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Guide de rédaction du contenu

McGill Style Reference

Refer to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary (2nd Edition) for spelling, and to the Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition) for all style issues not covered in this guide.

Quick Links:

Abbreviations

Capitalization

Faculty/Staff Listings

Formatting

Numbers

Place/Time

Programs

Punctuation

Symbols

Technology

Terminology/Language

Appendix 1: Degree Abbreviations

Appendix 2: University Abbreviations


Abbreviations


Credits

Do not abbreviate.
credits not cr.

Degrees

Use periods to abbreviate degrees.There should be no space in a degree abbreviation or between degree and (specialization). When mentioning degree year for McGill graduates, omit space and replace first two digits of year with a single quote, except when full year is needed for clarity.

Exceptions include numerals following a degree (i.e., Ph.D. 1).

Use the article that applies to the form as it would sound when reading it out loud.

Note: For B.Com., use BCom when not referring to degree title in MGMT Faculty pieces (non-program pieces).

See Appendix 1 for further examples ofdegree abbreviations. Note that different schools may use varying abbreviations for similar degrees (i.e., Ph.D. vs. D.Phil.).

Agr.Eng.
B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.)

an M.Sc.
a Master of Science

Lara Riente, B.A.'92, M.A.'01
Charles Ivey, B.Eng. 1913

Degrees - French

French degrees generally include spaces (except when it is an initialism, such as D.E.A.).

D.E.A.
Dipl. Phil.

See Appendix 1 for further examples.

Designations

Use periods.

F.I.E.E.E.
F.R.C.P.(C)
F.R.S.C.
P. Dt. / Dt. P.
R.D.

Exceptions:
CA, CMA, CGA, CPA, CFA

Diplomas

Do not use periods.
DEC not D.E.C.
OSSD

French Abbreviations

Cote R – cote de rendement au collégial (CRC) (often "the Cote R")

Grade Point Average

Do not use periods.
grade point average: GPA
cumulative grade point average: CGPA

Institutions

Do not use periods.
CEGEP
OUAC
MELS

Latin abbreviations

I.e. and e.g.: Use periods, always followed by comma

Nota bene: Either uppercase or lowercase with periods.

i.e.,
three complementary courses (e.g., in science, arts, and music)

N.B., n.b.

University abbreviations

See Appendix 2: University Abbreviations. For abbreviations given that do not appear in the list, check McGill website to find other examples, or write out in full.

Foreign universities: The institution's country may be included if it's needed for clarity.

"University" can be abbreviated to "Univ." in any case, but for other abbreviations, the official abbreviation must be used as dictated by school/department; or, if none, leave as is.

(Simon Bolivar, Venezuela)

Other abbreviations

E.S.L.
SAT


Capitalization


Use uppercase (UC) when specific/official: program, degree, etc., official name, title, place; use lowercase (lc) when non-specific/general.

Rule

Examples

Departments/Faculties

Department

Department of Human Resources
approved by the Department
a student from another department
Economics Department
For more information, please contact the Departmental office.

Faculties

Caps both "Faculty" and "Engineering" when used as a short form of "the Faculty of Engineering."

Lowercase when referring toa discipline in general

Lowercase when referring to "faculty" as "staff"

Faculty of Arts
Engineering
the Faculty
studies in engineering
Arts faculty (staff)
"send your letter to the appropriate faculty"

Degrees/Courses/Programs

Certificate

a Certificate in Environment
the certificate
a graduate certificate

Concentration

Concentration for Arts
the Minor concentration
major concentrations
any Arts minor concentration

Co-op/Cooperative

the Mining Co-op program
a co-op/cooperative program
the Mining and Materials programs are co-op programs
the cooperative program

Courses / Subject names

non-Management courses
a Mathematics degree
A sequence of two Calculus courses
courses in calculus
complementary courses
core required courses

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) – Honours English
students in the Master of Arts
a bachelor's/master's/doctoral degree in xxx…
degree in mathematics
an M.Sc. in epidemiology

Diploma

a/the Diploma in Environment
the diploma
a diploma

Domain

Always lowercase unless part of a title.
domain

Honours/Joint Honours

Use uppercase when referring to a specific Honours/Joint Honours degree or program.
Students may enter the Electrical Engineering Honours program. The Honours program is a limited enrolment program.
Graduating students registered in an honours or joint honours program may be awarded Honours or First-Class Honours.
Students may be eligible to graduate in a program other than honours.

Major/Minor

Use uppercase when referring to a specific major or minor, lc when referring to non-specific majors or majors in general.

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) – Minor Biology

Students planning to choose the Agricultural Economics Major are required to complete 90 credits in the Major.
Students must select a major or a minor in Chemistry. All required courses for the major or minor must be completed in full.
Students taking the Minor in Physics must take required courses to complete the Minor.
Students taking a minor in Chemistry may choose a minor or minor concentration.

Option

Uppercase when part of a title, otherwise leave lowercase.
Environmental Engineering Option
The option contributes to a degree
a thesis option
an option in Music

Programs

Lowercase "program" except when part of a title.
the Engineering program
Major/Minor program
program GPA
Bachelor of Science (Food Science) (B.Sc.(F.Sc.)) – Freshman Program (30 credits)

Stream

Uppercase only when part of a title; otherwise, lowercase.
Students can register for the Environmental Engineering Stream.
Students in this stream will take five courses.
The stream leads toward a minor.

People

Faculty Titles

the Undergraduate Adviser
the Senior Student Adviser
the Dean of Science
Academic Adviser-U1: Prof. Salwa Karboune
Specialization Adviser: Prof. John Henning
an academic/ undergraduate adviser
senior student advisers
a program director
the Program Director

Freshman

Uppercase Freshman only.
Freshman program
Freshman year
Freshman student

Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous peoples
Indigenous faculty
Indigenous teachers

indigenous to the region

Indigenous communities
Indigenous language
Indigenous housing

Student Categories

Capitalized when official title/category.

