Guidelines for Writing
brand.cola.org
How to
Write Good
Contents
By Frank L. Visco
Guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
SECTION 1: Misused Words and Phrases at COLA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules:
SECTION 2: COLA Jargon and Slang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1. Avoid Alliteration. Always
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are necessary.
7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren’t necessary.
9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
“I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
12. Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
13. Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than
necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
14. Profanity sucks.
15. Be more or less specific.
16. Understatement is always best.
17. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than
understatement.
18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
20. The passive voice is to be avoided.
21. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
22. Who needs rhetorical questions?
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SECTION 3: Active vs. Passive Voice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
SECTION 4: Agreement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
SECTION 5: Commonly Misspelled Words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
SECTION 6: Nonsexist Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
SECTION 7: Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SECTION 8: Capitalization and Italics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SECTION 9: Dates and Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SECTION 10: Punctuation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Comma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Apostrophe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Semicolon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Colon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Dash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
SECTION 11: Quotations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
SECTION 12: Symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
SECTION 13: Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
SECTION 14: Addresses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
SECTION 15: Currency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
RESOURCES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2
Guidelines
The “Official” Style
Much of the writing we are exposed to these days is just the opposite.
Bureaucratic discourse is noun-centered, full of static abstractions, and voiced
always in the passive. Richard A. Lanham, author of Revising Business Prose,
calls this the “Official Style” of the bureaucracy. He says: “Above all, it strives
to disguise the actor, allow such action that cannot be quashed entirely to
seep out in an impersonal construction--never “I decided” but always “It has
been decide that…” That bureaucrats use such constructions is not surprising
since hiding the actor and the action is consistent with the two principles of
surviving a bureaucracy, whether in government or business. 1) Protect your
position first, and 2) pass the buck. It says nothing, however, about satisfying
clients or getting the work done efficiently and effectively.
For Writing at COLA
By J. Stephen Kroger, MD
This stylebook is intended to provide COLA employees with
some guidelines on writing at COLA. It is not intended to cramp
individual writing styles, but sets a stylistic and contextual
baseline to which one can add his or her own personality. The
image COLA projects to our clients and to the public are largely
determined by the tone of our communication. If we wish to be
seen as bureaucratic, we can use “bureaucratese” and write like
we work for the Federal Register. That, however, is not COLA’s
corporate image. We wish to be seen as the helpful expert
who develops a cooperative relationship with our clients, a
user-friendly organization that is demonstratively different than
government regulators.
The “Official Style” is an easy habit to fall into because the communications
seems to come from the organization since no other actor can be identified. It
sounds official, and its convoluted sentences sound educated. To the contrary,
it is officious, it fails to transfer information from one person to another, and it
often hides ignorance on the part of the author.
The Lard Factor
The Official Style is characterized by a superabundance of words which are
unnecessary and ultimately serve to confuse the meaning of a sentence.
Lanham calls this the “Lard Factor,” and notes that most sentences written in
this style contain more than twice as many words as necessary.
Example: Short-term planning is foremost in the prioritization
of the planning loop.
Rather than: Short-term planning comes first.
COLA’s Bias
Our bias should always be for our clients. We are partners in improving
laboratory testing, not adversaries. Always assume that the client, whether
physician, technologist, or office worker, is not malicious, wants to do the
right thing and wants COLA’s help to improve, wants or needs information,
and will comply with COLA’s suggestions and requirements. Communication
must always be adult-to-adult and never adult (us)-to-child (them). The latter
approach always fails to achieve its purpose and invariably alienates people.
Here’s another example taken from a doctoral thesis and quoted
in a Rocky Mountain News article about Madonna:
“Madonna (takes) an opportunity to interrogate our peculiar cultural
understanding of difference as a wild alterity to be subdued
or expunged. In terms of representational practices, standard
narrative conventions position difference within a hierarchy, so
that anything understood to be other is cognized in a subordinate
position or only in reference to a position defined in a politically
questionable manner as the norm or the center.”
