Abbreviations

Always spell out Boston College on first use, for second use BC.

For guidelines on the formatting of degree abbreviations, see the “academic degrees” tab.

• Note: In longer text like articles or brochures, you may use “Boston College,” “BC,” and “the University” for variety; avoid using the same phrase repeatedly.

See the “schools, departments, centers, and institutes” tab for further examples of approved names on first, second, and informal use.

It is always proper to spell out an acronym the first time it’s used, then use the short version for subsequent references.

• First reference: Parents Leadership Council (PLC)
• Second reference: PLC

Use periods when abbreviating Society of Jesus and United States

• S.J.
• U.S.

AHANA is an acronym used primarily at BC to describe individuals of African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American (no hyphens) descent. 

• Note: The term may be losing some relevance; it may often be preferable to use more specific and widely-known terms such as “people of color,” “students of color,” etc. 

LGBTQ+ is an appropriate acronym when referencing lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer and questioning individuals. Some individuals and organizations prefer queer; defer to their preference when known.

• Campus Ministry has several programs to support LGBTQ+ students…
• Co-hosted by BC’s Queer Leadership Council and…

Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) should be spelled out on first reference.

• Note: This term is being phased out in external use, and may be replaced in most cases with “young alumni” or “recent graduates.”

PS (postscript) should be uppercase, no periods.

• She included a PS at the end of her letter.
• PS: Please don’t forget to register.

Addresses 

In street addresses, only use an  abbreviation for boulevard (“Blvd.”);  otherwise, write out all street designations.

• 140 Commonwealth Avenue
• 3 College Road
• 1863 Eagle Blvd.

Zip codes are only required for mailing addresses; email invitations and the like do not require zip codes unless absolutely necessary to differentiate between identical addresses within the same city (very rare)

For state names, the rules can vary: For formal invitations, always spell out the state name; in regular running text you can spell out or abbreviate the state name; two-letter postal abbreviations should only be used before a zip code, with no comma, within a mailing address

• Chestnut Hill, Mass., OR Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, in running text
• Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 on a mailing label or letter address block
• Note: You can see the list of state abbreviations here (requires VPN). In a departure from the Chicago Manual’s guidelines, we only recommend using two-letter postal abbreviations in address blocks. Otherwise, use the longer “traditional” abbreviations (e.g., Mass.).

The following cities are so well known that they may not need to be followed by a state or country name. Consider your audience and use your editorial discretion:

• Domestic: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco.
• International: Athens, Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Cape Town, Dubai, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Moscow, New Delhi, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo

Do not use the possessive (his/her/their) before degrees; do not capitalize degree names in text.

• Donna Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in political science.

When specifying the type of bachelor’s degree (arts or science), there is no possessive or capitalization.

• John Eagle is pursuing a bachelor of science in physics.

The honors designations cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude are italicized.

Doctoral is an adjective; doctorate is a noun. 

• Jane received a doctoral degree.
• Jane earned a doctorate in history.
• Jane graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University.

See here for a full list of possible BC degrees and abbreviations. Please note that while the list of majors and minors linked here uses periods in the degree abbreviations, UA style guide does not include periods.

When referring to degree programs in the plural form, such as those offered by a particular school, the possessive apostrophe is still used on the degree type (e.g., bachelor’s, associate’s), but “degree” is only plural if it does not modify another word:  

• The Morrissey College offers dozens of bachelor’s degrees in topics …
• The Woods College offers several bachelor’s degree programs in areas …
• Messina College students may pursue associate’s degrees in four …
• Messina College students choose from associate’s degree programs in four …

As with bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees may be listed in three ways, as in this example: 

1. associate of arts in applied data science
2. associate’s degree in applied data science
3. AA in applied data science

Undergraduate years 

Always use a space before an undergraduate class year; no comma following the name:

• Joe Smith ’13
• Joe Smith received a bachelor’s degree from Boston College in 2013.

Graduate degrees

Use the degree abbreviation with no periods; use a comma before the degree; do not include a space between the degree and class year.

