Grammar and Style

Our grammar and style guidelines are intended to promote clear and understandable writing.

Broadly speaking we follow the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook, but we make exceptions when we think other standards result in clearer writing (the serial (Oxford) comma being one such case).

While we make reference when relevant to the university's official brand and style resources, we also frequently consult with these guides:

For related reference, see our word list.

Acronyms and abbreviations

Avoid using acronyms. They exclude people who don’t know what they stand for, which can include some of your colleagues. They also affect readability and accessibility.

If you’re part of a group that refers to itself with an acronym, don’t assume others will know or remember what it means.

Spell out an entity's full name on first reference.

The Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive offers a unique history of food and drink in the United States, from production to consumption.

On subsequent references, you can use a generic term.

The archive also includes materials that shed light on domestic and commercial life.

Read about findings showing that acronyms are mentally taxing.

Ampersands

Don’t use ampersands (&) unless the symbol is part of a formal name. They can also be distracting and screen readers and translation services don't always interpret ampersands correctly.

In most cases, we recommend you change the ampersand to the word “and.” It is more widely understood and requires less mental effort.

Bold and italics

Use bold to emphasize keywords and help readers scan your content. If you find yourself wanting to use a lot of bold, consider the structure of the page and whether additional headings are needed. See more on writing for readability.

Italics are best reserved for specific purposes, such as bylines on news items or last updated dates.

Bullet points

See guidance for lists.

Capitalization

Follow the university’s capitalization guidelines, which covers things like department names, titles, academic units, buildings and place names, and seasons. In general, avoid unnecessary capitalization.

Don't capitalize everyday standalone words, such as library, associate librarian, university, professor, or administration unless they are part of a proper noun.
Don't capitalize titles unless they appear before a name. So, Patty Wong, president of the American Library Association, but President Patty Wong.
Don't capitalize cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west) unless they are part of a geographic term. So, walk north on State St., but travel to West Michigan.
Don't use all caps for emphasis.

Follow official branding or preferred use for organizations and people (for example, fulcrum, PsycINFO, JSTOR, WorldCat, bell hooks).

Capitalize Black when used to describe race, but not white or brown. See more on writing about people’s race, ethnicity, and religion.

Catalog items, referring to

If you mention materials the library holds, such as books, music, or journals, please provide a link to its record in the catalog.

See guidance for listing titles of works and link text.

Commas

Serial (Oxford) comma

We use the serial or Oxford comma, which can prevent misunderstandings. This comma comes before the last item in a series, just before the "and" or "or.” For example, "Please bring me a pencil, an eraser, and a notebook."

Semicolons in complex series

You can add clarity by using semicolons to separate items in a series when each item includes its own internal punctuation.

For example, "Students who won academic scholarships came from the following small towns: Ottawa, Illinois; Deckerville, Michigan; Wamego, Kansas; and Jerome, Arizona."

Use commas if ambiguity seems unlikely.

Dashes and hyphens

Use hyphens and dashes sparingly. They can cause readability issues.

Hyphen (-)

A hyphen connects words that function together as a single concept or work together as a joint modifier. For example, tie-in, toll-free call, or two-thirds.

En-dash (–)

The en-dash is about the width of the letter “n” and is used to indicate a span or range, such as "The conference ran from September–December" and "The conference is from May 8–14."

For readability, you can replace the en-dash with the word "to,” as in "Lunch is from noon to 1 pm."

See how to make an en-dash on your computer.

Em-dash (—)

The em-dash is about the width of the letter “m.” It can function similarly to parentheses by providing an additional thought within a sentence. Set off an em dash with a space on either side.

For example, "There are many items — books, journals, and films — you can find in the library catalog."

See how to make an em-dash on your computer.

Dates and times

Our main library website handles dates and times in a variety of ways depending on the context.

In running text, we generally don't use periods, spaces, or zeros to save space: 8pm instead of 8 p.m. In print, we typically include the spaces and periods.

We recommend using noon and midnight where relevant and feasible. It can avoid mistakes and confusion when referring to those times of the day.

For dates, we don't use th, st, nd, or rd after a date. (January 1, not January 1st).

In all cases, make sure your use of dates and time is clear, understandable, and consistent.

