Brand Writing Guidelines

Write with Pride

A strong representation of the A&M-Commerce brand begins with how we write about the university. This reference writing guide is designed to help you write on-brand content for and about A&M-Commerce. Effectively promote the A&M-Commerce brand when creating university-affiliated content, including newsletters, web pages, social media posts, flyers, posters, and other advertising and marketing content.

A&M-Commerce uses the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook as its writing standard, with a few noted exceptions. Please email [email protected] if you have writing questions. You may also Google “AP style” + your grammar question or consult an AP stylebook.

Please reach out to [email protected] in Institutional Effectiveness and Research if you have questions about degree types or academic programs and how to correctly refer to them.

Topics

Academic Classes/Courses

Capitalize official class names. Don't capitalize unofficial class names. If you are unsure about the official name of a class, consult the course catalog.

He earned the top grade in Introduction to Plant Science.

He earned the top grade in his plant science class.

Mandy complained that General Microbiology was her toughest course.

Mandy complained that microbiology was her toughest course.

ACADEMIC DEGREES

Capitalize formal degree names.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

I'm planning to pursue a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.

My professor holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Use lower-case and possessive with non-formal degree names.

She has a bachelor's degree in knitting.

He has a master's degree in counseling.

Exception: Use lower-case but no possessive with doctoral/doctorate.

Sabrina has a doctoral degree in English.

Sabrina has a doctorate in English.

Don't use a possessive with “associate degree.”

He earned his associate degree from Dallas College.

He earned his associate's degree from Dallas College.

Don't use possessives with formal degree names.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.

He graduated with a Bachelor's of Science degree.

Academic Degrees­–Abbreviations

Use periods to denote two-letter degree abbreviations and some three-letter degree abbreviations.

  • Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
  • Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
  • Bachelor of Applied Science (BAAS)
  • Master of Arts (M.A.)
  • Master of Science (M.S.)
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Master of Social Work (MSW)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
  • Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Academic Programs

Capitalize a major or program only when used with its formal degree type.

She graduated from A&M-Commerce with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

She graduated from A&M-Commerce with a degree in accounting.

He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Conservation Science.

James, a wildlife and conservation science major, won the award.

The Master of Arts in Linguistics program offers a field study option.

The linguistics program offers a field study option.

ACADEMIC SUBJECTS

Don't capitalize academic subjects.

Doris Smit, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor of linguistics at Purdue University.

Dr. Jackson was my physics professor.

Exception: If the academic subject is a proper noun, then capitalize it.

Professor Smith taught English and Latin.

Addresses

Format P.O. boxes as follows:

P.O. Box 45

PO Box 45

Alumni

  • alumnus (singular male)
  • alumna (singular female)
  • alumni (plural male, female or nonbinary)
  • alum (singular male, female or nonbinary)
  • alums (plural male, female or nonbinary)

Ampersand

Don't use “&” unless it is part of a formal name. A&M-Commerce should not use “&” in the names of its colleges, departments, offices, etc.

Proctor & Gamble (They chose “&,” probably for stylistic purposes, so we honor that.)

College of Education and Human Services

College of Education & Human Services

On spring break, Lyla enjoyed a little rest & relaxation.

Bulleted Lists

When creating a list, note the following:

  • Introduce a list with a short phrase or sentence.
  • Use dashes or bullets to represent each item on a list.
  • Include a space between the bullet and the first word of each item in the list.
  • Capitalize the first word following the bullet.
  • Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section if it is a complete sentence or completes a sentence from the list’s introduction.

Examples:

The learning objectives are:

  • Organizing a meal plan.
  • Implementing a meal plan.

Learning objectives:

  • Organizing a meal plan
  • Implementing a meal plan

CAPITALIZATION GUIDELINE

Only capitalize proper nouns (formal name of person, place, thing). Avoid capitalizing random words throughout the text.

The university will host Fiesta Night on October 20, featuring snacks, games and a dance competition.

