In general, avoid abbreviations in running text. The ampersand (&) is not a substitute for and. Use abbreviations and the ampersand only when part of official names. If the name of the abbreviation may be unknown to some readers, use the full name on first reference. See individual entries for usage for specific abbreviations.
Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as professor, dean, president, chancellor, professor emeritus, and chair when they precede a name: Chancellor John Doe, Professor Jane Doe, Dean John Smith; but John Doe, chancellor; John Smith, dean; or Jane Doe, professor. Lowercase modifiers: music professor Jane Doe, department chair Jane Doe, or Jane Doe, professor of music. Capitalize formal titles of named professorships on all references: Jane Doe has been named the Bascom Professor of Art; Jane Doe, Bascom Professor of Art, received the award; Jane Doe, Bascom Professor Emerita of Art, gave the lecture. Named/endowed professorships, deanships, and the like should be listed before other titles in signature lines and biographies. See also titles of people.
acronyms and initialisms
Although we refer to campus units by acronyms in speech and internal publications (such as DoIT for the Division of Information Technology), acronyms should not be used exclusively except for those commonly used both inside and outside the university community (NASA, FBI). To eliminate confusion when using lesser-known acronyms, spell out the full name on the first mention, with the acronym in parentheses following. Acronyms are made plural by adding an s if there are no periods in the acronym (IOUs) and adding ’s if there are periods in the acronym (vol.'s). See the Chicago Manual of Style for more on the appropriate use of acronyms.
AD
stands for anno Domini, Latin for in the year of the Lord; do not use periods; AD precedes the year; see also CMS 9.34 and 10.38
addresses
In running text, use numerals and figures for numbered addresses (123 Main Street) and spell out the words Street, Avenue, Place, Boulevard, etc. (except for news releases or copy for Inside UW–Madison, in which such words are abbreviated when using numbered addresses according to AP Style). Abbreviate directions in street names: single-letter directions take a period (N. Main Street, E. Washington Avenue); two-letter abbreviations take no periods (NW Maple Street, Seventh Avenue, SE). Include the complete campus street addresses only when publicizing an off-campus event and for publications intended for off-campus audiences. Separate the street address, phone, web address, and the like with a semicolon and use one space between the state abbreviation and zip code. Department of Economics, 7470 Social Science Building, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706; 608-263-2989; fax 608-262-0000; economics@wisc.edu; www.wisc.edu/economics/. Include area codes for telephone and fax numbers when the audience is off campus.
admissions, admissions office, Office of Admissions and Recruitment
lowercase unless referring to the formal office name
advisor, adviser
Use advisor for materials produced for admissions, academic advising, housing, and registrar offices. Use adviser for all other uses. It is most important to be consistent within a single publication or family of publications.
affiliate group
groups that were created by the Wisconsin Alumni Association and remain affiliated with the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association
African American
no hyphen for noun or adjective usages, but hyphenate nouns and adjectives (AP style) for newswriting: African-American
Agricultural Hall
not Agriculture Hall
air force
see CMS 8.112
Al-Qaeda
not Al-Qaida
all of a sudden
not all of the sudden
All Ways Forward
the name of the current comprehensive campaign
all-American
always hyphenated; all is always lowercase unless it refers to the Associated Press–chosen All-American football or basketball team.
All-Campus Party (ACP)
a week of free, alcohol-alternative events for students, hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB)
Alumni Campus Abroad (ACA), Alumni College Abroad, Alumni College Aboard
AHI (Alumni Holidays, Inc.) runs the Alumni Campus Abroad travel program, which includes Alumni College Abroad (on land) and Alumni College Aboard (at sea)
Never use club, even though some Wisconsin Alumni Association alumni chapters refer to themselves that way; terms such as group or alumni community are acceptable to provide variety. Use alumni chapter as a generic reference, and use, e.g., Seattle alumni chapter or Seattle chapter as a quasi-generic reference. For specific references, use the WAA reference first (written out or abbreviated as WAA), then a colon, then the capitalized word Chapter, as in Wisconsin Alumni Association: Fox Valley Chapter; WAA: Fox Valley Chapter; Wisconsin Alumni Association: Big Apple Badgers Chapter; WAA: Motor City Badgers Chapter.
alumni directory
lowercase when referring to the online directory
Alumni For Wisconsin (A4W)
capital F on For
alumni learning
lowercase for this segment of WFAA operations
Alumni Park
the new park and green space between One Alumni Place and the Memorial Union Terrace; opened in October 2017; capitalize these areas of the park: Badger Pride Wall, Alumni Way, Progress Point, The Lantern; do not capitalize these areas of the park: the fountain, welcome plaza, areas of distinction, Bucky Badger sculpture (its title is Well Red), outdoor classroom; the park's website is alumnipark.com/
alumni travel
lowercase for generic references to this segment of WAA operations, but use WFAA Travel when referring to the department
alumnihood
lowercase, one word
alumnus, alumna, alumni, alumnae
Use alumnus (alumni in the plural) when referring to a person who identifies as a man who has graduated from a school. Use alumna (alumnae in the plural) for similar references to a person who identifies as a woman. Use alumni when referring to groups that include both men and women. In very informal usages, alum is an acceptable alternative. These terms can also be used for people who attended a school but did not graduate.
American Indian
uppercase both words; no hyphen when used as a noun or adjective; where possible, use the name of the tribe; see also CMS 8.38
American Players Theatre (APT)
not Theater
ampersand
the ampersand (&) is not a substitute for and; use it only when an entity includes it as part of its official name
Annual Campaign
refer to this as the University of Wisconsin–Madison Annual Campaign, with initial caps, on first reference; UW–Madison Annual Campaign is also acceptable; use Annual Campaign (uppercase) on second reference; a generic reference with the year would be, e.g., 2019 Annual Campaign (uppercase)
annual fund
lowercase unless it’s part of a proper name such as the School of Nursing Annual Fund
uppercase when referring to the UW Arboretum; lowercase with generic references to arboretums
army
see CMS 8.112
artist-in-residence, artists-in-residence
hyphenate
Asian American
no hyphen for noun or adjective usages, but hyphenate nouns and adjectives (AP style) for newswriting: Asian-American
associate degree
not associate’s degree
athletics department
In formal references, use UW Department of Athletics or Department of Athletics; in informal references or on second reference, use athletics department (with an s on athletics); as a generic description of the sports program in general, UW athletics is acceptable.
use UW instead of UW–Madison on second reference when referring to athletics teams
awards, prizes
uppercase Award or Prize when referring to a specific award (Sparkplug Award), but lowercase when generic (the award); see also CMS 8.83
Axe
with a final e in reference to the Badgers’ football rivalry with Minnesota for Paul Bunyan’s Axe
Babcock ice cream
the brand name is Babcock Hall ice cream because it’s made by the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant, but an acceptable nickname is Babcock ice cream
Badger Herald, the
although The is in its official name, use lowercase roman type for “the”; see CMS 8.170
BADGER HUDDLE®
Use the registered mark; write the phrase in all caps; including the is acceptable. Sometimes context calls for usage such as the Purdue BADGER HUDDLE®. Never say just HUDDLES, but BADGER HUDDLE® tailgates is acceptable. Use the initial-capped (but not all-capped) Huddle on subsequent references to a BADGER HUDDLE®. Periods and commas go after the ®. The word huddle is lowercase when referring to a literal football huddle or a gathering that’s figuratively called a huddle.
