Nuts and Bolts
Abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms
Abbreviations are any shortened form of a word. Acronyms and initialisms are types of abbreviations.
An acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of other words: laser, scuba, NATO.
An initialism is a group of initial letters used as an abbreviation for a name or expression, each letter pronounced separately: CBC, TRU, FYI.
Avoid using several abbreviations in text as it is hard to read.
Abbreviations that are common knowledge/familiar to the average reader do not need to be spelled out on first reference: CBC, CIA, RCMP.
Uncommon abbreviations should be spelled out on first reference, followed by the abbreviation in brackets, and then used on second reference: Thompson Rivers University (TRU) is in Kamloops. TRU offers 140 programs. Do not use the abbreviation if there is no second reference: Thompson Rivers University is in Kamloops. It offers 140 programs.
Use periods with lowercase abbreviations (a.k.a., a.m., p.m., et al.); do not use periods with capitalized abbreviations — UN, CEO, TRU — except when referring to a geographic place, person or single letter: U.K., W.A.C. Bennett, Cambie St. E.
Canadian province abbreviations: Alta., N.B., N.S., Que., B.C., N.L., Ont., Sask., Man., N.W.T., P.E.I., Nvt. Yukon is not abbreviated.
When an abbreviation with a period ends a sentence, no additional period follows: Class ends at 5:30 p.m. The project was funded by ABCD Ltd.
Refer to other universities using full names on first reference and their acronym on second reference: University of British Columbia, then UBC.
Capitalization
The reader comes first
TRU follows Canadian Press in using a modified down style, with sparing use of capitalization. A predominantly lowercase style is easier to read and makes capitalized words stand out.
Lowercase does not diminish the importance or credibility of an individual’s position or a department’s reputation — it is a style that serves the reader. It makes copy easier to read. Overcapitalization can fatigue the reader and minimizes the impact of its use.
General capitalization
A complete formal name is capitalized; a general term is not. Thompson Rivers University, but the university; Government of BC, but the provincial government; Faculty of Arts, but arts or the arts faculty.
Capitalization is used for proper names, the names of departments and agencies of national and provincial governments, trade names, names of associations, companies, clubs, religions, languages, races, people, places and addresses. Otherwise, use lowercase.
Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns in a headline, title and in running text.
Capitalize the formal names of the following:
- Proper names of nationalities, peoples, ethnicities and tribes. Métis, Secwépemc, First Nations
- Brand names (follow the company’s capitalization). London Drugs, Best Buy
- Holidays, holy days, religions and deities. Christmas, Ramadan, Labour Day, Chinese New Year
- Laws and historic documents. Charter of Rights, Magna Carta
- Official names of organizations and institutions. Interior Health Authority, ASK Wellness
- Political parties and movements. Green Party of Canada, Green Party
Capitalizing compositions
Capitalize the main words (not words like of, a, in, etc.) in the titles of books, TV shows, plays, operas, computer games, movies, poems, songs, speeches and works of art: To Kill a Mockingbird, Grand Theft Auto, Mona Lisa. These are also italicized in running text. If italics aren’t possible, put the title in quotation marks.
Dates and times
Months and dates
Months are abbreviated when they have a specific date with them; they are spelled out in full when alone or with a year. Convocation is on Oct. 16; August is a hot month; December 2009
March to July are spelled out in full — a way to remember is that they all come in a row: March, April, May, June and July. Abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.
For dates that fall within the year, you don’t need to refer to the year. When possible, especially with events, use the day as well as the date. Use just the plain number, not ordinals: 7th, 1st, etc. The Welcome Back BBQ is set for Thurs., Sept. 7. (Not Thurs., Sept. 7th, 2023)
When shortening the year to the last two digits, use an apostrophe beforehand and a plural ‘s’ afterward if needed. ‘20s; The Dirty ‘30s; the mid-1970s.
Do not use an apostrophe when referring to someone’s age. John is in his 50s.
The academic year is divided by a slash: 2023/24. The 2023/24 operating budget. This is the academic schedule for 2024/25.
In running text, use the date rather than yesterday, today or tomorrow, as the piece might be referred to months or even years later, and then the accurate time frame is lost.
Centuries and decades
Spell out the first nine centuries as words, and use digits for 10 and above: The fifth century; the 19th century.
Decades may be spelled out (as long as the century is clear) or expressed in numerals: The nineties, the mid-1990s, the ’90s.
Time
Time should be written as concisely as possible, followed by a.m. or p.m. (lowercase, with periods): So, 8 a.m., not 08:00 a.m. (the zeros just take up space, so remove them). 12 a.m./p.m. should be written out as noon or midnight, to prevent confusion (note that 12 noon or 12 midnight is redundant. Just use noon or midnight).
Publications
Italicize titles of compositions: books, plays, poems, computer games, periodicals (newspapers, magazines, and journals), websites, online databases, movies, television and radio shows, musical albums and songs, dance performances, long musical compositions and artwork, as well as ships, aircraft and spacecraft.
The new issue of Bridges Magazine was mentioned on CFJC Midday. The song Stille Nacht was played in the background of the first episode of The Simpsons.
