Editorial Style Guide

In general, avoid unnecessary capitalization, as it can divert from the writing itself.

• Do not capitalize university unless using the complete proper name of the university – University of Colorado Anschutz. 
• Capitalize only the official and complete names of colleges, schools, departments, divisions, offices, buildings and official bodies. 
• Do not capitalize semester names or seasons. 
• To conserve space, whenever possible, omit terms like “Office of” and “Department of,” especially after a first reference. 
• The first word after a colon is always uppercase if the following portion is a complete sentence. 
• Only capitalize formal titles when they immediately precede an individual’s name.
  • Example: Chancellor Don Elliman; Don Elliman is the chancellor of CU Anschutz.
    • Note: extended titles should ideally go after an individual’s name to minimize excessive capitalization and enhance readability.

H1 headlines on newsroom stories should follow the “title case” approach:

• Always capitalize the first word, regardless of part of speech. 
• All proper nouns are capitalized. 
• Personal pronouns are capitalized.  (I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us and them)
• Articles, conjunctions or prepositions are not capitalized – unless they are the first word of the title. 
• Punctuation notes in headlines:
  • Only use ending punctuation if the headline necessitates a question mark.
  • Commas can be used to link ideas.
  • Follow guidance on hyphens for modifying nouns (See: Punctuation).
    • Example: CU Anschutz Home to Cutting-Edge Technology in Cancer Treatment.
  • Avoid using quotation marks, but single quotation marks are preferred for readability.

H2/Subheadlines should follow the “sentence case” approach. Only capitalize the first word for sentence case.

• Note: Despite using sentence case, H2/subheadlines should avoid periods at the end of them.

Use abbreviations and acronyms in moderation, with a focus toward improving reading comprehension. When using uncommon abbreviations or acronyms, on first reference spell out the full name and follow it by placing the abbreviation or acronym in parentheses.

If an entity is not mentioned twice, do not include an acronym after the first reference full name.

Dates
Per AP style, spell out month names that stand alone. Abbreviate month names when used with a specific date.

Examples:

• December 2019
• Dec. 14, 2019
• On Dec. 14, 2019, the building was opened.

Street names
Per AP style, spell out street names without a number and abbreviate street names in a complete address: 

Use abbreviations only with a numbered address (Ave., Blvd. and St.).

• Example: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave

When an address number is not present, spell out and capitalize when part of a formal street name.

• Example: Pennsylvania Avenue.

When multiple street names are listed, use lowercase and spell out.

• Example: Massachusetts and Pennsylvania avenues.

Similar words (alley, drive, road, terrace, etc.) are always fully spelled out. Like above, capitalize when they are part of a formal name without a number and use lower case when used alone or alongside multiple street names.

Examples:

• 13001 E. 17th Place, Aurora, CO 80045
• 12348 E. Montview Blvd., Aurora, CO 80045

United States
Use periods when abbreviating United States (U.S.) in both headlines and body. In body copy, U.S. should be used as a modifier (e.g. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), otherwise fully spell out United States.

Medical Conditions, Diseases, Health Science Terms
Spell out any medical condition, disease or term on first reference. Commonly understood abbreviations (e.g. ALS for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) can be used on second reference. Include the abbreviation in parentheses following the full condition/diseases/term on first reference.

Examples:

• type 1 diabetes (T1D)
• Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
• chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T)
• artificial intelligence (AI)

Do not use periods when abbreviating academic degrees: BS, PhD, MD, DNP, etc.

In general, follow the individual’s preference of degree order. Strive to limit listed degrees to primary degrees for readability. 

Example: 

• Jane Smith, MD, PhD, is a professor of microbiology at CU Anschutz. 

Do notcapitalize the names of degrees. Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, master’s, etc. Do not use an apostrophe in bachelor of arts, bachelor of science or master of science. 

Areas of study (e.g., genetics, physical therapy, pharmacy) are not capitalized unless used as part of a proper name.

Examples: 

• He is working toward a master of science degree in biostatistics.
• She received a PhD in biology last year. 
• They all had master’s degrees in clinical pharmacy. 
• She is working toward a master's degree in the Department of Biostatistics & Information.
  • Note: Ampersands are acceptable in the name of departments/divisions if part of their official name.

When preceding a name, job titles should be capitalized. When they do not precede a name, use lowercase. Longer titles should be placed after the name. 

Use degrees instead of courtesy titles (Dr., Mr., Ms. Mrs.). 

In most instances, an individual’s first and last name is followed by their degree(s). Subsequent references of the specific individual should use last name. 

