Writing Guide

Maintaining our editorial style and keeping publications consistent ensures a positive image of the University.

This writing style guide is a resource for preparing written material for distribution to or publication by the news media, on the UT System website, within internal broadcast email to employees, and other official communication on behalf of UT System Administration.

It is intended to ensure consistent and correct usage of titles and acronyms in reference to UT campuses, institutes, offices, facilities and their leaders.

Generally, this guide follows Associated Press style, particularly for spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, and the like. Additional guidelines have been prepared for University entities, offices or titles not specifically addressed in AP style.

In the interest of supporting the University as a whole and helping readers easily understand written material, all divisions, departments, and offices should strive to follow these guidelines. UT System Communications and Marketing is available to:

  • review and edit written material
  • assist in style consistency
  • help resolve questions of grammar, punctuation, and related matters.

If you have questions or suggestions for the Editorial Style Guide, please email jsicking@tennessee.edu.


Chapters

  1. Referring to the University
  2. Capitalization
  3. Proper Names
  4. Numbers
  5. Spelling and Hyphenation
  6. URLs and Website Names
  7. Policy, Statements and Boilerplate