• Mary Smith, MA’13
• Mary, MA’13, and Joe Smith, MA’14
• Mary Smith, who received a master’s degree in theology in 2013…

Do not use an academic degree following a name in expository writing.

• Associate Professor John Kearney (not “Associate Professor John Kearney, PhD”).

In most circumstances, we do not  list non-BC degrees for faculty or other individuals.

Multiple degrees

Use commas and spaces to separate multiple degrees. If the person received a bachelor’s degree from Boston College, that year should be listed first, with no abbreviation or comma before it. 

• Mary Smith ’11, MA’13, PhD’17

Degrees by school

Do not use a school acronym before the degree year (Note: Spark includes the school acronym by default; this is not UA style and should not be used for any external communications). 

• Mary Smith ’13, who received a bachelor’s degree from the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
• NOT: Mary Smith MCAS ’13

This rule applies to alumni of Weston Jesuit School of Theology. All graduates of this school prior to its merger with the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry are identified by their degree and class year; just like BC alumni.

• John Jones ’56, MDiv’60

Precede degree years for graduates of Newton College of the Sacred Heart with “NC” and graduates of Pine Manor College with “PMC.” Because these are undergraduate degrees, do not include a comma before these degree years. 

• Mary Jones NC’69
• Vicki Adler PMC’89

NOTE: For all alumni and parent years, make sure the apostrophe is facing away from the numeral.

For BC Law alumni, do not include “Esq.” following class year. Use a comma between the name/undergraduate degree and law degree, and set off BC Law degrees with commas in running text.

• Esther Chang ’02, JD’07, said she …

One notable exception is the full name of the BC Law school deanship.

• the Marianne D. Short, Esq., Dean

Additionally, in Class Notes we typically allow Esq., MD, and other professional abbreviations/suffixes.

Honorary degrees

Do not use HON to denote an honorary degree; use “H” instead, followed by an apostrophe and the degree year. As with graduate degrees, set off with commas in running text.

• Joy Moore ’81, H’10
• Mary Skipper, H’24, attended the Boston College Commencement ceremony…

From the Latin: an individual male graduate is an alumnus; an individual female graduate an alumna. Alumnae are exclusively female graduates; alumni are male graduates or a mix of genders. 

• NOTE: Alums may be used informally and, in specific cases, to show respect for trans, non-binary, and other individuals who may not feel represented by the universal usage of alumni. 

To denote a parent of a Boston College student or graduate, use the letter ‘P’ followed by the class years of children in ascending order. If multiple children are graduates of the same BC class, repeat the parent year for each child.

• Alex Smith, P’22
• Joseph Donovan, P’85, ’93, ’95
• John Zona ’89, MS’93, PhD’05, P’19, ’21, ’21
• NOTE: Spark includes “LP” for parents of law students, but UA style is to not recognize graduate students’ parents in this way; rather they can be described in text as “parents of a BC Law student/alum…”

In general, UA style when listing couples is to list the woman’s name first; in the case of same-sex couples, then names should be listed in alphabetical order by first name, if they share a last name, or by last name if they have different last names. NOTE: Exceptions may be made in certain cases, such as listing campaign co-chairs. 

To denote couples who do not share a last name, list wife’s full name, with class years if applicable; then husband’s full name, with class years if applicable; followed by their parent years if applicable:

• Joan Gold ’95 and John Maroon ’96
• Anna Blue and Louis Green, P’91, ’92, ’95 

To denote couples who share a last name and both individuals are alums, first list wife’s first name, her degree; husband’s first and last name, his degree; followed by their parent years if applicable

• Sue ’78 and Tom Adams Jr. ’77, P’05, ’11 
• Tammy ’85, MEd’87, and Steve Barry ’85, P’14, ’17

To denote couples who are parents, neither is an alum, and they share a last name, first list wife’s first name, then husband’s full name, followed by parent years:

• Anna and Louis Green, P’91, ’92, ’95 

To denote couples who are parents, share a last name, and only the husband is an alum, first list wife’s first name, husband’s first and last name, his degree, and their parent years. 

