The Tab US style guide
The Tab publishes stories that speak to the reader boldly and clearly, and this style guide reflects that. Students don’t always speak in the way you would write an English paper, so that’s why we sometimes differ from AP style – we’re not stuffy.
This guide seeks to achieve the same values we adhere to in our news: clarity, directness and telling stories in the way students speak with each other. We’re aiming for consistency and uniformity across all of our pages, so we should all capitalize “Pumpkin Spice Latte” and lowercase “fraternity,” and we should all agree not to use the Oxford comma.
This guide will be updated regularly.
Punctuation
Apostrophes An apostrophe is used for a contraction or possessive. Don’t=do not. Sarah’s. (See it’s vs. its.)
Commas We do not use the Oxford comma. Incorrect: We went to the store for bacon, eggs, and toast. Correct: We went to the store for bacon, eggs and toast.
Use a comma after “too” when it’s used as an addition. I ate the pasta and some ice cream, too.
Exclamation marks Use sparingly, and never use more than one. Go Bulldogs!
Possessive (‘s) Use for all possessive nouns. Add an ‘s even when the word ends in “s.” Jennie’s, Ross’s. UCSB’s.
Ellipses Three dots, no spaces on either side. Write them…like this.
Quotes In the body of the text, always use “doubles,” not ‘singles.’ For headlines, excerpts, captions and subheadings, use ‘singles.’ For plugs, use “doubles.”
When quoting within double quotation marks, use ‘singles.’ “She looked at me and said, ‘I really like dogs.’”
Punctuation, including commas, periods and apostrophes, always goes inside of the quote. “I like dogs.” OR “I really like dogs,” said Jennie.
When introducing a quote, use a colon after “said.” Rob said: “I like dogs.” When quoting in chunks, only close the quote marks at the end of the quote, not each sentence or graph. When quoting someone, only use “said,” “wrote” or “added.” Never “exclaimed,” etc.
Dashes Use the em dash for an extra phrase. Football in the South is more than just a game — it’s a religion. WordPress will automatically create an em dash if you space before and after the dash.
You can also use it for subclauses. Alabama’s football team — which is possibly the best team in the world — has a new head coach.
Use an en dash, not a hyphen, in constructions. No spaces on either side. They won 27–21. It ranged from 2013–2016.
Hyphens Don’t use a hyphen after an adverb. Don’t use a hyphen just to combine words. Use in examples like: 15-year-old, pick-me-up.
Ampersands Don’t use spaces on either side of ampersands in words like: Q&A, R&B. Exceptions for titles like William & Mary.
Style
Italics Within copy, only use when a word absolutely has to be read a certain way. Avoid otherwise.
Italicize names of publications, movies, TV shows, songs, books, magazines and podcasts. The New York Times. Southern Living.
Bold Only bold first line of a breaking news story. Don’t bold random words throughout the copy.
Hyperlinks Be sure you’re hyperlinking the most important words of a sentence. Try to avoid hyperlinking the word “here” (like “click here”) unless it’s “Donate to the campaign here.”
Subjects Lowercase: geography, history, physics.
Photo credit captions When required, write like this: Photo: Josh Kaplan / The Tab.
Acronyms When shortening school names, if it’s more natural to say BC instead of Boston College, that’s fine. Likewise for NFL, NBA, etc.
Locations When a city comes before a state, there is a comma after the city AND after the state. Wallburg, North Carolina, is her hometown. Always spell out the city and state on first reference. Use state abbreviations in titles.
Time Use the 12-hour clock, with lowercase “am” or “pm” attached to the number. Use a colon between them. 10am, 7:30pm. You don’t need to include the time AND the time of day (it’s redundant). Don’t say: She was shot at 10:30am this morning.
Use noon and midnight in place of 12pm and 12am.
Ages (see “Numbers” for which numbers to spell out)
Don’t use hyphens in stating an age. Rachel is 19 years old. Rachel is 19. Use a hyphen when using age as a descriptor. Kevin, a 19-year-old sophomore. Use commas before and after the single age in copy. Rachel, 19, is a sophomore.
For decades (see “decades” entry), don’t use an apostrophe. 1970s. 70s.
Names Use first names throughout copy in most stories. Use last names in news stories, or in the case of a criminal or when a crime is expected.
Titles Capitalize position before a person’s name if it’s their title, but not if you’re simply including their position. Student Body President Harold Shukman. Harold Shukman is the student body president.
Use guys vs. girls when more casual. Use men vs. women in other instances, but avoid using “young men” or “young women.”