Special Student is always capitalized.

Special Student
Visiting Student
Special Student status

This option is available to Special Students.

Mature student
Transfer student

Titles (Occupation)

Lowercase job titles when used in general.

Uppercase when formal title.

He is a speech-language pathologist at McGill.
She is Head of Speech-Language Pathology at McGill.
Jane Finch, Speech-Language Pathologist in Montreal's SLP clinic

University Terms

Grade

Uppercase when referring to a specific grade.
a Grade 12 student Grades 9 through 12

Standing

Standing and types of Standing are always uppercase.

Academic Standing
Interim Satisfactory Standing
Incomplete Standing

A student's Standing will be Unsatisfactory.
Your grade will affect your Standing.

Probationary Standing
Unsatisfactory Standing

Terms

Fall (Fall term)
Winter (Winter term)
Summer (Summer term)

Test/Examination Titles

Uppercase "Test" where it is part of the test title.
Entrance Placement Test (EPT)
McGill Placement Test
Advanced Placement test (AP)

University

Uppercase when referring to a specific university;
or when used in place of the university name.

McGill University
the University
any Quebec university

Other examples

Always uppercase:

Course Change period
Entrance Placement Test
McGill Placement Test
Precalculus Lab
Qualifying program

Service Point
Subject Code
Suggested Course List
Thematic Categories

Always lowercase:

cumulative grade point average
executive program
grade point average


Faculty/Staff Listings


See also Appendix 2:University Abbreviations.

Faculty Listing Format

First name, last name, semi-colon after name, comma after degree, institution name in parentheses (no space). If consecutive degrees are from the same institution, only include most recent. Enrica Quaroni; B.A., Ph.D.(McG.)

Faculty on Leave

Leave or sabbatical information in parentheses, italics, lowercase.
Less than one year of leave:
Specify term, or specific months if different from terms
(on leave Winter 2018)
(on leave Sept. 2018 to Feb. 2019)
One year of leave (academic year):
Specify year of leave.
(on leave 2018-2019)
More than one year of leave:
Specify month and year that leave began/begins or do not specify any date.
(on leave)
(on sabbatical)
(on leave as of Sept. 2018)
Recently deceased faculty may be left in the faculty listing for some time as a sign of respect and in honour of their service. (In memoriam)

Interim Faculty

For one or more academic years, write (Interim).
No date required.
Sharon Barim; B.A.(Cornell), M.Sc.(Vermont), Ph.D.(Brown) (Interim)
For less than one year, or faculty member is returning mid-academic year:
Include both interim and returning staff member, with dates.
Lisa M. Kettle; B.F.A., M.Sc.(C'dia) (Returning Jan. 2019)
Isabelle Proust; B.A.(C'dia), M.A.(Montr.), Ph.D.(McG.) (Interim until Jan. 2019)

Special appointments/designations/associations

Joint and other appointments
Given after degrees in ital and parentheses.
Abbreviate to "joint appt."
Note: The parentheses are not set in italics.
Medhu Bodori; B.Tech., M.Sc.(IIT), M.E.Des.(Calg.), Ph.D.(Br. Col.) (joint appt. with School of Urban Planning)
Roberta Strong; B.A.(Oxf.), M.Sc.(Camb.), M.Sc., Ph.D.(Lond.) (William Dawson Scholar)
Associations/designations:
Specifiedafter degrees, no parentheses, regular text.
Howard A. Stutt; B.A.(Qu.), B.Ed., M.Ed.(Montr.), F.C.C.T.
Engineer designations for Faculty/Admin listings:
In English, use Eng.
In French, use ing.
J.M. Dealy; B.S.(Kansas), M.S.E., Ph.D.(Mich.), Eng.
Romuald Knystautas; B.Eng., M.Eng., Ph. D.(McG.), ing.


Formatting


Bullets

1) The introductory text and bullets together form a complete sentence: (colon, lc bullets, ending punctuation)

The results of the survey find that:

  • people like oranges;
  • people like apples; < and > (optional)
  • people like bananas.
2) The introductory text and bullets together do not form a complete sentence; each individual bullet is a full sentence (colon, UC bullets, ending punctuation)

The results of the survey are as follows:

  • People like oranges.
  • People like apples.
3) The introductory text and bullets together do not form a full sentence; each individual bullet is not a full sentence (colon, UC bullets, no ending punctuation)

When choosing a school, there are several factors you should consider:

  • The reputation of the university
  • The location and environment
  • The quality of the program of interest to you

Headings

Capitalize using headline style. Grading and Credit
Registration for First-Year Seminars
In-text headings: Avoid using All Caps. Separate heading from text with en-dash or colon, UC following en-dash/colon. If needed, use bold to add emphasis.

Advanced materials and polymers – The Department has an internationally recognized research program.

or

Bioengineering: Biomechanics, biomaterials, cardiovascular devices, image processing for medical diagnostics, voice production.

Italics

Italics used in hypertext links and in "breadcrumb"-style paths, as well as titles of standalone, including electronic, publications (books, guides, etc.).

Note: The " >" in a path is not set in italics.

Consult the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (available at www.mcgill.ca/students/exams/regulations).
Please refer to University Regulations & Resources > Graduate > Regulations > section 2.1.11: Leave of Absence Status for more information.
Used to set off uncommon foreign words and phrases, including French content in English documents and vice versa. Les personnes qui souhaitent améliorer leurs compétences en rédaction universitaire peuvent le faire au McGill Writing Centre.

