Written Style Standards M-Z
majors, programs
Do not capitalize majors, programs, specializations or concentrations of study when they are not part of designated degree.
For example: Jane Doe received her Bachelor of Arts in History. He majored in business economics.
months
Avoid abbreviating months and dates. If you are noting a month and a year, no comma is necessary. If you insert a date, then a comma is necessary.
For example: February 2006. February 14, 2006.
names
Form plurals of family names that end in s by adding es. For example: The Joneses live in Manhattan.
Form plurals and possessives of proper names that end in s, x, and z by adding an apostrophe (not 's): For example: Burns' poems
new morning
Student newspaper for Pleasantville campus. Note use of lowercase.
non-
In general, non takes no hyphen when used as a prefix (nonprofit, nonresident), except when the base word is a proper noun (non-Western) or begins with an n (non-native).
numbers
In nontechnical text, spell out whole numbers from one through nine; use numerals for 10 or greater.
For example: Course requirements include reading nine novels.
There are 10 periodicals on order.
The campus is at One Pace Plaza.
Exceptions:
Consistency. Numbers applicable to the same category should be treated alike within the same sentence; do not use numerals for some and spell out others.
There are 9 graduate students in the philosophy department, in the English department, and 117 in the history department.
However, spell out all numbers that begin a sentence, regardless of any inconsistency this may create.
One hundred ten women and 103 men will graduate this semester.
Decimals/Percents. Use numerals with decimals and percents. Use the word percent in nontechnical text. (Use the symbol % in statistical or technical text and in tables and charts.)
Of the sophomores, 5 percent are undeclared majors.
Fractions. Quantities consisting of both whole numbers and fractions are expressed in numerals.
You will need 8.5–by–11-inch paper.
Money. Use the dollar sign and numeral for whole dollar amounts of U.S. currency when under $1 million. For dollar amounts beyond thousands, use the dollar sign, numeral, and appropriate word.
The late registration fee is $9.
Submit the application with the $100 fee.
The grant was $14 million.
The decimal and following zeros should be omitted if all amounts in the same statement are whole dollars. Fractional amounts over one dollar are set in numerals like other decimal fractions.Whole dollar amounts are set with zeros after the decimal point when they appear in the same context with fractional amounts.
Fees of $150 and $175 must be paid in advance.
Parking decals are $63.00 for an automobile, $15.75 for a motorcycle.
Pages of a Book. Use numerals for references to pages of a book, tables, illustrations, and figures.
NYC
New York City campus. Use for internal University communications only. Always capitalize with no periods or spaces. Please do not use PNY.When referring to the campus at One Pace Plaza, please refer to it as the “New York City campus in lower Manhattan.”
NYSCEEA
New York State Cooperative and Experiential Education Association.
Always capitalize with no periods or spaces.
on-campus, on campus
Use on-campus when you describe things. Use on campus when you show location. For example: Students live in on-campus housing. I will live on campus.
online, not on line or on-line
Opportunitas
The University motto as well as the name of the internal faculty/staff University newsletter. Always italicize, and capitalize the “O.”
Pace Academy for the Environment
PACE Board
Programming and Campus Entertainment Board. Always capitalize with
no periods.
Pace Global Environmental Law Network
Pace High School
Pace Index
Pace Magazine
The official alumni magazine for the Pace community. Always italicize.
PaceNet
Pace Poll
The Pace Press
Student newspaper for New York City campus.
Pace Promise
Pace University promises that required courses will be available so that students may graduate within four years.
Pace Quality
Institutional initiative to heighten customer service, academic and administrative effectiveness, and continuous improvement of product and services.
P.A.C.E. Series
Pace Alumni Cultural Events Series. Please note use of periods.
Pace University Guaranteed Tuition Program
Pace University guarantees a student's tuition rate for up to 5 years of study provided the student is continually registered as an undergraduate matriculated student.
PARC
Pace Adult Resource Center. Always capitalize with no periods and no spaces. On first reference spell out and indicate acronym directly after in parenthesis.
part-time, part time
Hyphenate part-time when using it as a compound modifier: For example: She works part time. She has a part-time job.
PB
Pleasantville/Briarcliff campus Use for internal University communications only. Use PLV when referring to the Pleasantville campus only. Use BR when referring to the Briarcliff campus only. Always capitalize with no periods or spaces. Please do not use PUP or PUB.
Portable Document Format, a registered program of Adobe® Software
percent, %
Percent is one word (not “per cent”). Spell it out and use numerals for the amount, except when the amount begins a sentence (see numbers rule above). The % symbol is acceptable for scientific, technical, statistical, and tabular copy, but not in formal prose.
