Style Guidelines >>

The University of Miami School of Medicine adheres to the editorial style of The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition, published by the University of Chicago Press. For medical terminology, please refer to Webster’s New World Medical Dictionary, which is accessible online at http://www.med.miami.edu/glossary/list.asp?t=DICT.

Abbreviations

In general, abbreviations should be used sparingly or avoided entirely, including the abbreviation UM. Never use U.M., U. of M., UofM, U/M, or U-M. Use University of Miami, University, or University of Miami School of Medicine.

Abbreviate and lowercase a.m. and p.m. Use periods, but no spaces.

•  9 a.m.
•  3:45 p.m.

Do not abbreviate street, avenue, boulevard, circle, drive, or road. Spell out and capitalize North, South, East, and West in addresses. SW, SE, NE, and NW may be abbreviated in addresses using capital letters without periods or spaces between the letters.

•  South Dixie Highway
•  1600 NW 10th Avenue

Less familiar organization names should be written out and their acronyms placed in parenthesis in the first usage. Only after the first reference on a page are the initials used alone. Use capital letters, omit periods, and do not insert spaces between letters.

•  National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
•  Centers for Disease Control of Prevention (CDC)
•  National Institute of Health (NIH)

Do not abbreviate the names of cities, states, or countries in text. An exception is cities that include St. as an abbreviation for Saint. When United States is used as an adjective, it may be abbreviated.

•  Miami, Florida 33101
•  Fort Lauderdale
•  St. Petersburg
•  Florida, North Carolina, Georgia
•  United States, United Kingdom
•  citizen of the United States
•  United States citizen or U.S. citizen

Avoid abbreviations that are unclear or awkward. School of Medicine, not SoM, UMSM is not acceptable for public web sites.

Clinic, Department, Building, and Hospital Names

•  Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center or UM/Sylvester, are both acceptable. SCCC is not.
•  Do not abbreviate Bascom Palmer Eye Institute as BPEI; it is Bascom Palmer.
•  Jackson Memorial Hospital can be shortened to Jackson, not JMH.
•  The Diabetes Research Institute may be shortened to DRI on second reference.
•  Do not abbreviate University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center as UM/JMMC, it is UM/Jackson.
•  Mailman Center for Child Development should not be abbreviated as MCCD; it is the Mailman Center.
•  The word “department” and the name of the specialty should only be capitalized if the entire department name is being used, i.e. Department of Radiology. In a paragraph, only the proper department name is capitalized.

Titles and Degrees

The title “Dr.” is not to be used on a website. The first reference to a person should include their full name and degree; all further references use only the last name.

•  Richard P. Bunge, M.D., a basic scientist known internationally for his pioneering studies of nerve growth and myelination, led The Miami Project from 1988 until 1996.

Use the degree after the name sparingly, only when it provides more pertinent information or when credentials are necessary. Abbreviate and capitalize academic degrees according to proper editorial style. Use periods and no spaces.

Use capitals for the degree title but not for the subject; an exception is when the subject is part of the formal degree title:

•  Bachelor of Science in physics
•  Master of Public Health
•  Doctor of Science in molecular biology
•  Doctor of Medicine

No capitals are used when academic degrees are referred to in general terms such as doctorate, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree.

Use capitals for a title preceding a name, but not for one following a name.

•  Professor Jeanne Feinberg
•  Julio Vargas, professor of internal medicine
•  Vice President Al Gore
•  Luan Huang, vice president for finance

Page Layout and Style

Web standards make use of block paragraph style. Paragraphs are not set apart by indentation. Bulleted and numbered lists are always indented.

Numbers

Spell out numbers zero through ten except in statistical matter. Use numerals for 11 and above. This holds true for adjective numbers as well.

•  seventh
•  14th
•  The new house is 80 percent finished; the interest rate is 7.25 percent with zero points.

Numbers used at the beginning of a sentence are always spelled out in full.

Semicolon

Use a semicolon in listings of phrases that contain commas.

•  The Calder Medical Library contains an extensive microfilm and microfiche collection; an audiovisual department; facilities for typing, photocopying, and studying; and archives and special collections.

Use a semicolon in joining main clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction.

•  The new house is almost complete; the interest rate is 7.25 percent.

Telephone Numbers

Use the figures only; the area code is not enclosed by parenthesis but is followed by a hyphen.

•  Telephone: 305-284-3609
•  Fax: 305-284-7537

Use the entire ten digits of the phone number. Do not use the word extension or the abbreviation “ext.” in telephone references. Always use the area code.