Editorial Guidelines

Campuses and Clinics

First and Second Reference for Bastyr's Two Campuses

• Use Bastyr University as a first reference. The second reference can be either the University or Bastyr. General use of the word university is not capitalized. Bastyr has two campuses, but we are one Bastyr. Externally, when you need to differentiate between the two campuses, use Seattle Campus and San Diego Campus.  
• Use acronyms BUK (Bastyr University – Kenmore) and BUSD (Bastyr University – San Diego) for internal reference only. Note: No longer use BUC (Bastyr University – California) as an acronym for the San Diego campus. This gets confused with BUC (Bastyr University Clinic) which uses the same acronym.

First and Second Reference for Bastyr's Two Clinics

• Use Bastyr Center for Natural Health to refer to the Seattle teaching clinic. Eliminate "the" before any instances of "Bastyr Center for Natural Health." Subsequent references to Bastyr Center for Natural Health should be Bastyr Center. Otherwise, center can be used in lowercase.
• Use "the" before Bastyr Dispensary. Secondary references to the dispensary are lowercase.
• Use Bastyr University Clinic to refer to the San Diego teaching clinic. Eliminate "the" before any instances of "Bastyr University Clinic." Otherwise, clinic can be used in lowercase.
• The three units of both clinics are Team Care, Practitioner Care, and Resident Care (capitalized, not in quotes or italics).
• Practitioner Care is the name of the group private practice unit at the center. Always use Practitioner Care instead of a substitute term such as "the private practice clinic."
• Supervisors at the clinic should be referred to as faculty practitioners.
• BCNH (Bastyr Center for Natural Health) and BUC (Bastyr University Clinic) acronyms are for internal use only. 

Bastyr University Resources 

• Bastyr University Bookstore; Bastyr Bookstore
• Bastyr University Medicinal Herb Garden; Bastyr Medicinal Herb Garden
• Bastyr University Reflexology Path; Bastyr Reflexology Path
• Bastyr University Library; Bastyr Library
• Bastyr University Dining Commons; Bastyr Dining Commons
• Bastyr University Student Village; Student Village
• Bastyr University Chapel; Bastyr Chapel
• Bastyr University Continuing, Certificate, and Community Education
• Bastyr University Events and Guest Services
• Center for Social Justice and Diversity
• Center for Mind, Body and Spirit
• Turtle Pond Courtyard

The names of these resources are capitalized when preceded by "Bastyr" or "Bastyr University" Otherwise, name them the dining commons, the bookstore, or the library.       

Degree Programs

Refer to Bastyr's programs by their official titles, as written below.

Bastyr University Doctoral and Graduate Programs

• Doctor of Acupuncture
• Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
• Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
• Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
• Master of Arts in Maternal-Child Health Systems
• Master of Public Health
• Master of Acupuncture
• Master of Acupuncture with a Chinese Herbal Medicine Specialization
• Master of Science in Midwifery
• Master of Science in Nutrition
• Master of Science in Nutrition/Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
• Master of Science in Nutrition/Didactic Program in Dietetics
• Master of Science in Nutrition for Wellness and Health Coaching
• Post Baccalaureate in Naturopathic Medicine
• Post Baccalaureate in Nutrition

Bastyr University Undergraduate Programs

• Bachelor of Science in Health Psychology
• Bachelor of Science in Health Psychology - Integrated Wellness Track
• Bachelor of Science in Health Psychology - Pre-Med Track
• Bachelor of Science in Herbal Sciences
• Bachelor of Science in Integrated Human Biology
• Bachelor of Science in Nutrition
• Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Exercise Science
• Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Culinary Arts

Bastyr University Certificates and Internship

• Certificate in Chinese Herbal Medicine
• Certificate in Holistic Landscape Design
• Dietetic Internship - Nutrition

Boilerplate

Below is a boilerplate statement normally used at the end of a press release. Use this (or our Position statement) as a guide when describing Bastyr:

Bastyr University is a nonprofit, private university offering doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate degrees, with a multidisciplinary curriculum in science-based natural health and medicine. Recognized globally for its rigorous curriculum and strong research, Bastyr University has campuses in Kenmore, Washington, and San Diego, California. Bastyr's international faculty educate future leaders in the natural health arts and sciences, with an emphasis on integrating mind, body, spirit, and nature. For more information please visit: http://www.bastyr.edu/.

