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In general, UGS follows The University of Texas Writer's Style Guide. Here are some common formatting, style, grammar, and punctuation issues to keep in mind. **If you will be updating webpages and have not been trained in Drupal, please contact Lane Mann to schedule training** |
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- Never use two spaces after a period
- Use ampersands in page and program titles but not within body text, unless referencing a page or program title
- Always capitalize “The” in “The University of Texas.”
- Always reference the university as "The University of Texas at Austin" on first reference
- "UT" is acceptable on second
- Never capitalize “university”, “school”, or “college” mid-sentence unless using a proper name
- “I work for The University of Texas at Austin. The university is a good employer.”
- Never capitalize “the” in “the School of Undergraduate Studies” mid-sentence
- Never capitalize the semester name (e.g. spring, summer, fall) mid-sentence
- Never capitalize a subject or department unless using a proper name or a course title
- CORRECT: “Students can enroll in chemistry courses from the College of Natural Sciences.”
- CORRECT: “She “They majored in physics and English.”
- CORRECT: “She is “They are a faculty member in the Department of Sociology.”
- CORRECT: “She is “They are a faculty member in the sociology department.”
- INCORRECT: “He is “They are taking Chemistry, Art History, and Biology courses this semester.”
- Never capitalize “bachelor’s” or “master’s” degree mid-sentence
- Always use punctuation in degree abbreviations
- For example: Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed., etc.
- Always use the Oxford comma with a list of three or more things
- CORRECT: “She is “They are taking art history, biology, and math courses this semester.”
- INCORRECT: “He is “They are majoring in English, biology and Spanish.”
- Capitalize job titles only when used before a name
- CORRECT: “Brent Iverson is dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies.”
- CORRECT: “Dean Brent Iverson will attend the luncheon hosted by President Fenves.”
- CORRECT: "Brent Iverson, dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies, will attend a lunch hosted by President Fenves."
- INCORRECT: “The President spoke at our dinner on Tuesday night.”
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Bulleted and numbered lists
- Do not put periods at the end of a bullet (should ideally be phrases, not sentences)
- Do not put a colon at the end of the text preceding the list
- Try to use either bold or bullets to make text stand out, not both
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