and a doctorate in physical therapy.
  • For more formal usages, write out and capitalize the degree and subject: He received a Master of Business Administration. She received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.
  • Associate degree is neither possessive nor capitalized. Usage of AA is acceptable if there are space constraints.
• Academic titles are only used for a master’s degree or higher; use only a person’s highest degree attained. Other credentials, certifications, etc. should not be used unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Example: Elizabeth Jennings, PhD is correct; Elizabeth Jennings, MA, MBA, PhD is incorrect. Dr. Larry Fenshue, PhD is redundant; use only PhD.
• Doctorate is a noun; doctoral is an adjective. You may have a doctorate, or a doctoral degree, but not a doctorate degree.
• NOTE exception to the above: Our degree program is a “Doctor of Nursing Practice,” which is consistent with standards nationwide.
• BA or BS (without periods and no spaces between them); PhD or EdD (without periods and no spaces between them), JD and RN (without periods, no spaces); degrees with more than two letters also do not take the periods such as MBA, MSW, DPT, tDPT, etc.
  • Exception: Periods will be used when nursing faculty academic titles appear with others’ academic titles, for consistency.

• Capitalize the name of a language or a specific course title: She majored in math with a minor in French. He teaches Humanities 101.
• Department names: use the name of the discipline first, and then “Department.” Examples: Social Work Department, English Department.
• Use lowercase for an academic subject when it is used as a general field of study: Examples: She is interested in biology. St. Scholastica offers programs in physical therapy and exercise physiology. Capitalize when used as a proper noun, especially in terms of a specific academic department at the College. Examples: The Chemistry Department is housed in the Science Center. She is a professor of Health Information Management.
• Capitalize the names of the College’s schools, with the following abbreviations acceptable upon second reference:
  • The School of Arts and Sciences (SAS)
  • The School of Health Professions (SHP)
  • The Stender School of Leadership, Business and Professional Studies (SSLBPS)

The College adheres to Associated Press style guidelines. This differs from the American Psychological Association (APA) style used in academic contexts. The major differences:

• Do not italicize or underline titles.
• Use quotation marks around the titles of books, movies, plays and other artistic creations. Exception: the Bible and books that are primarily catalogs of reference material such as almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, gazetteers, handbooks and similar publications.
• For newspapers and magazines, capitalize the names but do not use quotes or italicize.
• Always use one space after a period.

• Consider your audience. Whether you are writing externally, or internally, can determine whether acronyms such as PBN or OL are appropriate. In general, avoid “alphabet soup” (see abbreviations entry)
• In first reference, use an organization’s full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses. Then use only the acronym in subsequent references.

Commonly used acronyms:

• GAC – Global Accreditation Center (Project Management)
• GEO – acceptable for internal use only to signify Graduate, Extended and Online
• MOOC – Massive Open Online Course
• SAS – School of Arts and Sciences
• SHP – School of Health Professions
  • DNP – Doctor of Nursing Practice
  • PBN – Post-Baccalaureate Nursing
  • CCNE – Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  • RN to BS is the correct spelling of the program
  • tDPT – Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy
• SSLBPS – Stender School of Leadership, Business and Professional Studies
  • MEd – Master of Education
  • GTL – Graduate Teaching Licensure
  • UGB – Undergrad Business
  • CIS – Computer Information Systems
  • Do not abbreviate Organizational Leadership

• The word’s forms can be confusing. Alum or alums is acceptable in all but the most formal contexts.
• The proper forms are:
  • Alumna – feminine singular
  • Alumnus – masculine singular
  • Alumni – plural, both masculine and feminine
  • Alumnae – plural, feminine only
• Use the alum’s graduation year whenever possible, with at least two digits along with an outward-facing apostrophe. No comma between the name and the year. Examples: Michael Jones ’09, Mary Smith ’74 (MBA ’01). In our formal publications, we indicate grad years only for our own alumni. As shown, undergraduate alumni are denoted with their graduation year; master’s-level and above include the degree. Otherwise, refer to guidelines on academic degrees (only use the highest master’s-level degree attained).

