Highline College Style Guide
Thank you for using Highline College’s in-house style guide. You will find words, names and abbreviations commonly found at Highline.
By following the guide, you will create consistency in your message, which will help your reader. Use it while creating print and electronic materials for students and the general public.
A B C D E F G H I J-K-L M N-O P-Q-R S T U-V W-X-Y-Z
Italics are used below to indicate examples and highlight key terms; they do not mean that the word or phrase should be written in italics.
A
ABE
Acceptable on first reference for Adult Basic Education, but depending upon context and audience, you may want to include full name within text.
academic degrees
Do not use periods in abbreviations: AA, AS, AAS. In running text, avoid abbreviations if possible, and instead, refer to degrees more generally: bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, etc. But: associate degree (no possessive). If the specific degree is necessary, then capitalize, but don’t use the possessive: Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science or Associate of Applied Science. Also see applied bachelor’s degree(s) .
academic departments
Capitalize name of department, but lowercase word department: Communication Studies department, Music department.
administration office
Capitalize name of office, but lowercase word office: Financial Aid office.
administrator, dean
Never abbreviate. Capitalize when used as a formal title before a name and lowercase in other uses: the dean; Alice Madsen, the dean of special programming; Dean Alice Madsen.
adviser
While advisor is correct, we prefer adviser; but advisory.
allyship
alma mater
alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae
Use alumnus (alumni in the plural) when referring to a man who has attended a school. Use alumna (alumnae in the plural) for similar references to women. Use alumni when referring to a group of men and women. Reserve alum and alums (not alumn and alumns) for informal purposes. Also see Distinguished Alumnus Award.
a.m., p.m.
See times.
ampersands (&)
Avoid ampersands in narrative text. Acceptable in charts, graphs or wordmarks and in the formal name of a company, such as a law firm.
annual event
Use inaugural instead of first annual to describe an event that a sponsor plans to hold each year. An event cannot correctly be described as annual until it has been held two consecutive years.
applied bachelor’s degree(s)
Whenever possible, use this generic phrase instead of Bachelor of Applied Science and Bachelor of Applied Behavioral Science. In running text, lowercase the words applied bachelor’s degree. In headlines, OK to capitalize if using initial cap style. Use an apostrophe in applied bachelor’s degree, but there is no possessive in Bachelor of Applied Science and Bachelor of Applied Behavioral Science.
April Fools’ Day
associate degree
No possessive in associate (not associate’s).
Associated Students of Highline College
ASHC is OK on second reference for Highline’s student government: ASHC President, ASHC Vice President, ASHC Speaker of the Caucuses.
B
Basic Food Employment & Training
BFET is OK on second reference.
Board of Trustees, Highline College Board of Trustees
Capitalize as a formal title, but lowercase when either word — board or trustee(s) — is used alone or following a name: Board of Trustees members met in a closed meeting. Trustee Sili Savusa commented on the motion. The trustees voted. Sen. Karen Keiser, a former member of the board, applauded the good news.
Board of Directors, Highline College Foundation Board of Directors
Capitalize as a formal title, but lowercase when either word — board or director(s) — is used alone or following a name: Members of the Board of Directors met for their monthly meeting. Ana-Maria Popp, who serves as president of the board, commented on the proposal. The board members voted.
boardroom
Lowercase unless part of a proper name: Library Boardroom. Note: The Library Boardroom is on the 5th floor of Building 25. It’s Room 513, but the room number doesn’t appear outside the door.
building
Don’t abbreviate the word building. Capitalize when used with a number or if part of a proper name: His class meets in Building 3. Building 7 is also known as the Turtle Building for its resemblance to the reptile’s shell. She entered the building.
Building 6
The building has two floors: 1st floor and 2nd floor. Avoid using the word level, as in lower level, to refer to building floors. Note: If entering Building 6 from the east side, it is the 2nd floor, but if entering from the west side, it is the 1st floor.
