APPLY
VISIT
GIVE
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Latest News
abbreviations—Avoid using abbreviations unless the abbreviated form is generally accepted, such as for courtesy, legislative, military, academic, and religious titles used before a person’s name (Mr. John Smith, Dr. Leslie Jones, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Gov. Jerry Brown, Sen. Kamala Harris), or for such abbreviations as Jr., Sr., a.m., p.m., etc., and so on.
abbreviations, academic degrees—When abbreviated, academic degrees are separated by periods, with no spaces in between (B.A., B.S., M.B.A., M.A., M.F.A., M.S., Ph.D., Ed.D., J.D., etc.). Avoid using these abbreviations in running text. Instead of John Smith, who has an M.A. in English, write John Smith, who has a master’s degree in English. Abbreviated degrees are acceptable in use for alumni status Jane Smith (’00, B.A., English) or in a listing or program (Dr. Mary Smith; or Mary Smith, Ph.D. – Don’t use both Dr. and Ph.D.; choose one for your document and be consistent) (See also CAPITALIZATION, academic degrees.)
acronyms—Use acronyms only when an organization, university, or program commonly uses one to identify itself. If so, spell out the full name in the first reference, followed by the acronym in parentheses. (If the organization will not be referred to again in the text, there is no need to reference the acronym at all.) If referring to an organization several paragraphs removed from its first reference, it is advised not to use the acronym but rather to repeat the full name of the organization to avoid confusion.
In some cases, the acronym is more widely known and recognized than the full name of an organization. These can be used on the first and subsequent references. Examples include AARP (this, in fact, is the official name of the American Association of Retired Persons), SAT (the college aptitude test; its acronym is also its official name. SAT no longer stands for anything), NASA, NATO, CIA, FBI, HTML, and even UFO.
When in doubt, AP Stylebook lists a number of acronyms that are commonly used in first references.
acronyms, campus buildings—Spell out CSUDH building names in running text; do not use the acronyms. Such acronyms are only acceptable in class schedules, maps, or other formats where space is limited. When writing about a location on campus, use the full name in the first reference; it is acceptable to use a shortened version in the second and subsequent references.
Example: Donald B. and Katherine P. Loker University Student Union, first reference. Loker University Student Union, Loker Student Union, or just student union in subsequent references. Note that “student union” is lowercased. (see CAPITALIZATION, place names)
acting, interim—Someone assuming the duties and responsibilities for an administrator temporarily on leave is acting. When someone has been appointed to fill a position while a permanent replacement is being sought, they are considered interim. Neither term is capitalized as part of the title (e.g. interim Provost Jane Doe).
adviser—Not advisor
affect/effect—Affect as a verb means “to influence.” (How do you think that will affect us?) Effect as a verb means “to cause.” (The new budget effected many changes on campus.) As a noun, effect means “result.” (The effect of all these changes will become apparent.) Affect as a noun should be avoided (although it is often used in the field of psychology).
a lot—Two words. A more specific term or quantity is preferred.
all right— Two words; not alright.
alumna, alumnus, alumnae, alumni—Use alumna for a female who attended or graduated from a university and use alumnae in the plural form. The male form of the word is alumnus; alumni, the plural. Use alumni when referring to a combination of male and female graduates. Use of alum should be avoided in formal writing.
a.m., p.m.—Lowercase with periods after each letter.
ampersand—Do not substitute & for and in running text unless part of a formal name (AT&T).
annual—An event cannot be consider annual until it has been taken place at least two consecutive years. Instead of using first annual, use inaugural. apostrophe, usage, possessive— Add ’s to possessive singular nouns (even those nouns that end in s). Examples: the boy’s (singular) hat; the campus’s (singular) gymnasium; Tim Jones’s work; Los Angeles’s neighborhoods. Only add an apostrophe and not ’s after plural nouns (the boys’ hats). This style follows The Chicago Manual of Style. For more on apostrophe usages, consult that book.
Apostrophe usage, California State University, Dominguez Hills—When writing the campus name in possessive form, our style is to not include the s after the apostrophe, following the rule that Hills while plural in form is part of a name that is singular in meaning.
Example: California State University, Dominguez Hills’ student body is among the most diverse in the western United States.
assure/ensure/insure—Assure is a verb meaning “to convey a sense of reassurance” used in reference to a person; you can assure someone that something will be done, but you cannot assure that something will be done. In the latter, ensure, meaning “to guarantee,” would be the correct verb. Insure is a verb reserved for the insurance industry. I assured her that we would ensure that she was insured by our company policy.
biannual/biennial—Biannual means “twice a year”; biennial means “every two years.”
