Editorial Style Guide

George Mason University defaults to several standard sources for our editorial style:

• The Chicago Manual of Style (to access, you must be logged into George Mason’s VPN or using a computer on a George Mason campus)
• Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
• The Associated Press Stylebook (available in print editions only) Primarily used only by George Mason’s Strategic Communications unit

A

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  abbreviations

  • Avoid in running text (Professor Robert Smith, not Prof. Robert Smith).
  • Exceptions:
    • U.S. is acceptable as an adjective but use United States for the noun. (Hillary Clinton was a U.S. senator. George W. Bush lives in the United States.)
    • Abbreviations are acceptable as part of a formal name (A. G. Edwards, IBM).
  • See also acronyms, addresses, dates, Inc., names, and time.

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  academic departments—An academic department is a division of a university or school devoted to a particular academic discipline. 

  • Capitalize the formal and informal names of George Mason academic departments. 
    • Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences/Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences Department
    • School of Theater/Theater School
    • Department of English/English Department
  • Lowercase the department names of other universities.
    • He works in the chemistry department at James Madison University.

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  academic majors—Lowercase academic majors except when using proper nouns.

  • dance
  • Asia Pacific studies
  • English
  • applied computer science

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  academic programs

  • Capitalize the full formal names of programs.
    • Higher Education Program
    • Cultural Studies Program
    • Early Identification Program
  • Do not capitalize when writing about the program in descriptive terms.
    • teacher education program
    • interdisciplinary studies program

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  academic units/donor named units

  • On first reference, use the unit's full name, then on all subsequent references, use the school, the department, etc. 
  • Capitalize only when using the full and official name of the unit (i.e., College of Visual and Performing Arts). 
  • Never capitalize university, college, and department unless they are part of an official name or the first word of a sentence. 
  • Avoid using abbreviations unless necessary to prevent confusion (e.g., if multiple colleges are mentioned and "the college" will not suffice).
  • Several units on campus are named as part of a designated gift agreement. In general, use the official SCHEV-approved unit name on first reference. (Official names can be found in the University Catalog for most units.) On subsequent reference, an approved shorter version may be used if noted below.
    • Academic and named units (followed by approved abbreviation)
      • Antonin Scalia Law School (Scalia Law School)
      • College of Education and Human Development (CEHD)
      • College of Engineering and Computing (CEC)
      • College of Public Health (CPH)
      • College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS)
      • College of Science (COS)
      • College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)
      • Donald G. Costello College of Business (Costello College of Business; Costello)
      • Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution (Carter School)
      • Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong School of Computing (Nguyen and Duong School)
      • Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music (Dewberry Family School of Music)
      • Schar School of Policy and Government (Schar School)
      • Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering
      • Volgenau School of Engineering (Volgenau School)

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  academic years—Academic levels are not capitalized (senior, freshman, doctoral candidate). When referring to students in George Mason's Antonin Scalia Law School, use first year, second year, and third year.

  • Note: Freshman (not freshmen) is correct for use as a modifier (freshman class). See first year/freshman.

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  access/accessibility—Use language that emphasizes accessibility. For example, use accessible parking rather than handicapped parking (also accessible restrooms, accessible seating). See also disability. For enhanced guidance, refer to the inclusive language guide from George Mason's Disability Services.

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  acronyms

  • Do not use GMU when referring to the university; use George Mason University or George Mason.
  • Spell out title on first use with the acronym in parentheses directly after it. Acronyms may then be used on second and subsequent references. If the title is not repeated in document, do not include acronym with first use. Certain widely recognized acronyms are acceptable on first reference without spelling out the full name (GPA, CEO, SAT, NCAA, AIDS, HMO, NASA, FBI). Use in a headline is not considered a first use. Avoid use of acronyms in headlines.
  • These acronyms take no periods (TA, FDR, JFK, CUE, IBM, RSVP, TRW). Commonly used credentials that do not require a degree are used without periods (RN, LPN).
  • PhD, MA, BA, and BS do not require periods. See degrees, academic.

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  addresses, university

  • Do not use the four-digit extension on the Fairfax Campus zip code.
  • In running text, spell out North, South, East, and West before the street name (400 North Maple Drive). Also spell out Street, Avenue, Road, Drive, Boulevard, and the like.
  • In return addresses, state names should be abbreviated to suit two-letter U.S. Postal Service preferences. Otherwise, spell out the name of the state. See also states.
  • Use formal names of offices: Office of the Provost, not Provost's Office.
  • Spell out numbers in street names (25 Fifth Avenue).
  • Use "MS" before the unit's mail stop number, not "MSN."
  • George Mason addresses generally follow this order:
    • George Mason University
    • Name of department/school
    • Building name, suite/room number
    • Street address, MS #
    • City, Virginia Zip code
  • For units on the Fairfax Campus, use the following address:
    • George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
  • For units at Mason Square (formerly Arlington Campus), use the following addresses:
    • Van Metre Hall, George Mason University, 3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22201
    • Hazel Hall, George Mason University, 3301 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22201
    • Vernon Smith Hall, George Mason University, 3434 North Washington Blvd., Arlington, Virginia 22201
  • For units on the Science and Technology Campus, use the following address:
    • George Mason University, 10900 University Boulevard, Manassas, Virginia 20110

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  administrative

  • offices—When referring to George Mason offices, capitalize administrative offices, even when the complete title is not used. (Meet him in the Admissions Office at 10:30 a.m.) Use lowercase for office titles when referring to offices outside George Mason. (Virginia Tech's office of university relations).
  • titles—Do not abbreviate administrative titles. When listing administrative officers, follow the university's organizational chart. Capitalize when used before the name, but make lowercase when used alone or following the name. On second reference, use last name only. (Vice President Andre Marshall will attend the conference. Andre Marshall, vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact, enjoys attending George Mason basketball games. Marshall gave a lecture.)

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  admission/admissions—When referring to the various kinds of admission (freshman, transfer, readmission, provisional, nondegree, etc.) in a collective sense, use admissions. Admissions can also be used when referring to the fact that many students are admitted (e.g., the admissions of thousands vs. the admission of one student). Use admission to refer to a single type of admission (freshman admission, transfer admission). Use an s for admissions counselor and Office of Admissions.

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  advisor—Use advisor, not adviser.

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  affirmative action statement—"George Mason University is an equal opportunity employer that encourages diversity."

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  age—Do not include a person's age unless relevant to the story. Use numerals when it comes to specific ages; when referring to decades, spell them out. (He is 5 years old. But: He started running in his fifties.) For ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun, use hyphens. (A 28-year-old man. The 28-year-old was running. But: The man is 28 years old.)

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  alma mater—When referring to the college one attended, alma mater is lowercase; when referring to the official song of the institution, Alma Mater is uppercase and italicized.

