Binghamton University Style Guide

Regardless of where they originate, Binghamton University publications perform most effectively when they reflect consistency and clarity in their messages. And since many of our audiences overlap — in the same week a reader may receive a parents’ newsletter, a Foundation invitation, an Anderson Center brochure, a letter from the dean of students and a flier about volunteer opportunities — it’s important that nonacademic publications coming from the University treat the English language in the same manner, using a clear, consistent, contemporary style of writing.

This style guide can help. It’s based in part on widely accepted reference works such as The Chicago Manual of Style, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and the Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. Though these sources are invaluable, they don’t address all editorial concerns specific to Binghamton University. Therefore, we’ve developed additional recommendations.

A downloadable version of the Style Guide is available here (203 kb .pdf).

Style Guide

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

a.m. / p.m. Note use of lowercase and periods.

• Use noon instead of 12 p.m.
• Use midnight instead of 12 a.m.

abbreviations and acronyms

• Don’t use abbreviations or acronyms the reader won’t quickly recognize. Avoid overuse of abbreviations and acronyms.
• Don't use periods in University abbreviations and acronyms. [SOM, CCPA, UUP]
• Don’t use periods with these abbreviations: AD, BC, CE (Common Era), ID, TV, TA (teaching assistant), RA (resident assistant), RD (resident director), and CD (community director). [ID cards, in 592 CE, see your RA for details]
• Unless the abbreviation is part of a proper name that doesn’t use periods, use periods for two-letter acronyms. [U.K., B.C. Open] (Note exceptions, below.)
• Don’t use periods for large acronyms. [USPS, NAACP, FEMA]
• NOTE: Some entities are widely known by their initials and may not need to be spelled out on first reference (i.e., FBI, CIA, NASA); let context guide you.

Academic A Building (AA); Academic B Building (AB); Academic Complex is the correct term to use when referring collectively to AA and AB.

academic and administrative titles

• Capitalize the principal words in a title that appears before an individual’s name. Don’t capitalize a title elsewhere. [Medical Director Chris Roberts, but Chris Roberts, medical director]
• Don’t capitalize titles when used without a name. [the vice president for student affairs is coordinating the project]

academic degrees

• With the exception of the alumni section of campus publications, spell out names of degrees. [Dan Westwood, who received his bachelor’s degree in English]
• Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, but not associate degree.
• Use abbreviations such as BA, MA, PhD only when spelling out the names of the degrees would be cumbersome. When used after a name, set off these abbreviations with commas. [Mike Slate, PhD, is coordinating the reunion or Mike Slate, PhD ’92, is coordinating the reunion] NOTE: If the graduation year is used without the degree earned, don’t use commas. [Mike Slate ’92 is coordinating the reunion]

academic departments

• Capitalize official department names in running text. References using shortened or unofficial names should be lowercase. Examples:
  • The Psychology Department publishes an annual newsletter.
  • Michelle Spencer of materials science was promoted to associate professor.
  • Faculty members from the biology and math departments are cooperating on this project.

academic honors

• Use cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude. These should be italicized.

academic majors and minors

• Lowercase all majors and minors, except those incorporating proper nouns. [She has a major in Arabic and a minor in biology.]

acting/interim

• When someone is filling in for an administrator who is temporarily on leave, the correct title is acting.
• When someone is filling in while a permanent replacement is being sought, the correct title is interim.

admission/admissions

• Use the plural form in the titles of our University offices (Undergraduate Admissions and Graduate Admissions), as well as when referring to our admissions process.
• Use the singular form in constructs such as: he applied for admission to the University or she filed an application for admission.

advisor Not adviser.

alumni/ae/us/a

• Use alumnus (male) or alumna (female) when referring to a single person.
• Use the plurals alumni (male or mixed group) and alumnae (female group) when referring to more than one person.
• Avoid alumna/us and alumni/ae.
• Use alum sparingly and only in informal communications.

ampersand/&

• Don’t use an ampersand (&) to replace and except in proper names of off-campus entities that include an ampersand. The only University office that uses an ampersand in its name is Continuing Education & Outreach.

Anderson Center for the Performing Arts (Anderson Center)

• Composed of the Osterhout Concert Theater, the Chamber Hall and Watters Theater

apostrophes

• Use an apostrophe when referring to a class year; make sure the apostrophe is facing in the correct direction. [Class of ’99; not ‘99]
• Use curly apostrophes (‘’), not straight up-and-down ones (', called primes) whenever possible.
• Don’t use an apostrophe to make the plural of figures and letters unless confusion would result without the apostrophe. [three PhDs, five DVDs, there are two 5s in that number, but there are four s’s in that word]

associate/assistant

• Don’t abbreviate assistant or associate when used in a title.

at/@

• Use the at symbol (@) as a substitute for at in text only in athletics schedules to denote away games.

athletics

• Use athletics when referring to this University division.

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B

Bearcats

• Binghamton University’s athletics teams (regardless of gender) are called the Bearcats (plural).
• Baxter the Bearcat is Binghamton’s mascot.

Binghamton University’s name

Binghamton University website address

• The University’s main website address, www.binghamton.edu, should appear on all publications. 
• It is also acceptable to present the address as binghamton.edu (without the www).

Biotechnology Research Building (BI) 

bulleted lists

• Lists should present items in a consistent manner throughout a publication.
• Maintain consistency for all items in a list. For example, don’t mix sentence and nonsentence items, begin all items the same way (e.g., with a verb or gerund), use or don’t use end punctuation, etc.

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C

campus buildings

• Campus/school building names and their abbreviations should match the listings on the “Building Abbreviations” page of the University Directory.
• To specify locations, give the building abbreviation and room number with a hyphen in between. [UU-320, AD-112]

  School/Building Names
  Academic A Building (use Academic Complex to refer to both A and B buildings)
  Academic B Building B (use Academic Complex to refer to both A and B buildings)
  Anderson Center for the Performing Arts (Anderson Center) (composed of the Osterhout Concert Theater, the Chamber Hall and Watters Theater)
  Biotechnology Research Building (BI)
  College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA)
  Couper Administration Building (AD)
  Decker School of Nursing (Decker School)
  Engineering and Science Building (ESB)
  Harpur College of Arts and Sciences (Harpur College)
  Innovative Technologies Complex (ITC) (composed of the Biotechnology Research Building and the Engineering and Science Building)
  Graduate School of Education (GSE)
  School of Management (SOM)
  Science 1
  Science 2
  Science 3
  Science 4
  Science 5
  Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science (Watson School)
  University Downtown Center (UDC)
  University Union (UU) (the Mandela Room and the Susquehanna Room are both located in the University Union)
  University Union West (UUW)
  
  Residence Halls and Communities
  College-in-the-Woods (CIW)
  Cayuga Hall
  Onondaga Hall
  Seneca Hall
  Oneida Hall
  Mohawk Hall
  Dickinson Community (Dickinson)
  Rafuse Hall
  Digman Hall
  Champlain Hall
  Whitney Hall
  Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center (C4, shared with Newing College)
  Hillside Community (Hillside)
  Adirondack House
  Belmont House
  Catskill House
  Darien House
  Evangola House
  Fillmore House
  Glimmerglass House
  Hempstead House
  Jones House
  Keuka House
  Lakeside House
  Minnewaska House
  Nyack House
  Palisades House
  Rockland House
  Saratoga House
  Hinman College (Hinman)
  Cleveland Hall
  Hughes Hall
  Lehman Hall
  Roosevelt Hall
  Smith Hall
  Mountainview College (Mountainview)
  Cascade Hall
  Hunter Hall
  Marcy Hall
  Windham Hall
  Newing College (Newing)
  Bingham Hall
  Broome Hall
  Delaware Hall
  Endicott Hall
  Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center (C4, shared with Dickinson Community)
  Susquehanna Community (Susquehanna)
  Brandywine
  Choconut
  Glenwood

capitalization

• Avoid unnecessary capital letters. Use a capital letter only if you can justify it.
• See entries for academic and administrative titles, academic degrees, academic departments, academic majors and minors, class names/standing, compass directions, groups of people, historical periods, “office,” “room,” “state” and “the” for more information.

Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center (C4)

class names/standing

• Don’t capitalize freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate student or undergraduate student unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence or are part of a formal title. [he is a sophomore chemistry student, but she is a member of the Graduate Student Council]

College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA)

College-in-the-Woods (CIW) 

colleges and schools

• When listing all the schools in the University, begin with Harpur College of Arts and Sciences (as the founding college of the University). Then list the professional schools in alphabetical order: College of Community and Public Affairs, Decker School of Nursing, Graduate School of Education, School of Management, Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science.

comma See serial comma for information on using commas in simple and complex series. 

Commencement

• Always capitalize when referring to Binghamton’s Commencement.

company/corporation/incorporated/limited

• Abbreviate when used after the name of a corporate entity, but don’t place a comma before the abbreviation. [Lockheed Martin Corp., Corning Inc., Ernst & Young Global Ltd.]

compass directions

• Capitalize north, south, east and west when they are part of specific geographic regions or official names of organizations. [the Northwest Territories, Southern Pacific Railroad]
• Don’t capitalize general compass directions. [the west entrance to the campus, he drove north]

Couper Administration Building (AD) 

course titles/course numbers

• Each course has a course number and title. Course titles are capitalized (even if the course is referred to without the number). No punctuation is used between the course number and course title. [ARTS 161 Beginning Photography, GEOG 120 Weather and Climate]
• However, references to courses that don’t use the specific and complete name aren’t capitalized. [I’m taking statistics and economics, he likes his cinematography course]
• Course numbers are written in all caps with no periods. [HIST 592, BME 610, NURS 581A]
• Don’t use quotation marks around course titles.

courtesy titles

• Refer to men and women by first and last name. [John Jones, Jennifer Jones]
• Avoid using courtesy titles Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms. except in direct quotations, or where needed to distinguish among people of the same last name.
• In cases where a person’s gender isn’t clear from the first name or from the story’s context, indicate the gender by using he or she on a subsequent reference.
• Abbreviate these titles when used before a full name outside direct quotations: Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Rep., the Rev., Sen. Otherwise, spell all out except Dr., Mr., Mrs., Ms.
• If referring to a married couple where both individuals hold doctoral degrees, use Drs. before the names. [Drs. William and Nancy Smith]
• Don’t use commas before or after Jr. or Sr. or the designations I, II, IV, etc. When used in conjunction with an earned degree, follow the designation with a comma. [John Williams Jr., MBA ’09]
• The first reference to a clergyperson normally includes a capitalized title before the individual’s name. In many cases, the Rev. is the designation that applies before a name on first reference. Use the Rev. Dr. only if the individual has earned a doctoral degree (doctor of divinity degrees frequently are honorary) and reference to the degree is relevant.

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D

dates

• Don’t use a comma in dates giving only the month and year. [January 2009]
• Use two commas to set off the year in dates giving the month, day and year. [the next presentation will be July 5, 2011, in Watters Theater]
• Don’t abbreviate months unless they immediately precede a date. [we were married in September]
• When a date immediately follows the name of the month, abbreviate it only if the month’s name is six letters or longer. [we were married Jan. 6 and divorced March 5]
• Except in formal invitations, use cardinal numbers for the date. [the ceremony is scheduled for May 16, 2011]
• Be sure to use numerals for days of the month, omitting rd, th, st, nd. [he arrived Feb. 21 {not 21st} and left April 8 {not 8th}]
• In general, don’t use on with a date or day. [Commencement will be Saturday, June 12]
• When writing inclusive dates within a decade, repeat the 0. [2005–09] When the century or millennium changes, all digits are repeated. [1999–2012]

decades

• You may spell out the decade [the eighties], use the cardinal number [the ’80s], or use the full numeric [the 1980s].
• Don’t use an abbreviated format if there could be any confusion about the century.
• Don’t use ’s in numeric decades. [1980s not 1980’s]

Decker School of Nursing (Decker School)

department

• Lowercase unless part of a complete and formal name. [she used to work in the maintenance department, he teaches in the Department of Psychology

Dickinson Community (Dickinson)

dollar/$

• When referring to monetary figures, use a dollar sign ($), not the word dollars.
• Don’t use $ before the amount and the word dollars after it.
• When a relation between two or more similar amounts is expressed, the dollar sign may or may not be repeated, but use an en dash to denote range. [$10–12]

dormitory/dorm

• Avoid these outdated terms. Use residence hall or the name of the residence hall instead.