Badger Insider magazine (BI)
WAA’s magazine for its members; “magazine” is lowercase roman
Badger Leaders Conference (BLC)
sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association
Badger of the Year (BOY) Award
awards bestowed by Wisconsin Alumni Association chapters that recognize alumni who are leaders in their professions or in that local community
the official team name of UW–Madison men’s and women’s athletics teams; acceptable as a substitute for the UW for teams and athletes on second reference; synonymous with graduates, fans, and friends of the university
Badgerwear
for references to clothing products that Badgers wear
Baldwin, Tammy
the graduation year for this U.S. senator from Wisconsin is JD’89
biannual means twice a year and is a synonym for semiannual; biennial means every two years
Big Red
capitalize
Big Ten
not Big 10; UW–Madison is one of 14 institutions in the Big Ten Conference; the others are Indiana University, Michigan State University, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, University of Illinois, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska, University of Maryland, and Rutgers University
bimonthly, biweekly, semimonthly, semiweekly
bimonthly means every other month; biweekly means every other week; semimonthly means twice a month; semiweekly means twice a week
board of directors, board of regents, board of visitors
lowercase when generic, but uppercase when the term is included as part of the formal name of a group; see also regent, regents and CMS 8.68
Bonner, Paula
the degree year for the president emerita of the Wisconsin Alumni Association is MS'78
boys, men, girls, women
people who are of high school age or younger are boys and girls; people who are of college age or older are men and women
Bucky Boat pontoon
the name of WFAA's pontoon boat; lowercase pontoon
buildings
capitalize official names of campus facilities; on second reference, lowercase if a proper name is not used: the Mosse Humanities Building, the building, construction on Vilas; the word building may be used to prevent confusion with the academic department of the same name, but do not capitalize building in these cases: the Law School, the Law School building; in most cases, building names can stand alone: Grainger Hall, Nancy Nicholas Hall
bulleted information
Regardless of the style chosen for a document — complete sentences or not, end punctuation or not, an initial cap on the first word of each bulleted item or not, and the like — remain consistent throughout that particular document. If a second sentence is added to an item — which drives end punctuation on the first sentence — then all items in the bulleted list should have end punctuation.
bylines
Use graduation year(s) if the writer is a graduate; use birth/former name(s) unless the writer does not wish to include it/them. If a writer has more than one byline within a section of a publication, use the full name and graduation year(s) (if applicable) on the first reference and initials with no graduation year(s) on subsequent references. This does not apply to photo credits.
Camp Randall Stadium
home for Wisconsin’s football team
campus's
not campus'
campuswide
also citywide, countywide, nationwide, statewide, systemwide, worldwide, but university-wide
use one l with the first four words but two ls with the last word
Capital Times, the
although The is in its official name, use lowercase roman type for “the”; see CMS 8.170
capital, capitol
a capital is a city that is the seat of government or known for its eminence in a particular field (fashion capital); a capitol is a building where a legislature meets; lowercase capitol when referring generically to Wisconsin’s state capitol building, but the building in Washington, DC, is the Capitol
capitalization
avoid unnecessary capital letters: use them only when one of the principles listed in this guide, the dictionary, or the Chicago Manual of Style justifies their usage.
In particular, the following should be capitalized:
Proper nouns for people, places, or things: Allison, Atlanta, the Alamo
Proper names: when they are an official part of the full name of a person, place, or thing: Democratic Party, Lake Mendota, Park Street, Charles River, West Virginia, College of Letters & Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison. Lowercase when these stand alone in subsequent or generic references: the party, the lake, the street, the river, the state, the college, the university. Per CMS 8.56 and 8.66, uppercase these words in plural usages: the Democratic and Republican Parties, Langdon and State Streets.
captions
in On Wisconsin and Badger Insider, do not use graduation years in photo captions unless the individuals’ names do not appear elsewhere in a story; if one or some people are mentioned in an article that accompanies the photo, and one or others are not, use graduation years for all of the people listed in the photo caption; do not use boldface with names and graduation years in captions; see also photo references/identification
Carillon
uppercase for the bell tower on campus
chair
not chairman, chairwoman, chairperson
chancellor
Chancellor Rebecca Blank, University of Wisconsin–Madison chancellor Rebecca Blank, UW–Madison chancellor Rebecca Blank, UW chancellor Rebecca Blank, the chancellor
use this list to determine whether to include a state or country name after the city name; if it’s on this list, the city name may stand alone
International cities:
Barcelona, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Rome, and Tokyo; but do use the country with Seoul, South Korea
U.S. cities:
Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Madison (except if it’s Madison in a state other than Wisconsin), Manhattan, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, New Orleans, New York City (when identified this way, but not just New York for the city), Omaha, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Twin Cities, and Tucson; but do use the state with Kansas City (Missouri or Kansas), Portland (Oregon or Maine), and Saint Louis (Missouri)
our dictionary advocates spellings such as copresident, cofounder, coeditor, coauthor, and codirector with no hyphens; see the dictionary for the few exceptions that use hyphens
College Library at Helen C. White Hall
this is the proper name of the library that is often (incorrectly) referred to as the Helen C. White Library or White Library or just Helen C.
