UMKC Writing Guidelines

A

Academic degrees

In body copy, spell out the type of degree instead of using the degree abbreviations, such as “bachelor’s degree” or “bachelor’s” rather than “B.A.” or “B.S.”; “master’s degree” or “master’s” rather than “M.A.” or “M.S.”; “doctoral degree” or “doctorate” rather than “Ph.D.” or “Ed.D.” Example: “He has a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s in translation and a doctorate in comparative literature.”

Use an apostrophe with “master’s degree” and “bachelor’s degree,” but not with “Bachelor of Arts,” “Master of Science” or “associate degree,” which are not possessive. 

Use degree abbreviations only when the need to identify many individuals by degree on first reference would make the preferred form cumbersome and only after the full name of a person. Example: “Mike Jones, MFA.” 

Do not attribute an anticipated degree.

Use a single closing quotation mark when listing class years. Correct: (B.A. ’25) Incorrect: (B.A. ‘25) The single quotation mark can be made on Windows by pressing ALT+0146 or by pressing the apostrophe button twice and deleting the first mark. On Mac, press Option + Shift + ]

Examples:

• Singular degree: “John Smith (MBA ’17)."
• Multiple degrees: "John Smith (B.A. ’71, M.A. ’75, Ph.D. ’81)."
• Multiple degrees, same graduation year: "John Smith (B.A./B.S. ’71)," "Jane Doe (J.D./MBA ’82)," "Jane Smith (BLA/M.D. ’86)."
• Accelerated and joint degrees with different graduation years: "Jane Smith (B.A. ’92/M.D. ’93)," "Jane Doe (B.S. ’92/BSN ’94)."

Include periods only with these degree abbreviations:

• B.A.
• B.A./M.D.
• B.Arch.
• B.M.
• B.S.
• D.O.
• Ed.D.
• Ed.S.
• IPh.D.
• J.D.
• LL.M.
• M.A.
• M.D.
• M.M.
• M.S.
• Pharm.D.
• Ph.D.

View the list of degrees UMKC offers on the UMKC Catalog.

Academic unit names

UMKC has nine schools, also called "academic units" within the university community. On first mention, spell out the name of the school. You may add "UMKC" in front of the school's name when you need to emphasize that the school is part of the university.

For subsequent references, use a common noun, such as "school," except for Henry W. Bloch School of Management, which can be written as "the Bloch School" and School of Science and Engineering, which can be abbreviated as "SSE."  Examples: "UMKC School of Dentistry" or "School of Dentistry" on first reference and "the dental school" for subsquent references. "Henry W. Bloch School of Management" on first reference, "the Bloch School"  on second reference and "the school" for subsequent references.

• Henry W. Bloch School of Management (the Bloch School)
• School of Dentistry
• School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences
• School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• School of Law
• School of Medicine
• School of Nursing and Health Studies (Do no mistakenly use "Health Sciences" instead of "Health Studies.")
• School of Pharmacy
• School of Science and Engineering (SSE)

Acronyms and initialisms

It is preferable to spell out an organization's name or term on first reference and on second reference use a common noun, such as “the organization” or “the program,” instead of using an initialism or acronym. Example: "The Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence hosted a writing retreat. The center invited all faculty." 

However, you may include an acronym or initialism in parentheses following the full name of an organization or term on first reference in body copy and use the initialism or acronym for subsequent references. Example: "The Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE) hosted a writing retreat. CAFE invited all faculty."  

You may use the acronym or initialism on first reference for organizations with a widely recognized acronym or initialism. Examples: NASA, FBI.

UMKC:

Never use "UMKC" in parentheses behind the long-form name "University of Missouri-Kansas City." In situations where there is already brand awareness, you may use "UMKC" instead of the long-form name. 

Headlines and web headings:

Do not include the initialism or acronym in parentheses following the organization's full name in headlines or web headings, even on first reference. Reserve the parentheses for the first reference in the body copy.

Addresses

Capitalize the building name and list room numbers in numerals set off by a comma. Example: “The meeting is in the Student Union, Room 402.”

Some buildings on campus have approved shortened names for address purposes. Example: Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise and Research Center can be written as the "Plaster Center." 

The complete list of building names and addresses is available on the UMKC map.