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E/F/G

em dash/ —

• Use spaces between em dashes and surrounding text. [the campaign — the second in the University’s history — kicked off in April]

e-mail

• Capitalize the e only when the word is used at the beginning of a sentence or on a form.Note use of hyphen.

e-mail addresses

• If used at the end of a sentence, end e-mail addresses with whatever punctuation mark is appropriate for the sentence.

emeritus/a/i

• Use emeritus for a man, emerita for a woman and emeriti when plural.

Engineering and Science Building (ESB)

full names

• Provide a person’s full name (or two initials with surname) the first time he or she appears in an article.
• After referring to an individual by full name, the second reference should be to surname only. [Mitchell for Tom Mitchell] However, if two or more people share the same surname, use the first and last names.
• It’s acceptable to refer to the subject by first name or nickname only if the tone of the piece is informal.

generational names

• Don’t use commas before or after Jr. or Sr. and the designations I, II, III, IV (etc.).
• When used in conjunction with an earned degree, follow the designation with a comma. [John Williams Jr., MBA ’09]
• When used in conjunction with just the year of graduation, no comma is needed. [John Williams Jr. ’09]

grade-point average

• Spell out on first reference, but GPA is acceptable on subsequent references. Note use of hyphen.

Graduate School of Education (GSE)

groups of people

• Capitalize names of races (African American, Caucasian, Asian, Native American), but don’t capitalize black or white when referring to race.
• If the term is used as a noun, don’t hyphenate; if used as an adjective, use hyphens. [he is Native American but Asian-American students may apply]
• When writing about one of these groups, use the term widely preferred by its members.

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H/I

Harpur College of Arts and Sciences (Harpur College) 

Hillside Community (Hillside) 

Hinman College (Hinman)

historical periods

• Capitalize widely recognized epochs in anthropology, archaeology, geology and history. [the Bronze Age, the Dark Ages, the Renaissance]

Homecoming

• Always capitalize when referring to Binghamton’s Homecoming.

initials

• Use periods and no spaces when individuals use initials instead of a first name. [T.J. Booth, F.E.C. Wang]

Innovative Technologies Complex (ITC)

• This complex is composed of the Biotechnology Research Building and the Engineering and Science Building.

Innovative Technologies Complex Start-Up Suite Note use of hyphen in start-up. 

interim/acting

• When someone is filling in for an administrator who is temporarily on leave, the correct title is acting.
• When someone is filling in while a permanent replacement is being sought, the correct title is interim.

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J/K/L

lists/listed items

• Lists should present the items in a consistent manner throughout a publication.
• Maintain consistency for all items in a list. For example, don’t mix sentence and nonsentence items, begin all items the same way (e.g., with a verb or gerund), use or don’t use end punctuation, etc.

M

measurements

• Use cardinal numbers and spell out inches, feet, yards, meters, etc.
• If you’re writing for an international audience, always include metric measurements.

money

• Spell out the word cents (note lowercase) and use cardinal numbers for amounts less than a dollar. [5 cents, 12 cents]
• Use the dollar sign ($) and cardinal numbers for amounts over $1. [$1.45, $3.15]

months See dates.

Mountainview College (Mountainview)

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N

Names and degrees

• When using abbreviations of degrees paired with an individual’s name, use a comma between the name and the degree earned. [Max Russell, MAT, won the award]
• Also use commas when listing an individual’s name with abbreviation of the degree and year earned. [Max Russell, MAT ’02, won the award]
• However, if you’re not listing the degree earned, only the graduation year, don’t use commas. [Max Russell ’02 won the award]

New York City

• To distinguish the city from the state, use New York City in text.

New York State University Police

• After first reference, University Police is acceptable.

