|
To jump to the style guide for a particular topic, select
from the links below.
Updated as of April 12, 2004.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Names/Titles
|
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| Center for Human Rights and Global
Justice |
center for human rights and global
justice |
Capitalize complete names of NYU School
of Law centers, institutes, programs, and projects |
| Center for Human Rights and Global
Justice |
NYU Center for Human Rights and Global
Justice |
Remove reference to NYU |
| the Center will hold a conference
… |
the center will hold a conference
… |
Capitalize Center, Institute, Program,
and Project when referring to a specific one (after its full
name has been given) |
| Colloquium on Law, Business, and Politics;Gottlieb,
Rackman & Reisman Seminar in Intellectual Property |
colloquium on law, business, and politics;Gottlieb,
Rackman & Reisman seminar in intellectual property |
Capitalize formal names |
| colloquium, seminar, fellowships |
Colloquium, Seminar, Fellowships |
On second and subsequent references
(after full name is used), use lowercase |
Professor Michael Schill
President George W. Bush
Dean Richard Revesz |
professor Michael Schill
president George W. Bush
dean Richard Revesz |
Titles before names are capitalized
|
Michael Schill, professor
of law and urban planning
the president
the dean |
Michael Schill, Professor
of Law and Urban Planning
the President
the Dean |
Titles following names
or alone in the text are lowercased |
Global Public Service Scholars
Arthur Garfield Hays Fellow |
Global Public Service scholars
Arthur Garfield Hays fellow |
Capitalize when part of complete name
|
| fellow, scholars |
Fellow, Scholars |
No capitalization |
| Lewis Kornhauser, Alfred B. and Gail
Engelberg Professor of Law |
Lewis Kornhauser, Alfred B. and Gail
Engelberg professor of law |
Chaired professor titles are always
capitalized |
| Kirkland & Ellis |
Kirkland and Ellis
|
Use ampersands in law firm names |
| Institute for International Law and
Justice |
Institute for International Law &
Justice |
Avoid ampersands in all other uses
(except for hypertext links on the Web) |
| Administrative and Regulatory State
[law course] |
administrative and regulatory state
|
Names of courses are capitalized |
| public interest law |
Public Interest Law |
Areas of study are not capitalized
|
 |
|
Abbreviations/Acronyms |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| U.S., E.U., U.N., D.C. |
US, EU, UN, DC |
Use periods in two-letter abbreviations |
| NYU, PILC, LRAP, NATO, AIDS, FBI |
N.Y.U., P.I.L.C., L.R.A.P., N.A.T.O.,
A.I.D.S., F.B.I. |
Omit periods in abbreviations with
three or more letters |
| New York, NY |
New York, New York |
Use state abbreviations in lists or
for a mailing address on the back of a brochure, invitation,
etc. |
|
The annual event will be held in Orlando, Florida.
|
The annual event will be
held in Orlando, FL. |
In text/narrative, spell
out state names. |
| |
| Locations |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| Vanderbilt Hall, Room 218 |
Vanderbilt 218 |
Incomplete (missing “Hall” and room
number) |
| |
Van Hall, Room 218 |
No abbreviation of Vanderbilt |
| |
VH, Room 218 |
No abbreviation of Vanderbilt |
| |
Van Hall 218 |
No abbreviation; Missing “Room” |
| |
Room 218, Vanderbilt Hall |
Transposed |
| |
Room 218 in Vanderbilt Hall |
Not complete |
| D’Agostino Hall, Lipton Hall |
Lipton Hall |
Include building for clarity |
| Vanderbilt Hall, Snow Dining Room
|
Snow, Vanderbilt Hall |
Do not abbreviate the location;
B uilding first, location second |
| |
| Times |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
|
12:00-1:00 p.m.
|
12:00–1:00 p.m.
|
No long dash |
| |
12:00-1:00 pm
|
Needs periods |
| |
12:00-1:00 PM
|
No uppercase p.m. (or a.m.) |
| |
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
|
Two p.m.’s not needed
|
| |
12-1 p.m.
|
Not without minutes |
| |
12 p.m.-1 p.m. |
Not without minutes and p.m.’s twice
|
| |
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. |
Use dash, not “to” |
| 12:00 p.m. |
12:00 Noon |
Use 12:00 p.m. to indicate noon |
| |
| Dates |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| 2003-04 |
2002-2004, 2003/2004 |
Use shorter form, no slash |
| |
03-04 |
No abbreviated years |
| |
'03-'04 |
No abbreviated years with
quote marks |
| 1999-2000 |
1999-00 |
Use longer form for both
years when spanning a century |
| September 15 |
September 15th |
No th/st/rd, etc. on numbers
in dates |
| September 15, 2003 |
Sept. 15, 2003 |
No abbreviated month |
| |
| Seasons/Semesters |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| fall, spring, winter, and summer |
Fall, Spring, Winter, and Summer |
No uppercase seasons |
| Fall 2003, Spring 2003 |
fall 2003, spring 2003 |
Capitalize semesters only |
| Spring semester |
Spring Semester, spring semester |
Capitalize spring when referring to
semesters;
Do not capitalize "semester" |
| |
| Telephone/Facsimile |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| (212) 998-6666 |
212-998-6666 |
No dash after area code;
Always use parentheses |
| |
x86666 |
No "x" for extension |
| |
ext. 86666 |
Use complete number |
| (800) 998-6666 |
1-800-998-6666 |
"1" not needed;
always use parentheses |
| (212) 555-5555 ext. 123 |
|
Number with an additional
extension |
Telphone: (212) 998-6666
Facsimile: (212) 995-4762 |
Phone: (212) 998-6666
Fax: (212) 995-4762 |
Spell out telephone and
facsimile |
| John Smith can be reached
at (212) 998-6666 |
John Smith can be reached
at: (212) 998-6666 |
No colon needed in a narrative
sentence |
| |
| Dashes |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| 2003-04 |
2003 - 04 |
Use hyphen; no spaces |
| |
2003—04 |
No 1/m to set off text (—) |
| |
| Numbers |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| 1920s |
1920’s |
No apostrophe |
| one, nine, sixth |
1, 9, 6th |
Spell out numbers from one to nine
|
100
1250
25,000 |
one hundred
one thousand two hundred fifty
twenty-five thousand |
Use numerals for numbers 10 and higher
|
| 1651 |
1,651 |
No commas in 4-digit numbers |
| Twenty-nine exams were given. |
29 exams were given. |
At the beginning of a sentence, always
spell out numbers |
| |
| Faculty |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| Professor Philippe Sands |
Prof. Philippe Sands |
Do not abbreviate |
| Philippe Sands, professor, NYU
School of Law |
Philippe Sands, NYU School of Law
Professor |
Wrong title/term |
| |
Professor Philippe Sands, NYU
School of Law School |
Wrong title/term |
| |
Professor Philippe Sands, NYU School
of Law |
Wrong title/term |
| |
| Degrees/Class
Year |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| J.D. |
JD |
Missing periods |
| LL.M. |
LLM |
Missing periods |
| LL.M. C.J. |
LL.M.-C.J. / M.C.J. or LL.M. (C.J.)
|
Do not use any reference to the old
“MCJ” program, except as appropriate with alumni who received
that specific degree |
| M.B.A. |
MBA |
Missing periods |
| J.S.D. |
JSD |
Missing periods |
| John Doe (’78) |
John Doe, 1978 |
Used for J.D. alumnus/a graduation
class year |
| John Doe (LL.M. ’79) |
John Doe, LL.M. ’79 |
Specify degree only when it is not
J.D. |
| |
Legal
Terms
(excluding footnotes/endnotes) |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| e.g., i.e. |
e.g., i.e.
|
Latin words and phrases commonly used
in U.S. legal
writing do not need to be italicized |
| amicus curiae |
amicus curiae
|
No italics |
| jurisprudence |
juris prudence |
One word |
| |
Juris Prudence |
|
|
U.S. Supreme Court
|
U.S. supreme court
|
Capitalize full name |
| the Court [referring to the U.S. Supreme
Court] |
the court |
On second and subsequent references,
capitalize |
| the court |
the Court |
Lowercase references to all courts
except the U.S. Supreme Court on second and subsequent references
|
| U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit |
2nd U.S.
circuit court of appeals |
Capitalize full name of
courts and use formal name |
| |
| Common
Terms |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
|
curriculum vitae
|
curriculum vitae |
Use italics with this phrase |
| first-come, first-served |
first-come, first-serve |
Violates grammar rules |
| full-time professors |
fulltime professors |
Hyphenate when used as an adjective |
| They work full time. |
They work full-time. |
Do not hyphenate when used as an adverb
or noun |
| nonprofit |
non-profit |
No hyphen |
| résumé |
resume |
Missing accents |
| — [long dash] |
-- [double dashes] |
Typography |
| in the United States |
in the U.S. |
Spell out United States when a noun |
| for the U.S. government |
for the United States government |
Abbreviate United States when an adjective |
| information |
info.; info |
Do not abbreviate |
| Derrick A. Bell Jr. |
Derrick A. Bell, Jr. |
No comma before Jr., Sr., III, etc.