Building 8
Highline Student Union is the official name of Building 8. If you use the name, also include the building number in parentheses for those unfamiliar with campus (campus maps list buildings by number): Highline Student Union (Building 8). Avoid abbreviations (e.g., HSU). The building has three floors: 1st floor, 2nd floor and 3rd floor. Avoid using the word level, as in lower level, to refer to building floors. Note: If entering Building 8 from the east side, it is the 2nd floor, but if entering from the west side, it is the 1st floor.
Building 29
Higher Education Center is the official name of Building 29. If you use the name, also include the building number in parentheses for those unfamiliar with campus (campus maps list buildings by number): Higher Education Center (Building 29). Avoid abbreviations (e.g., HEC). The building has three floors: 1st floor, 2nd floor and 3rd floor. Avoid using the word level, as in lower level, to refer to building floors.
C
capitalization
In general, avoid unnecessary capitalization. Resist the urge to capitalize words that you think are important. Capital letters anywhere except at the beginning of the sentence cause readers to stop or slow down. Words in all caps can be especially hard to read and can be read incorrectly by screen readers.
Center for Cultural & Inclusive Excellence
Formerly known as Multicultural Affairs. A department within the Student Services division.
Christmas
certificate
Lowercase except when used as part of proper name: short-term certificate program; Certificate of Completion; Certificate of Proficiency.
classroom
college
Lowercase except when used as part of proper name: Highline College; the college.
Columbus Day
Also see Indigenous Peoples Day.
commas
Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in most simple series: The program offers morning, afternoon and evening courses.
Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.
Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases: The main points to consider are whether the athletes are skillful enough to compete, whether they have the stamina to endure the training, and whether they have the proper mental attitude.
Commencement
Uppercase when referring to the ceremony held each June to honor graduating students. The word is not interchangeable with graduation.
committee
Do not abbreviate. Lowercase unless part of proper name: Technology Advisory Committee; the committee.
composition titles
For the titles of albums, books, computer games, lectures, movies, plays, poems, radio programs, songs, speeches, television programs, video games and works of art, use these guidelines:
- Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters.
- Capitalize an article — the, a, an — or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title.
- Put quotation marks around the names of all such works except the Bible, the Quran and other holy books, and books that are primarily catalogs of reference material. In addition to catalogs, this category includes almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks and similar publications.
For newspapers, do not place name in quotes.
cooperative education
Lowercase except when used as part of proper name: Cooperative Education program. Abbreviation is co-op (not coop, which is a cage for chickens).
coursework
ctcLink
cyberattack
cyber defense
CWU-Des Moines
D
data
Data is a plural noun that normally takes plural verbs and pronouns.
dates
Use an en dash (–) to separate date ranges: Feb. 9–11, 2018. Use Arabic figures — without st, nd, rd or th — when the date is used with a month. If the date is used alone, then use ordinal numbers: Feb. 9, March 23, Thursday the 13th. Also see months.
dean
See administrator.
dean’s list
Lowercase in all uses.
dependent
Distinguished Alumnus Award
The award honors a former Highline College student who has made outstanding contributions through community service, noteworthy professional achievement and/or recognized leadership. It is normally given annually. If given to a woman, refer to her as the Distinguished Alumna: Sandra Cravens Robinson is the college’s 2016 Distinguished Alumna.
division
Do not abbreviate. Lowercase unless part of proper name. Highline College has four divisions: Academic Affairs, Administrative Services, Institutional Advancement and Student Services. She heads the Institutional Advancement division of the college.
E
Easter
e.g.
Meaning for example; it is always followed by a comma. Often confused with i.e.
Election Day
But, election night.
e-
Hyphenate e- terms with the exception of email.
em dashes
Em dashes (—) are the proper dashes to use in place of single or double hyphens (–) as punctuation in text. Similar to a parenthetical phrase — and put in like this — the em dash sets apart clauses in a sentence. Use a space on both sides of em dashes.
en dashes
En dashes (–) are slightly longer than a hyphen, but shorter than the em dash. Use an en dash to connect continuing numbers — such as dates, times and page numbers — to signify up to and including (or through). See examples at dates and times.
