Editorial Style Guide

Loyola follows Associated Press style guidelines, except where indicated in this guide, which supersedes AP style. Please note that social media often calls for exceptions. Style questions may be directed to Rita Buettner, director of university communications, at rfbuettner@loyola.edu. When creating digital content, please keep in mind Loyola's accessibility standards.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z


A

Abbreviations/Acronyms

Acronyms are acceptable after full first usage. For acronyms of more than two letters, do not use periods: The Center for Community, Service, and Justice (CCSJ) employs more than 20 student workers, and the CCSJ offers a variety of programs.

Exceptions: see Religious Congregations and Degrees.

Academic and administrative titles

Lowercase titles when after the name: David Blohm is the director of web development and design for the office of marketing and communications.

Capitalize titles before names: Director David Blohm helps keep the Loyola website updated, in brand, and functional.

Addresses

Follow AP style: Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd., and St. only with a numbered address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number: Pennsylvania Avenue. Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with more than one street name: Massachusetts and Pennsylvania avenues. All similar words (alley, drive, road, terrace, etc.) always are spelled out, even in a numeric address. Capitalize them when part of a formal street name. Spell out streets using First through Ninth; use figures for 10th and above.

The North Charles Street campus address should be written:
4501 N. Charles St. (only spell out North when not used with the numeric address)
Baltimore, Md. 21210 (Maryland may be written out in formal uses, i.e., invitations)

Important exception:
When setting up BREs you should use the following standard:
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MARYLAND
4501 N CHARLES ST
BALTIMORE MD 21210
It is all caps and does not use punctuation. 

Return addresses on envelopes and postcards should use the general version using the USPS abbreviation for Maryland, MD.
4501 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21210

See State names.

Admission

Use “admission” not “admissions.” The office of undergraduate admission. The office of graduate admission.

Affiliate faculty

Use the term “affiliate” rather than “adjunct.”

Alma mater

Italicize.

Alumni

Graduates is preferred for most references. Alumni is acceptable. Alumnae is acceptable only when referring to a group of graduates of Mount Saint Agnes College.
Lowercase alumni unless part of a title: Alumni Association.
Style graduation years as follows: Commas set class year apart from name: Sarah Smith, ’98, is a physicist for NASA.
Undergraduate class year precedes graduate class year and degree: Ben Fry, ’04, MBA ’08, is starting his own business.
For graduate alumni, include the master's degree: Thomas McCurley, MBA ’92, works as a consultant. Jack Greenburg, EMBA ’84, lives in New York. Sarah Young, M.Ed. ’78, is principal at Holy Angels.

See also Degrees and Class years for specific style.

Alumni classes

When referring to individual classes, capitalize Class: The Class of 1994 contributed $50,000 to the campaign.

See also Class years.

Ampersands

The word “and” (with Oxford comma, as appropriate) is preferred to ampersand—unless an ampersand is part of a formal program, office, department, or organization’s name.

Athletics

Lowercase names of athletic programs and teams: men’s soccer, women’s basketball, club sports, intramural sports.
Teams can be referred to as “the Hounds.” Do not use “the Lady Hounds.”
Use “Greyhounds” as an adjective before teams, not “Greyhound.”
A team is an it, not a they. Noun-verb agreement should follow accordingly.

B

Baltimore Collegetown Network

The Battle of Charles Street

This term should only be used to refer to DI lacrosse games between the Loyola Greyhounds and Johns Hopkins. Any other uses infringe on the athletics brand.

BIPOC

BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color. Pronounced “bye-pock,” this is a term specific to the United States, intended to center the experiences of Black and Indigenous groups and demonstrate solidarity between communities of color. BIPOC does not replace naming Black people and should not be used when referring to an individual or an issue that affects a specific group of people. When in doubt, be specific.