• Jane and John Eagle ’90, MA’92, P’08, ’09

To denote couples who are parents, share a last name, and only the wife is an alum, first list wife’s first name, wife’s degree; husband’s first and last name, his degree; and their parent years. 

• Jane ’90, MA’92, and John Eagle, P’08, ’09

When alphabetizing couples who do not share a last name, alphabetize the couple by the last name of the first person in the list. 

• Sally Tot and Larry Bot, P’09 — alphabetize by “T”
• Joan Gold ’95 and John Maroon ’96 — alphabetize by “G”

There are many formal and semi-formal groups within the Alumni Association and Development. Here are their official names with approved acronyms and/or second usage options:

• Council for Women of Boston College (CWBC, the council)
• The Wall Street Business Leadership Council (Wall Street, the Wall Street Council)
• AHANA Alumni Leadership Council (AALC)
• Real Estate Council (REC)
• LGBTQ+ Alumni Council
• Boston College Veterans Alumni Network (BC VAN)
• Technology & Entrepreneurship Council (BCTEC)
  • West Coast TEC Committee 
  • East Coast TEC Committee
• Shaw Society
• 1863 Society
• Neenan Society
• Board of Trustees
• Board of Regents
• Boston College Alumni Association Board of Directors (BCAA Board, BC Alumni Board, Alumni Board of Directors, Alumni Board)

(See also Capitalization section for Boards of Trustees and similar)

Capitalize Double Eagle, Triple Eagle; do not place in quotes. Note: BC High also counts towards this designation.

• John Johnson is a Double Eagle, having earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Boston College. 
• Andy Gasson is a Triple Eagle, having first graduated from Boston College High School, then BC’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development, and finally BC Law School.

Capitalize formal and professional titles only when they precede an individual’s name. Lowercase those that follow the name or that stand alone.

• University President William P. Leahy, S.J.
• Assistant Professor of Theology Jane Anderson
• Jane Anderson, assistant professor of theology

Note: In quote attributions and signature lines, always format professional titles in title case, even if they follow an individual’s name.

• —Marc Seidner ’88, P’24, University Trustee
• —Haub Family Professor Ronnie Sadka, Chair of the Seidner Department of Finance, and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty

Use surnames only for subsequent references.

• Professor John Eagle (first reference); 
• Eagle says…. (second reference) 

Capitalize University President, only preceding Fr. Leahy.

Capitalize University when referring to Boston College specifically; when referring to universities in general, lowercase; 

• University President
• …advance the University’s mission…
• He worked at three separate universities…

Always capitalize:

• Boston College Alumni Association,
• BC Alumni Association, but lowercase when used without formal name: “…active within the alumni association..”
• Alumni chapters in direct reference – Chicago Chapter
• Trustee, Trustee Associates, Board of Trustees, and Board of Regents

Capitalize “trustee” or “regent” when it precedes a name, and when it is part of the official title “Boston College Board of Trustees.” Otherwise, lowercase. Note: Always lowercase when referring to non-BC schools and organizations.

• Boston College Trustee Mary Stack 
• BC Board of Trustees
• Mary Stack, a member of the Boston College Board of Trustees 
• Mary Stack, a trustee of Boston College 
• XYZ Foundation board of trustees

Capitalize “Co-Chair” when it precedes a name and refers to an individual’s relationship to Boston College.

Capitalize named professorships, before or after the name.

• David Hollenbach, S.J., Flatley Professor of Theology
• Flatley Professor of Theology David Hollenbach, S.J.

School, center, and institute are only capitalized when used as part of a full name (either full or abbreviated); when used alone on second/third reference, they are lowercase. (Typically we use the full or abbreviated name in caps, only using the lowercase “school/center/institute” when necessary, to avoid repetition in longer running text)  

• The Carroll School seeks to…. Your gift will help the school… 
• The Center for Teaching Excellence provides…. The center often hosts… 
• The Schiller Institute has sparked many…. Faculty praise the institute for bringing…  (note, “Schiller Institute” is already a second reference usage; first reference would require the full name, Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society)
• Pine Manor Institute for Student Success is the fulfillment of… Gifts to Pine Manor Institute will… Already the institute has resulted in… 

Do not capitalize academic majors, minors, and departments, except for proper names that would typically be capitalized, such as “English”.

• She is a psychology major and English minor.
• He works in the psychology department and the Germanic studies department.
• The Asian studies department held an event for art history majors.

Only capitalize “committee”, “council”, and similar names when used as part of a full name:

• Wall Street Committee; the committee
• Council for Women of Boston College; the council (or, the CWBC)

Capitalize “Commencement,” “Convocation,” and “Reunion” when referring to or describing Boston College events, but not events at other institutions.

• Join us for the University’s 149th Commencement Exercises.
• Boston College’s main Commencement ceremony will take place tomorrow.
• Several commencement ceremonies are held across Boston this week.
• University Convocation; First Year Academic Convocation
• We look forward to seeing you at Reunion.

The Heights (cap T and italicized) refers to the undergraduate student newspaper, whereas “the Heights” is a nickname for Boston College and its campus. 

• Note, it’s “at the Heights”, not “on the Heights” – due to multiple campuses (except in the case of Pops on the Heights)

Capitalize full formal names of campuses; lowercase generic uses and plurals.

• Chestnut Hill Campus; Newton Campus; Brighton Campus, Brookline Campus
• Upper Campus; Middle Campus; Lower Campus; the Upper and Middle campuses

Athletics

Capitalize BC Athletics.

The Athletics Department (plural, not “Athletic”).

Set the names of sports in lowercase:

• With this latest win, women’s lacrosse is headed to the finals.
• Boston College men’s basketball had an upset victory.

However, the nicknames that refer to an institution’s entire collection of athletic teams should be capitalized:

• Boston College Eagles; the Eagles; the Boston College Eagles men’s basketball team
• Louisville Cardinals; the Cardinals
• Syracuse Orange; the Orange

Set coach titles in lowercase, unless they immediately precede the coach’s name or they are named/endowed coaching positions:

• Head Coach Greg Wilkinson; Greg Wilkinson, head coach of BC sailing
• Bill O’Brien, the Gregory P. Barber ’69 and Family Head Coach of BC football

Job Titles

Capitalize formal/official titles only when preceding a name; except for endowed titles, which are always capitalized

• Connell School Dean Katherine Gregory…
• Katherine Gregory is dean of the Connell School of Nursing.
• Andrew Boynton, the John and Linda Powers Family Dean,
• Chief Investment Officer John Zona
• John Zona, BC’s chief investment officer,
• Vice President for Development Amy Yancey
• Amy Yancey, vice president for development,

Lowercase titles of non-BC faculty when used descriptively; unless a named endowed title, which would then be capitalized.

• Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz…
• Harvard’s Archibald Cox Professor of Law Jody Freeman

Seasons

Capitalize when referring to the name of upcoming/past issues of Boston College publications. When referring to seasons, leave lowercase, unless using with a year:

• Beacon Magazine Fall 2023
• Return to campus this fall…
• The building will open in Summer 2024
• He joined the club in the fall of 1997… 

Always write out the full month name in running text, event listings, invitations, save the dates, and registration pages.

• When: September 18, 2023
• We will meet again in January of next year. 

Do not place a comma between the month and the year when the day is not mentioned.

• She was born in April 2017.

When listing the full month, date, and year in running text, use a comma before and after the year.

• He was born on April 11, 2017, and was raised on a farm in upstate New York. 

Do not use ordinals (nd, st) in a date unless the number stands on its own.

• Her appointment is on the 22nd.
• Her appointment is on June 22. 

Times of day: use a.m. and p.m.: lowercase, with periods and a space between the numerals and the a.m./p.m.. Do not use the designation when using another reference to the time of day

• Tuesday morning at 10:30
• 10:30 a.m. Tuesday
• NOT Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.

Use noon for 12 p.m., and midnight for 12 a.m. Use an en-dash OR “from” and “to” to specify the duration.