When a subject covered has multiple postings/titles of note, such as a chair position, try to structure the sentence with a focus on readability. Endowed positions with an honorary title should be capitalized accordingly. 

A general hierarchy would be structured as follows:

• Name, degree, leadership position (if applicable), role/job title, endowed position

Examples:

• Chancellor Don Elliman 
• Jane Smith, PhD, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at CU Anschutz
• John Smith, chair and professor of cardiology at CU Anschutz
• Jane Doe, professor of microbiology at CU Anschutz and Robert Jones Endowed Chair

Distinguished Professor is the highest honor a faculty member can earn within the CU System. Accordingly, it is capitalized – similar to endowed positions.

Example: John Smith, CU Distinguished Professor

Note: In certain instances, some job titles can be abbreviated with all caps on second reference.

Examples:

• Jane Smith has been in her practice as a physical therapist since 2007. In her work as a PT, she has dealt with a wide variety of patients. 
• The research is meaningful for Jane Doe. She is a professor of microbiology at CU Anschutz and the Robert Jones Endowed Chair working across her 30-year career investigating this topic.

In the cases of federal representatives, use Rep. or Sen. or U.S. Representative or U.S. Senator. Add the state on first reference, if applicable, and include first and last name. Subsequent references can use just the abbreviated title and last name.

Examples:

• Colorado Rep. Jane Smith. 
• On Tuesday, Rep. Smith spoke to campus about important issues.

For more on academic degrees and CU alumni formatting, see ACADEMIC DEGREES.

Commas

Per AP style, do not use a serial/Oxford comma in a series or list, unless it is needed for clarity.

Dashes

En Dash

Use an en dash ( – ) with a character space on either side to mark a break in thought, or to indicate a range, replacing the words “through” or “to.”

Examples:

• He will travel to Europe this summer – if he passes all of his classes – to Spain and Italy.
• They rated the course on a scale of 0 – 100.

Em Dash

Stylistically, em dashes are used as parenthetical breaks in sentence structure. However, as they can interfere with the look of a line, CU Anschutz defaults to using the offset en dash instead.

Hyphens

Hyphens should be used as needed for modifying nouns to avoid ambiguity.

• Example: The research spanned a 10-day period.

Avoid using when a compound adverb ends in “ly”

• Example: Smith’s research is highly respected in the field of neuroscience.

Parentheticals

When offsetting ideas or adding additional context or sentence breaks, writer discretion should apply. Always strive for the greatest readability given the context of the sentence itself and avoid overdoing parentheses, en dashes, or parentheticals offset by commas.

Period Spacing

Use a single space following all periods at the end of sentences.

Quotation Marks

Commas and periods always are placed inside of quotation marks. When a subject is speaking hypothetically or quoting another individual(s), use single quotation marks.

Examples:

• “I think this research will bring hope to patients,” Smith said.
• “We had a patient tell us, ‘Thank you for all you do,’” Smith said.

Note: When using a Q&A format in a campus newsroom, use normal quotation marks for hypotheticals or quoting another individual(s).

Example:

• Q&A
  • Smith: Our patients were excited. We had one family say, “We’re excited to be able to see him run again.”

An important note on quote attribution

Note: Use “said” following direct quotes. The style should be the individual’s name, then said. Speaking words (explains, clarifies, etc.) can be used with indirect quotes.

Examples:

• “CU Anschutz is located in Aurora,” Smith said.
• Smith adds that CU Anschutz calls Aurora home.

Per AP style, spell out numbers one through nine; use figures for numbers 10 and up.

There are exceptions for percentages and dimensions. For percentages, use numerals and use the percent symbol (%).

Examples:

• 5%
• 6-foot-1 man; she is 5 feet 8 inches tall; a cinder block is 11 inches by 6 inches
• The storm dropped 8 inches of snow.

For times, denote a.m. or p.m. with lower-case letters with periods, no spaces between: 10 a.m., 4:30 p.m.

Dollar amounts

For dollar amounts, use an abbreviation in an article headline. In body copy, spell out the amount.

Examples:

• CU Anschutz Wins $1M Grant
• On Tuesday, CU Anschutz was awarded a $1 million grant.