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  alum, alumni—Use alum as the preferred gender-neutral term for a graduate and alumni as the preferred gender-neutral term for a group of graduates.

  • For the treatment of alumni names and degrees in text, please identify them on first reference when possible: Lionel Forrest, BA English '96, MEd Counseling and Development '05, Johanna Luke, PhD Environmental Science and Public Policy '12
  • For degrees such as MPA, JD, and MSN that have their major as part of the name (Public Administration, Nursing) we normally leave as is: Roberta Reese, MPA '05
  • If an individual has several degrees within the same discipline, list the major on the first instance only: Jatinder Kaur, BA History '01, MA '09, PhD '18
  • If an individual has a double major, list the degree as usual and use a semicolon to separate the majors: Sam Spade, BA Area Studies; Foreign Languages '85
  • If an individual has earned a certificate and would also like to list it, use the abbreviations CERB and CERG for undergraduate certificates and graduate certificates, respectively. List the discipline and year in which the certificate was earned in the same manner as with degrees: CERG Forensic Accounting '20

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  a.m., p.m.—See time.

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  ampersand—Do not use an ampersand (&) unless as part of an official title or trademark. The symbol can be used in graphic elements, tables, graphs, and social media posts when necessary for space or design reasons. No George Mason department, office, or academic unit is to use the ampersand in its name.

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  area codes—See telephone numbers.

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  athlete—A George Mason athlete is a student-athlete, with a hyphen.

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  athletics—The department is formally referred to as Intercollegiate Athletics without mentioning the word department. For informal use, refer to the department as the Athletics Department or Department of Athletics. See also sports.

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  author—Use as a noun, not as a verb.

B

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  Board of Visitors—The Board of Visitors is an it, not a they. Board members are they. The same holds true for other titled groups. Use BOV to abbreviate Board of Visitors on second reference. When the word board is used alone, it is lowercase. (The board decided against it.)

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  book titles—See titles, publications.

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  brackets

  • Use brackets if an explanation or modification is inserted in a quotation. (Mr. Graham has resolutely ducked the issue, saying he won't play the game of rumor mongering, even though he has "learned from [his] mistakes.")
  • Brackets follow the same format as the copy contained within them. If the copy is italicized, the brackets will be italicized, and so forth.

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  buildings, names of academic/administrative buildings and other campus landmarks—Please refer to George Mason's campus maps for the preferred names of the majority of the university's buildings and landmarks. Current maps can be found at maps.gmu.edu. For buildings with more than one acceptable name, please refer to specific entries in this style guide.

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  buildings, rooms, suites, and spaces on campus—The suite or room and number follow the building name, separated with a comma (Merten Hall, Suite 2100). Alpha characters in the room number are capitalized. Never abbreviate the word room to rm (Buchanan Hall, Room D217).

C

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  campuses—Capitalize Fairfax Campus and Science and Technology Campus. Also capitalize campus after listing multiple campuses (Fairfax and Science and Technology Campuses). Never use main campus to refer to the Fairfax Campus. Use Science and Technology Campus in full upon first mention, but on subsequent references SciTech Campus is acceptable. The campus that was formerly known as the Arlington Campus is now Mason Square.

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  campuswide—Not campus-wide but university-wide. See Chicago Manual of Style 7.89.

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  capital vs. capitol—Capital refers to the city where the seat of government is located. (Alma visited the nation's capital.) Use lowercase. Capital can also be used as a financial term. (He needed to raise capital to start his business.) Capitol refers to the site of legislative activity. Capitalize U.S. Capitol and the Capitol when referring to the building in Washington. Follow the same practice in referring to state capitol buildings.

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  capitalization

  • As a general rule, capitalize sparingly. Lowercase is preferred in modern usage.
  • Lowercase the in front of all formal titles of organizations. (Scott attended the Ohio State University. He then went on to the School of Public Policy for his graduate degree.) See Chicago Manual of Style 8.68. You can consult CollegeSource Online for more information on official university names.
  • Lowercase the names of subject areas in text, unless the name is a proper noun, such as French. Academic majors, minors, concentrations, and certificates are not capitalized. (Mary was a double-major in English and sociology.) Capitalize a subject when used as the name of a specific course (Theories in Communication).
  • Lowercase university, college, and school unless they are used as part of a formal title. (The College of Visual and Performing Arts is an academic unit at George Mason. The college is one of 10 academic units.)
  • Lowercase academic degrees, except when using the abbreviations (A bachelor's degree, a bachelor of arts degree, BA).
  • If a title comes after a person's name, it is lowercase. If a title is used immediately before the person's name, it is uppercase (Amy Fowler, professor of environmental science and policy. But: Provost Mark Ginsberg, Professor Amy Fowler, or President Gregory Washington).
  • Lowercase descriptive adjectives that are not part of a recognized name. (The northern United States is quite cold in winter. But: George Mason is in Northern Virginia.)

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  capstone—Lowercase unless formal name, like Capstone Case Competition.

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  centers/institutes—Capitalize proper names (i.e., Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media). The center or the institute is acceptable on subsequent references if it is clear there is only one. For a full list, visit George Mason's web page on institutes and centers.

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  century—See historical terms.

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  chair—Use instead of chairman (chair of the English Department). Capitalize when part of the formal name (Northern Virginia Chair).

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  cities

  • Given George Mason's increasingly global community and audience, be as specific as possible with U.S. cities. On first reference, identify both the city and the associated state (Fairfax, Virginia; Portland, Oregon; Houston, Texas). An exception can be made for New York City. Cities that are commonly associated with a country do not need a country identification (e.g., London, Bangkok, Tokyo, Toronto). If there may be any doubt about the location of the city, adding country for clarity is the best practice.
  • Place a comma both after the city and state names in running text. (Fairfax, Virginia, is where Amaroo works.) Place a comma both after the city and country names in running text. (Cambridge, England, is Mariama's hometown.)

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  classes

  • First year, sophomore, junior, senior, entering class, sophomore class, and such are kept in lowercase. But: Class of 1995. See also first year/freshman
  • Note: The 2015 entering class is the Class of 2019. Entering class always refers to the year corresponding to the fall that the class matriculated. If the students' first school year was 2007–08, they were in the entering class of 2007. (The 2018 entering class had the highest average SAT score of any entering class in the previous 20 years. Nearly 25 percent of the Class of 2017 graduated with honors.)
  • For George Mason law students, use first, second, or third year.
  • People enrolled in a PhD program who are still completing coursework are generally referred to as doctoral students. People working on their dissertations are generally referred to as doctoral candidates.
  • When noting current students with a future graduation date, identify them only by their major (Dan Piper, current English student, not Dan Piper, Class of [future year])

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  co-

  • Do not hyphenate the prefix co. Example: coequal, costar. Only hyphenate when the next letter is an "o" or the word would be confusing if not hyphenated. Example: co-opt, co-worker. See Chicago Manual of Style 7.89 for a complete list.
  • Be careful when constructing verbs with the co– prefix: You may coedit and co-write, but you never coauthor, although you may be a coauthor. In addition, you cannot cosponsor something with someone. You sponsor something with someone; that makes you a cosponsor.

