Editorial / Editorial Style

Editorial Style

The credibility of all ACE communications depends on consistency and accuracy, whether you’re writing an email, a Student Commons post, a newsletter article, a social media post or any other content on behalf of the college. One of the surest ways to lose a reader is to have a misspelling or bad grammar in your writing.

This section is not meant to be an exhaustive writing guide; rather these are the main principles to keep in mind when writing ACE communications (Note: This does not pertain to in-class assignments, which follow the style set forth by the instructor). If you have any questions, please reach out to marketing@ace.edu for guidance.

General Writing Principles

Be clear and concise.
Write in active voice.
Use a smaller word over a big one.
Avoid jargon and acronyms, even ones that are typically part of academia.
Everyone needs an editor. Always doublecheck for typos, misspellings, etc. Even better, have someone else do a quick copy edit for you.

Example:

Not This: At ACE, we have utilized the very latest principles of research in order to build an LBS1 curriculum that is advanced and high-quality.

This: ACE used the latest research to build an advanced and high-quality curriculum for the Learning Behavioral Specialist 1 program.

GENERAL WRITING PRINCIPLES

WRITING STYLE

PUNCTUATION

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Writing Style

Writing style refers to the grammar and composition rules ACE follows for consistency across its content. It is vitally important all content adhere to these grammar and style rules; if you wish to discuss veering from our style, please email marketing@ace.edu before doing so.

ACE follows the rules of The AP Stylebook, with a few exceptions noted here. Some departments have their own online subscription to the Stylebook, or you can often find the correct style with Google. For example, “What is AP Style for numbers?” will show you the correct answer. There are more than 5,000 entries in the AP Stylebook – many more than can be listed here – but these are some of the most pertinent style rules at ACE:

Academic & Other Titles

ACADEMIC TITLES

ACE differs slightly from AP Style on the use of academic titles:

Doctorate

Use Dr. when referring to someone who has a doctorate: Dr. Jane Smith

Use the formal degree, in this format, in an email signature, on business cards or in academic listings: Jane Smith, Ed.D., John Jones, Ph.D.

Do not use the “Dr.” on second reference. Dr. Jane Smith was the instructor last year. I really enjoyed Smith’s class in leadership.

Refer to ACE faculty as instructors or faculty members, not as professors, regardless of their degree.

Master’s

We do not use master’s degree designations in writing, but you may use your master’s in your email signature.

POSITION TITLES

Formal titles are uppercase when in front of a name, but lowercase when they are after.

ACE President Dr. Shawntel Landry.

Dr. Shawntel Landry is president of ACE.

If someone has a long title, put it lowercase after his or her name:

Jane Smith, director of community engagement and sponsorships.

COMPOSITION TITLES

Use quotation marks around the titles of books, songs, television shows, computer games, poems, lectures, speeches and works of art.

Examples: 

I enjoy watching “The Office” on TV.
He really liked the book “War and Peace.”
They sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the game.

Do not use quotations around the names of magazines, newspapers, the Bible or books that are catalogues of reference materials.

Examples:

The Washington Post first reported the story.
He reads the Bible every morning.
She consulted the Oxford English Dictionary.

Academic Degrees & Programs

Degrees are lowercase when in this style: doctorate, master’s, bachelor’s, associate (not associate’s).

Degrees are uppercase in this style: Master of Education, Bachelor of Arts. However, doctorate is always lowercase.

Program names are uppercase when it is the full title: M.Ed. in Special Education; Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction; lowercase when used casually: She got her master’s from ACE.

Days and Dates

Use figures for dates, without any letters behind it: May 2, not May 2nd.

Abbreviate the months Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec., but only when part of a date: Feb. 22; not Feb. 2020. The other months (March, April, May, June, July) should be spelled out.

Do not use a comma unless there is a full date before the year: March 17, 2020; not March 2020.

Numerals

Here are a few of the more common writing style rules involving numbers. The AP Stylebook covers many more. If you cannot find the answer to your exact question, follow the rules here or email marketing@ace.edu.