Letters, LabGuides, reports, articles, and other written communication from
COLA should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. Most of our written
materials are action-oriented, that is, providing direction or requiring certain
actions of others. Usually, its purpose is to assist the reader to understand
concepts or to comply with COLA requirements. Our communications should
be verb-dominated, meaning that the action we want is easy to recognize and
unambiguous. This means that we use the active voice in 90 percent or more
of our sentences.
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Have you learned anything yet? Can you even understand what the person
is trying to say? If it is an important message, it will be lost on most readers.
Writers have to be careful that erudition does not drift into obfuscation when
the intent is to educate.
For a compendium of the Official Style, please see the Federal Register…
no particular volume and no particular topic.
3
Sentence Rhythm
COLA cannot afford to be perceived as authoritarian! It will thwart us
in obtaining our objectives. No one responds well to the dictatorship of
authoritarianism, yet much of the teaching in some professional schools
is done in this way. Physicians vigorously reject such pronouncements as
“Thou shalt,” at least when it applies to them. When given the opportunity to
understand the “what,” “why,” and “how” of things, most people will act on their
own to do the right thing. That is, they will exercise their individual freedom
of judgment and take the appropriate action. Rather than simply saying “Do it
because I say so,” successful teachers inform their students of the reasons.
An entire letter written in short, declarative sentences seems juvenile
and is boring to read. But it is not necessary to limit every sentence in
length; compound and complex sentences add rhythm and interest to the
composition. Write in the active voice, avoid convoluted sentences that
confuse rather than enlighten, and vary the length of sentences.
Jargon
Most of our participants are not laboratorians. Technical terms familiar to
medical technologists are lost on nurses and other nontechnical office staff.
We use technical terms because a single word conveys an entire concept
or activity and makes communication easier among the initiated. We
talk among ourselves about standard deviations, coefficients of variation,
calibration validation, and numerous other laboratory concepts with ease, but
to the uninitiated, we might as well be talking Greek. Consider how well a
medical technologist will understand the jargon in a conversation between two
astrophysicists.
The COLA Style
This is also COLA’s approach to communication. It means that we describe
the issue at hand, provide reasons for our expectations whenever possible,
and offer a reasonable course of action. We write in the active voice nearly
always, and clearly identify the subject, the action, and the object upon
which the action takes place. Our prejudice is the favor of our clients and we
communicate to them as adults, not children.
It also means that we nearly always avoid the verbal flags of authoritarianism:
“You must, “ “You need to,” “It is necessary that you,” and so forth. That is
not to say that we do not expect action, or that we will ignore a situation if
necessary action is not taken. It is the approach we use in presenting the facts
and the expected action that will determine how well accepted they are by our
laboratories.
Certain works like “document” raise the hackles of a lot of people…it is a
buzz word that is equaled to the intrusion of regulators and watchers into their
lives. “Write” serves as well and has less negativity associated with it. We can
develop a list of these words and share them.
Parenthetical statements can be useful on occasion. Reading a paper in
which the author frequently uses parentheticals is distracting because the
parenthetical gives information out of context with the rest of the sentence
and interrupts the idea flow within the sentence. Most of the time, you can
either substitute the parentheses with commas when the parenthetical is used
incorrectly, or provide the information in a new sentence or paragraph if the
idea is essential to the piece.
We can continue to use this method even with deeming authority. Remember
that we are not CMS. We can encourage success in our laboratories
while also bringing them into compliance with our standards by effective
communication.
Summary
Authoritarianism
1.
2.
3.
4.
There’s a good word! Being an authority is much different than being
authoritarian. The first denotes in-depth understanding of a subject, or
credibility; the latter (according to Webster) relates to the unquestioning
obedience to authority rather than the individual freedom of judgment and
action.
5.
