Editorial Manual of Style
Use this Quick Guide to create a more consistent style and formatting of website content.
Formatting
- Bold should be used for emphasis to denote important information, and highlight key phrases. Use it sparingly for best results.
- Italics should be used for book titles and other works of art, and for foreign phrases. Do not use it for emphasis.
- Underlines are reserved for links in content. Do not use underlines for emphasis.
- Complicated information should be presented in bulleted lists or numbered lists whenever possible.
- Tables should only be used when absolutely necessary as they are difficult to read on mobile devices. Do not use tables for layout purposes.
- Use one space after punctuation, not two.
- Use the Oxford (serial) comma as the final comma after the last item and before the word "and" in a list.
Example: LACC offers transfer, CTE, and foundational skills programs.
- Ampersands (&) should be used only when part of a formal name or title.
- UPDATED: Ampersands are now used in almost all page titles.
Example: Visual & Media Arts; Health & Wellness Center.
Headings
Use Heading options to organize large amounts of text. All headings should be written in title case.
-
Heading 4
H4 is a subheading, and divides the pages content into major sections.
-
Heading 5
H5 is used to divide the content of an H4.
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Heading 6
H6 is used to divide an H5.
Capitalization
- Capitalize course titles, do not put them in quotation marks.
- Capitalize "department" or "college" only if it appears within the name of a department or as the name of the college.
Examples: In order to contact the English Department, call the department's main line. We at Los Angeles City College are proud of our college’s reputation.
- Capitalize the word "professor" only if it appears before the name of a person.
Example: I saw that Professor Watkins spoke to a second professor.
- For titles and positions, capitalize a title preceding a name if it’s a title by which the person may be called (President McAdams, Dean Chen), but leave it lowercase if it is a functional title (program director Jane Johnson). Plurals are always lowercase (music professors Smith and Vasquez).
Linking
- Do not use the phrase "click here" as link text. Instead, place a link on descriptive wording. Use directive verbs to introduce PDFs that provide printable versions of HTML page content.
Example: View and download the full list of LA City College Committees.
- Do not use the full URL as the text of a link. Instead, place a link on descriptive wording (you may include the website name for clarity).
Example: additional information available at website.com.
- For website URLs, omit the "http://" prefix when web addresses appear in text content
Example: google.com is preferable to http://www.google.com
Abbreviations, Titles, Gendered Language
- Use singular verbs for describing faculties, teams, groups.
Example: The faculty has voted to keep the building open.
- If you need to refer to the individuals in a group, use "the members of" or "each member of."
Example: Each member of the faculty has an email address.
- Use nonsexist language whenever possible (chair, chairperson, police officer)
- Do not use periods in degree titles PhD, BS, MBA.
- Use FAQ as page name, and not FAQs.
- Write out in full "To Be Announced" or "To Be Determined" instead of using "TBA" or "TBD."
- Building names may be abbreviated according to the list below.
- Abbreviate the word "building" as "bldg." with a period at end (do not use the word "Code").
Example: CH Room 106
| Abbreviation |
Building Name |
| AD |
Cesar Chavez Admin. Bldg. |
| Bung |
Bungalow |
| CC |
Communications - Cinema Bldg. |
| CDC |
Child Development Center |
| CH |
Clausen Hall |
| CHEM |
Chemistry Building |
| FH |
Franklin Hall |
| HH |
Holmes Hall |
| JH |
Jefferson Hall |
| KIN |
Kinesiology |
| LIB |
Martin Luther King Jr. Library |
| LRC |
Learning Resource Center |
| LS |
Life Sciences Building |
| RT |
Radiologic Technology Bldg. |
| SCI |
Science & Technology Bldg. |
| SSB |
Student Services Bldg. |
| SU |
Student Union Bldg. |
| TA |
Theatre |
| WG |
Women's Gymnasium |
Date/Time
- Use "am" and "pm" (do not use p.m. or PM or P.M.), with no spacing between hour-number and abbreviation.
Examples: 9am - 5pm
- Use 12noon and 12midnight instead of 12am and 12pm, for clarity.
- Do not use "th" with dates, just the month and day.
Example: Easter is on April 13.
Spelling
The following are the approved spellings of common words and phrases in official communications.
- website (not web site)
- email (not e-mail, Email, or EMail)
- Wi-Fi (this is a trademarked term; always capitalize the W and the F)
- Cooperative Education (not Co-operative)
Terminology
The following terms can be confusing for students, and need to be used consistently for clarity.
- Division refers to either Academic Affairs, Student Services, or Administrative Services.
- Department is reserved exclusively to academic departments (The Kinesiology Department)
- Discipline refers to a specific area of focus within a department (The Dance Studies discipline is a part of the Kinesiology Department)
- The first page of any section should remain labelled as "Department Home."
Acronyms
- Acceptable on second and subsequent references if given in parentheses after a first spelled-out use.
- Acceptable without first spelling out if initials are widely recognized (e.g., CEO, SAT, NCAA, AIDS, HMO, NASA).
- Use the article an before LACC, not a.
Example an LACC professor
Style for Numbers, Symbols
- For phone numbers, use a parentheses around the area code and a hyphen between number groups, use "ext." for "extension."
Example: (323) 770-6655 ext. 4433
- In running text, spell out the words percent, degrees (temperature), feet, inches, and cents. In tables, it is acceptable to use symbols for these (%, °, ', ", ¢).
- Amounts greater than 99 cents should be in numerals with a dollar sign ($4). Do not include decimal points or following zeros in monetary values.