Newing College (Newing)

numbers

• Write out numbers at the beginning of a sentence or rewrite the sentence so it doesn’t begin with a number. The only exception to this rule is a numeral that identifies a calendar year.
• Don’t add a numeral in parentheses after it is written in words.  
• Use a hyphen to connect a word ending in y to another word when large numbers must be spelled out. [thirty-one, sixty-eight]
• Use a comma for most cardinal numbers higher than 999, except with street addresses, ZIP codes, broadcast frequencies, SAT scores, room numbers, serial numbers, telephone numbers and years.
• Always use cardinal numbers with the word percent or the percent symbol (%).
• Use cardinal numbers for large sums that are cumbersome to spell out, but always spell out the word million.
• If a sentence includes multiple numbers that apply to the same category of thing, and if one of the numbers must use a numeral, use numerals for all the quantities of that category.
• When a sentence has two numbers adjacent to each other, using a combination of numerals and spelled out numbers can help avoid confusion. If one of the numbers is a unit of measurement, leave that number a numeral. In other cases, spell out the shorter of the two numbers. [she bought five 8-foot beams, she turns 21 two days before I do]

  cardinal numbers

  • Spell out the numbers zero through nine (except when giving ages, dollar amounts, dimensions, percentages, degrees, ratios, measurements, and course or program credit).

  dates

  • Don’t use a comma in dates giving only the month and year. [January 2009]
  • Use two commas to set off the year in dates giving the month, day, and year [the next presentation will be July 5, 2011, in Watters Theater]
  • Use an en-dash instead of a hyphen between the first and second number to denote inclusive dates. When writing inclusive dates within a decade, repeat the 0 after the en dash. [2008–09] When the century or millennium changes, all digits are repeated [1999–2010]
  • Except in formal invitations, use cardinal numbers for the date. [the ceremony is scheduled for May 16, 2011]
  • In general, don’t use on with a date or day [Commencement will be Saturday, June 12]

  fractions

  •   Simple fractions are spelled out and a hyphen is used. [one-half, three-fourths]

  money

  • Use cardinal numbers for fractional amounts over $1.

  tables

  • In tables, use one format — either with or without decimals — consistently.
  • Use a label [dollars] to avoid repeating the same symbol [$] over and over.

  ordinal numbers

  • Spell out first through ninth when they indicate sequence in time or location. Starting with 10th, use ordinal numbers.
  • Don’t use -st, -nd or -th suffixes with dates, except for centuries and names of events. [May 1, not May 1st; Eighth Annual Honors Day, 10th Annual Spiedie Fest)

  percent

  • Use the word percent in formal running text.
  • Use the percent symbol (%) in tables, charts, scientific and statistical copy, and some informal and promotional copy.
  • Always use a numeral with percent (either the word or the symbol). [3 percent, 87%, 100 percent]

NYS

• Avoid using NYS; use New York state instead. Note that state shouldn’t be capitalized unless it is part of a specific title. [New York State Department of Education, but a New York state-funded program]

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O/P

 

occupations/titles

• Occupational titles are always lowercase. [actor Harrison Ford, golfer Tiger Woods, director Steven Spielberg ]

office

• When using the proper title of an office, capitalize both the name and the word office, but not the preceding the. [the Office of Communications and Marketing, the Office of Student Affairs]

organized research centers

• The complete list is posted at research.binghamton.edu/VicePresident/OrganizedResearchCenters.php.

p.m./a.m. Note use of lowercase and periods.

Q/R

RA (resident assistant)

• This abbreviation may be used at first reference in material directed to a campus or alumni audience.

ranges

• When listing a range of figures with the same symbol or word, use an en dash between the numbers and include the designation only once, at the end of the range. [15–20 hours, 20–30 minutes, 100–125 feet]

RD (resident director)

• This abbreviation may be used at first reference in material directed to a campus or alumni audience.

residential colleges and communities See campus buildings.

résumé

• Use accents to easily distinguish the employment history document from the verb meaning continue.

room

• Capitalize when used before a room number or after a room name. [class will be held in Room LN-123, the lecture will take place in the Nelson Mandela Room]
  

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S

SAT scores

• Always use numerals; don’t use a comma.

seasons

• Don’t capitalize names of seasons unless they are part of a formal title. [construction will commence in fall 2014, but Spring Commencement will be May 12]