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  Colgan Hall—Charles J. Colgan Hall. Colgan Hall is preferred.

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  colons

  • A colon is commonly used to introduce a list, quotation, statement, or summary. (All those attending the meditation retreat should bring the following items: comfortable clothing, a blanket, pillows, and a journal.)
  • A colon should not be used after an incomplete sentence in running text. (All those attending the meditation retreat should bring comfortable clothing, a blanket, pillows, and a journal.) See also lists.

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  comma—Serial comma. Use a comma before and in a series (Red, white, and blue; not red, white and blue). Allowed exceptions to this rule are George Mason's Criminology, Law and Society Department and the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center.

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  commencement—Capitalize only when referring to George Mason's ceremony.

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  committee/task force—Full names of committees and task forces that are part of formal organizations should be capitalized. (The Institutional Biosafety Committee is an advisory committee dedicated to excellence in the science and practice of biological safety.) Use lowercase for shortened and informal versions of committee and task force names. (The committee on biosafety will meet Tuesday.)

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  commonwealth—Commonwealth is uppercase only when referring to the government of Virginia (the Commonwealth of Virginia). If used alone, lowercase commonwealth.

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  communication—George Mason's Department of Communication, not George Mason's Department of Communications

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  conferences, lecture series, symposia—Capitalize formal names (The Networked Economy Summit). Use quotation marks for the title of a conference but not for an annual conference ("The Call for New Thought." But: fifth annual AFCEA Conference). If the conference is being referred to informally, it should be lowercase. (He presented a paper at the annual conference of the Audubon Society.) Also, use quotation marks for titles of delivered papers or lectures, theses, dissertations, and published papers. For further guidance, see Chicago Manual of Style 8.70.

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  contact information—To avoid dating a publication, use a job title rather than a name in the contact information unless there's a compelling reason for using a name. (Contact the office manager.)

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  Core—Mason Core (the undergraduate general education course requirement) is capitalized.

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  corporations—Use the name used by the company, including abbreviations, ampersands, and capitalization rules. Abbreviations are acceptable (e.g., Co., Corp.) in notes, bibliographies, and lists. Inc. should be eliminated in running text but can be included when listing companies or corporations. No comma precedes Inc. Full company names should be kept when writing or editing Advancement pieces.

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  course titles—Capitalize the exact title of the course but not the subject (Course: 19th-Century American History. Subject: American history). Do not use quotation marks for course titles.

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  credentials, nonacademic—Do not use periods in abbreviations of credentials.

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  credential, abbreviation

  • Registered nurse, RN
  • Licensed practical nurse, LPN
  • Certified financial planner, CFP
  • Certified public accountant, CPA
  • Licensed social worker, LSW

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  credits—Use figures, even for numbers below 10. Use the term credits, not credit hours.

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  cum laude—"With distinction"; italicize and lowercase: cum laude

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    magna cum laude—"With high distinction"; italicize and lowercase: magna cum laude

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    summa cum laude—"With highest distinction"; italicize and lowercase: summa cum laude

D

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  dashes

  • People often confuse the en dash (–), the em dash (—), and the hyphen (-). Each one serves a specific purpose. See Chicago Manual of Style 6.78–6.92 for further information.
  • Do not use spaces around em or en dashes.

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  dates

  • In text, years are set apart from days and following text by commas. (July 4, 1976, was one of the happiest days of my life.)
  • Use an en dash (–) to show a range of dates (March 5–7) and, for a range of years, do not repeat the century (2001–02, not 2001–2002) except at the change of century (1988–2001).
  • Use the year with the month to avoid confusion. (His book will be published in October 2009.)
  • Do not use st, nd, rd, or th, even if dates are adjectives (March 1 event, not March 1st event).
  • Times come after days and dates (on Friday at 4 p.m.; on Monday, June 7, at noon).
  • Months are not abbreviated except where space is limited.
  • Use numerals for decades (1960s or the '60s).

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  days, months

  • Do not abbreviate days of the week or names of months unless space is limited. (The test was Monday, September 25.) For preferred abbreviations, see the Chicago Manual of Style 10.39–10.40.
  • Do not use a comma when only the month and year are used. (The book was published in September 1992.)

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  D.C., District of Columbia—Use Washington, D.C.

  • When the term appears in the middle of a sentence, use a comma after D.C. (The Washington, D.C., area conference starts Tuesday.)
  • Use Washington, D.C., the District of Columbia, or metropolitan Washington, D.C. Do not use Metro unless referring to the transportation system.
  • Washington metropolitan area is acceptable.

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  de Laski—Donald and Nancy de Laski were longtime supporters of George Mason. The Donald and Nancy de Laski Performing Arts Building is named after them. It is acceptable to use the de Laski Performing Arts Building upon first mention. Their daughter, Kathleen, uses no space: deLaski

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  Dean—Capitalize before a name even when preceded by a modifier. (Today, College of Engineering and Computing Dean Kenneth Ball was present.)

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  Dean's List—Capitalize.

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  degrees, academic

  • In abbreviated form, capitalize and do not use periods (BA, MS). Lowercase when using spelled-out version (bachelor of arts, master of science). The abbreviated plural forms do not require an apostrophe (BAs, PhDs).
  • The word degree should not follow an abbreviation. (She has a BA in English literature. She has a bachelor's degree in English literature.)
  • Do not capitalize bachelor of science, master of arts, and such. Likewise, do not capitalize the field (bachelor of arts in philosophy) unless it is a proper noun (bachelor of arts in English).
  • In narrative text, for people with PhDs, do not use PhD after the name or Dr. before it (this rule also applies to MDs). Avoid simply listing degrees, but rather detail an individual's achievements upon introduction as it is relevant.
  • Use an apostrophe in bachelor's degree and master's degree. When mentioning multiple degrees, add an s to degree. (Arpi holds two bachelor's degrees and two master's degrees.)

