Introduction

2. Introduction In recent times, LUMS has emerged as an institution with many and diverse audiences. It competes with local and international academic institutions on many fronts. As a national leader and diverse organisation, we need to be clear in how we communicate to our audiences. This document lays down specific guidelines for clear communication and editorial style for LUMS. It is intended to help writers and editors communicate clearly and consistently in print and electronic media. The guide recommends ways to present information about the university and its faculty, departments, research centres and events. It addresses the most common questions that arise at LUMS about titles and tricky wording, but it is not a comprehensive grammar manual or dictionary. LUMS Communications Team will continue to update the guide as new words enter the mainstream and various issues of usage and style evolve. These simple rules will ensure that our material looks professional, can be understood by its audience and is consistent.

3. Abbreviations and Acronyms • When a title is given, use that before their name, e.g., Dr., Professor, His Excellency, etc. • Err on the side of politeness: always use Mr., Ms., Miss, or Mrs. along with a last name • Use full points in abbreviations such as Mr., Dr., e.g., i.e., etc. Do not use full points for degree titles such as BA, BSc, MA, PhD, etc. • Spell professor out in full, e.g., Professor Smith, not Prof. Smith • The first instance of an acronym (such as NATO) or initials (such as ESRC) on any given page should always be spelled out in full, with the acronym/initials in parentheses after it • Example: • This programme is sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). All queries relating to funding should be directed to the ESRC. • Even on pages that are hierarchically beneath a page where the acronym has previously been explained, the first instance should always be spelled out. A very few extremely well-known abbreviations are exempt from these rules (such as BBC, CCTV, NATO, and SOS). • Brackets [ ] vs. Parentheses ( ) • When parentheses would appear inside another set of parentheses, use brackets instead on the outer edges. • Example: • She attended the programme [which was sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)]. • Bullets • Use one space after a bullet and remove periods at the end of each bullet.

4. Capitals • Use initial capitals sparingly. • They are used in the following instances: • University is never capitalised unless it’s in the title Lahore University of Management Sciences • Department and school should not be capitalised unless name of the department is written • For all proper nouns - place names, countries, languages/nationalities (English, French, European), names, etc. • For historical periods - Victorian, Renaissance, Tudor, Medieval, etc. • For months and days of the week, but not seasons of the year (autumn, spring, summer, winter, etc.); however, if referring to a semester along with the year, the season should be capitalised, e.g., Spring 2013 • For very specific job titles of individuals, e.g., Professor of Economics, and for titles used in conjunction with the name, e.g., Professor Smith • For titles of LUMS programmes (e.g., MSc Economics) and courses (e.g., AC100 Elements of Accounting and Finance) • For titles, including subheadings. The subheading should be treated as a new title; hence the first word is capitalised, e.g., Environmental Economics: An Elementary Introduction • North, south, etc. are capitalised only if part of a commonly used title of an area, e.g., South Africa and Western Australia; otherwise, they are lowercase, e.g., southern England, the west of Scotland, etc.

5. Do not use initial capitals: • When referring to LUMS as the university, without its proper name; likewise for individual schools and departments • When mentioning LUMS groups such as LUMS alumni, LUMS students, or LUMS faculty • When referring to higher education, honours degrees, joint, single, major/minor, master's, diplomas, etc. • For more general titles such as: a professor in the Economics Department, chairman, chief executive, partner, editor, governor, director (apart from Howard Davies who, when referred to just by his title without his name, is the Director). Titles commonly used in business, such as finance director, do not need initial capitals. If in doubt, use lowercase unless it looks unduly odd • For references to subjects when not part of a programme or course title • When referring generally to groups of schools and departments, e.g., there are 19 departments • When referring to the year of study, i.e., the third year of the course

6. Dates • Follow these styles set out below: • Wednesday, March 21, 2013 (always include the day of the week and never use 21st, 22nd, etc.) • In 2000-01 and Wednesday, March 21-23, 2013 • From 2000 to 2001 and Wednesday, March 21 to 23, 2013 • 1990s (no apostrophe) • 21st century, 20th-century ideas • Email vs. E-mail • Use one word, no hyphen, with a lowercase ‘e’ unless at the start of a sentence or in a title.

7. Font • Follow these styles set out below: • Headings should be size 14 • Subheadings should be size 12 and bold • Font in the body should be size 12 • Font style is Calibri • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) • Write the phrase out and put the abbreviation in brackets. No apostrophe required.

