Writing Guide
Our primary style guide is the AP Stylebook. This writing guide, containing university exceptions to AP style and commonly encountered topics, is aimed at news and other informational writing.
If you have suggestions for additions or edits to the writing guide, please contact the Office of Public Affairs.
A
academic degrees
Do not use periods in academic degrees: MD, PhD. This differs from AP style.
List academic degrees after names. Use the highest postgraduate degree. Include Master of Public Health and other health-related master’s degrees as appropriate.
For stories intended for a general audience, do not include certifications or fellowships (e.g., FAAN, FACP). But in an academic setting and for targeted audiences, it may be valuable and desirable to publicize fellowships, certifications, and other associations.
On first reference, set off degrees with commas on both sides. On subsequent reference, use last name only, no degree.
Jane Doe, MD, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology
Alumni may be identified with the year of their graduation in cases such as stewardship communications/publications. Use the same rule of setting off with commas on both sides.
John McDonald, MD ’82, remembers his medical school days well.
Do not use Dr. except in approved exceptions. For example, the use of Dr. in photo captions/cutlines to save space is acceptable.
In copy, capitalize the name of a degree; otherwise, keep it lowercase.
master’s degree in psychology, Master of Science in psychology, doctorate in psychology, doctoral degree in psychology, PhD in psychology
acronyms, abbreviations, initialisms
Acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms for schools, centers, programs, etc. should be limited in use, with a preference for the full, consistent, descriptive name of the school, center, program, etc.
In copy, write the full name or phrase followed by the acronym in parentheses on first reference, then use the acronym afterward.
Some common acronyms, including locally common ones, may be used without the full name first.
ID, ER, ICU, MRI, TMC, NIH
See ER, ED.
U.S. is acceptable in copy at all times. United States is also acceptable as a noun, not as an adjective. In headlines, it’s US with no periods.
addresses
When writing a full address with a number, abbreviate Ave., Blvd., and St.; otherwise spell out the designation, such as Road. Without an address number, always spell it out: Fifth Avenue.
advisor/adviser
Use advisor. This differs from AP style.
ages
Always use numerals and not words.
Use “age” and “ages” for descriptions and ranges. Proper use of hyphens is also acceptable:
the patient is 3 years old
the patient, age 3,
ages 65 and up
ages 65 and older
student athletes ages 12-17
12- to 17-year-olds
ampersand (&)
Use only when part of a proper name or title.
artificial intelligence, AI
In copy, write the full name or phrase followed by the acronym in parentheses on first reference, then use the acronym afterward.
assistant/associate professor
Do not shorten Assistant to Asst. or Associate to Assoc.
B
big data
This is two words, lowercase, in all uses, including as a modifier: big data analytics.
bullets
See lists.
C
capitalization
See titles.
CC
CC, CC’d, BCC, BCC’d
center/program name
See titles.
certifications
For listing after a faculty member’s name, see academic degrees.
chair/chairman/chairwoman
Use chair.
child care
two words
clinical trial phases
See research journals.
comma
Use the serial/Oxford comma before the conjunction and final element in a series. This differs from AP style.
coronavirus, COVID-19
For the most current information, please see the AP Stylebook Coronavirus Topical Guide.
The disease: The name of the disease is COVID-19. COVID-19 is capitalized because it is an acronym for COronaVIrus Disease, and it was first detected in 2019. Referring to the disease as the coronavirus is acceptable when writing about the current pandemic.
The virus: COVID-19 virus or virus that causes COVID-19 or coronavirus. The name of the virus, if needed for science or medical news, is SARS-CoV-2.
The variants: Capitalize the names of variants such as Delta and Omicron. The variants pertain to the virus, not the disease: Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The name of the disease remains the same: COVID-19.
co-worker
Hyphenate: co-worker, co-director, co-investigator
CPRIT
Use Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) with the acronym in parentheses whether there is a subsequent reference to CPRIT or not.
cutting-edge
Hyphenate when using as a modifier.
D
dash
AP style prefers the m-dash (long dash) with spaces on either side. Always aim for consistency in punctuation.
date
See time and date.
department/division/office name
See titles.
Dr.
Avoid the use of Dr. in news copy. On first reference, use the person’s academic degree, set off by commas.
Dr. may be used for features or soft news, and in photo cutlines/captions to save space.
drive-thru
Hyphenate and spell as drive-thru.
E
e.g., i.e.
e.g. means “for example” and i.e. means “that is.” Both are followed by a comma.
endowed titles, endowments
Endowed titles: Always include a faculty member’s endowed title(s) when possible. Endowed titles are capitalized and should match information from the Office of Development.
The correct names of scholarships, fellowships, lecture series, etc. may also be found on the Endowments webpage in the Office of Development.
ER, ED
When writing for a lay audience, you may use ER without defining it. When a more accurate or academic description is needed, use emergency department (ED) on first reference, and ED on subsequent reference.
F
fellowships
For listing after a faculty member’s name, see academic degrees.
For correct names of endowed fellowships, see endowed titles, endowments.
front line
This is two words as a noun: health professionals on the front line. Hyphenate when using as a modifier: front-line health professionals.
