Avoid using an ampersand unless it is part of an official title.

When referring to a University entity, do not use an ampersand in any instance.

When referring to outside entities, do not use an ampersand unless it is part of a formal name:

Institute for Health & Aging

No apostrophe is needed for decades: 1960s, but add an apostrophe when figures are omitted: ’60s

For singular common nouns ending in “s,” form the possessive by adding ’s: the witness’s story.

For singular proper nouns ending in “s,” use only an apostrophe: Achilles’ heel.

Keep punctuation for bulleted lists at a minimum. Begin each item with a lowercase letter.

Omit periods after items unless one or more of the items are complete sentences. If the list completes a sentence begun in an introductory element, the final period is also omitted unless the items in the list are separated by commas or semicolons.

Ordinarily, commas are not used following a series of items. If the vertically listed items are phrases, especially long phrases, that grammatically complete the sentence containing them, commas may, but need not, be used. If commas are used, the last item is followed by a period.

Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple sentence (the final comma before “and,” “or,” or “nor”):

The flag was red, white and blue.

Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series, however, if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction:

I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.

Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complete series of phrases:

The main points to consider are whether the athletes are skillful enough to compete, whether they have the stamina to endure the training, and whether they have the proper mental attitude.

If items in the series contain commas themselves, use semicolons between all items:

The letters she wrote are dated August 7, 1918; May 12, 1935; and January 4, 1965.

When following a person’s name, qualifiers such as Ph.D. and M.D. are preceded by a comma.

A second comma follows the qualifier in running text:

Ross Dalbey, Ph.D.

The opening remarks by Ross Dalbey, Ph.D., set the tone for the conference.

However, qualifiers such as Jr., Sr., and III are not set off by commas:

Martin Luther King Jr.

Set off the year when using dates with commas on both sides if a day of the month precedes it:

January 29, 2012, is the deadline. January 2012 is the deadline.

Set off a parenthetical (nonrestrictive) expression with commas on both sides. Note that states following cities are parenthetical and require commas before and after:

The study, it was believed, had been falsified.

The members of the class from Columbus, Ohio, were happy to be there.

Commas appear after, not before, an expression in parentheses (like this), and they always go inside quotation marks, except when a quotation mark indicates inches:

“This is a day to remember,” said Jack.

Use the three-dot sequence to indicate that something has been left out of a sentence or passage.

Leave a space before and after each dot. If a sentence ends (or is cut off) right before the ellipsis, leave in the punctuation that would have ended the sentence:

As the saying goes: When in Rome … go to the museum.

Hyphens are joiners. Use them to avoid ambiguity or to form a single idea from two or more words.

The fewer hyphens the better; use them only when not using them causes confusion.

i.e. stands for the Latin id est or that is (to say). e.g. stands for exempli gratia, which means for example. Each is always followed by a comma.

The University supports a number of community initiatives (e.g., Education for Service).

The University has grown to include three colleges (i.e., College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and College of Graduate Studies).

plural nouns:

not ending in s: add ‘s ― “women’s rights”

ending in s: add only an apostrophe ― “the churches’ needs”

plural in form, singular in meaning: add only an apostrophe ― “mathematics’ rules” nouns that are the same singular and plural: treat them as plurals, even if their meaning
is singular ― “the two deer’s tracks”

singular nouns:

not ending in s: add ‘s ― “the church’s needs”

common nouns ending in s: add ‘s ― “the witness’s answer”

proper names ending in s: add only an apostrophe ― “Achilles’ heel”

In regular text, commas and periods always go inside the end quotation mark. Colons and semicolons always go outside the end quotation mark. Exclamation marks and question marks can go inside or outside the quotation mark depending on usage; place inside if it applies to the quoted matter, outside if it applies to the whole sentence.

When semicolons are needed in a series to clarify individual elements requiring extra commas, then use the semicolon before the word and:

He is survived by a son, John Smith, of Chicago; three daughters, Jane Smith, of Wichita, Kan., Mary Smith of Denver, and Susan of Boston; and a sister, Martha, of Omaha, Nebraska.

Use a semicolon to connect two closely related sentences when a coordinating conjunction such as and, but or for is not present:

The package was due last week; it arrived today.