8. Headings and Web Page Titles • All headings and web page titles should use sentence case. Sentence case puts all words in lowercase except the first letter of the first word, names, proper nouns, abbreviations and acronyms. Headings never include a full stop at the end • Short description ends in a period. It has sentence case only • Event: put date and timing in the short description • News: one sentence summary of the news, with a word limit of 150 characters • Use dates instead of ‘today’ or ‘tomorrow’ for all web stories • The main heading is always set to Heading 2, thereby allowing four levels of heading beneath it: Heading 3, Heading 4, Heading 5 and Heading 6. • Make titles a maximum of 50-60 characters; make headings no more than six words long • Hyphens • The general rule is to avoid hyphens where possible, e.g., coordinate, not co-ordinate. However, where the rules of grammar require it, hyphens should be used, e.g., 24-hour clock, fifteen-member team, and interest-free loans.

9. Italics Foreign words or phrases should be italicised, unless they are so familiar that they have become anglicised, e.g., status quo. Book titles, newspaper, journal names and magazines should be in italics. Otherwise, italics should be avoided as italicised text is hard to read on the screen. LUMS LUMS can be referred to as ‘LUMS’ or ‘the Lahore University of Management Sciences’, but not ‘the LUMS’, e.g., “They visited LUMS,” not “They visited the LUMS.” However, 'the' is necessary if it refers to a particular office, e.g., “Further information is available from the LUMS Careers Office.” ‘LUMS’ will be used for news items. In all other places, use the full name in the first instance, followed by the acronym in parentheses. The acronym may then be used in place of the full name throughout.

10. Oxford Comma Omit the Oxford comma, also know as the serial comma, e.g., “She bought bread, eggs and milk,” not, “She bought bread, eggs, and milk.” However, the Oxford comma may be retained only if needed for clarity. Numbers In body copy, spell out numbers from one to ten, and numbers at the start of a sentence. Use figures for numbers from 11 upwards. However, in a paragraph listing several numbers relating to the same topic, e.g., comparing numbers of votes cast, use all figures. Also use figures in titles to keep them succinct. Use a comma for numbers over 999, e.g., 1,670. Paragraphs For news, should be no more than 70 words long.

11. Quotation marks • Use single quotation marks for paper titles, e.g., ‘Politics and Finances’. Place the punctuation outside the single quotation marks. • Use single quotation marks when speaking about a word as a word. Place the punctuation outside the single quotation marks. • Example: • The word ‘that’ is frequently confused with the word ‘which’. • Use double quotation marks to set off speech, e.g., Place punctuation inside the double quotation marks. • Example: • “Let’s hope for the best,” said Dr. Ahmad. • For quotes within quotes, place double quotation marks on the outer edges and use single quotation marks inside. • Example: • “I left when she said, ‘I’ve had enough!’ and stormed out of the room.” • Semi-colons • Use semi-colons with a list that includes commas, e.g., name, designation; name, designation; and name, designation.

12. Sentences • Sentences should be no more than 20 words long. • Spelling and style preferences • British English spellings and conventions will be favoured over American, e.g, use '-ise' in preference to '-ize', except in the case of book or report titles, which are spelled as published • The Oxford English Dictionary will be our dictionary of choice • The Express Tribune Style Guide (http://tribune.com.pk/styleguide/) will be referenced for all issues not covered here • Use APA format to list publications and references • Postgraduate and undergraduate are both spelled as one word • A levels is two words, no hyphen, with lowercase 'l‘ • Course work is two words • The word 'course' is used for units/modules • % is written as one word: percent • Use ‘&’ only for company names

13. Telephone numbers • Where relevant, give the international code, e.g., +92 (0)42 3650 5454 (land line) and +92 322 429 5496 (mobile). Do not use hyphens in telephone numbers. • That vs. Which • Place a comma before ‘which’. Do not place a comma before ‘that’. Use ‘that’ for restrictive clauses and ‘which’ for non-restrictive clauses. • Time • Follow the styles set out below: • Don't use the 24-hour clock; it's confusing • Write 11:00 a.m., 2:30 p.m., etc. (lowercase letters with periods) • Write 12 noon and 12 midnight so it’s clear what 12 you’re referring to

14. Titles Event titles: Put titles of conferences, lectures, etc. in single quotation marks. Publication titles: Italicise book and journal titles, e.g., Environmental Economics: An Elementary Introduction. Put academic papers within journals in single quotation marks, e.g., “His paper ‘Global Climate Change Adaptation’ appeared in the popular book Environmental Economics: An Elementary Introduction.” Rules for capitalizing event and publication titles are as follows: Capitalise the first word of the title, the last word of the title, and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, subordinating conjunctions and a few conjunctions. Prepositions are only capitalised if they are used adjectivally or adverbially. For example, you would capitalise the word “up” in a title that read “Squiggly Looked Up a Word” but not in a title that read “Squiggly Walked up the Mountain.” (Courtesy of Grammar Girl: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/capitalizing-titles.aspx) Web page vs. Webpage Use two words: web page Web site vs. Website Use one word: website