G
Give Kids A Smile, Give Vets a Smile
Give Kids A Smile is a registered trademark of the American Dental Association and should have a capital A. Give Vets a Smile is a UTHealth Houston event and follows AP style for titles, with a lowercase a.
Greater Houston area
Greater and Houston are capitalized; area is not.
H
handwashing
One word, no hyphen. This differs from AP style.
headlines
For news stories, use sentence case in headlines, not title case. For other documents that use title case, Capitalize My Title is a good tool to consult.
health care
two words
home schooling
This is two words as a noun. Hyphenate as a verb or modifier: they home-school their children, home-schooled students.
J
journals
See research journals.
L
lists
Per AP style, list items should be capitalized, have parallel structure, and only end with periods if they are complete sentences.
Parallel structure means that all items are full sentences, or all begin with active verbs, or are otherwise similar in construction.
M
mannequin, manikin
Use manikin for anatomical models used in medical training.
months
See time and date.
N
National Institutes of Health
Note that it is Institutes, plural. There is no need to follow with (NIH), and NIH may be used alone on subsequent reference.
O
on-site, off-site
hyphenate
office/department/division name
See titles.
P
patient names
Use full name on first reference. For second reference, last name is preferred, but first name may be used in features or “soft news.”
percent
Use the symbol. For a range, use “to” or a hyphen: 12% to 15% or 12%-15%. Use decimals and not fractions. For smaller than 1%, use a zero before the decimal point.
personal protective equipment, PPE
Treat this like other acronyms. Write the full name or phrase followed by the acronym in parentheses on first reference, then use the acronym afterward.
phone numbers
Use hyphens, and not periods or parentheses:
phases, clinical trial phases
See research journals.
physician-scientist
hyphenate
police
Use UT Police at Houston on first reference and UT Police on subsequent reference. Treat as a singular noun.
program/center name
See titles.
pronouns
The use of they/them/their is acceptable as gender-neutral singular pronouns in most cases. Also consider rewording the sentence to make the antecedent plural.
R
research journals
In news articles, put the name of a research journal in italics, and put the name of a study or presentation in quotation marks, using title case. For clinical trial phases, capitalize and use Roman numerals: Phase II. These guidelines differ from AP style.
S
scholarships
See endowed titles, endowments.
seasons
Seasons of the year are lowercase unless part of a proper noun: Summer Olympics, Spring Break.
states
Names of states should be spelled out in copy. Set off state names with commas on both sides. Use abbreviations (not postal codes) for lists and photo cutlines/captions, per the AP Stylebook entry on state names.
For certain large cities (see AP Stylebook entry on datelines), the state name may be omitted in copy if it does not cause confusion.
Use New York state, state of Washington, or Washington state when necessary to avoid confusion. D.C. is considered to be the “state name” for the nation’s capital.
It is acceptable to capitalize regions of Texas: South Texas.
student names
Use full name on first reference. For second reference, last name is preferred, but first name may be used in features or “soft news.”
T
telephone numbers
See phone numbers.
they/them/their
See pronouns.
time and date
Time: Use a.m. and p.m., lowercase with periods. Use noon and midnight, not 12 p.m. and 12 a.m.
Time range: Use “to” or a hyphen: from 2 to 3:30 p.m. or at 2-3:30 p.m.
Dates: When writing specific dates, abbreviate these months: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Include the day of the week in most cases, certainly for events in the near future or recent past. Listing the year may be unnecessary if it’s understood to be the current year. When there is no specific date, spell out the month: September 2023.
Comma usage:
We will celebrate on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, with a parade.
We will celebrate on Sept. 4, 2023, with a parade.
We will celebrate on Monday, Sept. 4, with a parade.
We will celebrate on Sept. 4 with a parade.
We will celebrate in September 2023 with a parade.
Date range: Always use a hyphen: Sept. 1-4.
In listing events in copy, use the order of time, date, place. There is no comma between the time and the day: 2-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Building, 1941 East Road.
titles
Capitalize titles for people and entities (departments/divisions, programs, offices, centers, etc.) when used before the name.
The Department of Neurosurgery congratulates Associate Professor Jane Doe, MD, PhD, on her recent nomination.
The Program in Cancer Biology congratulates Co-Director Jane Doe, MD, PhD, on her recent nomination.
Do not capitalize when used after a name.
Jane Doe, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurosurgery, was recently nominated for…
Jane Doe, MD, PhD, co-director of the cancer biology program, was recently nominated for…
Do not shorten Assistant to Asst. or Associate to Assoc.
Faculty may have joint titles with more than one UTHealth Houston school. Audience and content will dictate when to use which title, or if both are needed.
Jane Doe, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurosurgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, discussed her lab’s research on zebrafish.
Jane Doe, MD, PhD, co-director of the Program in Cancer Biology at MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School, gave the commencement address.
Endowed titles: Always include a faculty member’s endowed title(s) when possible. Endowed titles are capitalized and should match information from the Office of Development.
trial, clinical trial phases
See research journals.
U
United States
U.S. is acceptable in copy at all times. United States is also acceptable as a noun, not as an adjective. In headlines, it’s US with no periods.
Z
ZIP code
ZIP is all caps; it is an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan.