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 abbreviation is Missouri S&T
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)