Mailing addresses:

Always use your building address as the return address on mailings except for bulk mailings, when you must use the address associated with UMKC's bulk mail permit.

Advisor

Preferred spelling, all uses.

Affect/effect

Affect is usually a verb meaning “to produce an effect upon,” as in “the weather affected his mood.” Effect is usually a noun meaning “a change that results when something is done or happens,” as in “computers have had a huge effect on our lives.” 

Alumni/alumnae/alumnus/alumna/alum/alums

We consider graduates of the university and anyone who has attended the university for at least one semester or summer session, those with an honorary degree conferred upon them by the university and elected members of the campus alumni association as alumni.

The term you use is based on gender and number:

• Alumni: Plural form for a group of males or a mixed-gender group.
• Alumnae: Plural form for a group of females.
• Alumnus: Singular male.
• Alumna: Singular female.
• Alum: Singular, gender-neutral, used informally.
• Alums: Plural, gender-neutral, used informally.

Ampersand 

Use the ampersand or other special character only when part of a formal name or composition title. Example: "Procter & Gamble," "House & Garden,"  "Department of Architecture, Urban Planning + Design" and "Office of Equity & Title IX."

Do not use in place of the word "and" in headlines or body copy, but exceptions can be made for use as a graphic element in marketing materials. Example: "Blue & Bold."

Arrowhead Stadium

Refer to sporting events and venues by the name most familiar to readers. When an event is identified only by a sponsor's name, use the name on first reference: Buick Open, SoFi Stadium. However, when something is clearly identifiable without the company's name, only include the full name if the sponsor is relevant to the story: Independence Bowl, not the Poulan Weed-Eater Independence Bowl; Arrowhead Stadium, not GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Artificial intelligence

Spell out in first mention. AI is acceptable in headlines and on subsequent references in text.

B

Barbecue/BBQ

Spell out “barbecue” within a story. As an event title, “BBQ” is permitted. Example: “Jazz and BBQ.” When referencing specific restaurants, use the spelling of the business name. Example: Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que.

Blue & Bold

In 2025, UMKC launched its multi-year comprehensive campaign, Blue & Bold. Always use an ampersand when referencing the name of the campaign.

Board of Curators

The Board of Curators is the governing body of the University of Missouri System, consisting of nine members, who are appointed by the governor. Spell out the full, proper title and capitalize the initial letters of each word  on first reference. Example: "Board of Curators."

Use common nouns without capitalization on subequent references. Examples: “the curators” or “the board.” 

Bulleted list

A list within text is usually more readable as a bulleted or numbered list, especially in digital communication.

• It is preferable to use a dash or circle icon as the bullet symbol.
• Add a space between the icon and the first word of each item in the list and use the same amount of space before each bullet and after each bullet throughout the text.
• Use the same types of bullets for the same levels of text throughout the document. For example, a circle bullet could be used for the main elements in the list and a square bullet could be used for the subsections
• Capitalize the first word following the icon.
• If bullet points are lengthy and form a complete sentence in combination with the introductory phrase before the colon, a period — not a semicolon — at the end of each item is acceptable. Do not use punctuation after single words or short phrases.
• Edit the items in the list for parallel structure, for example, start each item with a verb, if you are listing action items, or nouns if listing things.
• You may introduce your list with a short phrase followed by a colon. Examples: “Our partners:” or “These are our partners:” Do not use a colon with a phrase that ends in a verb of being. Example: "Send us these items:" The items in the list are".
• Indent the bulleted or numbered list unless every item or almost every item is about one-third of manuscript page length or longer or the page is to be typeset in two or more columns.

C

Carnegie R1 Designation

In 2025, UMKC received the Carnegie Research 1 designation, becoming Kansas City’s first Carnegie R1 institution. On first reference, always use “Carnegie Research 1.” On second reference, use “R1” or “Carnegie R1.”

Chair

“Chair” or “chairperson” is suitable for all general references to the person leading a group. If using the formal title of a specific person, “chairman,” “chairwoman” or “chairperson” may be substituted. Capitalize if it precedes the individual’s name. Example: “[Company name] Chairperson Jane Doe.”

Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal

First reference:

• “C. Mauli Agrawal” as an official signature to campus letters and informal or official uses, such as listings in event programs.
• “Mauli Agrawal” when used in sentences and paragraphs — web stories, press releases, speeches by others that reference him, etc.

