academic degrees
- Do not use academic degrees after names unless they are relevant/important to the text.
- Use periods in the acronyms for most degrees: A.A., B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., MBA, Ed.S., Ed.D., Ph.D.
- Do not capitalize doctorate, doctor’s, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree if they do not appear with formal name of program. Special circumstance: write as associate degree (no possessive).
- You earn a bachelor of science degree, not a bachelor's of science degree. Bachelor's and master's, possessive forms, are used alone. When "of" is used, the preceding degree type is singular, not possessive.
academic titles
Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as president and vice president when they precede a name. Lowercase elsewhere.
academic years
Do not abbreviate. Lowercase unless starting a sentence: freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior.
acronyms
- Spell out what the acronym stands for on first reference on a page. Follow it with the acronym in parentheses. Ex: Henry Ford College (HFC).
- On following references on the same page, the acronym may be used by itself.
active voice
Use active voice whenever possible. Active voice means to specify who completed an action ("she created the new standard") rather using passive voice ("the new standard was created)." In general, it means avoiding forms of “to be” as your main verb. And there is always a subject.
adjunct
HFC has many faculty members who are part-time and are sometimes called adjunct. The preferred term is part-time instructor, not adjunct. Adjunct is acceptable, but not preferred.
All instructional personnel deserve full respect for their expertise. The differences in FT/PT are a matter of structure, not substance.
affect/effect
- “Effect” is commonly used as a noun. "The speech had an effect"
- “Affect” is the verb meaning to modify or take on. "The speech affected me"
alumni designation/year graduated
- When including the year someone graduated and from which school or college, this should be set off by commas when it is used with the person’s name.
- Example: Joe Smith, SBA ’83, is vice president of the company.
alumni, alumna, alumnae, alumnus
Use the correct word for the gender/s.
- Alumna is feminine singular;
- Alumnae is feminine plural;
- Alumnus is masculine and non-gender singular;
- Alumni is masculine plural or mixed-gender plural;
- do not use "alum"
ampersand (&)
- Spell out “and” unless an ampersand is officially part of a name or title. Example: AT&T.
- Avoid using an ampersand in all other cases.
annual
- Do not use the term “first annual.”
- An event cannot be described as annual until it has been held at least two successive years.
- Instead, note that sponsors plan to hold the event annually or use “inaugural” or “first.”
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science
- Use apostrophe in bachelor's degree and master's degree when there is no reference to specific formal program or field of study name. Example: I have two bachelor's degrees and one master's degree.
- Do not include apostrophe-s in “Bachelor of [program of study].” Example: I have a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics. I have a Master of Science degree.
- Use abbreviations such as B.S., M.S., LL.D., J.D., and Ph.D. only when there is a need to identify many individuals by degree on first reference.
- When an academic abbreviation is used after a full name, commas should set it off. Example: Jane Smith, Ph.D., will present the lecture tonight.
- Never precede a name with a courtesy title for an academic degree and then also follow it with the abbreviation for the degree in the same reference: Incorrect: Dr. Smith, Ph.D., will present the lecture. Correct: Dr. Smith will present the lecture, or John Smith, Ph.D., will present the lecture.
bachelor’s degree
- Lowercase unless it begins a sentence.
- Specific degrees should be capitalized.
- Examples: He received his bachelor’s degree from Oakland University. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wayne State University.
bachelor’s, master’s
Lowercase with an apostrophe between the “r” and “s.”
Use only followed by “degree,” (bachelor’s degree) but never followed by “of.” So: bachelor of arts, but never “bachelor’s of arts”
Board of Trustees
- The “B” in “Board” and first “T” in “Trustees” should be capitalized when using the “Board of Trustees.”
- When just using the “board,” it should be lowercase.
- Use the Board of Trustees on first reference, and the board on second reference.
building names
Refer to the campus map for appropriate building abbreviations. Each building is referred to by a letter, which is designated on the campus map.
bullet points
- Do not use the word “including” or the phrase “as follows” before a bulleted list.
- The text that follows the bullet should be lowercase if it is part of the sentence at the beginning of the list.
- The text that follows should start with a capital letter only if the bullet point is a complete sentence.
calendar items
- All calendar items should include the event title, date, time, location, a description and any cost.
- Events also should include a contact name, email address and phone number.
- List events on the same day in time order.
capitalization
- The standard rules for capitalization should be followed.
- Each sentence should begin with an initial cap.
- All proper names should be capitalized.
capitalization: all caps
- Do not use all caps, unless the word is an acronym or the proper/legal name is in all caps.
- Legal documents are an exception.
capitalization: community college
Capitalize community college only when it is part of a proper name.
certificate of achievement
- Lowercase unless it begins a sentence.
- Specific certificates should be capitalized.
