Editorial Services

Editorial Style Guide

This guide is a resource for preparing written material for distribution to or publication by the news media, on the UTC website, within internal broadcast email to employees, newsletters, brochures and other official communication on behalf of the University.

It is intended to facilitate consistent and correct usage of titles and acronyms in reference to the UTC campus, colleges, offices, facilities and their leaders.

Consistent use of style enhances professionalism and unity of voice in all UTC communications. Consistency also enables sharing of content for multiple platforms without extensive re-editing.

Generally, this guide follows Associated Press style, particularly for spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, the use of figures and courtesy titles. Additional guidelines are provided for specific University entities, offices or titles not specifically addressed in AP style. The AP Stylebook can be accessed online at https://www.apstylebook.com/ (subscription required).

In the interest of supporting the University as a whole and helping readers easily understand written material, all divisions, departments and offices are encouraged to follow these guidelines.

The Office of Communications and Marketing is available to review and edit written material toward style consistency and to help solve questions of grammar, punctuation and related matters.

General Rules for Grammar and Usage

Keep the reader and ease of reading in mind: Strive for writing that is concise, informal and reads the way people actually talk.