in a series of three or more elements, use a serial comma; for Inside UW–Madison and news communications and institutional websites maintained by University Communications, do not use a serial comma
commencement
lowercase for generic references to the ceremony; uppercase can be used in the official titles of events
communication arts
lowercase
compare with, compare to
compare with means to discern both similarities and differences; compare to notes primarily similarities
comprehensive campaign
use lowercase to refer to this multiyear campaign with campus audiences when not using its proper name; refer to it only by its proper name to noncampus audiences; use campaign on second reference; the proper name of the fourth comprehensive campaign in university history, going on now, is All Ways Forward, which uses initial caps, roman type, and no quotation marks
comprise
to include or contain (the whole comprises the parts): Wisconsin comprises 72 counties; it is synonymous with composed of: Wisconsin is composed of 72 counties; comprised of is incorrect
Congress
uppercase when referring to the U.S. Congress (or just Congress), which comprises the Senate and the House of Representatives; see also CMS 8.61
couple
words that stand for a group of things can mean the group as a whole (and thus take a singular verb) or the individual members of the group (and thus, a plural verb); the presence of the before the word often indicates that it’s singular: The couple lives in apartment 9A; when a comes before the word, and especially when of comes after it, it’s probably plural: A couple of professors live in apartment 9A
use the department abbreviation (or full name) with a space separating the department, the course number, and the course name: Poli Sci 377 Nuclear Weapons and World Politics; department abbreviations appear in the Course Guide; when referring to courses without including the number, do not use quotation marks: Physical Systems of the Environment, Solid State Physics
coursework
one word
court cases
italicize the names of legal cases, including the abbreviation v. (for versus): Bloomfield Village Drain Dist. v. Keefe, Miranda v. Arizona; a case name may be shortened in subsequent discussion: the Miranda case or simply Miranda; see also versus and CMS 8.82
courtesy titles
in general, do not use Dr., Mrs., Mr., or Ms; a written-out courtesy title that helps to put a person’s role in context (President Kennedy, Chancellor Blank, Dean Scholz, Professor Jenkins) may be used on first reference
credentials
do not include credentials or degrees (PhD, MD, FASLA, FAAN, CFP, and the like) after names unless the person, school, or college is adamant about it
credits
when clustered or in a tabular format, use numerals: 3 credits, a 4-credit course, 1 credit hour; when including the number of credits in a list of courses, use the abbreviation cr with no period: Poli Sci 377 Nuclear Weapons and World Politics, 3 cr; Music 231 Elementary/Intermediate Violin, 2–4 cr.; in running text, spell out credits: All students must take 3 credits in art history; for additional examples, see the academic Guide
crew
crew team is redundant; it’s crew, the crew, or the team; see also teams
Cross-College Advising Service (CCAS)
hyphenate Cross-College
Daily Cardinal Alumni Association (DCAA)
do not italicize “Daily Cardinal” in the name of this alumni affiliate group
Daily Cardinal, the
although The is in its official name, use lowercase roman type for “the”; see CMS 8.170
plural when referring to a collection of individual units; singular when referred to as a unit: the data is sound
dates
use a comma after a date that includes the year: Students must submit an application by March 3, 2019, to be eligible for the program; do not use a comma with a month and year if there is no date included: fall 2019, March 2020; see also CMS 6.38
Day of Learning (DOL)
coordinated by the Wisconsin Alumni Association
Day-of-Game Package (DOG)
coordinated by the Wisconsin Alumni Association
dean
Dean Jane Doe; Jane Doe, dean; the dean; dean's list
(also see academic titles)
Dean of Students Office
offers assistance and support for students across campus
dean’s list
include apostrophe in this list of high-achieving students
decades
examples are the nineties, the 1980s and 1990s, the 1980s and ’90s; for the first decade of a century use, e.g., years 2000–2009, not 2000s or ’00s; for the second decade of a century use, e.g., second decade or 2010s; see also CMS 9.33
degree year and student status
when referring to a current student, either use an x or make a reference to his/her academic year status (but not both): John Borman x’21 or John Borman, a freshman
degree years
Use only on the first reference within an article; do not include letters before a bachelor’s degree; do not use periods with the degree abbreviation; do not use a space between the degree and two-digit class year; use a close single quote (apostrophe) to precede the year (it’s ’, not ‘); use a comma to separate each degree: Jim Hoyt ’65, MS’67, PhD’70.
If someone did not — or has not yet — graduated from UW–Madison, use an x before the year that s/he would have graduated or will graduate: rock star Steve Miller x’67. There is no space between the x and the year; include the apostrophe with the year; with advanced degrees, the x goes between the degree and the year: MDx’61, DVMx’75, PhDx’54, MAx’90.
Write out degree years occurring in the 19th century as, e.g., John Bluephie 1880, MS1883, PhD1885. Write out degree years occurring in the 20th century between (and including) 1900 and the current degree year (which, if it is currently, e.g., 2016) as, e.g., Jane Brownstone 1900, MA1902, PhD1905; but Harvey Greengrass 1913, MA1915, PhD’18. When a new graduation year dawns, add 19 to the corresponding 20th-century year in a rolling, 100-year fashion.
See also names and degrees for the treatment of couples’ names.
degrees
In running text, use bachelor’s degree, bachelor of arts degree, bachelor of science in physics, master’s degree, doctorate, and the like in place of degree abbreviations because they are more readable; use abbreviations only when necessary to distinguish the specific type of degree or when using full terms would prove cumbersome, such as when there are multiple degrees; do not use periods; form the plural by adding an s; the word degree should not follow a degree abbreviation.
Do not list certificates (nursing, law, education, and the like) as degrees, but an exception is made to include the Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC) following an individual’s name because the program has a long and proud history at the UW.
Here are many of the degree abbreviations in use at the university:
BA – bachelor of arts, bachelor’s degree
BBA – bachelor of business administration
BM – bachelor of music
BS – bachelor of science, bachelor’s degree
DJ or DJS – doctor of juridical science
DMA – doctor of musical arts
DPM – doctor of pharmacy
DVM – doctor of veterinary medicine
EdD – doctor of education
EMBA – executive MBA
JD – doctor of law
LLB – bachelor of laws
LLM – master of laws, but us ML instead
MA – master of arts, master’s degree
MAcc – master of accountancy; use instead of MAC, MA, or MS
MBA – master of business administration
MD – doctor of medicine
MFA – master of fine arts
MGCS – master of genetic counselor studies
ML – master of laws
MLI – master of legal institutions
MM – master of music
MPA – master of public affairs
MPAS – master of physician assistant studies
MPh – master of philosophy
MPH – master of public health
MS – master of science, master’s degree
MSW – master of social work; MSW (vs. MSSW) is the more common designation
Capitalize when used as part of a complete, formal, and official name: Department of Art History. Lowercase when used as an informal name, generically, or casually as a descriptor: the art history department, the political science department, the department, department guidelines, department chair, a political science committee, the zoology and bacteriology departments. Use lowercase on second reference: the College of Letters & Science, the college; the Law School, the school; UW–Madison, the university, the UW; the Department of History, the history department, the department; the Center for Limnology, the limnology center, the center; the Office of the Secretary of the Faculty, the office. Words such as department can be omitted on second reference: history, philosophy. Do not capitalize department names when they are used to indicate the subject a professor teaches: Dave Brown of anthropology.
dictionary
recommended: most recent edition of Merriam–Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
different from, different than
use from, not than
Dinners On Wisconsin! (DOW):
use an initial cap for On and include an exclamation mark
given annually by the Wisconsin Alumni Association
Distinguished Teaching Awards (DTA)
given annually
Division of Continuing Studies (DCS)
on subsequent references, use Continuing Studies; use Continuing Studies in most applications
Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement (DDEEA)
On subsequent reference, use DDEEA
DoIT (Division of Information Technology)
provides central IT services and support to campus
dollar figures
see CMS 9.20 and 9.24
dormitory, dorm
use residence hall instead
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
Elderhostel
initial cap, 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
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. 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
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; see also Meiklejohn, Alexander
capitalize when used in reference to a specific, named fellowship: He was recently named a Fulbright Fellow; in most cases, however, it will be lowercase: Jacob Hoke, a new fellow of the American Academy of Metallurgy; lowercase on all subsequent references
Field House
the official name is the Wisconsin (not UW) Field House; do not capitalize the in the Field House or the Wisconsin Field House
Fifth Quarter
initial caps
file names
use all caps and no periods for, e.g., PDF, JPEG, JPG, TIF, GIF
can be considered offensive, so find alternatives: for countries, use other countries or countries outside the United States; for languages, use languages without the word foreign when possible; for students, use international students, students from other countries, students from outside the United States; for study, use study abroad, study in other countries, study outside the United States
foreign words and phrases
if the word is found in the main body of the dictionary, it’s become mainstream enough that it does not need to be italicized; if it’s found in the Foreign Words & Phrases section (page 1460 of the dictionary), italicize it; on second reference, such a word is not italicized; an exception is Latin scholarly words and phrases, which are not italicized; see also CMS 7.49, 7.53, and 7.54
spell out simple fractions and use a hyphen: three-quarters of the book, four-fifths of the students; use numerals for more complex fractions; see also CMS 9.14–15
Fredric March Play Circle Theater
renamed Play Circle Theater
freshman football
singular freshman
freshman, freshmen
use first-year student when possible; however, the admissions office and Guide use freshman to designate class standing
Fulbright scholar
common usage has frequently shortened the name to just Fulbright, but the fellowship program’s official name is Fulbright-Hays; there are several types of Fulbrights and various specific names for them, but they are mostly fellowships, so the generic word grant (but not scholarship) typically works when referring to them; the generic word scholar can refer to a recipient
full time (adverb); full-time (adjective)
fundraising, fundraiser (nouns)
exceptions to the dictionary, which uses hyphens
Game Day
noun or adjective when referring to UW football (home and away) Game Days only; initial caps
gender-neutral language
Use gender-neutral words and phrases. Some rewording may be necessary to make language as neutral and inclusive as possible—e.g., use an article rather than a pronoun; omit a pronoun; use an article in place of a pronoun; drop feminine suffixes such as -ette and -ess; use chair, not chairman; avoid using his or her; where possible, use plural nouns and pronouns to eliminate gender in a sentence. When writing about a specific person who uses gender-neutral pronouns, use the pronouns the person uses. If the audience might be unfamiliar with the pronouns, consider adding a note for clarification. See also nonsexist language; Techniques for achieving gender neutrality, CMS 5.255; Gender-neutral singular pronouns, CMS 5.256.
