1. education
2. graduate school
3. college

abbreviations
academic
ms bulleted lists campus ad-
Carleton University
esses campus buildings and loc
Style Guide
capitalization contractions d
A reference
for communicators
d years
degrees,
diplomas a
tificates editing opinion piece
ent listings formatting
gram
mar tips and word usage guid
es on writing hyphenatio
ernet capitalization web ad
esses email addresses money
mes
geography
nizations trade names
people
num
ers sequential items fraction
ercentages dashes pun
ation commas ellipses parenth
Reference sources
Canadian Oxford Dictionary and the Canadian
Press Stylebook: A Guide for Writing and Editing.
Recommending changes to the guide
The style guide steering committee welcomes
suggestions regarding content from the Carleton
University community. You can submit proposed
changes to the committee via the online “change
request” on the Department of University
Communications website: carleton.ca/duc.
Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................1
Abbreviations..............................................................2
 In running text
Punctuation
 Plurals of abbreviations
Academic terms.........................................................3
Bulleted lists................................................................3
Campus addresses....................................................3
Campus buildings and locations..........................4
Capitalization..............................................................4
 Academic and administrative references
 Academic subjects, programs and courses
 Other academic terms
 Acts and other legal documents
 Geographic and political terms
 Internet-related terms
 Numbered components or divisions
Organizations
 Plants and animals
Slogans
 Titles of articles and headings
 Titles of publications, films,
works of art, songs, etc.
Contractions................................................................8
Dates and years.........................................................8
Degrees, diplomas and certificates....................8
 Honorary degrees
Editing opinion pieces.............................................9
Event listings...............................................................9
Formatting...................................................................10
 End-of-line hyphenation
Italics
Grammar tips and word usage.............................11
Guidelines on writing...............................................12
Hyphenation................................................................12
Internet.........................................................................13
Capitalization


Web addresses (URLs)
Email addresses
Metric measurements..............................................15
Money...........................................................................15
Names...........................................................................16
Geography
Organizations
People

Trade names
Numbers.......................................................................17

Sequential items
Fractions
Percentages
Punctuation.................................................................19
Commas
Dashes
Ellipses
Parentheses

Quotation marks
Seasons.........................................................................21
Spelling.........................................................................22
Telephone numbers..................................................22
Time...............................................................................22
Titles...............................................................................22


Professional academic titles
Titles with personal names
Vertical lists.............................................................................. 24
Appendix I: Glossary of academic terms...................... 26
Appendix II: Glossary of academic abbreviations..... 30
Appendix III: Campus buildings and locations............ 32
Appendix IV: Degrees, diplomas and certificates
currently awarded by Carleton University............... 34
Appendix V: Grammar tips and word usage................ 35
Appendix VI: Spelling........................................................... 45
Appendix VII: Guidelines on writing............................... 50
Introduction
Every year Carleton University produces more than
1,000 publications that are used to recruit students;
promote programs and events; communicate to
current faculty, staff, students and alumni; and
generally profile the university to large and varied
external audiences. These publications­—both printed
and electronic—need to be accurate, consistent and
clear, and to enhance the reputation and image of the
university.
The Carleton University Style Guide is a reference tool
that establishes a consistent standard for written
communication for Carleton University. This guide
is designed to help campus communicators adopt a
style that is consistent and appropriate in a university
environment, especially when they are writing for an
external audience.
The Department of University Communications is
responsible for maintaining the style guide. A steering
committee will meet as necessary to review and discuss
the current guide, and to approve suggestions for
changes to existing content. This committee consists
of the manager of public affairs, the editor of internal
communications, various university communication
officers, and the editors of the alumni magazine and
newsletters.
In general, this guide follows the most current versions
of the Canadian Press Stylebook for matters of style
and the Canadian Oxford Dictionary for spelling,
word usage and hyphenation. The guide also follows
the Canadian Press Caps and Spelling for spelling,
capitalization, organization names and abbreviations/
acronyms. When there is disagreement between
spelling sources, use the spelling in the Canadian
Oxford Dictionary.
Given the academic nature of the university, not all
Carleton publications will adhere strictly to this guide.
Certain publications (e.g., the convocation programs
and registrarial documents) may follow academic
conventions.
Questions or comments are welcome and should
be directed to the Department of University
Communications at 613-520-2600, ext. 3660.
1
Carleton University Style Guide
Abbreviations
Acronyms are words formed from the beginning
letter or letters of words and are pronounceable as
words (such as CUSA).
Initialisms are formed from the first letters only
of a series of words and are not pronounceable (for
example, IDRC). Both are types of abbreviations.
Always use the full term or name on first reference
followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. In second
and subsequent references, use the abbreviation. If
the publication is long, repeat the term or name and
the bracketed abbreviation periodically (especially if
you are using more than one). Where the publication
has chapters or distinct sections, reintroduce the
abbreviation on first reference in each chapter or
section.
 The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) has been serving the undergraduate
student population since 1942. CUSA is an
incorporated, non-profit, student-run
organization.
 The Council of Ontario Universities (COU)
represents the universities of Ontario. COU consists of the university presidents and a
member elected by senate from each
university.
Note
Abbreviations should not be introduced if they are not
used subsequently in the text, except when they are
needed for clearer identification of a term or name. Try
to avoid the use of too many abbreviations that might
make text appear too “insider” and bureaucratic.
For campus buildings and locations, use the
abbreviations in Appendix III. For other academic
abbreviations, see Appendix II.
Punctuation
Abbreviations for job titles and names of
organizations (and their divisions) generally do not
take periods.

MPP, ADM
NPSIA, CCS
 CBC, RCMP, UN
 CUPE, ISA

Carleton University Style Guide
2
Abbreviations of degrees, diplomas and certificates
do not take periods and there are no spaces
between their elements. Consult Appendix IV for
a list of abbreviations for the degrees, diplomas
and certificates currently awarded by Carleton
University.
Abbreviations that take periods are:



geographic locations (P.E.I., U.S.)
lowercase and mixed abbreviations (a.m., e.g., i.e., No., Mrs.)
initials, which have no spaces after each period (A.D. Dunton)
Use postal abbreviations for provinces and
territories (ON, SK, NT, etc.) in addresses but use
standard abbreviations (Ont., Sask., N.W.T., Que., etc.)
in all other contexts, including in tables.
Plurals of abbreviations
Simply add an “s” to an abbreviation to make it
plural. Use an apostrophe only when the last letter of
the abbreviation is an “s.”

LANs, PhDs
Academic terms
See Appendix I for a glossary of academic terms.
Bulleted lists
See Vertical lists section.
Campus addresses
Be sure to include the room number and building
name in campus addresses to ensure prompt and
accurate delivery of mail.
Spell out references to floors in campus addresses
(First floor, University Centre—not 1st floor). Do not
use the word “room,” or the abbreviation Rm., in
campus addresses and insert two spaces between the
province and the postal code.
3
Carleton University Style Guide
 Person’s name
Department’s name
### building name (e.g., 605 Robertson Hall,
not Rm. 605, Robertson Hall)
Carleton University
1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa ON K1S 5B6
Canada
The correct address for a student living in residence
is:

Student’s name
### building name
Carleton University
1233 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa ON K1S 5B7
Canada
Note
The four campus streets are University Drive,
Library Road, Campus Avenue and Raven Road.
These street names are not used in Carleton’s mailing
addresses.
Campus buildings and locations
See Appendix III for a list of campus buildings and
locations.
Capitalization
As a general rule, do not capitalize words just to
make them seem important. Important words and
phrases carry their own weight.
The university and government environments are different from that of the corporate sector,
not the University and Government environments are different from that of the corporate sector.
Academic and administrative references
When referring to Carleton University, or any other
university, lowercase “the university”.
Carleton University is located in the nation’s capital. The university. . . .
Carleton University Style Guide
4
Uppercase the names of the six faculties.
Board
senate
office
of Governors, the board
of the president, the president’s office
Academic subjects, programs and courses
Capitalize the formal names of degrees.
 Students applying to Bachelor of Architectural Studies program are required to submit a portfolio on March 29.

Carleton’s women’s studies program
But lowercase the names of program subjects and
disciplines in general references, except words that are
proper names (names of people, places, languages, etc.).
 She is taking history and sociology, as well as civil engineering.

He needs a French and a Canadian studies credit to complete his degree.
Capitalize and italicize formal course names.