Never begin a sentence with a figure, except for sentences that begin with a year. It is acceptable to spell out the numeral at the start of the sentence, but only if there is no other way to write it.

Examples:

Two thousand people attended the concert. (This is acceptable, but “There were 2,000 people at the concert” is better.)
2020 was a difficult year.

Ordinal numbers: Spell out first through ninth and use figures for 10th and above when describing order in time or location. Examples: second base, 10th in a row. Some ordinal numbers, such as courts, should use figures in all cases. Examples: 3rd District Court.

Cardinal numbers: In general, spell out one through nine; use numerals for 10 and above. It is acceptable, though, to use numerals in a series for consistency: 5 to 10 years, rather than five to 10.

AGES

Ages are always given as numerals and never spelled out. Only hyphenate when used as an adjective or noun, not when simply stating someone’s age. Do not use an apostrophe in decades.

Examples:

She is 25 years old.
I spoke to a 35-year-old teacher.
This contest is for 40-year-olds.
They are in their 30s.

States and Cities

Spell out all states, do not abbreviate

You should use the state after the city unless it is one of these major cities:

Atlanta
Baltimore
Boston
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
St. Louis
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington

GENERAL WRITING PRINCIPLES

WRITING STYLE

PUNCTUATION

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Punctuation

Proper punctuation is essential to our brand. All ACE communications should follow the punctuation rules of the AP Stylebook; if you’re in doubt, reach out to marketing@ace.edu. Here are a few common rules to remember:

APOSTROPHES

Be careful when using apostrophes that your sentence still makes sense:

Its is the possessive use: The dog is playing with its toy.

It’s is for “It is”: It’s going to be a beautiful day.

ACE’s curriculum is difficult but it’s satisfying to earn a degree.

COMMAS

Please be judicious in using commas. They are meant to insert a short pause in a sentence, so we don’t want to slow the reader down unless it’s necessary. Some rules to remember:

We do not use a comma after “and” in a simple series, unless it’s necessary to make the meaning of a sentence clear:

The American flag is red, white and blue.

I need to go to the store for bread, milk, eggs and bacon.

We ordered a salad, two drinks, and soup and salad. [Use the comma here to make the meaning clear].

When using quotes, begin with the quote whenever possible and keep commas and periods go within quotation marks.

Not this: She said, “I enjoy being a student at ACE”. She added “I hope to get another degree after this one”.

This: “I enjoy being a student at ACE,” she said. “I plan to get another degree after this one.”

SPACING

Use a single space after all words and punctuation, including at the end of a sentence. Do not double-space after a period.

GENERAL WRITING PRINCIPLES

WRITING STYLE

PUNCTUATION

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Inclusive Language

ACE always strives for inclusivity in communications and everything else we do. As language and culture are always evolving, please feel free to reach out to marketing@ace.edu if you have any questions or would like the marketing department to review your communications.

Here are a few key points:

ACE follows AP Style and capitalizes Black, reflecting that it is an identity and culture rather than simply a skin color. Similarly, capitalize Hispanic, Asian, and other ethnic and cultural identities.

Avoid using only “he” or only “she” in generic examples. Avoid using “their” as a singular pronoun unless that is what the subject prefers instead of “he” or “she.” One of the easiest solutions is to make a sentence plural instead of singular:

Not this: A student should contact his faculty member to discuss the syllabus.

This: Students in the class should contact their faculty member to discuss the syllabus.

Do not assume gender. Do your best to find out the preferred pronoun of the person you’re writing about.

Avoid referring to a woman’s husband or a man’s wife (use spouse instead if you know that person is married).

Although we often refer to ACE as being good for people balancing a job and family, do not assume that is everyone’s experience. Be sparing with language about “being a mom” or “having a busy family” or “studying between work and soccer games.” Instead, use phrases such as “your busy life” or “finding time for school and still having time for life.”

Avoid references to religious holidays unless the relevance is very apparent. Use “the holiday season” instead of “the Christmas season”, “spring break” instead of “Easter break.” In addition, be aware that many areas of the country have renamed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. In this case, use “fall break” or “the upcoming long weekend,” and avoid referring to the holiday by name.