UA EDITORIAL STYLE MANUAL

scholarships and fellowships

Capitalize only those words that are part of the full official name of a scholarship or fellowship-scholarship or fellowship may or may not be included in that package. Below are some examples of well-known scholarships and fellowships.

Rhodes Scholarship, Rhodes Scholar
Fulbright Scholarship, Fulbright Scholar
Graduate Council Fellowship, Graduate Council Fellow
Truman Scholarship, Truman Scholar

See also capitalization for general rules.

seasons

Do not capitalize, unless personified.

The first day of spring is only a week away.
In just two weeks, Spring will work her magic upon the earth!

See also capitalization for general rules.

semesters

Do not capitalize the common names of semesters, terms, academic sessions, or periods (such as fall semester, registration, orientation, schedule pickup). If a semester or term is followed by a specific year, use capitalization (e.g., Fall Semester 2003). The special Interim term should be capitalized.

See also capitalization for general rules.

semicolon

The semicolon is an often misunderstood punctuation mark, so it's usually best to limit its use. For separating items in a series, the semicolon is sometimes the best option, particularly when space prohibits use of a vertical or bulleted list. But to indicate a break in sentence flow, consider using either the dash or a comma and conjunction.

Use the semicolon to separate items in a series when they are long and complex or when at least one of them involves internal punctuation.

slash

Do not use the slash to indicate combined ideas:

Incorrect: He was the 1997 Student/Scholar of the Year.
Correct: He was the 1997 Student-Scholar of the Year.

Social Security number, SSN

Avoid SS# and the redundant SSN#.

sororities

See fraternities/sororities.

spellchecker (n.), spellcheck (v.)

staff/faculty

See collective nouns.

state names

Spell out in running copy. Abbreviate in addresses or where space is limited (for example, Ala.). Be sure to use U.S. Postal Service abbreviations (for example, AL) for state names in addresses.

See Appendix A: Common Abbreviations for a complete listing of state name abbreviations.

state of Alabama

Do not capitalize state unless it is part of the name of an agency or organization or if it is referring to the municipal or governmental entity.

I grew up in the state of Alabama.
The State of Alabama has mandated the use of seatbelts for both drivers of cars and their passengers.
The State of Alabama Judicial System maintains a website at judicial.state.al.us.

supercomputer

SUPe Store

An acceptable second reference or informal reference for the University Supply Store, particularly when writing for on-campus audiences.

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