- Examples: He received his certificate from Henry Ford College. She received her Certificate of Advanced Pathways from Henry Ford College.
- Plural is "certificates of achievement."
click here (and other Web directional instructions)
Do not use "click here." Integrate the hyperlink into appropriate text, using a phrase such as "select this link" or "visit this link." Including “click here” causes usability and accessibility problems, particularly with screen readers and non-mouse users. Not every website user is able to "click."
college and the College
The general word “college” is lowercase. When referring to HFC, “the College” is appropriate.
colleges and schools
- Capitalize the names of the colleges and schools within Henry Ford College.
- Those names can be abbreviated after first reference.
- The following are acceptable: Business and Economics.
- The name of a governing body should be spelled out on first reference with its abbreviation or acronym in parentheses. On subsequent references, we use the abbreviation or acronym.
comma usage
- Use commas to separate elements, and DO use a serial or Oxford comma for three or more items: The flag is red, white, and blue.
- Follow AP style in general for other uses of commas. A comma should always precede a quotation, for example, "Henry Ford is your first choice, best choice college."
contractions
Use contractions in direct quotes when appropriate, and occasionally in other informal text. Do not overuse.
course names
- Full titles of an academic course should be capitalized.
- No quotation marks should be used.
- Example: He teaches the popular course, 20th Century American History.
course vs. class
A course is a specific collection of curriculum.
A class is a section offered at a certain time.
credit/credit hours
Use the term credit. Credit hours is redundant, unless referring to a student’s course load: She is taking 15 credit hours this term.
dashes
- Used sparingly, the dash can provide emphasis or suspense.
- Use a dash for irony, emphasis, breaks in thought, explanatory comments.
dates/months
- Follow AP style: Spell out the month when just the month and year are included, and don’t separate by a comma.
- Abbreviate the month (except for March, April, May June, July) when used with a specific date.
- When referring to month, date and year, offset year with commas.
- For Web copy and calendars, include the day of the week when previewing an event.
- Example: January 1972 was very cold. Jan. 29 was the coldest day. Jan. 29, 1972, hit historic lows.
- EXCEPTION: For automated web, ITS applications and associated content, HFC will use the numeric months.
days of the week
- Include the days of the week with dates in website copy and calendar items when previewing an event.
- Offset dates with commas.
- Example: Monday, April 24, 2023
decades
- Use Arabic numerals to indicate spans of decades or centuries (1920s, 1900s).
- Use an apostrophe to indicate numerals that are left out (’20s).
- Show plural by adding an “s,” with no apostrophe, to the end (1920s).
- Example: the 1990s, the ’90s, the mid–1990s.
Disability Statement (official HFC statement)
People with disabilities who need assistance to participate in this program should contact (insert department name and phone number).
doctoral degree
- Lowercase unless it begins a sentence.
- However, specific degrees should be capitalized.
- Example: he received his doctoral degree from Oakland University. She received her Doctor of Philosophy degree from Michigan State University.
e-commerce
- Hyphenate and lowercase unless it begins a sentence.
- When it begins a sentence, capitalize the “E.”
EEO Statement (official HFC statement; should appear on official materials)
HFC is an equal opportunity and affirmative action institution.
EEO/Disability statements
The EEO and disability statements should appear on most materials used for publicity, recruitment (of students or staff) or information to the public.
FAQ
- Acronym for frequently asked questions.
- Okay to use as acronym on the Internet.
- Spell out in copy.
Fifty-One O One
The title of the student-run restaurant on the main HFC campus. Spelled out as Fifty-One O One.
full time, full-time
- Hyphenate when used as an adjective.
- Examples: she works full time. He has a full-time job.
graduation year and school/college
- When including the year someone graduated and from which school or college, this should be set off by commas when it is used with the person’s name.
- Example: Joe Smith, SBA ’83, is vice president of the company.
HANK ID number
HANK ID number is a unique seven-digit number that is a permanent Student/Employee ID number. Use instead of: user ID, login ID, login name, student ID, HANK number, or student number. Always uppercase.
Hawk
When referring to HFC’s mascot, it is “the Hawk,” not “The Hawk,” unless this appears at the beginning of a sentence.
header hierarchy
When writing content for the web, ensure that all pages are using headers correctly and not skipping levels. Some pages may require further refinements from Marketing and Communications to determine if header usage is appropriate.
health care and healthcare
Two words as a noun. One word as an adjective. “The healthcare plan addresses the needs for employee health care.”
Henry Ford College
- Use the full name of the college on first reference.
- Headlines may also use HFC or offices, departments, divisions.
- Capitalize office, department, division, program, institute, center, etc., when they are part of official titles. Otherwise, use lowercase.
- Examples: The Office of the Dean. The dean’s office.
- “The College is a great place to prepare for a career.”