Building and location names

Use full names on first reference. Avoid capitalizing “The” in running text. Campus location should be referred to as listed below:

4th Floor Program Room
Academic Quadrangle; Quad
Ahern Hall
Air Dome (Use “the dome” on second reference.)
Alumni Memorial Chapel
Andrew White Student Center (Use “the Student Center” on second reference.)
Aquinas Hall
Armiger House
Avila Hall
Beatty Hall
Bellarmine Hall
Boulder 2.0
Boulder Garden Café (Use “Boulder” on second reference.)
Butler Hall
Campion Tower
Center for Intercultural Engagement
CI&E Annex
Claver Hall
Cohn Hall
DeChiaro College Center (Use “the College Center” on second reference.)
Diane Geppi-Aikens Field
Donnelly Science Center
Dorothy Day Hall
Early House
Fava Chapel
Ferguson Gallery
Fitness & Aquatic Center
Forbes Idea Lab
Govans Farmers' Market
Green & Grey Café
Hammerman House
Hopkins Court
Hug Lounge (never capitalize as HUG)
Ignatius House
Innovation Station
Jenkins Hall
Justin Ocher House (301 Rossiter Ave)
Kelly Outdoor Classroom
Knott Hall
Lange Court
Loyola Bookstore
Loyola Clinical Centers
Loyola/Notre Dame Library (Capitalize “the Library” on second reference.)
Mangione Aquatic Center
Maroger Art Studio
Maryland Hall
McAuley Hall
McClure Tennis Center
McGuire Hall
McManus Theatre (Use “the Theatre” on second reference.)
The Miguel B. Fernandez Family Center for Innovation and Collaborative Learning (Use “the Fernandez Center for Innovation and Collaborative Learning” or “the Fernandez Center” after first reference.)
Newman Towers
Notre Dame Alumnae Field
Pedestrian Bridge
Rahner Village
The Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J., Alumni House” (Use “the Linnane Alumni House” or “the Alumni House” after first reference.)
The Rev. Francis X. Knott, S.J., Humanities Center (Use “Humanities Center” on second reference.)
The Rev. Harold Ridley, S.J., Intercollegiate Athletic Complex (Use “Ridley Athletic Complex” or “Ridley” on second reference.)
Rizzo Career Center
Sellinger School
Seton Court
Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CI&E)
Southwell Hall
Stamp It! Mail Center
Thea Bowman Hall

C

Campaign name

Italicize: Bright Minds. Bold Hearts.
In running text, use a comma between the phrases: The goal of the Bright Minds, Bold Hearts campaign is to raise $100 million.

Campus

Lowercase: Students return to campus at the end of August.

Campus designations

Evergreen campus
Columbia Graduate Center or Columbia campus
Timonium Graduate Center or Timonium campus
Loyola Clinical Centers at Belvedere Square

Catalog/catalogue

Loyola’s course catalogue is referred to with that spelling. In all other references, catalog should be used.

Centers

Center for Community, Service, and Justice (CCSJ)
Center for Equity, Leadership, and Social Justice in Education
Center for Montessori Education
Counseling Center
The Loyola Clinical Centers (LCC)
Nick and Susie Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CI&E)
Rizzo Career Center (the Career Center)
Women’s Center
Writing Center

Class years

Refer to individual classes with a capital C: The Class of 1965 donated a new piano to the music department.

Note: When listing graduation years, the preferred way of writing the apostrophe facing away from the numerals of the class year is using an apostrophe instead of a single quotation mark: Name, ’22
This may depend on the type of font or word processing system you are using, or whether you’re publishing the information online.

Commencement

Always capitalize when referring to Loyola’s Commencement Exercises.

Composition titles

Italicize book, television series, and movie titles; all other works place inside quotation marks.

Core curriculum

Lowercase in all references, including when “core” is used on its own. Avoid use of “core requirement” or “required courses” when referring to the core curriculum.
Also avoid use of “foreign language” when talking about features of and courses included in our core curriculum; instead use “world language.”

Courtesy titles

Only use courtesy titles for religious (Fr., Sr.) or members of the military, when appropriate. In specific communications (e.g., mass emails, event programs, invitations), courtesy titles and honorifics may be used.

Cum laude

Italicize (same style applies for summa cum laude and magna cum laude).

D

Dates

When using a month with a date, abbreviate months according to AP style:
Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Spell out the month when used on its own or with a year but no date: The Fitness & Aquatic Center will be closed during the last week in December.
Exception: Months in dates may be spelled out in headlines and on posters.

