Editorial Style Guide
In writing and editing materials for publication, the University of Memphis relies primarily upon the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook. The AP Stylebook is the preferred editing reference for journalistic materials directed at general audiences. Consequently, it is widely used nationwide in the preparation of text for serial publications, newspapers and marketing materials.
The UofM Style Guidelines supplements the AP stylebook by offering guidance on a variety of University-specific exceptions. On some issues, in accordance with an academic culture, it differs from AP.
For questions not covered by either AP or the UofM Style Guidelines,
please contact masscomm@memphis.edu.
A B C F G H I J K L M N O P R S T V W Z
A
ACADEMIC DEGREES
Avoid abbreviations. When abbreviations are necessary, do not use periods.
- BA, BS, BFA, MA, MS, MFA, MBA, PhD, DMA
Formal names of degrees are capitalized, per AP style; informal names are not.
- He earned a Bachelor of Science in statistics at the University of Memphis.
Do not capitalize specializations or majors within degrees.
- She earned a master’s degree in economics
Use apostrophes when writing bachelor’s and master’s degrees but do not use ’s with of constructions.
ACADEMIC HONORS
Do not italicize cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude or with distinction.
ACRONYMS
Avoid acronyms on all University-owned marks
To avoid confusion, the full area’s full name should be used on first mention and acronym on second mention.
ADDRESSES
For all campus publications, give addresses for University of Memphis departments and offices as follows:
The University of Memphis
Office or department name
Office or department location
Memphis, TN 38152
901.678.XXXX
Email address
Website address (memphis.edu) - omitting the www.
The room number, building name, phone number and email address may be omitted as appropriate.
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS
- Development
- Division of Business and Finance
- Division of External Relations
- Division of International Affairs
- Division of Operations and Facilities
- Division of Student Academic Success
- Division of Student Affairs
- Division of University Advancement
- Enrollment Services
- Foundation
- Information Technology Services
- Division of Marketing and Communication
- Research and Innovation
ALUMNUS/ALUMNA; ALUMNI/ALUMNAE
Use the form of “alumnus” that is appropriate to gender and number.
- alumna (female singular)
- alumnus (male singular)
- alumnae (female plural)
- alumni (male plural or mixed male and female plural)
When writing about UofM alumni in text, state which degree the subject earned (with major, if applicable) and the year in which the degree was granted.
Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology in 2008, then enrolled in law school.
Smith earned a BA in anthropology in 2008, then enrolled in law school.
In certain text formats (e.g., news briefs, alumni notes), the degree/year information may follow the subject’s name in parentheses.
Kate Smith (BA anthropology ’08) was named president of the Tennessee Music Educators Association for 2025-26.
AMPERSAND
Avoid using the ampersand (&) and use “and” instead. The ampersand should be used only when spacing is an issue in design.
The University of Memphis is a Carnegie R1 institution and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
APOSTROPHE
Use a reverse apostrophe when referring to omitted figures. Please reference the AP Stylebook for a full list on the usage of the apostrophe.
- Class of ’65
- The ’90s
When writing about alumni of the University of Memphis, use a reverse apostrophe to indicate the year in which they graduated. Include degree type if possible.
- Luther McClellan (’62)
- Burton Weil (MBA ’66)
B
BLUE LINE
The Blue Line shuttle
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The full name of the University’s governing board is capitalized as follows:
- The University of Memphis Board of Trustees
Short forms of the name are not capitalized:
- The board of trustees met Monday.
- The University’s board of trustees will meet Monday.
BULLET LISTS
It is best to use a complete sentence when introducing a bulleted list followed by a colon (:) to introduce the bullet points. Start a bulleted entry with a capital letter. Bulleted lists should carry no punctuation at the end, unless they are complete sentences.
The committee will evaluate the following:
- Registration
- Attendance
- No-shows
C
CAMPUS LOCATIONS
Use the names below when referring to specific locations. Avoid using “Main Campus.”
