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University of Wisconsin–Madison

Browse the editorial styleguide A–Z

Madison
use Madison to refer to the city, not the UW–Madison campus; referring to the Madison campus is acceptable when it’s clear that the UW System is the subject
Madison Area Technical College (MATC)
The official name of the college is Madison Area Technical College (MATC). On second reference or in an informal context, use Madison College.
Madison College
see Madison Area Technical College (MATC)
Madison Magazine
initial caps, italicize
magazine issues
see issue names, magazine
maiden/birth/former names
see names and degrees
majors
do not capitalize majors, programs, specializations, or concentrations of study when they are not part of an official department name or title, but proper nouns are capitalized: She received a bachelor’s degree in history; She majored in economics; He majored in English and French; view a list of undergraduate majors
marching band
see UW Marching Band, UW Varsity Band
marines
see CMS 8.112
Martin and Florence Below Alumni Center, the
WAA’s headquarters building at 650 N. Lake Street is currently called the Martin and Florence Below (pronounced BEE-loh) Alumni Center; subsequent references are the Below Alumni Center, the alumni center, or the center; as of the renovation that was completed in 2017, the building now includes One Alumni Place, which opens on to Alumni Park
matching gift (noun), matching-gift (adjective)
He will make a matching gift; Fill out the matching-gift form; Use the matching-gift process online; see also CMS 5.92 and 7.85
Memorial Union
see Wisconsin Union
Memorial Union Theater
there’s no such thing; the proper title is the Wisconsin Union Theater; also called the Union Theater
men
see boys, men, girls, women
mental illness
Do not describe an individual as having a mental illness unless it is clearly pertinent to a story and the diagnosis is properly sourced. Mental illness is a general term. Specific conditions are disorders and should be used whenever possible. Avoid terms such as the mentally ill. Instead: people with mental illnesses. Do not use derogatory terms, such as insane, crazy/crazed, nuts, or deranged, unless they are part of a quotation that is essential to the story. Avoid using mental health terms to describe unrelated issues. Don’t say that an awards show, for example, was schizophrenic. (Source: AP Stylebook)
Mercile J. Lee Scholars Program
name for the program which administers the Chancellor's Scholarship and Powers-Knapp Scholarship programs. Scholarship recipients are referred to as Chancellor's scholars or Powers-Knapp scholars, but collectively are referred to as Mercile J. Lee scholars.
mic
see mike, mic
mid
compound words using this prefix are closed when the second word is not a proper noun or a figure: midweek, midterm, midsummer, but mid-January, mid-1960s
middle initials
in general, do not use a middle initial unless the person is adamant about including it or it appears in the official name of an endowment, foundation, award, scholarship, or the like.
mike, mic
use mike, not mic, for the abbreviation of microphone
military organizations
see CMS 8.112
money
see CMS 9.20 and 9.24
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center
the official name of the Madison convention center; it should not be called (anything resembling) the Frank Lloyd Wright Convention Center
months
Spell out in running text when not used with a day of the week: February 2, 2017. Abbreviate January (Jan.), February (Feb.), August (Aug.), September (Sept.), October (Oct.), November (Nov.), and December (Dec.) when used with a day of the week: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. Do not abbreviate March, April, May, June, or July. The following style is also acceptable: 28 March 2017. When writing for news releases or Inside UW–Madison, abbreviate months when used with a date, with the exception of March, April, May, June, and July, which are always spelled out.
moon
see CMS 8.141
more than, over
use more than when something can be counted: She bought more than 20 books; in general, over refers to spatial relationships: She jumped over the chair
Motion W
when referring to this university symbol, "W" is uppercase roman, not italic
My UW
the personalized web portal for UW–Madison and a single entry point into secure information provided by the university (My UW); it gives students access to information on grades, tuition accounts, financial aid, and housing