He is taking Chemistry 1000
 in program-related publications: Chemistry 1000 (CHEM 1000).
Other academic terms (see page 39)
Lowercase the following:
—major, minor, honours, concentration, combined honours, combined major, specialization
—first year, second year, upper year
—undergraduate, graduate, full-time, part-time
—fall term, winter term
Note
Uppercase special student to avoid confusion with the
regular use of this adjective (e.g., special occasion). See
Appendix I for a definition of this term.
Acts and other legal documents
Uppercase (but do not italize) names of acts, historical
documents and important agreements.
5

Charter of Rights, Personal Information
Protection and Electronic Documents Act
North American Free Trade Agreement

Carleton University Style Guide
Geographic and political terms
Uppercase widely recognized geographic and political
divisions, and geographic features. Lowercase points of
the compass and less-established descriptive terms of
regions. See Section 4.21 in the Canadian Style for more
guidance.

Western Canada, Niagara Escarpment, Greater
Toronto Area

Parliament Hill

National Capital Region

the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario, the Ottawa River

east-end Ottawa

the Liberal Party of Canada, the Green Party
Note
Plurals of capitalized geographic and political terms
are considered generic nouns and are not capitalized.

lakes Erie and Huron, the Rideau and Ottawa
rivers

the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, the cities
of Calgary and Halifax
Internet-related terms
See the Internet section.
Numbered components or divisions
Capitalize volume, chapter, section, act, etc., when
followed by a number or letter to denote sequence,
but lowercase page, paragraph and line.

Grade 11, Level II, Section 4A

paragraph 4, page 16
Note
Plurals of these terms are considered generic nouns
and are not capitalized:

grades 9 to 12, sections II and III

chapters 2, 3 and 6
Organizations
See the Names section.
Plants and animals
Lowercase the common names of plants and animals,
except terms derived from proper names. For
Carleton University Style Guide
6
botanical and other scientific names, uppercase the
first word and lowercase the others.

maple, white pine, but Douglas fir

ruby-throated hummingbird, beagle, but Nova
Scotia duck tolling retriever

Acer rubrum, Acer saccharum, Archilochus
colubris
Note
If an explanation or definition is required, the
English translation should appear in brackets after
the term.
Slogans
Uppercase slogans (but do not use italics or quotation
marks).

This year’s campaign slogan is You Can Make a Difference.
Titles of articles and headings
Use sentence-style capitalization in the titles of articles
in newspapers and headings in publications. In other
words, capitalize only the first letter of a heading and
lowercase the rest of the words, except those that are
proper nouns.


Faculty member’s research expected to help ... heart attack and stroke patients
Provincial government provides $1 million for Carleton’s Talent First program
 How to register/When to register/Who to
contact for more information
When referring to the title of an article or a section of
a publication in running text use quotation marks. See
Quotation marks subsection (under Punctuation) for
details.
Titles of publications, films, works of art, songs, etc.
Capitalize the principal words in titles: nouns,
pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs and prepositions
and conjunctions of four letters or more. (Prepositions
are the relational words—between, in, of, over, etc.
Conjunctions are the joining words—and, but, or, if,
etc.) Capitalize the first and last words in a title, even
if they are not principal words, and capitalize the first
word of a subtitle.
7
Carleton University Style Guide


Canadian Press Stylebook: A Guide for Writing and Editing
Carleton University Prospectus

Gone With the Wind
Capitalize the word “The” at the start of titles if it is
part of the official title.
 He reads The New York Times although she reads the Ottawa Citizen.
See the Italics subsection (under Formatting) and
Quotation marks subsection (under Punctuation)
concerning which titles are italicized and which take
quotation marks.
Contractions
Generally, contractions should be avoided except in
quotations and deliberately casual texts.
Dates and years
Repeat all figures in ranges of numbers, except
in years: 2008−’09 (note the en dash joining the
numbers).
Use the format Nov. 6—not 6 November, November
6th, November 6th or November sixth.
Insert a comma after the day of the week, and the
day of the month (Friday, Dec. 4, 2008; May 24, 2009).
There is no comma when only the month and year are
mentioned (April 2000). In running text, there is a
comma after the year, too.
 the 1990s or ‘90s—not the 1990’s or the nineties
 the class of ’99
 the 21st century
 March 6 to 10, 2008
 In June 2008, almost 3,100 students graduated from Carleton University.
Degrees, diplomas and certificates
The following are some commonly used degree
references. See Appendix IV for a more complete list.


Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)
Carleton University Style Guide
8
BA (Hons) or BA (Hons)
bachelor’s degree
 Master of Arts (MA)
 master’s degree
 Doctor of Philosophy (area of study)
 doctoral degree or doctorate


When referring to Carleton alumni, separate the
degree designation from the year of graduation with
an oblique, and omit the apostrophe before the year.
 Fred Barrett, BEng/89, is an amateur astronomer.
 BA/95, not BA ’95
 BA(Hons)/97
 MA/99
 PhD/01
As indicated in the abbreviation section, there are no
periods or spaces within this type of abbreviation.
Honorary degrees
All of the following forms are acceptable in running
text, but maintain consistency within publications
and series of publications.

John Manley will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa
John Manley will receive an honorary doctorate degree

John Manley, LL.D, honoris causa

Editing opinion pieces
Letters to the editor, excerpts from published
materials, direct quotes, poems and so on, should
appear as provided by the author. You may choose
to edit letters for length and to correct obvious
grammatical errors, but you must be careful not to
change the sense of the original submission.
Titles of books, papers and articles should appear
exactly as provided by the author.
Event listings
Information to promote events on campus should
consist of (in the following order): title, day, date
(including the year, when required), time, room and
9
Carleton University Style Guide
building. Do not use abbreviations, except in the time
designations.

Event title or name
Thursday, April 10, 2008
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
608 Robertson Hall
Carleton University
When presenting event information in running text,
separate the elements with commas:

Event title or name, Thursday, April 10, 2008, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 608 Robertson Hall, Carleton University
Note
Use the en dash (–) to separate times in an invitation
or announcement (e.g., 9 – 11 a.m.) but use “to“ in
running text. In this context, insert a space before
and after the en dash.
Formatting
Even when a text will be laid out by a graphic
designer, the editor must do some formatting of
the document before it goes to design and layout.
If there are double spaces after periods and colons,
change all to single spaces (you can use Find and
Replace to do this in Word documents). Change all
straight quotation marks and apostrophes to “smart”
quotation marks and “smart” apostrophes (the curly
or slanted kind, depending on the font).
End-of-line hyphenation
Where hyphenation is allowed, use hyphens to
break a word over two lines in the final form of a
publication.

The MacOdrum Library was named in honour of Carleton’s second president,
Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum.
Avoid hyphenating a word that is already
hyphenated.

The presentation was made today, and the cheque was accepted by the vice-president.
Italics
Italicize foreign words or phrases that have not come
into common use in English. When in doubt, follow
Carleton University Style Guide
10
the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.

supra, froideur, in absentia
Acer rubrum, Acer saccharum


But ad hoc, per se, alma mater, apropos, de facto, genus, ex officio, professor emeritus
Use italics for the names, titles and subtitles of
courses, lectures, seminars, conferences, meetings
and workshops (but not the names of programs).
Italicize the titles and subtitles of the following if
they have been published, posted on websites or
otherwise officially released.


books, reports, pamphlets, proceedings and collections, journals and magazines, other periodicals and newspapers
collections of poetry and long poems published separately (title of short poems are in roman type and quoted)

plays and films

titles of music compositions

paintings, sculptures and other works of art

names or titles of events
— 2008−’09 Carleton University Undergraduate Calendar
— Carleton Now, Ottawa Citizen
— a painting titled Fog Over Gros Morne National Park
— employee recognition event Summer Fest
Parts of publications, compositions, audiovisual
programs, etc. should be in roman (or regular)
type, but enclosed in quotation marks. Examples
are chapter titles, titles of magazine or newspaper
articles, and episodes in television series.
See Quotation marks subsection (under Punctuation
section) for detailed guidelines.
Note
Names of government legislation and agreements are
not italicized.
11

Charter of Human Rights
Carleton University Style Guide
Grammar tips and word usage
See Appendix V.
Guidelines on writing
See Appendix VII for guidelines and tips, including
plain language principles and how to avoid bias in
communication.
Hyphenation
It is often difficult to decide when to leave terms
as two words (open), hyphenate them or write them
as one word (closed). Some basic style guidelines
follow, based on the Canadian Press Stylebook. You
should also consult the Canadian Oxford Dictionary,
but in some cases these two reference sources will
contradict each other. If they do, use the hypenation
in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. It is sometimes
helpful to remember that compounds begin as two
separate words, get hyphenated when they become
recognized terms and finally become one word. (For
example, data base has become database, Web site is
now website, on-line is online and e-mail is written
as email.)
Hyphenate a compound adjective when it comes
before the noun (i.e., it is a modifier), but not after it.
When deciding whether to hyphenate a compound,
think about whether hyphenation will clarify
meaning (for example, a small business tax and
a small-business tax mean two different things).
Also, be sure to treat similar terms consistently (for
example, high-speed internet, low-speed internet).
 She directs their computer-assisted reference services, but almost all our services are computer assisted.


