Editorial Style Guide

Use "Old Dominion University" on first reference and in a prominent place in the publication. "Old Dominion" or "the University" is acceptable in subsequent references. Limited use of "ODU" is permitted.

(second reference in parentheses)

• Batten College of Engineering and Technology (Batten College or College of Engineering)
• College of Arts and Letters (Arts and Letters)
• Eastern Virginia Medical School
• EVMS School of Health Professions
• Ellmer College of Health Sciences
• Ellmer School of Nursing
• College of Sciences
• Darden College of Education and Professional Studies (Darden College)
• Graduate School
• Perry Honors College (Perry Honors College)
• Strome College of Business (Strome College)
• School of Cybersecurity
• School of Data Science
• School of Supply Chain, Logistics & Maritime Operations

• Use Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University in full on all first and second references. On third references, “Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU” can be used.
   
• The proper name is not preceded by the article “the.”
   
• For uses that require character or word limitations, use “Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU” before removing the first names of the donors. If character or word limits require further abbreviation, use the following options:
   
  • Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU
  • Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU
  • Eastern Virginia Medical School at ODU
  • Ellmer College of Health Sciences at ODU
  • Ellmer School of Nursing at ODU
  • EVMS School of Health Professions at ODU
  • Joint School of Public Health
  • ODU [Program Name]
    • Ex. ODU Counseling & Art Therapy
  • [Department, Residency] at ODU
    • Ex. Dermatology at ODU
       
• Eastern Virginia Medical Center (EVMC) refers to the medical campus comprised of Eastern Virginia Medical School and EVMS School of Health Professions, which are both part of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, as well as Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters and the City of Norfolk Public Health Department. 
   
  • When referencing the buildings associated with Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University and the EVMS School of Health Professions at Old Dominion University, refer to “Old Dominion University’s Eastern Virginia Medical School campus.”  
    • Ex. “The free breastfeeding awareness event will be offered at Old Dominion University’s Eastern Virginia Medical School campus.”   
    • Ex. “The closure affects all of the Eastern Virginia Medical Center, including Old Dominion University’s Eastern Virginia Medical School campus.” 
       
• Visit the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Brand Guide for more guidance to cover the following issues:
  • Naming architecture for schools, colleges and Medical Group
  • Naming architecture for programs that fall within schools, colleges

Old Dominion's mission statement has several important goals that can be included when describing the University. The text does not need to be included in its entirety.

• The University, from its main campus in Norfolk, is Virginia's forward-focused public doctoral research university with 23,000 students, rigorous academics, an energetic residential community and initiatives that contribute $2.6 billion annually to Virginia's economy.
• The institution serves its students and enriches the commonwealth of Virginia, the nation and the world through its rigorous academic programs, strategic partnerships and active civic engagement.

(From Old Dominion's vision statement):

• Recognized nationally and internationally as a forward-focused metropolitan university;
• Embraces a collaborative and innovative approach to academics and research;
• Focuses on student success, engages civic and community partners, and connects with the military,
  maritime industries and other economic partners to provide practical solutions to complex, real-world
  problems.

Old Dominion University's main campus in Norfolk, Virginia, is in the Hampton Roads region of Coastal Virginia, a community with a population of more than 1.7 million residents and located in the southeast corner of the state.

The University operates regional higher education centers in the cities of Virginia Beach, Portsmouth (Tri-Cities) and Hampton (Peninsula). It reaches students across the world through ODUGlobal, the University’s online distance learning network.

Leo Online — two words
MIDAS - Monarch Identification and Authorization System
Monarch Orientation - formerly Preview
Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary - ODU's founding name in 1930

• The Norfolk Division of William & Mary (* William & Mary uses the ampersand)
• the Norfolk Division; the division

ODUGlobal -- ODU's distance learning program, formerly called Teletechnet and ODUOnline.
Chartway Arena is the home of Monarch basketball. Formerly known as the Ted Constant Convocation Center, students often call it by its nickname, "The Ted."

When the title precedes the name of the person, it is uppercase.

