This is the official style guide for the Washington University in St. Louis University Marketing & Communications. Recently revised with a nod toward inclusive language, it is intended as a guideline for communicators across the university, and written on the theory that consistency and excellence represent the very best of our institution.
When writing and editing for MarComm, the hierarchy of style to conform to is as follows:
- MarComm style
- Associated Press style
- Webster’s New World College Dictionary
Final determination on style matters rests with the MarComm editing staff, with consultation from the Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications.
Style may vary across communications, including news releases, magazine stories, individual print publications and websites, with common sense, overall strategy and the mission of the university considered first and foremost. Please note that guidelines in this stylebook do not necessarily apply to “University Events” listings in the Record — i.e., the calendar section — or to the class notes sections in Washington magazine and Outlook.
Finally, keep in mind that our language is constantly evolving and changing, and both our style and the Associated Press evolves regularly. Please be aware of changes to long-adhered norms of style at https://apstylebook.com/. For more information and help with specific questions regarding language and style, please refer to the links below.
University Marketing & Communications
WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications
Center for Diversity & Inclusion
Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Diversity
Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity
The Buder Center for American Indian Studies
Pronouns information for students
Glossary of Bias Terms
-winning
Hyphenate phrases that incorporate -winning: award-winning.
2nd Century Award
2nd Century Award is preferred usage in titles. Second Century Award is preferred in body copy.
academic degrees
As a general rule, do not list degrees after a person’s name with the exception of a medical degree, MD, or combined medical/doctoral degree, MD/PhD.
academic titles
For faculty members with more than one academic appointment, the primary appointment or the appointment most pertinent to the story is listed first.
Academy for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The academy supports university faculty and staff with programming, training, events and other resources that aim to improve the campus climate of diversity and inclusion.
acronyms
Use acronyms only for entities that frequently shorten their names on second reference. Do not create acronyms solely to save a few words.
ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act. Spell out in first reference.
addresses
In summer 2021, Washington University’s Mail Services replaced Campus Box (CB) with Mail Stop Codes (MSC). Each business unit has a unique mail stop code made up of the campus box number, building number and floor or suite number.
ADIS codes
Do not use ADIS (Alumni and Development Information System) codes to identify the schools from which alumni graduated, except in Washington magazine’s ClassNotes section and in the Washington University Annual Report.
admissions, undergraduate
The official title is Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The admissions office is acceptable on second reference.
adviser; advisor
Rarely is it part of an official title. But if Advisor comes before a person’s name as part of the person’s official title, recast the sentence if possible and change Advisor to adviser.
African American
No hyphen. Acceptable for an American Black person of African descent.
American Indians, Native Americans
Both are acceptable terms in general references for those in the U.S. when referring to two or more people of different tribal affiliations.
Annual Fund
Use caps.
Architecture & Urban Design, Graduate School of
Use the full name, Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, on first reference.
Architecture, College of
Use the full name, College of Architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, on first reference.
area codes
Use area codes offset by hyphens.
Art, College of
Use the full name, College of Art in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, on first reference.
Art, Graduate School of
Use the full name, Graduate School of Art in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, on first reference.
Arts & Sciences
When making first reference in body text and cutlines to any of the departments, programs, centers or units in Arts & Sciences, in Arts & Sciences is to be included.
Asian American
No hyphen. Acceptable for an American of Asian descent.
Athletic Complex
Contests are played at the Athletic Complex.
athletics director
Not athletic director.
attribution
The preferred attribution is said, but says is acceptable in Washington magazine.
awards
Retain capitalization on the official names of awards in both their singular and plural uses.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Use Barnes-Jewish Hospital on first reference and Barnes-Jewish or BJH or subsequent references.
BioMed 21
A universitywide initiative to facilitate multidisciplinary, collaborative research aimed at speeding the translation of laboratory discoveries into improved medical treatments.
biracial, multiracial
Acceptable, when clearly relevant, to describe people with more than one racial heritage.
BJC HealthCare
It is the nonprofit health-care organization based in St. Louis that includes nationally recognized academic hospitals Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, both affiliated with the School of Medicine.
BJC Institute of Health at Washington University School of Medicine
On second reference, use the institute.
Black (adj.)
Use the capitalized term as an adjective in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense.
Black Lives Matter, #BlackLivesMatter
Per the AP Stylebook, the global movement launched after the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin with a goal to eradicate systemic racism and white supremacy and to oppose violence committed against Black people.
Black(s), white(s) (n.)
Do not use either term as a singular noun.
Board of Trustees
When referring to Washington University in St. Louis, use Washington University’s Board of Trustees on first reference; lowercase the board on second reference.
bookstores
On the Danforth Campus, the Campus Store is located in Mallinckrodt Center. The Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine Bookstore is located on the Medical Campus in the Mid Campus Center.
break
Lowercase break and its modifier, unless the modifier is a proper noun: spring break, winter break; but Thanksgiving break.