He lives in off-campus housing, but his home is off campus.
He is a well-respected professor, but Prof. Joseph Thomas is well respected.
When there is more than one compound modifier, use
a hyphen after each modifier.

First- and second-year students must register for this event by Jan. 1.
Carleton University Style Guide
12
Note
This construction can be avoided by rephrasing the
sentence.

Students in first and second year must register for this event by Jan. 1.
Do not use a hyphen with compounds containing
adverbs (which often end in “ly”) because it is already
clear that the adverbs are modifiers.

a highly-educated member of the executive

a truly wonderful experience, not a truly-
wonderful experience
Use a hyphen to join prefixes to proper names, and to
join an initial capital to a word or number.

non-Spanish, anti-Communist

X-ray, T-shirt, pre-2000
Leave compounds such as high school “open” (no
hyphenation) when the term is used to modify a noun,
especially if the compound is a familiar one.


high school students, not high-school students
grade point average, not grade-point average
Note
Many words beginning with common prefixes
are “closed” (no hyphen or space). But hyphenate
compounds to avoid doubling a vowel, tripling a
consonant, duplicating a prefix or misreading a term.
 extracurricular, interlibrary, interdisciplinary, multicultural, subcommittee
 re-emerge
 brass-surfaced
 sub-subcommittee
 resign from her position versus re-sign the agreement
Internet
Capitalization
Capitalize Internet, World Wide Web. Lowercase the
net, the web.
These are exceptions to the Canadian Oxford
Dictionary and the Canadian Press Stylebook.
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Carleton University Style Guide
Web addresses (URLs)
When providing an actual web address (URL) in printed
or electronic communications, you do not need to
include “http://” because it is the most common start of
such addresses and almost all web software supplies
it automatically. Some addresses begin with other
elements (e.g., ftp://), and these must be included.
Allow long web addresses to split onto two lines,
but be sure they split before the punctuation marks
(oblique, period or @ sign).
 More information is available on the company’s new website, at: www.microsoft.com
/monopoly.html.
*Note: use colon if the web address is at the end of the sentence.
Use a period to end a website address (URL) that
points to a directory (assuming an index.html file) or
ends a sentence. Do not underline or italicize website
addresses.

Visit our website at: carleton.ca.

More information is available on the department’s website, at: carleton.ca/safety.
Note
Many Carleton University websites do not require the
“www” in order to work. You must, however, verify
whether a given address does require this prefix and
include it when necessary.
www.library.carleton.ca
Email addresses
Email addresses are usually lowercased, but write them
exactly as they appear in the actual email address. Do
not use angle brackets or parentheses around email
addresses.
Insert a period after an email address that appears
at the end of a sentence. Readers will assume that the
period is not included as part of the address.
 Please send me a message at jane_doe@
carleton.ca.
Carleton University Style Guide
14
 You can contact the editor at
[email protected].
Metric measurements
Use metric units of measurement in most cases. Some
exceptions are when working with historical material,
American texts and fields that still use imperial
measures. Examples of the latter are construction
(e.g., framing is still done on 16-inch centres) and
North American football. If you must keep the
imperial measurement in the text, provide the metric
equivalent in parentheses.

The Carleton University campus is 153.2 acres (62 hectares).
In general, spell out metric units. For long, complex
units, spell them out on first reference with the
short form in brackets, and then use the short form
thereafter.

24 kilometres, a seven-kilogram weight limit

40 kilometres per hour (km/h)
Note
The short forms for metric units are not
abbreviations—they are symbols. Therefore, do not
use periods with them (except at the end of a sentence)
and do not add “s” in plural contexts. Separate metric
symbols from numbers with a single space.

35 mm, 24 km

3 sq. cm, 19 cu. m
See the Metric section in the Canadian Press Stylebook
for more details, a metric conversion table and metric
symbols.
Money
Always use figures for sums of money. Omit zeros after
the decimal point.


Tickets are $2 for students, $3 for others.
Tickets are $2 for students, $2.50 for others.
When indicating large sums of money, use figures with
a dollar sign; spell out million or billion.
15
 They raised $3.2 million for the Millennium Project.
Carleton University Style Guide

Almost $2 billion was spent on the project.

The town hall is a $13-million building.

The meal cost 10 euros or €10.
Specify Canadian dollars only when there could
be confusion, or non-Canadian figures are also
presented. For Canadian and American currency,
Canadian Press style is C$1,200 and US$1,200.
Note
There are no spaces between the abbreviation and
dollar sign.
When referring to amounts of money, use a singular
verb.

She reported that $5 million was raised for the special fund for unemployed communicators.
Names
Geography
Check place names in the Canadian Oxford
Dictionary. See also the Canadian Press Caps and
Spelling, which is the companion publication to the
Canadian Press Stylebook. When the two sources
disagree, use the spelling in the Canadian Oxford
Dictionary.
The ultimate authority, in cases of doubt or
contradiction, is the database of the Canadian
Permanent Committee on Geographical Names,
Natural Resources Canada, at: http://geonames.
nrcan.gc.ca.
Note
Foreign and non-English place names should be
anglicized.
Montreal,

Rome,
not Montréal
Quebec City, not Québec City
not Roma
Organizations
Corporate names should be written and printed as
they are trademarked (e.g., NAV CANADA, Bravo! and
VISA).
If a company uses a variation of its internet address
as its corporate name, capitalize the first letter in
Carleton University Style Guide
16
that context (e.g., Amazon.com).
The name “Carleton University” is never translated
into French.
People
Generally, the names of individuals should be given
in the form they usually use.

Tommy Douglas, Nellie McClung
Socrates

W.C. Fields
On first reference, give a person’s full name (e.g.,
John Doe). Refer to him or her by last name only on
subsequent references (Doe). If two or more people
have the same last name, use both first and last
names on subsequent reference for clarity.
Note
The Canadian Press Stylebook advises using a
person’s first name only (on second reference) if he or
she is under 18. But use last names for all students at
the post-secondary level, for consistency.
Trade names
Capitalize trade names (see the Canadian Oxford
Dictionary if in doubt about a particular name),
but use them only when necessary to the story.
Otherwise, substitute the generic term.

He drank a cola, not he drank a Pepsi.

She was already running late, and then the
photocopier jammed. Not . . . the Xerox machine jammed.
The owner of a trademark uses the ® symbol to
indicate that the mark is registered or ™ to indicate
its intention to “defend” its mark. According to the
Editors’ Association of Canada’s style guide, Editing
Canadian English, no one else is required to use
these symbols. (But obviously, a contractual or other
agreement to do so would change this.)
Numbers
Spell out numbers one through nine and general
numbers in narrative text. Use figures for 10 and
above. Follow this pattern for ordinals, too (e.g., first,
fourth, 15th, 22nd).
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Carleton University Style Guide
There were seven people at the meeting, but there were 26 students in the class.

She came 14th out of 25.
 There are approximately 14,000 undergraduates.

We could find a thousand reasons for doing it like that, not . . . a 1,000 reasons for doing it like that.

The university raised $28 million this year.
 The $13-million building proved to be a good investment.

When a number is the first word of a sentence, spell
it out, even if it would normally be expressed in
figures. If it is a large number, reword the sentence
to avoid the problem. If possible, avoid starting
sentences with numbers.
Sequential items
Always use figures in sequential designations.

Grade 3, Grade 8, Grade 12

Chapter 6, Act 3, Room 4

page 6, paragraph 9
Fractions
Write out fractions under 1, but use figures for those
larger than 1.

three-quarters, two-thirds of the students, a half-credit course

2½ days, 3½-year-old child
Use figures in decimals:

1.6, 2.5, 3.0

He earned 2.5 credits this term.
Percentages
Spell out per cent in text, rather than using the
symbol (%). But use the symbol in tables and charts,
to save space.

Approximately 20 per cent of the students voted in favour of the motion. More than three per cent abstained.
Carleton University Style Guide
18

About 15 per cent of citizens thought the mayor should resign.
Punctuation
This section provides guidance in areas of
punctuation that are frequently encountered in texts.
More information on punctuation can be found in
Appendix V.
Commas
Do not use the serial (or series) comma; i.e., put
commas between the elements of a series but not
before the final “and,” “or” or “nor”. But use the serial
comma when the last element contains a conjunction
or the comma is needed to avoid confusion.



The conference is for faculty, non-academic scientists and post-doctoral fellows.
But students who take the program may study
psychology, sociology, or history and Canadian studies.
The university has schools of computer science, industrial design, and mathematics
and statistics.
Dashes
Dashes are more widely accepted today in bodies
of text than they were in the past; however, many
writers and editors still consider them to be somewhat
informal marks of punctuation. Do not leave a space
before or after a dash except in event listings.
Em dashes are the long dashes. They are used to
introduce a summarizing word, phrase or clause that
identifies or explains what comes before.
 The strikers included plumbers, electricians, carpenters and truck drivers—all kinds of workers.

Samina Hashmi—a fourth-year engineering student at Carleton University—won the award in 2006.
En dashes are shorter than em dashes, but longer
than hyphens. These dashes join geographic entities
and ranges of numbers.
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Carleton University Style Guide

Ottawa−Carleton

girls 9−12, pages 112−122

2002−03
For use of dashes in expressions of time, see Time
and Event listings sections.
Ellipses
Ellipses are the three spaced periods used to indicate
omission of text from a quotation or other text. In
narrative or dialogue, they can represent silence,
hesitation or interruption, a pause or the passage of
time.
Leave spaces before, between and after the periods
when there are three ellipses. But keep other
punctuation before the ellipses, which is why
there are four periods at the end of an incomplete
quotation. (Omit the space before the ellipses when
there are four periods.)


In his message, President Jones stated, “Carleton University is, clearly, . . . committed to ensuring an outstanding learning experience for its students.”
She said, “Although this is the first year that our students have participated in this competition, our team came second overall in its class. . . . We are elated that we placed this high.”
Parentheses
Use parentheses to enclose parenthetical elements
(words, phrases or complete sentences that digress,
amplify or explain). Use them also to present a
nickname within a name, instead of quotation marks.


John Smith (the associate director of the office of institutional research and planning) said that Canadian universities will need to replace approximately 20,000 faculty members
in the coming decade.
Alexander (Sandy) MacLaren, not Alexander “Sandy” MacLaren
Use square brackets [ ] to enclose a parenthetical
element within a parenthetical element or to indicate
Carleton University Style Guide
20
that text has been added to a quote.

“Samy [Davis Jr.] only had one eye,” he said in his speech.
Quotation marks
Place periods and commas inside the quotation
marks if they are part of the quote. If these
punctuation marks are not part of the quote, place
them outside the quotation marks.



On learning of the award, the dean said: “This team has worked hard and shown great creativity. They are highly deserving of this high-profile accolade.”
The student said that he was tired “because it was the toughest exam I have ever written,” but he lied.
I am looking forward to Chapter 2, entitled “Using Commas”, which I will read tonight.
Always put colons and semicolons outside the closing
quotation marks. Question marks are placed either
inside or outside depending on whether they apply to
the quote or the entire sentence.

The speaker said, “What was the question?”
Always use double quotation marks for quotations,
except for a quotation within another quotation.
In the latter case, use single quotations within the
double quotation text.

Her brother said, “I don’t know why she said ‘This is the toughest book I’ve ever written.’”
Seasons
Lowercase the seasons of the year, even when
referring to an issue of a publication or an academic
term.

spring, summer, fall, winter

fall edition, spring issue

spring term, fall term
Note
Use fall 2006 rather than the fall of 2006.
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Carleton University Style Guide
Spelling
See Appendix VI for guidance on spelling.
Telephone numbers
For telephone (and fax) numbers, abbreviate
“extension.”

613-520-2600 ext. 1234
Time
In the body of text, use numerals for time, with the
abbreviations a.m. and p.m. (lowercased).

11 p.m. or 9 a.m.

9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

9 a.m. to 11:15 p.m.
In running text, use “to” (e.g., the dance was from 9 to
11 p.m.)
Do not use a.m. and morning together, or p.m. and
evening or tonight. Do not use o’clock with either a.m.
or p.m. or with numerals. If the times listed are all
in the morning (or afternoon), use only one “a.m.” or
“p.m.”
Titles
Professors, associate professors, assistant professors
and lecturers are defined as being those traditionally
understood as such in Carleton University practice
and refer to academic staff who are both teaching
and conducting research. Lecturers (instructors),
generally termed instructors, are those engaged
primarily in teaching or who perform duties defined
by a specific job description.
Use the term “professor” for associate, assistant
and full professors only, but (when possible) use the
specific academic rank rather than professor in a
generic sense. University lecturers and instructors
should be referred to as such and not as professors.
Use the professional title professor, associate
professor, etc., where it applies, rather than the
honorific Dr.
Use the last name after first reference, without Dr.,
Professor, Dean or other titles. If there is more than
Carleton University Style Guide
22
one doctor or professor, use a plural designation
before the first name. Retain the capital letter for the
plural form.

Professors

Associate Prof. Mary Jones (rather than Prof. Mary Jones)

Ruth and Mark Phillips
Dean John Shepherd . . . Shepherd says . . .
(second reference)
These rules also apply to special ranks including
chancellor’s professor and distinguished research
professor (see Appendix I for definitions).

Distinguished Research Prof. Jane Brown

Jane Brown, a distinguished research professor, attended the luncheon.

Chancellor’s Prof. John Smith

John Smith, a chancellor’s professor, spoke at the meeting.
Titles with personal names
Uppercase titles when they precede and form part
of a personal name, even when the titles are set off
from the name by commas. This applies to formal,
professional and occupational titles. But avoid the
awkwardness of putting long titles before a name
(i.e., avoid constructions such as Director of the
School of Mathematics and Statistics Yiqiang Zhao
says . . . ).

Carleton President

Chancellor

the Dean of Science

Associate Prof. Mary Jones

Instructor Shelley Simpson

Prof. Andy Smith
Lowercase current titles when they follow a personal
name, former titles and titles used descriptively.
23

Lesley Jones, an assistant professor of music

Yiqiang Zhao, the director of the school of
Carleton University Style Guide
mathematics and statistics
 Jane Smith, the president of Carleton
University

former public affairs manager Bob Brown

The dean will meet with the vice-president .. (research and international) later this week.

That

university professor is also a music ......
teacher and journalist.
The chair of the department of chemistry is .
Robert Burk.
Remember to be consistent within texts.
Note
Capitalize awards, honours and decorations
including Canada Research Chair (for a definition of
this award, see Appendix I).
 Canada Research Chair Sheryl N. Hamilton
 Sheryl N. Hamilton, the Canada research .....
chair in communication, law and governance
 Nobel Prize winner Scott MacKibbon
 Order of Ontario recipient Margaret Ogilvie
Vertical lists
Complex material is often easier to read in list
format. Items in a list must be parallel in structure
and in alphabetical order.
Do not capitalize items in a list unless they form
proper sentences.

The symptoms of a heart attack include:
— dizziness
— shortness of breath
— confusion
— chest pain
The forum members outlined measures to combat bird flu. The measures include:

— committing member countries to effective surveillance measures
— supporting the preparedness efforts of the World Health Organization
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24
— compiling lists of experts who could respond to the early stages of an outbreak
— enhancing public awareness
For lists of items between these two extremes,
Canadian Style recommends the use of the semicolon at the end of each item, as follows:

WebCT provides an easy way to:
— distribute class materials to students;
— release grades privately;
— remind students of important dates and deadlines; and
— create discussion groups.
Note
Insert “and” after the semi-colon in the second-last
item.
In some cases there is no lead-in sentence or phrase,
only a heading.

