House Style Guide
It is important that we are clear and consistent in our communication about the University
because each communication reflects on the University as a whole. By presenting a
consistent identity we distinguish our institution from our competitors and avoid confusing
our audiences.
Remember, when writing, try to use the clearest and simplest language you can and avoid
slang or jargon. If you cannot avoid jargon, provide clear definitions for your reader.
Also not all of your readers will be familiar with Aston University or the higher education
sector, and some readers may speak English as a second language.
This guide covers editorial style and includes words and phrases frequently used in
University publications. It also covers words that are commonly misused and areas of
grammar that some people may find confusing.
For more information visit: www.oxforddictionaries.com/
The guide is a work in progress and will be reviewed on an annual basis.
If you have any comments on the content, what it covers, and what you think could
usefully be included, please contact:
Dawn Lander on ex 4553 or email at [email protected]
Text style for internal documents – summary points
For internal documents it is difficult to provide an exact specification because there are
many different types of communications such as reports, minutes, agendas and so on.
The font sizes listed below have some flexibility and if you feel your document works better
using 10 point body copy or you have produced a table where a smaller point sizes fits
better, it is fine to do this.
Font : Arial
Body text : 11 point Arial, single spaced, aligned left.
Headings : 16, 14, 12, and 11 point Arial bold.
Bullets are round.
Use bold for emphasis - sparingly.
Use hyphens for dashes - like this.
External documents
We use specialist graphic design software and hardware to produce professional
publications. For help and advice please contact our graphic designers:
Andrew Blake
Rebecca Dudgon
[email protected]
[email protected]
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A
abbreviations and acronyms
Do not use full stops in abbreviations or acronyms, or spaces between initials for example:
do not use: Q.A.A.
should use: QAA
Spell out less well known acronyms on the first mention. After that, use the acronym.
For example: The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). On subsequent mentions use QAA.
Other abbreviations that do not use punctuation include:
am
pm
cm
mm
min
hr
Common higher education abbreviations:
the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) [note comma]
the Higher Education Empirical Research Database (HEER) [note no D in acronym]
the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA)
the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)
the UK Quality Code for Higher Education (the Quality Code)
academic schools
Aston Business School (ABS)
School of Engineering & Applied Science (EAS)
School of Life & Health Sciences (LHS)
School of Languages & Social Sciences (LSS)
If you refer to ‘the school’ within text, this is fine if you are discussing one school. If more
than one school is mentioned in the chapter or publication, you need to make clear which
school you are referring to.
academic qualifications (No full stops)
BA, BSc, MA, MSc, MBA, DBA, PgDip, PhD.
acknowledgement
Not acknowledgment.
affect or effect
Affect is commonly used as a verb meaning is ‘to influence or make a difference to’.
For example: ‘widespread flooding has affected millions of people.’
Effect is commonly used as noun meaning ‘a result or an influence.’
For example: ‘it was clear the wet conditions were going to have an effect on the game’.
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Both affect and effect can be used as nouns or verbs. For a good definition visit :
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/03/affect-versus-effect/
alternative/options
There can only be one alternative, but you can have many options.
alumnus
Plural alumni. An alumnus of a college or university is a person who has studied at it or
graduated from it. A female graduate is sometimes called an ‘alumna’ (plural is ‘alumnae).
ampersand
Engineering & Applied Science
Languages and Social Sciences
Life & Health Sciences
any more
always two words
apostrophes
Not Student’s Union but Students' Union.
it's - abbreviation of ‘it is.’
its - meaning ‘belonging to it’ (or ‘his’).
student's - belonging to one student.
students' - belonging to many students.
students - plural of student (no apostrophe).
B
biannual
Can mean twice a year or once every two years.
Biennial means once every two years.
To avoid confusion it is best to spell out which one you mean.
brackets or parentheses (round brackets)
Include full stops, exclamation marks etc inside a bracket only if the complete sentence is
in brackets; otherwise, punctuate outside the bracket.
Example:
The last bus today is at 4.45 (which is earlier than usual).
