ITCS Style Guide

Last updated September 2008

In September 2008, the university published a U-M Style Guide. The style guide below will be updated over time so that it includes only things specific to ITCS. In matters of general style, we will move toward following the U-M guide.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

abbreviations

For the most part, don't abbreviate things. If you do need to abbreviate something (for example, a unit of measurement), spell it out the first time and give the abbreviation in parentheses.

acronyms

If you must use acronyms, be sure to spell them out the first time you use them, even if you think everyone in the world knows what they are. Do not use periods except in abbreviations for English (nonmetric) units of measurement or in the abbreviations U.S., a.m., and p.m. Do not add an apostrophe before the s when forming the plural. See also, the ITCS Acronym Decoder.

anti-virus

Note the hyphen. This is so we are consistent with, for example, anti-spyware. The U-M Virus Busters Team prefers the word "anti-virus" to "antiviral" in text about anti-virus software.

a.m.

Note lower case and periods.

apostrophes

Use the curly or "smart" apostrophe for printed materials. Online publications often do not offer this option, and you must then use a non-curly apostrophe. Use non-curly apostrophes and quote marks in e-mail messages.

Additional Resources section

This section appears at the end of each piece of ITCS documentation. It should include all documents referenced in the text and any others that seem appropriate.

backup, back up

When a noun or adjective (for example, a tape backup or a backup service), this is one word. When a verb, this is two words (for example, to back up your files).

Blue Disc

Use initial capital letters. Note that Disc ends with a "c." Don't assume people know what the Blue Disc is. You may need to mention that it contains the U-M Internet Access Kits. More about the Blue Disc is at http://www.itcs.umich.edu/bluedisc/.

button names

Bold the names of buttons. Match the capitalization on the button itself.

Campus Computing Sites

Use full name on first mention; can use computing sites (note lower case) or Sites on subsequent mentions.

Central Campus

Note capitalization.

click

You click buttons and other things (for example, click Cancel); you do not click on them (for example, click on Cancel).

commas

When listing items one, two, and three in a sentence, include a comma before the "and" or "or" or whatever your conjunction.

dashes

See "special characters."

days, dates, times

Include the 0's in times: "3:00 p.m." instead of "3 p.m." Use a.m. and p.m. (note spacing and lack of capitalization). Spell out days of the week and months of the year, unless they are in a table, headline, subhead, or ad and you just can't make them fit.

data set

Two words. Do not run together as one word.

database

One word.

dialog box names

Bold the names of dialog boxes.

directory

When referring to file structure, the preferred name is "folder" rather than "directory." Reserve "directory" for specific references to the structure of a file system. See "folder."

The preferred name for the directory containing entries for members of the U-M community is "U-M Online Directory."

double-click

This is a verb. Note the hyphenization.

e-mail

E-mail is the preferred abbreviation of electronic mail; do not use email. You don't need to spell it out or explain it. Use a non-breaking hyphen in print publications to avoid breaking the word at the end of a line.

e.g.

Avoid; use "for example" or "such as" instead.

et al.

Avoid; use "and others."

etc.

Do not use; use "and so forth" or "and so on."

Ethernet

Note capitalization.

file names

Use bold text for file names.

flow chart

Two words.

folder names

Use bold type for folder names.

hard disk drive

Do not use. Use hard drive instead.

home page

Home page is two words, not one, with no hyphen. It does not require capitalization.

hypertext links

See "URL."

hyphenation

In general, hyphenate two words that precede and modify a noun as a unit. However, do not hyphenate compound words with "very" or with adverbs that end in "ly."

icon names

Bold the names of icons.

i.e.

Avoid; use that is.

Internet

Note capitalization.

Internet2

Note capitalization. There is no space between "Internet" and "2."

ITCS (Information Technology Central Services)

Spell out "Information Technology Central Services (ITCS)" on first reference. Abbreviate as "ITCS" on subsequent references.

ITD (Information Technology Division)

Do not use. See "ITCS (Information Technology Central Services)"

Kerberos password

Use UMICH Kerberos password instead to refer to the password ITCS gives you for use with your uniqname. Kerberos password is too general; we have Engineering Kerberos passwords, LS&A Kerberos passwords, and so on. Note that people on the Medical Campus refer to these passwords as "Level 1" passwords.

keyboard key names

Bold the names of computer keyboard keys (for example, press Return. Use an initial capital letter. Note that keys are pressed, not hit.

links

See "URL."

