Editorial Style Guide

The 猎奇重口 Editorial Style Guide ensures consistency, clarity and accuracy across all university communications. These standards help us present a unified, professional voice that reflects who we are and how we serve our audiences.

These guidelines will continue to evolve and apply to web, print, digital, marketing and internal communications. 猎奇重口 generally follows The Associated Press Stylebook, with institutional standards outlined below.

Questions or suggestions may be directed to the Office of Communications at communications@pennwest.edu.

Institutional Identity and Naming

猎奇重口 University (Institutional Name)

猎奇重口 University should be used consistently across all internal and external communications, including:

Web and digital content
Marketing and recruitment materials
News releases
Email communications
Social media
Day-to-day correspondence

Official Accredited Name

The university鈥檚 full, official accredited name 鈥� 猎奇重口鈥� is reserved for formal, legal and ceremonial uses where the legal entity name is required or greater formality is appropriate. These limited instances include:

Legal documents and contracts
Certain mailing addresses and form entries
Financial language requiring the legal entity name (e.g., 鈥淢ake checks payable to 猎奇重口鈥�)
Formal certificates or ceremonial documents
Cases where use of the communicative name could cause confusion or require legal clarity

Formatting note

When written, 猎奇重口 has no space between 鈥淧enn鈥� and 鈥淲est,鈥� including in all-caps usage (PENNWEST).

Campus and Location Naming

猎奇重口 is a multi-campus university with one unified brand. To ensure clarity and consistency, external-facing communications should default to 鈥溋云嬷乜� University鈥� and present the institution as a single, connected university.

Campus-specific naming should be used only when relevant to the audience or purpose and must be approved by University Communications and Marketing for external materials.

Internal communications, operational materials, and approved audience-specific content may reference individual campuses using the guidelines below.

General Campus Naming

Correct

猎奇重口 California

Incorrect

猎奇重口鈥� Clarion
猎奇重口鈥� Global Online
猎奇重口, Edinboro

猎奇重口 California

Approved campus name

猎奇重口 California

Alternate marketing references

Only after an approved campus name or lockup is established in the same publication:

California
Cal

Incorrect

California University
California University of Pennsylvania
Cal U

猎奇重口 Clarion

Approved campus name

猎奇重口 Clarion

Alternate marketing reference

Only after an approved campus name or lockup is established in the same publication:

Clarion

Incorrect

Clarion University
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
CU or CUP

猎奇重口 Edinboro

Approved campus name

猎奇重口 Edinboro

Alternate marketing references

Only after an approved campus name or lockup is established:

Edinboro
Boro
The Boro

Incorrect

Edinboro University
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
EU or EUP

猎奇重口 Global Online

Approved campus name

猎奇重口 Global Online

Alternate marketing reference

Global Online (only after an approved campus name or lockup is established)

Satellite Locations

猎奇重口 Clarion 鈥� Somerset

Alternate reference

Somerset (only after the full name of the satellite location is established)

Affiliated Entities and System References

Foundations and Alumni Associations

Foundation for California University of Pennsylvania
Clarion University Foundation, Inc.
Edinboro University Foundation
California Alumni Association
Clarion University Alumni Association
Edinboro University Alumni Association

Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher Education

On first reference, use the full name Pennsylvania鈥檚 State System of Higher Education.
In subsequent references, PASSHE or State System may be used interchangeably.

Academic and Administrative Structure Naming

Colleges

Use 鈥渁nd鈥� instead of 鈥�&鈥� and no Oxford comma.

College of Education, Arts and Humanities
College of Health Sciences and Human Services
College of Science, Technology and Business

Schools

School of Business
School of Education
School of Nursing

Academic Departments

Use 鈥渁nd鈥� instead of 鈥�&鈥� and no Oxford comma. Use 鈥淒epartment of鈥� in stationery, official publications and signage. Omit 鈥淒epartment of鈥� in marketing materials.

