CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en-US"> <head> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=EDGE"> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" > <link rel="profile" href="https://gmpg.org/xfn/11"> <link rel="icon" href="https://repo.wsu.edu/favicon/icon.svg"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="https://repo.wsu.edu/favicon/apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="https://repo.wsu.edu/favicon/favicon-32x32.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="https://repo.wsu.edu/favicon/favicon-16x16.png"> <link rel="manifest" href="https://repo.wsu.edu/favicon/site.webmanifest"> <title>WSU Editorial Style Guide | Washington State University</title> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//cdn.web.wsu.edu' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//cdnjs.cloudflare.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s.w.org' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s3.wp.wsu.edu' /> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; </script> <script type='text/javascript'> /* <![CDATA[ */ var wsu_analytics = {"defaults":{"cookieDomain":".wsu.edu"},"wsuglobal":{"ga_code":"UA-55791317-1","campus":"none","college":"none","unit_type":"none","unit":"none","subunit":"none","is_editor":"false","track_view":"yes","events":[]},"app":{"ga_code":"UA-52133513-1","page_view_type":"Front End","authenticated_user":"Not Authenticated","user_id":0,"server_protocol":"HTTP\/1.0","wsuwp_network":"ucomm.wp.wsu.edu","spine_grid":"","spine_color":"","events":[]},"site":{"ga_code":false,"ga4_code":false,"track_view":"yes","events":[]}}; /* ]]> */ // Determine if this is a mobile view using the same definition as the WSU Spine - less than 990px. function wsa_spine_type() { if ( window.matchMedia ) { return window.matchMedia( "(max-width: 989px)" ).matches ? 'spine-mobile' : 'spine-full'; } return 'spine-full'; } wsu_analytics.app.spine_type = wsa_spine_type(); </script>  <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= '//www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K5CHVG');</script>   <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-5BGKTN2');</script>  <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-P9RHP4V');</script> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="WSU Editorial Style Guide » Editorial Style Guide Comments Feed" href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/sample-page/feed/" /> <script> window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/13.0.1\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/13.0.1\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/ucomm.wsu.edu\/editorial-style-guide\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=5.6.2"}}; !function(e,a,t){var n,r,o,i=a.createElement("canvas"),p=i.getContext&&i.getContext("2d");function s(e,t){var a=String.fromCharCode;p.clearRect(0,0,i.width,i.height),p.fillText(a.apply(this,e),0,0);e=i.toDataURL();return p.clearRect(0,0,i.width,i.height),p.fillText(a.apply(this,t),0,0),e===i.toDataURL()}function c(e){var t=a.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=t.type="text/javascript",a.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(t)}for(o=Array("flag","emoji"),t.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},r=0;r<o.length;r++)t.supports[o[r]]=function(e){if(!p||!p.fillText)return!1;switch(p.textBaseline="top",p.font="600 32px Arial",e){case"flag":return s([127987,65039,8205,9895,65039],[127987,65039,8203,9895,65039])?!1:!s([55356,56826,55356,56819],[55356,56826,8203,55356,56819])&&!s([55356,57332,56128,56423,56128,56418,56128,56421,56128,56430,56128,56423,56128,56447],[55356,57332,8203,56128,56423,8203,56128,56418,8203,56128,56421,8203,56128,56430,8203,56128,56423,8203,56128,56447]);case"emoji":return!s([55357,56424,8205,55356,57212],[55357,56424,8203,55356,57212])}return!1}(o[r]),t.supports.everything=t.supports.everything&&t.supports[o[r]],"flag"!==o[r]&&(t.supports.everythingExceptFlag=t.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&t.supports[o[r]]);t.supports.everythingExceptFlag=t.