• Noon to 3:30 p.m. 
• 8–10 a.m.
• 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
• They met from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Use these abbreviations, set in parentheses, to refer to time zones in the United States:

• (ET)
• (CT)
• (MT)
• (PT)

Do not use the forms (EST), (EDT), etc., which specifically refer to standard and daylight time. The approved forms above are always accurate, regardless of the time of year.

Only use time zones if the event, such as a webinar, is likely to attract an audience from more than one time zone.

Decades 

Do not use an apostrophe before the ”s” in plurals

• She attended BC in the ’90s
• Women began attending classes as early as the mid-1920s, but were not formally admitted to all schools until 1970.

Be mindful of clarity when referring to class years from the 1800s and 1900s; use full class years when needed to avoid confusion. 

• John Eagle graduated from BC in 1894, followed by his son John Jr. in 1920, several grandchildren throughout the ’80s and ’90s, and most recently, his great-granddaughter Julie Eagle ’27. 

Note: To indicate decades, place the apostrophe before and facing away from the numeral.

Archdiocese: Capitalize as part of a proper name. Lowercase when it stands alone. 

• The Archdiocese of Boston
• the Boston archdiocese 

Bible, biblical: Capitalize Bible—no quotation marks or italics—when referring to the Scriptures in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Capitalize related terms such as the Gospels, Gospel of St. Mark, the Scriptures. Lowercase bible as a non-religious term. Always lowercase the adjective biblical. 

Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop: 

• Seán Patrick Cardinal O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., on first reference
• Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley; the cardinal; Cardinal Seán (informal) on second reference

Catholic: Always capitalize when referring to the Catholic Church. 

Church: Use “Catholic Church” on first reference, and “Church” in subsequent mentions of the Catholic Church or the universal Christian Church. Lowercase the word when used generally. 

• Hundreds of Church leaders met at the Vatican. 
• My family’s church is on Elm Street. 

Cura personalis means “care for the [individual] person,” a hallmark of Ignatian spirituality that adapts the Spiritual Exercises to individual spiritual guidance; italicize and, when necessary, provide a brief explanation. 

• Our tradition of cura personalis, or care for the whole person, calls us to… 

Discernment means making choices, in a Christian context, when the options are neither good nor evil, but among a number of what are likely worthwhile courses of action. 

• Fr. Himes’ three questions guide BC students on a journey of discernment… 
• Students develop their ability to discern their true vocation… 

Formation, or the growth of the whole human being, seeks to help individuals’ intellectual, social, ethical, and spiritual development. 

• Academic, physical, social, and spiritual formation is a key element… 

Ignatian refers to the members, practices, and spiritual tenets of the Society of Jesus, founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Always capitalized. 

Jesuit, Catholic: Always use a comma between these terms; always use the terms in this order. 

Liturgy, Mass: These terms are not interchangeable. Liturgy refers to any public prayer. Mass is a Catholic liturgy that is celebrated, delivered, or said. Always capitalize when referring to the ceremony, but lowercase any preceding adjectives.

• He delivered high Mass. 
• They presented different approaches to liturgy as part of… 

Society of Jesus is the Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola, known as the Jesuits. Boston College was founded by the Jesuits in 1863. The abbreviated form, S.J., has commas before and after the initials. 

Titles and religious orders: The first full reference to a member of a Roman Catholic religious order should provide the priest or sister’s full name, followed by the initials of his or her religious order.

• John Doe, S.J. 
• Lakshmi Patel, C.C.V.I. (Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word) 
• Subsequent mentions should refer to “Fr. Doe,” “Br. Doe,” “Sr. Maria Gonzales,” or “Sr. Gonzales.” 

Use surnames only for subsequent references (not Dr., Ms., Prof., etc.).

• Professor Joan Eagle (first reference); 
• Eagle says…. (second reference) 
• Jed Bartlett suggests… (first reference)
• Bartlett said (second reference)

It is no longer necessary to have a comma before Jr. or Sr. in a name, or with numerical suffixes; however, when Esq. is required, it does still have a comma. 

• Michael T. Jones Jr. is now a senior at BC.
• Ben Johnston Sr., Esq., PhD’06, is a BC professor.
• James Q. Knight III 

Include nicknames in quotes, not parentheses.

• Michael “Bubs” Smith

In all external communications, be sure to use preferred names for BC alumni, faculty, students, and staff whenever possible. For example, Andrew K. Davidson (with the middle initial). When in doubt, there are a number of sources you can check:

• Email signatures usually contain their most current and preferred name
• LinkedIn profile
• Company website
• For UA staff, bios on UA Daily, but keep in mind that posts about them and the auto-populated header may not reflect preferences
• BC Directory (use with caution)
• Spark (use with caution for unmanaged records)

Spell out one through nine; use numerals thereafter 

• nine, 10, 11
• ninth, 10th, 11th
• Exception: For titles of events where the number is part of the official name, e.g., 8th Annual Mass.

For phone numbers, use hyphens, not periods or parentheses. 

•  617-552-0000

Percentage

In written text, it should be “percent.”

• Nearly 70 percent of BC undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid.
• Exception: “%” is fine as a design element, such as in an infographic or headline.

Ampersands

Only use the symbol ‘&’ when it is contained in an official title; otherwise, use ‘and.’ (This goes for external organizations; when in doubt, check their website footer or “about” page for correct usage.)

• Center for Work & Family
• Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences

Note: Listings are often inconsistent even within schools; for example, the Carroll School has two concentrations that are each listed differently: 

• Business Law & Society
• Management and Organization

Apostrophes

Generally, omit the apostrophe when a plural noun ending in ‘s’ functions as an adjective. 

• Veterans Day
• Family Weekend

Exceptions are official names of observances such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Commas

Use the Oxford comma (also known as a serial comma) in a list of three or more items, before ‘and’ or ‘or.’ 

• She is an artist, architect, and author.
• You may attend an open house in Chicago, New York, or Boston.

Always include the second comma when setting off a year, title, state, country, or other phrase.

• He was born on June 5, 1980, in Boston. 
• He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 5, 1980.

When using an appositive phrase, which is a word or phrase that defines another word, always use commas before and after; when the word is not necessary to  define, no commas are needed:

• His wife, Sally, accompanied him. 

Her daughter Ruby was first to attend. (Ruby is one of several daughters; if she was the only one, it would be “Her daughter, Ruby, was first to attend.” When the number of daughters is unknown, assume that it is more than one, so no commas needed.

BC Specific Punctuation

Always include a comma between Jesuit and Catholic.

• BC is a Jesuit, Catholic university. 

BC has Jesuit, Catholic heritage or tradition (not mission); BC has an academic and societal mission. 

The use of “university” is not capitalized when used in the generic sense.

• What began as a “small streetcar college” primarily for immigrants has transformed into an internationally respected research university.

Colons

When a colon is used within a sentence, the first word following the colon is lowercase, unless it is a proper noun or the start of one or more complete sentences. 

• There was only one place for him: Boston College.
• There was only one career for him: forensic pathologist.
• As Fr. Michael Himes once said: “Being a part of Boston College is not only a job or profession; it is a vocation.” 

Ellipses

An ellipsis is three dots that replace text that has been removed, with a space before and after the ellipsis. 

• ”BC confers 4,000 degrees annually … through nine schools and colleges,” said Smith.

If at the end of a sentence, a period follows the ellipsis.

• ”BC confers 4,000 degrees annually ….”

EM and EN Dashes

Do not confuse em dashes with en dashes or hyphens.

• EM dashes: Use full em dashes in copy; no spaces between the dash and the word before or after.
  • Words—like food and fashion—often go out of style.

• EN dashes: An en dash connects numbers and signifies up to and including the last number. Do not combine with a “from…to” construction.
• 1863–1913
• noon–2:00
• From noon to 2 p.m.