General Education Requirements
use GER on second reference
GI Bill
provides educational assistance to service members and veterans
spell out grade point average on first reference; use GPA on second reference; UW–Madison GPAs are based on a 4.0 scale
grades
write out grade, and use letters: a grade of B, a grade of F, an incomplete, a grade of Incomplete
graduation classes
capitalize Class when referring to a specific, entire graduating class: Class of 1984; using the abbreviated form of the year is acceptable: ’59, ’98; see also degree years
Grandparents University® (GPU)
the program name was registered in 2007 without the plural possessive apostrophe on Grandparents; add the ® mark on at least the first reference; using the ® mark on every reference is also acceptable
do not use to refer to a disability: use accessible parking (without the word handicapped), accessible restrooms, accessible building
headlines, subheads
See the lists below as guides to using lowercase or uppercase when these words appear in headlines and subheads. CMS 8.59 is recapped below; CMS 8.160 gives examples; CMS 8.161 discusses hyphenated compounds in headline-style titles. The cover of On Wisconsin follows sentence-style capitalization rather than headline style. For headlines in news releases and Inside UW–Madison, capitalize only the first word, proper names, and proper nouns.
Lowercase
articles (a, an, the)
prepositions, regardless of length, except when they’re used adverbially or adjectivally, when they’re stressed, or when they make up part of a Latin expression used adverbially or adjectivally: De Facto, In Vitro, etc.
the coordinating conjunctions for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
to and as
the part of a proper name that would be lowercased in text: de, von
the second part of a species name, even if it’s the last word
Uppercase
the first and last words in headlines and subheads, regardless of length
all other major words: nouns, pronouns, verbs (including Is, Are), adverbs, adjectives
some conjunctions
health care
two words as a noun or adjective
Healthy Aging Series, Healthy Aging Series lecture(s)
use initial caps for the name of this Wisconsin Alumni Association–sponsored program; lowercase lecture or lectures
In general, hyphens are joiners. Use them to avoid confusion or to form a single idea from two or more words: much-needed clothing (clothing is badly needed) versus much needed clothing (the clothing is abundant and needed). Do not use them in pairs to create an em dash.
Hyphenate compound modifiers preceding a noun: well-run establishment, ill-fitting garment, full-time job, smoke-free restaurant. A compound modifier following the noun it describes does not require a hyphen, but it is not incorrect to use one: The restaurant is smoke free. When a modifier that would be hyphenated before a noun occurs instead after a form of the verb to be, the hyphen is usually retained to avoid confusion: The man is well-known, The woman is quick-witted.
Compounds formed by an adverb ending in -ly plus an adjective or participle are not hyphenated before or after a noun: fashionably dressed. See also em dashes, en dashes, and CMS 6.76–6.77.
inclusivity statements
WAA’s long version is: “The Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) is open to all alumni, students, and friends of the university. WAA encourages diversity, inclusivity, and participation by all of these groups in its activities; and it does not discriminate on any basis. WAA embraces UW–Madison’s sifting and winnowing motto, which is a cherished and widely admired tradition.”
WAA’s short version is: “The Wisconsin Alumni Association encourages diversity, inclusivity, nondiscrimination, and participation by all alumni, students, and friends in its activities.”
The university also has a statement of nondiscrimination.
Incorporated, Inc.
delete when possible, but when it’s used, see CMS 6.48
in On Wisconsin and Badger Insider magazines, capitalize the name of the season (i.e., the name of the issue), whether the year is included or not: the Spring 2015 issue, the Fall issue
it's, its
it's is the contraction for it is; its is the possessive
Jr., Sr., III
Do not use a comma before Jr., Sr.,III, and the like; see also CMS 6.43, 9.42, and 10.19
Kickoff Classic
coordinated by Wisconsin Alumni Association
kickoff, kick off
one word as a noun or adjective; two words as a verb
Kiekhofer, William (“Wild Bill”)
the late economics professor; nostalgic references are sometimes made to the Kiekhofer Wall and skyrocket cheer
Koran, Qur’an
Koran is preferred; see also CMS 8.103
L&S
College of Letters & Science (not Sciences); use an ampersand with the abbreviation and the proper name
La Follette
in references to Fighting Bob La Follette, 1879; Belle Case La Follette 1879, LLB 1885; their family; or any people or entities that have descended from them, put a space between La and Follette
LaBahn Arena
no space between La and Bahn
Lake Street Alumni Council (Lake Streeters)
this group comprises former members of the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board and the Homecoming Committee, both sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association
Lakefront Gateway, Lakefront Gateway Project
comprises the Memorial Union Reinvestment, Alumni Park, and One Alumni Place
letters used as words or referred to as letters (“letters as letters”)
see CMS 7.63-7.68
LGBTQ
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer
libraries
University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries, UW–Madison Libraries, the libraries, Memorial Library, College Library
Library Mall
initial caps
life members
lowercase for this segment of WAA members
lists
use numerals with periods rather than numerals with parentheses; be consistent about capitalizing the first word of a new line or not; use a colon to introduce a list or series: The menu lists three kinds of dessert: pie, cake, and pudding; use a colon after an introductory statement that contains the words as follows or the following; use a colon or period after other statements introducing lists
login, logon, logoff (nouns); log in, log on, log off (verbs)
example: When I log in to my account, my login is tammyfae.
Lowell Center, the
lowercase the in running text; in stacked information (e.g., in invitations), use just Lowell Center (not The Lowell Center)
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.
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
Mallon, Jim
the student-government leader who was the president of the Pail and Shovel Party, which was responsible for the plastic flamingos on Bascom Hill in fall 1979 and the Statue of Liberty on the lake later, among other pranks; graduation year is ’79
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 theBelow Alumni Center, thealumni 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
Martin, Biddy (Carolyn)
use former chancellor Biddy Martin; her degree year is PhD’85
Matching Dollar Scholarship Program
the University of Wisconsin Foundation matches funds raised by the Wisconsin Alumni Association's alumni chapters through this program
matching gift (noun), matching-gift (adjective)
He will make amatching gift; Fill out the matching-gift form; Use the matching-gift process online; see also CMS 5.92 and 7.85
Meiklejohn Integrated Liberal Studies Association (MILSA)
initial caps
Meiklejohn, Alexander
founder of the Experimental College at UW–Madison in the 1920s; see also Ex College
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.
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 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
Morgridge Match
capitalize Match
Motion W
when referring to this university symbol, "W" is uppercase roman, not italic
Muslim, Moslem
Muslim is preferred; see CMS 8.96
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
name tag
two words
names and degrees
To clarify how to use birth/former names, married names, and degrees with couples, here are some examples. Badger Insider’s Badger Pride section, however, does not follow this convention:
John Wilson ’56
Mabel Smith Wilson ’57
John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith Wilson ’57
John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith-Wilson ’57
John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith ’57
John Smith-Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith-Wilson ’57
John Wilson and Mabel Smith Wilson ’57
John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith Wilson (or just Mabel Wilson, because she doesn’t have a grad year, and thus, we’d probably leave out the birth/former name)
John Wilson ’56, JD’58, PhD’60 and Mabel Smith Wilson ’57, MA’59, DVM’62
The Badger Pride list in Badger Insider uses the following more condensed format which doesn’t include birth/former names. (The In Memoriam listings in Badger Insider do include birth/former names.)
John ’56 and Mabel ’57 Wilson
John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith-Wilson ’57
John ’56 and Mabel ’57 Smith-Wilson
John and Mabel ’57 Wilson
John ’56 and Mabel Wilson
John ’56, JD’58, PhD’60 and Mabel ’57, MA’59, DVM’62 Wilson
John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith ’57
If a last name is hyphenated, use the first name of the hyphenated pair for alphabetical-order purposes. If there are three names (one first and two that appear to be last names), but the second two are not hyphenated, use the third name (i.e., the second last name) for alphabetical-order purposes.
names in appositive form
Use commas when there is only one such person because it’s redundant information; do not use commas when there is more than one such person; see also CMS 5.23. An example: Mary’s husband, John, and her son Greg went with her. In this example, Mary has only one husband, so his name is set off with commas: John is a “restatement” of husband. Mary has more than one son, so the commas with Greg are eliminated to show which son is being referred to specifically, from among the other possibilities. If she had only one son, his name would also be set off by commas.
National Geographic Magazine
Italicize the whole title, even though the organization has dropped the word Magazine from the title.
National Institutes of Health
despite the plural Institutes, it takes a singular verb
Native, Native American
no hyphen in all usages
navy
see CMS 8.112
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Nelson Institute on second reference
Nicholas Match
capitalize Match
non
the rules of prefixes apply, but in general, do not use a hyphen with non: noncredit, nondegree, nondiscrimination, nonsexist, nonprofit, nontraditional
nonsexist language
avoid gender-specific words; use synthetic, manufactured, artificial, not manmade; use people or humans, not men or mankind; use chair, not chairman; use his or her, not his/her; can rewrite a sentence using plural pronouns, if possible, to eliminate gender; see also gender-neutral language
Northwoods
the name of the WAA alumni chapter in the Minocqua/Rhinelander/Eagle River area and for references to the northern region of Wisconsin; use north woods for generic references
numbers
representing some departures from Chicago style (which covers numbers in Chapter 9):
spell out zero through nine
use numerals for 10 and higher
use numerals with thousands, ten thousands, and hundred thousands (4,000; 50,019; 100,000; 807,996)
with round numbers greater than one million (million, billion, trillion), write out the words for one million (or billion, etc.) through nine million; use the numeral and word for numbers that begin with 10 and higher (10 million, 64 billion, 835 trillion)
for large, round fractions using decimal points, use a numeral and spell out million, etc. (2.3 million, 4.5 billion, 8.7 trillion)
the same rules apply to ordinals (second, 21st, 127th) that apply to cardinals (two, 21, 127); do not superscript ordinals
page numbers are always numerals, including 1 through 9, no matter where they appear
in course catalogs, use numerals for credits (1 credit, 24 credits, a 2-credit course)
spell out a number at the beginning of a sentence (Twenty-five students are enrolled. Three credits of history must be completed by the senior year.)
do not hyphenate number as part of a compound adjective (number one city, number two ranked team) or as a predicate adjective (We are number one in the league.)
Numen Lumen
use initial caps and roman
off campus (adverb), off-campus (adjective)
open when used as an adverb; hyphenated when used as an adjective
Office of Admissions and Recruitment
admissions office is acceptable on subsequent references
Office of the Chancellor
chancellor’s office is acceptable on subsequent references
Office of the Provost
provost’s office is acceptable on subsequent references
Official Badger Bowl Tour
joint WAA/UW Department of Athletics tour to a bowl game
Ohio State University
Do not include the or The before the name of the institution.
okay
not OK,O.K., ok, or o.k
on campus (adverb), on-campus (adjective)
open when used as adverb; hyphenated when used as adjective
On Wisconsin magazine (OW)
“magazine” is lowercase roman; On Wisconsin magazine, originally called The Wisconsin Alumni Magazine, was first published in 1899; its name changed several times, from The Wisconsin Alumnus to just Wisconsin Alumnus to Wisconsin Alumni to On Wisconsin magazine
On Wisconsin Society, The (TOWS)
replaced the UW student Homecoming Court
On, Wisconsin!
this beloved expression comes from the UW’s beloved fight song; it includes a comma because it’s a form of direct address; when it’s run into a longer sentence such as Thanks, and on, Wisconsin!, the on becomes lowercase
One Alumni Place
part of the Martin and Florence Below Alumni Center; it opens on to Alumni Park; also referred to as the One Alumni Place Visitor Center
one-time, onetime
one-time refers to something that happened only once; onetime means former
use numerals and spell out the word percent: 1 percent, 3 percent, 89 percent; do not hyphenate the numeral and percent when they function as a compound adjective: 4 percent jump; the symbol % is acceptable in lists, tables, and charts, but not in running text except in scientific, mathematical, and highly technical contexts; see also CMS 9.18
use something like this, with colons and semicolons: Front cover (3): John Brown; inside right: Larry Holmes; inside left (2): Jeff Miller; back cover, top: Paula Abdul; back cover (left center, right center, bottom): Harry Reasoner
photo references/identification
use parentheses, not phrases to identify people in photos: Jason Brown '86 (left) and Martin Nelson '87, not Jason Brown '86 on the left, and Martin Nelson '87; see also captions
Put D, R, or I (for Independent) in parentheses, followed by a hyphen, followed by the two-letter state code in national references or the city name in state references: John Smith (D-WI), Matt Johnson (R-MA), Jack Johnson (I-Wauwatosa)
Posse
not an acronym; use an initial cap (but not all caps) in references to the Posse Foundation
PowerPoint
one word, capitalize the internal P
pre and post
most compound words using these prefixes do not take a hyphen: postdoctoral, postsecondary, preprofessional, preenrollment, but post mortem;
see also prefixes
precollege
do not hyphenate
prefixes
many words are moving from open to hyphenated to closed, so consult the dictionary
pregame
do not hyphenate
presale
do not hyphenate
president
UW System president Jane Doe; president of the UW System; the president (even when referring to the president of the United States)
problem solving (noun), problem-solving (adjective)
open when used as a noun; hyphenated when used as an adjective.
