academic degrees
It is preferable to spell out academic degrees. Capitalize formal names of degrees (Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts in Religion, Doctor of Philosophy). If abbreviations are used: B.S. (Bachelor of Science), B.A. (Bachelor of Arts), M.S. (Master of Science), Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy), (Ed.D. Doctor of Education) (J.D., Juris Doctor), do not use the word degree after the abbreviation. She has a B.A. in religion.

Use an apostrophe with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Do not capitalize general references to degrees: I have bachelor of arts and master of fine arts degrees. FSU offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.

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.

academic departments and colleges
Capitalize the formal names of FSU colleges and departments and use lowercase when using informally, such as the meteorology department.

Capitalize institute, center and program when used as part of the official name: Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, Institute on World War II and the Human Experience and Program in Neuroscience.

Capitalize the university’s major divisions: Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Finance and Administration, Research and University Advancement.

academic honors
Lowercase cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude.

academic titles
Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as professor, dean, director, president, vice president, professor emeritus and chairman when they precede a name. Lowercase in other uses. Lowercase modifiers: history Professor Jane Smith, department Chair John Smith.

academic year
Use all four numerals of the first year and the second year, separating with a hyphen: The 2023-2024 school year will be a great one. Academic years begin with the fall semester.

acronyms
Avoid on first reference and use sparingly throughout the remainder of the story. On second reference, use a general term like agency or alliance when possible. Some organizations and government agencies are widely recognized by their initials and do not necessarily need to be spelled out (FBI, CIA, IRS). Exam names such as ACT, SAT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, MAT and MCAT usually don’t need to be spelled out, even on first reference.

acting/interim
Use acting when someone is temporarily doing the duties of another person. Use interim when someone is doing a job for an intervening or provisional period. Acting or interim is always lowercase but capitalize any formal title that may follow before a name: The panel includes acting Mayor Peter Barry.

addresses
Abbreviate and capitalize St., Ave., and Blvd. with a numbered address; spell out and capitalize without a number. Road, Alley, Highway and all other similar words are always spelled out. Always use numerals for street addresses. Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth streets: 45 Eighth Ave. or Eighth Avenue. Abbreviate north, south, east, west if there is a number in the address: 8888 Maple St. N.; Maple Street North.

adviser
Not advisor.

alma mater
Do not capitalize.

alumnus, alumna, alumni, alumnae
Alumnus refers to a man who has attended a school (plural: alumni). Alumna refers to a woman (plural: alumnae).

Use alumni when referring to groups of men and women. Anyone who has ever attended Florida State University is an alumnus or alumna but not an alumni. Singular female: alumna. Singular male: alumnus. Use alumni when referring to a group no matter the gender. Use graduate or graduates for a nongendered term that may be used in place of alumnus, alumni, alumna and alumnae. Only use gendered terms if that information is needed and confirmed. For students who attended but did not graduate (except in cases of those who hold honorary degrees), use “attended FSU” rather than is an alumnus/a.

ampersand (&)
Do not use in titles or copy except as part of official department names: Center for Leadership & Service; College of Education, Health & Human Sciences.

a.m., p.m.
Lowercase and use periods. Don’t be redundant (NOT 12 a.m. midnight; NOT 8 a.m. this morning; NOT 12 noon)

Association of American Universities
AAU on second reference.

biological science
There is no “s” in FSU’s Department of Biological Science.

Board of Governors
Official name is Florida Board of Governors. A 17-member panel, including a faculty representative, student representative and the Florida Commissioner of Education, that oversees Florida’s 12 state universities. Use BOG or governors on second reference.

Board of Trustees
Official name is Florida State University Board of Trustees. A 13-member panel, including a faculty representative and student representative, that oversees Florida State University. Use BOT or trustees on second reference.

building names
Capitalize names of campus buildings and the word building: Westcott Building. On second reference, lowercase unless the whole name is used. The building houses the administration.

call letters
Use all caps. Use a hyphen to separate the type of station from the call letters: WFSU-TV, WFSU-FM.

campuswide
One word, no hyphen. Also citywide, countywide, statewide, nationwide, worldwide. Exception: university-wide.

class
Freshman, sophomore, junior and senior are lowercase unless at the start of a sentence.

class years
Include degree received, year of graduation (use an apostrophe ('), not a single quote mark (‘), before the degree year), and major (lowercase, in parentheses): Alexis Thompson, Ph.D. '77 (psychology).