Hyphens

Commonly hyphenated words include

• Co-Chair
• pre-concert
• pre-show
• first-come-first-serve basis (adj. before noun)
• health-care (as an adjective, health care as a noun)
• full-time
• great-grandchild
• student-athlete
• long-term

Words that are not hyphenated: 

• Coauthor
• email
• FanFest
• first come, first served (after noun)
• fundraising
• high school
• kickoff (noun, adj.); kick off (verb)
• longtime
• nonprofit
• pregame; premed
• Superfans
• health care (noun)
• under way
• online; website

Quotation Marks

In print, always use “smart” (curly) quotation marks for both single and double quotes. 

For emails, websites, and other digital uses, straight quotation marks are preferred because smart quotes do not always translate well online, on phones, etc.  Smart quotes may be used for headlines online. 

The spelling out of school names is preferred for editorial content.

• Woods College of Advancing Studies
• Woods College, on second reference

If an abbreviation must be used, the accepted forms are below, none of which contain periods.

When used without the full first or second reference, “school” is never capitalized (the same is true for center and institute, as described in the Capitalization section).

• Your support helps strengthen the Law School for years to come…
• Gifts to the Dean’s Fund have ripple effects throughout the school’s students, faculty, and staff… 
• Yadama says the school’s first priority must be to….
• Wortham says the Lynch School’s first priority must be to…

Other:

• communication (no ”s”) department
• Office of Undergraduate Admission (no ”s”) 
• PULSE, BC’s service-learning program, PULSE
• Theatre vs. theater: Boston College theatre department; E. Paul Robsham Theater Arts Center

President

Always use “S.J.” with periods and set off by commas after his name on first reference; may use Fr. or Father Leahy on second reference.

• University President William P. Leahy, S.J., spoke to parents at the August meeting… 
• University President William P. Leahy, S.J.
• the president; Father Leahy; Fr. Leahy (only on second reference)

Senior administrators

Capitalize titles when used before names, but not when used as a position.

• Executive Director Alex Smith
• Alex Smith, executive director

Trustees

Capitalize the designation only when used as a title: 

• University Trustee Mary Smith
• Mary Smith, a trustee of Boston College,

Religious

Commonly used abbreviations: 

• Fr. – Father
• Rev. – Reverend
• Br. – Brother
• Sr. – Sister
• St. – Saint

The first reference should give the priest’s full name with the initials of the order after it; second reference can use the religious title abbreviation without the order initials after; do not use the surname without the honorific (Smith)

• John Smith, S.J., was a visiting scholar. (first reference)
• Fr. Smith led multiple Agape Lattes sessions while at BC. (second reference)
• Casey Beaumier, S.J., is also called Fr. Beaumier. (Not Fr. Casey Beaumier, S.J.)

See also the Jesuit and Catholic Terms section.

Faculty

Do not include a faculty member’s academic degrees after the name unless in an identifying list.

• Assistant Professor of Theology Jane Smith or Jane Smith, assistant professor of theology.
• Subsequent reference: Smith

Professor Emeritus/Emerita

The emeritus designation is conferred by the University, it is not automatic upon retirement; italics are not used

• Mark Morison, professor emeritus of history
• Professor Emerita Ann Cary; professors emeriti (masc. pl.); professors emeritae (all fem., pl.)

Military titles

Use standard abbreviations (a complete list is available in the Chicago Manual of Style), an initial capital letter followed by lowercase.

• Lieutenant Commander John P. Foley, S.J.
• Lt. Cdr. John P. Foley, S.J.

Italics

The following is a partial list of words that should be italicized:

Titles of art exhibitions, books (except the Bible), periodicals, books, TV shows, films, magazines, musical productions, newspapers, plays, TV series, works of art; foreign words, names of ships.

In running text, lowercase/Roman type ”the” when it is part of the title: 

• the New York Times.

Use single quote ‘ ‘ marks in headlines, or any other situation where it is impossible to italicize.