The appropriate logo and step-by-step directions can be found online.

Dates: Use cardinal numbers, not ordinal, in dates — “June 6” not “June 6th.”

Times: Write out times of day as numeral, space and “a.m.” or “p.m.” — omitting “:00.” Write out “midnight” and “noon.” Separate event start and end times with a hyphen, omitting the first “a.m.” or “p.m.” if both are the same. Examples: 6 p.m.; 5:15 a.m.; the event takes place at noon on Tuesday; the dinner is 6-7:15 p.m.

• Short copy on digital ads should be treated as a headline. Ending punctuation is not required. Use % instead of writing out “percent” in digital ads.

• Include photo captions
• Include alternate text (aka Alt Text) for accessibility

• Never use the phrase “click here” — instead, hyperlink words in context. Example: “watch our latest video,” instead of “to watch the latest video click here.”
• Linking terms in context makes your content more attractive to readers scanning your site. A link that reads, “click here” offers the reader no idea what content they will be accessing. This also improves access to our web content for those who utilize adaptive technology like screen readers.
• Contextual linking also improves your page’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Why? Google rates content more favorably when links relate to their destinations. That indicates a richer, more relevant user experience.

• Complex sentences can be difficult to scan on screens. Simplify text by avoiding complex punctuation, particularly semicolons and serial commas.
• Each sentence should be followed by one space, never two. Modern web fonts are spaced correctly.
• Use an em dash (—) sparingly to separate and emphasize important information. Don’t use two hyphens if you can’t make an em dash.

• Many groups on campus use social media to connect with their audiences. All St. Scholastica accounts must follow the College’s Social Media Guidelines.
• Want to start a new account? Please contact your area’s marketing planner or email marketingandcollegecommdept@css.edu. They can guide you through the process and provide insight and resources you may not have in your department.
• The main College accounts include YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
• If you have questions about using social media, contact the College Communications Department collegecomm@css.edu.

• Our desired tone is helpful, interesting and conversational.
• When reading web content, people scan for information. Get to your point immediately.
• Keep sentences short and direct
• Make paragraphs concise. One-sentence paragraphs work on the web.
• A “call to action” invites more engagement
• Avoid jargon
• Keep in mind that every paragraph needs to be relevant
• Organize text with bullets and subheadings so readers who scan can find the information they want. Example: Change, “Our graduates commonly find employment at hospitals, financial institutions, technology companies and schools” to:

  Our graduates find employment at:

  • hospitals
  • financial institutions
  • technology companies
  • schools
• Show, don’t tell. Strengthen your claims by citing evidence such as research, case studies, statistics, and testimonials. Illustrate your points with success stories and specific examples. These carry more weight than generalizations.
• To write a percentage, use the symbol. It is 100%, not 100 percent.
• Use numerals instead of written-out numbers. They’re easier to scan and differentiate on screens.

  Exception: Use words instead of numerals at the beginning of a sentence.

• Write vigorous, specific headlines. A secondary headline can be helpful, especially one that gives a clear indication of the benefit of reading the content.
• In general, don’t use periods at the end of short items in bulleted lists. Lists with longer entries can take the period — use your judgment and be consistent.

• All language on the site should sound like it’s coming from The College of St. Scholastica. Adopt a professional but conversational and approachable tone that positively reflects the College. If you need assistance with copywriting, please contact your marketing planner. Example: instead of “Students in the social work program pursue four modes of intellectual inquiry” soften to, “Our social work students focus on four main areas of study.”
• Consider your audience. Much of our site is aimed at prospective students who are not familiar with our organizational structure, acronyms or jargon. Help them feel included and guided through the site with accessible content. Keep in mind we have a wide variety of students including traditional undergraduate, non-traditional undergraduate, graduate and online. Adapt your tone to the proper audience. Example: Instead of saying “The DPT program” upon first reference, say “The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program.”
• Our analytics show the majority of external css.edu users enter our site through search engines. That means the first page they see might be an interior page. Make sure content on all your pages makes sense to a user who hasn’t entered your site on your area’s top-level page.