The last bus today is at 4.45. (That’s earlier than usual.)
square brackets [like these] use to enclose comments, corrections, references or
translations made by a subsequent author or editor
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bullet points
If the bullet points are a short list of words or phrases they can be part of a sentence and
should not begin with capital letters, and should be preceded by a colon and separated by
a semi colon.
For example, using semi-colons to separate the list:
Research interests include: technology transfer; marketing management; developing
business systems and industrial development.
Or as a short bullet list as this.
Research interests include:




technology transfer
marketing management
developing business systems
industrial development.
If the points are one sentence the last bullet should end with a full stop to show there are
no more bullet points.
Example:
The programme covers the following modules:


teaching national curriculum to all pupils
reaching attainment targets and improving learning performance.
C
capitals
Names, job titles, schools, departments and course/programme titles always have initial
capitals.
Academic subjects are in lower case when referring to the academic discipline, upper case
when referring to a full departmental name.
Example: He was interested in business and decided on an MSc in International Business.
Example: The study subject (together with a good background in computing).
Always use initial capitals when referring specifically to this University but not others:
Example: At this University, some programmes do not require a specialist background,
which may not be the case at some other universities.
colons
The colon is used to introduce a full quote - the manager said: ‘I am delighted at the
result’.
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The colon can also introduce a list or used after abbreviations where they start with a
capital: Example: Email.
comprise
Comprise means to contain. For example ‘the University comprises four schools’.
Do not use is comprised of.
continual, continuous
Continual means over and over.
Continuous means without interruption.
For example ‘we come to work continually every day. She spoke continuously for an hour.’
contractions
Do not overuse contractions such as aren't, can't, couldn't, hasn't, don't, I'm and so on.
While they can make some copy more informal or easier to read, they can be a distraction
and make a serious article sound frivolous.
D
dates
Day, date, month, year - without punctuation:
Example: Wednesday 1 January 2014. Do not abbreviate.
21st century.
For decades use 1820s, 1930s, 1990s, not 1990’s, '60s, '70s.
degrees
A first, a second, an upper second (a 2:1), a lower second (a 2:2), a third etc.
Abbreviations as follows: doctorates of literature (or letters), MA, MPhil, PhD.
No full stops in degrees.
dependant, dependent
Dependant is a person who relies on another, especially a family member.
For example, a child is dependent on its parents.
Dependent means relying on.
For example, ‘I am dependent on the weather for a safe crossing’ (reliant on the weather).
dilemma
A choice between unwelcome alternatives.
disability
People with a disability not 'the disabled'.
Use positive language about disability and avoid terms that stereotype or stigmatise.
Do not use mentally ill/mental. Use person with mental health difficulties.
Do not use special needs. Use disabled person, person with additional/support needs.
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Do not use learning disabilities (when referring to people with dyslexia), slow, the dyslexic.
Use: person with specific learning difficulties, person with dyslexia.
Do not use: disabled toilets / parking spaces - use accessible toilets, etc.
DDA (Disability Discrimination Act)
An Act which aims to end the discrimination which many disabled people face. It now gives
disabled people rights in a number of areas including education.
E
eg
No full stops.
eg means 'for example'.
Do not confuse with ie which means ‘that is'
email
No hypen.
email
Email addresses should always be given in full: [email protected]
ESL
English as a Second Language.
ESOL
English for Speakers of Other Languages.
F
Fewer, less
Fewer is used when relating to numbers.
Less is used when relating to quantity.
For example ‘fewer men require less food’.
full stops
Do not use after initials or abbreviations.
Use only one space after a full stop in publications.
Use for clarification or to avoid misinterpretation, for example ‘no’ meaning ‘no’ and
‘no.’ meaning ‘number’.
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FTE
Full-time equivalent or full-time equivalence depending on context.
G
government agencies, commissions, public bodies, etc
initial caps, for example: Equal Opportunities Commission.
geography
For distinct areas use capitals: Lake District, Midlands, West Country; the West and so on
but areas defined by compass points are lower case: north, south-east, the south-west.
Great Britain
England, Wales and Scotland. To include Northern Ireland use Britain or the UK.