Quotations

A partial list of words that should be enclosed in quotation marks:

• Titles of CDs, lectures, poems, songs, TV episodes, lecture series,
• Motto: “Ever to Excel” (quotes, Roman)

Omit the prefix (http://www. or www.) when citing URLS:

• bc.edu 
• bc.edu/alumni

If the URL does not include www (such as styles.bc.edu), the https:// may be necessary to avoid confusion. Use best judgment, but make sure URL can be perceived as a URL and not as plain text.

Always include a period at the end of a sentence even if a web address or email address appears at the end.

• Contact Bob Boston at bob.boston@bc.edu.
• Sign up now at bc.edu/signup.

If a web address cannot be kept together on one line of copy, never add a hyphen or other punctuation to a URL. Chicago Manual of Style recommends breaking long URLs

• After a colon or a double slash (//)
• Before a single slash (/), a tilde (~), a period, a comma, a hyphen, an underline (_), a question mark, a number sign, or a percent symbol

Email is one word; e-commerce, e-sports, and the like are hyphenated.

Inclusive language is language that acknowledges diversity, promotes equality, and instills the importance of respect toward all people.

Both the Chicago Manual and AP regularly update their guidance to reflect inclusive language practices, which then informs the BC and UA style guides. However, because inclusive language is a large and ever-evolving field, it is beyond the scope of this guide to address every situation. For those who want to learn more about inclusive language principles, theory, and specific guidelines, we present the following outside resources:

• Chicago Manual‘s section on bias-free language
• Conscious Style Guide, an excellent resource for not only specific guidance but also learning more about the conversations behind terms, categories, and concepts.
• Diversity Style Guide, a more straight-forward database of terms
• Disability Language Style Guide, presented by the National Center on Disability and Journalism
• Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Stylebook
• National Association of Black Journalists Style Guide
• National Association of Hispanic Journalists Cultural Competence Handbook
• Indigenous Journalists Association Reporting Guides
• Trans Journalists Association Style Guide

It is important to keep in mind that preferred terms within a particularly identity group can vary. It also is important to remind that language evolves and terms that once were largely accepted may become outdated.

Select guidance from BC’s main Style Guide:

Disabilities: Focus on the person before mentioning his or her condition, preferring phrases such as “students with learning disabilities” or a “student with impaired motor function” to “disabled students.”

Economic circumstances: Writers are advised to maintain sensitivity to economic circumstances—particularly those of Boston College students and populations engaged in various BC service programs. In most cases, avoid adjectives such as “poor” or “needy”; modifiers such as low-income, under-resourced, or “facing economic challenges” are preferred.

Freshman, freshmen, upperclassman, upperclassmen: Use the gender-neutral terms first-year student(s), sophomore(s), junior(s), and senior(s) instead of “freshman(men)” and “upperclassman(men).”

Gender-neutral terms: The 17th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style recently declared that “‘he’ is no longer acceptable as a generic pronoun that refers to a person of an unspecified gender.” The Chicago Manual (along with the AP, MLA, and other prominent usage guides), now actively discourages sentences such as this: • If someone needs your help, give it to him. They and their turn up regularly as singular pronouns in informal usage, e.g.: “If someone needs your help, give it to them.” But neither passes muster in formal writing—for now. The Chicago Manual suggests nine reasonable techniques for introducing gender neutrality to editorial content, several of which involve re-casting sentences so they have plural subjects. • “Each child had his toy” = “The children each had toys.” • “The student should turn in his work” = “Students should turn in their work.” Chicago Manual also recommends avoiding gender-specific titles and terms wherever possible. • mankind = humanity • chairman = chair • policeman = police officer • mailman = mail carrier • stewardess = flight attendant

Gender pronouns: Some gender-non-conforming or questioning individuals use the third-person plural pronoun “they/them” and the possessive pronoun “their” to refer to themselves. In this circumstance, it is acceptable to use third-person plural verbs to refer to a single individual.

Latinx: A gender-neutral term used in place of the description Latino/Latina. The “x” replaces the Spanish-language male and female endings “o” and “a,” as in the School of Social Work’s Latinx Leadership Program.

LGBTQ+: The acronym currently used by Boston College’s LGBTQ+ Student Programs and Resources stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and questioning students.