The University will host Fiesta Night on October 20, featuring Snacks, Games and a Dance Competition.

AP style rule of thumb: If in doubt, do not capitalize.

CITY/STATE

Place a comma after the city and the state when they appear together in a sentence.

Morgan lived in Dallas, Texas, before he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2020.

The word “state” is lower-case.

I'm from the state of Texas.

State names are spelled out in sentences.

She moved from Arizona to California.

She moved from Ariz. to Calif.

Dates

Use numerals for dates.

July 4 is a holiday.

Don't use ordinal numbers with dates:

The party is on August 3.

The party is on August 3rd.

Place a comma after the year when referring to the month, day and year together in a sentence.

I think May 3, 2022, will be a holiday.

Abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. when used with a specific day (but not with a month + year).

Her birthday is on Aug. 24.

She was born on Aug. 24, 1980.

I plan to go on vacation in August 2022.

I plan to go on vacation in Aug. 2022.

Use a hyphen without spaces to indicate date ranges.

Jan. 1-Feb. 1

Jan. 1 – Feb. 1

Use “through” to indicate date ranges within a sentence.

The term is Jan. 1 through Feb. 1

The term is Jan. 1-Feb. 1.

Email Addresses

Use the following format for email addresses:

Attach hyperlinks to the noun that most closely describes where the link will take the user. Also, aim to attach the link toward the end of the sentence.

Read more about cold symptoms at WebMD.

Visit Dallas Weekly.

Schedule a campus tour.

Don't say “click here.”

Click here to schedule your vaccine appointment.

Click here for more information.

Read more about hyperlinks on page 85 of the Brand Guidelines‑Comprehensive Guide.

myLEO

Capitalize as follows: myLEO

NUMBERS

Spell out numbers one through nine.

She taught nine classes.

Use Arabic numerals for 10 and above.

She completed 27 tasks in Teamwork.

Exception: Don't start a sentence with a numeral.

Thirty people participated.

30 people participated.

OXFORD COMMAS

The Oxford comma is the last (optional) comma that appears in a list of items. We do not use the Oxford comma unless it is needed to add clarity or prevent confusion.

The flag is red, white and blue.

The flag is red, white, and blue.

I ordered ham and eggs, toast with jam, and coffee.

I ordered ham and eggs, toast with jam and coffee. (It sounds like my toast has jam and coffee on it. An Oxford comma—after “jam”—is needed to provide clarification.)

Phone Numbers

Use periods (not dashes) between the numbers.

903.886.1586

903-886-1586

PROFESSIONAL TITLES/ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS

Capitalize professional titles if they appear immediately before a name.

I will ask Dean Schroeder.

I will ask President Mark Rudin.

I will ask Vice President John Jones.

Otherwise, don't capitalize professional titles.

I will ask Dr. Schroeder, dean of the Graduate School.

I will ask Dr. Rudin, president of the university.

He is a senior marketing executive with Dell.

Dr./Professor

AP style recommends using “Dr.” only if someone holds a medical degree. However, we have found that using “Dr.” is more convenient and often requested among our professors. Using the word “professor” is preferred, though.

Bottom line: Use the method that works best in the context of your writing.

Preferred: John Carter, associate professor of literature, taught the class.

Preferred: Associate Professor John Carter taught the class.

Acceptable: Dr. John Carter, associate professor of literature, taught the class.

Acceptable: Dr. John Carter taught the class.

AP style recommends using lower-case “professor” before a person's name (because it is an occupational title and not an official title). However, we choose to use upper-case when using the word “professor” as a title.

I enjoyed Professor Milo's class.

AP style says the preferred form is to avoid abbreviations when mentioning credentials. However, we have decided to use abbreviations if needed.

Preferred: Lori Adams, who has a doctorate in psychology, is a prolific researcher.

Acceptable: Lori Adams, Ph.D., is a prolific researcher.

Acceptable: Dr. Lori Adams is a prolific researcher.