Bastyr University Policy on Non-discrimination

Bastyr University does not discriminate against any person in matters of employment, application for employment, student or applicant for admission, or participation in our programs or benefits based on the following protected classes: gender, gender identity or expression, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, race, color, ancestry, ethnic or national origin (includes language use and possession of a driver's license issued to persons unable to prove their presence in the United States is authorized under federal law), creed, religion, (includes religious dress and grooming practices), age (40 and above), disability (mental and physical, including HIV and AIDS), genetic information, medical condition (genetic characteristics, cancer or a record or history of cancer), marital status, veteran or military status, or any other protected category under applicable local, state, or federal law.”

Academics References

Degree Programs

• Use the apostrophe for master's degree and bachelor's degree. Associate degree has no apostrophe or s. Use doctoral degree or a doctorate.
• Always capitalize Master of Science and Bachelor of Science, with or without a degree name afterward.
• Dual-degree is the preferred term for our dual-degree options, not "dual track."
• Capitalize the formal names of our degrees: Bachelor of Science in Herbal Sciences. Master of Science in Nutrition. Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. Otherwise, use lowercase bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and fields of study. An exception is proper nouns, cultures, and languages: He has a master's degree in nutrition. She has a bachelor's in English. He has a BS in herbal sciences. She has a master's degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. She has a Master of Science in chemistry.
• Acronyms (such as MSN) should be avoided in publications for external audiences. 
• Dietetic Internship is capitalized when referring to Bastyr's Dietetic Internship program. When referring to dietetic internships in general, it is lowercase.
• Lowercase is a specialization, interest area or modality. She is a physician who specializes in obstetrics. He is a naturopathic physician with a special interest in physical medicine.

Institutional Departments  

• The preferred usage is office-name, wth both elements capitalized: Office of Admissoins, Office of Finance.
• For internal publications, it is acceptable to use the informal name: The admissions office, finance.

Courses

• Capitalize Bastyr courses such as Whole Foods Production or Anatomy and Physiology.
• Even when a specific class title is not named (i.e., Biochemistry 3), the name of the class should be capitalized (i.e., Biochemistry).
• Also capitalize names of continuing education courses: Craniosacral Therapy I.  

Graduation Years

• Graduation years are usually included after the first mention of a Bastyr alumni's credentials, but exceptions are possible, depending on the type of written piece.
• Suppose a person earned multiple degrees at Bastyr. In that case, all Bastyr degrees should be represented with credentials and graduation year in attribution or first mention: Leanna Standish, Ph.D., ND '91, MS '97, LAc.
• No graduation year is used when referring to a student who has not yet graduated.
• Bastyr University Chapel; Bastyr Chapel 

Quote Attribution

• Whether attributing a quote to current students or graduates, use the same format: name, credentials, program, and year: Lori Smith, BS Health Psychology '09.

Referencing Schools and Academic Departments

• Capitalize only official names of the schools and departments, which begin with "Department of" or "School of."
• Any other construction should be lowercase: The event was sponsored by the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science.
• Welcome to the School of Natural Health Arts and Sciences. The basic sciences department has the key to the lab.  