Greek titles (See “Greek life” entry) Don’t use “frat,” “frat bros,” or “sorority girls” in serious stories. Those titles have a light hearted connotation.
Q&A format Bold The Tab’s questions, not “Heading 3.” Don’t use quotes around interviewee answers. Use “we” or “in an exclusive interview with The Tab” rather than “The Tab spoke to” or the like.
Numbers Spell out numbers one through nine. Use digits for 10 and above. Same with first to ninth, then 10th, 11th, 12th.
Use a comma if “1,000” or larger. Don’t start a sentence with a number, unless it’s a year. Always use numerals for millions and billions. 8 million people.
Money symbol ($) should be used with prices with no space between it and the number. A lowercase “k” is used when talking about thousands. $100, $2.50, $900k.
For high school and below, spell out grades one through nine, use figures for grades 10 through 12. He was in the eighth grade. She was a second-grader.
Headline kicker Use a colon between the kicker and the rest of the headline, unless there is another piece of punctuation closing the kicker. ‘Lord knows the South needs saving’: So why isn’t anyone stepping up?
Percentages It’s percent, not %. 21 percent.
Dates When you write a full date, there is a comma before and after the year. Spell out the month. January 22, 2016, is my birthday. Do not use 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc., in dates.
Updates to stories Unbold first line of news story if bolded. Then bold your update like this: Update: This is an update.
Include the time (Update, 11:32pm:) if you’re updating more than once.
Warnings If the story includes graphic photos or graphic language (especially with sexual assault), an italicized warning should be included at the beginning. When sharing on a Facebook page, put the warning in a custom excerpt. Formats below.
This story contains (describe what it contains in the plainest possible terms). This story contains vivid descriptions of sexual assault. This story contains graphic images.
Sexual assault language Use “the plaintiff” instead of “the accuser” in cases.
Vocabulary
A
abortion Lowercase. Use “pro-life” or “pro-choice.” You can also use “pro-abortion rights” or ”abortion rights advocate” or “anti-abortion.”
academic titles Lowercase most titles: professors, assistant professors, lecturers, teaching assistants. Uppercase if it’s the title preceding the name. Professor Kaplan.
a cappella
administration Lowercase unless part of a title.
advisor, advising
af “As fuck”
affect vs. effect Affect is a verb meaning “to have an influence on.” The new bill affected the students. Effect is a noun meaning “a change that is the result of something.” They felt the effects of the controversial law.
after-party
ages Kevin is 23 years old. Kevin is 24. Kevin, a 19-year-old sophomore.
aka Lowercase unless starting a sentence
alcoholic drink names Lowercase, unless they are specific to a bar or college: Yellow Hammer
alert system for university breaking news Proper noun, capped up. Alert Carolina, PSU Text Alerts
allude vs. elude Elude means “evade or escape from.” Allude means “to hint at, suggest indirectly.”
all-nighter
alright
amendments First Amendment, 19th Amendment. Cap “A” when referencing specific amendments.
article vs. story Call it whichever one seems more natural.
auditorium Unless the auditorium bears its own name, capitalize the name of the building it is in but not the word auditorium. The auditorium in Maxwell Hall. Campbell Auditorium.
autism Use phrase “autistic person” rather than “person with autism”
autocorrect
B
babe Lowercase. And if anyone asks, the fastest growing women’s site on the internet.
bachelor’s degree Lowercase, possessive.
barbecue For verb, use barbeque or BBQ.
beatboxer, beatboxing
best-seller, best-selling
BFF
binge-watch
bipolar Don’t use as a joke.
Black vs. black vs. African American Generally lowercase “b,” but at the discretion of the writer. “People of color” is lowercase. “PoC” is uppercase. Be as specific as possible.
blonde
brunette
BS, BS’d, BS’ing
buildings Capitalize the proper names of buildings, including the word “building” if it is a part of the proper name. Gibson Hall, Alexander Hall, the Andrews Building.
C
Campus Editor Title for local editors.
cancel, canceling, canceled, cancellation
center vs. centre Use “center” in American stories.
champagne
chatroom
cisgender
class of… Lowercase class: class of ’15 or class of 2015
coming-out (n., adj.), come out (v.)
Commencement
company names Refer to a company as “it,” not “they.”
course titles Capitalize classes: History 277, and class titles: “Science of the Stars.” Lowercase subject names: modern literature, media law, math.
crop top
D
darty Day party
decades 1970s, 70s, no apostrophe
Deep South
degrees The degrees “bachelor’s” and “master’s” are both possessive and lowercase in copy. Lowercase “associate.” Capitalize only when specific degrees/programs. Bachelor of Arts.
