University Style Guide

This style guide provides guidance in developing cohesive messaging to stay on brand. For communications and marketing platforms ranging from print materials to social media to websites, this style guide establishes universal usage guidelines that are strongly encouraged for implementation across WVU.

For questions or guidance, contact Executive Director of Storytelling, Jake Stump, at jake.stump@mail.wvu.edu.

NOTE: WVUToday content (press releases, expert pitches, media advisories, Mountaineer Spotlights), MOUNTAINEER E-News, and WVU Magazine will continue to follow AP Style, the guideline standards widely used in journalism. The latest AP Stylebook is available online via WVU Libraries.

• For accessibility guidelines, consult the WVU Web Standards.
• For building and location names, consult the campus map.
• For names of majors, consult the WVU Catalog and other resources at the Office of the University Registrar.
• For general word usage and spelling, consult the most recent edition of Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.
• The “Equal Opportunity Employer” statement is needed only on materials aimed at future employees of WVU. It is not needed on materials aimed at future or current students, parents, or others. When used, it should be: “West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.”

Punctuation

Use the Oxford comma.

Do not use semicolons in social media posts and avoid them in other contexts whenever possible.

When using ellipses and em dashes, put spaces between the adjacent words. Reserve ellipses for communications with a conversational tone. Do not use space between the periods in the ellipsis, and do not use en dashes.

• We found something … strange. It was hard to look at — and harder to believe.

Use one space, not two, at the end of a sentence.

Use “and” instead of an ampersand, with the exception of certain specific acronyms (e.g., “B&E”) and cases where the ampersand is part of a formal title or name.

URLs

• Per accessibility standards, always attempt to insert a link in running text rather than displaying the full URL.
  • “More information is available on the Research Week calendar,” not “More information is available at researchweek.wvu.edu/events.”
• Omit “https://” and “www.” at the beginning of web addresses. Drop the ending slash.
• Include a period after a URL at the end of a sentence.
• Never hyphenate a URL at a line break.
• Do not underline URLs in print publications.

People, Places, Things

The phrase “the University” may be used instead of “WVU.” “University” is always capitalized in a direct reference to WVU. ​​Do not capitalize when referring to a university in general.

With the possessive, always use “the University’s,” never “WVU’s” and never “West Virginia University’s.”

• Yes: “the WVU mascot,” “the mascot of West Virginia University,” “the University’s mascot”
• No: “WVU’s mascot,” “West Virginia University’s mascot”

Always use the full names of endowed/donor-funded programs, chairs, professorships, buildings, and other entities on first reference. If something was named after a donor, never vary the name. Feel free to shorten names after the first reference.

The West Virginia University System has campuses in Morgantown, Beckley, and Keyser. The WVU Health Sciences Center has divisions in Charleston and Martinsburg.

• Do not use “WVU Keyser Campus” or “Pot State,” or “WVU Beckley Campus.”
• Include “West Virginia University” or “WVU” with the name of the campus or division upon first reference. It may be eliminated in subsequent references for all of the following:
  • WVU Morgantown Campus (Use this only if needed to differentiate from other WVU campuses. Otherwise, it is the main campus and only “WVU” is needed to imply it’s in Morgantown.)
  • WVU Potomac State College
  • WVU Institute of Technology
  • WVU Tech
  • WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, Charleston Division
  • WVU Charleston Division
  • WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, Eastern Division
  • WVU Eastern Division
• Do not refer to WVU Morgantown as the only WVU, as in: “WVU Tech students may switch to WVU.” The correct usage is “WVU Tech students may switch to the Morgantown Campus.”

On first reference, ensure “West Virginia University” is spelled out. But on social media and in informal instances, “WVU” can be used, if desired. After the first reference to “West Virginia University,” use “WVU” or the “University.” Either way, ensure that “West Virginia University” or “WVU” precedes all college, school, office, department, and program names:

• Examples:
  • West Virginia University College of Law / WVU College of Law
  • West Virginia University Extension / WVU Extension
  • West Virginia University Eberly College of Arts and Sciences / WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
  • West Virginia University Health Sciences Center / WVU Health Sciences Center
• Do not use possessives when writing these names, such as “WVU’s College of Law.” Instead, write “the WVU College of Law.”
• After first reference, a college name does not need “WVU.” Examples: “She is a student at the Chambers College.” “The Eberly College is sponsoring that event.”
• Names of colleges, schools, offices, departments, and programs are capitalized when they refer to specific WVU units. Schools and colleges should use their Board of Governors-approved full name for the first reference.
  • Department of History
  • School of Nursing
  • Office of Graduate Education and Life

Morgantown Schools and Colleges:

• Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
• College of Applied Human Sciences
• College of Creative Arts and Media
• College of Law
• Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
• Honors College
• John Chambers College of Business and Economics
• School of Dentistry
• School of Medicine
• School of Nursing
• School of Pharmacy
• School of Public Health

Areas of campus:

• Refer to the Evansdale, Downtown, and Health Sciences areas of the Morgantown Campus by Evansdale, Downtown, or Health Sciences only (not “Evansdale Campus”).
• If further explanation is required — especially to distinguish the Downtown area of WVU from downtown Morgantown — use “area” or “area of campus”:
  • Downtown area of campus, Evansdale area of campus, Health Sciences area of campus. Note the capitalization of “Downtown.”

The campus map contains all WVU Morgantown Campus buildings and outdoor locations, and is the approved reference for identifying them by name. A few are listed below.

• Blaney House (home of WVU President)
• Crime Scene Training Complex (can be referred to as “Crime Scene Houses” after first reference)
• Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium
• Downtown Fitness Center
• Downtown Library Complex
• Eiesland Hall
• Erickson Alumni Center
• Evansdale Crossing
• Health and Education Building
• Honors Hall
• Evansdale Residential Complex (Bennett, Braxton, Brooke, and Lyon Towers)
• Ming Hsieh (pronounced SHAY) Hall
• One Waterfront Place (not the WVU Waterfront Place)
• Oglebay Hall
• Percival Hall
• Rec Center and Rec Center Fields
• Seneca Hall
• University Park (Evansdale)
• University Place (Sunnyside)
• PRT stations: Walnut, Beechurst, Engineering, Towers, Health Sciences

Location names and situational usages:

• Mountainlair vs. Lair
  • If your writing is targeted toward current students or employees, use “Lair.”
  • If your writing is targeted toward prospective students or employees, use “Mountainlair.”
  • Lair Green, both words capitalized.
• Milan Puskar Stadium vs. Mountaineer Field
  • Use “Milan Puskar Stadium” when referring to the facility. Use “Mountaineer Field” when referring to the turf.
  • “The game is happening on Mountaineer Field, but the game is happening at Milan Puskar Stadium.”
• Coliseum vs. Coli
  • Use “Coliseum” when referring to location details. Use “Coli” when speaking informally.
  • “Cheer on the Mountaineers tonight at the Coliseum.”
  • “Another dub in the Coli.”

Do not use abbreviations and acronyms such as CAC, CEMR, EPSCOR, HSC, or NRCCE when writing for an audience that may be unfamiliar with them. In any context, always write out the full name in the first reference, then abbreviate.

• Never put abbreviations in parentheses — just abbreviate within the text after the initial reference (“Jones studied art history at the College of Creative Arts and Media. What she learned at CCAM set the stage for her curatorial ambitions.”).
• Whether you write these names out in full or abbreviate them, always note their affiliation with WVU (“We are scheduling our next theatre performance at the WVU Canady Creative Arts Center. Everyone loves the facilities in the CAC.”).
• A few common WVU abbreviations/acronyms:
  • B&E: College of Business and Economics
  • BOG: Board of Governors
  • CAC: Canady Creative Arts Center
  • CBC: Center for Black Culture
  • CCAM: College of Creative Arts and Media
  • EPSCoR: Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
  • ERC: Evansdale Residential Complex
  • HSC: Health Sciences Center
  • ITS: Information Technology Services
  • LLC: Living-Learning Community
  • MIX: Mountaineer Information Xpress
  • NETL: National Energy Technology Laboratory
  • NIOSH: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
  • NRCCE: National Research Center for Coal and Energy
  • NSO: New Student Orientation
  • PRT: Personal Rapid Transit
  • RRI: Regional Research Institute
  • SGA: Student Government Association
  • TRIO: not an acronym. Originally made of three programs, TRIO helps first-generation and low-income students, and those with disabilities.
  • WV STEPS

Mountaineer mascot — the representative of WVU.