- Henry Ford College has been the official name of the institution since 2014. Do not use the former “Henry Ford Community College” unless you are describing a historic reference to the former name.
HFC Alert
The emergency notification system used to contact students and employees of HFC via email and phone will be called "HFC Alert". There should be no call to action or instructions to register for this system, because registration is automatic.
"As a student you are automatically registered on the HFC Alert emergency notification system. This system will call the student's home and/or cell phone in case of an emergency on campus."
HFC Bookstore, College bookstore
- Both HFC Bookstore and College bookstore are acceptable.
- When using HFC Bookstore, the “B” in “Bookstore” should be capitalized.
- College is capitalized as it refers to Henry Ford College.
husband, wife
- Use commas to separate the words “husband” or “wife” from the name of the spouse.
- Example: His wife, Sally, helped on the project.
- If the person uses “partner” or “spouse,” those terms are acceptable for official communications.
instructor
This is the preferred term for HFC teachers. Faculty is also acceptable. Use instructor rather than professor or lecturer or adjunct.
junior, senior
- Do not abbreviate as Jr. and Sr. except with full names of persons or animals.
- Precede by a comma (Martin Luther King, Jr.) unless the individual requests otherwise.
- The notation II may be used if it is the individual’s preference.
- However, note that II is not necessarily the equivalent of junior - it is often used by a grandson or nephew.
- If necessary to distinguish between father and son in second reference, use “the elder Smith” or “younger Smith” or use first names.
- Do: All juniors must take this class. Pete Brown, Jr. said it was true.
- Don’t: The jr. class will attend the session.
legal documents
Legal documents posted to the Web should be posted as approved and distributed by the legal department.
links
Web: When writing content for the HFC website, do not include links in headers. If links are required, place them within the main body of text on the page.
Print: When you need to list the URL of a link on a printed document or PDF, it should be in this format: hfcc.edu/academics or hfcc.edu/apply. Do not use https:// or www as part of the link; these are unnecessary and distracting.
login, logon, logoff
One word, lowercase, but use as two words in verb form: I log in to my computer.
M.A., B.A., M.S., B.S., Ph.D.
See above listing under B.A. for proper uses of punctuation in degrees.
Majors and Programs
- Lowercase names of programs and majors. chemistry program, chemistry major Master of Arts, Bachelor of Arts
- Capitalize the first letters in “Bachelor,” “Master” and “Arts.”
- There is no “s” at the end of “Bachelor” or “Master.”
master's degree
- Lower case unless it begins a sentence.
- However, specific degrees should be capitalized.
- Examples: He received his master’s degree from Oakland University. She received her Master of Arts degree from Michigan State University.
mid
- Do not hyphen unless a capitalized word follows.
- Examples: Midterm, midsemester, Mid-Continent Conference.
money
- Use figures with the dollar sign ($) in copy.
- Do not follow a dollar notation with the word “dollars,” as this is redundant: “$10 dollars” is incorrect.
- For even dollar amounts, do not add a decimal followed by double zero.
- Spell out the word cents and lowercase, using numerals for amounts less than a dollar: 5 cents.
- Use the $ sign and decimal system for larger amounts ($1.05).
- Examples: The fee for activities is $25. The exact amount of the bill is $19.48.
months/dates
- Follow AP style: Spell out month and include year without separating by a comma.
- Abbreviate month when used with a specific date.
- When referring to month, date and year, offset year with commas.
- For Web copy and calendars, include the day of the week when previewing an event.
- Examples: January 1972 was very cold. Jan. 29 was the coldest day. Jan. 29, 1972, hit historic lows.
more than vs. over
- Follow AP style: “More than” should be used when relating to numerals.
- When you refer to spatial relationships, use “over.” Numerals: Salaries increased more than 10%. Spatial: The plane flew over the city.
names
- Individuals should be referenced by their full name on first reference of each page.
- Following references should be last name only.
- Do not include courtesy titles in the first or following references.
names; junior, senior, II
- Use Jr., II, etc. only on first reference with the individual’s full name.
- The abbreviations are not set off with commas.
names; middle initials
Use middle initials in full name reference only if the person uses it regularly.
names; second reference
On second and subsequent references on the same page, refer to individuals by last name only.
numbers
- Units of measurement and percents should be indicated in numerals.
- Spell out numbers nine and under.
- Use numerals for numbers 10 and higher.
online learning
Common noun unless used as a name in conjunction with HFC, in which case it becomes a proper noun (e.g., "The HFC Online Learning program is fantastic.")
over
“More than” should be used when relating to numerals. “Salaries increased more than 10%.” “Over” should be used for spatial relationships. “The plane flew over the city.”
parenthesis
- Be careful that your parenthesis are necessary and do not create clutter.