College of Education, Arts and Humanities
- Department of Criminal Justice, History and Politics
- School of Education
  - Department of Education
- Department of English, Philosophy and Modern Languages
- Department of Library and Information Science
- Department of Visual and Performing Arts
College of Health Sciences and Human Services
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Department of Exercise, Health and Sport Sciences
- School of Nursing
  - Department of Nursing and Health Professions
- Department of Psychology, Counseling and Art Therapy
- Department of Social Work, Sociology and Human Services
College of Science, Technology and Business
- Department of Biology, Earth and Environmental Sciences
- School of Business
  - Department of Business, Economics and Communication
- Department of Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics
- Department of Computing and Engineering Technology

Non-Academic Departments

Do not use 鈥淒epartment of鈥�
Use a simple format:

Admissions
Campus Life
Residence Life and Housing

Legal and Compliance Requirements

Non-Discrimination Statement

The university鈥檚 non-discrimination statement must be included in all materials 鈥� such as brochures, pamphlets, manuals and guidebooks 鈥� that describe or invite participation in 猎奇重口 programs.

Federal regulations require institutions that receive federal funding to include non-discrimination statements affirming that the institution does not discriminate in admissions, employment or access to programs on the basis of race, color, national origin (Title VI), sex or gender (Title IX), disability (Section 504/ADA), age (ADEA), or veteran status.

Long Form

猎奇重口 University is an academic community dedicated to the ideals of justice, fairness and equal opportunity for all. In compliance with federal and Pennsylvania laws, the university is committed to providing equal educational and employment opportunities for all persons without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or status as a veteran or disabled veteran. The university will not tolerate discrimination, harassment or violence. More information: 猎奇重口.edu/equity-title-ix.

Short Form

猎奇重口 University is an inclusive and equal opportunity academic community and does not condone unlawful discrimination. More information: 猎奇重口.edu/equity-title-ix.

Degrees, Credentials and Academic Style

Degrees

Bachelor鈥檚 degree, master鈥檚 degree (apostrophe)
Associate degree (no apostrophe)
Capitalize formal degree titles. Do not capitalize the specific discipline unless it is proper noun or part of the degree title, e.g., Bachelor of Science in chemistry, Bachelor of Arts in English, Master of Business Administration, Doctor of Nursing Practice.
Lowercase general degree references, e.g., bachelor鈥檚 degree in chemistry, master鈥檚 degree in education
Use 鈥渄octorate鈥� or 鈥渄octoral degree,鈥� never doctorate degree

Abbreviations

Two-letter degrees are abbreviated with periods, e.g., B.A., B.S., M.A.
Three- or four-letter degrees do not use periods, e.g., BSBA, BSED, MSLS, MFA, DNP. Exceptions are Ph.D., Ed.D.
Use commas when following a name
Do not add the word degree after abbreviations

Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
Associate of Arts (A.A.)
Associate of Science (A.S.)
Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN)
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Bachelor of Design (BDes)
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA)
Bachelor of Science in Education (BSEd)
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
Doctor of Criminal Justice (DCJ)
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Doctor of Health Science (DHSc)
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Master of Education (MEd)
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Master of Professional Accountancy (MAcc)
Master of Science (M.S.)
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
Post-Master鈥檚 Certificate
Professional Science Masters (PSM)
Master of Science in Library Science (MSLS)
Master of Social Work (MSW)

Doctoral Usage

Doctoral = adjective
Doctorate = noun
Do not use doctorate degree

Class Years

Use a left-facing apostrophe (press control, then press apostrophe key twice) + last two digits, e.g., 鈥�25
Use four digits for pre-2000 graduates
Separate multiple degrees with commas
Use M (master鈥檚) or D (doctorate) before year for graduate degrees, e.g., Jane Smith 鈥�11, M 鈥�15

Writing and Usage Standards

Acronyms and Initialisms

Spell out on first reference unless universally recognized
Use all caps, no periods
Avoid overuse
Do not follow an organization's full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses or set off by dashes. If an abbreviation or acronym would not be clear on second reference without this arrangement, do not use it.

Alumni

Preferred: alumnus (singular), alumni (plural)
Gender-specific forms acceptable when appropriate
Gender-neutral: alum, alums

Advisor

Use advisor, not adviser

Ampersand

Use and, not &, unless part of an official name
Decorative headings may use ampersands

Athletics

Student-athlete, scholar-athlete
Use plural verbs for team names.
Use a singular form of the team name when referring to an individual athlete, e.g., He was the first Vulcan to go undefeated in a season.
Use the official team name when including the sport, even when referring to an individual athlete, e.g., He was the first Vulcans wrestler to go undefeated in a season.
Do not alter official team names.

Buildings

Use full building names on first reference.