• President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., was unanimously chosen in 2021 by the Board of Visitors.
• His family includes First Lady Marisela Rosas Hemphill, Ph.D., and their two children.
• Professor Michelle Kelly was elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.

Lowercase titles that follow a name. Eminent Scholar is capitalized regardless of where it is placed in a
sentence.

• Brian Hemphill is Old Dominion University's ninth president.
• Shaomin Li is an Eminent Scholar and professor of management.

Use acronyms and abbreviations after the formal name has been mentioned. If a program is named only once in text, do not add its acronym in parentheses.

• Student Enrollment, Engagement & Services (SEES)
• Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography (CCPO)
• Information Technology Services (ITS)
• Engineering Systems Building (ESB)
• Graduate Program in International Studies (GPIS)

ODU's capitalization style calls for less, rather than more, when it comes to the use of uppercase. When possible, rearrange elements to use lowercase. This increases readability for your audience.

Departments & Offices

Lowercase unless it is part of an official name.

• The political science department, the art department, admissions office
• Old Dominion University Department of Physics; Career Development Services

University

Capitalize "University" when referring to Old Dominion University, specifically, but not when referring to universities in general.

• Old Dominion University is Virginia's entrepreneurial-minded public research institution. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, the University is situated on 335 acres and bound on two sides by the Elizabeth and Lafayette rivers.
• The University today petitioned the General Assembly for additional state funding.
• If you want a university that embraces a multicultural student body and faculty, Old Dominion is the place for you.

Faculty are identified by their names and academic rankings on the first reference. Use their surnames on subsequent references. Use the guide below when it's necessary to specify their degrees.

If listing a person's degree, use their highest degree or professional designation. Limit the list to three
credentials; any more hampers readability.

• Karen A. Karlowicz, Ed.D., RN

The type of degree is sufficient without adding the word "degree."

• She earned her Ph.D. in English this fall.
• He was the first to earn a Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity.

Degree programs are not capitalized within text unless the program is a proper noun or is presented as part of a full degree.

• She has a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy.

Spell out whole numbers below 10; use figures for 10 and above. Use the same rule for ordinals. Ages
are always numbers, even less than 10.

• There are five starters on a basketball team; 11 per side for football teams.
• First Amendment; 26th Amendment gave 18-year-olds the right to vote in federal elections.

• When listing professional honors, credentials and certifications, follow the punctuation standard set by the certifying organization.
  • Ex. FACS for Fellow of the Academy College of Surgeons; APR for Accreditation in Public Relations (Public Relations Society of America); FAHRMM for Fellow of the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management.  

Midnight, not 12 a.m. (reduces confusion)
Noon, not 12 p.m. (less confusing)
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; 1 to 4 p.m.
The fall semester begins Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021.

"Advisor" may be used for internal/academic references to describe an academic counselor (an exception to the Associated Press Stylebook).

• Use "adviser" for an external audience.

The ODU Office of Educational Accessibility: The wording expresses our intent to assist those with disabilities in getting an education.

• A male graduate is an alumnus; if it's a group of males or mixed genders, use alumni (i.e., plural). A female graduate is an alumna; a gathering of a group of females - a sorority, for example - would be alumnae.

• Alumni degrees and graduation years: When writing about alumni, use an apostrophe and the last two numbers of the graduation year after the name. Add the initials of the degree and put within parentheses if higher than a bachelor’s.
   
  • If the person has both an undergraduate degree and graduate degree, follow previous guidance.
  • If the person has two graduate degrees, put both in parentheses and separate with comma.
  • Be specific with master’s degrees. For instance, M.S.N. for nursing and M.S.D.H. for dental hygiene.
  • If the person is both an employee and a graduate, use the terminal degree after the name but not in parentheses.
  • Examples: John Smith ’85, Leann Consolvo (M.S.Ed. ’64), Stanley Higginbotham (Ph.D. ’91), Hank Austin ’13 (M.S.Ed. ’22), Rhonda Jones (M.S. ’04, Ph.D. ’10), Cynthia Romero, MD (’93).  
     
