Editorial Style Guide
University Marketing and Communications uses AP Style for all publications, communications and marketing materials. This guide explains some of the common style questions addressed by AP as well as some that have been modified to meet the specific style needs at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
For the sake of clarity, avoid as much as possible. Don’t assume readers will know what an abbreviation or acronym stands for. AP Style lists a few that are widely recognizable, including FBI, IRS and NATO. If necessary to use an abbreviation or acronym, help your reader out by spelling it out on first reference.
Academic Degrees
Specific degrees should be capitalized with no apostrophe in bachelors or masters. When speaking in general terms, use bachelor’s or master’s degree. Avoid the abbreviated BS, for obvious reasons.
Academic and Administrative Titles
Capitalize titles that are used before a person’s name but not after. Use titles on first reference, and only where clarity is needed thereafter.
Advisor, not adviser
Alumni are graduates of the university; alumna is female, and alumnus is male. It is also appropriate to identify someone who attended but did not graduate as an alumnus/alumna, per the definition of alumnus/alumna in Merriam-Webster: “a person who has attended or has graduated from a particular school, college, or university.”
Campus Buildings
- Alumni & Foundation Center
- Armstrong Hall
- Centennial Student Union (CSU on second reference)
- Ford Hall
- Highland North
- Morris Hall
- Nelson Hall
- Pennington Hall
- Taylor Center
- Trafton Center
Colleges
There are five academic colleges at Minnesota State University, Mankato:
- College of Allied Health and Nursing
- College of Business
- College of Education
- College of Humanities and Social Sciences
- College of Science, Engineering and Technology
Commas
For communications and promotional materials, the University follows AP Style, which does not use the serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma).
Correct: John, Paul, George and Ringo
Incorrect: John, Paul, George, and Ringo
Commencement
The official term for our graduation ceremonies; graduation is also acceptable. Commencement is held twice a year, at the end of both the fall and spring semesters.
Doctor/Dr.
AP Style does not use Dr. to identify individuals with academic degrees; the recommendation is to describe the degree after the person’s name (Cassandra Karoub, who has a doctorate in mathematics, was lead researcher.). In some cases, “Dr.” before the name may be appropriate in context, but all subsequent references should just be last name only. Avoid confusion with medical doctors by specifying the discipline when needed.
Dorms
Do not use. See “Residence Communities.”
Emeriti is the plural form of emeritus (male) and emerita (female), which is an honorary status that may be granted to faculty and staff upon retirement. Per AP Style, when used, place emeritus after the formal title, in keeping with the general practice of academic institutions: Professor Emeritus Samuel Eliot Morison (not Emeritus Professor Samuel Eliot Morison); or Samuel Eliot Morison, professor emeritus of history (not Samuel Eliot Morison, emeritus professor of history).
First-year student should be used in place of “freshman” whenever possible
Go Mavs! no comma needed between Go and Mavs
Grad years should be used immediately after a name on first reference, with no comma and an apostrophe before the year; when a person has multiple degrees, the grad years are separated by a comma.
Examples: Grace Brandt ’13; Grace Brandt ’13, ’17
When writing of a student not yet graduated, an x is used to denote the expected year of graduation, i.e. Joe Smith x‘04
Inclusive Language
With any term that has the effect of emphasizing one gender over another, choose language that can apply to either: police officer instead of policeman; door attendant instead of doorman. Refer to the Minnesota State Guide for Inclusive Writing for more information.
Majors and Minors
Lowercase disciplines when identifying a student’s major or minor: accounting major, minoring in theatre. Uppercase when referring to a specific department or degree, or with words that are proper nouns (such as English or Spanish).
Maverick/Mavericks, Mav/Mavs
Mavericks is both the name of our athletic teams and a way to refer to past and present members of the University community. Mavericks is the preferred term on first reference, with Mavs acceptable as second reference as well as in headlines or informal exclamations, i.e. “Go Mavs!” When referring to intercollegiate athletic teams, use the Maverick men’s hockey team and the Maverick women’s hockey team, not the Mavericks men’s hockey team or Mavericks women’s hockey team. For more information about usage visit the Name Usage page.
Minnesota State system
Minnesota State University, Mankato is part of the Minnesota State system, which is comprised of seven universities and 26 colleges on 54 campuses across the state. It is the fourth-largest system of state colleges and universities in the United States. Always use Minnesota State in full to refer to the system; do not abbreviate to MinnState or MNState, and never use MnSCU.
Residence Communities are the buildings where our on-campus students live—not “dorms.” Each community is divided into “halls.” We have five residence communities: Crawford, McElroy, Preska, Julia Sears and Stadium Heights.
Semesters
Semesters are 15-week terms of study. Fall semester takes place from August to December and spring semester takes place January through May. Summer studies take place in two summer sessions. Lowercase, i.e. fall semester classes.
Stomper is the name of the university mascot. Stomper is separate from the athletic logo, which is called the Maverick Icon Logo.
Student worker
A student who works at the University while studying here. No hyphen.
Student-athlete
A student who is on an intercollegiate athletic team. Always hyphenated.
Telephone numbers should include area code in parenthesis: (xxx) xxx-xxxx
Theatre, not theater, for both the name of the academic program and the physical spaces where plays, musicals and other performances take place. Theater can be used as the general area of study and performance. Eager to someday work in theater, John decided to check out MSU’s Theatre program.
University name
Minnesota State University, Mankato on first reference; subsequent references can be Minnesota State Mankato, MSU or “the University.” We do not use MNSU, MSU-Mankato or M State as a university identifier in text.
Work-study
Always hyphenated. Work-study does not apply to every student worker and should only be used if it can be confirmed.