classroom
One word.

coach
Capitalize before the name, not after: Coach Mike Norvell; the coach said.

committees
Capitalize names of committees. Lowercase second references.

commas
Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases or clauses written in a series. Do not use an Oxford comma before the “and” or the “or” that precedes the final item in the series, unless one of the items in the series has an “and” or “or” within it: She is in the Student Government Association, the Debate Club and Ad Club.

composition titles
Capitalize the main words and put quote marks around titles of movies, books, plays, speeches, songs, poems, works of art, etc., except the Bible and reference books, such as encyclopedias, dictionaries and almanacs. For more detailed information, consult the AP Stylebook.

course/class titles
Lowercase courses and classes unless using the proper name: He took a photography course. He took Photography 101. Capitalize and do not italicize or use quotation marks: Contemporary Art and Historical Issues will be taught next fall.

courtesy titles
University Communications conforms to AP style and universal journalism practice. We do not use the courtesy titles Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., in news releases or publications, except in direct quotations. We use Dr. only for a medical doctor, dentist or veterinarian, not a Ph.D. The designation Ph.D. may be used after a name, however, in rare cases where confusion might result, e.g. a faculty member at the College of Medicine who holds a doctorate but not an M.D.

curriculum
Curricula or curriculums is acceptable for the plural form.

dates/days of the week/months
For dates, always use numeral figures without st, nd, rd or th. Capitalize the names of months in all uses.

When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone. March, April, June and July are always spelled out.

When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas: August 2024. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas: Aug. 26, 2024, is the first day of the fall semester.
Capitalize days of the week in all uses. Do not abbreviate, except when needed in tabular format.

Do not use the word “on” before a date: The fall semester begins Aug. 26. Do not use the words “from” and “to” for dates and times. Use a hyphen. The conference will be Nov. 10-11. The event will be 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

decades or centuries
Use an apostrophe to indicate numerals that are left out; show plural by adding the letter s: the 1980s, the ‘90s, the mid-1930s.

dimensions
Spell out inches, feet, yards and use numerals to show size and dimensions. Hyphenate everything if the description is used as a compound modifier. She is 6 feet tall. FSU just signed a 6-foot-tall player. The room will need an 8-by-10 rug. That shark was a 7-footer! The hurricane dumped 8 inches of rain in one day.

Doak Campbell Stadium
Use Doak Campbell Stadium to indicate the athletic facility. Use Bobby Bowden Field only when specifying the playing field. To indicate the location of an office, classroom or other space in the complex surrounding Doak Campbell Stadium, use University Center A, B, C or D. Adding at Doak Campbell Stadium may be helpful in clarifying the location for audiences unfamiliar with campus.

doctorate, doctoral
Doctorate is a noun. Doctoral is an adjective. She holds a doctorate from FSU. She holds a doctoral degree from FSU. NOT: She holds a doctorate degree.

dollars
Always lowercase. Use figures and the $ sign. The book cost $20; the $6 million building; the budget is $900 million.

A specified dollar amount is considered a singular item and takes a singular verb. They said $400,000 is the right amount.

dormitories
Do NOT use. FSU calls them residence halls.

Dr.
According to the AP Stylebook, only medical doctors, dentists or veterinarians should use “Dr.” before the name. The title, however, can be used in quotes when applicable.

earth
Capitalize when referring to the name of the planet. Lowercase otherwise (down-to-earth).

ellipsis
Used to indicate that one or more words have been deleted in text. There are no spaces between the dots but spaces on either side of the ellipsis.

email
Not e-mail or E-mail.

emeritus, emerita
Place emeritus after the title and capitalize it or place it after the name and lowercase it: Professor Emeritus Joe Smith or Sally Smith, professor emerita.

faculty
Treat as plural. When singular, use faculty member.

film school
The formal name is the FSU College of Motion Picture Arts. Film school, or FSU Film school may be used in subsequent references. FSU Film is a separate production company and can also be used to reference the college and program.

Florida Legislature
You may use the Legislature on second reference. It is always capitalized.

Florida State University
Use the full name on first reference of news releases and other editorial content. In subsequent references either Florida State or FSU is acceptable. FSU is acceptable in headlines or marketing copy. Never use “The” preceding Florida State University.