Underline

Links are automatically underlined on the eCalendar website and PDF (either always underlined or on hover).

For this reason, to avoid confusion, underline formatting should never be used outside the context of links (web or email). For emphasizing text, use bold or italics.

Please do not mail us any unsolicited documentation since it will not be reviewed. For a list of required documents, consult the Supporting Documents section of the Applying to Undergraduate Studies website.

Notes

Bold; do not use All Caps. The "Note" element may be used as needed.

Capitalize the first word of a sentence after "Note"; add full sentence.
Note: Students must take three of the following courses.


Numbers


Comma

Comma used in numbers 4+ digits. 1,000 not 1000

Number range

Useen-dash, not single hyphen dash or "to" 100–110 not 100 to 110
2–6 credits
Single-dash hyphen and "to" used in hyphenation context 27- to 33-credit program

Numbers under 10

Spell out – unless it is used to describe credits in a course/program.
Other exceptions: 7 days a week, 24 hours a day (numeral acceptable)
four-year program
fourth

3 credits from the following…
9 credits (3 courses) from…

One of…

one 3-credit course

Use numerals as required when part of an official title. Two-Year Bachelor of Social Work (2-Year B.S.W.)

Currency

Use CAD, notCDN.

CAD precedes value, no space.

Fees for 2018 are CAD$7,000.

Phone/Fax Numbers

"Telephone" or "Tel." both okay

514- (use hyphen, not parentheses)

Telephone:

Tel.:

For more information, telephone 514-398-1212, ext. 3000


Place/Time


Dates

Omit comma when listing two parameters (ex.: month & year, month & date). In general, use "mmm d, yyyy" format, though "d mmm yyyy" can also be used.

June 1, 2018
1 June 2018
Wednesday, June 1, 2018
June 2018 (no comma)

The December 25 deadline for registration (no "th" or commas or hyphens)

20th century

In date ranges, write whole year numbers, and use en-dash (–)

2018–2019 not 2018–19

Time

Use 12-hour clock.

9:10 a.m.
3:15 p.m.

Addresses

Use the following order when writing addresses:
  1. Location
  2. Street number and name
  3. City Province/State Postal Code (no commas, 2 spaces before Postal Code)
  4. Country (if required)
  5. Telephone:
  6. Fax: (optional)
  7. Email:
  8. Website:

Downtown Campus
3534 University Street
Montreal QC H3A2A7
Telephone: 514-398-2827
Fax: 514-398-1643
Email: name [at] mcgill.ca
Website:

Macdonald Engineering Building, Room 270
817 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal QC H3A2K6

Macdonald Campus
21,111 Lakeshore Road
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Montreal

Campus Locations

Arts Building
Burnside Hall
Macdonald-Stewart Building
Promenade Sir-William-Osler
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Stewart Biology Building

Cities/Countries

No accent on Montreal, Quebec.

Montreal
Quebec, Quebec City

U.S.not US / USA

Exception: USA may be used in the country line of an address.


Programs


The eCalendar is McGill's official repository for academic programs. It is directly linked to program information found on transcripts and in government reporting, and is used for advising and for assessing graduation requirements.

Given the importance of program information, academic units should use content syndication to reflect eCalendar program requirements on other McGill websites, supplemented by their own information, rather than recreating program requirements in full.

Program Approval

The eCalendar is McGill's official repository and public database for academic programs and courses. For this reason, programs go through a rigorous approval process to ensure the quality, accuracy, and consistency of academic information.

To facilitate the approval process, it's important to include any and all essential information, while omitting non-essential information. Certain information regarding potential students should be included in program descriptions (ex.: target audience, topics of study, delivery method, etc.), though information that may change often or that does not require approval to be updated should be omitted (ex.: application procedures, contact information, etc.). Credit weights should not be included in descriptions since these are included automatically in course lists.

As a general rule: any information that requires SCTP approval should appear once, either in the program description, or in the course lists. Any information that does not require SCTP approval (application procedures, contact information, etc.) should not be included. Please refer to the SCTP website for information on SCTP approval guidelines.

Program Descriptions

Program descriptions should briefly describe the program in question while outlining its benefits and unique selling points to prospective students. Information regarding subjects of focus, target audience, program timeline, and delivery method should also be included, as well as any special information of note to prospective students. Information regarding potential career paths may also be included.

Description Text

INCLUDE: DO NOT INCLUDE:

Target audience (ex.: "This program is designed for students with a BCom degree (or equivalent) who are interested in starting a business of their own.")

Admission requirements, application procedures (this information should be included in non-program informational text)

Essential information for prospective students

Names, contact information

Topics of study, faculty research interests

Credit weights, credit requirements (these are automatically included in course lists)

Method of delivery (on-campus, off-campus/field studies, online elements, etc.)

Dates

Program timeline (ex.: "This program should be completed within 3 years.")

Fee amounts

Potential career paths (ex.: "This program provides a strong foundation for students wishing to pursue graduate studies in biophysics, as well as for research careers in industrial, hospital, or academic settings.")

Links to external websites

Marketing text

Information that is likely to change within a year

Course Lists

Course Categories

Programs should include a course list of all courses and activities that can be counted towards successful completion of the program. In the case of electives and special activities (ex.: IPEAs), this list need not be exhaustive.

Courses should be divided into the following categories:

  • Required
  • Complementary (if applicable)
  • Elective (if applicable)
Required courses and activities are listed in alphanumeric order and represent courses that must be completed to fulfil the requirements of a program, unless the student receives exemptions. This section may be further subdivided to provide an outline of the program's recommended course of study.
Complementary courses and activities represent a restricted list, a particular subject area, or a discipline, as defined by the offering academic unit. In some programs, students must include a number of these to meet program requirements. These are distinct from Elective courses.
Electives are courses and activities taken outside of a student’s principal program of study (i.e. required and complementary courses) and contribute to the fulfilment of overall degree/credit requirements.