Italicize words in other languages (such as Latin) and words unfamiliar to your audience.
- The European fire ant (Myrmica rubra) is invasive, aggressive and prolific.
- The Secwepemctsín language is spoken in the Thompson-Nicola region.
- Electroencephalography is a recording of electrical activity within brain neurons used to diagnose epilepsy.
For academic documents, refer to the MLA Handbook or MLA Guide regarding citation.
Punctuation
Accents
Accents (also known as diacritics) are marks above, below or beside a letter that indicates a particular pronunciation (accent, tone or stress)
When possible, use accents on French proper names: Trois Rivières, raison d’être. Do not use accents on Quebec and Montreal, as they are long-established English versions, unless they are part of a proper name. Check Oxford for English words with French accents: cliché, resumé.
For Indigenous words, spellings and accents, please see the Indigenous section of the style guide.
Ampersands
Yes, they're cool looking. But they interrupt the flow for readers. Do not use ampersands in body copy/running text, headlines or elsewhere. They are only allowed where the ampersand is an official part of a trademarked name: A&W, H&R Block. The only other allowed use of ampersands is for design purposes for TRU logos.
Apostrophes
Apostrophes indicate possession: the cat’s pajamas, the cats’ pajamas (multiple cats), the Davis’s house (possessive plural — also accepted is Davis’ house, as the name ends with ‘s’), children’s snacks.
Apostrophes indicate a contraction/omission of letters: don’t, it’s, give ‘em hell, back in the ‘90s.
They are also used with capitalized verbs (but not letters or numbers): OK’s, X’ing out, but she got straight As, AK-47s unless there is ambiguity, then A’s in math are hard to achieve. Use apostrophes with lowercase plural letters: dot the i’s and cross the t’s.
Common mistake — it’s and its — its is possessive, it’s is a contraction for it is.
Commas — hold the Oxford
Put commas between the elements of a series but not before the final “and” “or” or “nor” (the so-called Oxford comma) unless it helps avoid confusion: More than 500 scholarships, bursaries, prizes, and awards are available (with the Oxford comma after “prizes,” do not do this). More than 500 scholarships, bursaries, prizes and awards are available (without Oxford comma, do this); Advising, Student Awards and Financial Aid, and Counselling are all on BMO Student Street (this has the Oxford comma to avoid confusion because Student Awards and Financial Aid is one department).
Dashes
Dashes come in three lengths: the shortest, hyphens (-), medium, en dashes (–) and longest, em dashes (—).
Hyphen
Hyphens join two or more words that describe a noun. Do not leave a space: The course was open to second-, third- and fourth-year students. Facilitate collaborative health-related scholarship and research.
En dash
An en replaces “to” in a range of dates, times or numbers. Leave a space on either side: See pages 18 – 25. December 8 – 12, TRU is closed for renovations.
To create an en dash: PC: ctrl + - or alt + 0150; Mac: option + -
Em dash
The em dash sets off a mid-sentence thought instead of parentheses or commas, or to create a sharp break in a word or sentence. Leave a space on either side: More than 500 awards — over $1 million handed out each year — are available. I’m happy to be here — but you don’t feel the same.
To create an em dash: PC: ctrl + alt + -; Mac: shift + option + -
Ellipsis
Use an ellipsis ( ... ) to indicate an omission from text or a quotation. In mid-sentence, leave a space before and after the ellipsis. If a sentence ends with an ellipsis, use four periods. The decision ... rests solely with your elected representatives.... They will choose tomorrow.
Parentheses (brackets)
Use parentheses sparingly. Parentheses can be used to enclose non-essential information, add fuller identification, enclose a nickname, provide equivalents or asides: To register, first (a) create your timetable, (b) meet with an advisor and (c) access myTRU. Services and resources are available at Cplul’kw’ten (House 5). “We can expect two more inches (five centimetres) of rain.” William (Bible Bill) Aberhart.
Quotation marks
Use double quotation marks for direct quotes. Alternate between single and double quotation marks for quotes within quotes. “I heard her say, ‘I only hit him when he sneered and said “Never.”’”
Periods and commas go inside quotation marks; colons and semicolons go outside quotation marks. The question mark and exclamation mark go inside the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only, as in the above example, but outside when they apply to the entire sentence: Which of Shakespeare’s characters said, “All the world’s a stage”?
Do not use quotation marks around single letters: A W indicates withdrawal from a course.
Do not use quotation marks in question-and-answer formats: Q: What’s your favourite colour? A: Purple.
Use double quotations around unfamiliar terms on first reference and with words used ironically: The salt block was “delisquescent” and turned to liquid. He told me my angry resting face made me look “friendly.”
Slash
Use a slash to separate alternatives, but use a hyphen for joint titles or conflicting elements: either/or, secretary-treasurer, comedy-tragedy.
Use a slash to replace per in measurements: 80 km/h (80 kilometres per hour)
Use a slash for the academic year: the 2024/25 viewbook is out.
Spaces
Use one space, not two, between the end punctuation of one sentence and the beginning of the next.