COLA’s credibility is based to the greatest extent on the staff’s knowledge of
laboratory medicine and the office laboratory environment. The laboratory
community recognizes that; it is COLA’s strong suit. We want to communicate
that knowledge and skill to physicians and their laboratory workers in such a
way that they use it to improve laboratory testing.
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6.
7.
8.
4
Always maintain a positive prejudice toward COLA’s clients.
Use the active voice more than 90 percent of the time.
Be action oriented—use verbs that show the way.
Be sensitive to the Lard Factor—LF adds nothing to understanding but
detracts from clarity.
Avoid laboratory jargon, buzz words, words with negative energy,
“thou shalts,” too many parentheticals, and COLAisms.
Be an authority, not authoritarian.
After writing a letter, read it as though it were sent to you. If you
would be put off by the tone of the letter, rewrite it.
Remember that information is COLA’s most important product.
SECTION 1: Misused Words and Phrases at COLA
SECTION 2: COLA Jargon and Slang
1.1
2.1
Avoid using COLAspeak, especially when communicating
with external customers. Some examples:
COLAspeak
COLAteer – A COLA employee showing company spirit
DEN – Denial letter
First Letter – Onsite survey schedule letter
LIF – Laboratory Information Form
LINQ - Our accreditation tracking system
LIP – Laboratory Information Packet
LMS - Learning Management System
Onsite Queue – Backlog of labs to be surveyed
POL – Physician Office Laboratory
PRI – Plan of Required Improvement
ROH – Risk of Harm
STAT – Staff Accreditation Team
Survey Cycle
Avoid telling labs that you have to look them up in “correspondence.”
Lab staff have no idea what that means.
2.2
Avoid using Techspeak when communicating with
nontechnical staff. Some examples:
Techspeak
Analyte – Substance for which you’re testing
CBC Diffs – Complete Blood Count Differentials
CLS – Clinical Laboratory Scientist
CMS – Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Heme Instrument – Hematology instrument
PT – Proficiency Testing (versus prothrombin time or physical therapy)
QA – Quality Assurance
QC – Quality Control
RFP – Request for Proposal
SSA – Sulfosalicylic Acid
STREP – Usually rapid strep testing for throats
POL is singular.
1.2
Use “more than” rather than “over”.
1.3
The criteria for the position are very specific.
I assured my parents I would be home before midnight.
Split sample analysis is one way to ensure that your
results are accurate.
“Its” shows possession, “It’s” is a contraction for “it is.”
Assure means “to make a promise,” ensure means “to make
sure or certain.”
1.9
Your attitude will affect your recovery.
The effects of the bomb on the city were devastating.
In one short week we effected quite a number of improvements.
Criterion, datum is singular. Criteria, data are plural.
1.8
an apple, an RCA television, an honor
a book, a unique person, a hotel
Affect is a verb meaning “to influence”; it is never used as a
noun, except in psychology. Effect as a noun means “a result,”
and as a verb means “to accomplish.”
1.7
PRI 7, PRI 14 not PRI7, PRI14
Whether to use “a” or “an” is determined by the beginning
sound, rather than letter of the following word. Use “a” before
a word beginning with a consonant sound, and “an” before
a word beginning with a vowel sound.
1.6
The lab will be considered to have voluntarily withdrawn
from COLA.
When referring to PRIs, separate the number by a space
for clarity.
1.5
There are more than 7,000 labs enrolled in COLA.
Do not refer to COLA as “the COLA”.
1.4
A POL was sent its certificate of accreditation.
Its name is Spot.
It’s going to rain today.
Note: Other possessive pronouns: his, hers, theirs, yours, ours – no apostrophe.
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5
SECTION 3: Active vs. Passive Voice
SECTION 5: Commonly Misspelled Words
3.1
5.1
Reinstate is one word, no hyphens.
5.2
There is “a rat” in separate.
5.3
LabGuide is one word, with the “L” and “G” capitalized
5.4
In-service is hyphenated and is not capitalized.
5.5
A lot is always two words and should not be used a lot.