CEDTAP by the numbers
— More than 1,000 applications received and
assessed
— Approximately 450 grants, worth over $6 million, awarded to community groups
— Over 600 professionals registered in a
national database
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Carleton University Style Guide
Appendix I
Glossary of academic terms
Alumnus/alumna
An alumnus is a male graduate and an alumna is a
female graduate. Alumni refers to more than one male
graduate or a mixed group; alumnae refers to more than
one female graduate.
Board of Governors
The governing body of Carleton University. Created
by statute, it has the general authority to manage the
university. The board has 32 members.
Canada Research Chairs
The Canada Research Chairs award program is
designed to attract the best talent from Canada and
around the world, helping universities achieve research
excellence in natural sciences and engineering, health
sciences, and social sciences and humanities.
Chairholders improve Canadians’ depth of knowledge
and quality of life, strengthen the country’s
international competitiveness, and help train the next
generation of highly skilled people. The goal of the
program is to support 2,000 research professorships
across the country.
Chair
A faculty member responsible for the administration
of an academic department. Chairs are appointed by
the president, normally for a three-year term. The
appointment may be renewed.
Chair can also refer to a research chair (e.g., the NSERC
Northern Research Chair) an endowed chair (e.g., the
William and Jeanie Barton Chair in International
Affairs) or a Canada Research Chair. (see definition
above).
Chancellor
The titular head of the university, the chancellor
confers all degrees. He or she is an ex-officio member of
the board of governors and the senate. The chancellor is
appointed by the board and holds office for a three-year
term, which may be renewed twice.
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Chancellor’s professor
A special professorial designation conferred on
distinguished faculty members by the president of
Carleton University.
Dean
A dean is the executive officer of a faculty, reports to
the president and is responsible for the operation of a
faculty. The normal term of office is six years, which
may be renewed for a maximum of three years at a
time. The dean is appointed by the board of governors,
on the recommendation of the president.
Department
An academic subunit that conducts the instruction
and research in a particular subject or discipline
(e.g., history, sociology and anthropology, or earth
sciences).
Departmental committee
Each department has a departmental committee,
which consists of all faculty members in the
department and elected students. The student
representatives are elected by the students who are
registered in courses offered by that department.
Director
An academic director is an officer of the university
who reports to the dean of a faculty and is
responsible for the management of a school or
institute. The normal term is five years and it may be
renewed.
An administrative director is an officer of the
university who is responsible for the management of
a major administrative unit. He or she is appointed
by the president, for an indefinite term.
Distinguished research professors
A professor emeritus or emerita (faculty members
who retire at the rank of full professor automatically
enjoy a change of status to the rank of professor
emeritus) who is currently active in research may
apply to become a distinguished research professor.
This is a three-year, renewable position.
Faculty (academic unit)
The principal academic unit of the university, a
faculty can be comprised of one or a combination of
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Carleton University Style Guide
schools, institutes and departments offering courses
that lead to a degree or sets of degrees. The executive
officer of a faculty is a dean.
Faculty (teaching and research staff)
A faculty member is appointed to the university with
the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant
professor or lecturer.
Faculty board
The legislative body for each faculty. The faculty
board sets the regulations and standards for the
degrees of that faculty, as recommendations for
senate. The board consists of all members of the
faculty who hold appointments in that faculty and
student representatives who have been elected by the
students registered in that faculty.
General faculty board
The general faculty board is the annual meeting of
all faculty members of the university.
Graduand
Someone who has completed the academic
requirements for a degree program and is about to
graduate or to receive a university degree.
Graduate student
A student who is enrolled in a program of studies
above the bachelor’s level and is working toward a
master’s or doctoral degree.
Institute
An academic subunit that co-ordinates the
instruction and research for a field of study (e.g.,
institute of European, Russian and Eurasian studies).
A director is the chief executive responsible for an
institute.
Instructor
A member of the Carleton University Academic Staff
Association (CUASA) whose job involves teaching but
no research.
International student
A student who does not hold Canadian citizenship or
permanent resident status. He or she is studying in
Canada on a study permit.
Part-time student
A student who is taking one or two credits of a degree
program in a term.
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President
The vice-chancellor and chief executive officer
of the university. He or she is responsible for the
operation of the university and reports to the Board
of Governors. The president is appointed for a term of
seven years, which may be renewed.
Professor emeritus/emerita
A retired male (emeritus) or female (emerita)
professor who has been granted special status by the
university. The plural forms are emeriti (for males)
and emeritae (for females).
Raven
Refers to a member of any Carleton University
varsity team, either male or female. See below for a
definition of varsity.
School
An academic subunit that teaches and examines,
leading to a professional degree (e.g., the school of
social work and the Azrieli School of Architecture).
Or it can be an academic subunit that co-ordinates
instruction in a field of study (e.g., the school of
Canadian studies). A director is the chief executive
responsible for a school.
Senate
The senior academic governing body responsible for
setting the academic program and standards for the
university.
Sessional lecturer
A part-time employee who is hired to teach
undergraduate or graduate degree courses each term.
Special student
A student who is taking courses but has not been
admitted to a degree program.
Undergraduate student
A student who is enrolled in a course of studies
leading to a first, or bachelor’s, degree.
Varsity
An adjective designating competitive university
sports teams that represent a given institution.
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Carleton University Style Guide
Appendix II
Glossary of academic abbreviations
ACCC
Association of Canadian Community Colleges
AUCC Association of Universities and Colleges
of Canada
CAAT Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology
CAEL Canadian Academic English Language Assessment
CAUT Canadian Association of University Teachers
CCAE Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education
CF I Canada Foundation for Innovation
CGPA
Cumulative grade point average
CIDA Canadian International Development Agency
CIE
Centre for Initiatives in Education
CIHR Canadian Institutes of Health Research
CIS
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
CITO Communications and Information Technology Ontario
COFO Council of Finance Officers Universities of Ontario
COU Council of Ontario Universities
COUSA Council of Ontario University Staff Associations
CRC
Canada Research Chair
CUASA Carleton University Academic Staff Association
CUPE Canadian Union of Public Employees
CURA Community University Research Alliance
CUSA Carleton University Students’ Association
ESP
Enriched Support Program
GMAT Graduate Management Admissions Test
GPA
Grade point average
GSA
Graduate Students’ Association
Carleton University Style Guide
30
IDRC
International Development Research Centre
ISBN
International Standard Book Number
MRI
Ministry of Research and Innovation (provincial)
MTCU Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
NRC
National Research Council Canada
NSERC Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
OAC
Ontario academic credits
OCGS Ontario Council on Graduate Studies
OCRI
Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation
OFS
Ontario Federation of Students
OGS
Ontario Graduate Scholarship
OHIP
Ontario Health Insurance Plan
OISE
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
OIT
Ontario Innovation Trust
OSAP
Ontario Student Assistance Program
OSSD Ontario Secondary School Diploma
OUA
Ontario Universities’ Athletics
OUAC Ontario Universities’ Application Centre
OURA Ontario University Registrars’ Association
OWIAA Ontario Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Association
OWSP Ontario Work Study Program
RA
Research assistant
RC
Research centre
RRRA Rideau River Residence Association
SAT
Scholastic Aptitude Test
SSHRC Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
TA Teaching assistant
TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language
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Carleton University Style Guide
Appendix III
Campus buildings and locations
Use this list of buildings and specific locations to
maintain consistency and avoid confusion. Some
names differ from common verbal use.
The commonly used abbreviations are provided, in
parentheses, following the names. Other words in
parentheses may be omitted if space is limited.
Academic and administrative buildings
Architecture Building (AA)
Azrieli Pavilion (AP)
Azrieli Theatre (AT)
Carleton Technology and Training Centre (TT)
Colonel By Child Care Centre (CC)
Dunton Tower (DT)
Herzberg Laboratories (HP)
Human Computer Interaction Building (HC)
Life Sciences Research Building (LS)
Loeb Building (LA)
Mackenzie Building (ME)
MacOdrum Library (ML). This refers to the building.
When referring to the library’s holdings, use
Carleton University Library.
Maintenance Building (MB)
Minto Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering
(MC)
National Wildlife Research Centre (NW)
Nesbitt Biology Building (NB)
Paterson Hall (PA)
Physical Recreation Centre (AC)
Residence Commons (CO)
Robertson Hall (RO)
St. Patrick’s Building (SP)
Carleton University Style Guide
32
Social Sciences Research Building (SR)
Southam Hall (SA)
Steacie Building (SC)
Tory Building (TB)
University Centre (UC) (do not use the short form
Unicentre)
Visualization and Simulation Building (VS)
Residence buildings
Dundas House (DH)
Frontenac House (FR)
Glengarry House (GH)
Grenville House (GR)
Lanark House (LH)
Leeds House (LE)
Prescott House (PH)
Renfrew House (RH)
Russell House (RU)
Stormont/Dundas House (SD)
Other locations
Alumni Hall (AH)
Fieldhouse (FH)
Carleton Ice House (IH)
Tennis Centre (TC)
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Carleton University Style Guide
Appendix IV
Degrees, diplomas and certificates currently
awarded by Carleton University. For further
information about undergraduate programs
go to: http://www.admission.carleton.ca/
cu-programs. For a full listing of graduate
programs, go to: www.carleton.ca/graduate/
programs.
Carleton University Style Guide
34
Appendix V
Grammar tips and word usage
Grammar tips
Maintaining agreement
Be sure to maintain agreement and consistency within
your text, in the following elements:
— person (first–I, we, me, my, our; second–you, your;
third–he, she, they, it). Don’t talk about the university
and “its” programs in one sentence, and then switch to
“our” programs in the next; or the student and “his/her”
courses, and then switch to “your” grades.
— number (make sure pronouns and verbs reflect
whether the subject is singular or plural). This error
most commonly occurs when phrases intervene
between the subject and verb or pronoun. A good way
to check consistency is to eliminate the intervening
phrase in your head.