• Residencies and Fellowships: For alumni of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University residency and/or fellowship information should be included in alumni notations.
   
  • Ex. Marissa Galicia-Castillo, MD ('97, M.S.Ed. ’06, Internal Medicine Residency ’00, BS-MD ’94)

Uppercase when referring to specific courses: CHEM 117, Foundations of Chemistry.

Virginia is one of four U.S. commonwealths, but limit "commonwealth" to formal statements.
Otherwise, use "state."

• The Commonwealth of Virginia filed suit in October 2016, seeking civil penalties...
• Old Dominion has a reputation as one of the most military-friendly universities in the state.

Generally combined as one word, no hyphen.

• Cyberspace, cyberattack, cybersecurity majors at ODU, cyberbullying, cybercafe
  • Exceptions: Cyber Monday, cyber systems security, cyber specialist

"T" not "c": dietitian

No hyphen

In text, it would be lowercase: e-magazine.

• Healthcare should be combined as one word.

Old Dominion University avoids words that contain discriminatory connotations. Use these suggested alternatives:

The term "Latinx" has emerged in academia as a popular way to refer to those whose ancestors came
from a Spanish-speaking land or culture or a Latin American country.

• Latino is appropriate for all-male groups; Latinos is plural. Latina designates a group of females;
  Latinas, if plural.
• Hispanic designates a person from - or whose ancestors were from - a Spanish-speaking land
  or culture. It is also generally acceptable for those in the U.S. Be specific when possible, such as
  Cuban, Puerto Rican, Brazilian or Mexican American.

National anthem (lowercase)
The song is "The Star-Spangled Banner."

"Something in the Water" is an outdoor festival held at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

The symbol is permitted in text as well as statistical and tabular data.

• ODU awards $200 million in financial aid each year; 67% of its undergraduates receive
  financial assistance.

Pre-K, grades K-12, preschool students

In June 2020, the Associated Press and many other media organizations reset their style to capitalize
Black and Indigenous in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense, conveying a shared sense of history, identity
and community among people.

A few guidelines:

• Black is generally used as an adjective: Black literature, Black culture, Black studies
• White remains lowercase.
• African American is an alternative for a Black person in the U.S. from Africa or in the African
  diaspora. It is not always interchangeable. Many cultures that have settled in the United States
  proudly identify their dual heritage, such as Somali Americans or Caribbean Americans. Be
  specific.
• Native Americans or American Indians are acceptable general references in the U.S. when
  referring to two or more Indigenous tribes. When possible, refer to them as citizens from their
  specific tribal affiliation.
• In Alaska, the Indigenous groups are collectively known as Alaska Natives.

To take a gender-neutral position and avoid the irritating "s/he" construction, the Associated Press in
2017 allowed the use of a "singular they" as a singular pronoun in limited cases. AP still prefers
rewording whenever possible. Another option is to directly address the student ("you") or use plural
references.

• If an applicant writes poorly, they likely will not be hired for the job.
• Students must speak with their faculty advisors to drop courses after the deadline.
• You must inform the professor that you dropped the class.

Spell out state names. Use the U.S. Postal Service two-letter abbreviations in complete mailing
addresses, seen on department brochures, for example.

Preferred spelling is "theater"; however, ODU uses "theatre" in several cases:
ODU Department of Communication and Theatre Arts
Old Dominion University Theatre, Goode Theatre ... but it's Stables Theater

Books that are not reference books are set off with quotation marks. Magazines, newspapers, journals
and reference books -- no italics or quotation marks. Radio and TV shows are put inside quotation
marks.

• "A Mathematical Nature Walk" by John Adam, a math professor and photographer
• Time magazine, The New York Times
• "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" on NPR
• "Car Talk" on NPR
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

One word in all uses.

• Construction for the Hugo A. Owens House, ODU's newest residence hall, is underway.
• Sailors deployed on a ship can study for a degree while underway through ODUGlobal.

United Nations (with periods) when used as a noun or adjective; UN in headline.

 (one word)

One word, lowercase: website, webcam, webcast, webpage