California State University, Dominguez Hills—When referring to this university, include the entire name in the first reference and include a comma between University and Dominguez. CSUDH is acceptable for subsequent references. Avoid using the university. Use of university is acceptable only when it is clear you are referring to CSUDH. Note that “university” is not capitalized (See CAPITALIZATION, university).
campuswide—Not hyphenated
co—Most co- prefix words are not hyphenated, unless when forming nouns, adjectives or verbs that designate occupation or status. (e.g. cocurricular, coexist, but co-host, co-worker).
collective noun—(faculty, staff, board, committee, etc.) A noun that appears singular in form but denotes a group of individuals or objects. The collective noun takes a singular verb when the group in question acts as one unit. (The committee is meeting to set its agenda.)
commas—Use commas to separate elements in a series, including between the last two items (this is known as the “serial comma” or “Oxford comma”). Example: For breakfast, Sarah had scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and orange juice.
compare to/compare with—Compare to is used to liken two things or to note similarities. (Her sense of style was compared to Martha Stewart’s.) Compare with is used to note similarities and differences. (He arrived at the seminar at 3:45 p.m., which was early compared with those attendees who arrived at 4:10 p.m.)
comprise/compose/constitute—Comprise means to include all of, contain all of, or be made up of, whereas compose and constitute mean to make up. Remember this distinction: The whole comprises (is made up of/contains all of) the parts; The parts compose (make up) the whole. Sentences that use is comprised of are incorrect. Comprise should be used as an active verb only; use in the passive implies the meaning of compose or constitute: The CSU system comprises 23 campuses (active verb/whole-parts construction) not The CSU system is comprised of 23 campuses (passive verb), and if reworded to be active would read: Twenty three campuses comprise the CSU system. In this sentence, compose/constitute would be the correct term to use (part-whole construction).
courtesy titles—In text, avoid the use of courtesy titles (Mr., Mrs., Miss) with full or partial names. Courtesy titles are acceptable in lists or event programs. (see also CAPITALIZATION, titles)
days of the week—Do not abbreviate in text. Days of the week are always capitalized, even when plural.
decades—Preference is to spell out the decade: the eighties, the nineties, etc., or to use the full four-digit number (1900s). Do not include an apostrophe (i.e. 1990’s is wrong unless used in a possessive sense; 1990s is correct). It is acceptable to use the abbreviated two-digit form (the ’60s) when the century is clear. Include the apostrophe before the first digit. However, use the full four digits when using mid (the mid-1960s). When indicating a span of time between two decades (or centuries) use four digits for both of the defining years (1989-1990; 1999-2000). Using just the last two digits of the second defining date if both dates are within the same decade is correct (2007-08).
dimensions—Use figures and spell out inches, millimeters, etc. in text. (He was five feet, nine inches tall.)
doctoral/doctorate—Doctoral is an adjective; doctorate is the degree received.
Dr.—Do not use Dr. before a name in running text. When referring to administration or faculty who have doctorates, instead use the professional title given them by the university. (Jane Doe, professor of chemistry; or Professor of Chemistry Jane Doe). Dr. can be used in programs and lists, and conversely Ph.D., Ed.D, or M.D., etc. can be used after their name in a listing. However, do not use both Dr. and Ph.D. in the same reference. (See CAPITALIZATION, titles)
e.g., i.e.—E.g. means “for example”; i.e. means “in other words” or “that is.” Use periods after each letter and set off with commas when used in running text. Example: We are working on several projects, e.g., the annual report, the conference, and the program for teachers. Use i.e. when rephrasing a statement to make it more understandable. The Executive Council, i.e., the chancellor, vice chancellors, and other system administrators, met Tuesday morning.
email—Do not hyphenate. Lowercase unless at the start of a sentence, in a title, or as part of an address.
emerita, emeritus, emeriti—Emerita refers to a woman, emeritus to a man, and emeriti in the plural form. The designation follows the main title and is capitalized with the main title if it precedes the name: Professor Emeritus Bob Wilson. (see CAPITALIZATION, titles)
ensure—see assure/ensure/insure
ethnicity and race—Current preference for the names of nonEuropean ethnic groups is without hyphens (African American, Asian American, Mexican American).
ex officio—The term, meaning “by virtue of office or position,” is two words, not hyphenated, italicized, or capitalized. However, if used with a person’s name in a list, capitalize both words. (see CAPITALIZATION, titles)
faculty/faculty member—Faculty refers to an institution’s entire instructional staff and typically takes singular verbs when referred to the whole. (The CSUDH faculty is dedicated.) In referring to an individual, use faculty member. For a group of individuals numbering less than the entire faculty, use faculty members. If referring to a distinct group, use of the plural verb is acceptable: The anthropology faculty are conducting a dig.
faculty titles—Capitalize faculty titles when they are before the person’s name. (e.g. Professor of Chemistry Jamal Simpson) Do not capitalize when titles are listed after the name. (e.g. Jamal Simpson, professor of chemistry)
FAQ—Do not add an s; FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) already implies multiple questions.
fewer/less—Fewer refers to number; less refers to quantity. Fewer is used for individual things that can be counted. (We invited six fewer people this year.) Less is used when talking about quantities that are not counted individually. (I have less money than you.) Less also can be used for degree, quantity, or extent when countable items are not being considered individually. (We have less than 10 miles to go.) flier/flyer—Flier is a handbill or an aviator; flyer is a fast bus, train, or stock market gamble.