Second reference:

• “Chancellor Agrawal” or “the chancellor.” 

Class of 

Class is always capitalized when writing “Class of” followed by the four-digit year. Example: "Class of 1979." You may use this reference for an anticipated degree for current students. Example: Class of 2030.

Classes

Capitalize the proper names of classes. Example: “From Bench to Bedside: Translational Research, Entrepreneurial Real Estate Process, Theory and Criticism in English Studies.”

General references to classes are not capitalized except when a word is a proper noun. Examples: “the research class,” “the real estate class,” “the English class.”

When a class has multiple elements, use “and” instead of an ampersand. Example: “Hydraulics and Variability of Rivers.” 

College/university

Do not capitalize when not part of a proper name. Do not write "colleges and universities;" use just one option. Example: "UMKC is among the top universities in the region."

Copy line breaks

Readjust formatting or reword your sentence when a single word with fewer than five letters appears on the last line of a paragraph. In addition, copy flowing from one paragraph into the top of the next column must cover at least half the width of the column.

Coordinating Board for Higher Education

Always use "for." It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as Coordinating Board of Higher Education. 

Coursework

One word, lowercase.

Credit hours

When writing about credit hours in body copy, spell out numbers one through nine and use figures for 10 and above. Examples: “The student has taken two credit hours.” “The student has taken 12 credit hours.”

In shorter fields or when used as a graphic element, you may use figures for numerals one through nine. Example: "Credit hours: 3".

Critical Materials Crossroads Engine

Use U.S. National Science Foundation Critical Materials Crossroads Engine on first reference. For subsequent references, use NSF Critical Materials Crossroads Engine.

The Curators of the University of Missouri

Spell out in first mention, include "The" with capital T, even when not at the start of the sentence. For second reference, you may use "The University of Missouri Board of Curators." For subsequent references, use common nouns, such as "board of curators," "board" or "curators."

D

Dashes

Use the em dash (—) with a space on either side in sentences to indicate a break in thought. Example: “The university observes many holidays — including Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day — and is closed on those days.”

Use an em dash before attribution to an author or composer. Example: "'Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.' — Oscar Wilde."

Use an em dash before an attribution with a statistic. Example: “No. 1 in student experience and social mobility among public universities in Missouri and Kansas — Wall Street Journal”

Never use an en dash (–). To indicate a range of numbers, use a hyphen. Example: “3-4 p.m.”

Dates

Do not use ordinal numbers or suffixes ("first," “1st,” “4th," etc.) for dates. Capitalize the first letter in the month in all uses. Examples: “The event was held on Nov. 4, 2023.” “The event was held last November.” “The next event will be held on April 2, 2025.” “The event will be held next April.”

Within an article:

Dates should be written as time, date and location. Spell out the month unless it is used with a specific date, then abbreviate to "Jan.," "Feb.," "Aug.," "Sept.," "Oct.," "Nov." and "Dec." Do not abbreviate March, April, May, June or July. On the web, months can be abbreviated when there are character count limitations.

When the event is within the present year, do not list the year. Example: “The meeting begins at 4 p.m., Jan. 14, in Scofield Hall.”

Within an invitation:

Dates should be written as date, time and location. Always spell out the month. Day of the week and year may also be listed, but omit the year if the event is taking place in the current year. Example: “UMKC Alumni Awards, Friday, April 5, 6:30 p.m.” 

The Dean’s Gallery

The official name of the second-floor gallery at the Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center. Singular, possessive with "The" with a capital T at the front, even when not at the beginning of a sentence.

Department names

Capitalize the proper names of academic and general departments and academic and support programs on first reference. Examples: “Department of Theatre,” “Office of the Registrar,” "School of Graduate Studies," "First Gen Roo," “Department of English.”

On subsequent and general references, use a common noun or nouns, and only capitalize when a proper noun is included. Examples: “the theatre department,” “the registrar's office,” “the English department,” "the first-generation-student program."

When a department has multiple elements, use “and” instead of an ampersand or other special character. Example: "Department of Physics and Astronomy." The only exceptions to this rule are the "Department of Architecture, Urban Planning + Design" and "Office of Equity & Title IX."

