Abbreviations. Avoid using abbreviations all audiences might not know. If used, spell out the term on first reference, with the abbreviation in parenthesis. You may use these for common terms, such as country/region names (EU, UK), as well as frequently used Institute groups (such as YSI).
Academic titles. Use only when needed. Most Institute staff and contributors have advanced degrees, but we do not need to refer to them on every reference. In bios, refer to the person by full name on first reference, and last name only on future references. Do not precede names with “Dr.” or “Professor”:
Perry Mehrling is a member of the Academic Council at the Institute for New Economic Thinking. Mehrling has been a professor of economics at Barnard College since 1987.
Use a title before a person’s name only when it’s critical to the message. When doing this, capitalize his or her title:
In this lecture, Professor Smith analyzes…
When an academic title is used as a descriptor, do not capitalize it:
Thomas Ferguson is also a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Acronyms, initialisms. Do not add periods between letters. For example, the EU, not the E.U.
advisor, not adviser.
Ampersands. Use only in navigation labels, headlines (H1), and when part of an organization’s name. Spell out “and” in subheads and all copy.
backward, not backwards.
center, not centre. (Unless “centre” is part of an official name, e.g., The Centre for International Governance Innovation.)
Colons and semicolons. Use carefully. These can come off as overly formal. Consider two sentences instead.
Commas. Always use the serial comma (AKA the Oxford comma) in lists of three or more items:
The event will feature lectures, panel discussions, and a poster session.
Dashes. Use occasionally to break up writing, but watch for frequent dash usage, as it can come off as overly casual. To set off a clause with a strong break, use the em dash, which is a longer dash. Do not add spaces around it:
The em dash—like this—should be used to set off a sentence.
Use en dashes (mid-length dash with a space on either side) only to separate dates:
February 2 – 5
Do not use hyphens, like - , as dashes.
Degrees. Not capitalized. For example:
She holds a master’s degree in philosophy.
He completed his doctorate in 2001.