But, Email at the beginning of a sentence.
ESL
Acceptable on first reference for English as a Second Language, but depending upon context and audience, you may want to include full name within text.
e-text
But, E-text at the beginning of a sentence.
et al.
Abbreviation for et alii, meaning “and others.” The others refers to people, not things: The paper was published by Martinez, Johnson, et al., all researchers in higher education. Often confused with etc.
etc.
Abbreviation for et cetera, meaning “and others things.” Example: Come to class prepared with paper, pens, highlighters, etc. Often confused with et al.
exclamation point
Avoid overuse of the exclamation point. In fact, avoid using it at all, except for rare cases. If you use it too often, then you dilute the power of the mark. And if you use two in a row — No!! — the punctuation police will find you.
F
Faculty Resource Center
FRC is OK for second reference.
FAFSA form
Acceptable on first reference for Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, but include full term early in text for those who may not be familiar.
Father’s Day
Federal Way Public Schools
FWPS is OK on second reference. Also see The Hub: Federal Way Higher Education Center.
flier, flyer
Use flier for a person flying on an aircraft or for a handbill. Flyer is the proper name of some trains and buses: The Western Flyer.
floors
Use ordinal numbers for easy readability: 6th floor. Avoid using the word level, as in lower level, to refer to building floors.
form
Lowercase: application form; Registration Add/Drop form.
Fourth of July, July Fourth, Independence Day
Any are acceptable.
Fulbright Scholar
full time, full-time
Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: She works full time. She has a full-time job.
G
GED
Acceptable on first reference for General Education Development tests, a set of five exams to measure high school equivalency. GED should be used as an adjective, not as a noun. Those passing the tests earn a GED diploma or certificate, not a GED.
GlobalFest
GPA
Acceptable in all references for grade-point average.
graduation
Graduation is the act of receiving a degree, certificate or diploma after all course requirements are completed. The word is not interchangeable with Commencement.
Groundhog Day
H
health care
While healthcare (one word) is correct, we prefer health care (two words).
Hanukkah
Help Desk
Highline’s Information Technology Services offers assistance through its Help Desk.
Higher Education Center
See Building 29.
Highline College
Acceptable on second reference: Highline; HC; the college.
Highline College Foundation
Acceptable on second reference: Highline Foundation; the Foundation.
Highline Student Union
See Building 8.
holidays, holy days, special days
Capitalize them: April Fools’ Day, Christmas, Columbus Day, Easter, Election Day (but, election night ), Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Groundhog Day, Hanukkah, Independence Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, July Fourth, Kwanzaa, Labor Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day (note no comma after Jr. ), Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, New Year’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Presidents Day (note no apostrophe in Presidents ), Thanksgiving, Veterans Day (note no apostrophe in Veterans ), Washington’s Birthday. Also see entries for Islamic holy days and Jewish holy days.
Honors Scholar
Students with a 3.5 GPA or higher, who have completed the 35 required honors credits, will graduate as Honors Scholars.
Hub, The
Federal Way is now home to a joint education center through a partnership of the City of Federal Way, Federal Way Public Schools, Highline College and University of Washington Tacoma. The center’s full name should be used on first reference: The Hub: Federal Way Higher Education Center. For subsequent references, these forms are acceptable: The Hub ; The Hub in Federal Way (if needed to reinforce location); the center (note no capitals). The word The is an integral part of the name and should be capitalized when paired with Hub.
I
I-BEST
Preferred for Integrated Basic Education Skills Training program.
i.e.
Meaning that is (to say); it is always followed by a comma. Often confused with e.g.
inaugural
Use inaugural instead of first annual to describe an event that sponsors plan to hold each year. An event cannot correctly be described as annual until it has been held two consecutive years.
Independence Day
Indigenous Peoples Day
Observed at Highline College as an alternative to Columbus Day. Note no apostrophe in Peoples.