Common Misspellings and Misuses 

• Use afterward, not “afterwards.”
• Breastfeeding is no longer hyphenated.
• Spell these Chinese arts as two words, lowercase: tui na, tai chi. However, qigong is one word, lowercase. (Exception: The class at Bastyr is titled Qi Gong.)
• Use contribution or gift instead of donation.
• When starting words with co, retain the hyphen when forming nouns, adjectives and verbs that indicate occupation or status, such as co-author, co-owner, co-signer, and co-worker. Otherwise, don’t hyphenate, i.e., coeducation, coexist, cooperate and copay.
• Coursework is one word.
• CPR does not need to be spelled out.
• Chinese term five-element acupuncture is lowercase.
• Use flier instead of “flyer” to refer to a widely distributed pamphlet or circular.
• Health care is two words in most instances.
• Holistic does not have a “w” in it.
• Use inpatient instead of “in-patient.”
• Use more than instead of “over” when referring to the amount or numeric value.
• Always write omega-3 in lowercase with a hyphen.
• Use people, not “persons.”
• Use qi (lowercase) instead of “chi” when referring to the energy that moves along the body’s acupuncture meridians.
• The word reiki is lowercase.
• Viewbook is one word.
• Use toward, not “towards.”
• Under way is two words.
• Work-study is hyphenated.
• Whole food is singular and hyphenated as a modifier: whole-food cooking. When used as a noun, it is plural: We are learning about whole foods. The class title is also plural: Whole Foods Production.
• X-ray is capitalized.
• ED or USED is the proper acronym for the U.S. Department of Education. DOE is the Department of Energy. 

Definitions 

Academics

• Areas of Study: A classification of two programs or more. Bastyr has five – Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine, Nutrition, Psychology, and Midwifery.
• Degree: Degrees indicate the completion of a course of study or the extent of academic achievement. Examples of degrees include bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, etc. These are industry standards and not dictated by Bastyr.
• Program: Unique educational titles that apply to Bastyr’s offerings. Example – Herbal Sciences Program, Naturopathic Medicine Program, Holistic Landscape Design Certificate Program.
• Degree Programs: Degree programs reference industry-standard degree titles and a Bastyr program name. Example: Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, Master of Arts in Nutrition and Counseling Psychology. These are primarily used in a writing sense.

Alumni, Alumnus, etc.

As of March 2021, AP Style does not support using the word “alum,” considering it informal and slang. However, the AP Style does not have an alternative version of this word to include gender non-binary people. For this reason, Bastyr University has decided to use the word “alum” when referring to a gender non-binary person or person whose gender isn’t known to the author.

• Alumnus is used to refer to a male graduate or former student.
• Alumni is the plural of alumnus or alum.  
• Alumna is used to refer to a woman graduate or former student.
• Alumnae is the plural of alumna.
• Alum refers to a graduate or former student who identifies as gender non-binary or whose gender is unknown. 

Body, Mind, and Spirit

• Per our Mission statement is the sentence, “Respecting the healing power of nature and recognizing that body, mind and spirit are intrinsically inseparable, we model an integrated approach to education, research and clinical service.” This means our wellness comes not just from our physical health but also mental and spiritual health.
• We use the word "spiritual," not necessarily to mean a religious manifestation but more of an emotional connection to something bigger than ourselves. We harness that "spiritual" or emotional connection in the process of well-being and healing. 

East Asian Medicine

• East Asian Medicine—also knowns as Traditional Chinese Medicine—is an ancient system of health and wellness that's been used in China for thousands of years. Bastyr offers extensive courses and programs in Eastern Medicine.   
• The words “Oriental Medicine” is used for our current Bastyr program names (e.g., Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) and cannot be changed as this a national accredited degree. Since the word “oriental” is considered pejorative and polarizing, only use Oriental Medicine to describe the degree.

Health Care

• Health care is two words in all cases; it is not hyphenated.
• Names of diseases, syndromes, signs, symptoms, diagnostic procedures, and anatomical parts should be lowercase except when proper names form part of the term, i.e., Parkinson’s disease.
• Acronyms such as CAT scan are usually capitalized. Generic names for pharmaceuticals are lowercase. To capitalize specific herbs, refer to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.

Natural Health Arts and Science terminology

• Use “natural health arts and sciences” as the preferred term for the area of focus of Bastyr’s programs. Refrain from using natural “health sciences.”   
• Use the term integrative medicine when referring to the health care industry as a whole, as much as possible. Integrative health care is a family of natural health wellness and prevention disciplines—naturopathic, acupuncture, chiropractic, nutrition and massage—in partner with conventional medicine. It is not an alternative (meaning, one or the other) to conventional medicine. Refrain from using the term alternative medicine or contemporary alternative medicine.
• When a distinction needs to be made between medical disciplines as a profession in writing, use naturopathic medicine and conventional medicine. Do not use Western, traditional, or allopathic medicine as these can be considered confusing or polarizing, especially to the novice or inexperienced.
• Holistic medicine (and/or health care) is the individualized, client-centered model of promoting optimal health and wellness across body, mind, and spirit. By combining a whole person approach with evidence-based strategies, the goal is to reduce disease risk and promote wellbeing.