Use a comma after dates included with years: The Fitness & Aquatic Center will reopen Jan. 5, 2018, with a social gathering for all members.

Include years when the year is not implied or if and when the publication is not dated.

Degrees

Capitalize when referring to the complete name of the degree: She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English. They hold a B.S. in Biology. He earned his bachelor’s in chemistry in 2017.
Use periods when abbreviating, except for degrees with three or more capital letters: B.A., B.S., MBA, EMBA, M.Ed., Ph.D., Psy.D.

Departments

Lowercase, except with names of languages (English, for example) or unless specified below:
Michael Franz, Ph.D., is chair of the political science department.

Doctoral degrees

Include terminal degrees after people’s names: William Smith, MFA. Karyl Leggio, Ph.D. (Do not use “Dr. Leggio” on second reference.)

E

Early Action

Capitalize.

Endowed lectures

The Bunting Peace and Justice Speaker Series
The Busch Lecture
The Caulfield Lecture Series
The Hanway Lecture in Global Studies (use “Hanway Lecture” on second reference)
The Jerome S. Cardin Memorial Lecture (use “Cardin Lecture” on second reference)
The Sister Cleophas Costello Lecture

Always lowercase “the” in running text.

Evergreen Annual Fund

Refer to as “the Evergreen Fund” unless awkward.

G

Grade point average

Lowercase. “GPA” is acceptable on second reference and on first reference when the context is clear.

Gender Inclusive Language

Avoid using words with gender markers (masculine are most common, though feminine gender markers exist) and aim to use non-gender-specific language—including pronouns—whenever possible.
Examples:
freshman → first-year student
mankind → humanity, people, human beings
the best man for the job → the best person for the job
man-made → synthetic, manufactured, machine-made
mailman → postal worker
manning the booth → staffing the booth
chairman → chairperson, coordinator (of a committee or department), moderator (of a meeting), presiding officer, head, chair
businessman → business executive
congressman → congressional representative

H

Health care

Two words, per AP style.

I

Internet terms

Follow AP style:
Android
app
blog
Blu-ray
Bluetooth
cellphone
check in (v.) check-in (n.)
e-reader, e-book
eBay
email
Facebook
Facebook Group
friend, follow, like, unfriend, unfollow
geotag
GIPHY
Google, Googled, Googling
hashtag
Inside Loyola
Internet
iPhone
LinkedIn
Loyola Today
online
podcast
smartphone
snaps
Snapchat
TikTok
tweet, retweet
Twitter
URL
Web
website
Wi-Fi
wiki
YouTube
Zoom

L

Latin words and phrases

Italicize, except for alumni and alumnae: The alumni event recognized those who graduated magna cum laude.

Note common Jesuit terminology in Latin:
AMDG, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam, for the greater glory of God
cura apostolica, or care for the community (or the mission)
cura personalis, or care for the whole person
eloquentia perfecta, or perfect eloquence
magis, or more

Leadership

Board of Trustees; a trustee; use chair, not chairman; the board.
See President

President’s Cabinet; use the Cabinet on second reference.
See President's spouse

Living learning

No en dash: Loyola's distinctive first-year living learning program, Messina, fosters community and connections beyond the classroom.

Loyola Clinical Centers

Always capitalize. On second reference use “LCC” or “the LCC.” Treat as a single entity, such as the United States: The Loyola Clinical Centers offers a wonderful example of interprofessional education in action.

Loyola University Maryland—second reference:

Use “Loyola,” “Loyola Maryland, or “the University.” Do not refer to “Loyola University.” Only capitalize “University” when referring to Loyola.
No acronyms (e.g., LU or LUM) are acceptable abbreviations for the university’s name (Social media is an exception.)

Loyola magazine

Lowercase m and italicize “Loyola,” the name of the magazine.

M

Majors

Lowercase: He is majoring in physics. The exception is that we capitalize names of modern and ancient languages (English, Greek, Spanish) because they are proper names, in addition to Loyola-specific programs (Classics, Global Studies, Forensic Studies, Pre-Health Programs, Emerging Media). Note: Communication is always singular as an academic major.