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!t.supports.flag,t.DOMReady=!1,t.readyCallback=function(){t.DOMReady=!0},t.supports.everything||(n=function(){t.readyCallback()},a.addEventListener?(a.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",n,!1),e.addEventListener("load",n,!1)):(e.attachEvent("onload",n),a.attachEvent("onreadystatechange",function(){"complete"===a.readyState&&t.readyCallback()})),(n=t.source||{}).concatemoji?c(n.concatemoji):n.wpemoji&&n.twemoji&&(c(n.twemoji),c(n.wpemoji)))}(window,document,window._wpemojiSettings); </script> <style> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 .07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wsu_design_system_normalize-css' href='https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/normalize/8.0.1/normalize.min.css?ver=0.15.2.1' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wsu_design_system_icons-css' href='https://cdn.web.wsu.edu/designsystem/1.x/wsu-icons/dist/wsu-icons.bundle.css?ver=0.15.2.1' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wsu_design_system_bundle-css' href='https://cdn.web.wsu.edu/designsystem/1.x/build/dist/wsu-design-system.bundle.dist.css?ver=0.15.2.1' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wsu_design_system_temp-css' href='https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/wp-content/themes/wsuwp-theme-web-design-system/temp-style.css?ver=0.15.2.1' media='all' /> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" type="application/json" href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/2" /><meta name="generator" content="WordPress 5.6.2" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fucomm.wsu.edu%2Feditorial-style-guide%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fucomm.wsu.edu%2Feditorial-style-guide%2F&format=xml" /> <script type="text/javascript"> var jQueryMigrateHelperHasSentDowngrade = false; window.onerror = function( msg, url, line, col, error ) { // Break out early, do not processing if a downgrade reqeust was already sent. if ( jQueryMigrateHelperHasSentDowngrade ) { return true; } var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); var nonce = 'eacfd12495'; var jQueryFunctions = [ 'andSelf', 'browser', 'live', 'boxModel', 'support.boxModel', 'size', 'swap', 'clean', 'sub', ]; var match_pattern = /\)\.(.+?) is not a function/; var erroredFunction = msg.match( match_pattern ); // If there was no matching functions, do not try to downgrade. if ( typeof erroredFunction !== 'object' || typeof erroredFunction[1] === "undefined" || -1 === jQueryFunctions.indexOf( erroredFunction[1] ) ) { return true; } // Set that we've now attempted a downgrade request. jQueryMigrateHelperHasSentDowngrade = true; xhr.open( 'POST', 'https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php' ); xhr.setRequestHeader( 'Content-Type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' ); xhr.onload = function () { var response, reload = false; if ( 200 === xhr.status ) { try { response = JSON.parse( xhr.response ); reload = response.data.reload; } catch ( e ) { reload = false; } } // Automatically reload the page if a deprecation caused an automatic downgrade, ensure visitors get the best possible experience. if ( reload ) { location.reload(); } }; xhr.send( encodeURI( 'action=jquery-migrate-downgrade-version&_wpnonce=' + nonce ) ); // Suppress error alerts in older browsers return true; } </script> <style>.recentcomments a{display:inline !important;padding:0 !important;margin:0 !important;}</style> <style id="wp-custom-css"> body { background-color: #fff; } .home .wsu-c-container { background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/home-banner-scaled.jpg); background-size: 100% auto; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding-bottom: 0; } .home .wsu-s-main-container { background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/gradient-repeat.jpg); background-size: auto 800px; background-repeat: repeat-x; background-position: top center; } .home .wsu-c-container::after { content:""; display: block; height: 400px; background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/home-footer-scaled.jpg); background-size: contain; background-repeat: no-repeat; margin-top: 4rem; background-position: bottom center; } .home .wsu-c-article-header__title { color: #ca1237; font-weight: 800; max-width: 800px; } .home .wsu-c-article-header { padding-bottom: 0; } .home .wsu-c-article-header::after { display: none !important; } .home .wsu-c-article-header::before { content: ""; display: block; background-color: #ca1237; width: 70px; height: 10px; margin-bottom: 1em; } .wsu-u-max-width--medium { max-width: 700px; } p { max-width: 850px; } .wsu-c-content a:not([class^=wsu-c-]):not([class*=" wsu-c-"]) { border-bottom: .2em dotted #ca1237 !important; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-article-header { background-color: #f7f7f7; display: flex; min-height: 300px; flex-direction: column; justify-content: center; position: relative; padding-bottom: 0; margin-bottom: 3rem; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-article-header::before { content: ""; display: block; background-color: #f7f7f7; top: 0; bottom: 0; height: auto; position: absolute; width: 9999rem; right: 100%; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-article-header::after { content: ""; display: block; background-color: #f7f7f7; top: 0; bottom: 0; height: auto; width: 9999rem; position: absolute; left: 100%; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-article-header { background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/header-background.jpg); margin-bottom: 5rem; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-article-header__title { color: #ca1237; font-weight: 800; max-width: 800px; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-article-header__title::after { content: ""; display: block; background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/capital-icon-square.png); width: 400px; height: 400px; position: absolute; background-size: contain; top: -70px; left: 100%; z-index: 1; } .page-id-64 .wsu-c-article-header__title::after { background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/spelling.png) !important; } .page-id-68 .wsu-c-article-header__title::after { background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/numbers.png) !important; } .page-id-70 .wsu-c-article-header__title::after { background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/punctuation.png) !important; } .page-id-70 .wsu-c-article-header__title::after { background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/punctuation.png) !important; } .page-id-73 .wsu-c-article-header__title::after { background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/abbreviations-2.png) !important; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-article-header__subtitle { order: -1; font-weight: 600; font-size: 1.4rem; letter-spacing: 0.3em; margin-bottom: 0.2em; } .wsu-c-content ul { max-width: 850px; } .wsu-c-separator { height: 40px; background-color: #f8f8f8; max-width: 1000px; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-container { padding-bottom: 0; padding-top: 0; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-container::after { content:""; display: block; height: 400px; background-image: url(https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/capitilization-footer.jpg); background-size: contain; background-repeat: no-repeat; margin-top: 4rem; background-position: bottom center; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-article-header + p::before, .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-article-header + h2::before { content: ""; display: block; background-color: #ca1237; width: 70px; height: 10px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; } .page:not(.home) .wsu-c-article-header + p::before { margin-bottom: 1.4em; } .wsu-m-style-guide-icon .wsu-c-image__wrapper { background-color: #404040; padding: 3rem; border-radius: 50%; max-width: 90px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; } .wsu-m-style-guide-icon .wsu-c-image__wrapper:hover { background-color: #ca1237; } .wsu-m-style-guide-icon .wsu-c-button--link { text-align: center !important; } .wsu-m-style-guide-icon .wsu-c-column { text-align: center; } .wsu-m-style-guide-icon .wp-block-image { background-color: #404040; padding: 3rem; border-radius: 50%; max-width: 90px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; cursor: pointer; margin-left: 1em !important; margin-right: 1em important; } .wsu-m-style-guide-icon .wp-block-image a:not([class^=wsu-c-]):not([class*=" wsu-c-"]) { text-decoration: none !important; border-bottom: none !important; } .wsu-m-style-guide-icon .wp-block-image:hover { background-color: #ca1237; } .wsu-c-button--link { text-decoration: none !important; } </style> </head> <body class="home page-template-default page page-id-2">  <div class="wsu-g-container">  <div class="wsu-g-header__wrapper wsu-u-no-js"> <header class="wsu-g-header"> <a class="wsu-g-header__logo-link" href="http://wsu.edu/"> <span class="wsu-g-header__logo-icon"> <svg role="img" aria-labelledby="wsuLogoTitle wsuLogoDesc" class="wsu-g-header__logo-svg" enable-background="new 0 0 70.2 69.6" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 70.2 69.6" xml:space="preserve" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" > <title id="wsuLogoTitle">WSU Cougar Head Logo</title> <path class="st0" d="m42.8 69.6s3.6-1.5 5.5-7.4c1 2.3 1.5 4.8 1.3 7.3-2.3 0.1-4.5 0.2-6.8 0.1zm14.9-11.8c-10.4 1.4-12.2-20.3-12.2-20.3s3.5 11.1 10.9 10.7c7.7-0.4 5.5-12.2 5.5-12.2s7.5 20.2-4.2 21.8zm-47.7-5c-3.3 1-6.6 1.8-10 2.4 0 0 5.9-4.5 10.3-18.3l4.3 3.9-0.8 2.6c1.1 1.5 1.9 3.1 2.5 4.9 1.6-3.6 1.5-7.7-0.3-11.2l-0.5 1.6-1.7-1.5-2.8-2.7c1.2-3.6 3-7 5.3-10.1l0.4 0.4 3.3 3.8-1 1.7c1.5 1.7 2.9 3.4 4.2 5.3 0.6-3.4 0.4-6.8-0.4-10.1l-1.5 1.4-3.6-4.2c4.5-4.7 10-8.2 16.2-10.3-0.4 0.4-0.7 0.8-1 1.3-2 2.9-4.1 8.1-2.4 16.4 0.3 1.3 0.7 3.2 1.1 5.1 0.9 3.8 1.9 8.2 2.2 10.9 0.7 5.7 0.1 9.4-1.8 11.4-1.3 1.4-3.5 2-6.4 1.9v-1.4c0-2.4-0.3-4.8-0.8-7.2l-0.8-2.7-1.2 2.6c-1.9 4.1-8.6 14.1-17.2 16.1 2.6-4.2 4.1-9 4.4-14zm25.4 16.4h-0.5-0.1-0.3c-0.5 0-0.8-0.1-1.2-0.1-0.7-0.1-1.6-0.2-2.6-0.4-6.4-1.1-12.9-1.7-19.4-2 6.2-3.6 10.4-9.9 12-12.5 0.2 1.3 0.3 2.5 0.3 3.8 0 0.8 0 1.6-0.1 2.2l-0.1 1.1 1.1 0.1c0.7 0.1 1.3 0.1 1.9 0.1 3.3 0 5.7-0.8 7.3-2.5 2.4-2.5 3.1-6.7 2.3-13.1-0.4-2.9-1.4-7.4-2.3-11.1-0.5-2-0.9-3.8-1.1-5-1.5-7.6 0.3-12.3 2.1-14.8 1.3-1.9 3.2-3.4 5.5-4.2h0.1l3.3-10.8h1.1l-2.3 10.3c0.7-0.1 1.2-0.2 1.7-0.3l3-9.5h1.1l-2 9.2c2.9-0.4 6.1-0.7 10.3-1 0.8 0.4 1.4 1.1 1.8 1.9l9.8-3 0.4 1.1-9.5 3.7c0.1 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.6l10.3-1.3 0.2 1.1-10 2c0 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.6l10.4 0.3v1.1l-10.2 0.4c0 1.2-0.2 2.4-0.5 3.6 0.6 2.1 0.7 4.3 0.3 6.5-1.7-3.9-3-5.1-3-5.1-1.4-0.7-2.9-1-4.5-1-2.5 0-4.8 1.1-6.4 2.9-2.3 2.6-3.5 6-3.3 9.5 0.2 2.4 0.7 5.1 1.4 8.6 0.7 3.6 1.6 8.1 2.3 13.5 0.6 4.1-0.1 7.3-1.8 9.7-1.6 2.1-4 3.4-6.5 3.8h-0.1-0.2-0.1-2.2zm10.4-51.5c-2.1-0.1-4.2 0.4-6 1.3-1.5 1-2.5 2.7-2.6 4.5-0.1 0.6-0.1 1.2 0 1.8 0.8-1.5 2-2.8 3.3-3.9 2.4-1.5 5.1-2.3 7.9-2.4h0.9 0.3c0.4 0 0.7-0.1 0.8-0.2 0-0.1-0.1-0.3-0.4-0.4-1.3-0.5-2.7-0.8-4.2-0.7z" ></path> </svg> </span> <span class="wsu-g-header__logo-text"> Washington State University </span> </a> <nav class="wsu-g-header__nav" aria-label="Global Header Call to Action Links" > <button class="wsu-g-header__more-icon-link" onClick="wsu_wds.toggleMoreMenu()" aria-label="quick links expand or collapse"> <span class="wsu-icon wsu-i-more"></span> </button> <ul class="wsu-g-header__nav-list"> <li class="wsu-g-header__nav-item"> <a class="wsu-g-header__nav-link" href="https://foundation.wsu.edu/" > Give </a> </li> <li class="wsu-g-header__nav-item"> <a class="wsu-g-header__nav-link" href="https://admission.wsu.edu/apply/as/find-your-application/" > Apply Now </a> </li> <li class="wsu-g-header__nav-item"> <a class="wsu-g-header__nav-link" href="https://wsu.edu/about/statewide/" > Locations </a> </li> <li class="wsu-g-header__nav-item"> <a class="wsu-g-header__nav-link" href="https://mywsu.wsu.edu/" > MyWSU </a> </li> </ul> </nav> <div class="wsu-g-header__search-icon-container"> <a class="wsu-g-header__search-icon-link" href="https://search.wsu.edu/" title="search WSU" > <span class="wsu-icon wsu-i-search"></span> </a> </div> <div class="wsu-g-header__menu-icon-container"> <button class="wsu-g-header__menu-icon-link wsu-s-nav-vertical--toggle" aria-label="menu