Diastole Scholars' Center

Formerly “The Mary Clark and E. Grey Dimond Scholars’ Center;” spell out the formal name on first reference. In subsequent references, use a common noun, such as "center."

Disclaimers

Use an asterisk to denote a disclaimer in print material. Place it after all punctuation except the dash. You must always include the corresponding, asterisked copy at the bottom of the page. If more than one disclaimer appears on a page, the characters are to be used in this order:

• Asterisk (*)
• Dagger (†)
• Double dagger (‡)
• Section sign (§)

Do not use use asterisks or other special characters in web copy. Place the disclaimer directly after the original statement without any special characters.

E

Emerita/emeriti/emeritus

Retired or honorably discharged from active professional duty, but retaining the title of one's office or position. Place the word after the formal title, capitalizing when used before a name, but not after. Example: "Jane Doe, professor emerita." 

The term you will use is based on gender:

• Emeritus: male.
• Emerita: female.
• Emeriti: gender neutral. 

Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

Prestigious awards presented annually by the Henry W. Bloch School of Management since 1985. Spell out “Entrepreneur of the Year Awards” in the first reference and use common nouns, such as "awards" or "event" thereafter. 

Equal opportunity statement

This statement is required, along with a UMKC logo, for any published work or website that involves hiring: “UMKC is an equal opportunity employer." 

Equity biographies

Exceptions to the title styles are allowed in accordance with the rules of the actors’ union. Contact the information specialist for Kansas City Repertory Theatre at 816-235-1579 for specific guidelines.

F

Faculty

Refers to a teacher or a body of teachers within a school or university. Often, “faculty” is used to indicate more than one. When indicating plural, however, it is clearer to non-academic audiences to write or say, “faculty members are ... .” 

Flarsheim Hall

Formerly “Robert H. Flarsheim Science and Technology Hall,” “Flarsheim Hall” is currently used for first mention. Use a common noun, such as "hall" or "the building" for subsequent references.

Foundations

UMKC is fortunate to benefit from the efforts of five institutionally related foundations: The UMKC Foundation, Dr. Roy J. Rinehart Memorial Foundation, the Pharmacy Foundation, the UMKC Law Foundation and the Research Foundation.

The Dr. Roy J. Rinehart Memorial Foundation benefits the School of Dentistry. On second reference use “Rinehart Foundation.”

Freshman

“First-year student" is preferred. Do not use “freshperson” or “freshwoman.”

G

Grade point average

“GPA” is acceptable in all references for grade point average. If it is necessary to spell out grade point average, it should be all lowercase.

Cumulative/core GPA:

Cumulative GPA is calculated by considering all courses taken during high school. This includes electives, as well as core classes. A student’s core GPA refers only to their grade point average from the “core four” courses in English, math, science and history.

H

Healthcare

One word in all instances. 

Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building

The Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building on the Health Sciences Campus will include UMKC School of Dentistry patient clinics, UMKC School of Medicine simulation labs, a UMKC biomedical engineering collaboration space, the UMKC Health Equity Institute and the NextGen Data Science and Analytics Innovation Center, also known as dSAIC. Use the full name on first reference, and a common noun on subsequent references. Do not use the initials.

Health Sciences District

The Health Sciences District is a collaboration between Hospital Hill-area healthcare partners and civic agencies on research, grants and health initiatives in Kansas City and beyond. Do not confuse the Health Sciences District with the UMKC Health Sciences Campus. 

I

Information Exchange Theater

This is the official name of the performance area in the southeast corner of the first floor of the Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center. Also acceptable is “iX Theater" with a lowercase "i" and uppercase “X.” 

Institute for Urban Education

In first reference, use “Institute for Urban Education." You may use "IUE" in parentheses following the name in the first mention, as long as it's not in a headline or web heading, and IUE for subsequent references. You may also use  a common noun, such as "the institute" for subsequent references.

Insure/ensure

Insure means “protect against loss, damage or injury” or “provide or obtain insurance on.” Ensure means “make certain that something will occur.”

International Student and Scholar Services

Previously called the International Student Affairs Office (ISAO), the office that supports international students and scholars changed its name to International Student and Scholar Services in 2026. The office's email address also changed from isao@umkc.edu to international@umkc.edu.