• Always capitalize “Mountaineer” when referring to the WVU mascot or the person in that role. Only lowercase when referring to a generic mountaineer in the sense of a mountain climber.
• Never capitalize “mascot,” even when used directly before a person’s name.
  • Ex: “Mountaineer mascot Cade Kincaid.”
• Use “the Mountaineer” when referring to the person in the mascot role.

Titles

• Titles are not capitalized in sentences unless they precede the person’s name. When names and titles stand alone, as in lists or tables, the titles may be capitalized.
  • Vice President Arthur King attended the seminar.
  • Arthur King, vice president, WVU Health Sciences, attended the seminar.
• When writing about people with lengthy titles, write the name first, then the title.
  • Don’t write, “We visited the laboratory of Chief Medical Officer and Director of Emergency Services Dr. Rosemary Cain.”
  • Instead, write, “We visited the laboratory of Dr. Rosemary Cain, chief medical officer and director of emergency services.”
• “Dr.” is used when referring to someone who holds a degree in medicine, dentistry, or another of the healing arts and sciences. Do not use this term interchangeably with “professor,” a broader term that includes faculty members who hold other credentials.

The names of our sports teams should be lowercase.

• “WVU football” rather than “WVU Football”
• “men’s basketball" rather than “Men’s Basketball”

Spell out state names when possible. If you must abbreviate, use USPS style (“WV”), not AP style (“W.Va.”).

Programs, Majors, Degrees

Do not capitalize names of degrees when referring to the degree in general: “She holds a master’s degree.” “He earned a doctorate in psychology.” Capitalize when referring to a specific degree: “Bachelor of Arts” or “Master of Science.”

Doctoral degree, doctorate — Includes Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Education (EdD), and other academic credentials.

• The word “degree” is not used after “doctorate,” but “doctoral degree” is allowed.
• Whenever possible, use “doctorate” instead of the abbreviation: “pursuing a doctorate” rather than “pursuing a PhD,” or “doctoral student” rather than “PhD student.”
• Periods should not be used in academic degree abbreviations (e.g., use “PhD,” not “Ph.D.”).

Do not capitalize the names of majors or general fields of study: “They are studying forensic science. She is a computer engineering major.” The only exception is for majors that are languages such as English.

Numbers

Do not spell out numbers in word form, including 1-9. Always use the numeral instead. For example, write “2” rather than “two.”

Dates

For dates within a month, use Arabic figures without st, nd, rd, or th.

• Monday, May 1.

Never abbreviate days of the week or months.

• Use “Monday,” not “Mon.,” and “January,” not “Jan.”
• Judgment calls may be made for social platforms with character limitations.

Times

Use a.m. and p.m.

• 7:30 a.m.
• 7:30 p.m.

Times on the hour should not include a :00 after the number.

• 9 a.m., not 9:00 a.m.

12 p.m. should be written as “noon.” 12 a.m. should be written as “midnight.”

Use Arabic figures except for noon and midnight.

• 7:30 a.m.
• 7-9 p.m.
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For a length of time, use a dash (-) between the 2 times unless the time splits between a.m. and p.m. In that case, use “to” to conjoin the 2 times.

• 9-11:30 a.m.
• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• 10 a.m. to noon

When using general terms like “today,” tomorrow," or “Saturday,” also specify the exact date.

• Posters are on display today (April 15) through Saturday (April 19).
• If content will reach a non-local audience like international students, use “ET” to specify the eastern time zone (“7 p.m. ET”).

Avoid redundancy by not using “p.m.” with terms like “tonight” or “in the afternoon,” and by not using “a.m.” with terms like “this morning.”

• “tonight at 7” or “today at 7 p.m.,” not “tonight at 7 p.m.”

Use the % symbol rather than the word “percent.”

For a range of numbers, join the numbers with a hyphen.

• 35-40
• 101-104
• 20,000-30,000

Spell out numerical positions (“first,” “second,” “third,” etc.)

• The Mountaineers took first in the tournament.

Use hyphens between groups of telephone numbers.