Fort
Do NOT abbreviate for cities or military installations: Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pendleton.

full-
Hyphenate in a compound modifier: full-length, full-page, full-time job.

fundraiser, fundraising
Fundraiser and fundraising are both one word.

governor
Capitalize and abbreviate as Gov. or Govs. when used as a title before a name or names.

GPA
Grade point average. No hyphens, no periods.

health care
Two words with no hyphen in all instances, except for formal names: Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

historical periods
Spell out first through ninth centuries and use numbers with 10th and higher. Lowercase century: This is the 21st century. Capitalize names of well-known eras and events: The Great Depression, World War II.

homecoming
Capitalize when referring to FSU’s Homecoming events.

hometown
One word.

honorary degrees
Any reference should make clear the degree was honorary. Dr. generally is not used before the recipient’s name.

internet
Lowercase, not Internet.

island
Capitalize only as part of a formal name.

Jr., Sr.
Do not precede with a comma. Do not use a comma with Roman numerals: Tom Jones II.

kick off vs. kickoff
Use kick off as a verb and kickoff as a noun or adjective.

Legislature
Acceptable as second reference for Florida Legislature. Capitalize on second reference if referring to a specific statehouse.

login vs log in
Use one word, no space or hyphen, for login as a noun. Use as two words in verb form: I log in to my computer.

majors
Do not capitalize majors unless they are stated as part of an official degree. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion. She majored in religion.

mathematics or maths (vs math): The shortened version of mathematics is maths.

miles per hour
The abbreviation mph, with no periods, is acceptable for all references.

million, billion
Always use numbers unless meant in a casual way. I wish I had a million dollars. She gave $2 million to the university.

Abbreviations are acceptable in headlines. The university received a $2M grant from the National Institutes for Health.

months
Always capitalize. See “dates” entry.

Mother Nature
Capitalize.

Mr., Miss, Mrs., Ms.
See courtesy titles.

multi-
In general, no hyphen: multimillion-dollar building.

names
Use a person’s full name on first reference. On second reference, use only the last name. If two people with the same last name are quoted in a story, use first and last names.

nationalities (compound)
As both nouns and adjectives, compound nationalities are not hyphenated. African American, African American history; Italian American, Italian American history; but Indo-European (first word is a prefix and cannot stand alone).

Noles
See Seminole Tribe of Florida, Seminoles.

numbers
Spell out numbers below 10 except when describing dimensions. Use numerals for 10 and above. Do not start a sentence with a numeral; spell out the number. Spell out percent as one word or use %. If a number must start the sentence, spell out the number, capitalizing its first letter.

When referencing fractions, spell out amounts less than one, using hyphens between the words: two-thirds, four-fifths, seven-sixteenths.

Use No. with a figure for showing rank. The department ranked No. 3 in the nation this year.

office
Capitalize only when part of an official name: The Office of Homeland Security; the president’s office.

on
Do not use before a day or date.

on campus vs. on-campus
Hyphenate off campus and on campus when used as adjectives preceding a noun: The rent for off-campus apartments does not include utilities. Do not hyphenate when used as a preposition and noun: The event was held on campus.

online
One word, no hyphen.

part time, part-time
Hyphenate if part of a compound modifier: She teaches part time; she has a part-time job.

percent
Always use numerals and spell out the word percent or use %. Do not spell out numbers: 5 percent, NOT five percent.

phone numbers
(xxx) xxx-xxxx

photo captions
Be as specific as possible, including names, place, date and credit for image. Example: Florida State University President Richard McCullough congratulates a graduate during the fall commencement ceremony Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. (FSU Photography Services)

professor
Capitalize before a name but do not capitalize a subject connected with it. She has dance Professor Elizabeth Smith for that class.

If using subject is part of the official title, capitalize it. She has Professor of Dance Elizabeth Smith for that class. Do not abbreviate: Professor Smith; not Prof. Smith. On second reference, use the last name only.

quotation marks
Use double quote marks to surround a quote and single quote marks, if necessary, within a quote. A period or comma goes inside quote marks at the end of a sentence. “It was Patrick Henry who said, ‘Give me liberty or give me death,’” the professor told the class.

Use quotation marks for: books, games (video, computer, board), movies, operas, plays, poems, albums, songs, radio programs, TV programs, lectures, speeches or works of art.