Login Service

Note capitalization. May also be referred to as ITCS Login Service.

long distance

Never hyphenate, even when used as an adjective.

lower case

Two words. Do not hyphenate when used as an adjective.

"M" vs. "m"

The presentation standard for all services that are named with a beginning "m," where the "m" refers to Michigan is as follows:

Graphic/Web Version: Block M followed by the first letter of the service capitalized
Print/Text Version: M followed by the first letter of the service capitalized

Examples: MPrint, MFile, MRequest, MWireless

When a service is provided by ITCS, but perceived as institutional, a different rule may apply. (MCommunity is an example of such a name, although it happens to conform to the standard.) Exceptions to this standard will be reviewed at the executive director level on a case-by-case basis.

Macintosh

Use "Macintosh computer" on first reference. May be shortened to "Mac" on subsequent references. Do not use "Macintoshes."

Main Campus

Do not use. "Central Campus" is preferred.

menu names

Bold the names of menus. Match the capitalization of the menu name.

menu selections

Bold the names of things you select from a menu. Match the capitalization of what is selected.

Merit Network or Merit Network, Inc.

Use full name on first reference. The "Inc." should be included in legal documents but can be included or omitted in other documents depending on the usage and tone of the document. Can be shortened to "Merit" on subsequent mentions.

MichNet

One word. Note capitalization.

multimedia

Multimedia is one word with no hyphen.

North Campus

Note capitalization.

numbers

Spell out the numbers one through nine; use digits for all double-digit numbers from 10 on up.

online

Online is one word with no hypen.

ORACLE, Oracle

Use all capital letters when referring to the relational database management system or software. Use upper case and lower case (Oracle) when referring to the company.

PC

Acronym for Personal Computer. For clarity, we often write "Windows PC." Do not use this term to refer to a Macintosh computer.

plurals

To form the plural of an acronym or an abbreviation, add an s, but no apostrophe.
To form the plural of a letter, character, or symbol, add an apostrophe and an s.
Do not use (s) to indicate that a noun can be either singular or plural. Spell out the singular and plural forms if necessary (for example, initializing your hard disk or disks.

p.m.

Note lower case and periods.

point-to-point protocol (PPP)

Note hyphenation and lower case. Spell out abbreviation on first mention.

possessives

Form the possessive of a singular noun, including one that ends in s, by adding an apostrophe and an s (for example, the computer's power cord, the boss's office).
Form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in s by adding an apostrophe (for example, the students' curriculum).
Form the possessive of a plural noun that does not end in s by adding an apostrophe and an s (for example, children's requirements).
Form the possessive of noun that is plural in form but singular in meaning by adding an apostrophe (for example, measles' effects, the United States' resources).
Form the possessive of a singular proper noun or a proper name, including one that ends in s, by adding an apostrophe and an s (for example, Howard Hughes's official biography).
Form the possessive of a plural proper noun or proper name by adding an apostrophe (for example, the Joneses' computer).

presentation standard

The presentation standard for all services that are named with a beginning "m," where the "m" refers to Michigan is as follows:

Graphic/Web Version: Block M followed by the first letter of the service capitalized
Print/Text Version: M followed by the first letter of the service capitalized

Examples: MPrint, MFile, MRequest, MWireless

QuickNote

Do not use; this term has been phased out. Instead, refer to ITCS documentation as ITCS documentation or documents.

quotation marks

Use curly or "smart" opening and closing quotation marks in print materials to avoid confusion with the inch mark. This may not be possible in electronic documents, such as this one.

Follow standard U.S. punctuation rules for quotes. In other words, commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks. Question marks, exclamation points, dashes, and semicolons go within the quotations marks when they apply to the quoted matter only. Avoid ending a sentence with a computer command, address, or URL to eliminate confusion.