Men and women for others

Preferred use is inclusive, using “persons” or “people:” “People for and with others.”

Messina

Avoid using “the Messina program” and instead describe as “Messina, Loyola’s first-year living learning program,” or “Messina, our living learning experience for first-year students.”

More than

Always use “more than” rather than “over” when speaking of quantities.

Motto

Strong Truths Well Lived. Avoid italics, commas, and quotation marks: Loyola University Maryland’s motto is Strong Truths Well Lived.

Mount Saint Agnes College 

“Mount Saint Agnes” is acceptable on second reference. Never abbreviate, except when using MSA to designate alumnae class years.

N

Names

No courtesy title for Ph.D.s, Ed.D., and M.D.s. See Courtesy Titles.
Suffixes
Use commas for Jr. and Sr., but not for II, III, IV, etc.: Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered an inspiring message. The gift from John Brown II will establish the first Center for Style Guide Usage.

Numbers

Follow AP style writing out numbers zero through nine and using digits for 10 and numbers greater than 10. Exceptions are ages and measurements, which are always written as digits: Her daughter is 3 years old. Exceptions can also be made for numbers in lists or for clarity. (4th Floor Program Room is an exception to this rule.)

O

Offices

Office names are lowercase: office of student support and wellness promotion, office of student engagement, office of financial aid, office of undergraduate admission.

Exceptions are for centers and offices needed to capitalize for clarity, including:
Academic Advising and Support Center (AASC)
Academic Advising and Support Services (AASS)
ALANA Services
Campus Ministry
the Career Center
Center for Community, Service, and Justice
Center for Equity, Leadership, and Social Justice in Education
Center for Montessori Education
The Counseling Center
Dining Services
Disability Support Services
Event Services
Facilities and Campus Services
Financial Services
Graduate Student Services
Health and Education Services
Marketing and Communication (MarComm)
Printing Services
School of Education
Student Administrative Services
the Study
Technology Services (OTS)
Women’s Center
Writing Center

See also Centers and Departments.

P

Patriot League

Use full name on first reference. (“PL” is acceptable on second reference.)

Phone numbers

See Telephone numbers.

President

President Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D. (or Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D., president; Terry is acceptable on some informal references): Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D., is Loyola University Maryland’s 25th president.

President Emeritus

Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J., president emeritus, or President Emeritus Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J.

President's spouse

Mrs. Courtney Sawyer; Courtney Sawyer. (Include graduation year as appropriate: Courtney Sawyer, M.S. ’93.)

Programs

Capitalize only full official program names for academic programs, both undergraduate and graduate, e.g., Loyola’s Pre-Health Programs, the Honors Program, Clinical Professional Counseling, Sellinger Scholars, Forensic Studies.

Punctuation

Bulleted lists

Use semicolons to separate bulleted items and insert “and” at the end of the second to last line.

Dashes

Use en dash to show duration of time: He worked at Loyola from 1997–99. The event will be held from 4–6 p.m.
The en dash should also be used to denote ranges, such as ages (ages 4–8), page numbers (see pages 89–101), months (She will study abroad from January–May.), and academic years (2009–10). No spaces should be used on either side of the en dash.
Use em dash (—) to punctuate phrases within sentences. Omit spaces on either side: The creation of a style guide—long overdue at Loyola—will ensure clarity in communication.

Oxford (series) comma

Use Oxford commas in all instances for clarity: Loyola University Maryland comprises the Sellinger School of Business and Management, the School of Education, and Loyola College of Arts and Sciences.

Spacing

Use one space after a period, semicolon, and colon. Follow an ellipsis (three dots) with a space: Like… this.

R

Religious congregations

Rev. Timothy Brown, S.J., gave the blessing. (Always use periods in “S.J.” and other congregations of two or fewer letters.)
Do not spell out “Father” and “Sister” when referring to priests and sisters on second reference. On second reference, use priests’ last names but sisters’ first names, i.e., Fr. Rossie and Sr. Catherine.
In speeches, use “Society of Jesus,” rather than “S.J.:” Father Jack Dennis of the Society of Jesus. “Society of Jesus” may also be written out for formal occasions or for clarity.