Do not use quotation marks for: mobile apps, social media platforms, courses/ classes, the Bible, newspapers, magazines, catalogs of reference material, almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, gazetteers, handbooks or computer software.

For many more punctuation rules, consult the punctuation section of the AP Stylebook or other stylebooks.

race
AP’s style is now to capitalize Black in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense, conveying an essential and shared sense of history, identity and community among people who identify as Black, including those in the African diaspora and within Africa. The lowercase black is a color, not a person. Capitalize Indigenous in reference to original inhabitants of a place. Capitalize other racial and ethnic identifiers such as Latino, Asian American and Native American.

ratios
Use numbers and hyphenate. (A ratio of 5-to-1; or a 5-to-1 ratio).

regions
In general, capitalize regions of the United States and lowercase north, south, east and west when used as directions. He carried the Southeast in the election. He is going north to the mountains.

residence halls
Refer to on-campus housing facilities as residence halls or halls, not as dormitories or dorms.

room number
Capitalize room when used with a number: Room 114, Westcott Building.

ROTC
Acceptable on first reference for Reserve Officer Training Corps. No periods.

saint
There are rare exceptions, but saint almost always is abbreviated as St. in the names of cities and locations: St. Petersburg, St. Paul, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, St. Louis.

seasons
Lowercase, along with derivatives: summertime.

Seminole Tribe of Florida, Seminoles
FSU pays tribute to the resilience and courage of the Florida Seminoles when it refers to and represents the Seminole name and other symbols such as Osceola and Renegade. The Florida Seminoles are friends we honor, not our mascots. The Seminole Tribe of Florida ensures that any display of its culture and symbols is consistent with both the Tribe’s and the university’s values. Seminoles design and create the authentic apparel worn by the FSU students portraying Osceola. These appearances adhere to the official wishes of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. As such, editorial usage of the Seminole name and other symbols should comply with these guidelines.

Use Seminole Tribe of Florida on first reference when referring to the Tribe and not FSU’s Athletics teams. STOF may be used in subsequent references.

Florida State University does not have a mascot. Never refer to the Seminoles as a mascot. Use Osceola and Renegade, NOT Chief Osceola and Renegade.

Seminoles may be shortened to Noles when referring to FSU’s Athletics teams, students and alumni. Do not use an apostrophe with the shortened version: ‘Nole or ‘Noles.  Do not use Nole or Noles in program, campaign or event names. This type of usage is not consistent with the STOF’s or the university’s values.  Do not use the terms Seminole Nation, Nole Nation, Tribe, Scalp ‘Em, Territory, War, Warpath.

state of the art
No hyphens unless used as a compound modifier. The new computer system is state of the art. That department installed a state-of-the-art computer system.

states
Spell out the names of the 50 U.S. states when used in the body of a story, whether standing alone or in conjunction with a city, town, village or military base. In text, spell out states when they stand alone or if they appear after a city. Postal ZIP code abbreviations (AL, AZ, CA, CO, FL, MA, NY, etc.) should be used only in addresses and headlines.

theater, theatre
Use the American spelling, theater. But it’s the Florida State University School of Theatre.

Tucker Center
Use Donald L. Tucker Civic Center on first reference.

university
Lowercase in all uses except as part of the official name of a university.

United States, U.S.
Spell out United States on first reference and use U.S. on second reference or as an adjective. The United States is located between Canada and Mexico. The U.S. flag is red, white and blue.

web addresses
Do not tell someone to “find info on the web”, instead give the reader the web address to easily find the info so they do not have to hunt for it. Keep the web address as short as possible. If the URL is too long to fit on one line, insert a line break after a forward slash or period or use the FSU URL link shortener. Request a shorter (vanity) URL for longer web addresses. Including “https://” is not necessary: fsu.edu/admission. Omission of “www” is acceptable when clear that it is a web link.

webpage or website
Not web page or web site.

well
Hyphenate as part of a compound modifier: well-known, well-rounded.

well-being
Always hyphenated.

word-of-mouth
Hyphenate.

yearlong
One word, no hyphen. Also weeklong and daylong.

years
Use numerals. Remember: 1950s needs no apostrophe, but ‘60s does because it is an abbreviation. Beginning a sentence with numerals is acceptable but very awkward. Try to rewrite the sentence instead. FSU welcomed its largest student body yet in 2024. Not: 2024 saw FSU’s enrollment rise to a record level.