The university, with its numerous outstanding programs, have. . . . This is obviously incorrect and should read “the university . . . has. . . .”)
— subject/verb (note that “media” and “data” are plural
nouns and take plural verbs).
Misplaced modifiers
Misplaced modifiers are single words, phrases or
clauses that do not point clearly to the word or words
they modify. As a general rule, related words should be
kept together.
Place limiting modifiers (only, even, almost, nearly, just)
in front of the words they modify.
 Unclear: You will only need to plant one package of seeds.
 Clear: You will need to plant only one package of seeds.
(“Only” modifies “one,” not “need.”)

35
Unclear: You will only be required to fill out one application form to apply for all the prestige scholarships.
Carleton University Style Guide
 Clear: You will be required to fill out only one application form to apply for all the prestige scholarships.
Place modifying phrases and clauses so that readers
can see at a glance what they modify.
 Unclear: The robber was described as a tall
man with a black moustache weighing 75
kilograms.
 Clear: The robber was described as a
tall man weighing 75 kilograms with a black moustache.
(This way “75 kilograms” describes the man,
not the moustache.)
Ensure that sentences flow from subject to verb to
object without lengthy detours along the way. When
adverbs separate subject from verb or verb from
object, the result can be awkward.
 Unclear: John, after trying to reach the ball,
decided to get a ladder.
 Clear: After trying to reach the ball, John
decided to get a ladder.
(Subject and verb are no longer separated.)
Do not split infinitives (“to” + verb, such as “to go,”
“to catch,” or “to shout”) unless necessary, especially
in formal writing. But it is preferable to split an
infinitive than to create awkward wording. (A split
infinitive means that there is a word or words placed
between “to” and the verb.)
 Less preferred: The patient should try to, if possible, avoid going up and down stairs.
 Preferable: If possible, the patient should try
to avoid going up and down stairs.
Dangling modifiers are word groups (usually
introductory) that may seem confusing to some
people if they fail to refer logically to any word
in a sentence. Reword the sentence to clarify the
meaning.
 Unclear: Though only 16, Carleton accepted
Martha’s application.
 Clear: Though Martha was only 16, Carleton accepted her application.
(Carleton is not 16; Martha is.)
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36
Prepositions
It can be difficult to figure out the correct preposition
to use with various parts of speech. And in some
cases, the meaning of a word can be changed by
changing its preposition.

Incorrect:

Correct: Disagree with someone.
Disagree from someone.
Use compare with when comparing values of
things: “He is quite short compared with her,”
but use compare to when indicating that one
thing is just like something else: “She
compared her to Mary Poppins.”
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary offers guidance in
some of its entries as does the Canadian Style (1997),
on pages 219 to 224.
Pronoun use
Change the singular to the plural whenever possible
to avoid the awkward “his or her” construction—the
pronoun “they” is plural and should not be used to
refer to a singular subject. Another choice is to change
the singular third-person reference to the secondperson.
 Preferable: Students should plan their first
year with the help of an adviser.
 Less preferred: The student should plan his or
her first year with the help of an adviser.
 Preferable: When you preregister, you must
complete the following forms.

Less preferred: When a student preregisters,
he or she must complete the following forms.
Change the copy to include the pronoun “she” as well
as “he” to avoid gender bias in texts.
 Preferable: It encourages the student to
examine his or her character.
 Less preferred: It encourages the student to
examine his character.
The form of a personal pronoun (e.g., he/him, I/me,
they/them) changes depending on whether they are
replacing subjects or objects in a sentence. This is
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Carleton University Style Guide
usually pretty clear in simple sentences, but can be
difficult to determine in more complex ones.

Correct: I threw the ball to him.

Incorrect: I threw the ball to he.
 Correct: My uncle willed the car to my brother and me.
 Incorrect: My uncle willed the car to my
brother and I.
Punctuation
Note
The main body of the style guide covers many of the
common style decisions concerning punctuation.
Additional guidelines are provided below.
Colons/semi-colons
Use a colon to introduce a list, an example, an
amplification or an explanation directly related to
something just mentioned.
 He eventually found that there was only one
way to get the quality he expected from the
people who worked for him: treat them with
respect.
The colon should follow an independent clause,
which is a group of words that stand alone in a
sentence.

Correct: To apply for the Bachelor of Social
Work, students must submit the following:
an application, their high school marks and a
reference letter.
 Incorrect: Students who wish to apply should:
read the guidelines, use the university’s
application form, and submit on or before the
deadline.
Use a colon to introduce a formal statement or
quotation (usually of more than one line).

Writers who care about the quality of their
work would do well to heed Samuel Johnson’s
advice: “What is written without effort is in
general read without pleasure.”
Commas
Commas are used to set off words, phrases and
Carleton University Style Guide
38
parenthetical elements that retain a close logical
relationship to the rest of the sentence.

More money, not titles, is what I need.
 Allison, you must improve the efficiency of
your department.

Arthur, my cousin, will be here soon.
Commas are also used to set off modifying words,
phrases or clauses, or titles that do not restrict the
main idea of the sentence.
 His father, whom we saw yesterday, was not
home today.
 Robert Brown, vice-president of QPS
International, will attend.
Separate a direct quote from the rest of a sentence
with a comma.

He asked abruptly, “Where is the report?”

She said, “My next class is in Paterson Hall.”
Use a comma before co-ordinating conjunctions,
which are the words that join two independent
clauses: “and,” “but,” “or,” “for,” “nor,” “yet,” “so.”
(Independent clauses are those that could stand
alone as separate sentences.)
 I don’t care what you do, but don’t mistake
my indifference for acceptance.

We tried, yet we were still defeated.
Insert commas after degrees, long titles, etc., to
separate these elements from names.

Richard Van Loon, former president of
Carleton University, is teaching this term.
Word usage
This section presents some words that are often
confused with one another, or that are frequently
misused. Some are homophones—words that sound
alike but have different spellings and meanings.
Others look similar, but have different meanings or
are different grammatical parts of language. The
meaning of compounds may differ when they are one
word versus two separate words. In other cases, the
common usage that we hear is not grammatically
correct.
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Note:
More information is provided in the Canadian Press
Stylebook.
Accept/except
Accept means to agree to receive: “I accept your
apology.” Except means to exclude from: “I like
everyone in that family except her.”
Alternate/alternative
Alternate means in turn, one after the other: “We
alternated drivers on the long trip to Florida.”
Alternative means “on the other hand, one or the
other: “You can have that large bookcase, or a better
alternative might be two small ones.”
Anyway/anyways
Anyway is the correct word. Anyways does not exist
in standard written English.
Can and could/may and would
Can and could refer to ability. May and would refer to
willingness. “Can I please speak with John?” should
be written as “May I please speak with John?”
Clean up/cleanup
The verb form of this and other terms (e.g., make up/
makeup, turn out/turnout) is two words, but the noun
is one: “Please clean up before you leave,” but “Please
complete the cleanup before leaving.”
The same rules apply to follow up/followup.
Compliment/complement
A compliment is something said in praise or
admiration: “I received many compliments about
my new outfit.” Complement means something that
completes or makes up a whole: “The red sweater is a
perfect complement to the outfit.”
Effect/affect
Effect is the result of something or the power to
produce a result: “The sound of the falling rain had
a calming effect, nearly putting me to sleep.” Affect
means to have an influence on: “His loud humming
was affecting my ability to concentrate.”
Foreword/forward
Foreword is an introductory note or preface: “In my
foreword I explained my reasons for writing the
book.” Forward means toward the front, as in “Please
step forward when your name is called.”
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Forward also means to send on: “Please forward the
letter to the student’s new address.”
Fundraiser/fundraising/fundraise
Fundraiser should be used as a noun, to describe
either a person or an event. Fundraising is an
adjective, as in the fundraising goal.
Fundraise should not be used as a verb; to raise
funds is preferable.
Further
Further can be an adverb or an adjective.
The adverb further has several meanings including:
a. More forward; to or at a more advanced point
in time, space or in a course of procedure or
development.
It is unsafe to proceed further.

b. To be at a greater distance or a greater extent.