expand or collapse" onclick="wsu_wds.vertical_nav.toggle_panel()" > <span class="wsu-icon wsu-i-menu"></span> </button> </div> </header> </div>   <div class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__wrapper wsu-u-no-js wsu-s-nav-vertical__wrapper--start-open"> <a class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__menu-icon-link" href="#" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true" tabindex="0" title="Open Menu"> <div class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__menu-icon-container"> <div class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__menu-icon-bar"></div> <div class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__menu-icon-bar"></div> <div class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__menu-icon-bar"></div> </div> <span class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__menu-label"></span> </a> <nav class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-container" aria-label="Vertical Site Navigation"> <a href="#" class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-container-close-link"> <span class="wsu-icon wsu-i-x-close"></span> <span class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-container-close-label">Close</span> </a> <ul class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-list-container" id="wsu-s-nav-vertical" role="menubar" aria-label="Vertical Site Navigation"> <li class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-item" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/" class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-link--active" aria-expanded="true" role="menuitem"> Home </a> </li> <li class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-item" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/capitalization-names-and-titles/" class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-link" role="menuitem"> Capitalization, names, and titles </a> </li> <li class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-item" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/spelling/" class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-link" role="menuitem"> Spelling </a> </li> <li class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-item" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/numbers/" class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-link" role="menuitem"> Numbers </a> </li> <li class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-item" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/punctuation-and-abbreviations/" class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-link" role="menuitem"> Punctuation and abbreviations </a> </li> <li class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-item" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/abbreviations-of-wsu-majors/" class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-link" role="menuitem"> Abbreviations of WSU majors </a> </li> <li class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-item" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/inclusive-language/" class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-link" role="menuitem"> Inclusive language </a> </li> <li class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-item" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/resources/" class="wsu-s-nav-vertical__nav-link" role="menuitem"> Resources </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div>   <div class="wsu-s-container">  <div class="wsu-s-main-container"> <div class="wsu-c-container wsu-c-content"> <header class="wsu-c-article-header" style="margin-top:32%;" > <h1 class="wsu-c-article-header__title">Editorial Style Guide</h1> </header> <p class="wsu-u-max-width--medium has-medium-large-font-size wsu-u-font-size--medium-large">Washington State University鈥檚 editorial guide helps University staff communicate clearly, concisely, and consistently about WSU.