Pforzheimer Honors College
photo captions
When you write photo captions for a group of people, do not use Row 1, Row 2, etc., instead, use Front row, Row 2, etc., to Back row; or Bottom row, Row 2, etc., to Top row. Use (l. to r.) for left to right.
PIP
Pace Intercampus Programmers. Always capitalize with no periods or spaces.
PLV
Pleasantville campus. Use for internal University communications only.
preferred plurals
memoranda, not memorandums
symposia, not symposiums
millennia, not millenniums
data, not datums
appendices, not appendixes
post-/pre-
In general, do not hyphenate words with post- or pre- prefixes (i.e., postsecondary, prerequisite).
Project Pericles
A national initiative funded by the Eugene M. Lang Foundation to provide a response to the growing sense of political alienation and apathy that many young people feel today.
QPA
Quality Point Average. Always capitalize with no periods or spaces.
quotations
Commas and periods are placed inside ending quotation marks. Question marks and exclamation points are placed outside ending quotation marks unless related to the quoted portion of the sentence.
For example: I think he said, “I do not know.”
John asked, “Are we going out?”
Did he say “I do not know”?
regardless, not irregardless
seasons
Lowercase seasons and all derived words. Capitalize if part of a formal name (e.g., Summer Olympics).
semester hours
Do not abbreviate semester hours in text. In lists or tables, abbreviate semester hours in lowercase and with periods.
For example: John Doe completed 75 semester hours at PaceUniversity.
SGA
Student Government Association. Always capitalize with no periods or spaces.
s/he
Try not to use s/he. Instead, rephrase the sentence, use she or he or he or she.
SBDC
Small Business Development Center. On first reference, spell out with abbreviation directly following in parenthesis.
state and federal
Lowercase state in general references. Capitalize state when used with a name or in place of a name. Capitalize federal as part of corporate or governmental bodies that use the word as part of their formal names or when referring to the U.S. Government. Lowercase it when used as an adjective to distinguish something from state, county, city, town or private entities.
For example: Federal Bureau of Investigation
state universities
New York State
He was in the service of the Federal Government. She received federal and state aid.
student classifications
Do not capitalize first-year, sophomore, junior, or senior. Do capitalize as a class designation.
For example: Jane Doe is a junior nursing major.
The First-Year Class sponsored the clothes drive.
telephone numbers
For formal writing and publications, always include the area code (in parentheses) and the exchange. If you include more than one extension, use a shilling (/) between the numbers—i.e., (212) 346-1382/1996.
On-campus extensions use five-digit dialing. The first digit indicates the campus location.
1 designates the New York City campus.
2 designates the Briarcliff campus.
3 designates the Pleasantville campus.
4 designates the White Plains campus office.
time
State the hour with a.m., p.m., or o'clock. For 12 a.m. and 12 p.m., use noon and midnight, respectively, without 12 before.When writing a time that falls on the hour, use :00.
titles, University
Typically, most of the University titles use the word “for” rather than “of.” That is, John Doe would be the “Dean for Students.” See courtesy titles and University officers, official titles (following) for more information.
titles of works
Italicize the titles of books, plays, periodicals, movies, television programs, works of art, long poems, software, long musical compositions, and specific ships. Use quotes for articles and short works such as songs. Use the roman font for online publications (e.g., Opportunitas Online).
toward, towards
One takes action toward something, not towards it.
wordiness
Avoid. Use the simple and direct word or phrase. Consider the following substitutes:
Wordy Preferred Usage
owing to the fact that - since
in order to - to
there is no doubt that - no doubt
deadline date - deadline
student body - students
being as, being that - since; because
WRPW, WPUB
The student-operated radio stations. Always capitalize with no periods or spaces.
University
When referring to Pace, always capitalize University.When referring to another or a general university, do not capitalize unless part of the full name.
For example: Their university has been rated...
Our University has been rated...
University officers
The official titles of University officers are as follows:
president
provost and executive vice president for academic affairs
executive vice president for finance and administration and treasurer
vice president for development
vice president for enrollment management
vice president for human resources
vice president for university relations
legal counsel
vice president for government relations
UNV 101
University 101 (a freshman seminar course at Pace). Always capitalize with no periods.
URL
Universal/Uniform Resource Locator. An address used to locate an information source on the Internet. Always capitalize with no periods or spaces.
utilize
Avoid. Substitute “use” instead.
VOX
A Pace University literary magazine published by students. VOX should always be written in capitals, in italics and with no periods or spaces.
Web site
Two words, capitalize “Web.”
WTI
World Trade Institute. Always capitalize with no periods or spaces.
WP