Program Titles (for Enrolment Services use only)

Degrees should appear written out in full, followed by the abbreviation in brackets (See Degree Abbreviations section for standards).
Note for Degree Evaluation: In Minerva, undergraduate programs should include the degree abbreviation at the end of the "Degree Title" field, whereas graduate programs should include it at the beginning of the "Field of Study Title" field.

English

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) (B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.))

Master of Science, Applied (M.Sc.A.)

French

Certificat (Cert.)

Diplôme d'études supérieures (Dip. étu. sup.)

Certificat de développement professionnel (Cert. dév. prof.)

Major titles should appear following the degree abbreviation. For undergraduate programs, a spaced hyphen (" - ") should appear between the degree abbreviation and major title, and between the major title and concentration/option (if applicable). For graduate programs, a colon (": ") should appear between the major title and concentration/option.

English

Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) - Honours Religious Studies (120 credits)

Bachelor of Civil Law/Bachelor of Laws and Master of Business Administration (Joint B.C.L./LL.B. & M.B.A.) Law & Management (144 credits)

Master of Arts (M.A.) Anthropology (Thesis): Development Studies (48 credits)

French

Baccalauréat en commerce (B. Com.) - Majeure en comptabilité (66 unités)

Certificat d’études supérieures (Cert. étu. sup.) - Leadership de l’aviation (24 unités)

Concentrations/options should appear following the major title, where applicable. For undergraduate programs, a spaced hyphen (" - ") should appear between the major title and concentration/option (if applicable). For graduate programs, a colon (": ") should appear between the major title and concentration/option.

English

Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) - Mechanical Engineering - Aeronautical Engineering (15 credits)

Diploma (Dip.) Management: Entrepreneurship Concentration (30 credits)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Earth and Planetary Sciences: Environment

French

Baccalauréat en commerce (B. Com.) - Concentration en systèmes d'information: innovation numérique (15 unités)

Certificat d'études supérieures (Cert. étu. sup.) Communication professionnelle: espagnol (18 unités)

Credit/CEU weights should appear in brackets at the end of program titles indicating the program's total weight (specific major or concentration weight, not degree weight). Credit/CEU weights should not be shown for programs lacking course components (Ph.D.s, etc.).

English

Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.) - Minor Composition (18 credits)

Professional Development Certificate (Prof. Dev. Cert.) Management Consulting (23.5 CEUs)

French

Certificat (Cert.) - Éducation pour les Premières nations et les Inuits (60 unités)

Certificat de développement professionnel (Cert. dév. prof.) conseil de gestion de l'aviation (29,0-30,5 UEP)

Program Status (for Enrolment Services use only)

Active programs: programs that have been approved and are currently offered to students should appear normally in the eCalendar All Programs search.
Note for Degree Evaluation: active programs are set to "Publish Ready > Y" in Minerva so they pull into the eCalendar All Programs search. Exceptions are sometimes made for duplicate programs and other cases in which a specific Minerva active program entry should not display in the eCalendar.

Inactive programs: programs that have been approved but are not currently offered to students for whatever reason should appear in the eCalendar All Programs search with a note at the top of the program description.

** This program is currently not offered. **

** Currently under review. Program not available for this academic year. **

** This program is currently closed for admissions. **

Retired programs: programs that were approved for previous terms but have since been officially retired should not appear in the current eCalendar.
Note for Degree Evaluation: retired programs are set to "Status > Retired" and "Publish Ready > Y" in Minerva so they disappear from the eCalendar "All Programs" search. For government reporting purposes, the program should remain set to "Report to GDEU > Y" until the last student graduates.


Punctuation


Apostrophe

Possessive

For singular nouns that end in s, add 's to create the possessive. Exception: when the 's makes pronunciation difficult.

Prof. James’s work
Marcel Desautels’ contribution to McGill

Plurals

Omit the apostrophe in general; use only when its omission would obscure the meaning.

in the 1800s
in the 80s
Xs, Ys, and Zs
a’s, b’s, or c’s

Comma

Serial comma (a.k.a. Oxford comma) is used to separate items in a list.

Semi-colon can be used for clarity in complex lists (see semi-colon).

Panama, Barbados, or Africa

degrees in the fields of agricultural sciences and applied biosciences; food and nutritional sciences; environmental sciences; and bioresource engineering

Exception: Titles (publications, programs) that do not include a final comma in their official name.

Programs, Courses and University Regulations
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health

Em dash

Sets off text elements, no spaces.

The calibre of McGill's undergraduates is very high—at 88.9%, they boast the highest average entrance grades in Canada—and the Faculty understands that these brilliant young minds are the key to its future.

En dash

Used in names of programs, surrounded by spaces.

Sets off a text element in titles, surrounded by spaces.

* Not applicable to Program Pieces (en dash does not work with Banner, nor with government reporting system)

Indicates "to" in numbers, no spaces.

Master of Science (M.Sc.); Parasitology (Thesis) – Bioinformatics (47 credits)

Bachelor of Science – Major Environment – Atmospheric Environment

100–120

Hyphenation

Hyphenate when used in adjective form preceding a noun.

200-level course
a course at the 200 level
off-campus housing
living off campus

In general, choose closed compound words over hyphenated compounds.

corequisite
grade point average
interdisciplinary
interfaculty
multidisciplinary
postdoctoral
postgraduate
Precalculus Lab
preregistration
prerequisite

Exceptions:

cross-disciplinary
inter-university
re-register

Languages and easily recognized compounds are not hyphenated.