Democratic Party Always capitalize.
die-hard
disabled Use “mentally disabled,” “developmentally disabled,” or “intellectually disabled,” but only when that identifier is necessary. Don’t use “retarded.”
directions Lowercase: north, south, east, west, etc. Unless using them to refer to specific regions: the Northeast, the South, Southern California.
Division One D1 athlete also fine.
DIY
dos and don’ts
doughnut Except “Dunkin’ Donuts”
down-low
drive-thru
drunk driving (n.), drunk-driving (adj.)
drunk-text
DWI Abbreviation for “driving while impaired.” DWI is acceptable on second reference.
E
Earth Capped only when referring to the planet: Largest animal on Earth, he’s down-to-earth
Editor-in-chief Joshi Herrmann
e.g. vs. i.e. E.g. means “for example.” I.e. means “in other words.”
Electoral College
emoji (singular), emojis (plural)
every day vs. everyday “Everyday” is an adverb, so use it when describing something routine or common: It was an everyday mistake. Every day is used when describing something that happens each day. She goes to the park every day.
F
Facebook Always capitalized.
Facebook-stalk
face-to-face
FaceTime
fanboy, fangirl
farmers market
fast food
fiancé For male.
fiancée For female.
fire department Capped up if proper noun: Knoxville Fire Department.
first lady, first family
football Never “the football.” Always lowercase, as in the football game. Capitalized when part of a program. Carolina Football, Gamecocks Football.
Fox News Not “FOX.”
fraternity Always lowercase, but name is capitalized. Sigma Chi fraternity.
freshman, freshmen Not first-years, unless that’s the official system.
Freshman 15
friendzone (n.), friendzone (v.)
fuck up, fucked up
G
Gchat
game day Two words, lowercase. Capitalize when referring to ESPN’s College GameDay.
gay vs. queer vs. homosexual vs. LGBTQ All mean different things, so clarify with writer before publishing.
girls’ night out “GNO” acceptable on second reference.
God Capitalize in common phrases. Thank God she was OK. Oh God, he thought. And God knows we needed all the help we could get. Lowercase if referring to “a god.”
god-awful
gonna Not “gunna”
goodbye
google (v.), Google (n.)
Gov. Preceding governor’s name.
gray Not “grey.”
Greek life “Greek” always capitalized. Use “Greek community” instead of “Greek system.”
Grits
gun control, gun rights
H
haha
half hour No hyphen.
Hanukkah
happy-cry
hashtag
healthcare
hip-hop
hmm
homepage
hoodie
hookup (n.), hook up (v.)
hourlong
hurricane Lowercase unless proper name. The hurricane hit. Hurricane Katrina.
I
ice cream No hyphen.
iced coffee Not “ice coffee.”
immigration, immigrant The phrase “undocumented immigrant” is acceptable over “illegal immigrant.”
internet
iPhone, iPad, iMessage
it’s vs. its Its is possessive. It’s is a contraction of “it is.”
J
Jägerbomb, Jägermeister
jeez Not “geez”
K
koozie
L
laid-back
languages Always capped up. English, French, Arabic.
lengths Use feet, inches, centimeters, miles, yards, and spell them out. The shack was 12 feet tall. The 12-foot tall shack fell.
less vs. fewer Use “less” when referring to mass nouns, distance, or money. She made less money this year. Use “fewer” when referring to things that are quantifiable. There were fewer people at the second party.
lie vs. lay Lay means “to put or place something.” I will lay my book down. Lie means “to be in a horizontal or resting position.”
like Use commas on either side for an interjection. If you have, like, a really annoying person beside you. No quotation marks if replacing “said.” I was like, we should tell her. Don’t set off with commas when used as a substitute for “about.” There were like six candies left.
lil
line Not “queue.”
listserv Or use “email list.”
livestream
live-tweet
LOLing
M
makeup Cosmetics, no hyphen.
makeout (n.)
man bun
mansplain, mansplaining
manspreading
mascots Always capitalized. Gamecocks, Tar Heels, Blue Devils, Nittany Lions.
mashup
master’s degree Lowercase unless referring to the specific degree.
math Not “maths.”
McDonald’s It has an apostrophe.
meetup
Men’s Rights Activists
MIA
middle-aged
midseason
millennials
misgender
molly lowercase when referring to the drug.
more than vs. over OK to use interchangeably, but typically, use “more” with quantities and “over” in terms of space. There were more M&Ms in Sarah’s bag. The satellite was over the house.
mugshot
mustache
N
‘n’ When using in place of “and”: rock ‘n’ roll
National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA is always acceptable.
never mind
nonprofit
No. 1
no one
n-word
O
offices When the word is part of an official title, it is capitalized. Office of Undergraduate Admissions, District Attorney’s Office.