Nothing was further from her mind.

I will inquire further into the matter.
c. In addition, also, besides, moreover.

Further
to our conversation, I would
like to make some changes to the proposal.
Historic/historical
Historic means important, whereas historical means
something that happened in the past.
Imply/infer
Imply is to suggest or indicate indirectly. Infer is
to conclude or decide from something known or
assumed.
Its/it’s
Its is a pronoun indicating possession.

The dog lost its bone.
It’s is the contraction for it is

It’s a shame you can’t come.
Lay/lie
Lay should be used for placing or depositing, and
this word requires an object (you lay something
somewhere). Lie should be used for reclining or being
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situated, and it does not take an object. You lie down
for a rest, but you lay your burden down.
Led/lead
Led is the past tense of the verb “to lead”. Lead is the
present tense of that verb.
As a noun pronounced “led,” lead is a metallic
substance, as in lead water pipes. When pronounced
“leed”, it has a different meaning.
 The Carleton Ravens took the lead in the first quarter.
Loath/loathe
The adjective “loath” is defined as disinclined,
reluctant or unwilling.

I am loath to call him/her back.
The verb “to loathe” means to regard with disgust;
abominate, detest.

I loathe lima beans.
Personal/personnel
Personal is generally used as an adjective, meaning
one’s own, individual or private.

“She is a personal trainer.”
Personnel is a plural noun referring to a group of
employees, individuals in the armed forces, etc.
 “That company puts all new, full-time personnel on probation for three months.”
Practice/practise
The noun is practice (e.g., his usual practice, baseball
practice), but the verb is to practise (e.g., he was
practising his scales on the piano).
Principal/principle
Use principal when you are referring to the head of a
school, or anything else that is first and foremost.
 The principal’s name is Pat O’Connor, or The principal reason for my decision was the desire to help her pass that exam.
Principle is a moral or fundamental truth.

That is against my principles.
Regardless/irregardless
Regardless is the correct word. Irregardless does not
Carleton University Style Guide
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exist in standard written English.
Stationary/stationery
Stationary is the correct word for fixed or unmoving.
 They drove around the stationary barrier that was in the middle of the road.
Stationery refers to writing materials
 We printed the letters on university stationery.
That/which
That is generally used when the clause is essential
to the identification of the noun it defines. Which
clauses give a reason or add a new element, and
which generally requires a comma before it.
Consider the difference in meaning between these
statements:
 The department that offers writing-intensive
courses is superior.

The department, which offers writingintensive courses, is superior.
That/who
That refers to things, and who refers to people. Write
“the organization that gives the highest donation. . . .”
but “the person who gives the highest donation. . . .”
There/their/they’re
There means in that place.

The book is over there.
Their is a possessive pronoun that means belonging
to them.

Their book was taken by mistake.
They’re is the contraction for they are.

They’re coming soon.
Unique
This word means unparalleled or the only one. It
should, therefore, be used sparingly. It is also an
absolute term (which means that it either is or is
not—there is no in between) and cannot be modified
(e.g., particularly unique is incorrect).
Who/whom
Who refers to persons and stands for he, she or
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they. Whom stands for him, her or them. Reword the
sentence, if possible, to avoid its use.
 We now know who will be presented with the award tonight.

To whom should I give this book?
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44
Appendix VI
Spelling
General guidelines
Follow the Canadian Oxford Dictionary for spelling
preferences.
Where there is more than one acceptable spelling
(instalment/installment, inquire/enquire), choose the
Canadian Oxford Dictionary’s main entry. The main
entry is the first one when two variations are given,
or the one that is followed by the definition of the
word.
 Dictionary entry: instalment
(also installment)—choose the first variation
 Dictionary entry: enquire, var. of inquire—
choose inquire because that entry is followed
by the definition
For most word groups with alternative spellings
(enrol/enroll, honour/honor, theatre/theater) use the
British rather than the American spelling.
Notable exceptions to this rule are the often-used
word program (the British spelling is programme)
and organize (the British spelling is organise) where
Carleton University has adopted these American
spellings.
Some general guidelines are:
— use “ence” instead of “ense-”: defence, pretence
— choose “ize” and “yze” over “ise” or “yse”: realize, analyze, publicize
— choose “our” rather than “or”: colour, honour, neighbour
— use “re” endings in place of “er” endings: centre, theatre
— use double “lls” for enrolled and enrolling and single (l) for enrolment
— use “aeo” and “oeu” instead of “eo” and “eu”: archaeology, manoeuvre
Carleton University’s spelling preferences
The following words should be spelled as indicated
below, rather than as dictated by the Canadian
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Oxford Dictionary:
adviser
Internet
Frequently misspelled words
accommodate
achievement
acquire
apparent
archaeology
argument, arguing
belief
believable
beneficial
benefit, benefited, benefiting
budgeted
calibre
category
centre, centred
colour
commit, commitment, but committed
comparative
confidentiality
conscious
consensus
controversy, controversial
co-operate
co-ordinate
counsellor, counselling
defence
definitely
desirable
disastrous
email (no hyphen)
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embarrass, embarrassing, embarrassment
enrol, enrolment, but enrolling
ensure
exaggerate
existence, existent
exorbitant
exuberant
fascinate
favour
fieldhouse
filmmaker, filmmaking
forgivable
fundraiser (no hyphen)
gauge
harass, harassment
height
imposter
innocuous
innovative
install, installed, but instalment
Internet
interpretative
liaison
lose, losing
manageable
manoeuvre
medicine
mere
mileage
millennium
multidisciplinary
necessary
non-existent
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occasion
occupied
occur, occurred, occurring, occurrence
opportunity
particular
policy-maker
possession
post-doctoral
post-secondary
precede
predominantly
prejudice
prevalent
preventive
privilege
proceed, procedure
prominent
publicly
pursue
questionnaire
quiet
rarefied
receive, receiving
recommend
re-establish
re-evaluate
refer, referring
regularly
repetition
rhythm
sense
separate, separation
similar
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succeed, succession
supersede
technique
Tim Hortons not Tim Horton’s
thorough
transferred
unnecessary
vigorous
weird
worldwide
Names
Check spellings of names carefully. Never guess at
the spelling of a name—sometimes there are many
possible variations. For example, it could be Allen
Smith, Alan Smyth or Allan Smith.
Do not correct apparent misspellings without
checking a reliable source. For example, the name
Mairon Bennett is accurate, but overzealous
individuals sometimes correct it to read “Marion.”
Plurals
In general, add “s” to the singular form of a noun to
form the plural. If the singular ends in “s,” “x,” “sh,”
“z” or soft “ch,” add “es” to form the plural.
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary provides the
plural form of a noun if it does not follow the above
guidelines.
 formula
(pl. formulas)

goose (pl. geese)

politics (plural noun)
Form the plural of most compound words by making
the principal word plural.
49