ProQuest Research Library
uppercase Q in ProQuest
provost
Provost John Doe; the provost; the provost's office; Office of the Provost
pull quotes
put quotation marks around material if it is a quotation within the article; do not use quotation marks if the material is merely pulled text; do not use brackets for inserted material because they create clutter
punctuation
use the Chicago Manual of Style for nonnews material; use the Associated Press Stylebook for news releases and Inside UW–Madison
Pyle Center, the
lowercase the in running text; in stacked information (e.g., in invitations), use just Pyle Center (not The Pyle Center)
Q & A
put a space before and after the ampersand.
quotations
In front of the attribution line following a quotation, use an em dash and a space:
“Why wonder why when you’re green?” — Kermit the Frog
Qur’an, Koran
Koran is preferred; see also CMS 8.103
R&D
use when referring to research and development work, departments, or efforts; no space before or after the ampersand
Rathskeller
note the -er ending; its nicknames are the Rath and the Rat
re
Most compound words using this prefix do not take a hyphen; with some, however, a hyphen is added to indicate that something is happening again: recover (to improve) vs. re-cover (cover again), recreate (to enjoy leisure) vs. re-create (to create again); the admissions office uses re-entry student; see also prefixes
recommended references
The Chicago Manual of Style. 17th edition; The Associated Press Stylebook, 2014; Merriam–Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition; Strunk, William Jr., and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, fourth edition
do not use ™ or ® in journalistic text, but they are used with, e.g., The Red Shirt™, the Wisconsin Alumni Association®, and BADGER HUDDLE®; see also CMS 8.153
French for Répondez, s’il vous plait, which means Please respond; using please with the phrase is redundant because the SVP portion already says that; do not use it as a noun; Please reply, Please respond, or Please register are good substitutes
Saint
for place names with Saint, Fort, Mount, and the like, write out the words except where space is at a premium: Fort Myers, Mount Airy; see CMS 10.30
sala
the Thai pavilion given to Madison by WAA’s Thailand alumni chapter; located in Madison’s Olbrich Gardens; italicize it on first reference but not subsequent references; lowercase it always
salutations
use a comma, not a colon, following salutations
Scholz, John Karl
refer to the provost as Karl
schools/colleges
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; the college; CALS
Wisconsin School of Business; UW–Madison’s business school; the school
School of Education; the school; SoE
College of Engineering; the college
Graduate School, the school
School of Human Ecology; the school; SoHE
The Information School; iSchool@UW–Madison; the iSchool (formerly School of Library and Information Studies)
The International Division, the division
School of Journalism and Mass Communication; the school
Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs; the La Follette School; the school
University of Wisconsin Law School; UW Law School (not the UW Law School); the school
College of Letters & Science; the college; L&S
Mead Witter School of Music; the music school; the school
School of Medicine and Public Health; the school; SMPH
School of Nursing; the nursing school; the school; SoN
School of Pharmacy; the pharmacy school; the school
School of Social Work; the school
School of Veterinary Medicine; the school; SVM
Schutt, Sarah
chief alumni officer and executive director of the Wisconsin Alumni Association
scores
use numerals and an en dash between the numerals of sports scores; see CMS 6.78
seasons
lowercase: summer session, fall semester, fall 2017, winter break, spring break
semester
lowercase: fall semester, spring semester; UW–Madison is on the semester system, so refer to a semester rather than a term
used in roman text, with brackets, following an incorrectly used word or phrase to indicate that it’s a mistake made by the person who’s quoted, not by the writer; frequently written as [sic]
sleeved
use sleeved vs. sleeve with adjectives: long-sleeved T-shirt
spacing after end punctuation
one space, not two
speakers bureau (renamed Badger Talks in 2019)
no apostrophe; it is not possessive
Special student
capitalize Special
spirit squad
lowercase unless it’s the UW Spirit Squad; see also UW Spirit Squad
like Annual Campaign, initial-cap this reference to the overall Student Campaign
student classifications
lowercase freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior when referring to an individual student or to the class as a whole: She is a senior history major; The senior class sponsored the lecture
use an en dash except as noted below; uppercase System with UW System institutions, which comprise four-year campuses, 13 UW Branch campuses, UW College Courses Online, and UW Extended campus; see also CMS 6.81
Four-year campuses
UW–Eau Claire
UW–Green Bay
UW–La Crosse
UW–Madison
UW–Milwaukee
UW Oshkosh
UW–Platteville
UW–Stevens Point
UW–Stout
UW–Superior
UW-Whitewater
UW Branch campuses
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire–Barron County
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, Marinette Campus
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, Sheboygan Campus
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee at Washington County
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee at Waukesha
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Fond du Lac
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Fox Cities
University of Wisconsin–Platteville Baraboo Sauk County
University of Wisconsin–Platteville Richland
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point at Marshfield
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point at Wausau
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County
University of Wisconsin Colleges Online
TA, TAs
no periods in this abbreviation for teaching (not teacher or teacher’s) assistant
use these forms: Olympic team, U.S. national team, UW men’s basketball team; use rowing team or crew when referring to rowers because crew team is redundant; see also crew
Tele–Town Hall
use an en dash between Tele and Town
telephone numbers
include the area code when the audience is off campus; separate the area code from the number with a hyphen in all usages: 608-123-4567
tense
Use the present tense when reporting ongoing work, current affairs, and impromptu remarks of speakers; use past tense to report remarks made in speeches, votes, actions of committees, and other one-time past events: Brower says the work will be complete by summer. The chancellor told the Faculty Senate in her address last week that the budget would pass.
Terrace, the
lowercase the, capitalize Terrace when referring to the Memorial Union Terrace; use wording that could not be confused with Madison’s Monona Terrace Convention Center; see also Monona Terrace Convention Center
Thank-a-Badger Day
hyphenate, lowercase a
that and which
Use that for essential clauses; use which for nonessential (parenthetical) clauses: General Education Requirements, which include courses in mathematics, must be satisfied; Credits that must be completed before the senior year fall into two categories.