H
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
hyphens
Use where one word qualifies the next, for example: decision-making process.
Examples: south-easterly direction, non-linear, Vice-Chancellor,
Keep hyphenation to the minimum needed to avoid ambiguity.
Distinguish between ‘four year-old children’ and ‘four-year-old children’.
‘Part-time’ and ‘full-time’ need hyphens but ‘postgraduate’ and ‘undergraduate’ do not.
You take a full-time course but you study full time.
I
ie
Means ‘that is' and no full stops.
Do not confuse with eg, which means 'for example'.
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IELTS
International English Language Testing System.
An English test managed by the British Council and partner organisations.
initials
No spaces or points, whether businesses or individuals, eg WH Smith.
internet
Net, web, world wide web, website, homepage are all lower case.
ise/ize
Be consistent.
As a rule, use ‘ise’ realise, computerise, maximise, organise (exception: capsize).
italics
Italicise titles of books, TV and radio programmes, magazines, newspapers, academic
papers.
K
kilogram/s, kilojoule/s, kilometre/s, kilowatt/s
abbreviate as kg, kJ, km, kW.
N
newspaper titles
For example: The Guardian, the Sunday Times. Not ‘the Guardian newspaper.’
numbers
Use words for one to ten, numerals for 11 upwards, percentages and money.
first, second, third … spell out up to ninth, then 10th, 20th
Spell out if at the beginning of a sentence, for example: Eleven years ago.
Example
‘Per cent’ should be written as two words in full
except in diagrams and tables.
Million should be written in full.
Decimal points should be preceded by a digit.
For currency, use either £ or p, but not both.
Wrong
90%
Right
90 per cent
15m
.345
£3.50p
Do not use spaces for % or temperatures.
6%
30 ° F
15 million
0.345
£3.50
56p
6%
30°F
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However, numbers should be used for statistics, money, weight or measurements.
Also use numbers where you need to save space, such as in tables.
P
Pro-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor
Q
qualifications
Titles and qualifications should not carry full stops or spaces within them. Where
qualifications appear after a name, they should be separated by a space but no comma.
For example: Professor Dame Julia King DBE FREng
R
re/reUse re- (with hyphen) when followed by the vowels e or u.
For example: re-entry, re-examine.
Use re (no hyphen) when followed by the vowels a, i, o or u (pronounced as ‘yu’), or any
consonant. For example: rearrange, reassemble, reorder, reuse, rebuild, reconsider.
Exceptions, or where confusion with another word would arise include:
re-cover/recover, re-form/reform, re-creation/recreation, re-sign/resign.
S
semicolons
Use in lists where words run on.
For example: Marketing; Management; Finance.
spelling
As a general rule follow the Oxford English Dictionary, using the first version of the word
where alternatives are given www.oxforddictionaries.com/
Spelling for words which have alternatives and which we use regularly:
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



program (for computer program) programme (programme of events or course
programme) otherwise (programmer in both cases)
practice (noun) but practise (verb)
coursework (not course work)
website (not web site)
span of years
1995-99; but between 1995 and 1999, or from 1995 to 1999.
T
times
12 hour clock, no spaces. For example 3.30pm.
that, which
‘That’ defines and ‘which’ gives extra information.
For example ‘this is the project that John managed’ and ‘this project, which John
managed, has suggested a link between drinking and heart disease’.
TOEFL
Test of English as a Foreign Language.
This is an exam administered by ETS – Educational Testing Services. Scores are often
required in order to determine admission status.
U
United Kingdom
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; synonymous with Britain (but Great Britain
refers only to the mainland).
V
Vice-Chancellor
Professor Dame Julia King DBE FREng
Vice-Chancellor
W
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web addresses
Keep email or web address hyperlinks as a single line where possible.
If it is unavoidable to break them across rows, break after the forward slash but do not
insert hyphenation to reflect a break because the hyperlink will not work.
For example, do not do this:
http://www.aston.ac.uk/prospectivestudents/accommodation/index.jsp
This is correct: www.aston.ac.uk/prospective-students/accommodation/index.jsp
website
No hyphens or spaces.
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