MGA SACSCOC Reaffirmation Report Style Guide
Format
Guideline
Alignment
Justify (align) text left.
Bold headings and figure titles.
-Use the tab key for all indenting, except reference lists.
-Do not use space bar to indent text.
-If you must divide the narrative into headings, Bold and right align the heading.
-Skip a line before and after the heading. Use title capitalization.
-Italicize titles of long works.
-Single space all text.
-Single space between the title of figure or table and the figure or table itself.
-Double space between paragraphs.
-Double space between text and lists.
-Double space between headings and text.
-Double space before and after numbered lists.
-Use auto-Indent for lists.
-Do not use “and” before the final item.
-Use parallel construction.
-Use consistent punctuation at the end of list items.
-Use colon before the beginning of a list.
-Align text left.
-Do not indent first line of paragraph.
-Single space all text within paragraphs.
-Double space between paragraphs.
-If quotation is fewer than three typed lines long, incorporate the quotation into the text.
-If quotation is three or more typed lines long, use an indented block quote, single
spaced, with double spacing before and after the block quote.
-Cite evidence in parenthesis at the end of the sentence which requires documentation.
-Include section numbers and/or page numbers as appropriate in the citation.
-End punctuation for the sentence should be placed after the closing parentheses.
-Tables and figures should be numbered according to the SACS standard number,
followed by a hyphen, a lower case letter, and a brief name of the table or figure.
-Title of table or figures should be in bold.
Bold
Indenting
Headings and
Sections
Italics
Line Spacing
Lists
Paragraphs
Quotes
Parenthetical
Citations
Tables and
Figures
Example
Two colleges lead the University in
on-line courses:
1. Education
2. Arts and Sciences
Table 3.2.3-a – Number of Faculty
Underline
Style
Abbreviations
and Acronyms
-Single space between title and table/figure.
-Double space before title of the table/figure. Double space between table/figure and
subsequent text.
-Do not word wrap around tables and figures.
-If a table or figure is included, there should be a reference to it somewhere in the
narrative. Refer to the table/figure in accompanying text by the table/figure’s number.
Do not underline text.
Guideline
-Abbreviate or use an acronym after first using the formal name followed by the
abbreviation or acronym in parentheses.
-Do not include the abbreviation if it is not used later in the narrative.
-Omit periods unless the result would spell an unrelated word.
Academic
Degrees
Active Voice
-Use an apostrophe in associate’s, bachelor's and master’s degrees.
-Use periods in degree abbreviations.
-Use active voice wherever possible.
Brevity
Capitalization
Be concise. Avoid unnecessary adverbs, adjectives, and prepositional phrases.
Capitalize the following:
 The College – when referring to Middle Georgia State College
 Schools within MGSC (but lowercase general references such as business school,
education school)
 Titles when the full title is used (lower case otherwise)
 The title Chancellor
 Formal names of academic departments or administrative offices (example:
Office of the Registrar)
 Names of specific courses and programs
 Full names of committees
 Dean when using full title; use lower case elsewhere (example: The Dean of the
School of Nursing met with deans campus wide to discuss….)
 Job titles that directly precede a proper name (example: President Christopher
Blake)
 Nouns designating specific regions (example) the South, The East Coast. When
referring to compass directions, use lower case
Example
Board of Regents (BoR)
Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools Commission on
Colleges (SACSCOC)
Middle Georgia State College
(MGA)
M.B.A.
Most applicants failed the exam.
(Not: The exam was failed by most
applicants)




Catalog
Commas
Dormitories
Dates
Document Titles
Hyphens
Numbers
Capitalize state when referring to Georgia. Use the postal state abbreviation (GA)
only with full addresses that include a zip code.
Capitalize office names. Lower case the word “office” when not used as part of a
complete office name (example: The Office of Academic Affairs)
Internet (always capped)
Listserv (always capitalize)
Don’t capitalize the following:
 Job titles that follow a proper name (example: Christopher Blake, president of
Middle Georgia State College, has a background …..)
 Majors, minors, and areas of specialization (example: biology major, psychology
minor) with the exception of language majors (English, Spanish)
 Freestanding job titles
 Degrees and degree programs (example: MGSC offers more than 15 associate
degree programs)
 Seasons unless referring to a particular year’s season. (example: fall term, Spring
1998)
 “semester” – always lower case unless first word of a sentence
 “online” – always lower case unless first word of a sentence
The title of the catalog should be capitalized and include the academic year.
Use a comma before “and” in a series.
Always use “Residence Halls” not “dormitories.”
Years
Use four digit format.
-For reports and other documents, use title case, no font change (italics or underlining),
no quotation marks, and no commas (before or after).
-Preface MGSC document titles with “MGSC.”
Hyphenate adjectives not nouns.
-Spell out whole numbers and ordinal numbers from one through nine and use numerals
thereafter.
-Use numerals for the following:
 Numbers below 10 grouped with numbers 10 and above
 Numbers preceding a measurement
 Ratios, formulas, exact fractions, decimals, Percentages
 Time, dates, age, population size, experiment or test scores, scale, sums of money
MGSC 2013-2014 Catalog
2014
MGSC 2013-2014 Academic Catalog
MGSC Faculty Bylaws
Nineteenth-century literature
The turn of the nineteenth century
One, two, 10, 12
9, 10, 11, 12
 Numbers as parts of a series (like chapters in a book)
-Use a comma in numbers with 1,000 or more (unless you’re reporting SAT scores, which
take no commas).
-Spell out a number at the beginning of a sentence, regardless of the inconsistencies this
may create.
-Telephone numbers are rendered with periods, not hyphens.
-For percentages, use numerals followed by the word percent.
Money
-For figures less than a dollar, use figures for the amount and spell out “cents.”
-For figure over a dollar, use dollar sign and figures. Drop the decimal and zeroes if there
are no cents.
-Always use lowercase “dollars.” Use figures and the $ sign in all except casual references
or amounts without a figure.
-Use the $ sign and numerals up to two decimal place for amounts of more than $1
million.
Spell out amounts less than one in text, using hyphens between the words.
Time
Vice President
Will, Would,
Shall, Should
Fractions
-Use figures for precise amounts larger than one, converting to decimals whenever
practical.
-Spell out amounts less than one in text, using hyphens between the words.
Use lowercase letters and periods: a.m. and p.m.
Use “Vice President for” Not “Vice President of”
Never use “will,” “would,” “shall,” or “should” (or any other similar terms) in the
narrative. The narrative should be documenting what already exists, not what may
happen in the future (Exception: the QEP).
404.727.2000
The state is 5 percent.
5 cents, 15 cents, 99 cents, $1,
$5.01, $10.50, $5, $10
The book cost $4.
Dad, please give me a dollar.
Dollars are flowing overseas.
It is worth $4.35 million.
It is worth exactly $4,351,242.75.