freshman/freshmen—Use freshman instead of freshmen as a modifier (the freshman class); an easy way to remember that is to ask yourself if you would say the sophomore class or the sophomores class? full-time/full time—Hyphenate when used as an adjective preceding a noun. Do not hyphenate when following a noun. (She has a full-time job. He attends school full time.)
full-time/full time—Hyphenate when used as an adjective preceding a noun. Do not hyphenate when following a noun. (She has a full-time job. He attends school full time.)
gender—gender refers to a person’s social identity while sex refers to biological characteristics. It is best to ask how a person would like to be referred.
GPA—Preference is to spell out grade point average in the first reference and the acronym GPA in subsequent references. Use two digits after the decimal when expressing grade point average (3.50 GPA).
grade letters—Do not use quotation marks or italics. Do capitalize. For plurals, add an s without the apostrophe (As and Bs)
graduate (verb)—Students graduate from CSU Dominguez Hills; they do not graduate CSU Dominguez Hills.
hispanic—Hispanic generally refers to people with origins in Spanishspeaking countries. (see also Latina/o)
historic/historical—Historic means important within the framework of history; historical concerns something that happened in the past. Both are preceded by the article a, not an.
i.e., e.g.— see e.g., i.e.
insure—see assure/ensure/insure
latina/o—Latina/o generally refers to people with origins in Latin America and the Caribbean. More commonly used than Hispanic. Latinx is acceptable as a gender-inclusive neutral term. (see also
Hispanic)
-ly adverbs, hyphenating— Do not use a hyphen between adverbs ending in –ly and the adjectives they modify. Example: fully vested employee.
multi—Most multi- prefix words are not hyphenated: multicultural, multidisciplinary, multitask.
non—Most non- prefix words are not hyphenated, unless confusion in reading might result (non native) or if used before a proper noun (nonEnglish).
not only…but also—If you use not only, also use but also; a comma is not necessary between phrases. (She not only wrote the book but also drew the illustrations.)
numerals—Numbers from one to nine, including ordinals (from first to ninth) should be spelled out; the rest should be figures. Spell out all numerals that begin a sentence, except years. Use figures for course numbers, grade point averages, credit hours, scores, percentages, decimals, book sections, page numbers, sizes, ages, dimensions, and times. (Consult AP Stylebook for more on numerals.)
part time/part-time— Hyphenate when used as an adjective preceding a noun. Do not hyphenate when following a noun. (She has a part-time job. He attends school part time.)
percent—Always spell out percent in text and use figures. (5 percent) Percent takes a singular verb if used alone (A 10 percent return is good.) or if a singular word is the object of of (Exactly 78 percent of the product is needed.). It takes a plural verb if a plural word is the object of of. (Almost 37 percent of baseball fans own a team cap.)
post- — Most post- prefix words are not hyphenated
(postbaccalaureate); an exception is post-master’s.
pre- — Most pre- prefix words are not hyphenated.
re- — Use a hyphen if the world that follows re starts with an e, such as re-elect, re-examine; or if it could be confused with another meaning, as in re-cover/recover; re-create/recreate
SAT—The SAT no longer stands for anything. In the mid-1990s the College Board dropped the then full name of the test, Scholastic Assessment Test. Today there are two tests, SAT I: Reasoning Test and SAT II: Subject Test.
Staff—Staff, like faculty, refers to a body of people and takes a singular verb. (Our staff is here to help.) Use staff member (singular) or staff members (plural) to refer to individuals, and the verb should agree with the singular or plural member.
statewide—Not hyphenated
systemwide—Not hyphenated
time of day—Use figures, except for noon and midnight. Do not use :00 to indicate the top of the hour. (We will meet at 1 p.m. (not 1:00 p.m.) to discuss the program.) Include a.m. or p.m. to indicate morning or afternoon times. However, avoid redundancies such as: We will meet at 10 a.m. this morning. Instead say: We will meet at 10 a.m. today. In running text, do not use a dash to indicate a duration of time (Not: The class went from 2:15-2:45 p.m.; Rather: The class went from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m.) Dashes are acceptable in other forms to show duration.
theater—Use this spelling unless a proper name, program, or if the department uses Theatre (as in the Department of Theatre Arts).
underrepresented—refers to racial and ethnic populations that are represented at disproportionately low levels in higher education.
underserved—refers to those who do not receive equitable resources as other students in the academic pipeline. Typically, these groups of students have included low-income, first generation students, and students of color.
United States/U.S.—Spell out when used as a noun; U.S. (periods, no spaces) is acceptable as an adjective or as part of an organization’s name.
university-wide—Hyphenate
vice president, vice chancellor—Not hyphenated
wide—Hyphenated suffix when the base word is three or more syllables (university-wide, but not campuswide, systemwide, statewide, worldwide