On the page On this page A - H Words I - P Words Q - Z Words On this page A - H Words I - P Words Q - Z Words Communications & Marketing Maintaining A Consistent Tone NWP鈥檚 institutional 鈥榲oice鈥 is in every official piece of writing we share with the public. That 鈥榲oice鈥 is as much a part of the Polytechnic鈥檚 brand as its logo and colours, and is achieved by following a standard set of rules and guidelines for how we write. Consistency in written voice is critical in maintaining a credible brand. This guide will provide an overview of the writing conventions, rules, and guidelines used in NWP鈥檚 official written communications.鈥 When in doubt, use the resources below as a guide for spelling, grammar, and other writing conventions. A - H Academic Degrees Use an apostrophe (鈥檚) when referring to a master鈥檚 or bachelor鈥檚 degree. Do not capitalize 鈥渕aster鈥 or 鈥渂achelor鈥 unless using an official degree title. Never capitalize 鈥渄egree鈥. Correct: 鈥淪he is pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree at NWP.鈥 Correct: 鈥淪he holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in education.鈥 Acronyms and Initialisms Unless the acronym is well known and commonly used (e.g. CEO), spell out the acronym on the first reference with the abbreviated version in parentheses. Use the abbreviated version in subsequent mentions.鈥 Correct: The Circle of Indigenous Students (CIS) offers student support in the form of cultural, social and recreational activities. Do not use periods or spaces to separate letters in an acronym or initialism. (e.g. CEO and PhD,鈥痭ot鈥疌.E.O. or Ph.D.) Advisor Not 鈥渁dviser.鈥 Alumni An alumnus/alumna is an individual who has either graduated from an NWP or GPRC program or successfully completed a significant amount of credit coursework in an NWP or GPRC program. Alumni = masculine or gender neutral, plural Alumnus = masculine, singular Alumna = feminine, singular Alumnae = feminine, plural To be considered alumni, an individual must have done one of the following:鈥 Received an NWP or GPRC credential鈥 Completed University Transfer Studies鈥 Completed a minimum of one period of an apprenticeship program鈥 Completed a minimum of 30 credit hours or the equivalent of one year full time studies鈥 Where an individual has attended NWP or GPRC in the past but does not meet the criteria for being considered alumni, you may use the term 鈥渇ormer student.鈥 Individuals who have completed NWP Continuing Education programs are not considered alumni. Alumni/Foundation The NWP Alumni/Foundation has been renamed and is now know as The 蜜桃视频 Foundation. It is the polytechnic鈥檚 department responsible for Alumni Services and鈥疐undraising.鈥 And vs. & Always use 鈥渁nd鈥 rather than the ampersand (鈥&鈥) unless the ampersand is part of an official Organization. Ampersand is also acceptable when a character limit inhibits the display of a page title or menu item. Incorrect: President & CEO鈥 Correct: President and CEO Bookstore One word. 颁补尘辫耻蝉别蝉鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Refer to NWP Fairview campus or NWP Grande Prairie campus (not 鈥淐ardinal building鈥); 鈥渃ampus鈥 should not be capitalized. NWP Fairview and NWP Grande Prairie are also acceptable. Comma Use Always use the Oxford comma, the comma separating the final two items in a list:鈥 Correct: She studied biology, physics, and mathematics at NWP. Incorrect: She studied biology, physics and mathematics at NWP. Use semi-colons instead of commas to separate items in a list when the items are long or complex: Correct: The nominees for the staff award were John Powell, Director of Student Services; Anna Shaughnessy, recruitment coordinator; and Paul McIntyre, Director of Finance. When making an introductory or identifying statement, use a comma only when the person or thing you are identifying is unique, i.e. there is only one. Correct: The recipient of the award was NWP鈥檚 longest-serving visual arts instructor, Dr. Henry Williams. (The comma is needed here because NWP has only one 鈥渓ongest-serving visual arts instructor.鈥) Correct: The recipient of the award was NWP visual arts instructor Dr. Henry Williams. (No comma is needed because NWP has more than one visual arts instructor.) Use commas when introducing employees by their job titles only when the job title follows the name:鈥 Correct: Questions can be directed to Jenna Peterson, director of finance. Correct: Questions can be directed to the Director of Finance Jenna Peterson. Convocation vs. Graduation Convocation鈥痳efers to the ceremony at which graduates from post-secondary programs are recognized and celebrated.鈥疓raduation鈥痳efers to the act of completing all necessary coursework and meeting all requirements to receive a post-secondary credential. We refer to NWP graduates, not convocants, but we refer to the convocation ceremony, not the graduation ceremony. Courtesy Titles In general, avoid courtesy titles like Mr., Mrs., or Ms. You may use the title 鈥淒r.鈥 when appropriate; normally, this title is applied on the first reference, and the individual is referred to by a surname afterward. An alternative to using 鈥淒r.