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  degrees—formal use, general use, abbreviated use

  • Bachelor of Arts, bachelor's degree, BA
  • Bachelor of Science, bachelor's degree, BS
  • Master of Arts, master's degree, MA
  • Master of Science, master's degree, MS
  • Doctor of Philosophy, doctoral degree, PhD
  • Bachelor of Individualized Study, BIS
  • Bachelor of Music, BM
  • Master of Music, MM
  • Master of Social Work, MSW
  • Master of Business Administration, MBA
  • Executive Master of Business Administration, EMBA
  • Master of Public Policy, MPP
  • Master of Public Administration, MPA
  • Bachelor of Science in Education, BSEd
  • Master of Education, MEd
  • Master of Science in Accounting, MSA
  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing, BSN
  • Master of Science in Nursing, MSN
  • Juris Doctor, JD
  • Juris Master, JM
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts, BFA
  • Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, MAIS
  • Master of Fine Arts, MFA
  • Master of Arts in Teaching, MAT
  • Doctor of Arts, DA
  • Doctor of Nursing Practice, DNP

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  departments, offices—Names of George Mason departments are capitalized when referred to as a particular department (the Department of English; Kyoko Okamoto, English). Names of disciplines alone are not capitalized when used for identification (philosophy courses, a biology professor, students majoring in history). Exceptions are languages (English, Spanish, Chinese). Names of specific George Mason offices are capitalized (Office of the University Registrar, Registrar's Office).

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  disability—Only refer to someone's disability if it is relevant. If you refer to a disability, be as specific and accurate as possible. When possible, ask the individual subject of the story what their preference is.

  • Use person-first language (person with a disability, person who has autism, he uses mobility aids) or identity-first language (disabled person [never the disabled], autistic person, mobility aids user) that honors individuals' preferences.
  • Avoid disability euphemisms (e.g., softening the blow) or language that could be considered condescending, such as differently abled, handi-capable, physically or mentally challenged, or special needs. Do not use handicapped.
  • Favor neutral language. Avoid terms such as afflicted with, stricken with, suffers from, confined to, or victim of when describing someone with a disability or condition.
  • For enhanced guidance, refer to the inclusive language guide from George Mason's Disability Services.

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  DMV—Do not use DMV as an acronym for the District, Maryland, and Virginia (I work in the DMV area). Instead, specify Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

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  dorm—Use residence hall or student housing instead of dorm.

E

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  Earth—Only capitalize when referring to the planet. The Earth is round. But: They dug up the earth around the building.

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  e.g.—Use in parentheses and tables, but not in text—use for example. Do not italicize. Include a comma (They completed all procedures [e.g., registering for classes, meeting with advisors]).

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  emeritus, emerita, emeriti—Follows professor and is capitalized (Professor Emeritus, Professors Emeriti, not emeritus professor, emeriti professors). The feminine form of the phrase is Professor Emerita (when in doubt, ask for the person's preference). Use emeriti for the plural.

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  ethnic and racial terms

  • Capitalize ethnic and racial categories. Do not assume a subject's ethnic or racial identities and only reference when relevant (Chicago Manual of Style 8.38)
  • Avoid using the term minority as a noun when referring to people who are not white (she is a minority, they are minorities). Use as an adjective when necessary (In this minority community…).
  • National-origin identifiers such as Chinese American, Japanese American, and Italian American are acceptable. Do not hyphenate, even when used as an adjective. (They opened an Italian American restaurant.) Exception: prefix Afro- in constructions such as Afro-Latina and Afro-Filipino.
  • Certain racial categories are sometimes used interchangeably, but this is not always appropriate. Ask your subject's preferred terminology for their identity. (Examples include African American or Black; Latino/Latina/Latine/Latinx or Hispanic; Indigenous or Native American; and others)
  • Using a subject's or community's specific identities is preferred to umbrella categories such as people of color and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).

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  events—George Mason-specific events such as Commencement, Gold Rush, and Homecoming are capitalized. (George Mason's Commencement ceremonies take place in May and December.) 

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  exclamation point—Use sparingly. At the end of a sentence, never use more than one. (Graduation is right around the corner!)

F

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  faculty—Use faculty as a singular noun; use faculty members to denote individuals. (The faculty has grown 20 percent this year. Faculty members are voting on the motion tomorrow.)

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  Fairfax Campus—Not main campus.

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  fellowships and other awards—The formal reference is capitalized (Academy Award, ADVANCE Award, Fulbright Fellowship, MacArthur Fellowship, Pulitzer Prize), but informal references (Fulbright grant, Guggenheim fellow) are not. For a more complete list of awards, check Wikipedia's entry on awards.

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  first year/freshman—Where possible, use first-year student rather than freshman/freshmen to reflect George Mason's inclusive community and our broad spectrum of traditional and nontraditional students.

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  fractions—Spell out fractions in text and hyphenate them (one-half, two-thirds).

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  Freedom Aquatic & Fitness Center—Note the use of the ampersand. It can also be referred to as the Freedom Center upon subsequent mentions.

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  Fuse at Mason Square—The name of the new technology-forward building at Mason Square that will be used by George Mason faculty members, students, and community partners. In body copy, use the full phrase Fuse at Mason Square at first reference. Fuse is acceptable for subsequent mentions on the same page.

G

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  games/athletics—Use a hyphen when pairing the names of two competing schools (the George Mason-Old Dominion game).

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  gendered language

  • Use nonsexist language and remain gender neutral when referring to titles and occupations (e.g., chair instead of chairman, humanity instead of mankind, esteemed audience in lieu of ladies and gentlemen, etc.).
  • Avoid awkward pronoun constructions such as his/her or s/he. If possible, restructure the sentence to omit the pronoun or create a plural subject. (When an individual advances, his/her self-esteem is greatly improved could be rephrased as When an individual advances, that person's self-esteem is greatly improved or When individuals advance, their self-esteem is greatly improved.)
  • Try to confirm a person's pronouns. If unknown, refer to the individual by name and use gender-neutral terminology. See also pronouns.
  • Refer to the LGBTQ+ Resources Center's guide and to George Mason's Center for Leadership and Intercultural Engagement for more guidelines.

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  general education—Use lowercase. Do not use gened or GenEd. When specifically referring to general education at George Mason, use Mason Core. See also Mason Core.

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  George Mason—To indicate the individual (rather than the university), consider using the following phrasing or equivalent: George Mason, the man, was born in... or George Mason, the university's namesake, is known for... See also GMU.

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  GMU—Never use GMU. Use George Mason if you are not using the university's full name.

  • In formal documents, use George Mason University on first reference, and use George Mason in all subsequent references.
  • George Mason University is used to formally reference the university in external materials, including publications, press releases, invitations, messages from the president, and departmental publications.
  • While George Mason University is preferred, George Mason can be used in publications for and about students, athletics, and less formal publications.

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  government agency names—Given the global nature of our community and audience, be as specific as possible. On first reference, always include the full name of the government agency followed by the acronym in parenthesis. Acronyms may be used in headlines. Always include "U.S." with any agency that includes that in their official title (U.S. Army, U.S. Department of Agriculture).

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  grades, GPA—Do not put grades in quotation marks. Do not use an apostrophe for plurals (Bs, not B's) unless it would be confusing without (thus A's, not As). In such cases, it would be preferable to reword: a straight-A student. Use GPA, not grade point average.