Active–and passive–voice sentences both convey action.
In the active voice sentence, the actor-the person or thing performing the action–is in front of the action:
3.2
ACTION
RECEIVER
The dog attacked the mailman.
In the passive-voice sentence, the receiver–the person
or thing receiving the action–is in front of the action:
ACTOR
RECEIVER
ACTION
ACTOR
The mailman was bitten by the dog.
Note: While the passive-voice sentence is useful in certain instances, at COLA we
prefer the active-voice sentence because it is usually shorter and more dynamic and
has more impact. It is also more forceful and self-confident.
SECTION 4: Agreement
4.1
Subjects of sentences must agree in number with their
verbs. Singular subjects (nouns or pronouns) require
singular verbs, and plural subjects (nouns or pronouns)
require plural verbs.
4.2
SECTION 6: Nonsexist Language
To avoid sexist language, use the following six strategies outlined
in Business Communications (218–220).
The student was finished with the exam. (not were finished)
They are the ones who chased me home from school.
(not they is the ones)
6.1
Use plural instead of singular constructions.
Sexist: Each employee may pick up his ID card from
When used as a subject or as the modifier of the subject,
each, every, either, neither, one, another, much, anybody,
anyone, everybody, everyone, somebody, someone, nobody,
and no one require singular verbs.
6.2
Rephrase sentences that use he, him, his, she, her, and hers:
Sexist: Every employee must provide his social security number.
Everyone has evacuated the building. (not everyone have)
4.3
Collective nouns, such as audience, staff, personnel, and
committee, take a singular or plural verb, depending upon
their intended meaning.
The staff was invited to a picnic.
6.3
Staff were collecting their coats and leaving while
the presentation was still in progress.
6.4
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6
Sexist: A buyer must submit a 10 percent deposit with his offer.
Nonsexist: A buyer’s 10 percent deposit must accompany an offer.
Recast sentences using the second person pronoun “you.”
Staff members were invited to a picnic.
Nonsexist: Every employee must provide a social security number.
If appropriate, recast sentences using the passive voice.
Note: Sentences with collective nouns often become awkward because they
seem both singular and plural. In these instances, rephrasing often helps.
the front desk.
Nonsexist: Employees may pick up their ID cards
from the front desk.
Sexist: Each applicant must include a writing sample
with her resume.
Nonsexist: To apply, you must include a writing sample
with your resume.
6.5
Use gender-free terms.
Sexist:
chairman
common men
freshman
man hours
manpower
policeman
postman
salesman
weatherman
Nonsexist:
chair, chairperson, head
common people, average citizens
first-year student
working hours
personnel
police officers
mail carrier, postal worker
sales representative
meteorologist
Note: Beware of such awkward constructions as: snowperson (for snowman),
personpower (for manpower), and personhole (for manhole).
6.6
Avoid the language of sexual stereotypes. Don’t use
expressions such as girl talk, lady executive, woman doctor,
house husband, and male nurse.
There were nine people at the meeting, but 15 people
attended the subsequent pizza party.
(800) 298-8044
8.1
Capitalize business titles such as Board of Directors,
Executive Committee (and any partial titles, e.g., Board).
8.2
Italicize the titles (and any partial titles) of publications
such as COLA Insights, COLA Accreditation Manual, but not
COLA Self Assessment (just capitalize).
9.1
Always express dates in numerals.
Fifteen people were at the pizza party, but only nine of
us were at the preceding meeting.
9.2
9.3
9.4
On September 2, 1993, my life changed forever.
When the month and year are mentioned alone,
no comma is necessary.
7
We are leaving for a trip to Hawaii on Friday, September 9.
The year is set off by commas when there is a month, day,
and year sequence.
5 percent
0.03
June 14, 1995
the 14th of June 1995
June 1995
Place a comma between the day and month when
used in the following manner:
3 a.m.
6.3 mg/dl
$5
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Telephone numbers should have the area code
enclosed in parentheses.
