Editorial Style Guide


Consistency and accuracy in written Beloit College communications intended for external audiences

Beloit’s Style Guide is based on Associated Press (AP) style, with some exceptions.

Dates and Numbers

  • Month are abbreviated according to AP style: Jan., Feb., March, April, May, June, July, Aug. Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. (never abbreviate days of the week in prose.)
  • Do not use “st,” “th,” or “rd” in dates (Sept. 16, not Sept. 16th).
  • Use noon and midnight to avoid confusion about 12 a.m./p.m. (11 a.m. to noon).
  • Spell out numbers one through nine; use numerals for numbers 10 and higher. Exceptions: ages, percentages, and measurements are represented in numerals, even if they are smaller than 10.

Names and Titles

  • Graduation years for alumni and current students are formatted with one space between last name and last two numbers of graduation year (John Smith ’45), with the apostrophe facing the left towards the missing numbers.
  • Courtesy titles (Ms., Professor) are not used in college publications, with the exception of Dr. for medical professionals.
  • Professor emeritus is the proper order. Bob Jones, professor emeritus of biology, was the keynote speaker. Professor Emeritus Bob Jones of the biology department was the keynote speaker.
  • Formal titles before a name (in the absence of a comma) are generally capitalized. After a name and a comma, titles are lower case. Avoid putting long titles before individuals’ names.
  • Capitalize the names of college offices, buildings, and rooms (named, not numbered). Second reference to the generic term should be lower case: Jeffris-Wood Campus Center becomes the campus center.
  • University Of Wisconsin system schools use a hyphen (not dash, slash, or “at”): University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Grammar and Usage

  • Use one space after a period when preparing copy for printed and online communications.
  • Items in a series should include a final serial comma before the “and.” This reflects academic writing standards rather than journalism; when writing for the press, these commas may be omitted.
  • Attribution generally is in present tense (says, explains, etc.).
  • Dashes do not have spaces on either side.
  • Periods and commas go inside quotation marks; placement of other punctuation depends upon the usage.

Campus Spaces

  • Pearsons Hall has no apostrophe. (Built in 1893 and named after D.K. Pearsons.) Use “Jeffris-Wood Campus Center, Pearsons Hall,” in official presentations and fundraising materials.
  • D.K.’s or D.K.’s Cafe or D.K.’s Snack Bar—in Pearsons Hall.
  • Hamiltons, not Hamilton’s or Hamiltons’.
  • Hendricks Center for the Arts, not Hendrick’s (named after Diane and Ken Hendricks).

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