English language requirements

French language training

high school transcript

Quotation marks

Double, not single (" not ') quotes to highlight uncommon usage/to point to a word or letter itself.

Each McGill course is assigned a unique seven-character course "number." The letter "n" indicates this.
Commas and periods always outside quotation marks, except when part of quoted text. Many programs are found under "Faculty Degree Requirements", "About Program Requirements", and "Departmental Programs".
Semicolons, colons, question marks, exclamation points, dashes inside quotation marks when they belong to the quoted material; otherwise, outside. The course is designed to explore questions such as "How do people reach their personal goals?"

What are some perspectives on "true identity"?

Used to set off titles of minor works, non-linked sections of longer works, songs, articles, etc. Many programs are found under "Faculty Degree Requirements", "About Program Requirements", and "Departmental Programs".


Symbols


Ampersand

(&) Use sparingly or when part of a proper name. In regular text, use "and."

Barnes & Noble

biochemistry and cell biology

Asterisk

(*) No space between a term that requires an explanation and an asterisk.

Space between the asterisk and the explanation.

BIOL 303*

* Note: The student may take ATOC 219 or CHEM 219, but not both.

** Students may…


Technology


Cross-references

A cross-reference to a topic in a different publication (i.e., an xref to Science in the Arts eCalendar) will work on the site, but not in the PDF. Therefore, a path is needed.

For references to non-U.R.R. topics, the path should follow this format:

Faculty (linked) > Section > Topic > Sub-topic (if applicable)

For references to U.R.R. topics, the path should follow this format:

University Regulations &Resources (linked) > Section > Topic > Sub-topic (if applicable)

Email addresses

If an email address ends a sentence, include the normal closing period.

For more information, please email es [at] mcgill.ca.

URLs

If a link ends a sentence, include the normal closing period.

For more information, see .

Do not include a final slash ("/") or "http://" in URLs.

not /students/

ssmu.mcgill.ca/events not

Note: In program topics, it is necessary to put http:// otherwise, the link does not work in the eCalendar.

Note: In non-program topics, the code (href attribute) for the link must include the full address (including http://).

Technological terms

USE: DO NOT USE:
at on the web at
click/clicking click on/clicking on
email E-mail/e-mail
Internet internet
online on-line
web Web
web page Web page; webpage
website Website/Web site

Terminology/Language


Spelling

-Ize vs. –ise

In most cases, use the suffix "-ize."

specialized

organize

recognize

Practice (n.) vs. practise (v.)

Students may wish to practise playing their chosen instrument outside of classroom hours.

Students may sign up with a tutor for extra practice.

Terminology List

USE: DO NOT USE:
term semester
adviser advisor
backward backwards
centre/centred center/centered
coursework course work
Emeritus Professors Professors Emeriti
fulfil fulfill
modelling modeling
Note N.B., Nota
outside of the Quebec CEGEP system outside of Quebec CEGEP system
Ph.D. 1 Ph.D. I
top-right corner top right-hand corner
toward towards
éܳé resume
Service Point the Service Point
Suggested Course List Suggested Courses List

Word Choice

may vs. can Both permissible, but when possible, use may in contexts denoting permission, and can in context denoting ability. Students may take up to 17 credits per term.

fully-equipped kitchens where students can prepare their own meals

that vs. which

That begins a restrictive clause (necessary to the meaning of the sentence). A comma is not used.

Which begins a non-restrictive clause (the sentence stands alone without it). A comma precedes it.

The mittens that got left out in the rain were wet.

The mittens, which were her favourite, were wet.

Voice

Use third person when possible. Use first person, i.e., we, you, sparingly except at the request of faculties. For example, the University Regulations and Resources section uses “you” except for strict policies where "student" remains.

The student may take ATOC 219 or CHEM 219, but not both.


Appendix 1: Degree Abbreviations

Degrees - English

  • Agr.Eng.
  • B.A.
  • B.A.(Hons.)
  • B.A.A.
  • B.Arch.
  • B.A.Sc.
  • B.C.E.
  • B.C.L.
  • B.C.L./LL.B.
  • B.Com.
  • B.Ec.
  • B.Ed.
  • B.Ed.Cert.Teach.
  • B.Ed.(TFSL)
  • B.Eng.
  • B.Eng.(Bioresource)
  • B.F.A.
  • B.L.S.
  • B.M.
  • B.Mus.
  • B.N.
  • B.N.I.
  • B.R.E.
  • B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.)
  • B.Sc.(Arch.)
  • B.Sc.(F.Sc.)
  • B.Sc.(Kinesiology)
  • B.Sc.(N.)
  • B.Sc.(Nutr.Sc.)
  • B.Sc.(O.T.)
  • B.S.W.
  • B.Tech.
  • B.Th.
  • Cert.
  • D.D.
  • D.D.S.
  • Dip.
  • Dip.ABOMS
  • Dip.Ed.
  • Dip.L.G.S.M.
  • Dip.Pst.
  • Dipl.Eng.Arch.
  • D.M.A.
  • D.M.D.
  • D.Mus.
  • D.Phil.
  • D.Sc.
  • D.Soc.Sci.
  • D.Th.
  • DVM
  • Ed.D.
  • Ed.M.
  • Ed.S.
  • E.M.B.A.
  • Gr. Cert.
  • Gr. Dip.
  • J.S.E.
  • LL.B.
  • LL.D.
  • LL.M.
  • L.Mus.
  • M.A.
  • M.Arch.
  • M.B.A.
  • M.B.A. with B.C.L/LL.B.
  • M.B.A. with M.D.,C.M.
  • M.B.B.S. / M.B., Ch.B.
  • M.D.
  • M.D.,C.M.
  • M.Div.
  • M.Ed.
  • M.Eng.
  • M.F.A.
  • M.I.St.
  • M.L.I.S.
  • M.L.S.
  • M.M.
  • M.M.M.
  • M.Mus.
  • M.Phil.
  • M.Res.
  • M.S.
  • M.Sc.
  • M.Sc.A.
  • M.Sc.A.OT.
  • M.Sc.A.PT.
  • M.Sc.P.H.
  • M.S.W.
  • M.S.W. with B.C.L./LL.B.
  • M.U.P.
  • Prof. Dev. Cert.
  • P.G.Dip.
  • Ph.D.
  • Ph.D. 1
  • Ph.D. 2
  • S.T.M.