SECTION 9: Dates and Time
Note 3: Percentages and decimal fractions should always be
expressed in numerals.
Place 1 to 2 ml of blood in a large tube.
SECTION 8: Capitalization and Italics
Note 2: Use numerical figures for any number expressing time,
measurement, or money.
Put a space between numbers and units of measurement.
Note 1: When a sentence begins with a number, spell it out.
7.3
7.4
Numbers one to nine are written, 10 and above
are represented with numerals.
In numbers 1,000 and above the thousands are marked
off with a comma. (Exception: COLA ID numbers.)
SECTION 7: Numbers
7.1
7.2
She graduated in June 1991.
9.5
9.6
From July 13 to July 17 we stayed in Ocean City.
10.5
Our departure was delayed until 2 a.m.
10.6
eastern standard time
10.2
Commas separate two complete thoughts joined by
simple conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor, so, yet).
The comma precedes the conjunction.
10.7
A semicolon marks a greater break in the continuity
of a sentence than that indicated by a comma. It is used
to link two complete thoughts that could otherwise stand
alone as separate sentences.
I’ve finished taking all of my exams, but I haven’t received
my final grades.
On Saturday, we went to the mall; we also went to the movies.
Note 1: Semicolons linking two complete thoughts do not require a
conjunction, unless the relationship between the two thoughts needs to
be clarified. Conjunctions are transitional or connecting words such as:
accordingly, consequently, for example, for instance, further, furthermore,
however, indeed, moreover, nevertheless, nonetheless, on the contrary, on
the other hand, therefore, thus. Follow these conjunctions with a comma.
We spent more time shopping then we planned; consequently,
we were unable to see a movie.
Note: You may omit this comma if both complete thoughts are short.
10.3
Stock prices dropped and the company folded.
Commas separate long introductory phrases and clauses
from the main body of a sentence.
I received straight A’s on my report card this semester.
Semicolon
We can take the expressway, Pulaski Highway, or back roads
to get to the party.
Note: Always place a comma before the conjunction in the final part
of a series. This comma was once considered optional, but the trend
is to make it mandatory. Leaving it out is often confusing and can
lead to misinterpretation.
COLA’s emphasis is education.
COLA recognizes that POLs are flooded with information.
Note: Use an apostrophe to signal plurality when speaking of single
letters, or when it would be otherwise confusing.
10.1
Commas separate items in a series of three or more words,
phrases, or even whole clauses.
We went to the grocery store, the mall, and the dry cleaners.
Use an apostrophe when showing possession
or a contraction. Do not use an apostrophe to
signal something is plural.
Comma
Our house, built in 1912, was recently damaged by fire.
Apostrophe
SECTION 10: Punctuation
The hotel room, though not what we had expected,
was adequate for our needs.
Commas separate nonessential modifying and descriptive
phrases and clauses from a sentence.
Time zones are not capitalized (unless abbreviated).
Commas enclose parenthetical expressions –
a word or group of words that are not part of the
main thought of the sentence.
Always punctuate a.m. and p.m. Numerals must always
be used when expressing time.
9.8
The 1950s were a boomtime for American businesses.
Use to Instead of a dash to indicate passage of time.
9.7
10.4
When speaking of a time period, such as a decade,
add an s not an ‘s.
Although I had never lived in the tropics before, I quickly
adjusted to the year-round heat and humidity of the region.
Despite the weather I’ll still be moving today.
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Note 2: Do not use the shorter conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor, so,
yet) with a semicolon; one exception to this rule would be 10.8. Shorter
conjunctions should be used only when linking the two complete thoughts
with a comma. For more information, refer to the section on commas.
10.8
A semicolon is used to separate items in a series
when one or more of the items have a comma.
Note: If the introductory phrase is short and no confusion will result,
you may omit this comma.
8
The recipe includes: flour, unbleached and sifted; two eggs,
beaten; chocolate morsels; and walnuts.