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  graduation years—Jeff Wood, BS Finance '03

H

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  Harris Theatre—Holbert L. Harris Theatre. Harris Theatre is preferred.

• ---

  headlines—Every word is capitalized except articles (a, an, the), coordinate conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor), prepositions, and the to in infinitives. Note that the last word of a title is always capitalized. For news stories, capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.

• ---

  health care—Two words. Do not hyphenate, even as an adjective.

• ---

  Homecoming—Capitalize when referring to George Mason's event.

• ---

  honey bee—Two words when referring to George Mason's Honey Bee Initiative.

• ---

  honorary degree

  • Lowercase in informal references. (She received an honorary degree for her humanitarian work in Africa.)
  • Capitalize official honorary degrees. (Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Honorary Doctor of Laws, Honorary Doctor of Science. The Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters will be awarded to Governor Timothy Kaine.)

• ---

  honors—Capitalize when using the formal name of the university program (Honors College, George Mason University Psychology Honors Program). Lowercase in informal use (honors courses, honors program, honors student). The latter case differentiates between students from the Honors College and students who are in the honors track within their degrees or majors.

• ---

  Hub—The Hub (not HUB).

• ---

  Hylton Performing Arts Center—It can also be referred to as the Hylton Center in subsequent mentions.

I

• ---

  ID—When referring to a student ID, capitalize and do not use periods.

• ---

  inclusive language—To fulfill George Mason standards of inclusive excellence and serve our diverse community, avoid racist, sexist, ableist, or otherwise biased language. Only reference story subjects' identities when relevant and with consent. See also gendered language, pronouns, disability, and access/accessibility for more specific guidelines. For enhanced guidance, refer to the inclusive language guide from George Mason's Disability Services and George Mason's Center for Leadership and Intercultural Engagement.

• ---

  initials—George Mason's style does not use middle initials for individuals unless it is necessary to avoid confusion (John L. Jones) or unless the publication is formal. Be consistent from person to person in use of the middle initial. Two initials should be separated by a space (C. S. Lewis).

• ---

  institutes—See centers/institutes.

• ---

  interim—Lowercase in all instances. In academia, an interim job title refers to a position to which a person is appointed between the time the incumbent steps down and a new person fills that position permanently. (The interim dean of music begins Monday.)

• ---

  invitations—If the invitation is to a Mathy House event, the invitation should read "Gregory and Nicole Washington cordially invite you to…." Since the event is at their house, they are the official hosts. If the event is on campus or at a location other than Mathy House, the invitation should read, "Please join Gregory and Nicole Washington at …." This is preferred because in this case, although President Washington is not the event sponsor, this wording still lets people know that he will be there and hosting in his capacity as president.

• ---

  italics—Using italics for emphasis in text should be avoided as much as possible. Follow Chicago guidelines for italicizing titles and other works.

J

• ---

  Johnson Center, Katherine Johnson Hall—Johnson Center refers to the George W. Johnson Center in the middle of the Fairfax Campus. The Johnson Center is acceptable on first mention and can be subsequently abbreviated to the JC in communications for internal audiences. Katherine G. Johnson Hall is on the Science and Technology Campus. The preferred name of this building is Katherine Johnson Hall (rather than Johnson Hall) to avoid confusion with Johnson Center.

• ---

  Jr., Sr., III in names—See names.

• ---

  junior—Do not capitalize and do not refer to as third-year student.

K

L

• ---

  lecture titles—Put quotation marks around the formal title of lectures.

• ---

  libraries—Capitalize George Mason University Libraries, University Libraries, Mason Square Library, Fenwick Library, and Mercer Library, but not the libraries. (University Libraries recently acquired a new collection. Visit the libraries on Wednesday for more information.)

• ---

  lists

  • Do not use a colon after a verb or a preposition introducing a list in running text. (The list includes Ines, Julie, and Ming. Not: The list includes: Ines, Julie, and Ming.) If the sentence precedes a bulleted list, using a colon is acceptable even if the bulleted list is not preceded by a full sentence.
  • Maintain parallel construction in listed items. (Use either phrases or complete sentences throughout the list when possible.)
  • In vertical lists, use a period after each item if one or more is a complete sentence. In that case, the first words should be capitalized. Otherwise, capitalization of the first words depends on the context. If none of the items is a complete sentence, use no punctuation at the end of each item.
  • Avoid numbering unless there will be a reference to the numbers in later text. If you must number a list in running text, place numbers (without periods) in parentheses. Exception: use numbers in a list format if writing out instructions.

M

• ---

  Mason—Use George Mason University on first reference, and use George Mason in all subsequent references. See also GMU.

• ---

  Mason Core—The undergraduate general education course requirements at George Mason.

• ---

  Mason Korea—George Mason University Korea, known generally as Mason Korea, is located on the Incheon Global Campus, in Songdo, Korea. The word campus is not included as part of the name Mason Korea.

• ---

  Mason Square—The name for the campus formerly known as the Arlington Campus. While the location is a campus, the word campus should never be included as part of the name Mason Square (Mason Square can be easily accessed by Metrorail).

• ---

  Mason Square Plaza—The space in front of Van Metre Hall and Hazel Hall formerly known as Founders Plaza. Preferred George Mason style is to lowercase plaza when used on its own. (Many Mason Square events are held on the plaza throughout the year.)

• ---

  Merten Hall—Alan and Sally Merten Hall. Merten Hall is acceptable on first mention.

• ---

  Metro—Capitalize when referring to the transportation system.

• ---

  metropolitan area—Do not use. Use Washington, D.C., the District of Columbia, or metropolitan Washington, D.C. Do not use Metro unless referring to the transportation system.

• ---

  MIX—Mason Innovation Exchange. Use all capital letters, since it is an acronym.

• ---

  months, days—Do not abbreviate days of the week or names of months unless space is limited. (The test was Monday, September 25.) Do not use a comma when only the month and year are used. (The book was published in September 1992. The conference will be in November.)

• ---

  more than, over—Use more than when referring to numbers. (The Advancement Office raised more than $200,000.) Use over when referring to spatial relationships. (The cow jumped over the moon.)

N

• ---

  names—No comma before Jr. or Sr. or III. Space between initials (T. S. Eliot). See also professional titles. Middle initials are not used unless the piece involves two individuals whose names cannot be otherwise distinguished.

• ---

  National Institutes of Health—Remember to add an s to Institute.

• ---

  Nguyen Engineering Building—Long and Kimmy Nguyen Engineering Building. Nguyen Engineering Building is acceptable on first mention.

• ---

  non-English words—Use italics for non-English words unless they are listed in the dictionary (e.g., al dente, faux pas, per diem).