• 304-111-2222

GPS coordinates

The official GPS coordinate style for WVU is Degrees Minutes (DM or DM.M). This is the standard format for most handheld GPS devices and allows for a clear understanding of location. Not only is it the most practical for GPS applications, but it also aesthetically looks good and works well as a design element.

For example, the coordinates of the Mountainlair would be N 39° 38.100’ W 079° 57.236’

Common Words, Expressions

Our Tagline

Let’s Go Mountaineers, Let’s Go!

• Don’t use “Go First” or “Mountaineers Go First.”
• Don’t use a comma before “Mountaineers” in “Let’s Go Mountaineers!”
• Whenever feasible, use an exclamation point at the end of both phrases to show excitement.
• You may opt to use a period when talking motivationally about the brand.

Other Words and Expressions

• All-America, All-American — The first is the name of the award, the second refers to the recipient. Capitalize both forms.
  • He received the All-America Award in 1995.
  • She became an All-American last year.
• Almost Heaven — Always capitalize the A and H.
• Alumni — This word refers to a group of people who have attended WVU, including both men and women. Use the gender-neutral “alum” to denote a single graduate with an informal tone, or use “alumnus” for a more formal gender-neutral reference to a single graduate. Do not use “alumna” or “alumnae.”
• Associate Degree — Includes Associate in Science (AS), Associate in Arts (AA), and other “two-year” degrees (see “bachelor’s degree,” “master’s degree,” “doctoral degree”).
• Bachelor’s Degree, Baccalaureate — Includes Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS), and other “four-year” degrees. The word “degree” is not used after “baccalaureate” (see “associate degree,” “master’s degree,” “doctoral degree”).
• Bioinformatics Core facility
• Campus — Refers to all of the WVU physical facilities in a particular city. Do not capitalize.
  • Short-term parking is available on campus. She is planning a campus visit.
• Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services – Spell out the full name on first reference for formal and non-WVU audiences. For internal audiences and in informal instances, it’s OK to use “Carruth Center.”
• Commencement — Always use a capital C. “Commencement” is preferred over “graduation” (not capitalized). Use “cross the stage” or “receive their degree” as opposed to “walk.”
• Curriculum — A single plan of study. The plural form is “curricula.”
• Daily Athenaeum, DA – The campus newspaper. Use “Daily Athenaeum” on first reference for formal audiences, and then “The DA.” For current students and in informal instances, “The DA” can be used.
• email — lowercase, no hyphen.
• Emeritus — Use “emeritus” as ** ** gender neutral**,** for one who has retired but retains an honorary title or status. Use after the person’s title, as in Professor Emeritus William Jackson, or William Jackson, professor emeritus of biology. Do not use “emerita” for women (“professor emerita”) and avoid using “emeriti” for groups (“professors emeriti”).
• Esports – Capitalize in the context of the team but lowercase, like “athletics,” in other contexts.
• Extension — Always capitalized when referring to the WVU Extension, but not capitalized when referring to non-WVU programs or to the general concept of extension services.
  • WVU Extension agents provide extension services through Extension offices in every West Virginia county.
• Faculty — Used alone, this word connotes a group, such as the WVU faculty. Refer to an individual as a “faculty member.” Not capitalized unless used as part of a proper name, such as “Faculty Senate.” Not always a teaching or research professor — for example, WVU librarians are also faculty members (see “professor”).
• Fall Family Weekend — Annual event that brings parents and families to campus.
• Fests: FoodFest, FallFest, GradFest.
• Freshman — The plural is “freshmen,” but “freshman students” may be substituted. To avoid gender bias, use “first-year student(s)” as an alternative (see “upperclassman”).
• Flying WV — Always capitalize the “F,” and only use quotes around the phrase in press releases or other communications aimed at media.
• GIF(s)
• Gold and Blue — Use in this order when referring to the official WVU colors. We are not “blue and gold.” We can use “old gold and blue” when referencing things that have happened in the past when “old gold” was more relevant, but when in doubt, omit the “old” from “old gold and blue.” Same goes for emojis: 💛💙 (and never in the other order).
• Hatfields — Dining Services restaurant in the Mountainlair. No apostrophe.
• It’s — Contraction for “it is” or “it has.”
• Its — Adjective showing possession.
  • The dog came out of its kennel.
• Land-grant — A hyphen is required when this term is used as an adjective.
• Master’s Degree — Includes Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), and other academic credentials (see “associate degree,” “bachelor’s degree,” “doctoral degree”).
• Monongalia — The county in which Morgantown is located. It is a variation of the spelling of “Monongahela.”
• Monongahela — The river that runs through Morgantown and Monongalia County.
• Mountaineer — Always capitalized when referring to a WVU person or program.
• Mountaineer Parents Club — The program connecting parents and families of WVU students.
• Mountain Line — Local bus service (two words).
• Mountie Bounty — A debit plan that allows money to be placed on a student’s Mountaineer Card ID for later use.
• Online — One word.
• Professor, Prof. — Used in reference to a member of the WVU faculty.
• Promise Scholarship program — Merit-based scholarship for West Virginia residents.
• PRT — Abbreviation for “Personal Rapid Transit.” Refers to the unique WVU campus transportation system.
• Sophomore — Second-year students.
• Staff — Generally, this term includes all WVU employees who are not faculty members. Specifically, it refers to the WVU classified staff (not capitalized), which includes most non-faculty employees.
• T-shirt – Not “tee-shirt” or “tee.”
• Toward – Not “towards.”
• U92 — The WVU radio station.
• United States — Abbreviate with periods — U.S. — except in headlines when “US” (no periods) should be used.
• Upperclassman — A member of the junior or senior class. The plural form is “upperclassmen.” Do not use “upper-class student(s).” To avoid gender bias, use “junior(s) and senior(s)” as an alternative (see “freshman”).
• website — lowercase, one word
• WVU ID: Not “Student/Employee ID,” not “Mountaineer ID,” not “Mountaineer Card.”
• WVUp All Night
• WVU Police: Can be shortened to “UPD” after first reference.
• WELLWVU