Brookings Quadrangle
Use Brookings Quadrangle on first reference; the Quad is acceptable on second reference.
brown (adj.)
Avoid this broad and imprecise term in racial, ethnic or cultural references unless as part of a direct quotation. Interpretations of what the term includes vary widely.
Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis
Use the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis on first reference.
building names
Always use the proper designation of what a building is.
Campaigns
Here is the list of capital campaigns at Washington University.
campus
Washington University has five campuses, including the Danforth Campus, Medical Campus, North Campus, South Campus and West Campus.
capitalization
Capitalize titles of academic courses, lectures and symposia; however, lowercase articles, conjunctions and prepositions that are three or fewer letters, unless they appear at the beginning of the title.
CAPS
Abbreviation for the School of Continuing & Professional Studies. Formerly known as University College. Use School of Continuing & Professional Studies (with the ampersand) on the first reference. On second and subsequent references: CAPS.
Career Center
The universitywide Career Center is located in Danforth University Center.
Caucasian
Avoid as a synonym for white, unless in a quotation.
Center for Advanced Medicine
On first reference, use the Center for Advanced Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Center for American Indian Studies, Kathryn M. Buder
Do not refer to this center as the American Indian Center as an organization with that name (the American Indian Center of Mid-America already exists).
Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity
Transdisciplinary center brings synergy to research underway in areas of race, ethnicity and equity throughout the university and drives scholarship and collaboration on both campuses.
chair
Do not use chairman or chairwoman unless referring to named professorships that use those words. Instead, use chair.
chancellor
Capitalize when directly preceding name, but lowercase in other usages.
cisgender
Describes people whose gender identity matches the one they were assigned at birth; that is, not transgender.
citations, scientific
Format: Last name XX, Last name XX. Title goes here. Name of Journal, Month Year; Vol(#):PP-PP.
cities
Follow AP style. Cities and counties within Missouri should be identified with Mo.
class
The preferred term is course.
Class of
Uppercase Class and use the full year in all Class of constructions.
clinical service lines
In publications targeted to the general public or patient audiences, avoid referring to individual clinical service lines as “Division of …” or “Department of …”.
Collegiate Gothic
Capitalize when referring to the architectural style.
comma
Do not use before Jr. or Sr.
comma, in a series
Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series.
compared to vs. compared with
Compared to asserts comparing similarities between two or more things; compared with asserts comparing differences.
compose, comprise, constitute
When the sentence starts with the larger item, use comprise. When the sentence starts with the smaller or individual items, use compose, constitute, or make up.
composition titles
See titles.
correction
Never repeat an error.
course load
Two words.
course master
Two words.
course titles
Use capital letters and quotation marks only for official course titles.
course work
Two words.
cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude
Do not italicize.
cutlines/captions
Written in the present tense. As early as possible, the cutline should describe the action in the photo.
Danforth Campus
Do not use Main Campus or Undergraduate Campus.
Danforth University Center
The student center on the Danforth Campus. Can use the DUC on second reference.
dash
Add a regular space before and after the em-dash.
data
A plural noun, this word normally takes plural verbs and pronouns.
dates
Use only the month and day number (use days of the week, too, for upcoming events within a reasonable period of time); follow AP style for months.
David H. Perlmutter, MD
School of Medicine dean since 2015, Perlmutter is the George and Carol Bauer Dean of the School of Medicine, the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor, and executive vice chancellor for medical affairs.
dean
Capitalize only directly before the name.
Dental Medicine, School of
Do not use School of Dentistry or Dental School as proper nouns.
department names
The official title of the majority of university departments takes a Department of construction.
Design & Visual Arts, Sam Fox School of
Use Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts on first reference; Sam Fox School is acceptable on second reference.
disabilities language
In general, follow AP Style.
division names
Uppercase full formal name of the division: the Division of Oncology.
Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences
Use full name on first reference. DBBS is acceptable on subsequent references.
DNA
Acceptable in all references.
Doctors’ Access Line
Note placement of apostrophe.
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a partnership joining several public and private institutions, including Washington University in St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden, Purdue University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Missouri-Columbia, and Monsanto Company.
Dr.
Avoid use, except in quotations or in formal names of professorships and chair titles.
Dual heritage
No hyphen for terms such as African American, Asian American and Filipino American, used when relevant to refer to an American person’s heritage.
earned
Use earned when writing about someone’s degree.
Earth
Capitalize when used as the proper name of the planet. Lowercase in other uses.
East end project
The construction project that resulted in the new buildings on the east end of the Danforth Campus.
Edison Theatre
No need to write Edison Theatre in Mallinckrodt Center in any reference.