- University of Memphis Central Campus
- University of Memphis Lambuth Campus
- University of Memphis Park Avenue Campus
- University of Memphis Millington Center
- University of Memphis Chucalissa Campus
- University of Memphis Kimball Campus
- University of Memphis Downtown Law School
- University of Memphis Meeman Campus
CAPITALIZATION
Use sentence case for headlines, headings, subheadings, etc., particularly for web products, though designers have license to use the capitalization of their choice, as circumstances require.
CITIES
City should always be capitalized when writing City of Memphis, but city is lowercased when it stands alone.
- The University of Memphis is located in the City of Memphis.
- The University of Memphis has changed the city and our world in more ways than one.
CLASS YEARS
Alumni class years.
When referring to alumni for campus and alumni audiences, include their class year (or years, for alumni with multiple degrees from the UofM). The apostrophe should curl away from the class year, and multiple class years should be separated by commas.
- John Doe (’22)
- Jane Smith (’20, ’22)
The class year designation may include the degree, with or without a field. Ensure that the degree (and field, if included) is designated correctly. For example, the undergraduate nursing degree is BSN, not BS in nursing).
- John Doe (BS chemistry ’22)
- Jane Smith (BA ’20, MFA ’22)
For media releases and broad off-campus audiences, include degree information, class year, or both in body text:
- Doe graduated from UofM in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.
- Smith completed both her Bachelor of Art and Bachelor of Fine Art at the University of Memphis.
Student class years.
Use Class of XXXX as a quick way to include a class year for current students.
- Mike Doe (Class of 2028)
CLASSIFICATION, STUDENT
Do not capitalize freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate, postgraduate, postdoctoral, non-degree or any similar designation unless it is part of a title, a headline or the official name of an organization.
Use freshman when writing of one first-year student, freshmen when writing of more than one. Use freshman as a modifier.
COLLEGES (SCHOOLS)
On first reference, use the full name of the University of Memphis followed by the name of the college or department.
- University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
- University of Memphis College of Arts and Sciences
- University of Memphis College of Communication and Fine Arts
- University of Memphis College of Education
- University of Memphis College of Health Sciences
- University of Memphis College of Professional and Liberal Studies
- University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business and Economics
- University of Memphis Global
- University of Memphis Graduate School
- University of Memphis Helen Hardin Honors College
- University of Memphis Herff College of Engineering
- University of Memphis Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management
- University of Memphis Loewenberg College of Nursing
- University of Memphis School of Communication Sciences and Disorders
- University of Memphis School of Public Health
- University of Memphis Crews School of Accountancy
- University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music
- University of Memphis School of Social Work
- University of Memphis School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy
On subsequent reference, use the name of the college or department.
- Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Communication and Fine Arts
- College of Education
- College of Health Sciences
- College of Professional and Liberal Studies
- Fogelman College of Business and Economics
- Global
- Graduate School
- Helen Hardin Honors College
- Herff College of Engineering
- Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management
- Loewenberg College of Nursing
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders
- School of Public Health
- Crews School of Accountancy
- Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music
- School of Social Work
- School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy
When referencing just “college” or “department” without the full official name, use lowercase.
- The college offers several degree programs and certificates.
COMMAS IN A LIST
See Oxford Comma.
COURSE LOAD
Two words. Generally, refers to the number of course hours recommended or allowable each semester.
COURSE NUMBERS AND TITLES
When a course number and title are given together, give the alpha symbol and number followed directly by the title. There is no intervening punctuation, and do not abbreviate words in the title.
- ART 100 Drawing I
- EE 350 Electromechanics
- EN 398 Modernism I: The Cultural Context
When a course title is given without the course number, you may uppercase the course title as long as it is the complete title.
Do not use alpha symbols when speaking generally of a department or program’s courses or of an academic discipline.
- Incorrect: Students may count up to 18 hours in SOC, FR or PSC toward the major.
- Correct: Students may count up to 18 hours in sociology, French or political science toward the major.
When listing courses by number, repeat the alpha symbol with each number.
- Incorrect: The required courses include EN 101, 205, and 209 or 210.
- Correct: The required courses include EN 101, EN 205, and EN 209 or EN 210.