鈥 is to indicate the professional designation (e.g. PhD) following the person鈥檚 name. These two forms should not be combined. Correct: Dr. James Jones鈥痮r鈥疛ames Jones, PhD. Incorrect: Dr. James Jones, PhD Degree-Granting Hyphenate 鈥渄egree-granting鈥 when it is followed by a noun, but omit the hyphen when it is not. Correct: 鈥淣WP is a degree-granting institution鈥濃痮r鈥淣WP is degree granting.鈥 Douglas J. Cardinal Performing Arts Centre Not 鈥淣WP Theatre鈥 or 鈥淒ouglas J. Cardinal Theatre.鈥 Sometimes abbreviated to DJC Performing Arts Centre. The term 鈥渢heatre concourse鈥 is used to describe the bar and seating area just outside the theatre鈥檚 interior doors. Enrol Not 鈥渆nroll鈥; use 鈥渆nrol,鈥 鈥渆nrolment,鈥 and 鈥渆nrolled.鈥 Faculties, Schools, and Departments The names of faculties, schools and departments should be capitalized when referring to a specific academic or administrative area of the Polytechnic:鈥 Correct: She was interested in applying to the NWP School of Health. Correct: He wasn鈥檛 sure which school would be the best fit for his skills. Correct: The Facilities, Maintenance, and Operations Department is hard at work with renovations. Graduation vs. Convocation Convocation鈥痳efers to the ceremony at which graduates from post-secondary programs are recognized and celebrated.鈥疓raduation鈥痳efers to the act of completing all necessary coursework and meeting all requirements to receive a post-secondary credential. We refer to NWP graduates, not convocants, but we refer to the Convocation ceremony, not the graduation ceremony. 贬补谤濒别测-顿补惫颈诲蝉辞苍庐&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Hyphenated and always followed (no space) by the 鈥渞egistered鈥 庐 symbol (auto-generated by enclosing a lower- or uppercase letter 鈥淩鈥 in parentheses). NWP is home to the only authorized technician training centre in Canada for Harley-Davidson庐 motorcycles. Healthcare vs. Health Care Use two words when health care is written, referring to it as a service. Use one word when referring to the institution and its members. Correct: The healthcare system in Alberta is administered by Alberta Health Services. Correct: Daniel received the best health care from a registered nurse. Correct: Learning how to talk to your healthcare team is an important skill. Howlers Lounge Not Howler鈥檚 Lounge or Howlers鈥 Lounge. I - P In-Person Hyphenate 鈥渋n-person鈥 when it describes a noun. Correct: 鈥淎manda registered for an in-person class this semester.鈥 Correct: 鈥淪tudents are required to attend the seminar in person.鈥 滨苍诲颈驳别苍颈锄补迟颈辞苍鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Spelled with a capital 鈥淚鈥. Indigenization is a commitment to a forward moving process that is led by Indigenous people which acknowledges Indigenous worldviews, knowledge and perceptions while actively seeking out opportunities to integrate Indigenous ways of knowing and doing. The goal of Indigenization is to ensure Indigenous cultures are shared and incorporated into education systems. Indigenous Not 鈥淣ative鈥 or 鈥淎boriginal.鈥 Indigenous should be capitalized. Indigenous acts as an inclusive term that includes First Nations, Inuit, and M茅tis people in Canada. Instructor Use 鈥渋nstructor鈥 over 鈥減rofessor鈥 or 鈥渢eacher.鈥 Instructor does not need to be capitalized when used as an introduction or identifier: 鈥淣WP biology instructor Robbie Robson will publish his research next fall.鈥 Job Titles As a general rule, capitalize job titles that appear before an individual鈥檚 name; leave them lowercase in all other circumstances. Correct: Direct all questions to Academic Advisor Jenny Jones. Correct: He worked with Jenny Jones, academic advisor, to create his course schedule. Note that exceptions to the capitalization rule are sometimes made for some senior Polytechnic official titles. Acceptable: Please direct all questions to Erica Smith, President and CEO.鈥 Land Acknowledgement It is generally appropriate to begin public addresses with an acknowledgement of the land on which we are situated (e.g.: 鈥淲e acknowledge the homeland of the many diverse First Nations and M茅tis people whose ancestors have walked this land since time immemorial. We are grateful to work, live and learn on the traditional territory of Treaty 8.鈥).鈥 For more information about appropriate and correct land acknowledgement, please contact NWP鈥檚 Indigenous initiatives coordinator or the communications office. Learning Community The NWP Learning Community consists of staff, students and faculty. We use it to describe our collective identity. Lists For vertical lists of at least three items, use bullet points or dashes instead of numerals unless the order of the items is important (e.g. in a step-by-step guide). All items in a list must be parallel; for example, if the first item in your list begins with a verb, the second cannot begin with a noun. Lists should be introduced by a complete sentence followed by a colon. Incorrect: Taking yoga fitness classes at the Polytechnic has many benefits:鈥 Feel more energized Increase your muscle strength Better concentration Correct: Taking yoga fitness classes at the Polytechnic has many benefits: Feel more energized Increase your muscle strength Improve your concentration Micro-credentials Always hyphenated with a lowercase "c" Correct: Micro-credentials are short-term learning opportunities that help students upskill or re-skill. Correct: Janet earned her first micro-credential in just under 8 weeks. We offer micro-credentials through the Department of Continuing Education. 