OIT Style Guide - How should I write that word: an A-Z

In general, OIT documents follow the style set by the University’s Office of Communications in their Princeton University Editorial Style Guide and in their standard references, “The Chicago Manual of Style,” “The Associated Press Stylebook,” and “Webster’s New World College Dictionary Fourth Edition." The Office of Communications also publishes a web editorial style guide for web usage which includes terminology used frequently on the Web.

The following is a listing, in A-Z format, of specific words and phrases that sometimes raise spelling and usage questions, and is meant to be an addendum to the broader University Style Guide. In general, OIT follows the same authoritative guides, though in some cases a varying ‘OIT style’ is suggested. For some Princeton-specific, technology-related, unique names (e.g., netID, DataMall), guidelines have been created for OIT. For a complete listing of the names of OIT departments, groups, and services, please see the OIT Services A-Z . A ‘general rules’ section, to cover some broader issues, is also included.

General rules

1. One word or two: when the word is used as an adjective, write it as one word; when it’s used as a verb, write it as two words. For example:

• Click on the startup menu.

• In the morning, start up your computer.

• You will see a login prompt.

• Please log in to the e-mail service. 

2. Vendor names: write the name the way the vendor writes it. The vendor’s web site is usually the best guide. 

3. Computer instructions in written form: boldface is usually recommended (use italics if you prefer) to distinguish menu items and window options. Don’t use quotation marks or brackets. For example:

Choose Preferences from the Edit menu, and then select the Appearance option.

4. Try to avoid the use of "we" when referring to OIT.  For example, use "it is recommended that..." instead of "OIT recommends..."

5. The most urgent style guideline: whatever form, spelling, or style you choose to follow, please do it consistently!

The A-Z

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

A

address book : (not addressbook)
adware : No need to capitialize this term
antivirus (not anti-virus) : Symantec AntiVirus capitalizes the V when referring to its software

B

Blackboard (course management system) To abbreviate, use Bb

C

CampusCGI  (cgi-bin programming facility for campus users)

canceled, canceling, cancellation

CIAB : Classroom in a Box

Coeus (ORPA grants administration system) 

D

Database

DataMall

DeSC  (Desktop Systems Council) 

disc vs. disk: compact disc, laser disc, videodisc (magnetic storage is on disks, but laser-read optical storage is on discs. So CDs are compact discs, but floppies are disks.)

dos and don’ts (no apostrophes to form plurals) 

E

e-commerce (for electronic commerce)

 e-mail (with hyphen)

e-mail messages (In general usage, it is recommended that e-mail correspondence in the plural be referred to as e-mail messages, as in "I received so many e-mail messages today." Please avoid the usage of the word "e-mails".)

F

file name (not filename)

firewall

H

Help Desk (note that depending on the context, you may want to specify “OIT Help Desk,” since other PU departments also have help desks)

home page

http:// : can be omitted from Web address, e.g., www.princeton.edu although though the authoritative guides don’t agree on this. See URLs below for more information.

I

Internet

 it matters (OIT newsletter, two words, lowercase, italicized)

K

Keyserver or OIT keyserver

KnowledgeBase (abbreviated KB; database of OIT Solutions). Please use the standard of http://kb.princeton.edu/XXXX when referencing any of the four-digit solutions.

L

Lunch ‘n Learn (Academic Services’ lunchtime seminars)

M

Mac (for Macintosh, not MAC)

midnight: midnight is the end of a day, the next day begins at 12:01 a.m.

N

Net : referring to the Internet 

netID (plural: netIDs) : PU network identifier 

O

Online (never on-line)

P

plurals : e.g., PCs (PC’s can be used – just be consistent)

preventive (not preventative)

R

re(-) : usually one word, e.g. reinstall, restart; if followed directly by an e, use a hyphen, e.g., re-enter

S

SCORE (Student Course Online Registration Engine)

spam (junk e-mail – no need to capitalize this term)

spyware (no need to capitialize this term)

T

TigerTV (campus cable TV service)

U

Unix :  (though UNIX is the official designation, usage indicates Unix is generally accepted)

URLs : The Communications Office Style Guide states that it is not necessary to write "http://" at the start of a Web address, though the authoritative guides don’t agree on this. Sentences which include URLs should be punctuated normally, e.g., if a sentence ends with a URL, there should be a period after the URL.

userID : our authoritative references ignore this word; for consistency with our standard for netID, we suggest userID.

Users Group: (as in Macintosh Users Group - no need for apostrophes)

V

voice mail, voice mail messages (not voice mails)

W

 WebAnnounce

 webcam

 webcast

 WebEvent  (vendor name of the events calendar used at the University)

 webmaster

 WebMail (web-based e-mail access)

WebMedia

webpage

website

the World Wide Web, the Web

The URL for this page is: http://support.princeton.edu/guides/OITstyleguide.html
Last Updated: 07/16/07
Questions, comments and concerns should be directed to:
vbstokes@princeton.edu
annie@princeton.edu