Any two distinct courses, no matter how closely linked, should be indicated by the word “and” instead of a colon.
Example: EN 101 and EN 102
COURSEWORK
One word. Generally, refers to the courses taken for degree credit.
CURRENCY
Never combine the symbol $ and the word dollars in the same context. The symbol replaces the word. Using both is redundant.
- Correct: $10
- Incorrect: $10 dollars
D
DASHES
See hyphens.
DATES
Abbreviate longer months as Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. All other months should always be completely spelled out.
Spell out months when they stand on their own without being followed by a date.
Do not use st, nd, rd or th for numbered dates.
It’s NOT necessary to include the current year along with the date.
- Tuesday, Aug. 29
- May 15
- Jan. 12-Feb. 23
- April 2019, not April of 2019
- The fall semester begins on Aug. 29.
- The spring semester begins in January.
DEGREE PROGRAMS
See programs, academic.
DEGREES, ACADEMIC
See academic degrees.
DR., DOCTORATE AND DOCTORAL
Use “Dr.” when introducing an individual that holds a doctorate degree on first reference and on subsequent references use only the person’s last name.
- Dr. John Doe oversees all basic and applied research efforts for the University’s research enterprise. Doe leads strategic innovation priorities to help modernize the University’s academic research culture.
People who hold the JD, or juris doctor, are not called “Dr.” Those who hold the terminal degree in that field — the Doctor of Juridical Science or JSD — are.
Do not use “Dr.” before the name of a person who has received an honorary doctorate.
Doctoral is an adjective; doctorate is a noun. A doctorate or a doctoral degree, not a doctorate degree.
When listing UofM faculty members in a table, cite only the highest degree attained, plus any relevant professional designation.
- Jane Smith, PhD, RN
- Mary Jones, MAcc, CPA
Avoid the use of PhD in body copy as a synonym for doctorate.
In tables, PhD should be written without periods.
E
Always set off email addresses by italicizing or boldfacing.
Spell the word email with no hyphen.
EMERITI/ EMERITUS/EMERITA
Emerita refers to a woman, emeritus to a man, emeriti to a mixed group or to a group of either sex. Place emerita, emeritus or emeriti after the formal title:
- Jane Doe, professor emeritus of Music
Professor emeritus is a title awarded by the UofM. Retired faculty members who have not had this title awarded to them should be referred to as former or retired faculty, not emeriti.
EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY STATEMENTS
Equal Opportunity is the right of all persons to enter, study and advance in academic programs on the basis of merit, ability, and potential without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability or status as a veteran.
Equal Employment Opportunity is the right of all persons to work and to advance on the basis of merit, ability, and potential without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, religion, disability, age or status as a veteran.
View current Equal Opportunity Statements>
G
GO TIGERS GO!
The official cheer of the UofM. A comma does not appear in the phrase.
H
HELEN HARDIN HONORS COLLEGE
Honors College on second reference.
HYPHENS
There are three common dashes of differing lengths used in formatted copy: em dash (—), en dash (–) and hyphen (-).
Em dash: Use the em dash (—) in most print publications and online where appropriate to denote an abrupt change in thought or to set off an element added for emphasis, explanation or digression. Use the em dash like a comma, a colon or parenthesis. The em dash should be typeset with one space before and after the dash.
His start-up company uses medical-grade honey — a major breakthrough in the biomedical world — to create membranes for tissue regeneration far superior to anything currently in use.
En dash: AP style does not traditionally use the en dash (–).
Hyphen: The hyphen (-) is traditionally used to form compound words, express a range and indicate units of measurement. For this use, the hyphen should be typeset without any spaces.
part-time student, on-campus housing, long-term commitment
- 5-mile run
- how-to-guide
- 5-9:30 PM
- The library will be open from 5-9:30 p.m.
I
In-state, out-of-state
Acceptable, but consider whether Tennessee resident and nonresident.
L
LISTS (OXFORD COMMA)
See Oxford Comma
LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITIES/ LIVING LEARNING COMPLEX
The Living Learning Complex, LLC on second reference, is the residence hall that houses Living Learning Communities.
