24/7

• Refers to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• References should be 24/7, not 24x7.

academic degrees

• Do not use academic degrees after names unless they are relevant/important to the text.
• Use periods in the acronyms for all degrees: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., M.B.A., Ph.D., etc.
• Do not capitalize doctorate, doctor’s, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree if they do not appear with formal name of program. Exception: write as associate degree (no 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 can 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.

advisor

• Advisor should be spelled with an “o,” not an “e.”

affect/effect

• “Effect” is more commonly used as a noun.
• “Affect” is the verb meaning to modify or take on.

alum

Do not use in copy. Okay to use in headlines.

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.
• alumna is feminine singular;
• alumnae is feminine plural;
• alumnus is masculine and non-gender singular; and
• alumni is masculine and non-gender plural.

ampersand (&)

• Spell out “and” unless an ampersand is officially part of a name or title. Example: AT&T.
• On the website, it is acceptable to use the ampersand on buttons to save space.

and/or

Avoid this construction.

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.”

auxiliaries

On first reference, use the full college name before an auxiliary.

B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., M.B.A., Ph.D.

• Do not use academic degrees after names unless they are relevant/important to the text.
• Use periods in the acronyms for all degrees: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., M.B.A., Ph.D., etc.
• Do not capitalize doctorate, doctoral degree, master’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or associate degree if appearing without the name of the program or specific field of study.
• Capitalize if including name of specific program or field of study: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

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.”

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

• You need 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. Integrate the hyperlink into appropriate text. Including “click here” and other phrases causes usability and accessibility problems, particularly with screen readers.

co-op

Hyphenate.

coed

Do not hyphenate coed.

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 the college.
• Those names can be abbreviated after first reference.
• The following are acceptable: Business & 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 used 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 of contractions is encouraged to make text friendlier to the reader/visitor. Be careful not to 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 Web copy and calendar items when previewing an event.
• Offset dates with commas.
• Example: Monday, April 23, 2001

decades

• Use Arabic figures 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 Gay ’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).

Distinguished Professor

The first letter of each word should be capitalized in all cases, including when this is plural, when referring to the prestigious honor bestowed upon OU faculty members by the Board of Trustees.

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.

double negatives

Do not use.

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.

email

• Lowercase and do not hyphenate.
• Always include with contact information.

ensure/insure

• Insure: To cover with insurance.
• Ensure: To make sure or certain.

exclamation point

Use with discretion and avoid using in formal communication.

FAQ

• Acronym for frequently asked questions.
• Okay to use as acronym on the Internet.
• Spell out in copy.

fax

Lowercase, unless it begins a sentence.

Fifty-One O One

Spelled out as Fifty-One O One.

freshman

• Lowercase, unless it begins a sentence.

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.

grassroots

One word, no hyphen.

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.

HawkMail

HFC’s student email system. "Hawk" and "Mail" with initial capitalization on both words.

header hierarchy

When writing content for the web, ensure that all pages are using headers correctly and not skipping levels. Some indiscernible pages may require further refinements from Marketing & 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.”

Help Desk

Two words with the first letter of each word capitalized.

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.”

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.
• When using college bookstore, it should be lowercase.

his/her, s/he

Do not use. Use gender-appropriate plural or acceptable alternate use: they or their.

home page

Two words, lowercase unless starting a sentence.

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.

Internet

Do not capitalize the “i” unless it is the first word in a sentence.

intranet

Lowercase unless it begins a sentence.

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 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” 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.

• Do not use academic degrees after names unless they are relevant/important to the text.
• Use periods in the acronyms for all degrees: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., M.B.A., Ph.D., etc.
• Do not capitalize doctorate, doctor’s, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree.

M.S., B.S., M.A., B.A., Ph.D

• Do not use academic degrees after names unless they are relevant/important to the text.
• Use periods in the acronyms for all degrees: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., M.B.A., Ph.D., etc.
• Do not capitalize doctorate, doctor’s, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree.

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.

master’s, bachelor’s

Lowercase with an apostrophe between the “r” and “s.”

mid

• Do not hyphen unless a capitalized word follows.
• Examples: Midterm, midsemester, Mid-Continent Conference.

money

• Use figures with the dollar sign in copy.
• For even dollar amounts do not add 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.

month-long

One word, hyphenated.

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.

Moodlerooms

should not be used, replaced by HFC Online

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.

noon, midnight

Use noon or midnight rather than 12:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m.

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

One word in all cases for the computer connection term (per AP style).

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

• In general, parenthesis 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

One word, no hyphens.

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 all degrees: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., M.B.A., 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.

room numbers

• Use figures (“Room 123” not “Room one-twenty-three”)
• The seminar will be in Room 4B.

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;
  • Liberal Arts;
  • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
• It is appropriate to use “School of” in front of each school, but 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.

serial comma (also Oxford comma)

See entry on comma usage.

sophomore

• Lower case, unless it begins a sentence.
• There are no acceptable abbreviations.

Spouse, 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.

state names

When standing alone in copy, spell out the name of the state.

state names, abbreviations

• Use AP accepted state abbreviations in copy.
• Use two-letter postal abbreviations with full address and ZIP code.
• Examples: 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.

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.

The Honors College

Format as depicted above.

The President’s Club

Format as depicted above.

The Tutoring Center

Format as depicted above.

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.

time reference/days

Do not use in copy: today, tonight, tomorrow or yesterday.

titles, books, publications, TV shows, movies, magazines, etc.

Enclose the title in quotation marks in the web copy. It is acceptable to italicize the names of publications. “Moby Dick is a famous book, and I don’t know why.” Be consistent.

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 in Web copy.
• Examples: Vice President for Strategy and Information Becky Chadwick. Chad Austin, director of Career Services.

titles; college president

On first reference use full name and title. On subsequent references use last name only.

today

Do not use in copy.

tomorrow

Do not use in copy.

tonight

Do not use in copy.

Trustees

Capitalize the first “T” in “Trustees” only if this is before a name (Trustee Jones); otherwise it should be lowercase (trustees).

under way

Two words.

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).

United States

Spell out when used as a noun. Use U.S. (no spaces) only as an adjective.

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 at https://hfcc.edu/password for further information.
• Call it "HFC username and password" (since it spans multiple systems) do NOT reference specific systems (Self-service, WebAdvisor, Hawkmail etc)

Web

• Use uppercase W for the term World Wide Web.
• Use lowercase w for all other references.

Web page

Two words.

WebAdvisor

"Web" and "Advisor" with initial capitalization on both words.

webcast

Online broadcast. One word, lower case (per AP style).

webmaster

One word, all lower case (per AP style).

website

One word, all lowercase.

week-long

Hyphenated

World Wide Web

• All initial caps, no hyphens.
• Can be shortened and referred to as “the Web.”

Year and school/college graduated from

• 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.
• Joe Smith, SBA ’83, is vice president of the company.

year-long

One word, hyphenated

Years

• Use commas only with a month and day: Dec. 18, 2005, is a Friday.
• Years are the lone exception to the general rule in numerals that a figure is not used to start a sentence: 2000 was a very good year." Or, rewrite as “The year 2000 was great.”

yesterday

Do not use in copy.

Zip Codes

When using HFC addresses, always include the ZIP Code with the four-digit extension. For more information, check the list of four-digit extensions.