Email addresses

Use full email addresses and add hyperlinks. So, "For more information, email ResearchDataServices@umich.edu" rather than "For more information, email us.”

Use group or department email addresses whenever possible as opposed to individual people.

Headlines and page titles

Use sentence case almost everywhere.

On our main library website, page titles (H1 headers) are an exception because they replicate navigation labels (such as Dissertation Formatting) and subheads use sentence case.

Avoid quotation marks within page titles and headlines.

Justification, in text formatting

Left justified page text is the default in web content management systems.

When English-language content is centered, right-aligned, or fully justified, it can slow down comprehension. Centered and right-aligned text make the reader's eyes work to find the beginning of each line, and fully justified columns cause awkward spacing between words.

If you’re working in other languages, such as Arabic or Hebrew, these principles might not apply.

Link text, hyperlinks

Your link text should be descriptive and meaningful, clearly indicate the destination of the link, use sentence case (unless it contains a proper noun), and be understandable out of context.

For example, "The library has many social sciences databases that can help with projects, in subjects ranging from education to urban planning."

Avoid vague labels and “click here” or “read more."

Be cautious with one-word links, which can be difficult to select on phones and tablets.

Lists

Lists are good for breaking up long text and calling attention to key points you want readers to remember.

Be consistent. Use a parallel structure throughout to make your list clearer to read.

Bulleted lists

For a list of items in no particular order, use bullets.

To prepare for our meeting, we ask that you:

Review the agenda
Confirm who will be in attendance
Complete the tasks assigned to you
Prepare your talking points

Numbered lists

Use a numbered list to present items in chronological order.

To submit a staff newsletter item, you must:

Write a draft
Choose a manager to review
Change the status to "needs review"
Monitor the status

Names

Use the name a person gives you or goes by. You wouldn't capitalize bell hooks or john a. powell, and you certainly don't need to demand Cher's last name.

Always confirm the spelling of a name before you publish anything, and make sure you're using the correct pronouns.

Use a person’s first and last name the first time they are mentioned (Liz Taylor). On second reference, use their last name only (Taylor loved the reading room; Taylor said).

Don't use the person's first name again unless it's needed to differentiate between people who have the same last name.

Numbers

Use numerals instead of spelling out numbers.

The mathematician is mentioned in chapter 2
Our research finds 7 out of 10 students prefer …
The survey starts on page 67

See what usability experts say about using numerals online.

Percentages

Online, use the percent symbol, %.

Screen readers recognize the symbol.

The professor said 75% was a passing grade.
89% of people voted for the library cat mascot
5% of undergraduates refused free pizza slices

Avoid fractions when listing a percentage. Instead, you can use decimals.

Phone numbers

Use this 10-digit format:

734-555-1212

Breaking apart numbers into smaller “chunks” can make them easier to recognize and use.

Quotation marks

Put commas and periods inside quotation marks. For example, “I have 100 books checked out,” said Gogol Stratford.

For question marks and exclamation points: if the punctuation is part of the actual quotation, put it inside the quotation marks.

“Is there any more tea?” Claire asked.
Should I share the instruction Raul provided, "Use the square logo"?

See titles of works for how to format titles of books, movies, and so on.

Spacing after end punctuation

Use a single space between sentences.

Double spaces were commonly used in the age of typewriters. On a digital screen, they can cause odd line breaks.

States

Spell out state names, unless you're using a postal abbreviation for an address.

Time

See dates and times.

Titles of works

In the spirit of keeping things simple, and for consistency across the website, don’t italicize or underline titles of books, movies, albums, computer games, and so on. Italics can be hard to read online, and underlining is reserved for links.

Use quotes around titles in body copy for clarity. But If a title is linked, don’t add quotation marks or any additional formatting.

URLs

Use a clear link label online rather than a raw URL.

In print material, don't use italics. Remove the prefix “https://www,” unless the URL starts with something other than www. For example, lib.umich.edu.

If the URL is long, send a request for a short URL to the library’s Communication and Marketing department at LibraryComm@umich.edu. They’ll generate a short URL for you that begins with umlib.us/.

For social media, send a request to LibrarySocial@umich.edu to generate a short URL that begins with myumi.ch/, which allows tracking for analytics.