Naturopathic Medicine terminology

• Use Naturopathic physician or Naturopathic doctor rather than naturopath. Naturopathic doctor is preferred in California publications.
• Use naturopathic medicine rather than naturopathy. Naturopathic medicine provides a certain level of prestige, and naturopathy isn’t a universally understood word. 

Digital

• Bastyr.edu is capitalized as such.
• BastyrCenter.org and BastyrClinic.org are capitalized as such.
• Email addresses are lowercase: [email protected]. 

Documents, Reports, Plans, and Forms

• Capitalize [and italicize] the names of official printed and bound publications: The Bastyr University Catalog; but not shorthand: the catalog.
• Lowercase the names of Bastyr University documents and reports, such as Bastyr University’s writing standards or the strategic plan.
• Capitalize sections of publications or the website. Refer to the Professional Opportunities page on the website.
• Lowercase documents and forms: You will need to fill out a petition to transfer or waive the credit form. Submit an application form by March 15.

Events

• Place the names of our self-titled admissions events in quotes. For instance: Don’t miss our “Bastyr Connection” event.
• Place the name of conferences in quotes: Key stakeholders attended "The State of Science of Botanical Authentication."
• Other University events are capitalized (not in quotes), including Discover Bastyr; Bastyr University Herb and Food Fair; Bastyr Community Day. 

Governing and Organizational Bodies

Headlines and Titles of Works

• For headlines and titles of books, movies, plays, songs, poems, lectures, and works of art, principal words should be capitalized, including conjunctions and prepositions of five or more letters.
• Italicize titles of books and publications. I read it in The New York Times. (For press releases, follow AP Style, which currently does not call for italics or quotes.)
• Television programs, articles, chapters of books, etc., should be placed in quotes. Bastyr will be featured on "Gardening with Ciscoe."
• Capitalize a conjunction or article (the, a, and, with, through) or a word of fewer than five letters ONLY if it is the first or last word of a title. Correct: The President of the United States Incorrect: Vice President of Advancement And Enrollment Services
• If there is a hyphenated word in a headline or sub-head, the second part of a hyphenated word should be capitalized. Example: Bastyr to Return to In-Person Classes  

Titles and Credentials

Occupational Titles

• Capitalize President if it is being used as a formal title that is before or after a name. Examples: Devin Byrd, Bastyr University President; Bastyr University President, Dr. Byrd; and President Devin Byrd.
• "Devin Byrd, Bastyr University President" is the first reference to our president.
• A secondary reference is "President Byrd."
• Board of Trustees is capitalized when talking specifically about the Bastyr University Board of Trustees. Lowercase board when it stands alone.
• Capitalize Cabinet when referring to the Bastyr University President's Cabinet.
• Certain titles should be abbreviated before names: Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Rep., Sen. and certain military ranks. Spell out all other formal titles in all cases. 

Credentials and Professional Titles

• Always set off degree credentials on both sides by commas.

⁃  Jamey Wallace, ND, is making a mark for himself.

• Upon graduation, recipients of Bastyr's doctoral degrees earn their doctoral credentials. The title is NOT withheld until they pass their boards or receive another licensure.
• Occupational titles should only be capitalized when placed before the name (if not separated from the name by a comma). Only use titles of three words or less before a name:

⁃  Bastyr's president was the headliner at the event.                      
⁃  Devin Byrd, Ph.D., President of Bastyr University, was in attendance.                      
⁃  Bastyr University President Devin Byrd, Ph.D., was in attendance.