Residence Halls

Avoid using “dorms.”

Résumé

S

Schools

Loyola College (of Arts and Sciences)
School of Education (Do not use “the” before School of Education unless in running text where the omission is awkward. Always capitalize.)
The Sellinger School of Business and Management (Full formal name, which may be used for invitations or display pieces: The Rev. Joseph A. Sellinger, S.J., School of Business and Management; lowercase t in running text)

Service-learning

State names

Spell out the full state name: Jane Smith, ’02, and her husband, Tim, live in Oregon. Loyola University Maryland is in Baltimore, Maryland.

When a city is mentioned, abbreviate using AP abbreviations: Jane Smith, ’02, and her husband, Tim, own a house in Portland, Ore.

Follow AP state abbreviations:
Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, Utah are spelled out.

Alabama: Ala. Arizona: Ariz. Arkansas: Ark.
California: Calif. Colorado: Col. Connecticut: Conn.
Delaware: Del. District of Columbia: D.C. Florida: Fla.
Georgia: Ga. Illinois: Ill. Indiana: Ind.
Kansas: Kan. Kentucky: Ky. Louisiana: La.
Maryland: Md. Massachusetts: Mass. Michigan: Mich.
Minnesota: Minn. Mississippi: Miss. Missouri: Mo.
Montana: Mont. Nebraska: Neb. Nevada: Nev.
New Hampshire: N.H. New Jersey: N.J. New Mexico: N.M.
New York: N.Y. North Carolina: N.C. North Dakota: N.D.
Oklahoma: Okla. Oregon: Ore. Pennsylvania: Pa.
Rhode Island: R.I. South Carolina: S.C. South Dakota: S.D.
Tennessee: Tenn. Vermont: Vt. Virginia: Va.
Washington: Wash. West Virginia: W.Va. Wisconsin: Wis.
Wyoming: Wyo.

Omit “Md.” in Baltimore references, except in mailing addresses and on display pieces where it is needed. On envelopes, use MD with no period, per USPS abbreviations.

Student-athlete

Hyphenate.

Students

Choose “first-year” student over “freshman,” except in historical references where appropriate.
Use “upperclass student,” except in formal names of programs or organizations.

Students of color

Preferred term.

Study abroad

Lowercase.

T

Telephone numbers

Use hyphens, not parentheses: 410-617-5012
For on-campus/internal publications, refer to Loyola phone numbers as “ext. 5025.”

Theater

“Theater” in all uses, except when referring to McManus Theatre and the visual and performing arts major, which is listed as “theatre” in our course catalogue.

Third-person possessive

When possible, use the plural to avoid using the singular.
When unavoidable, use “his or her.”

Times

Use periods in “a.m.” and “p.m.” and an en dash without spaces for time duration: The event will be held from 4–7 p.m. Avoid confusing references to 12 p.m. and 12 a.m.: Due to inclement weather, the campus will close at noon. Shuttle service is available until midnight. When referring to a duration that occurs during morning or afternoon, omit first “a.m.” or “p.m.” for clarity: Breakfast will be served from 9-10 a.m.

U

University events

Alumni Weekend
Baccalaureate Mass
Commencement (also: Commencement Exercises, Commencement Ceremony; lowercase “ceremony” thereafter)
Greyhounds Give #GreyhoundsGive
Loyolapalooza
Martin Luther King, Jr., Convocation
Maryland Day
Mission Week
Welcome Weekend

W

Web addresses

Including “https://” is not necessary: www.loyola.edu/admission 
Request a shorter (vanity) URL for longer web addresses.
Omission of “www” is acceptable when clear that it is a Web link: loyola.edu/admission
For grammatical clarity, periods must be used at the end of a sentence, even if the sentence ends with a URL. No space should be included between the link and the period. An effort should be made to insert the link within the sentence or use other defining characteristics to distinguish the link from the period.

Y

York Road community

York Road corridor

York Road Initiative

York Road Partnership