K

Kansas City Athletics

The UMKC athletics department should always be referred to as Kansas City Athletics. The organization's brand is parallel but distinct from the official university brand.

For information on authority, trademark and use of the Kansas City Athletics brand, refer to KC Roos visual identity guide (PDF) or email licensing.

Kansas City, Missouri

Spell out the city and state and separate with a comma. If used within a sentence, add a comma after "Missouri."

The use of “KC” and “KCMO” are acceptable in marketing copy for a local audience and on social media. Do not use “K.C." or "Mo.”

When referencing the city and the areas surrounding it, use “Greater Kansas City area” or “Kansas City metropolitan area.” 

Kansas City Repertory Theatre

Spell out on first reference. you may use “the Rep” or “KC Rep” or common nouns, such as "the theatre" in subsequent references.

Kasey Kangaroo

The former name of the UMKC mascot, to be used only in historical reference. 

KC Roo

• Official mascot of UMKC, always capitalized: KC Roos. Shortened, also capitalized: Roo. Example: “Become a Roo!”
• Avoid references to the “kangaroo” as the UMKC mascot, except to give historical context. Kasey Kangaroo is the former name of the UMKC mascot and should not be used in present tense.
• For additional brand guidelines surrounding the UMKC mascot, open the KC Roos visual identity guide (PDF). 

KCUR

“KCUR 89.3” on first reference, “KCUR” on subsequent references.

M

Majors

Lowercase academic majors unless they are a proper noun, like "English," or when used in conjunction with the official academic degree.

Examples:

"UMKC’s Bachelor of Science in Accounting program is amazing."
"UMKC’s B.S. in Accounting program is amazing."
"UMKC’s accounting program is amazing."
"UMKC’s bachelor’s in accounting program is amazing."
"Sally Smith is an accounting major."
"Sally Smith is hoping to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting."
"Sally Smith holds a degree in accounting."
"Sally Smith holds a degree in English." 

Midwest/midwestern

Capitalized when used as a noun describing the region: “Missouri is in the Midwest.” Not capitalized when used as an adjective: “Missouri is a midwestern state.” 

Midnight

This term stands alone. Do not put a “12” in front. As an alternative to “midnight,” “12 a.m.” is also acceptable but not preferred. 

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Spell out on first references. For subsequent references, use "Missouri S&T" or "S&T" or a common noun, such as "university."

N

Noon

This term stands alone, uncapitalized. Do not put a “12” in front of it. As an alternative to “noon,” “12 p.m.” is also acceptable but not preferred.

Numerals

In body copy, spell out whole numbers below 10 and use figures for 10 and above. You may use figures in short fields and design elements not included in body copy.

Use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0) unless Roman numerals (I, V, X, L) are specifically required, such as for wars and to show personal sequence for animals and people, such as “World War II” or “King George VI.”

Do not use ordinal numbers (first, second, third) or add a suffix ("th," "st," "rd") to numerals.

Millions, billions and trillions:

• Use figures with million, billion or trillion in all except casual uses Examples: "The nation has 1 million citizens." "The government ran a deficit of more than $1 trillion." "I'd like to make a billion dollars."
• Decimals are preferred over fractions where practical, but do not go beyond two decimal places. Examples: "1.5 million." "7.51 million people" Not: "1 1/2 million"
• Do not mix millions and billions in the same figure: Example: "2.6 billion." Not: "2 billion 600 million."
• Do not drop the word million or billion in the first figure of a range. Example: He is worth from $2 million to $4 million." Not: "$2 to $4 million," unless you really mean $2.
• Do not use a hyphen to join the figures and the word million or billion. Example: "The president submitted a $300 billion budget."
• In headlines, abbreviate only millions and billions. Example: "$5M lawsuit," "$17.4B trade deficit.

P

Percent

Use the “%” symbol when paired with a number, with no space, in most cases. Spell out zero percent. Examples: “He won 56.2% of the vote.” “She said he has a zero percent chance of winning.”

If it is necessary to start a sentence with a percent, spell out both. Example: “Eighty-nine percent of sentences don’t have to begin with a number.”

Use percentage, rather than percent, when not paired with a number. Example: “The percentage of people agreeing is small.” 