蜜桃视频 Alberta Cardinal directions (north, east, south and west) are lowercase unless part of a proper name (e.g. South Edmonton, Northwest Territories). The phrase 鈥渘orthwestern Alberta鈥 is sometimes used to describe NWP鈥檚 service area and is preferable to 鈥渘orthwest Alberta.鈥 Numbers As a general rule, spell out all numbers from one to nine and use numerals for 10 and above.鈥 Correct: Johnston received three academic awards at convocation. His 12-year-old nephew was able to attend the ceremony. Deviate from the rule where following it would result in confusion or awkwardness.鈥 Acceptable: The summer camp is open to kids aged 8-14. Avoid beginning a sentence with a numeral. Acceptable: Fifteen per cent of the proceeds will go to Grande Prairie Regional Hospital. Use commas in numbers with four or more digits. Spell out 鈥渕illion,鈥 鈥渂illion,鈥 etc. for large numbers. Correct: There were 4,200 students enrolled in the Fall Semester. Correct: NWP received $6 million in funding to renovate the Grande Prairie campus.鈥 狈奥笔鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Use the abbreviation over the spelled out version whenever possible. Depending on the audience, it may be appropriate to use 鈥溍厶沂悠 (NWP)鈥 upon first mention and switch to NWP for each subsequent mention, but for community and internal audiences, use NWP.鈥 There is no need to use 鈥渢he鈥 before NWP: i.e. never refer to 鈥渢he NWP鈥 or 鈥渢he 蜜桃视频.鈥 It may be convenient to say 鈥渢he Polytechnic鈥 or 鈥渢he institution鈥 in place of 鈥淣WP鈥 to avoid repetition. When referring specifically to NWP, it is appropriate to capitalize 鈥淧olytechnic.鈥濃 Correct: Celebrating Dreams鈥痬arked the Polytechnic鈥檚 50th Anniversary. You should not capitalize 鈥減olytechnic鈥 if the word does not directly refer to NWP. Incorrect: NWP students immerse themselves in polytechnic life. On-Campus Hyphenate 鈥渙n-campus鈥 when it describes a noun. Correct: 鈥淣WP will increase its on-campus lunch options.鈥 Correct: 鈥淭here will soon be more lunch options on campus.鈥 Per Cent鈥 Two words. Avoid using the 鈥%鈥 symbol. (e.g., a 40 per cent increase). Post-secondary Not post secondary. Hyphenated and lowercase "s". Program/program Capitalized when used as part of an official program name; use a lowercase 鈥減鈥 when used as a descriptive noun. Refer to the website program descriptions to determine whether 鈥減rogram鈥 is part of an official name. If conflicting usages appear on the website, contact the program coordinator for more information and notify the appropriate web content editor of the inconsistency. Correct: She applied for the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). Correct: He always knew he wanted to attend NWP鈥檚 Harley-Davidson庐 Technician Certificate program. Q - Z Quotation Marks鈥 Quotation marks are most commonly used to indicate that a word or phrase was taken verbatim from another source. Use quotation marks to indicate someone speaking or to include written information from an outside source (but make sure you cite properly). Never place a period or comma outside of quotation marks.鈥 Correct: She said she was 鈥渦tterly honoured to have been chosen for this award.鈥 Incorrect: His greatest ambition was 鈥渢o change people鈥檚 lives鈥,鈥痺hich is why he became a personal trainer.鈥 Question marks can be placed outside of quotes if they are not part of the original quote.鈥 Correct: Who will receive what Wilson called 鈥渢he College鈥檚 most prestigious award鈥?鈥 Use double quotation marks to indicate the beginning of a quote; use single quotation marks to indicate when someone is being quoted within a quote. Correct: He explained, 鈥淚鈥檝e always believed in Lao Tzu鈥檚 words: 鈥楾he journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.鈥欌 Room Numbers Do not use punctuation or spaces between the letters and numbers in a room number (e.g., A103, not A-103; FAC1002, not FAC 1002) Semesters/Seasons Do not capitalize the names of the seasons (fall, winter, spring, summer). Semester names are capitalized. Correct: John submitted his application to NWP in the summer and hopes to attend in the Fall Semester. Service Area The NWP service area includes the municipalities and regions where our campuses, and research facilities are located: Grande Prairie, Fairview, and Beaverlodge. Spacing Use a single space after a period or any other punctuation. Student-Athletes Not student athletes. Refers to any student who is registered on an athletics team. Students鈥 Association of 狈奥笔鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Can be abbreviated to Students鈥 Association or NWPSA. Not Students Association or Student鈥檚 Association. Time and Date 2:00 a.m. not 2am Vice-President Hyphenated and not normally capitalized, unless used as part of someone鈥檚 title in conjunction with their name (see Courtesy Titles). Wolfpack We are all Wolves and therefore part of the Wolfpack. Not Wolf Pack or Wolf pack.