Order of Degrees/Credentials

• Degrees should be listed in order of level or rank. If two degrees share equal rank, such as various doctoral-level degrees, list the degrees according to the date granted. For example: Leanna Standish, Ph.D., ND, MS, LAc. (She obtained her Ph.D. before earning her ND.)
• When referring to a Bastyr graduate, always use MS with LAc (instead of using LAc alone) and when using a graduation year, place the graduation year after the MS instead of after the LAc.
• For repeated references to a doctor in a single piece, use these guidelines:

Institution

These acronyms should be used for internal purposes only.  

• BUK: Bastyr University - Kenmore
• BUSD: Bastyr University – San Diego 
• BCNH: Bastyr Center for Natural Health
• BUC: Bastyr University Clinic

Bottom Line: Refer to campuses by the city in which they are located, not the state. This means, no longer use BUC to reference Bastyr University - California.

Degree Program

These acronyms are used internally – for external-facing documents, spell out program names.  

• BSP = Bachelor of Science in Health Psychology (all tracks)
• BSH = Bachelor of Science in Herbal Sciences
• BSIHB = Bachelor of Science in Integrated Human Biology 
• BSN = Bachelor of Science in Nutrition
• BSNCA = Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Culinary Arts
• BSNX = Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Exercise Science
• CCHM = Certificate in Chinese Herbal Medicine
• CHLD = Certificate in Holistic Landscape Design
• DI = Dietetic Internship 
• DAc = Doctor of Acupuncture
• DAOM = Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
• ND = Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
• ND-BUK = Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine – Kenmore Campus
• ND-BUSD = Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine – San Diego Campus
• MACP = Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
• MACP - BUK = Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology – Kenmore Campus
• MACP - BUSD = Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology – San Diego Campus
• MCHS = Master of Arts in Maternal-Child Health Systems
• MPH = Master of Public Health
• MAc = Master of Acupuncture
• MAcCHM - Master of Acupuncture with a Chinese herbal medicine specialization
• MSM = Master of Science in Midwifery 
• MSN = Master of Science in Nutrition
• MSN/MACP = Master of Science in Nutrition and Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
• MSNW = Master of Science in Nutrition for Wellness and Health Coaching
• MSN-DPD = Master of Science in Nutrition with Didactic Program in Dietetics
• PBND = Post-baccalaureate – Naturopathic Medicine
• PBN = Post-baccalaureate – Nutrition

Department 

• AES = Advancement and Enrollment Services Division
• APE = Applied Practice Experience
• BOT = Board of Trustees
• BU = Bastyr University
• BCNH = Bastyr Center for Natural Health
• BUC = Bastyr University Clinic (Note: Don't use BUC for Bastyr University - California; Please, use BUSD instead)
• BUK = Bastyr University – Kenmore, WA
• BUSD = Bastyr University – San Diego, CA
• CAB =  Community Advisory Board
• CPM = Certified Professional Midwife
• DEI = Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• FERPA = Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act policy for students
• HIPAA = Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act
• ILE = Integrated Learning Experience
• LMHC = Licensed Mental Health Counselor (WA)
• LPCC = Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (CA)
• OIE = Office of Institutional Effectiveness
• PSR = Patient Services Representative
• SLA = Service Level Agreement
• ULT = University Leadership Team

Institution

For external-facing documents, we are one Bastyr. Refer to either campus as Bastyr University or " BU in a less formal sense "BU." 
There may be instances in which we need to differentiate between campus locations, although this is very rare. An example of this use would be an email signature. In these instances:

• Bastyr University – San Diego
• Bastyr University – Seattle 

Seattle is a larger, more widely-known city and immediately identifies our campus. 

Industry

• AANP = American Association of Naturopathic Physicians 
• AANMC = American Association for Naturopathic Medical Colleges
• AIHM = Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine
• AEAM = Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine
• AOM = Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (in the process of replacing with the above AEAM)
• APHA =  American Public Health Association
• CAM = Contemporary Alternative Medicine
• CEPH =  Council on Education for Public Health
• CHES = Community Health Education Specialist
• CHPL = The Center for Health Policy and Leadership
• CPM = Certified Professional Midwife
• DrPH =  Doctor of Public Health
• LM = Licensed Midwife
• FERPA = Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act policy for students
• HIPAA = Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act
• INM = Institute of Naturopathic Medicine
• LICSW:  Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
• LMHC = Licensed Mental Health Counselor (WA)
• LPCC = Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (CA) 
• MAWS = Midwives Association of Washington State 
• MScPH =  Master of Science in Public Health
• NMSA = Naturopathic Medical Student Association 
• WANP = Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians 
• WSPHA=   Washington State Public Health Association

Ampersand (&) vs. And

• Use an ampersand when it is part of a company's name or in an accepted, widely used abbreviations. Otherwise, it shouldn't be used in place of "and," 
• Correct: Event Services booked a B&B for the Founders' Day guest speaker. Use the ampersand if it is part of a logo such as AT&T, Proctor & Gamble
• Incorrect: Join us for a night of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, & networking in the Bastyr Chapel!

Comma

• Use to join two clauses that cannot stand alone. Example: Bastyr's best recipes are the beet hummus and the ketchup, but it's most famous for the carrot cake.

Comma, Oxford/Serial

• Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Leave only one space after a colon. 
• Use a colon when introducing a list or series of items at the end of a sentence. Used for dependent clauses, meaning – the phrase after the colon cannot stand alone as a complete sentence (see semi-colon rules). 
• Example: Seattle is known for three things: lots of rain in the winter, the best coffee in America, and the largest natural health clinic in the Pacific Northwest. 
• Incorrect: Bastyr University has degree programs in Nutrition, Midwifery and Psychology.

Colons

• Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Leave only one space after a colon. 
• Use a colon when introducing a list or series of items at the end of a sentence. Used for dependent clauses, meaning – the phrase after the colon cannot stand alone as a complete sentence (see semi-colon rules). 
• Example: Seattle is known for three things: lots of rain in the winter, the best coffee in America, and the largest natural health clinic in the Pacific Northwest. 

Ellipses

• In general, ellipses are used to indicate an incomplete thought. They are very informal and should be avoided in formal writing. 
• Use ellipses to condense quotes: "I … tried to do what was best." 

Em Dash 

• Definition: An em dash is used to emphasize a particular phrase in a sentence. 
• Use an em dash for dashes in print publications and everything written for the web.
• Don't include a space on both sides of a dash in all uses.
• Note: Em dashes are NOT interchangeable with hyphens.
• Free carrot cake—thanks to the staff working tirelessly since yesterday afternoon­—will be available to all students during finals week!

Periods and Spacing

• Use only one space after periods and between sentences.

Periods in Bulleted Lists

•   Use periods at the end of list items when they are complete sentences or completing a sentence. Omit periods after sentence fragments. However, lists should be consistent throughout, so if some items are complete sentences, use a period for every item. Capitalize items in bulleted lists only when they stand independently and are not completing a sentence.

Quotation Marks

• Periods and commas always go within the quotation marks. A question mark and exclamation point, dash, or semi-colon goes inside only if it is part of the quoted sentiment. Did she say "I quit"? No, she said, "When can I quit?"

Hyphens

• Definition: A hyphen joins together words or parts of words. Example: When we are back to in-person dining, the first thing I'm going to eat is a plate of mouth-watering beet hummus and chips.

Use a hyphen

• To avoid ambiguity: The president will speak to small-business men.
• When a compound modifier—two or more words that express a single concept—precedes a noun and it is necessary to avoid confusion (exceptions: when the word "very" or "-ly" words precede a noun). A first-quarter touchdown; an easily remembered rule.
• When a modifier that would usually come before the noun comes after a form of the verb "to be": The man is well-known; The woman is quick-witted.
• In fractions, odds, ratios, scores, etc.: two-thirds; four-fifths. (Note: In stories, fractions should be spelled out.)
• When large numbers must be spelled out (such as in the beginning of a sentence), use a hyphen to connect the "-y" word with another word: twenty-one; fifty-five. Suspensive hyphenation: He received a 10- to 20-year sentence in prison.

Prefixes

• Generally, do not hyphenate when using a prefix with a word starting with a consonant.
• Three rules are constant, although they yield some exceptions to first-listed spellings in Webster's.
  1. Except for "cooperate" and "coordinate," use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel. Ex. semi-intelligent, re-educate
  2. Use a hyphen to join double prevised such as "sub-subparagraph."