Pierson Auditorium

Formerly referred to as “Pierson Hall,” this room is in the Atterbury Student Success Center. Include reference to Atterbury Student Success Center to avoid having individuals unfamiliar with UMKC looking for a “Pierson Auditorium” building.

Q

Quadrangle/the Quad

A UMKC reference to the area on Volker campus bounded by Scofield Hall, Newcomb Hall, Royall Hall, Haag Hall and Flarsheim Hall. If used as a general reference to a rectangular green space at a university or college, use lower case. Examples: "Let's meet on the Quad." “Students gather on Notre Dame’s quadrangle.”

R

Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

In first reference, spell out the first name. Use “Regnier Institute” or “the institute” in subsequent references. 

Regnier Venture Creation Challenge

A competition held every April by the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Use “the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge” on the first reference and “Venture Creation Challenge” on second reference. For subsequent references, use a common noun, such as "the challenge."

Relay Missouri Phone Numbers

When using a university phone number for response or more information in printed materials, a requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act is that additional phone numbers be listed. Use: “Relay MO: 800-735-2966 (TTY)” 

Rinehart Foundation

The Dr. Roy J. Rinehart Memorial Foundation benefits the School of Dentistry. Spell out the full name in the first reference. For the second reference, use “Rinehart Foundation.”

RooBot

The automated storage and retrieval system (aka “the robot”) at Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center is named RooBot, with a capital “R” and a capital “B,” no space, hyphen or “the.”

Roo Plaza

In 2025, UMKC celebrated the grand opening of Roo Plaza, a vibrant, new campus and community hangout space on 51st Street between Rockhill and Cherry streets. Always referred to as “Roo Plaza.” No other space on campus may be referred to as “Roo Plaza."

Roo Up!

When referencing the hand sign, always use a capital R and capital U with no exclamation mark. Example: “The students were giving the Roo Up gesture at the game last week.” When using the term “Roo Up!” in email signatures or when telling someone to use the gesture, capitalize the R and U and include the quotation mark. Example: "Roo Up!"

S

Seasons

At UMKC, “Fall Semester,” “Winter Semester” and “Summer Session” are formal names. Other uses: “Fall 2009,” “Winter and Summer 2009.” Otherwise, lowercase spring, summer, fall, winter when referencing the season of the year. Capitalize only if part of a formal name: “Kansas City Spring Festival.”

Social Media handles

When referencing a social media handle, always use the @ sign in front of the handle. Example: “@UMKCinKC”

If your handles are different on different channels, include the channel icon or name. Example: “Instagram: @UMKCinKC”

Sports

Men’s and women’s sports receive possessive apostrophes. Examples: “men’s soccer,” “women’s basketball." Sports offered to only one gender do not receive the designation (i.e. “softball,” not “women’s softball”).

Student Union

Use “UMKC Student Union” in the first reference, “Student Union” in subsequent references.

Study Abroad and Global Engagement

Study Abroad and Global Engagement is the office that supports UMKC students applying and attending international programs. Its email address changed from international@umkc.edu to studyabroad@umkc.edu in 2026.

Swinney Center

Spell out on first reference. Use "Swinney" or a common noun, such as "the center" for subsequent references.

“Swinney Center” refers to the building. Use “UMKC Campus Recreation” when referring to the many services provided by Swinney staff to students, staff, faculty and the community.

T

Theatre/theater

Use “theatre” when referencing the UMKC Department of Theatre and in all copy for the Department of Theatre. Use “theater” in all other publications, unless the proper name is theatre, such as Spencer Theatre. 

Time

Lowercase and use periods with time notations. Use figures except for "noon" and "midnight." Time ranges are listed with no space on either side of the hyphen. Examples: "1 p.m.," "3 a.m.," "noon-2 p.m."

Avoid redundancies such as “8 p.m. tonight.”

If your seminar is from 10 in the morning to 6 in the evening, write “10 a.m.-6 p.m.” rather than “10-6.” If it is from 10-11 in the morning, write “10-11 a.m.” 

Titles

Confine capitalization to formal titles used directly before an individual’s name. Lowercase and spell out titles used alone: “The vice chancellor for academic affairs issued a memo.” Lowercase and spell out titles in constructions that set them off from a name by commas: “The UMKC chancellor, Mauli Agrawal, was available for questions after the meeting.” 