SECTION 11: Quotations
Colon
10.9
While semicolons are used to separate parts of a sentence
that are of equal significance, colons are used to introduce
a phrase or clause that expands, clarifies, or exemplifies
the meaning of what precedes it. A colon shifts the emphasis
to the second thought, making it the most important
part of the sentence.
Note: When using a colon, at least one of the thoughts must be
capable of standing alone as a complete sentence.
10.10
Colons introduce lists.
10.11
11.2
11.3
The ingredients for a successful marriage include:
trust, honesty, communication, respect, and love.
12.1
Dash
10.13
Dashes are used to emphasize key material or for setting off
explanatory information in a sentence.
10.14
Question marks and exclamation points precede quotation
marks if they are part of the quoted matter, follow if they
pertain to the entire sentence of which the quotation is a part.
Spell out percent rather than using the % sign, unless it’s
used in a chart or table. In addition, always use numerals
when speaking of percentages.
A dash in printing is an elongated hyphen called an em-dash.
If your computer software program does not have an em-dash,
a dash may be expressed by two consecutive hyphens without
space between or on either side of them.
12.2
We couldn’t have completed the project without her—she was
the one who set up the interview.
His qualifications—a degree in marketing, and five years of
experience in the field—landed him the position.
Often, the information following a dash clarifies, explains,
or reinforces what came before the dash.
I hate my car—it broke down on me again today.
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New York is commonly referred to as the “Big Apple”;
it’s big, but what does the apple part mean?
SECTION 12: Symbols
3:30
The Federal Register 25:1594
Space: The Final Frontier
The ratio of men to women at the party was 5:1.
10.12
Edgar Allen Poe’s poem The Raven begins with the line
“Once upon a midnight dreary.”
Semicolons and colons follow quotation marks.
Colons separate hours from minutes, volumes from pages,
titles from subtitles, and the first part of a ratio from the second:
A comma or period always precedes closing quotation marks,
whether it is part of the quoted matter or not.
COLA stresses one business principle above all others:
customer satisfaction.
11.1
9
Interest rates on a car loan are currently only 8 percent.
Use an ampersand only if it is a part of a title.
Do not use a comma before an ampersand.
SECTION 13: Abbreviations
13.1
CMS—The Centers for Medicare and Medcaid Services
DHHS—Department of Health and Human Services
EXCEL—External Comparative Evaluation for Laboratories
FDA—Food and Drug Administration
HEPA—high efficiency particulate air filter
HHS—Department of Health and Human Services
HIMA—Health Industry Manufacturers Association
HSQB—Health Standards and Quality Bureau
ISCLT—International Society for Clinical Laboratory Technology
LIP—laboratory information packet
MLE—Medical Laboratory Evaluation
NIOSH—national Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
NIR—National Intelligence Report
NIST—National Institute for Standards and Technology
OBRA—Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
OIG—Office of inspector General
OMB—Office of Management and Budget
OSHA—Occupational Safety and Health Administration
PHS Act—Public Health Service Act
PMA and 510(k)—Pro-Market Approval (by the FDA)
POL—physician office laboratory
PRI—plan of required improvement
PT—proficiency testing
QA—quality assurance
QC—quality control
SD—standard deviation
SOP—standard operating procedure
TJC—The Joint Commission
WHO—World Health Organization
Do not use an abbreviation until you’ve first given its
meaning. The abbreviation may then be used for the
rest of the paragraph, section, or document.
The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulate
diagnostic laboratory testing in the United States. Laboratories must
have a current CLIA certificate.
13.2
Avoid using uncommon abbreviations such as COB
(close of business).
13.3
CLIA ’88 should always be referred to as just CLIA,
unless speaking of both CLIA ’67 and ’88.
13.4
Abbreviations such as e.g., and i.e., should be followed
by a comma and preceded by appropriate punctuation.
13.5
Do not use periods to separate the titles MD or MT.