Brevity and Active Voice Tips

Use short, clear, direct sentences.

• Don’t write, “It is a given that everyone attending the conference will be accompanied by a spouse.”
• Instead, write, “Everyone attending the conference will bring a spouse.”

Avoid overusing “was” by choosing vivid, descriptive verbs that make sentences shorter and more precise.

• Don’t write, “The new student drama production was a huge success with the audience.”
• Instead, write, “The audience loved the new student drama production.”

Avoid “that” whenever possible.

• Don’t write, “They believed that this development could change the industry.”
• Instead, write, “They believed this development could change the industry.”

Social

THREAD ⬇ ⤵️

• When posting an X thread, you don’t always have to call out the thread, but you have the option.
• Don’t number the posts in the thread.

For lists, use 🔸🔹 as bullet points.

• You can also use different emojis specific to each line if the emojis are available.

To direct to a link, use ➡️**👉** before the link: “Register now. ➡️ go.wvu.edu/link.”

• Never post a link not shortened with go.wvu.edu.
• Capitalize all characters in the extension:
  • go.wvu.edu/A1B2C3
• Never use https:// or any obtuse extensions.
• QR codes should be used for printed materials and ** ** InfoStations, not in digital content like social posts, emails, or websites.
• On Facebook, pin the link as a comment if the caption is too long.
• Never put a link in an Instagram caption or comment.
• Share a post to an Instagram story with a link sticker.

Avoid using hashtags unless necessary. Ask audiences to follow and tag accounts instead.

Tag accounts when possible (Student Life units, athletic departments, etc.).

Limit exclamation points to one at a time. Emojis can sometimes better portray emotion than several exclamation points!!!

Emojis

• Make sure emojis are relevant and appropriate for the post.
• Never use emojis for a crisis or serious topic.
• Emojis should be used to show personality, wit, charm, or emphasis.
• Try to choose other emoji options rather than always using 💛💙.
• For inclusivity, use the standard yellow color for all skin-related emojis (don’t pick a skin tone):
  • 🙌👏👍
• When using gendered emojis, use the gender-neutral emoji:
  • You could be a doctor! 🧑‍⚕️
  • This is a sassy post. 💁
• For accessibility, never use emojis to replace words, letters, or numbers.
• Use short emphatic sentences with a period and an emoji. Always put an ending punctuation mark between the last letter and the emoji:
  • Hey, guess what? 🤔 Welcome Week is only 10 days away! 🤩