Formal titles:

• A formal title is generally one that denotes a scope of authority, professional activity or academic accomplishment so specific that the designation becomes almost as much an integral part of an individual’s identity as a proper name itself. Upon first reference, list formal title. On second reference use last name only.
• Capitalize formal titles when they are used immediately before one or more names: “President Barack Obama”; “Chancellor Agrawal.”
• Other titles serve primarily as occupational descriptions: “anchorperson Katie Couric,” “humorist Dave Barry.”
• Abbreviate “Honorable” in judges’ titles: “Hon. Jane Doe”

 Abbreviated titles:

• The following formal titles are capitalized and abbreviated as shown when used before a name outside quotations: Dr., Gov., Hon., Lt. Gov., Rep., the Rev., Sen. And certain military ranks. Spell out all except “Dr.” when they are used in quotations.

Past and future titles:

• A formal title that an individual formerly held, is about to hold or holds temporarily is capitalized if used before the person's name, but do not capitalize the qualifying word: “former President Carter”; “interim Vice Chancellor Mary Smith.” 

• Separate and lowercase a long title from a name by a construction that requires a comma: “Jon Doe, vice chancellor of human resources, asked for the application forms.” 

• If the title applies only to one person in an organization, insert the word “the” in a construction that uses commas: “Joe Jefferson, the deputy secretary, spoke to the group.” 

• Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as professor, dean, president, chancellor, chairman, etc., when they precede a name. Lowercase elsewhere: “former Chancellor and Provost Eleanor Brantley Schwartz,” or “George Russell, former chancellor, spoke at the event.” 

  Capitalize only when used as a formal title before the full name. Example: “Dean John Doe.”

  When a formal title follows a name, the title is lowercase because it serves the purpose of adding information about the person rather than emphasizing the title and name relationship. Example: “John Doe, dean of the School of Law, says ...” 

• If modifiers are necessary, such as “political science,” always lowercase. Use the name before the title (“Jon Doe, political science professor,”) instead of the title before the name (“political science professor, John Doe”). Apply the same principles with “department”: “John Smith, political science department chair.” 

• An honorary professorship is often awarded to people who have an active academic relationship with the university and may be appointed the special designation by the provost, chancellor or UM System leadership.
• Unlike most titles, honorary titles are always capitalized whether used before or after a professor’s name. Examples: “Curator’s Professor Jon Doe said,” “John Doe, Endowed Associate Professor of Theatre and director of the Theatre Division, said,” 
• Always use a plural possessive and capitalize Curators’ Distinguished Professor ,even after a name. Examples: “Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Music Composition Jane Doe,” “Jane Doe, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Music Composition.”

• Never use italics to indicate a composition title.
• Use quotation marks around titles of books, movies, plays, poems, albums, songs, operas, radio and television programs, lectures, speeches, works of art and video games.
• Do not use quotation marks or italic type for newspapers, magazines or journals. Lowercase magazine unless it is part of the publication’s formal title: Harper’s Magazine, Newsweek magazine, Time magazine.
• Do not use quotation marks around holy books, books that are primarily catalogs of reference material, catalogs, almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, gazetteers, handbooks and similar publications.
• Do not use quotation marks around software titles, such as Windows or apps, or around names of video, online or analog versions of games.
• Do not use quotation marks for sculptures: The Thinker, Michaelangelo’s Pieta.
• For classical music titles, use quotation marks around the composition’s nicknames but not compositions identified by their sequence 

• Capitalize all words in a title except articles (a, an, the); prepositions of three or fewer letters (for, of, on, up, etc.); and conjunctions of three or fewer letters (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet, etc.) unless any of those start or end the title.
• Capitalize prepositions of four or more letters (above, after, down, inside, over, with, etc.) and conjunctions of four or more letters (because, while, since, though, etc.)

• Use “Mr.,” “Mrs.” and “Miss” only in obituaries, in reference to couples, in direct quotations or where essential for effect, as in editorials and critiques. Do not use the terms with surnames after first reference.
• Refer to married women by their first names and surnames and without the term “Mrs.,” unless only the husband’s first name is known. Exceptions may be made in donor lists at the donor’s request.
• Refer to single women by their first names and surnames without the term “Miss” or “Ms.” Exceptions may be made in donor lists at the donor’s request. 