in names |
| |
| Web
Text |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| john.doe@nyu.edu |
<john.doe@nyu.edu> |
No carets |
| |
(john.doe@nyu.edu) |
No parentheses |
| |
JOHN.DOE@nyu.edu |
Lower case |
| |
John.Doe@nyu.edu |
Capital letters are not necessary
in email addresses |
| www.nyu.edu |
http://www.nyu.edu |
No http:// |
| |
<www.nyu.edu> |
No carets |
| |
(www.nyu.edu) |
No parentheses |
| |
WWW.nyu.edu |
All lower case |
| CD-ROM |
CDROM, CD ROM, CD-Rom |
Hyphen, acronym |
| chat room |
Chat Room, chatroom |
Two words |
| domain name |
Domain Name |
Lower case |
| email |
e-mail, Email, E-mail, E-Mail |
No hyphen necessary |
| Ethernet |
ethernet |
Capital E |
| file name |
File Name, filename |
Two words |
| high tech |
High Tech, hightech |
Two words |
| homepage |
home page, Home Page |
One word |
| hotlink |
hot link, Hot Link |
One word |
| image map |
Image Map, imagemap |
Two words |
| Internet |
|
Capital I |
| listserve or list service |
listserv |
Listserv is the name of a company
and should not be used to describe an email service |
| login |
Login, log in, log-in |
Used when an adjective or noun |
| log in |
login, login-in, Log In |
Used when a verb |
| micro-site |
microsite, micro site, Micro-Site
|
Two words, hyphen |
| offline |
off line, off-line, Off Line |
One word, no hyphen |
| online |
on line, on-line, On Line |
One word, no hyphen |
| pageview |
page view, page-view, Page View |
One word, no hyphen |
| screen name |
screenname, screename, screen-name
|
Two words |
| silo |
Silo |
Lower case |
| site |
Site |
Lower case |
| site map |
sitemap, site-map, Site Map |
Two words |
| teleconference |
tele-conference, Tele Conference |
One word, no hyphen |
| video camera |
videocamera, video-camera, Video Camera
|
Two words, no hyphen |
| video monitor |
videomonitor, video-monitor, Video
Monitor |
Two words, no hyphen |
| video projector |
videoprojector, video-projector |
Two words, no hyphen |
| video source |
videosource, video-source, Video Source
|
Two words, no hyphen |
| video screen |
videoscreen, video-screen, Video Screen
|
Two words, no hyphen |
| videocam |
video cam, video-cam, Video Cam |
One word |
| videocard |
video card, video-card, Video Card
|
One word |
| videoclip |
video clip, video-clip, Video Clip
|
One word |
| videoconference |
video conference, video-conference
|
One word |
| videoconferencing |
video conferencing, video-conferencing
|
One word |
| videotape |
video tape, video-tape, Video Tape
|
One word |
| videostream |
video stream, video-stream, Video
Stream |
One word |
| Web document |
web document, web-document |
Capital W, two words |
| Web page |
web page, webpage, web-page |
Capital W, two words |
| Web site |
web site, website, web-site |
Capital W, two words |
| World Wide Web |
World-Wide Web, world wide web |
No hyphen, initial caps |
| &, and |
|
& is used in a link. ‘and’ is used
when not a link. There is no capitalization of ‘and.’ |
| Login |
|
Entering into a computer system. Also
the account name (or user ID) that you must enter before you
can have access to some computer systems. |
| Log On vs. Logon |
|
Use log on as a verb in instructions,
such as: Log on the network. Logon is an adjective or noun,
such as: Your logon password is trucks432. This rule goes for
other similar pairs, like back up and backup. |
| Set Up vs. Setup |
|
Use set up as a verb in instructions,
such as: Set up the printer. Setup is an adjective or noun,
such as: The setup program is running. This rule goes for other
similar pairs, like back up and backup. |
| |
| Dialog/Quotations |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| I turned and he asked, “Are you listening?”
|
I turned and he asked, “Are you listening”?
|
The question mark is attributed to
the statement inside the quotations, not the sentence as a whole.
|
| Can you believe he said, “I don’t
care”? |
Can you believe he said, “I don’t
care?” |
This time, the question mark is a
part of the sentence as a whole, while the statement inside
the quotations is not a question. |
| I turned and she said, “You are such
a jerk!” |
I turned and she said, “You are such
a jerk”! |
The exclamation point is attributed
to the statement inside the quotations, not the sentence as
a whole. |
| I could not believe that he told me,
“I don’t care”! |
I could not believe that he told me,
“I don’t care!” |
This time, the exclamation point is
a part of the sentence as a whole, while the statement inside
the quotations is not an exclamation. |
| |
| Punctuation
Usage |
|
|
| Correct |
NOT Correct
|
Explanation |
| .” and .’ |
”. and ’. |
periods are always inside quotes and
apostrophes |
| ,” and ,’ |
”, and ’, |
commas are always inside quotes and
apostrophes |
| outstanding research, publications,
and accomplishments |
outstanding research, publications
and accomplishments |
use a comma before the last item in
a series |
| |
