Skip to main content

Editorial Style

Following NC State's editorial style lends your writing a professional sheen and ensures a consistent experience for all of our readers.

Clear, Consistent Writing

Editorial style is a set of rules that tells you what to do when there's more than one "correct" way to write something. Examples include determining which words to capitalize in a headline or when to spell out a number versus using a numeral. Without a clear-cut set of style guidelines, writers often address these situations in inconsistent and contradictory ways, which undermines their credibility.

NC State’s editorial style is based on The Associated Press Stylebook, with exceptions and additions as noted below. When AP style conflicts with NC State's own guidelines, you should follow the latter. To resolve questions of spelling, AP recommends using Merriam-Webster.

You should follow these rules far more often than not. However, situations may arise when bending a rule makes more sense than following it. Clarity and consistency are the most important considerations.

Use the search bar or index to find a specific editorial style reference.

emeritus

Denotes either a retiring full-time faculty member who has been recognized by the chancellor, or a full-time staff member recognized by the board of trustees, for dedicated service at NC State. It is an earned rank and comes with commensurate rights and privileges.

esports

The term “esports” is acceptable in all references to competitive multiplayer video gaming. Capitalize the term if it occurs at the beginning of a sentence. Like other collective nouns that are plural in form, esports takes the singular form when it is regarded as a singular unit: Some gamers say esports is a viable profession.

faculty

Lowercase unless part of a name or title.

Feed the Pack Food Pantry

The on-campus food pantry is part of the Pack Essentials Hub and is open to all members of the NC State community.

Founders’ Day

March 7 marks the anniversary of the founding of the university. The Founders’ Day event commemorates the 1887 passage of a bill in the state legislature that provided for the founding of a college to teach agriculture and mechanic arts.

General Administration

The governing body of the 17-campus University of North Carolina system, of which NC State is a constituent institution. See entry for The University of North Carolina for a list of all 17 campuses.

Governors Scott Courtyard

This courtyard on North Campus — bounded by Kilgore Hall, the Phytotron, Fox Science Teaching Laboratory, David Clark Labs and Nelson Hall — was constructed in 2004. The word “Governors” in the courtyard’s name is plural in honor of North Carolina’s two governors named Scott: W. Kerr Scott (1949-1953) and Robert W. Scott (1969-1973).

Gregg Museum of Art & Design

This museum, a unit of Arts NC State, uses the ampersand in its name.

On first reference, use “Gregg Museum of Art & Design.” On subsequent references, use “Gregg Museum” or “the Gregg.”

headlines and headers

Apply these capitalization guidelines to article headlines, headers within articles, and webpage titles and headers:

  • Capitalize all words in a headline, header or title except articles (a, an, the); prepositions of three or fewer letters (for, of, on, up, etc.); and conjunctions of three or fewer letters (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet, etc.) unless any of those come first or last.
  • Capitalize prepositions of four or more letters (above, after, down, inside, over, with, etc.) and conjunctions of four or more letters (because, while, since, though, etc.)
  • Capitalize both parts of a phrasal verb: “What To Look For in a Mate”; “Turn Off the Lights in Silence.” But: “A Life of Eating Chocolate for Stamina”; “Living With Both Feet off the Ground.” (Note the different uses of “for” and “off,” and thus the different capitalization, in those examples.)
  • Capitalize “to” in infinitives: “What I Want To Be When I Grow Up.”

Holladay Hall

NC State’s first building, Holladay Hall, was originally called the Main Building. The cornerstone was laid in August 1888, and the building was opened Oct. 3, 1889. The building was renamed for the college’s first president, Alexander Quarles Holladay, in 1915. Today Holladay Hall houses the offices of the chancellor and other administrative offices.