• Use Rep., Reps., Sen. and Sens. as formal titles before one or more names in regular text. Spell out and capitalize these titles before one or more names in a direct quotation. Spell out and lowercase “representative” and “senator” in other uses.
• Spell out other legislative titles in all uses.
• Capitalize when they are used before a name. Lowercase in other uses.
• Add “U.S.” or “state” before a title only if necessary to avoid confusion: U.S. Sen. Jane Doe.
• Do not use legislative titles before a name on second reference unless they are a part of a direct quotation. 

• Refer to the AP Stylebook for specific rules regarding military titles. 

• Refer to the AP Stylebook for specific guidelines on use of religious titles.

Toward

Use "toward," not "towards."

U

UMKC Blue and Gold

UMKC’s official colors are UMKC Blue and UMKC Gold. Always capitalize. When referencing “Roo Blue” (such as on social media or “Roo Blue Friday”) always capitalize Roo Blue.

UMKC Board of Trustees

Spell out and capitalize initial letters on first mention. Examples: “UMKC Board of Trustees" or “UMKC Trustees.”

Use common nouns in lowercase in subsequent references. Examples: “board of trustees” and “the trustees.” 

UMKC Conservatory

Spell out and capitalize initial letters on first mention. Examples: "UMKC Conservatory" or "Conservatory." 

For subsequent references, use a common noun. Examples: "conservatory" and "school." 

UMKC Foundation

Use “UMKC Foundation” in the first reference and “the foundation” or other common noun in subsequent references referring to the UMKC Foundation. 

University

When using the word “university” as a second reference for an institution, do not capitalize “university.” Example: “UMKC has many degree programs. The university announced a new program last year.”

University of Kansas City

Before becoming part of the University of Missouri System, UMKC was the private University of Kansas City. UKC, often referred to by alumni as KCU, was chartered in 1929, but classes were first held in Fall 1933, the official anniversary year. 

Spell out and capitalize initial letters on first mention. Example: "University of Kansas City."

For subsquent references, use "UKC" or a common noun in all lowercase. Example: "university."

University of Missouri-Columbia

On first mention, spell out the long-form name of the university. For second reference, you may use "UM-Columbia" or "Columbia campus." You may also use common nouns, such as "university," in subsquent references.

University of Missouri-Kansas City/UMKC

On first mention, spell out the name of the university and capitalize initial letters. Never use "UMKC" in parentheses behind the long-form name. In all other subsequent references, use a common noun. Example: "I enrolled at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. I am going to be a junior at the university."

Always use a hyphen — not a dash — when spelling out the university's name. Do not add a space on either side of the hyphen between the words Missouri and Kansas City.  Examples:

• University of Missouri-Kansas City
• The University of Missouri-Kansas City

Do not use spaces on either side of the hyphen to overcome line breaks.

Incorrect examples:

• University of Missouri-
  Kansas City
• University of
  Missouri-Kansas City

In situations where there is already brand awareness, you may use "UMKC" instead of the long-form name. 

Do not use a line break for the abbreviation. Incorrect example:

• UM
  KC

In informal communication, where the long-form name or "UMKC" already appear, such as on the web and social media, you may refer to UMKC as "we" or "our." Examples: "We provide a rigorous education" and "Our programs meet accreditation standards." 

University of Missouri System

The University of Missouri System includes the Office of the President and staff, research not administered by campus, non-campus administrative units and support services for the entire UM System.

On first mention, spell out the name of the organization with initial capitalization. For subsequent references, you may use "UM" or "UM System," or common nouns, such as "university system."

University of Missouri-St. Louis

On first mention, spell out the name of the organization. For subsequent references, you may use "UMSL" or "UM-St. Louis" or a common noun, such as "university."

Urban Education Research Center

Use “Urban Education Research Center” in the first reference; you may use “UERC” or a common noun, such as "the center" in subsequent references. 

U.S./United States

Use the abbreviated form "U.S." as an adjective, but the full name when used as a noun. Examples: “The U.S. policy is under scrutiny.” “The United States is joining the cause.”

V

Victor Wilson Learning Collaborative

On first reference, always spell out “Victor Wilson Learning Collaborative at Miller Nichols Library.” On second reference, use the full name or a common noun, such as “the space.”