Degrees - French

  • B. Com.
  • Cert.
  • Cert. étu. sup.
  • Cert. dév. prof.
  • D.E.A.
  • Dip.
  • Dip. Phil.
  • Dip. étu. sup.
  • Dr. 3e Cy.
  • Dr. ès L.
  • Dr. Phil. & Lettres
  • L. ès L.
  • Premier Prix

Appendix 2: University Abbreviations

Listing format for universitieswith abbreviations

Please note that this list is not comprehensive. Any universities that do not appear on this list can be referred to in full (or by the name by which they are commonly known).

UNIVERSITY, INSTITUTION, ETC.

ABBREVIATION

Academy of Vocal Arts Acad. of Vocal Arts
Academy of Science, Moscow Acad. of Sci., Moscow
Acadia Acad.
Adelaide Adel.
Aix-Marseille, Université de Aix-Marseille
Alabama-Birmingham, University of Ala.-Birm.
Alaska Pacific Alaska Pac.
Alberta Alta.
Alberta College of Art & Design Alta. Coll. of Art & Des.
Albright Albr.
American University Amer.
Amherst Amh.
Amsterdam Amster.
Antioch College Antioch
Arizona Ariz.
Arizona State Ariz. St.
Arkansas at Fayetteville UARK
Assumption College Assum. Coll.
Assumption University Assum.
Athabasca Athab.
Auckland Auck.
Augustana University College Augustana, Alta.
Australian National University ANU
Autònoma de Barcelona Autonoma, Barcelona
Autónoma de Madrid Autonoma, Madrid
Baltimore Balt.
Bard College Bard Coll.
Barnard College Barnard
Berklee College of Music Berklee
Birmingham Birm.
Bombay Bom.
Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux
Boston College Boston Coll.
Boston University Boston
Bowling Green State Bowling Green
Bradford Brad.
Brandon Bran.
Bridgeport Bridge.
Bristol Brist.
British Columbia Br. Col.
British Columbia Institute of Technology Br. Col. IT
Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute Brooklyn Poly.
Brunel University London Brunel
Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr
Bucharest Technical University Bucharest Tech.
Calcutta Calc.
Calgary Calg.
California Calif.
California, Berkeley Calif., Berk.
California Institute of Technology Calif. Tech.
California Institute of the Arts Calif. Inst. of Arts
California, Irvine Calif., Irvine
California, Los Angeles Calif.-LA
California, San Diego Calif.-San Diego
California, Santa Barbara Calif., Santa Barbara
California, Santa Cruz Calif.-Santa Cruz
California State Calif. St.
California, University of Calif.
Calvin College Calvin
Cambridge Camb.
Canterbury Christ Church College Cant. CCC
Canterbury, New Zealand Cant.
Cape Breton, University College of Cape Breton
Cariboo, University College of Cariboo
Carleton Car.
Carnegie Mellon Carn. Mell
Case Western Reserve Case West.
Central Michigan Cent. Mich.
Central Missouri State Cent. Missouri St.
Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry Changchun
Chicago, University of Chic.
Chinese Academy of Science Chin. Acad. Sci.
Chinese University of Hong Kong Chinese HK
Cincinnati Cinc.
City College of New York CCNY
City University of Hong Kong City, HK
City University of New York CUNY
City, United Kingdom City, UK
Cleveland Institute of Music Cleve. Inst. of Music
Colorado Colo.
Colorado State Colo. St.
Columbia Col.
Complutense University of Madrid UCM, Spain
Concordia C'dia
Concordia of Edmonton Concordia, Edmon.
Connecticut Conn.
Conservatoire de musique du ϳé à Montréal CMQM
Conservatoire de musique du ϳé à ϳé CMQQ
Copenhagen Copen.
Cranbrook Academy of Art Cranbrook Acad. of Art
Curtis Institute of Music Curtis
Dalhousie Dal.
Dartmouth Dart.
DePauw University DePauw
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University (Agra University) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Univ., Agra
Dundee Dund.
Durham Durh.
East Stroudsburg State College E. Stroudsburg
Eastern Illinois E. Ill.
Eastern Kentucky E. Kent'y
Eastern Michigan E. Mich.
Eastern Tennessee State E. Tenn. St.
Eastman School of Music Eastman Sch. of Music
École normale supérieure ENS Paris
École Polytechnique, Montreal École Poly., Montr.
École de technologie supérieure Éճ
Edinburgh Edin.
Edith Cowan College Edith Cowan
Eidenhoven Eiden.
Emily Carr College of Art and Design Emily Carr
Exeter Exe.
Federico Santa Maria, Universidad Tecnica USM, Chile
Florida State Flor. St.
Fraser Valley, University College of the Fraser V.
Free University, Amsterdam Free Univ., Amster.
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg Erlangen-Nuremberg
Friedrich Schiller University Jena Friedrich Schiller
Geneva College Geneva Coll.
Georgetown G'town
Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Tech.
Georgia Southern Georgia South.
Glasgow Glas.
Gonzaga Gonz.
Grenoble, Université de Grenoble
Hamilton College Hamilton Coll.
Hartwick College Hartwick
Harvard Harv.
Haverford Haver.
Hawaii Pacific Hawaii Pac.
Heidelberg Heidel.
Hong Kong HK
Illinois Ill.
Illinois Institute of Technology Ill. IT
Illinois-Chicago, University of Ill.-Chic.
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Ill.-Urbana-Champaign
Indian Institute of Management Indian Inst. Manag.
Indian Institude of Science IISc, India
Indian Institute of Technology Indian IT
Indiana Ind.
Indiana State Ind. St.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania Ind., PA
Institut d'études politiques de Paris Sciences Po
Institut Pasteur Inst. Pasteur
Institute Phonetique Inst. Phonetique
International Christian Int'l. Christian
Iowa State Iowa St.
Iran University of Science and Technology IUST, Tehran