• ---

  nontraditional students—See post-traditional students.

• ---

  Northern Virginia—Capitalize as a recognized name. See also capitalization.

• ---

  numbers

  • One through nine are spelled out; 10 and above in numerals. If a series of numbers contains a number that would normally be used as a numeral, all numbers in that series should also be numerals, even if they normally would be spelled out. (She lost 7 of her 10 nickels, leaving her with 3.) In a more technical matter, a numeral may be used with units of measure (5 cm; 6").
  • First through ninth are spelled out; thereafter, 10th, 11th, and so on.
  • Use two letters with 22nd, 23rd, and so forth.
  • Use numerals with percent (7 percent), dollar sign ($3), temperature (8 degrees), scores (7-3), page (page 2), room (room 9), and chapter (chapter 6).
  • Numbers beginning a sentence are always spelled out.
  • For figures greater than 999,999, use million or billion. Use figures before million, billion, etc. (2.3 million, 4 billion). 
  • Use a comma in a figure greater than 1,000, unless it's a year.
  • Dashes should not be used as a substitute for "to" in a range of time (from 1967 to 1983, not from 1967–83).
  • Note there is a space between the number and the measurement (10 cm), and there is no period after a measurement abbreviation.
  • Use numbers for credit hours (At least 9 credits are required). See credits.
  • Abbreviate for rankings lists (No. 5). 
  • Ordinal numbers should be used when denoting centuries (18th century) or expressed in numerals (1700s). Do not spell out centuries over the ninth century; use figures (20th century). Hyphenate as a modifier (20th-century archives).

O

• ---

  off campus, off-campus—No hyphen required if it doesn't immediately precede a noun. (The administration will attend a conference off campus.) Hyphenate when it immediately precedes a noun. (The sophomore refused to live in off-campus housing.)

• ---

  offices—Capitalize formal and informal names (Office of the Provost, Provost's Office).

• ---

  on campus, on-campus—No hyphen required if it doesn't immediately precede a noun. (The Dalai Lama's lecture will be held on campus.) Hyphenate when it immediately precedes a noun. (Any on-campus event needs to be approved by administration officials.)

• ---

  over, less than, under—When referring to a lesser number of things or people, use fewer rather than less or under. (Fewer than a dozen people made it to the movie last night.) Similarly, when referring to a greater number of things or people, use more than rather than over. (More than 10 classes were canceled.)

P

• ---

  passive voice—In most instances, George Mason style is to write in an active voice rather than the passive voice. For example, Students discovered graffiti on the campus grounds is preferable to Graffiti was discovered on the campus grounds by students. There are instances where the passive voice is preferable to the active voice. Passive voice is acceptable when the agent executing the action is obvious, insignificant, or unknown or when a writer wishes to delay identifying the agent until the last part of the sentence or to avoid identifying the agent altogether. (The wall was vandalized in the middle of the night.) It is also effective when the acting agent does not want to claim responsibility for the action. (New regulations were passed last week, so employees must act accordingly and complete their salary reduction forms.) The passive voice is effective in such circumstances because it highlights the action and what is acted upon rather than the agent executing the action.

• ---

  Patriots Day—No apostrophe.

• ---

  Patriot's Lounge—Apostrophe, capitalized.

• ---

  peacebuilding—One word.

• ---

  Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall—Use the full name on first mention. Peterson Hall is acceptable upon subsequent mentions.

• ---

  photo captions—For details on how to format locators for people in photos (from left, left to right, etc.), refer to the Chicago Manual of Style 3.24.

• ---

  photo credits

  • For photos used internally, photos should always be credited to the photographer. Use the following format: Photo by First Name Last Name (Photo by Ron Aira, Photo by Evan Cantwell).
  • If you do not have the name of the photographer, use the agency or affiliated office that the photo came from (Photo by Creative Services, Photo by University Life)
  • For photos provided to an external partner, the credit should always be Photo by George Mason University

• ---

  PK-12—Not pre K-12.

• ---

  police—Department of Police and Public Safety, not University Police (except on Science and Technology Campus).

• ---

  post-traditional students—The recommended term for nontraditional students, or students who (according to the American Council on Education) frequently must balance various life responsibilities, work, and their education. These students are typically ages 25 and older, care for dependents, work full-time jobs while enrolled, and often have military experience. George Mason's Contemporary Student Services recommends referring to this population as post-traditional students.

• ---

  president—On first reference, use President Gregory Washington; on subsequent references, Washington or the president. When the title is serving the function of a description, it is lowercase. (He gave the letter to university president Gregory Washington.) See also administrative, capitalization.

• ---

  Presidents Park—Not President's Park.

• ---

  principal investigator—Lowercase and do not refer to as PI on first reference. Also note the spelling of principal.

• ---

  professor, professorship—The three standard academic ranks are assistant professor, associate professor, and professor (sometimes called full professor).

  • A named professorship is called a chair. It is often, but not always, created by and named for the donor of the funds setting up the endowment that supports it. Capitalize the titles of named professorships (Robinson Professor of Earth Sciences, the Drucie French Cumbie Chair); lowercase regular professorial positions (an assistant professor of modern languages). Note that Distinguished Visiting Professor is considered a named professorship and should therefore be capitalized.
  • Note that there may be people teaching who are not professors of any kind. Check to see whether they are an adjunct, instructor, or lecturer.
  • If someone is a visiting professor, they need to be referred to as such.
  • Distinguished University Professor, which is the highest-ranking professorship, is capitalized, even when not used before a name.
  • Before a name, capitalize: Professor Joan Smith (see administrative).

• ---

  pronouns, singular they

  • Because a person's pronouns do not always correlate to a person's gender expression, ask which pronouns they use.
  • If an individual uses they/them/theirs, use the singular they when it is clear the pronoun references the person (Caitlin teaches English at George Mason. They prefer teaching technical writing to introductory composition.) Alternatively, refer to the subject by their name.
  • If a person uses multiple pronouns, such as she/they or they/he, it is respectful to interchange all pronouns. If interchanging pronouns could disrupt understanding, use one of their pronouns and their name to refer to them.
  • Refer to the LGBTQ+ Resources Center's guide for more guidelines.

• ---

  publication titles

  • Italicize titles of books, magazines, newspapers, films, plays, albums, musical compositions, and works of art.
  • Titles of articles, lectures, and research projects are enclosed in quotation marks.
  • The Bible, Qur'an, and Torah are not italicized and not enclosed in quotation marks.
  • When a book title appears as part of the title of a paper, enclose the paper in quotation marks and use italics for the book title.
  • For the possessive form of a title, the 's is not italicized. Example: U.S. News & World Report's ranking.
  • When someone is writing a book, place the title in quotation marks. When the book is published, italicize the title.

Q

• ---

  quad—Capitalized as Quad when referring to the area between Fenwick Library and SUB I.