- If your copy has parenthesis, review the material and consider omitting the information in parenthesis or reorganizing the material.
part time, part-time
- Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier.
- Examples: She works part time. She has a part-time job.
passive voice
- Avoid it. (Not: “It should be avoided.”) Use action verbs instead.
- Limited usage may be okay when it is used to achieve a special effect (see what we did there?).
percent sign
- Use the % symbol in web copy; spell out in formal copy.
- Use the sign with numerals in table.
- Spell out in all other cases.
- Example: The survey received a 73% response.
Ph.D., B.A., M.A., B.S., M.S.
- Do not use academic degrees after names unless they are relevant/important to the text.
- Use periods in the acronyms for most degrees: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., MBA, J.D., Ed.S., Ed.D., Ph.D., etc.
- Do not capitalize doctorate, doctor’s, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree.
Programs and Majors
- Lowercase names of programs and majors.
- Examples: chemistry program, chemistry major.
rooms
- Capitalize the names of specifically designated rooms.
- "We will meet in the Gold Room."
- "The session was held in the common room."
schools at HFC
- Capitalize the names of the schools within the College.
- Business, Entrepreneurship, and Professional Development (BEPD);
- Health and Human Services (HHS);
- Liberal Arts (SoLA);
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
- It is appropriate to use “School of” in front of each school, but is not always necessary.
- Capitalize “School of” but not “the school.”
- Those names can be abbreviated after first reference.
seasons
- Do not capitalize seasons unless they designate an issue of a magazine.
- Examples: The winter of 1978 was the coldest on record. Have you seen the Fall issue of Career Focus?
semesters
- We use semesters rather than terms.
- References to semesters should be lowercase.
- Example: The Spring 2001 semester.
senior, junior
- Abbreviate as Jr. and Sr. only with full names of persons or animals.
- Do not precede by a comma (Martin Luther King Jr.), only in specific cases where the person whose name it is requests it.
- The notation II or 2nd may be used if it is the individual’s preference.
- However, note that II and 2nd are not necessarily the equivalent of junior - they often are used by a grandson or nephew.
- If necessary to distinguish between father and son in second reference, use the elder Smith or younger Smith.
sentence length
Use short, direct sentences instead of long, complex ones. Split long or complex sentences into shorter ones.
state names, abbreviations
- Use AP state abbreviations in copy.
- State abbreviations: Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Kan., Ky., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Neb., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.M., N.Y., N.D., Okla., Ore., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.D., Tenn., Vt., Va., Wash., W. Va., Wis., La., N.C., Wyo. Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah are not abbreviated.
- For postal addresses only, use two-letter postal abbreviations with full address and ZIP code.
street names, abbreviations
- Street names should be abbreviated with punctuation.
- Examples: Ave., Blvd., Dr., Rd., Rte., St., Tr., etc.
telephone numbers
- All phone numbers should include ten digits and be hyphenated between area code and local exchange.
- Examples: 313-845-9600 and 800-585-4322.
time
- Use a.m. and p.m. to designate day or evening times.
- Use midnight or noon instead of 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.
- Use full numbers for hours. 8:00 a.m., 10:00 p.m.
titles, books, publications, TV shows, movies, magazines, etc.
Enclose the title in quotation marks in the web copy. Italicize the names of publications. “Moby Dick is a famous book, and I don’t know why.”
titles; academic
- Like other professional titles, formal academic titles should be capitalized when they immediately precede an individual’s name.
- Lower case titles when they are used after a name; offset with commas.
- Shortened versions of titles are acceptable.
- Examples: Vice President for Finance John Satkowski. Chad Austin, director of Career Services.
titles; college president
On first reference use full name and title. On subsequent references use last name only.
Trustees
Capitalize the first “T” in “Trustees” only if this is before a name (Trustee Jones); otherwise it should be lowercase (trustees).
underline
- Do not underline text in web copy.
- Underlining indicates hyperlink on most sites.
- Do not underline text in Web copy to indicate a hyperlink (this is not the same as creating an actual hyperlink).
University of Michigan-Deaborn
The proper name of University of Michigan-Dearborn includes no spaces around the hyphenation. The only acceptable abbreviation of this school name is UM-Dearborn.
username
- One word. Use instead of: login name, user name, user ID. Lowercase unless it begins a sentence.
- Do not explain usernames in detail; direct the audience to the ITS Universal Password Help page for further information.
- Call it “HFC username and password” because it spans multiple systems. Do not reference specific systems (Self-service, Hawkmail, Outlook, etc.)
webpage, website
One word. These are somewhat interchangeable. Technically, a webpage is a single “page,” while a website is multiple “pages.” The advent of dynamic web experiences is making these distinctions less important. If in doubt, use website.
World Wide Web
- All initial caps, no hyphens.
- Not frequently used. Most people use “web” or simply “internet”