Jadavpur Jad.
James Cook University of North Queensland James Cook
Jerusalem Jerus.
Jewish Theological Seminary of America Jewish Theo. Sem.
Johns Hopkins Johns Hop.
Karolinska Institute Karolinska Inst.
Kenyon College Kenyon
King's College London King's, Lond.
King’s College, University of (Nova Scotia) KCNS
King's University College, Alberta King's, Alta.
Knox College Knox
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown
Kwantlen University College Kwantlen
Lakehead Lake.
Lancaster Lanc.
Laurentian Laur.
Lausanne, École Polytechnique Fédérale de EPFL
Law Society of Upper Canada LSUC
Leicester Leic.
Lethbridge Leth.
Liverpool Liv.
London Lond.
London School of Economics & Political Science LSE
Long Island State Long Is.
Louvain, Université de Louvain
Loyola, Illinois Loyola-Ill.
Madras Madr.
Malaspina University College Malaspina
Manchester Manc.
Manitoba Manit.
Maryland Md.
Massachusetts Mass.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT
Max Planck Institutes Max Planck
McGill McG.
McMaster McM.
Melbourne Melb.
Memorial University of Newfoundland Nfld.
Memphis Memp.
Mexico, Autónoma del Estado de UAEM, Mexico
Miami, University of Miami
Miami-Ohio, University of Miami-Ohio
Michigan Mich.
Michigan State Mich. St.
Middlebury College Middlebury
Minnesota Minn.
Mississippi Miss.
Montana State Mont. St.
Montreal, Université de Montr.
Montreal Diocesan Theological College MDTC
Moscow State Moscow St.
Mount Allison Mt. All.
Mount Holyoke College Mt. Holyoke
Mount St. Vincent Mt. St. Vin.
Murdoch Murd.
Nancy, Université de Nancy
Nanjing Institute of Technology Nanjing IT
Nanyang Nan.
National Technical University of Athens Nat. Tech., Athens
National University of Ireland NUI
National University of Singapore NUS
첹–LԳDZ Nebr. Lincoln
Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences INEOS RAS, Moscow
New Brunswick New Br.
New England Conservatory of Music NEC
New Hampshire N. Hamp.
New Mexico N. Mexico
New Mexico State N. Mex. St.
New School for Social Research New Sch. for Soc. Res.
New York University NYU
New Zealand, University of NZ
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle, UK
North Carolina N. Carolina
North Carolina State N. Carolina St.
North Straffordshire Polytechnic N. Staffs.
Northeastern N'eastern
Northern British Columbia N. Br. Col.
Northern Illinois N. Ill.
Northern Kentucky NKU
Northwestern N'western
Notre Dame, University of (Indiana) Notre Dame
Nottingham Nott.
Nova Scotia Agricultural College Nova Scotia Ag.
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design Nova Scotia Art & Des.
Nova Scotia, Technical University of Tech. UNS
Oberlin College Oberlin
Ohio State Ohio St.
Okanagan University College Okanagan
Oklahoma Okla.
Ontario Institute of Studies in Education OISE, Tor.
Ontario Teacher Education College OTEC
Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong Open HK
Open, British Columbia Open, BC
Open, United Kingdom Open, UK
Oregon Ore.
Oregon State Ore. St.
Ottawa Ott.
Oxford Oxf.
Pacific University Pacific
ʲԳٳéDz- Paris II
ʲԳٳéDz-ǰDzԲԱ Paris I
Paris 13 Paris XIII
Paris Dauphine Dauphine
Paris-Descartes Paris V
Paris-Diderot Paris VII
ʲ--éٱ𾱱-ղ--ѲԱ Paris XII
ʲ-ܱ-Գٱ--éڱԲ Paris X
Paris-Sorbonne Paris IV
Paris-Sud Paris XI
Pennsylvania State Penn. St.
Pennsylvania, University of Penn.
Pierre-et-Marie-Curie Paris VI
Pittsburgh State Pitt. St.
Pittsburgh, University of Pitt.
Polish Academy of Science Polish Acad. of Sci.
Politecnico di Torino Poli. Torino
Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto Pont. Inst., Tor.
Portland Port.
Portland State Port. St.
Prince Edward Island PEI
Princeton Princ.
Provence, Université de Provence
Purdue Purd.
ϳé Queb.
ϳé à Montréal UQAM
ϳé à Trois-Rivières UQTR
Queen's University at Kingston Qu.
Queen's University of Belfast Belf.
Queensland Qld.
Radcliff Radcl.
Rennes, Université de Rennes
Rensselaer Polytechnic University Rensselaer Poly.
Rhode Island Rhode Is.
Rochester Roch.
Rochester College Roch. Coll.
Royal Military College of Canada RMC
Royal Roads Military College RRMC
Royal Roads University R. Roads
Rutgers Rutg.
Ryerson Polytechnic University Ryerson
Saint Michael's College Saint Michael's Coll.
Sainte-Anne Ste-Anne
Salford Salf.
San Francisco USF
San Jose State San Jose St.
Saskatchewan Sask.
Saugar Saug.
Science and Technology of China, University of USTC
Sharif University of Technology SUT, Tehran
Sheffield Sheff.
Sherbrooke Sher.
Simon Fraser S. Fraser
Sir George Williams Sir G. Wms.
Smith College Smith
Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris III
Sourjouner-Douglass Douglass
South Africa S. Af.
South Carolina S. Carolina
Southern California USC
Southern Queensland, University College of UCS Qld.
Southwest Texas State SW Texas St.
Springfield College Springfield
St. Andrews St. And.
St. Francis Xavier St. FX
St. Mary's, Canada St. Mary's
St. Michael's College, Toronto, University of St. M. Coll, Tor.
St. Olaf College St. Olaf
St. Paul, Ottawa St. Paul, Ott.
St. Petersburg SPbU
St. Thomas, New Brunswick St. Thomas, NB
Stanford Stan.
State of New York SUNY
State of New York at Purchase SUNY, Purchase
Stellenbosch Stellen.
Stony Brook SUNY, Stony Brook
Surrey Sur.
Sussex Sus.
Swarthmore College Swarth.
Sydney Syd.
Syracuse Syrac.
Technical University of Nova Scotia Tech. UNS