</p> <div class="wsu-c-column__wrapper wsu-c-columns--quarters wsu-m-style-guide-icon" style="margin-bottom:3rem;" > <div class="wsu-c-column" > <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/capitalization-names-and-titles/"><img loading="lazy" width="612" height="612" src="https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/capital.png" alt="" class="wp-image-118" srcset="https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/capital.png 612w, https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/capital-396x396.png 396w, https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/capital-198x198.png 198w" sizes="(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" /></a></figure> <div class="wsu-c-button__wrapper" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/capitalization-names-and-titles/" class="wsu-c-button--link"> Capitalization, names, and titles </a> </div> </div> <div class="wsu-c-column" > <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/spelling/"><img loading="lazy" width="612" height="612" src="https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/spelling.png" alt="" class="wp-image-120" srcset="https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/spelling.png 612w, https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/spelling-396x396.png 396w, https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/spelling-198x198.png 198w" sizes="(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" /></a></figure> <div class="wsu-c-button__wrapper" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/spelling/" class="wsu-c-button--link"> Spelling </a> </div> </div> <div class="wsu-c-column" > <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/numbers/"><img loading="lazy" width="612" height="612" src="https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/numbers.png" alt="" class="wp-image-121" srcset="https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/numbers.png 612w, https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/numbers-396x396.png 396w, https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/numbers-198x198.png 198w" sizes="(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" /></a></figure> <div class="wsu-c-button__wrapper" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/numbers/" class="wsu-c-button--link"> Numbers </a> </div> </div> <div class="wsu-c-column" > <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/punctuation-and-abbreviations/"><img loading="lazy" width="612" height="612" src="https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/punctuation.png" alt="" class="wp-image-122" srcset="https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/punctuation.png 612w, https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/punctuation-396x396.png 396w, https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2651/2020/11/punctuation-198x198.png 198w" sizes="(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" /></a></figure> <div class="wsu-c-button__wrapper" > <a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/punctuation-and-abbreviations/" class="wsu-c-button--link"> Punctuation and abbreviations </a> </div> </div> </div> <p class="">This guide covers many common areas of concern and questions when writing for the University.</p> <p class="">The guide isn鈥檛 a comprehensive grammar manual or dictionary. <a href="http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html"><em>The Chicago Manual of Style</em></a> serves as the University鈥檚 standard style reference for marketing and many other communications. For spelling, word division, and helpful usage notes, refer to<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/"><em>Merriam-Webster鈥檚 Collegiate Dictionary</em></a>. </p> <p class="">News releases and media relations communications use the <a href="https://www.apstylebook.com/"><em>Associated Press Stylebook,</em></a> in accordance with industry standards. <a href="http://news.wsu.edu/about-us/">WSU News</a> can provide additional information about AP style and media relations.</p> <p class="">Please <a href="mailto:style.guide@wsu.edu">contact the Editorial Style Guide committee</a> if you have questions or ideas about this guide.