For MCB Communicators
The MCB Communications Office actively guides and supports our school in consistent presentation of its identity, promotion of its programs, and related messages. We work directly with the Office of Public Affairs and our college communications officer to ensure adherence to campus standards.
MCB, LAS, and Campus Identity Standards
Illinois Identity Standards provides campus writing and graphics standards.
The campus Graphics Standards Manual addresses the use of the Illinois mark, logos, typefaces, trademarks, and colors in print, broadcast, and electronic media.
The College of LAS Office of Communications and Marketing is expected to issue LAS standards elaborating on the campus guidelines.
A School of MCB Publications Standards Manual is under development.
Style Guides
While we consult a wide range of style and usage guides, our house style guide is the Chicago Manual of Style, 15e (CMS) and we use the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary for spelling and hyphenation. Our house style sheet (available upon request) provides examples and detailed guidance. Excerpts follow.
Academic Degrees
Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and so on. Though abbreviation without punctuaion is allowed by CMS, we use periods and no spaces in Ph.D., M.S., and B.S.
Academic Titles, Departments, Schools, and Colleges
Titles that precede a name should be capitalized and spelled out, as in Chancellor Richard Herman. Elsewhere, in modifiers, and except for proper nouns or adjectives or when the name is part of the official and formal name, use lowercase. For example, the Department of Microbiology is the formal and official name of the school's microbiology department.
Commas
Use the serial comma: Robins, red-winged blackbirds, and house finches have all been spotted this spring.
Hyphens
Follow specific style guidance for hyphenation and compound words. E-mail is hyphenated.
Numbers and Fractions
Spell out numbers under 10 except when they are used in measurements or in percentages: Five committee members joined a group of 50 at the reception. The weight increased by 5 micrograms, or 3 percent. Spell out fractions using hyphens: one-third, three-fourths, and so on.
Phone Numbers
We provide the area code and place it in parentheses: (217) 265-6594.
Time
Either set in small caps or use lowercase and periods (no spaces) to indicate ante meridiem and post meridiem: 5:30 p.m. Zeroes are deleted if the time is on the hour, as in 5 p.m.
Web site and Web page
Two words; Web is capitalized.