- Uppercase names of university Living Learning Communities, specific and general. “Living Learning” is unhyphenated in all cases.
- Emerging Leaders Housing
- Engineer Housing
- Kemmons Wilson School LLC
- First Scholars LLC
LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITIES/ LIVING LEARNING COMPLEX CONTINUED
- Helen Hardin Honors Housing
- Music Scholars Housing
- ROTC Housing
- Theatre and Dance Scholars Housing
- Sorority Housing
- To apply to live in one of the university’s Living Learning Communities, students must file an on-campus housing application and contract.
M
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
See academic honors.
MAJOR, MINOR
Avoid overusing major in place of student majoring in.
MAXINE A. SMITH UNIVERSITY CENTER
The Maxine A. Smith University Center is the proper name of the facility.
myMemphis
N
NUMBERED LISTS
It is best to use a complete sentence when introducing a bulleted list followed by a colon (:) to introduce the bullet points. Start a bulleted entry with a capital letter. Bulleted lists should carry no punctuation at the end, unless they are complete sentences.
The committee will evaluate the following:
- Registration
- Attendance
NUMBERS
Use AP style and spell out numbers one through nine, numbers 10 and above are written using numerals. Spell out numbers when beginning a sentence.
- A total of 55 students attended the event.
- There were nine students defending their dissertations.
- Thirty students registered for the class.
When referring to two separate calendar years, omit the second set of numbers if both fall within the same century.
- 1995-98
- 2025-26
O
OFF CAMPUS, OFF-CAMPUS, ON CAMPUS, ON-CAMPUS
Standard hyphenation rules apply.
OFFICE
Capitalize office only when it is part of an official name.
ORDINALS
Spell out ordinals below 10; use figures for 10 and above.
- She was the fourth person to complete all the questions.
- They recently celebrated their 45th anniversary.
Do not use ordinals after figures in dates.
- June 10 (Not: June 10th)
Do not use superscript in ordinals.
- 21st century (Not: 21st century)
ORIENTATION
Do not capitalize when used in a general sense or on second reference. Capitalize only when part of the name of an event or program. The official name of orientation for undergraduates is New Student Orientation. NSO may be used on second reference.
OXFORD COMMA (Lists)
The UofM does not use the Oxford comma. Use commas for separation in a list.
Do not use a comma before the conjunction at the end of a list unless it is needed to clarify understanding.
- The R. Brad Martin Student Wellness Center’s fitness classes include Pilates, spin, yoga and kickboxing.
The Cecil C. Humphreys Law School uses the Oxford comma when appropriate to maintain
alignment with academic and industry standards.
P
PHONE NUMBERS
Use periods when formatting phone numbers.
- 901.678.1234
POUNCER
The official mascot of the University of Memphis.
PROGRAMS, ACADEMIC
In general, do not capitalize the names of academic programs. Capitalize names of programs in headings, subheadings, titles of works and tables of contents, as needed.
Avoid using program in place of major or department. Program often implies a separate administration or faculty.
When describing a student’s activities, it may be best to use department, major or degree program rather than simply program.
- MFA program in creative writing
- The doctoral program in mathematics
R
R. BRAD MARTIN STUDENT WELLNESS CENTER
Wellness Center on second reference.
RESIDENCE LIFE/ HOUSING AND RESIDENCE LIFE
- Shirley C. Raines Centennial Place
- Living Learning Complex
- Rawls Hall
- Smith Hall
- South Hall
- Carpenter Complex
- Park Avenue Apartments and Townhomes
- Graduate/ Student Family
- Victory Park
- Carney-Johnston at Lambuth
ROOM NUMBERS AND NAMES
Drop the word room from addresses.
- Our office is in 308 Administration Building.
Capitalize room and similar words when part of a proper or well-known name:
- the River Room
If a room number includes a letter, put one hyphen between the letter and number. In those rare instances where there are two or more letters in a room number, use a hyphen only between the first letter or group of letters and the adjacent number.
- 308-B Administration Building
S
SEASONS
When referring to a season that describes climate conditions/weather, use AP style and use lowercase.
