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University of Wisconsin–Madison

Browse the editorial styleguide A–Z

earth, Earth
see CMS 8.140
Editor’s Note
used in articles and after letters to the editor to give further explanations; put the words Editor’s Note: (with a colon) in italics; use roman type for the rest of the text, with no parentheses or brackets around the note
eldercare
one word
ellipses
Put a space between the word and the ellipsis points: word#…#word; word#…; or complete sentence.#…#complete sentence. See also CMS 13.50 – 13.58.
Elvehjem Museum of Art
the former name of the Chazen Museum of Art
em dashes
An em dash sets off an amplifying or explanatory element, separates a subject or series of subjects, or indicates a sudden break in thought or sentence structure: We will fly to Paris — if I get a raise. Put a space before and after the em dash, which is an exception to Chicago style. Do not use a pair of hyphens to create an em dash. See also en dashes, hyphens, and CMS 6.85–6.92.
email
Do not hyphenate email, but hyphenate e-book, e-business, e-commerce.
email addresses
use roman type with no brackets or parentheses; put a period after the address if it falls at the end of a sentence; break it at the @ sign or a period if it’s necessary to carry it to the next line
emeritus, emerita, emeriti, emeritae, emerit
Use the singular, emeritus or emerita, when referring to one male or one female former faculty member, respectively; use the plural, emeriti, when referring to an all-male or mixed-gender group use emeriti; for an all-female group use emeritae. The word emeritus follows the noun: professor emeritus, Professor Emeritus Jack Brown. In May 2022, the Faculty Senate passed a resolution to change the use of emeritus/emerita in faculty policies and procedures to the gender-neutral emerit, and to encourage its use in campus policies, systems, and communications. See also alumnus, alumna, alumni, alumnae.
en dashes
An en dash connects numbers and sometimes words: 2010–14, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., UW–Madison. It also shows a range in numbers and words: 20–25 people, Monday–Friday. Use an en dash with open compound modifiers: pre–School of Pharmacy course. When connecting years with from, also use the word to, not an en dash: from 1980 to 1986, not from 1980–1986. For news releases or Inside UW–Madison, use a hyphen to connect years: 1980-86. Do not put spaces on either side. See also CMS 6.78–6.84.
ensure
ensure rather than insure, unless the reference is to insurance
equal opportunity/affirmative action
see Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Policy
ethnic studies requirement
lowercase
every day (adverb); everyday (adjective)
open when used as adverb; closed when used as adjective
Ex College
short for Alexander Meiklejohn’s 1920s Experimental College at the University of Wisconsin; use quotation marks on the first reference only.
Extension
see UW–Madison Division of Extension