accept, except
Accept means to receive. Except means to exclude.

affect, effect
Though they can be both verb and noun, affect is almost always a verb and effect is usually a noun. Affect as a verb means to influence. The weather will affect the football game. Effect as a noun means the result. The effect of the storm was a messy game. Effect as a verb means to bring about, to cause. The professor will effect changes in vaccines with his research.

afterward
NOT afterwards.

among
Generally, between refers to two items, and among refers to more than two. Among is preferred over amongst.

anyone, any one
General reference: Anyone can pass this test. Singling out one person in a group: Any one of them can pass this test.

as, like, such as
As introduces a clause. Like compares similar nouns and pronouns and must have an object. She provides a syllabus, as she should. The young teacher directs her class like a veteran. “Such as” is used to provide a specific example. It would be nice to go to a movie, such as the one now showing at the Student Life Building.

can, may
Can refers to the ability to do something. May refers to permission being granted or denied to do it.

capital, capitol
Tallahassee is the capital of Florida. The Florida Legislature meets in a building called a capitol. The U.S. Capitol is in Washington, D.C.; the U.S. capital is Washington, D.C.

emigrant, immigrant
An emigrant leaves a country. An immigrant comes into a country.

en route
Two words.

ensure
Means to guarantee. Insure refers to insurance.

entitled
The right to do or have something; NOT the same as “titled.” She was entitled to become a full professor. Her book is titled “Writing & Grammar Basics.”

farther, further
Farther refers to physical distance. He walked farther on the campus. Further refers to an extension of time or degree. The researcher will look further into the mysteries of Alzheimer’s.

fewer, less
Use fewer with numbers, less with bulk amounts. He has less time for his hobbies than last year. The price is less than $100. Fewer than 10 students signed up for the club. Fewer people applied for the job.

forward
NOT forwards, unless referring to multiple basketball players who hold the position of forward.

good, well
Good is an adjective and should not be used as an adverb. When used as an adjective, well means healthy, proper. As an adverb, well means in a satisfactory manner.

in, into
Do not use “in” without the addition of “to” when the meaning is to enter. “He burst into the room” means he entered the room in a hurry. “He burst in the room” means he already was in the room when he came apart.

its
Possessive. No apostrophe.

it’s
A contraction for “it is.”

its’
No such word exists.

last, past
Do not use last to describe a span of time or an event when the real meaning is past.

lie, lay
Lie means a state of reclining: lie, lay, lain, lying. It can mean an untruth: lie, lied, lying. Lay means an action is being taken, and it requires an object: lay, laid, laying.

long term, long-term
Hyphenate if used as a modifier. They will achieve their goals in the long term. They will achieve their long-term goals.

people, persons
Use person only for an individual. Use people, not persons for the plural. Persons should be used only as part of a title or in a quote. NOT: This scholarship is offered to all persons with an interest in computer science. People takes a plural verb. The people of North Dakota are digging out from the blizzard.

premier, premiere
A premier is the top leader in a government or an adjective meaning the first in importance or rank. He was the premier artist of his genre. A premiere is the first performance of a play, concert or movie.

principal, principle
Principal means most important, first ranked, leading authority. The school has a new principal. She is the principal researcher in that discipline. Principle means a basic doctrine, truth or law. The Seminole Creed helps students understand the university’s principles.

reign, rein
Reign refers to a monarch’s time as ruler. A rein is used to steer a horse: pull back on the reins; give free rein to.

that, which
That and which refer to things and inanimate objects. Who refers to humans (or animals with names).
That is essential, identifies specifically the previous word or phrase and does not take a comma. The keys that Professor Smith left at the library were turned into the FSU Police Department.

Which introduces a nonessential clause, a by-the-way thought, and always takes a comma. Professor Smith left his coat, which was a birthday gift, at Strozier Library.

toward
NOT towards.

who, whom
Who always refers to people, not objects or places and can be used as to offset essential and nonessential clauses.
Who is used when a person is the subject of a sentence or clause: Who is speaking? Professor Smith, who teaches English 101, has a terrific sense of humor.
Whom is used when a person is the object of a verb or preposition: Whom would you like to hear speak?

who’s, whose
The first is a contraction for who is. The second is possessive.