MCG Editorial Style Guide

Tips on Style & Structure

Clarity is vital and must trump any other consideration (creativity, cleverness, originality, etc.) when writing. These other elements can be incorporated into copy, but not at the expense of clarity.

Write in the active voice (for instance, "The Medical College of Georgia is recruiting volunteers...." rather than "Volunteers are being recruited by the Medical College of Georgia....")

Use the inverted-pyramid structure when conveying news-oriented information, beginning with the most pertinent information and proceeding in descending order.

Incorporate storytelling and humanization as much as possible in feature-writing. For instance, when tackling a broad topic, it's often helpful to begin with a single compelling and personalized story that encapsulates the theme. The broader picture can come later. A reader who cares about a single story connected to the theme will ideally be invested in the message and more likely to continue reading.

Avoid cliched and often-inaccurate terms such as "unique" and "cutting-edge." A compelling message should stand on its own merits.

Avoid redundancies, such as "research study" and "free gift."

Use elements such as all-caps, exclamation marks and superlatives very sparingly, keeping in mind that the more they are used, the less impact they have. Oversold messages forfeit impact and credibility.

Be truthful. Once a reader catches you in a single inaccuracy or exaggeration, he will distrust everything else you write.

Fact-check. Spell back a name to your source, check official Web sites for verification, double-check titles, etc.

Once you've drafted copy, reread it from a reader's perspective. Do you have all the information you need? If you're referring to an upcoming event, for instance, do you include the date, time, place, cost, contact information, etc.? Information should be concise yet thorough.

This is a compilation of writing points referring specifically to the Medical College of Georgia.

The Associated Press Stylebook is the official guideline for all other points. The stylebook may be ordered from the MCG Bookstore. This manual is subject to updates, additions and revisions, but until a point is formally changed, pleased adhere to the following:

Medical College of Georgia--Refer to as MCG on second and subsequent reference in copy. Rewrite entire name only in quoted material. Also acceptable for subsequent reference: the university (not college), Georgia's health sciences university, the institution, the school.

Courtesy titles--The only courtesy title given on first reference is "Dr." Courtesy titles are always used on subsequent references. Women should be asked their preference: Miss, Mrs. or Ms. Example: Jane Doe, special collections librarian at the Medical College of Georgia, has been named president of the National Library Association. Ms. Doe began her career at MCG as a librarian in 1955. Example: Dr. John Doe, chair of the Medical College of Georgia Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, will retire July 1. Dr. Doe announced his retirement at the May 12 MCG Faculty Assembly.

Formal titles--Formal titles (academic titles and organizational titles) are capitalized only if they immediately precede the title holder’s name.

Example: MCG President John Doe has been named chair of the XYZ Steering Committee.

Example: Jane Doe is an administrative specialist III at the Medical College of Georgia.

Example: Dr. Jane Doe, chair of the Section of Dermatology, has been a dermatologist for five years. (Note that "dermatologist," which is not a formal title, is lower-case.)

Health care--Health care is two words in every case.

First names--First names are acceptable on every reference for children (ages 18 and younger). The same is occasionally true of adults referred to in feature stories. The tone of the story should dictate first-name usage in these cases.

Tenses--Articles should be written in the past tense, with the exception of occasional feature stories which may be written in the present tense, depending on the tone of the story. The tense should be consistent throughout the story. (Example of present tense: "MCG is a great place to work," says Jane Doe, an MCG administrative assistant.) Headlines and photo captions are written in the present tense. ("MCG Receives Grant").

Capitalization--Capitalize formal names of schools: the MCG School of Medicine, the MCG School of Dentistry. Informal references are lower-case: the medical school, the dental school. Likewise, capitalize formal names of departments, divisions, sections, etc., but lower-case informal reference. (The Division of Personnel, the personnel division; the Department of Anesthesiology, the anesthesiology department.)

Acronyms—Some acronyms are acceptable on subsequent reference (MCG, NIH, etc.), but in general, avoid alphabet soup and do not place an acronym in parenthesis after a first reference. Offices, institutes, foundations, associations, etc. can often be abbreviated in subsequent references as “the office,” “the foundation,” etc.

Academic degrees--The Associated Press Stylebook rules apply. Don't follow a name with "letter" degrees.

Wrong: "Jane Doe, Ph.D."
Right: "Dr. Jane Doe."
Wrong: "John Doe, M.S.N."
Right: "John Doe."

Establish credentials in the body, if necessary: "Mr. Doe earned a master's degree in nursing from Ohio State University..."

Exception: letter degrees may follow names in lists.

Example: "The winners are John Doe, M.D.; Jane Doe, Ph.D., etc."
Letter degrees also may follow names in brochures or advertisements.

Temporary titles--The title-holder's preference applies: interim or acting.

Multiple titles--Use only one to precede a name: Dr. John Doe or MCG President John Doe.

Wrong: MCG President Dr. John Doe. Right: Dr. John Doe, President of MCG.
Wrong: Dean Dr. Jane Doe.
Right: Dr. Jane Doe, Dean of the MCG School of Medicine.

Nicknames--Use as part of first reference only if subject prefers it and is commonly called by it. If preference is unclear, use full name.

 

Compiled by the Graphic Standards Committee, 1995

Updated by the Office of Strategic Communications, 2008