The as part of a publication’s or organization’s title
although many entities officially include The as part of their titles, put the word in lowercase roman type; see also CMS 8.170
The Red Shirt™ (TRS)
use the ™ on at least the first reference; using the ™ on every reference is also acceptable; always include and capitalize The; a comma goes after the ™; The Red Shirt™, Ninth Edition; write out editions First through Ninth; use numerals for editions 10th and higher
initial caps, including The; may omit The in constructions such as a UW Now event
theatre, theater
Use theater, not theatre, except when theatre is used in a formal title: University Theatre, Department of Theatre and Drama, Hemsley Theatre, Mitchell Theatre; but Wisconsin Union Theater and Theater Gallery. Hemsley and Mitchell Theatres are in Vilas Hall. Theater Gallery is in Memorial Union.
time zones
lowercase central standard time, eastern time zone, mountain daylight time, and the like except references to Pacific: Pacific daylight time; capitalize abbreviations: CDT, EST; see also CMS 8.90
times
use figures (8 p.m., 4 a.m.) except for noon (12 p.m.) and midnight (12 a.m.)
use a colon to separate hours from minutes
use lowercase, periods, and no space between the letters for a.m. and p.m.
do not include a colon or minutes if the time is exactly on the hour (11 a.m., but 3:30 p.m.)
avoid redundancies such as 10 a.m. in the morning
with time ranges, use the words from and to, not from and an en dash (from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., not from 9 a.m.–2 p.m.)
with time ranges without the word from, use an en dash with no spaces (Monday–Friday, 2–4 p.m.); if both times are a.m. or p.m., include the a.m. or p.m. with the later time only (8 to 11:30 a.m., 1:30–5 p.m., but 9 a.m.–2 p.m.)
when preparing copy for news releases or Inside UW–Madison, use a hyphen, not an en dash or the word to (from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.)
see also CMS 9.38, 9.39, and 10.41
titles of people
in general, capitalize titles only when they are formal titles that appear directly before a name: Chancellor Jane Doe, Professor John Doe; but the chancellor, the professor; do not confuse titles with occupation descriptions: movie star Bette Davis, astronaut John Glenn; capitalize titles that precede names and refer to more than one person with the same title: Professors Jane Doe and John Smith; see also CMS 8.19–8.33 (especially CMS 8.28 about academic titles); see also academic titles
titles of works
see CMS 8.156–8.201 and follow the guidelines below, which include specific CMS references; when preparing copy for news releases or Inside UW–Madison, refer to the Associated Press Stylebook
italicize (and use initial caps) for these titles
albums: 8.197
annual reports: 8.186
art exhibits: 8.201
art pieces/art works: 8.198
blogs (blog names versus individual blog posts): 8.192
books: 8.168
brochures: 8.186
cartoons (printed): 8.200
CDs: 8.197
choreographed dance works
comic strips/comics series: 8.200
concerts
dance works with titles
documentaries (films): 8.189
drawings: 8.198
DVDs: 8.197
epic/long poems (vs. short poems): 8.181
films: 8.189
long musical compositions: 8.195
magazines: 8.171
movies: 8.189
newsletters
newspapers: 8.170
online versions of any of these; add the URL if helpful
oratorios: 8.194
operas: 8.194
paintings: 8.198
pamphlets: 8.186
periodicals: 8.168
photographs (individual images): 8.198
plays: 8.183
podcast series: 8.189
poems (epic/long): 8.181
published works
radio series (not one-time programs or individual episodes): 8.189
reports: 8.186
statues: 8.198
symphonies and other long instrumental compositions: 8.195
television series (not one-time programs or individual episodes): 8.189
tone poems: 8.194
video games: 8.190
use roman type, initial caps, and quotation marks for these titles
blog posts (individual blog posts versus blog names): 8.192
chapters (book chapters and parts): 8.177
clickable buttons on a website
dissertations: 8.188
essays: 8.177
fables: 8.185
fairy tales: 8.185
folktales: 8.185
lectures (individual lectures, not lecture series): 8.87
magazine articles: 8.177
manuscripts: 8.188
newspaper articles: 8.177
nursery rhymes: 8.185
podcast episodes or one-time programs (not continuing series): 8.189
online versions of any of these; add the URL if helpful
poems (short versus epic/long): 8.181
presentations
prom themes
radio episodes or one-time programs (not continuing series): 8.189
short musical compositions: 8.194
short poems (vs. epic/long poems): 8.181
short stories: 8.177
songs: 8.194
speeches: 8.87
television episodes or one-time programs (not continuing series): 8.189
theses: 8.188
unpublished works: 8.188
YouTube videos
websites' titled sections, pages, special features: 8.191
use roman type, most likely capitalized, with no quotation marks, for these titles
artworks of antiquity: 8.198
awards (middle initials are acceptable if they’re named after people): 8.83
book series and editions: 8.176
campaigns
catalogs
classes: 8.86
conferences
courses: 8.86
exhibitions and large-scale fairs (versus art exhibits): 8.201
film series (an event series, not the films themselves)
forms: 8.187
forums
games (board, card, children’s, active are typically lowercase; brand-named are uppercase): 8.190
large-scale fairs and exhibitions (versus art exhibits): 8.201
lecture series (not individual lectures): 8.87
magazine columns and departments: 8.177
newspaper columns and departments: 8.177
online versions of any of these; add the URL if helpful
panel discussions
prizes (middle initials are acceptable if they’re named after people): 8.83
seminar-type programs
symposia
websites: 8.191
workshops
works of antiquity: 8.198
On Wisconsin and Badger Insider magazines
On Wisconsin magazine
Badger Insider magazine
department titles are roman, with no quotation marks
feature article titles are roman, with quotation marks
toll-free
use the hyphen when it precedes a noun; no hyphen when it follows the noun; consider deleting it entirely because so many people now use cell phones
Use an en dash rather than a hyphen between University of Wisconsin and Madison. Spell out on first reference in external publications or publications that will be read widely off campus. UW–Madison (with an en dash, not a hyphen) is acceptable in external publications and in all internal communication for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Do not use the with UW–Madison (research at UW–Madison).
Also acceptable on second reference are the UW and the university (when the context is clearly UW–Madison). To prevent confusion with other UW System units, however, use theUW as a substitute for UW–Madison only when the context is clearly UW–Madison or the entity is officially named UW instead of University of Wisconsin–Madison, (UW Hospital and Clinics, UW Credit Union, UW Law School). Capitalize The only as a formal title in a formal reference, such as in the headline of a program; generally, though, lowercase the.
UW is acceptable when referring to athletics teams or departments that do not use UW–Madison as part of their official names (UW Health, UW Carbone Cancer Center); or as an abbreviated reference to the University of Wisconsin System as a whole (UW budget, students enrolled at UW institutions).
See also CMS 6.81.
but campuswide, citywide, countywide, nationwide, statewide, systemwide, worldwide
URL
stands for Uniform Resource Locator, an internet address style for addresses: e.g, http://www.wisc.edu/pubs/ug/index.html, though typically shortened to, e.g., wisc.edu/pubs/ug/index.html; see also website (URL) addresses
Effective July 2018, the 13 two-year campuses formerly known as UW Colleges joined seven of UW System’s four-year research institutions as branch campuses.
the official name is the Wisconsin (not UW) Field House; do not capitalize the in the Field House or the Wisconsin Field House
UW Foundation (UWF)
use the Foundation (capitalized) or UWF (never the UWF) in subsequent references
UW Homecoming Parade
but Homecoming parade
UW Libraries
this umbrella title refers to all libraries on this campus
UW Marching Band, UW Varsity Band
the university’s best-known band is called the UW Marching Band in the fall (when it marches) and the UW Varsity Band in the spring (when it plays indoor concerts); use marching band on second reference when discussing the UW Marching Band
UW Showcase series
lowercase series
UW Spirit Squad
UW–Madison's squad comprises the dance team, cheerleaders, and Bucky Badger mascots; on second reference, use Spirit Squad or the squad; lowercase other schools' spirit squads
UW System
The UW System comprises 13 four-year-term universities, 13 UW Branch campuses, UW College Courses Online, and UW Extended campuses.