Integrated Basic Education Skills Training
Use I-BEST.
Inter-Cultural Center
ICC is OK on second reference.
International Student Programs
ISP is OK on second reference.
intersectionality
Islamic holy days
These days include Ashoura, Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr and Ramadan.
J-K-L
Jewish holy days
These days include Hanukkah, Passover, Purim, Rosh Hashana, Shavuot, Sukkot and Yom Kippur.
job titles
Capitalize formal job titles that fall immediately before a name. Do not capitalize if they fall after the name, if they are set off from a name by commas or if the person’s name is not given. Vice President Jeff Wagnitz spoke at the meeting. Dr. Jeff Wagnitz, vice president, spoke during the meeting. The vice president, Dr. Jeff Wagnitz, gave a presentation. The vice president will attend the next meeting.
Kwanzaa
Labor Day
Latina, Latino, Latinos
Use Latina for women and girls, Latino for men and boys and Latinos for mixed groups or inanimates. Do not use Latinx except in the proper name of a title or program, such as Latinx Summit. Use a more specific identification when possible, such as Cuban, Puerto Rican or Mexican-American.
level
Avoid using the word level, as in lower level, to refer to building floors.
LGBTQIA
L = lesbian
G = gay
B = bisexual
T = transgender or two-spirit
Q = questioning or queer
I = intersex
A = ally (a friend of the cause) or asexual
Other initialisms you may see are LGBTQGNC, where GNC stands for gender non-conforming; LGBPTQIA, where the P stands for pansexual; and LGBTQ+, where the plus sign (+) encompasses all those who identify with the LGBTQ community.
Listserv
Listserv is a trademark name. Unless you are using the software program, stick with the generic phrase group email list.
M
mailroom
Marine Science and Technology Center
MaST Center is OK for second reference. Avoid using MaST alone.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Note no comma before Jr.
Math Resource Center
Memorial Day
money
Use monetary symbols and numerals. For numbers above a million, use a mixture of numerals and spelled-out numbers: $35.50 fee, $100 for the textbook, capital project cost of $26.2 million. On Highline’s website and for materials distributed within the U.S., there is no need to state that amounts are U.S. currencies.
months
When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas. Examples: January 2018 was a cold month. Jan. 2 was the coldest day of the month. His birthday is May 8. Feb. 14, 2018, was the target date. The date of the next meeting is Thursday, Dec. 13. Also see dates.
Mother’s Day
Multicultural Affairs
See Center for Cultural & Inclusive Excellence.
myHighline
MyInterfase
N-O
New Year’s Day
New Year’s Eve
noncredit, nonprofit, nonrefundable, nontraditional
Northwest Athletic Conference
NWAC is OK for second reference.
numerals
In general, spell out one through nine and numbers that begin a sentence: She had three months remaining in her program. The T-Birds finished second. Ten students enrolled in the program. He will transfer to a four-year college.
Use figures for 10 or above (unless the number begins a sentence) and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to building floors and ages of people, animals, events or things: She has 11 students in her class. The event will be on the 1st floor of Building 8. Eleven students attended the lecture. Her son is 9 years old. She is a first-generation student.
OK
Not okay. Fun fact: According to Merriam-Webster and other sources, OK is the abbreviation of oll korrect, a facetious alteration of all correct.
Office of the President, President’s Office
Capitalize when using as the formal name to describe Dr. Mosby and his staff: The report was commissioned by the Office of the President. But, lowercase when describing the physical space occupied by Dr. Mosby, as in I’m stopping by the president’s office to give him the good news.
P-Q-R
paraeducator, paraeducation
parking lots
Highline has several parking lots: North, South, East, West, Building 16 and Building 99. Refer to them as North parking lot or North lot, depending upon the context.
part time, part-time
Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: She works part time. She has a part-time job.
PIN
Acceptable on first reference for personal identification number, but use full term early in text for those who may not be familiar.
postsecondary
preregister
pre-college
Lowercase except when used as part of a proper name: Transfer and Pre-College Education.
prerequisite
Presidents Day
Note no apostrophe in Presidents.