13.6
Listed below are some abbreviations commonly used at COLA.
AAB—American Association of Bioanalysts
AAFP—American Academy of Family Physicians
ALJ—Administrative Law Judge
AMA—American Medical Association
AOA—American Osteopathic Association
APIC—Association for Practitioners in Infection Control
ASCLS—American Society of Clinical Laboratory Scientists
ASCP—American Society of Clinical Pathologists
ASIM—American Society of Internal Medicine
ASMT—American Society of Medical Technologies
ASTPHLD—Association of State and Territorial Public Health Laboratory Directors
ATCC—American Type Culture Collection
CAP—College of American Pathologists
CDC—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CFR—Code of Federal Regulations
CLIA—Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments
CLIAC—Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee
CLMA—Clinical Laboratory Managers Association
CLSI—Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute
visit: brand.cola.org
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SECTION 14: Addresses
SECTION 15: Currency
14.1
15.1
Spell out names of states and territories when they stand alone. When the state follows a city, use the abbreviation without a period. Use the postal code only when a zip code is included.
14.2
The COLA office is located in Columbia, Md.
The Stark Law was named after Pete Stark, the Congressman
from California who introduced the bill.
Please send your comments to COLA, 9881 Broken Land Parkway,
Suite 200, Columbia, MD 21046-1158.
States are set off by commas when used like the following.
We went to Springfield, Ill., to visit my relatives.
Abbrev.
Postal Code
Ala. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AL
Alaska. . . . . . . . . . . . . . AK
Amer. Samoa . . .. . .. AS
Ariz. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . AZ
Ark.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AR
Calif. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CA
Colo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CO
Conn.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . CT
Del.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DE
D.C.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . DC
Fla.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. FL
Ga. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. GA
Guam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . GU
Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . HI
Idaho. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ID
Ill.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IL
Ind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IN
Iowa . . .. . .. . .. . .. . IA
Kans.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . KS
Ky.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. KY
La.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LA
Maine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ME
Md. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MD
Mass.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . MA
Mich.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . MI
Minn.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . MN
Miss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS
Mo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MO
visit: brand.cola.org
Abbrev.
When writing whole dollar amounts, it is unnecessary to
include the decimal and ciphers, unless it’s mixed in a
sentence with fractional dollar amounts.
Postal Code
Mont.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . MT
Nebr.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . NE
Nev.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NV
N.H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NH
N.J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NJ
N.Mex.. . . . . . . . . . . . NM
N.Y. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . NY
N.C.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . NC
N. Dak.. . .. . .. . .. . ND
Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OH
Okla.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . OK
Oreg.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . OR
Pa.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PA
P.R. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PR
R.I.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. RI
S.C.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SC
S.Dak. . . .. . .. . .. . .. SD
Tenn.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . TN
Tex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TX
Utah. . .. . .. . .. . .. . UT
Vt.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VT
Va.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VA
V.I. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. VI
Wash.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . WA
W.Va.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . WV
Wis. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . WI
Wyo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WY
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It cost $40 to go to New York by bus.
I bought this shirt for $19.95, this skirt for $14.95,
and these shorts were only $12.00.
RESOURCES
Adelstein, Michael E., and W. Keats Sparrow. Business
Communications. 2nd ed. San Diego: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, Inc., 1990.
Bacon, Terry R., and Lawrence H. Freeman. Style Guide: Writing in the
World of Work. Revised Ed. Bountiful, Utah: Shipley Associates,
1990.
Lanham, Richard A. Revising Business Prose. 3rd ed. New York:
Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992.
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations. 5th ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago
Press, 1987.
Iverson, Cheryl, et al. American Medical Association Manual of Style.
9th Ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 1998.
9881 Broken Land Pkwy Suite 200 | Columbia, MD 21046-3016
Phone (800) 981-9883 | Fax (410) 381-8611 | Email [email protected]
©2004 - 2012 COLA All Rights Reserved
visit: brandguide.cola.org
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