attorneys general
 fathers-in-law

courts martial
Carleton University Style Guide
Appendix VII
Guidelines on writing
Carleton University creates many documents that are
non-academic in nature. These include recruitment
publications, university newsletters, newspapers and
magazines, information pieces for students, alumni,
staff and faculty, course calenders and fundraising
packages.
When planning and writing such documents,
first remember your audience. Are you writing for
students, alumni, staff or faculty?
If possible, prepare an outline. That way, it is easier
to see whether important information is missing and
how best to link the various parts of the document.
Plain language approach
Preparing to write
Generally, it is best to follow plain language
principles when committing words to print. Some of
these principles are as follows:
— Remember that you are writing for an outside
audience, not for yourself or your professional
colleagues. So write the way you speak. Use a
conversational tone.
— Write to be understood, not to impress. Be
clear and concise.
— Use short sentences and simple English.
Longer sentences are sometimes necessary or
pleasing, but intersperse them with shorter
statements. Cut out unnecessary words.
— Organize your thoughts before you start.
Put one idea in each paragraph, and keep
paragraphs short.
Plain Language: Clear and Simple is an excellent
reference book that is inexpensive and easy to order
online.
Ways to improve readability
Here are some general suggestions for improving
readability:
—Jargon, technical language and complex words may be all right in an in-house memo,
if the recipients share a common educational
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50
background and work environment. But avoid
using such language in documents written for
the general public or even a general university audience. Avoid the trendy in favour of the basic: why interface on
something when you can meet to discuss it?
— Where it is appropriate, address your readers
directly. Use “you,” “I,” “we,” “us” and “our” to
make your document more personal.
— Illustrate your points with carefully chosen
examples and draw useful comparisons.
— Do not overuse adverbs or string numerous
adjectives together. Sometimes this confuses
the reader or makes the text slow and difficult
to read.
— Be positive rather than negative. Say “he
noticed her immediately” rather than “she did
not go unnoticed.”
— Use “picture” nouns and “action” verbs.
Avoid changing verbs into nouns. Instead of
“the president undertook implementation of
the policy immediately,” say “the president
implemented the policy immediately.”
— Avoid the passive voice, and use the active voice—the latter is more natural, direct, lively
and succinct. (The passive voice is when the
subject of the verb is not known or follows the
verb. The passive voice is considered “wordy”
and weak.)
 Passive: The ball was hit against the
wall by Maria.
 Active: Maria hit the ball against
the wall.
 Passive: When application of force is used,
the lid will open.
 Active: Apply force to open the lid.
 Passive: Your exit should be made quickly.
 Active: Leave quickly.
Some words and phrases to avoid
Avoid beginning sentences with “and” or “but.” There
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are exceptions, but this device should be saved
for passages requiring emphasis. In doubt? Try it
without.
It weakens a sentence to start it with “there is” or
“there are” because the subject is obscured. Instead,
think of ways to identify the subject and use an
active verb rather than the linking verb.
 Less preferred: There are many people who
take their dogs to obedience classes.
 Preferable: Many people take their dogs to
obedience classes.
Avoid clichés (e.g., clichés make your writing dull as
dishwater).
Along with the modifiers “very,” “quite” and “rather,”
the commonly used words and phrases below, though
correct, are considered redundant space-wasters that
can “fog” the text.
Do not use . . .
When you can say . . .
aforementionedthese
at this point in time
now
at the present time
now
by means of
by
consequentlyso
facilitate
help, ease
for the purpose of
to
furthermorealso
howeverbut
inasmuch as
because
in conjunction with
with
in order to
to
in the event that
if
in the near future
soon
owing to the fact that
because
provided that
if
subsequent to
after
until such time as
when
with regard to
about
Phrases to avoid
(because they contain redundancies)
At this point in time
Past experience
 New initiative


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
 

Advance planning
SIN or PIN number, which would read “social insurance number number or personal identification number number” if written out
(i.e., eliminate “number”)
First ever
Brand new
Words to avoid
Wherever possible, avoid using the following words
(some are exhausted from overuse and others are
often used incorrectly).

world-class
state-of-the-art
stakeholder
critical mass
top-notch
 leading edge
feedback
input
community
cutting-edge


Presenting and formatting the text
Format the document in ways that will help your
reader find information and follow the text flow
more easily. Where appropriate, use headings
and subheadings, short sidebar texts, photos and
captions, and charts and graphs.
Reviewing and revising
When you have completed your text, reread what you
have written, thinking about it from the audience’s
point of view. Revise your text as required. Then
have someone else read what you have written and
tell you what he or she thinks it means.
Avoiding bias in communication
The objective of this section is to create an
awareness of how bias can enter everyday language.
An institution of higher learning has an obligation
to avoid gender-based wording or language that
evaluates in negative ways members of ethnic or
minority groups, or people with disabilities. The
following guidelines will help you avoid the common
pitfalls of such bias in language use.
Gender-inclusive language
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Carleton University Style Guide
The following lists will introduce some of the most
common forms of biased expression and ways to
make them gender-inclusive.
Instead of . . .
Use . . .
businessman
people in business
cameraman
camera operator
chairmanchair
clergyman
clergy, priest, rabbi
craftsman
artisan, craftsperson
draftsmandesigner
firemanfirefighter
fisherman
angler, fisher
forefathersancestors
foremansupervisor
mailman
letter carrier, mail carrier
manhole
sewer/utility hole cover
mankind, man
humanity, people
man-made
manufactured, artificial
manpower
workforce, workers, personnel
policeman
police officer, officer
repairman
repair technician, serviceperson
salesman
salesperson, sales representative
spokesman
representative, spokesperson
sportsmanship
fair play
statesmandiplomat
stewardess
flight attendant
to man
to staff, to operate, to work
weatherman
forecaster, weather reporter
workmanworker
Avoiding unequal treatment
Rephrase sentences to eliminate any sexist references.
 Less preferred: Man’s search for meaning is basic to happiness.
 Preferable: The search for meaning is basic to one’s happiness.
 Less preferred: Strikers manned the picket lines 24 hours a day.
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 Preferable: Strikers worked the picket lines 24 hours a day.
Avoid implying inequality in men and women in
terms of achievement, personal attributes or roles.
 Less preferred: The scientist was looking for an able research assistant, a fellow he could count on.
 Preferable: The scientist was looking for an able research assistant, someone he could count on.
Avoiding other forms of bias
Certain language choices may be interpreted as
showing biases toward minority groups or as
derogatory to people with disabilities. When talking
about people with disabilities, mention the disability
only if it is relevant. Avoid the use of emotional
descriptives such as “afflicted,” “stricken” and
“confined.”
Instead of . . .
Use . . .
crippled, handicapped
blind
person with a disability
person who has vision loss, a person with vision loss, someone living with vision loss
suffers from glaucoma
a person who has glaucoma
print-disabled
a person with a print disability
deafblind
People who are deafblind
deaf
person with hearing loss (see note below)
Note
The general rule when writing about people with
disabilities is to refer to the person first, then the
disability.
According to the Canadian National Institute for the
Blind, a person who is blind is someone who has no
sight at all.
According to the Paul Menton Centre for Students with
Disabilities (PMC) at Carleton University, deaf persons
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are identified by their culture. The correct terminology
is:
— deaf refers to an individual who is a member of
a cultural minority that uses visual symbols for
communication. This individual may or may not use
assistive hearing devices such as hearing aids.
— deaf refers to an individual who was born deaf, or
who has become deafened since birth, but is not part
of the deaf culture. This individual may or may not
use assistive hearing devices, such as hearing aids, FM
hearing devices, such as hearing aids, FM systems, or
coclear implant.
— hard of hearing refers to an individual who has a
documented hearing loss that interferes significantly
in everyday life. This individual may or may not use
assistive hearing devices, such as hearing aids or FM
systems.
For further information, please contact the PMC.
Ethnicity, nationality, race and religion
Ethnicity: 1. a group of people having a common
national or cultural tradition. 2. origin by birth
rather than by present nationality. Examples are
French-Canadian, Québécois and Acadian.
Nationality: 1. the status of belonging to a particular
nation. 2. an ethnic group forming a part of one
or more political nations. Examples are Canadian,
British and Chinese.
Race: 1. each of the major divisions of humankind,
having distinct physical characteristics. 2. racial
origin or distinction: rights based on race. 3. a group
of people sharing the same culture, language, etc.;
an ethnic group. 4. a group of people or things with
a common feature. 5. Biology, a distinct population
within a species; a subspecies.
Some people now think that the word race should
be avoided, because of its associations with the now
discredited theories of 19th-century anthropologists
and physiologists about supposed racial superiority.
Terms such as people, community or ethic group are
less emotionally charged.
Racial colour references are assumed to be
derogatory and should be avoided in most cases.
When talking about members of racial minorities,
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56
make reference to their ethnic or racial origins only
if it is relevant. Do not assume that a member of a
racial minority is also an immigrant.
Religion: a particular system of faith and worship.
For example, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and
Buddhist.
Aboriginals
In Canada, there are status and non-status Indians
(First Nations), Métis and Inuit peoples. Collectively,
they are known variously as native, Aboriginal
Peoples, aboriginals or indigenous peoples. In your
choice of terms, be guided by the preference of those
concerned.
Lowercase native and indigenous, but uppercase
First Nations, Aboriginal Peoples, Métis and Inuit.
(i.e., proper names of races, nationalities, peoples,
tribes and the like).
However, lowercase aboriginal, black, brown or
white when used as an adjective.
 She
bought some aboriginal art.
International students
Use “international” students instead of “foreign”
students. See Appendix I for a glossary of academic
terms for the definition of an international student.
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Prepared by the
Department of
University Communications
2012
219-11 01