Non

The rules in prefixes apply, but in general, no hyphen when forming a compound that does not have special meaning and can be understood if "not" is used before the base word. However, use a hyphen before proper nouns or in awkward combinations, such as "non-nuclear."

Parentheses

Definition: Use parentheses when adding a phrase to a sentence that doesn't necessarily need to be emphasized or when it takes away from the main point of the sentence. Example: Bastyr University (the one known for awesome carrot cake) has a Master of Public Health program.

Pre

The rules in prefixes apply. The following examples of exceptions to first-listed spellings in Webster's are based on the general rule that a hyphen is used if a prefix ends in a vowel. The word that follows begins with the same vowel: pre-election, pre-establish. Otherwise, follow Webster's, hyphenating if not listed there. Some examples: precook, prenatal, prearrange, prewar.

Semi-colon

Semi-colons are used to join two independent clauses that could be stand-alone sentences. Example: Bastyr's best recipes are the beet hummus and the ketchup; many disagree and think the carrot cake is best.

Numbers

General

• Spell out one through nine and use numerals for 10 and up. However, use only numerals for percentages, measurements, and recipes.
• Ages: Always use figures for people and animals (but not for inanimate/abstract nouns): A 5-year-old boy; The law is eight years old; The race is for 3-year-olds.
• Leave out an apostrophe when naming decades: The 1970s; The woman is in her 30s.
• Percentages: Use figures and spell out "percent": 1 percent; 2.5 percent.
• Phone Numbers:          
  - Use periods: 425.602.3330 for printed publications.           
  - If an extension applies, it should appear as such: 206.834.4100 ext. 4509.           
  - Website and press releases use parentheses and hyphens: (425) 602-3330. 
• Credits: Spell out numbers of credits in sentences if possible. Use figures in a list or chart: A three-credit class. (On the web, figures are used in all cases.)
• Money: Use the dollar sign and numbers. Do not use a decimal and two zeros. Tickets to this event cost $15.

Time

• Use lowercase and periods for a.m. and p.m. For times that fall on an hour, do not use ":00."
• In a sentence, use the word "to" instead of a hyphen: The event is from 4 to 6 p.m.
• In a flier or web page with a "date, time, place" listing, hyphens are OK: 4-6 p.m.
• Use "noon" instead of 12 p.m. or "midnight" instead of 12 a.m.: The event begins at noon. 
• Use "to" instead of a hyphen when accompanied by "a.m." and "p.m."; otherwise, use a hyphen. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 1-2 p.m.

Dates

• Do not use suffixes at the end of dates: The event will take place May 26. 
• Do not use the word "on" before a date or day of the week when its absence would not lead to confusion.
• Except in press releases and sometimes in headings, spell out the month in all uses: Come to the event on January 1.
• When using a month and a year only, do not separate with commas. The event will take place in November 2021. When a phrase is used with a month, date and year, set both the date and year off with commas. The event will take place on January 1, 2022, in the auditorium.
• Omit the year unless it's on a web page or it would clarify confusion about the year: The event will take place November 12 in Bastyr University's auditorium.
• If you include a range of years, include all numerals, such as 2021-2022.
• Do not capitalize seasons or quarters. We are launching a new program in spring 2022. January marks the beginning of winter quarter.

States and Regions

• Spell out the names of states and countries in all instances (except in media releases and sometimes in headings). Bastyr University is located just north of Seattle, Washington.
• Use a comma after city, state, or country: She studied in Paris, France, for four years; Leigh was born in Chicago, Illinois, to two very happy parents.
• United States should always be abbreviated with periods: U.S. 
•  Lowercase the word "state." Usually, "state" should not be used, except to distinguish New York state from the city and Washington state from Washington, D.C. (Washington State is a university.) 

Words from the Web

• online should be all one word, lowercase.
• email should be written as one word, lowercase, no hyphen. This is the only exception. All other "e" words are to include a hyphen. E-newsletter, e-commerce.
• website is written as one word, lowercase. 
• Internet is capitalized, whereas intranet is lowercase.
• spam is lowercase.