Regents of the University

May shorten to "the Regents" after complete term is used for first mention. Note capitalization.

said versus says

When attributing quotes in news articles, use "said" instead of "says." This is more accurate because whatever was said really was said in the past.

spaces

Separate sentences with one space, not two.

special characters

Use the en dash and the em dash in print; you can use two hyphens (--) to indicate an em dash in an e-mail message or other format where special characters may not work reliably. The en dash is only used in dates and times that contain ranges: "Monday-Wednesday" and "3:00-4:00 p.m." The em dash is the dash used to indicate a break in a sentence. Most word processing programs provide ways to type these dashes; look under "special characters" in the help for your word processing program.

titles

Capitalize people's titles only when they appear immediately before a person's name and are not separated from it by a comma. If the title appears after the person's name, use lower case letters.

Trojan horse

Trojan horse, when used to refer to the kind of program that masquerades as something like the Login Service while stealing passwords, has the "T" in Trojan capitalized but not the "h" in horse.

U-M

Abbreviate the University of Michigan as "U-M." Use a non-breaking hypen to avoid breaking the abbreviation at the end of a line. Do not use "UM."

UMCE

Refers to a unit in ITCS and stands for University of Michigan Computing Environment. This term should only be used in materials internal to ITCS. Refer to services provided by UMCE Operations or User Services as ITCS services rather than UMCE services.

U-M Computer Sales Program

Use full name on first mention. Can use Computer Sales Program or Sales Program on subsequent mentions.

U-M Computer Showcase

Use full name on first mention. Can use Computer Showcase or Showcase on subsequent mentions. Do not spell out U-M in this case.

U-M Online

This is the preferred way to refer to the computing services offered to U-M alumni and others. Do not use UMOL. This cannot be abbreviated.

U-M Online Directory

As of summer 2001, this is the official name of the directory. Do not use the previous name, "Online Campus Directory."

UMICH Kerberos password

This is the preferred way to refer to the password ITCS gives people for use with their uniqname. Do not use Kerberos password, as this is vague. There are also ENGIN passwords, which, like UMICH passwords, are also Kerberos passwords.

University

Do not capitalize the word "University" when it is used alone to refer specifically to the University of Michigan. This is a change in style as of September 2008. Before that, the capitalization was encouraged.

University of Michigan

When referring to "the University of Michigan," do not capitalize the "t" in "the."

Abbreviate it as "U-M," not "UM."

Unix

Use upper and lower case letters when talking about Unix systems generally. This is because a review of trade publications and a look at the popular press showed that "Unix" is widely used; in fact, it seemed to be the most widely used form. (Note that UNIX(tm) is a trademark of The Open Group, and additional information is at http://www.unix-systems.org/trademark.html.)

upper case

Two words. Do not hyphenate when used as an adjective.

URL

Stands for Uniform Resource Locator. Many people use "web address" instead.

When creating a link in an HTML document for use on the web, use a name for the link rather than just the URL itself unless you have a compelling reason to use the URL itself. This makes it easier and quicker for the reader. So, tell the reader to look at the ITCS website rather than at http://www.itcs.umich.edu/. And, to reduce load on the Web servers, you should include in your HREF URL the end slash when the URL ends in a directory name rather than a file name. (File names generally end in .htm or .html.)

In text, the "http://" is not required. However, when a URL begins in "https://" be sure to include the "https://" and call attention to the "s."

Note that you should include the http:// in text that will be sent electronically so people can actually click on the URL if the program they are using supports that function.

URLs in printed text

When referring to a URL in printed text, put the URL itself in parentheses in most cases. For example, you could write, "The ITCS Web site (www.itd.umich.edu) has lots of useful information." Avoid ending a sentence with a URL; this results in a period following the URL, which can be confusing.

user group

Lower case unless part of a formal title. Note singular "user."

voice mail

Note that this is two words.

website

Website is one word with no hypen. There is no need to capitalize the "w" unless the word is the first word in a sentence or in a headline or title where other words are capitalized.

Windows

According to the Microsoft Manual of Style, "Windows computer" is incorrect. Microsoft prefers "Windows-based device" or "a computer running Windows."

Window names

Use initial caps for window names, but do not use any special formatting or put the names in quotation marks.

workstation

One word.

X.500 Online Directory

Do not use this term. It was replaced by Online Campus Directory when we stopped using the X.500 protocol and began using LDAP instead. Later, in summer 2001, the Online Campus Directory name was replaced by U-M Online Directory.

Please direct questions and requests for changes, additions, or deletions to this style guide to the the ITCS Communications Group.