Use an en dash rather than a hyphen. Acceptable on second reference in external publications and in all internal communication for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Do not use the with UW–Madison: research at UW–Madison. To prevent confusion with other UW System units, do not use the UW as a substitute for UW–Madison, except when the context is clearly UW–Madison or the entity is officially named University of Wisconsin rather than University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW Hospital and Clinics, UW Credit Union). See also CMS 6.39 and 6.81 and University of Wisconsin, the; and UW, the.
UW–Madison Division of Extension
Extension offers credit and noncredit educational opportunities throughout the state
1848 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53726-4090; 608-263-4545 or 800-443-6162; uwf@supportuw.org; supportuw.org; staff emails are formatted in all lowercase with a period between the first and last names (bucky.badger@supportuw.org)
Van Hise Society, the (VHS)
for major donors to the UW; use society on second reference; do not capitalize the when calling it the Van Hise Society
Varjian, Leon
the late student-government leader who was the vice president of the Pail and Shovel Party, which was responsible for the plastic flamingos on Bascom Hill in fall 1979 and the Statue of Liberty on the lake later, among other pranks
vehicles
see CMS 8.116–8.117 for a discussion of the names of ships, submarines, aircraft, trains, space programs, and the class, make, and model of cars
versus, vs.
write out in text, but in sports-related marketing, the abbreviation vs. is acceptable; see also court cases
veterinary school
its full name, the School of Veterinary Medicine, is preferred, but in cases when it’s shortened, use veterinary school, not vet school
Do not use the before it; see also Wisconsin Alumni Association® (WAA). WAA’s merger with the UW Foundation was effective on July 1, 2014. The blended organization is now called the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA). WAA and UWF also maintain their separate brand identities.
WAA Travel
the name of the WAA department, but alumni travel is acceptable in generic references; its toll-free phone number is 888-WIS-ALUM (947-2586); when space and time allow, include both versions of the phone number
WAA’s Alumni Advisory Council
also called Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Alumni Advisory Council
WAA’s contact information
650 N. Lake Street, Madison, WI 53706-1476; use the zip + 4 on all references; 608-262-2551; 888-WIS-ALUM (947-2586); including the letters in the 888 phone number is helpful when viewers/listeners don’t have much time to study the number; when space and time allow, include both versions; waa@uwalumni.com; uwalumni.com; staff emails are formatted in all lowercase with a period between the first and last names (bucky.badger@supportuw.org)
Ward, David
former UW chancellor who returned as interim (or “encore”) chancellor; degree years are MS’62, PhD’63; do not confuse him with David J. Ward '65, MBA '67, PhD '72, a former senior vice president of academic affairs for the UW System; see also Ward, Judith
Ward, Judith
the spouse of the former chancellor is Judith Freifeld Ward ’64, a former executive associate director of UW–Madison’s Waisman Center; do not confuse her with Judith Hart Ward ’66, MS’67, the spouse of David J. Ward ’65, MBA’67, PhD’72; he is a former senior vice president of academic affairs for the UW System; see also Ward, David
Washington, DC
use a comma; no periods with DC; in usages such as the WAA: Washington, DC, Chapter, include a comma after the DC as well
web terms
website, the web, the World Wide Web, web page, web feed, webcam, webcast, webmaster
website (URL) addresses
test every site before publishing it; use the shortest version that works; use roman type without brackets; put a period at the end if it falls at the end of a sentence; delete the http:// and www portions of the address; do not hyphenate a word within a web address unless it actually has a hyphen; if necessary, break it after a slash or period that is part of the address; do not insert any characters or punctuation; see CMS 7.46
former UW–Madison chancellor; his degree years are MS’65, PhD’68; he prefers to use his middle initial
will-call
hyphenate as a noun or adjective; use with window when possible
winter
lowercase winter break, winter 1983
WISCIENCE
Acronym for Wisconsin Institute for Science Education and Community Engagement
Wisconsin Alumni Association's Alumni Advisory Council
also WAA's Alumni Advisory Council
Wisconsin Alumni Association® (WAA)
WAA (never the WAA) is preferred on second reference, but the association is acceptable
Usage of the registered mark:
use ® only when the full name is written out, only once, and on the first reference (or first “convenient” reference)
punctuation follows the ®
do not use it in running text in On Wisconsin, Badger Insider, the Flamingle, articles submitted for publication elsewhere, the body of press releases, mailing addresses, envelopes, or letterhead
do use it in the mastheads of On Wisconsin, Badger Insider, and the Flamingle; the contact listing and final About WAA paragraphs in press releases; the masthead and last paragraph of newsletters; ads and other promotional materials
if a marketing vehicle has several pieces, use the ® on the first reference in each piece
do not use superscript online or with emails, but generally superscript is preferred if it’s readable
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)
initial caps
Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB)
a student group founded in 1980 that is affiliated with WAA and functions as an ambassador to the student community.
Wisconsin Experience
initial caps; the idea that, together, members of the campus community create and apply learning inside and outside the classroom to make the world a better place.
Wisconsin Field House
the official name is the Wisconsin (not UW) Field House; do not capitalize the in the Field House or the Wisconsin Field House.
Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)
the logo uses an ampersand, but use and in running text; WFAA (never the WFAA) is acceptable on second reference. WAA’s merger with the UW Foundation was effective July 1, 2014. The blended organization is now called the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA). Both WAA and UWF also maintain their separate brand identities to external alumni and donor audiences
Wisconsin Hoofers, the
UW–Madison's outdoor-activities club; also called simply Hoofers or the Hoofers
Wisconsin Idea
This refers to former UW president Charles Van Hise’s declaration that “I shall never be content until the beneficent influence of the University reaches every home [some sources say family] in the state”; that is, he wanted the work of the university to extend to the boundaries of the state and beyond. Today this is viewed as global reach and influence. Lowercase the in the Wisconsin Idea. There is some debate as to when Van Hise made this declaration: some sources say 1904; others say 1905. Cite a date at your own risk.
Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery
The legal name of the building at 330 N. Orchard Street; it houses the private Morgridge Institute for Research (MIR), the public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID), and programming staff of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF); to avoid confusion between the building (Institutes) and one of the research entities (Institute), the building is informally called the Discovery Building.
Wisconsin State Journal
no The in the title
Wisconsin Union
This refers to the organization that manages Memorial Union, Union South, and Union activities. Use Memorial Union or Union South to refer to the physical buildings. The Wisconsin Union (organization) prefers that people use Union only when referring to activities sponsored by the Wisconsin Union — not to specific locations — but students and alumni often use Union to refer to Memorial Union. The Wisconsin Union is a private entity that’s separate from UW–Madison, so do not use UW–Madison Union or UW Union.
Wisconsin Union Theater
also known as the Union Theater; it is not the Memorial Union Theater