President’s List, Vice President’s List
Quarterly lists recognizing students’ academic excellence.
President’s Office
Print Services, Print Shop
Print Services is part of the Marketing department. It is often referred to as the Print Shop.
professional-technical
Lowercase except when referring to the name of the department: Professional-Technical Education department.
program
Lowercase except when used as part of proper name: Accounting program; High School Programs.
punctuation
See individual entries: comma, em dash, en dash, exclamation mark.
Q&A
OK to use as an abbreviation for question and answer, as in Q&A session.
quarter
Examples: fall quarter; winter quarter; spring quarter; summer quarter 2019.
RSVP
The abbreviation for the French repondez s’il vous plait. It means please reply, so avoid the redundant construction please RSVP.
S
Safe Zones
ShoWare Center
StartZone
state
Lowercase in all state of constructions: the state of Washington, the states of Oregon and Washington. Also see Washington state.
student-athlete(s)
SCORE conference
Acceptable on first reference for Students of Color Opting to Reach Excellence conference, but include definition within text.
short-term, short term
Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: He is earning a short-term certificate. Summer quarter is a short term.
student identification number
SID is OK on second reference.
study session
Capitalize when referring to the meeting held by the Board of Trustees. Otherwise, lowercase: Board members adjourned the Study Session. Students held a study session before finals.
superscripts
Reserved for design use only: 2nd floor, not 2nd floor.
T
task force
telephone numbers
Omit the numeral “1” before area codes: (206) 878-3710, ext. 1234 or (206) 592-1234.
Highline’s numbers are English: (206) 878-3710; Español: (206) 592-3750. Also see TTY, TDD, VP.
Thanksgiving
themes
Capitalize and enclose in quotation marks the names of invented themes: “Stronger Together, Unstoppable”
Thunderweek
Thunderword, The
The Thunderword is the student newspaper at Highline College.
times
Use an en dash (–) to separate time ranges: 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; 3–4:30 p.m.
Use 9 a.m. instead of 9:00 a.m.
Avoid using 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. Use midnight or noon.
Where time zones are necessary for clarity — such as communicating with international students — use abbreviations: 8 a.m. PST, 11 a.m. PDT.
titles
See the entries for job titles and composition titles.
TRiO program
trustee
But Board of Trustees.
TTY, TDD, VP
TTY (teletype) and TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) are the same thing — a system that allows people who are hearing-impaired to communicate over the telephone. In print references, use TTY. VP (videophone). Highline’s numbers are TTY: (206) 592-4853; VP: (253) 237-1106.
U-V
underlined text
Text should not be underlined unless it is a hyperlink.
University of Washington Tacoma
UW Tacoma is OK on second reference. Note that there is no comma or hyphen in name. Never use UWT. Also see The Hub: Federal Way Higher Education Center.
UW Tacoma Professional Development Center
Professional Development Center and PDC are both options for second reference. Also see The Hub: Federal Way Higher Education Center.
U.S.
The abbreviation is acceptable as a noun or adjective for United States. In headlines, use US (no periods).
USA
No periods in the abbreviated form for United States of America.
Veterans Day
Note no apostrophe in Veterans.
Veterans Services
Note no apostrophe in Veterans.
W-X-Y-Z
Washington state
Use state of Washington or Washington state when it’s necessary to differentiate the state name from the U.S. capital, Washington. It’s written Washington, D.C., with the added abbreviation only if the city might be confused with the state. Don’t use Washington State, unless you are referring to the university in Pullman, Washington.
Washington’s Birthday
website
Women in Science and Engineering organization
WiSE is OK on second reference.
Women’s Programs
WorkFirst Services
work-study student
wraparound
(adj., n.)
year-round
(adj., adv.)
Sources used to develop the Highline College Style Guide include The Associated Press Stylebook (2018), Webster’s New World College Dictionary (5th ed.) and The Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.).