- spring, summer, fall and winter
When referring to a season as an academic semester use caps.
- Summer 2025, Fall 2026 and Spring 2027
SEMESTER
Do not capitalize the common names of semesters, terms, academic sessions or periods (e.g., fall semester, registration, orientation, schedule pickup). If a semester or term is followed by a specific year, use capitalization (e.g., Fall Semester 2003). The special Interim term should be capitalized.
SIMMONS BANK LIBERTY STADIUM
The home playing field for the football team
STATES
State should always be capitalized when writing State of Tennessee, but state is lowercased when it stands alone.
Consult the AP Style Guide for abbreviations of state names.
United States should be abbreviated as U.S.
SYMBOLS
Use separator bars (|) in place of a colon to divide items in a list or in a design. Note that the separator bar should not be used in sentences.
- Sept. 21-25 | 7-8 PM
T
TIMES
When used in a list or if it stands alone, capitalize AM and PM.
- Monday to Friday | 7 AM-11 PM
- Saturday | 9 AM-11 PM
Use AP style when used in a sentence. Lowercase a.m. and p.m. and add periods.
- The seminar will take place from 10 a.m-2 p.m.
Always spell out noon instead of using 12 p.m.
- Noon – 1:30 PM
Only use a.m. or p.m. once if times occur in the same part of the day.
Only utilize the a.m. or p.m. (AM or PM in lists) once if the time occurs at the same part of the day. Drop the “00.”
- 6-8 PM
- 6 AM-8 PM
- The open house takes place from 6-8 p.m.
A hyphen is used to separate times. For this use, hyphens should be typeset closed.
TITLES OF PEOPLE
When used in a sentence, titles should be capitalized when preceding a name and lowercase when it comes after the name. On second reference, proceed the name with the title in capital letters followed by the individual’s last name. Avoid using titles without the individual’s last name.
- University of Memphis President Bill Hardgrave began his tenure on April 1, 2022.
- Bill Hardgrave, University of Memphis president, began his tenure on April 1, 2022.
- The town hall will be led by President Hardgrave.
Do not use courtesy titles such as Mr., Miss or Mrs.
TITLES OF PEOPLE CONTINUED
Capitalize titles when they appear in a list or on a program.
- Steve Jobs, CEO
- Marie Curie, Professor of General Physics
Abbreviate political titles.
- Gov. Bill Lee
- Sen. Lamar Alexander
Use “Dr.” when introducing an individual that holds a doctorate degree on first reference and on subsequent references use only the person’s last name.
Dr. John Doe oversees all basic and applied research efforts for the University’s research enterprise. Doe leads the strategic innovation priorities to help modernize the University’s academic research culture.
TITLES OF WORK
Italicize magazine and journal names, which is an exception to the AP Stylebook.
TYPE FORMATTING
Between sentences, use only one space after the period, question mark and exclamation point.
U
UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, THE
When referring to the University of Memphis in a national external publication, such as a magazine article or paid advertisement, always spell out the full name. Do not abbreviate to UofM. Do not capitalize “T” in the.
For other uses, spell out University of Memphis on the first reference and abbreviate to UofM on subsequent references within the same text.
- The University of Memphis is proud to welcome its incoming freshman class. The first day of classes for the UofM Fall 2025 semester will begin Aug. 25.
Capitalize “U” in University when it stands alone only when referring to the University of Memphis as an entity.
- The University graduated its largest doctoral class during the Spring 2025 commencement.
- The University of Memphis is a top-tier research university.
UofM is an acceptable short form or second reference for the University of Memphis, noun and adjective forms. Never use U of M.
W
WEB ADDRESSES
Use consistent typography for URLs throughout a publication or family of publications (e.g., always bold, always in a different typeface, or always in a specific color).
Do not underline URLs; underlining may obscure the underscore characters in a URL.
Do not include “http://” or “www.” in URLs.
- memphis.edu
WORK-STUDY STUDENT
A student generally employed in a Federal Work-Study (FWS) program, focusing on professionalism, academic priority and specific job-related standards.