• ---

  quotation marks

  • Commas and periods are kept within end quotation marks—whether single or double; other punctuation remains outside them unless part of the quotation.
  • Quoted words, phrases, and sentences that run into the text are enclosed in double quotation marks. Single quotation marks enclose quotations within quotations; double marks, quotations within these; and so on. ("Don't be absurd!" said Henry. "To say that 'I mean what I say' is the same as 'I say what I mean' is to be as confused as Alice at the Mad Hatter's tea party. You remember what the Hatter said to her: 'Not the same thing a bit! Why you might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!'") See Chicago Manual of Style 13.30, 6.114–115.

R

• ---

  Research 1—George Mason University is designated as a doctoral-granting institution with very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Research 1 and Tier 1 are both acceptable on the first reference (e.g., George Mason is one of 146 universities in the country designated as a Tier 1 research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education). R1 may be used as an abbreviation on the second reference.

• ---

  residence hall—Not dorm or dormitory.

• ---

  resident advisor, RA—Spell out resident advisor on first reference; use RA thereafter. No periods in RA. No apostrophe in the plural (RAs).

• ---

  Residential Learning Communities—Communities organized by Housing and Residence Life that are located in specific buildings or on floors of residence halls for first-year students who share a common academic pursuit, identity, or interest. Often abbreviated as RLC on subsequent uses.

• ---

  room—Capitalize as part of a building address; also capitalize alpha characters that are part of the room number (Merten Hall, Room 1203).

S

• ---

  sabbatical—A sabbatical is a break from routine employment obligations. Do not use the expression sabbatical leave because it is redundant.

• ---

  school and college names and abbreviations—See academic units. Capitalize individual colleges (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the college; Scalia Law School, the law school).

• ---

  scientific names—The scientific names for animals and plants are composed of two words, the genus and the species. The domestic dog, for example, is Canis familiaris. The genus is always capitalized. The species is always lowercase. Both words are italicized. See Chicago Manual of Style 8.120 for further guidance.

• ---

  Science and Technology Campus—Use Science and Technology Campus in full upon first mention, but on subsequent references SciTech Campus is acceptable.

• ---

  seasons—Names of seasons are lowercase, even when referring to a specific academic semester (winter, spring, summer, fall, fall semester, spring semester). If adding the year, say "fall 2005"—not "fall of 2005." Note: summer term is lowercase.

• ---

  semester—No caps. George Mason has two semesters: a fall semester and spring semester. But George Mason has a summer term composed of sessions (session A, session B, etc.)

• ---

  semicolon—When items in a series involve internal punctuation, they should be separated by semicolons. (They will honor Mian M. Saeed, Professor Emeritus; Yakir Aharonov, Distinguished University Professor of Theoretical Physics; and Charlene Douglas, associate professor of nursing.)

• ---

  senior—Do not capitalize; do not use the term fourth-year student.

• ---

  slashes—Avoid when possible; use and instead. For example, faculty/staff should be written as faculty and staff.

• ---

  sophomore—Do not capitalize and do not refer to as second-year student.

• ---

  spacing—Use single spaces after most punctuation, including periods and colons. Do not use spaces before or after hyphens, en dashes, or em dashes. In a list, do not use a double line space between the introductory phrase and the first item of the list.

• ---

  special-needs (adj.)—Use only when a part of an organization or program name. See disability.

• ---

  sports, sports teams—In body text, do not capitalize the names of George Mason's sports teams when referring to the group of student-athletes competing in the sport (the women's rowing team, the men's baseball team). If referring to the sport's functional unit that includes student-athletes, coaches, and administrative staff, use Program rather than team and capitalize in headline style (the Women's Basketball Program, the Men's Track and Field Program). This whole unit is treated in the same manner as an academic department.

• ---

  St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel—Catholic church on Fairfax Campus.

• ---

  staff—Use staff as a singular noun; use staff members to denote individuals. (The staff gets larger every year. Many staff members like to telecommute.) See also faculty.

• ---

  states

  • Do not abbreviate state names in running text. Exceptions may be made when states appear with city names in class notes, tabular material, and mailing addresses (use U.S. Postal Service codes).
  • A comma always follows the state name in text, except at the end of a sentence.
  • Use commas before and after state names when they appear with cities in text. Correct: Fairfax, Virginia, is southwest of Washington, D.C. Incorrect: Fairfax, Virginia is southwest of Washington, D.C.
  • When the name of a lesser-known city appears in the name of a newspaper, include the state in parentheses after the city. The state is italicized as is the newspaper name [Aurora (Illinois) Beacon News]. Do the same for counties.

• ---

  student-athlete—Hyphenated.

• ---

  students—Identify students by department, major, or status. (A graduate student in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, a doctoral candidate in public policy.) A student's major is not capitalized.

• ---

  study abroad—Always two words when used as verb. When used as an adjective, hyphenate (study-abroad program).

• ---

  SUB I—Acronym for Student Union Building I. Note the use of the Roman numeral.

• ---

  subject-verb agreement—Many nouns (including staff, faculty, committee, board, team, class, public, and group) can be both singular and plural. Deciding on a singular or plural verb depends on whether the intent is to refer to the group as a whole or to the members of the group. For clarity, it helps to add members of. (Many members of the George Mason faculty are world-renowned scholars. The staff at George Mason is top notch.)

• ---

  symbols

  • In text, spell out percent. In tables, % may be used, but not in a header. 
  • In text, spell out degrees (temperature), feet, inches, and cents. In tables, the symbols for these words ( °, ',", ¢) may be used, but not in a header. 
  • In text, spell out cents. In tables, the symbol ¢ may be used but not in a header. Amounts greater than 99 cents should be in numerals and preceded by a dollar sign ($4). 

T

• ---

  task force—Two words.

• ---

  telephone numbers—Use hyphens between the numbers and not periods or parentheses (703-993-9000 or 800-555-2700).

• ---

  test names

  • Abbreviate without periods (SAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, TOEFL, IELTS).
  • If a test is widely recognized, do not spell out first occurrence in text.
  • Be sure to avoid redundant language. For example, TOEFL is the acronym for the Test of English as a Foreign Language; to refer to it as the TOEFL exam would be redundant. (Odval took the TOEFL and exceeded her expectations.)

• ---

  theater—Always use the American spelling (theater) unless the British spelling (theatre) is used in a proper noun (Harris Theatre).

• ---

  Tier 1—See Research 1.