Technion, Israel Institute of Technology

Technion
Tennessee Tenn.
Texas at Austin Texas-Austin
Texas Christian University Tex. Christian
Toronto Tor.
Toulouse, Université de Toulouse
Trinity College, University of (Toronto) Trin. Coll., Tor.
Trinity Western Trin. W.
Truman State Truman St.
Umea University, Sweden Umea
Victoria University of Manchester Manc.
Victoria, Toronto Vic., Tor.
Victoria, University of (BC) Vic., BC
Virginia Virg.
Vincennes à Saint-Denis Paris VIII
Visva-Bharati VB
Wagneningen Wagnen.
Warwick Warw.
Washington Wash.
Washington State Wash. St.
Waterloo Wat.
Waterloo Lutheran Wat. Luth.
Wayne State Wayne
Wellesley Welles.
Wellington Well.
Wesleyan Wesl.
West Virginia W. Virg.
Western Maryland W. Md.
Western Michigan W. Mich.
Wilfrid Laurier W. Laur.
Williams College Williams
Winnipeg Winn.
¾DzԲ–M徱Dz Wisc. Madison
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Witw.
Wroclaw Technical University Wroclaw
Wyoming Wyo.
York, Canada York
York, UK York, UK

Listing format for universities that are listed without abbreviation

  • Adelphi
  • Algeria
  • Andhra
  • Ankara
  • Arya-Mehr
  • Athens
  • Baghdad
  • Barcelona
  • Bath
  • Beirut
  • Bishop's
  • Bochum
  • Bologna
  • Bonn
  • Bowdoin
  • Bradley
  • Brandeis
  • Brock
  • Brown
  • Brussels
  • Bucharest
  • Buenos Aires
  • Butler
  • Cairo
  • Cape Town
  • Chile
  • Claremont
  • Clark College
  • Clarkson
  • Colgate
  • Cologne
  • Cornell
  • D'Youville
  • Dacca
  • Darmstadt
  • Delaware
  • Delhi
  • Dublin
  • Duke
  • Essex
  • ETH Zurich
  • Fudan
  • Gallaudet
  • Geneva
  • Genova
  • Georgia
  • Ghana
  • Goethe
  • Guelph
  • Haifa
  • Haigazian
  • Hamburg
  • Hebrew
  • Hiram
  • Hofstra
  • Hollins
  • Holy Cross
  • Hull
  • Hunan
  • Hunter
  • Ibadan
  • Idaho
  • Jiaotong
  • Jilin
  • Juilliard
  • Kalamazoo
  • Kansas
  • Keele
  • Keio
  • Kerala
  • Konstanz
  • Kwansei
  • Lafayette
  • Laval
  • Lawrence
  • Leeds
  • Limerick
  • Loyola
  • Lucknow
  • Maastricht
  • Maine
  • à
  • McMurray
  • Mercyhurst
  • Missouri
  • Monash
  • Moncton
  • Munich
  • Natal
  • Nice
  • Nice Sophia Antipolis
  • Nigeria
  • Nipissing
  • Otago
  • Parker
  • Peshwar
  • Poona
  • Poznan
  • Reading
  • Reed
  • Regina
  • Rhodes
  • Rice
  • Roosevelt
  • Rostov
  • Sarajevo
  • Seoul
  • Seton Hall
  • Seton Hill
  • Shandong
  • Shanghai
  • Shimer
  • Simpson
  • St. John's
  • St. Louis
  • St. Mary-of-the-Woods
  • Strasbourg
  • Taiwan
  • Tehran
  • Tel Aviv
  • Temple
  • Texas
  • Texas A & M
  • Tianjin
  • Tilburg
  • Timisoara
  • Toledo
  • Touro
  • Trent
  • Trier
  • Tufts
  • Tulane
  • Turku
  • Twente
  • Ulm
  • Urbino
  • Utah
  • Venice
  • Vermont
  • Vienna
  • Viterbo
  • Wabash
  • Wales
  • Warsaw
  • Western
  • Wheaton
  • Windsor
  • Wuhan
  • Wurzburg
  • Yale
  • Yeshiva
  • Zagreb
  • Zhongshan
  • Zurich

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