Missouri S&T Communications 105 Campus Support Facility 1201 State St. Rolla, MO 65409-0220 (573) 341-4260 (573) 341-6157 (fax) comm@mst.edu
Writing guidelines
Speaking with one voice as a university is as important to brand identity as having a consistent look. A consistent writing style is essential for presenting Missouri S&T and its programs, departments and services in a professional, understandable manner.
These style rules are intended to maintain consistency. The substance of your message and the creativity in your writing still belongs to you.
Missouri S&T-approved style for general communications is based on Associated Press Style. A standard in journalism, AP Style is widely used by other institutions and corporations.
The information in this section should meet the needs of most campus communicators; however, it is not comprehensive. A comprehensive Missouri S&T Style Guide is being developed. Upon completion, it will be available for download on this site. Printed copies will be available at a later date.
General guidelines:
University name is Missouri University of Science and Technology
ONLY acceptable abbreviations are Missouri S&T (preferred) and S&T. S&T can be used in headlines, photo captions or other tight spots. It is also acceptable in writing about Missouri S&T athletics.
Academic and administrative titles should not be capitalized unless they precede a name. The only exceptions are named professors (Curators’ Professor, Vernon and Maralee Jones Professor)
Department names are lower case. Only capitalize proper nouns and official titles.
The term “university” standing alone should never be capitalized.
Avoid abbreviating degree information for outside audiences (the student received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering)
For internal audiences and alumni use the abbreviated degree followed by an apostrophe and the two-digit abbreviation of the year of graduation (Gary Havener, Math’62)