• ---

  time

  • The time of day is written as simply as possible (4 p.m., 4 to 5 p.m.). Use noon and midnight, not 12 noon, 12 p.m., or 12 a.m.
  • Unless the context is a formal publication do not use :00 or o'clock. For formal invitations, use o'clock, not :00.
  • Lowercase a.m. and p.m., and use periods.
  • List time after dates. (Thursday, January 1, 2004, at 3 p.m.)
  • When writing out a time range beginning with from, use to (We will meet on July 20, from 5 to 7 p.m.). When a range is not introduced by from, use an en dash (July 20, 5–7 p.m.).
  • Use the time zone after p.m. or a.m. if necessary for clarity in narrative text or for events if invitees might be outside the U.S. East Coast time zone (i.e., use it for virtual events that may have attendees in any time zone). EDT is used in the months during Daylight Savings Time (March to November), and EST is used in the months after Daylight Savings Time has ended (November to March).

• ---

  titles (dissertations, theses)—Use initial caps and set in quotes. See also titles (professional), publication titles.

• ---

  titles (legal citations)—Italicize the case name and abbreviate versus with v. (Brown v. Board of Education.)

• ---

  titles (organizations)

  • Names of associations, organizations, conferences, meetings, and such follow the same guidelines used for corporations, except that the article the preceding a name is lowercase even when it is part of the formal title and the organization capitalizes it.
  • Use Company when a business uses the word as part of its formal name. Inc., Corp., and Ltd. are usually not needed but when used after the name of a corporate entity, they should be abbreviated, even at the first mention.
  • Such words as center, team, and conference that are part of an organization's name are lowercase when used alone. (New members of the Center for Social Complexity attended the event. The center aspires to contribute to the excellence, discovery, and invention in the international computational social science community.)
  • For further guidance, see Chicago Manual of Style, 8.62–8.70.

• ---

  titles (people)

  • Civil, professional, military, and religious titles appearing before a person's name are capitalized. (General Eisenhower, George Mason University President Gregory Washington). After or without a name, lowercase the title in running text (Linda M. Parsons, assistant professor of accounting; the president; the director). Exception: Titles may be capitalized in bylines following a name in invitations, event programs, and donor listings.
  • On second reference, use last name only. When listing administrative officers, follow the university's organizational chart and list officers in descending order based on titles.
  • Capitalize endowed professorships whether before or after a name (Deborah J. Goodings, the Dewberry Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering).
  • A person's title may be abbreviated if followed by their first and last names (Rev. Henry Brown). Do not abbreviate the title if only their surname is given (the Reverend Brown). Faculty members are referred to by full name without title (Laurie Ann Schintler, not Dr. Laurie Ann Schintler) in narrative text. Do not refer to faculty members and others holding doctoral degrees as Dr. or with the degree (PhD) following their name unless it is for an invitation, event program, donor listing, or other item when using such titles or credentials is appropriate.
  • For deans, capitalize when used before a name, lowercase in other references. (Dean Ann Ardis. Ann Ardis is a dean.) See also capitalization.
  • Dean of students—capitalize when used before a name, lowercase in other references. (Dean of Students Pam Patterson. Pam Patterson is the dean of students.)
  • Do not capitalize acting or former when used with a title. (The provost spoke with acting Dean Maria Rodriguez. The vice president introduced former George Mason President George Johnson.)
  • For further guidance, see Chicago Manual of Style, 8.19–8.33.

• ---

  titles (professional)

  • Governor is never abbreviated and is only capitalized when referring to the official title (former Governor Tim Kaine; Virginia Governor Ralph Northam; Governor Northam).
  • In general, in less formal text, avoid courtesy titles such as the Honorable.
  • Faculty members are generally listed with a title after their name. In more formal publications (commencement program, invitations, promotional programs), if we are promoting a professor from somewhere else, we can refer to them as they wish (PhD, etc.)
  • Titles appearing before the name are capitalized. If the title appears after or without the name, the title is lowercase. (Carl Botan, professor of communication.) See also capitalization.
  • On second reference, use last name only.

• ---

  trademarks

  • Trademarks must be capitalized. Some trademarks have become so common it is often overlooked that they are indeed trademarks. Some examples are Academy Award, Band-Aid, Breathalyzer, Dumpster, Frisbee, Heimlich Maneuver, Jacuzzi, Jell-O, Kleenex, Laundromat, Mace, Magic Marker, Muzak, Photostat, Rolex, Scotch Tape, Styrofoam, Wi-Fi, and Xerox.
  • Trademarks should be followed by the word it often replaces, when appropriate (Rolex watch). In some cases, it may be best to avoid using the trademark altogether and just use the generic term as long as it is easily understood. For a more complete listing of trademarks, visit the International Trademark Association's website.
  • Unless you are the company that holds the trademark, you do not need to use a trademark symbol. (®, ™)

U

• ---

  United States—Spell out United States when used as a noun. (The United States is a diverse nation.) Abbreviate as U.S. (periods, no spaces) when used as an adjective. (A basic course in U.S. history is being offered this semester.)

• ---

  universities (other)—Be respectful of how other universities prefer to write about themselves, rather than trying to apply our style guidelines to their official names. For a complete list of university names, you can consult CollegeSource Online.

• ---

  university—Always lowercase unless it is part of a proper noun (George Mason University, the university).

• ---

  university-wide—Not universitywide; but campuswide.

V

• ---

  verb tense—Present tense helps convey an active and timeless tone. Past tense is appropriate for news stories or for written pieces where the focus is an event that happened in the past ("This is a fantastic opportunity," the president said during last week's summit). Choose a tense that works best for the objective of the written piece, and stay consistent with that tense throughout. For example, stories in the alumni magazine Mason Spirit are written in present tense, whereas George stories are written in past tense.

W

• ---

  Washington, D.C.—Use the full name, not D.C. or the District. Use Metro only when referring to the Washington, D.C., area transportation system. Use comma before and after D.C. in a sentence. (He has lived in Washington, D.C., for 10 years.)

• ---

  web addresses

  • For web content: Do not use bare URLs. Use accessible and meaningful hyperlink text when linking to other content.
  • Do not use "click here" or "learn more" for your hyperlink text. This is unclear and inaccessible to visitors using screen readers. For example: Rather than directing someone to click here to read ATI's page on Creating Accessible Hyperlinks, it is better to direct your audience to visit ATI's web page on Creating Accessible Hyperlinks.
  • For print content: To keep links concise and user friendly, request a George Mason-branded short link.
  • "https://" is not needed in body text.
  • A forward slash (/) at the very end of the URL is not needed.
  • Web addresses do not get underlined in publications.
  • Italicize the titles of online publications.

• ---

  Wilkins Plaza—Roger Wilkins Plaza. Wilkins Plaza is acceptable on first mention.

• ---

  work-study—Hyphenate.

Y

Z

• ---

  zip codes
  Do not use the four-digit zip code extension for the Fairfax or Mason Square (Arlington) addresses.

  • Fairfax 22030
  • Mason Square 22201
  • Science and Technology 20110-2203
• See also addresses.