School of Management (SOM)

schools and colleges

• When listing all the schools in the University, begin with Harpur College of Arts and Sciences first (as the founding college of the University). Then list the professional schools in alphabetical order: College of Community and Public Affairs, Decker School of Nursing, Graduate School of Education, School of Management, Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Science 1 (S1), Science 2 (S2), Science 3 (S3), Science 4 (S4) and Science 5 (S5)

serial comma

• Use commas to separate elements in a series, but don’t put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a simple series. [He took courses at the University of Arizona, Cornell University, Boston College and Binghamton University.]
• Place a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction. [He took courses from the School of Management, Graduate School of Education, and Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at Binghamton University.]
• You also need to use a comma before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases. [She was interested in nursing because she knew it would always provide her with employment, because her mother was a nurse and her role model, and because she couldn’t imagine a better vocation than helping people.]

state

• Capitalize state only when it appears in a title. [our reunion is held in New York state, but New York State Department of Education]

state names

• Spell out the names of states when they stand alone in text. [she drove through Oregon on her way to California]
• If the state is preceded by a city in that state, enclose the abbreviation for that state in commas (see middle column in list below, note exceptions). [his last job was in Sparks, Nev., where he lived in 2011 or her parents live in Sitka, Alaska, and she is a graduate of]
• Use the two-letter postal abbreviations (see right column in list below) in mailing addresses.

State University of New York at Binghamton

• This remains the official and legal name of the University and is used on all legal documents, but not on the cover or in the text of most publications.
• Our state affiliation should be included when identifying University offices, academic units, people or places for external audiences.

street names

• Abbreviate avenue, boulevard and street in numbered addresses.

student classifications See class names/standing.

SUNY

• The abbreviation SUNY for State University of New York should be spelled out for external publications on first reference. SUNY is acceptable on second reference. Don’t use periods or spaces.

SUNY-B/SUNY-Binghamton

• The abbreviations SUNY-Binghamton and SUNY-B are no longer used.

Susquehanna Community (Susquehanna)

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T

telephone numbers

• Even for campus audiences, provide the area code and seven-digit telephone number if possible. Separate elements with a hyphen or en dash, not parentheses. [607–777–1234 or 607-777-1234]

temperatures

• Use cardinal numbers.
• Use below, not a minus sign for temperatures below zero [it was 80 degrees in June and 10 below in November]

the

• Lowercase the when it’s used before a name. [the United States, the President’s Office]
• Capitalize the when used with the name of newspapers and periodicals if it's part of the proper title. [The New York Times, but the Chicago Tribune]

theater/theatre

• Use theatre to refer to the art form or the University department. [Department of Theatre productions showcase student work or She loved live performance and worked in theatre her whole career]
• Use theater to refer to the building or facility where art is performed. [Her play was staged at a local theater]

Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science (Watson School)

time

• The correct abbreviation for morning times is a.m.
• The correct abbreviation for afternoon and evening times is p.m.
• Use noon instead of 12 p.m.; use midnight instead of 12 a.m.

titles of published works

• When mentioned in text, titles and subtitles of printed publications, films, movies, plays, television and radio series, works of art, operas, oratorios, motets, ballets, tone poems and other long musical compositions are italicized.
• Titles of articles, stories, poems, television and radio episodes (as opposed to series), songs, vocal pieces, short musical compositions and unpublished works (including theses and dissertations) are enclosed in quotation marks.
• Musical compositions with no distinctive titles that are identified by their musical form (symphonies, concertos, sonatas, preludes, nocturnes, etc.) appear without italics or quotes. The term No. should be used for numbered compositions (not the # symbol) and Op. should be used for opus numbers. The key, if given, should be uppercase, and if flat or sharp, should be hyphenated (use the words sharp or flat [always lowercase], not the symbol). Descriptive titles may be given in quotes.
• Punctuation given in titles should remain as is, even if it violates style rules.

titles/occupations

• Occupational titles are always lowercase. [actor Harrison Ford, golfer Tiger Woods, director Steven Spielberg ]

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U/V/W

University Downtown Center (UDC)

University Union (UU)

University Union West (UUW)

University

• This is acceptable as a secondary reference to Binghamton University. Note uppercase U.

versus/vs.

• Spell out versus except when listing sporting events, then vs. is acceptable.

X/Y/Z

years

• Always use numerals, even if beginning a sentence with a year.
• No comma is needed between a month and a year. [August 1999]
• Set off the day and year with commas when a phrase refers to a month, day, and year. [the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001,]

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