California Campus Buildings

Adamson Stadium
Carter Hall
Ceramics Lab
Convocation Center
Coover Hall
Dixon Hall
Duda Hall
Eberly Hall
Frich Hall
Gallagher Hall
Grounds Building
Hamer Hall
Heating Plant
Helsel Hall
Herron Hall
Johnson Hall
Kara Alumni House

Manderino Library
Morgan Hall
Natali Student Center
New Science Hall
Noss Hall
Old Main
Paint Shop
Pollock Building
Residence Hall A (Smith Hall)
Residence Hall B
Residence Hall C (Guesman Hall)
Residence Hall E
South Hall
Steele Hall
Vulcan Garage
Vulcan Hall
Watkins Hall

Clarion Campus Buildings

Anabel L. Ralston Hall
Bernard D. McEntire Building
C. Fred Becker Hall
Campus View Suites
Central Services Building
Ceramics Lab
Dana S. Still Hall
Diane L. Reinhard Villages
Donald Davis Hall
Eagle Commons
Founders Hall
Frank L. Harvey Hall
James D. Moore Hall
James Gemmell Student Complex
John Ballentine Hall
John S. Shropshire Hall/Welcome Center
Joseph P. Grunenwald Center for Science and Technology
- D.D. Peirce Planetarium

Keeling Speech and Hearing Clinic
Marwick-Boyd Fine Arts Center
Mary Lorena Givan Hall
President鈥檚 Residence
Public Safety
Rena M. Carlson Library
Samuel A. Becht Hall
Seifert-Mooney Center for Advancement
Special Education Center
Student Recreation Center
Suites on Main North
Suites on Main South
Thaddeus Stevens Hall
Valley View Suites
Waldo S. Tippin Tippin Gymnasium and Natatorium
Walter L. Hart Chapel

Edinboro Campus Buildings

Academy Hall
Alumni House
Baron-Forness Library
Butterfield Hall
Commonwealth House (President's residence)
Compton Hall
Cooper Science Center
Crawford Center
Diebold Center for the Performing Arts
Doucette Hall
Dowling Storage Barn
East Hall
Frank G. Pogue Student Center
Gazebo
Hamilton Hall
Hendricks Hall
Highlands 1
Highlands 2
Highlands 3
Highlands 4
Highlands 5

Highlands 6
Highlands 7
Highlands 8
Information Center and Police Station
Jeremy D. Brown Human Services Building
Lawrence Towers
Louis C. Cole Auditorium - Memorial Hall
Loveland Hall
Maintenance Building
McComb Fieldhouse
McNerney Hall
Mike S. Zafirovski Sports & Recreation Center (Dome)
Reeder Hall
Ross Hall
Sox Harrison Stadium
State Garage
Substation
Van Houten Dining Hall
Wiley Arts and Sciences Center
William P. Alexander Music Center

Dates & Times

9 a.m., 4 p.m., noon, midnight
No zeros for even hours
Cardinal numbers for dates
Abbreviate months only when paired with a date

Email

Use email, not e-mail

Em Dash, En Dash, Hyphen

Use em dashes to (鈥�) indicate an abrupt shift in thought, set off elements within a sentence, or begin lists. AP style requires a space on both sides of a dash. To make an em dash, type Ctrl+Alt+Minus (numpad) on Windows or Option+Shift+Hyphen on Mac.
AP Style does not use en dashes.
Hyphens are used as compound modifiers (e.g., small-business owner, student-athlete) or to indicate ranges (e.g., Jan. 1-4). Do not use spaces before or after a hyphen.

Inclusive Language

Use chair or chairperson.
Use first-year student, not freshman.

Majors and Minors

Lowercase majors and minors unless proper nouns.
Capitalize formal degree titles.

My猎奇重口

Always written as My猎奇重口 or My.猎奇重口.edu

Residence Hall

Use residence hall or on-campus housing.
Do not use dorm or dormitory

Serial Commas

Do not use Oxford commas in simple lists.
Use when needed for clarity in complex lists.

Telephone Numbers

Use hyphens: 814-732-2000.
Include the area code.

Titles

Capitalize formal titles before names.
Lowercase titles when set off by commas or standing alone.
Use Dr. in first reference as a formal title before the name of an individual who holds a doctoral degree.
Do not combine Dr. with degree abbreviations.
Avoid courtesy titles (Mr., Ms., etc.) except in quotes.

Last edited: February 24, 2026

猎奇重口