OB-GYN
OK Not “ok” or “okay.”
OkCupid
P
Panhellenic Council This is the governing body of sororities.
partier
PhD, PhDs
photobomb, videobomb
photo op
photoshoot
photoshop Capitalize for program: Photoshop
the Pill Capitalize when referring to birth control, but only when used as a noun and after “the.” Otherwise, lowercase.
playoff
police, police department
postgame
pre- majors Lowercase: pre-med, pre-business, pre-pharmacy.
pregame
protester Not “-or”
pro tip No hyphen.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Capped when referring to Starbucks drink. PSL acceptable if it makes sense.
Q
Q&A No spaces between letters
quite In America, it means “more than.”
R
Reddit, redditor Site name capitalized, user is not.
refugees
Republican National Convention RNC is acceptable.
Republican Party Always capitalized.
residence hall Use “dorm” most of the time, unless it’s a proper noun. Parker dorm. Thompson Residence Hall.
resident adviser Use “RA” most of the time.
RIP No dots.
road trip (n.), road-trip (v.)
rom-com
room #s Lowercase “room”: room 1738.
RT’d, RTs, RT
S
scheme Say “program.”
screenshot
selfie
semesters Lowercase semesters: spring semester, fall semester.
semi-automatic
Sheriff’s Office
side-eye
sign language
soccer Not “football,” sorry.
Solo cup
soulmate
South, Southern Only lowercase when talking about the direction. They flew south for the winter.
spray paint (n.), spray-paint (v.)
startup
STD, STI
students Avoid in headlines if you can replace with a more descriptive word, like: freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, postgrad, major, age, hometown.
student-athlete
student body president
student government
superfan
T
tailgate One word: tailgated, tailgating.
temperature Always Fahrenheit, but simply say “degrees.” It was 62 degrees.
that If the sentence makes sense without it, cut it.
theatre vs. theater Theater with “er” is American.
there vs. their vs. they’re There=place/location. Their=possessive. They’re=they are.
The Tab Never “The TAB” or “TAB.”
The Tab Fellowship Capitalized. Title of “Fellow” is capitalized as well. Singular “fellowship” is lowercase.
’til
time lapse
Title IX
to vs. too
trans/transgender Never “transgendered.”
transatlantic
t-shirt
Twitter, tweeting, tweets
TV Write programs out as “Season 1, Episode 3.”
U
ugly-cry
US, USA, UK
unfriend
university Lowercase when one word. The university is so beautiful. Capitalize when part of the name. University of Miami, Boston University. Can sub in school or campus.
university events Capitalize all proper campus events: Homecoming, Commencement, etc.
username
V
voicemail
vs., versus Use “v.” for court cases.
W
walkout (n), walk out (v)
Walmart
Wi-Fi
work-study
Y
YouTube, YouTuber
Z
Ziploc
Profanity
Use the full word with no asterisks, or not at all.
ass, asshole, smartass
bastard
bitch, bitchy
cunt
damn, damnit
dick
douche, douchebag
fuck, fucked up, motherfucker
goddamn, goddamnit
n-word Only use in direct quotations or song lyrics. Avoid in headlines and excerpts. OK to use the phrase “n-word.”
shit, shit-talked, shithead, shitting on
Social media and apps
- Facebooking, Facebooked
- Facebook Live, Facebook Memories
- friend, friended
- likes
- newsfeed
- Instagram, Instagramming, Insta-famous
- Capitalize filter names: Amaro, Earlybird, Lo-Fi, etc.
- pin, pinned, pinning
- Pinterest board
Snapchat
- “snap” is lowercase
- Snapchatted, Snapchatting, snapped/snapping, sent a snap
- Snapchat story, but snap story as more casual form
Tinder
- Tindered, Tindering
- swiped left, swiped right
- tweeted, tweeting, tweet, tweetstorm, live-tweet
- hashtag, use “#” sparingly
- faved, faved, faving
- retweet, RT, RT’d
- subtweet, subtweeted, subtweeting
- DM, DM’d, DM’ing
Banned list
“Took to social media,” “took to Twitter”
“Taking the piss”
Using “I” throughout copy – unless a deeply personal story
“We’ve all been there”
Publishing anonymously (unless given explicit permission)
Changing facts or names in stories