Don't include both a title before a name (indicating credentials) and credentials after a name.

Lori Adams, Ph.D., is a prolific researcher.

Dr. Lori Adams, Ph.D., is a prolific researcher.

Don't stack “professor” and “Dr.” back to back.

Associate Professor James Billow was the guest of honor.

Associate Professor Dr. James Billow was the guest of honor.

Don't use Dr. on subsequent reference; only use the individual's last name.

Dr. Sam Smith will be recognized at the ceremony on October 20. Smith recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Sam Smith will be recognized at the ceremony on October 20. Dr. Smith recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

SEMESTERS

Capitalize specific semester names.

The Summer I semester was online.

What classes are you taking for the Fall 2021 semester?

What classes are you taking in Spring 2022?

Don't capitalize non-specific semester names (semesters without a year or “I” or “II” designation).

Lydia started school during the summer semester.

Lydia started school during the Summer Semester.

STUDENT CLASSIFICATIONS

Don't capitalize freshman, sophomore, junior and senior.

SYSTEM NAME

Refer to the university system as follows:

The Texas A&M University System (Use on first reference. Note the capital “T” in “The.”)

the A&M System (second and subsequent references)

the Texas A&M System (second and subsequent references)

Refer to The Texas A&M University System’s Written Style Guidelines for more information.

TIMES

Don't capitalize a.m. and p.m. or omit the periods.

a.m.

p.m.

AM

PM

A.M.

P.M.

Don't use zeros to indicate the top of the hour.

4 p.m.

4:00 p.m.

When communicating a time span, use a hyphen without spaces. Use “to” when communicating a time span within a sentence.

4:30-5 p.m.

4:30 to 5 p.m.

If a time span is entirely in the morning or evening, use a.m. or p.m. only once.

8-11 a.m.

8 to 11 a.m.

If the time range spans from morning to evening (or vice versa), use both a.m. and p.m.

8 a.m.-11 p.m.

8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS AND OFFICES

Refer to university departments and offices by their proper names.

  • Academic departments at A&M-Commerce use the following format: Department of ___.
  • Office names at A&M-Commerce typically use the following format: Office of ___.
  • If the proper name of a department or office is used without the words “Department of” or “Office of,” you should still capitalize it.

Tip: If you are unsure about the proper name of an entity at A&M-Commerce, please call the office/department and ask or refer to the header on the respective office/department web page.

She works in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

She works in Physics and Astronomy. (Although it's missing “Department of,” the proper name is used, so it is capitalized.)

She works in the physics and astronomy department. (This is not the official name of the department, so it is not capitalized.)

University Name

There are only four correct ways to refer to our university:

Texas A&M University-Commerce (Notice a hyphen is used (-), not an en-dash (–) or an em-dash (—))

A&M-Commerce

Texas A&M-Commerce

TAMUC

Notes:

  • Use the abbreviation “TAMUC” only on social media and in situations when space restrictions require the abbreviation.
  • In publications for external audiences, always use “Texas A&M University-Commerce” on first reference and “A&M-Commerce” or “Texas A&M-Commerce” on second reference.
  • In publications for internal audiences, “A&M-Commerce” may be used on first reference.
  • On A&M-Commerce webpages, use “A&M-Commerce” on the first reference.

Visit The Texas A&M University System Written Style Guidelines to review naming conventions for A&M System members.

Don't capitalize the word “university” unless it's part of a formal name.

Texas A&M University-Commerce offers award-winning programs.

The university offers award-winning programs.

The University offers award-winning programs.

URLS

Use the following format when writing URLs:

tamuc.edu/WritingCenter

Tamuc.edu/Writing Center

Tamuc.edu/writingcenter

Web Pages

Refer to A&M-Commerce web pages by their proper names, which are published at the top of each university web page.

Check out employee benefits through Human Resources.

View scholarship details at Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Review Cost and Aid for application guidelines.

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  • Commerce, TX 75428
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