</p> <hr class="wsu-c-separator" /> <h2 class="wsu-c-heading" > What’s New? </h2> <p class=""><strong><a href="https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/inclusive-language/" data-type="page" data-id="178">Inclusive language guide</a></strong></p> <hr class="wsu-c-separator" /> <p class="has-small-font-size wsu-u-font-size--small"><em>Last updated: November 18, 2022</em></p> </div> </div>   <div class="wsu-s-footer__wrapper"> <footer class="wsu-s-footer__container"> <div class="wsu-s-footer__contact-container"> <p class="wsu-s-footer__contact-info"> </p> <ul class="wsu-s-footer__social-list"> </ul> </div> </footer> <div class="wsu-s-footer__coug-watermark"> <svg role="img" aria-labelledby="wsuLogoTitle wsuLogoDesc" class="wsu-s-footer__logo-svg" enable-background="new 0 0 70.2 69.6" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 70.2 69.6" xml:space="preserve" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <title id="wsuLogoTitle">WSU Cougar Head Logo</title> <desc id="wsuLogoDesc">Originally created in 1936 by Randall Johnson, the Cougar Head remains a unique and distinguished part of the WSU identity.</desc> <path class="st0" d="m42.8 69.6s3.6-1.5 5.5-7.4c1 2.3 1.5 4.8 1.3 7.3-2.3 0.1-4.5 0.2-6.8 0.1zm14.9-11.8c-10.4 1.4-12.2-20.3-12.2-20.3s3.5 11.1 10.9 10.7c7.7-0.4 5.5-12.2 5.5-12.2s7.5 20.2-4.2 21.8zm-47.7-5c-3.3 1-6.6 1.8-10 2.4 0 0 5.9-4.5 10.3-18.3l4.3 3.9-0.8 2.6c1.1 1.5 1.9 3.1 2.5 4.9 1.6-3.6 1.5-7.7-0.3-11.2l-0.5 1.6-1.7-1.5-2.8-2.7c1.2-3.6 3-7 5.3-10.1l0.4 0.4 3.3 3.8-1 1.7c1.5 1.7 2.9 3.4 4.2 5.3 0.6-3.4 0.4-6.8-0.4-10.1l-1.5 1.4-3.6-4.2c4.5-4.7 10-8.2 16.2-10.3-0.4 0.4-0.7 0.8-1 1.3-2 2.9-4.1 8.1-2.4 16.4 0.3 1.3 0.7 3.2 1.1 5.1 0.9 3.8 1.9 8.2 2.2 10.9 0.7 5.7 0.1 9.4-1.8 11.4-1.3 1.4-3.5 2-6.4 1.9v-1.4c0-2.4-0.3-4.8-0.8-7.2l-0.8-2.7-1.2 2.6c-1.9 4.1-8.6 14.1-17.2 16.1 2.6-4.2 4.1-9 4.4-14zm25.4 16.4h-0.5-0.1-0.3c-0.5 0-0.8-0.1-1.2-0.1-0.7-0.1-1.6-0.2-2.6-0.4-6.4-1.1-12.9-1.7-19.4-2 6.2-3.6 10.4-9.9 12-12.5 0.2 1.3 0.3 2.5 0.3 3.8 0 0.8 0 1.6-0.1 2.2l-0.1 1.1 1.1 0.1c0.7 0.1 1.3 0.1 1.9 0.1 3.3 0 5.7-0.8 7.3-2.5 2.4-2.5 3.1-6.7 2.3-13.1-0.4-2.9-1.4-7.4-2.3-11.1-0.5-2-0.9-3.8-1.1-5-1.5-7.6 0.3-12.3 2.1-14.8 1.3-1.9 3.2-3.4 5.5-4.2h0.1l3.3-10.8h1.1l-2.3 10.3c0.7-0.1 1.2-0.2 1.7-0.3l3-9.5h1.1l-2 9.2c2.9-0.4 6.1-0.7 10.3-1 0.8 0.4 1.4 1.1 1.8 1.9l9.8-3 0.4 1.1-9.5 3.7c0.1 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.6l10.3-1.3 0.2 1.1-10 2c0 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.6l10.4 0.3v1.1l-10.2 0.4c0 1.2-0.2 2.4-0.5 3.6 0.6 2.1 0.7 4.3 0.3 6.5-1.7-3.9-3-5.1-3-5.1-1.4-0.7-2.9-1-4.5-1-2.5 0-4.8 1.1-6.4 2.9-2.3 2.6-3.5 6-3.3 9.5 0.2 2.4 0.7 5.1 1.4 8.6 0.7 3.6 1.6 8.1 2.3 13.5 0.6 4.1-0.1 7.3-1.8 9.7-1.6 2.1-4 3.4-6.5 3.8h-0.1-0.2-0.1-2.2zm10.4-51.5c-2.1-0.1-4.2 0.4-6 1.3-1.5 1-2.5 2.7-2.6 4.5-0.1 0.6-0.1 1.2 0 1.8 0.8-1.5 2-2.8 3.3-3.9 2.4-1.5 5.1-2.3 7.9-2.4h0.9 0.3c0.4 0 0.7-0.1 0.8-0.2 0-0.1-0.1-0.3-0.4-0.4-1.3-0.5-2.7-0.8-4.2-0.7z" /> </svg> </div> </div>   <div class="wsu-g-footer-wrapper"> <footer class="wsu-g-footer"> <div class="wsu-g-footer__copyright">© Washington State University 2024</div> <nav class="wsu-g-footer__nav"> <ul class="wsu-g-footer__nav-list"> <li class="wsu-g-footer__nav-item"> <a class="wsu-g-footer__nav-link" href="https://access.wsu.edu/">Access</a> </li> <li class="wsu-g-footer__nav-item"> <a class="wsu-g-footer__nav-link" href="https://policies.wsu.edu/">Policies</a> </li> <li class="wsu-g-footer__nav-item"> <a class="wsu-g-footer__nav-link" href="https://portal.wsu.edu/">MyWSU</a> </li> <li class="wsu-g-footer__nav-item"> <a class="wsu-g-footer__nav-link" href="https://socialmedia.wsu.edu"> Follow WSU </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </footer> </div>  </div>  </div>  <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-K5CHVG" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5BGKTN2" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-P9RHP4V" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script src='https://cdn.web.wsu.edu/designsystem/1.x/build/dist/wsu-design-system.bundle.dist.js?ver=0.15.2.1' id='wsu_design_system_js-js'></script> <script src='https://ucomm.wsu.edu/editorial-style-guide/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js?ver=5.6.2' id='wp-embed-js'></script> </body> </html>