There are a handful of words used that are frequently used in university writing. Here are preferred examples:

• healthcare (one word)
• campuswide, universitywide, systemwide (no hyphen)
• campus’s (possessive, apostrophe and “s”)
• CU Anschutz’s (campus possessive)
• OK (not okay)
• Fitzsimons (one “m”)
• Coloradan and Coloradans
• city of Aurora (city is lowercase)
• state of Colorado (state is lowercase)
• For platforms and websites, follow their standards (e.g. LinkedIn, YouTube)

Per current AP style, use only quotes around composition titles (including scientific and academic article titles).

No italics or quotation marks for publication names, including scientific and academic journals. Use the preferred styling of the publication itself (e.g., capitalizing “the” in The New York Times).

Examples:

• Publications: Smith’s research was published in The Denver Post, the American Journal of Medicine, U.S. News & World Report and The New York Times.
• “Are Vegetables Good For You: A Study,” appeared in JAMA in February 2025.

Course titles

Capitalize all important words. Do not use quotation marks or italics.

Examples:

• She took the Environmental and Occupational Toxicology course at the Colorado School of Public Health.
• Movement Science is offered in the fall.

After alumni names, list the degree and class year. Omit periods from abbreviations of academic degrees, and place the abbreviated degree after the name, separated by commas, List the two-digit graduation year with an apostrophe on the left, facing left. Include a comma after the name. Add a comma after the class year if it is part of a running sentence, as in the second set of examples below.

If the graduate has earned more than one degree, list them starting with the highest degree. Put commas in between degrees and their class years. For listing completed residency years, see the section “Residents” below.

• Jean Watson, PhD ’73
• John Doe, MD ’74, PhD ’67

The following constructions are also acceptable:

• Jane Smith is a 1973 CU Anschutz College of Nursing alumna.
• Donald Smith, MD, is a 1991 CU Anschutz School of Medicine alumnus.

Bachelor’s or Associate’s Degrees

Do not use degree abbreviations for bachelor’s or associate’s degrees earned at CU. In these cases, only list the years that the degrees were earned. See the example below.

John Smith has many ties to the University of Colorado, including earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology and neuroscience in 1985, and a medical degree in 1990.

• John Smith ’85, MD ’90
• Smith, ’85, MD ’90, is now a major benefactor supporting the CU School of Medicine.

Class of __

When referring to a class as a whole, capitalize the name of the class and write out the full graduation year (Class of 1967).

Degrees Earned in the Early 20th Century and Before

If the alumna/us earned their degree in the early 1900s or before, do not abbreviate the class year. This avoids confusion with the early 2000s.

• Ex. Sarah Smith, MD 1917, not Sarah Smith, MD ’17

Doctoral Degrees

In the first instance that an individual with a doctorate or doctoral degree is referenced, include their degree abbreviation (John Thomas, PhD).

Non-Doctoral Degrees

In the first instance that an individual with a non-doctoral degree is referenced, include their degree abbreviation (Jane Smith, RN). For later references, use the last name (Foot-Lucero).

Honorary Degrees

When referring to someone who holds an honorary degree, spell this out in the text, as in the first example below. Do not use Dr. before the name of an individual whose only doctorate is honorary. Avoid using abbreviations such as Hon. PhD.

Example:

• Henry Strauss was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Colorado.

Other Listing Types:

Below are a number of listing types using the example Jane Doe, PhD ’61, MD ’59, BS ’55.

• If she had a non-CU-alum spouse:
  • Jane Doe, PhD ’61, MD ’59, ’55, and John Doe
• If John were also a CU alum:
  • Jane Doe, PhD ’61, MD ’59, ’55, and John Doe MD ’60, ’55
• If John, the CU alum, were listed alone:
  • John Doe, MD ’60, ’55
• If Jane was being listed on an event program with a fellow CU alum whose only CU degree is a bachelor’s:
  • Jane Doe, PhD ’61, MD ’59, ’55, and Henry Strauss ’51
• If Jane only had an MD from CU and was being listed on an event program with a fellow CU alum whose only CU degree is a bachelor’s:
  • Jane Doe, MD ’59, and Henry Strauss ’51
• If Jane had an alumni colleague, but their undergrad was not from CU:
  • Robert Smith, PhD ’61, MD ’59

University of Colorado Board of Regents is capitalized on first reference. On second reference, regents is lowercase. Regent is capitalized before the full name of a regent. When using a regent’s full title, place the district after the name, separated by commas. The second reference to the regent is last name only.

Examples:

• The next Board of Regents meeting is May 25.
• The regents will discuss new degree programs for three years.
• Regent Jane Smith, First Congressional District, will chair the discussion. Smith has been a regent since 2017.

• CU System
• CU Boulder
• CU Colorado Springs
• CU Denver