House style guide

We never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. We never use a long word where a short one will do, and if it’s possible to cut out a word, cut it out. We opt for the active voice and never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if an everyday English equivalent can be found instead.

• Use the simplest words and don’t assume prior knowledge (for example, the meaning of acronyms).
• Avoid using words or phrases that are unnecessary, or that complicate the meaning.
• We use standard British English and not American English.
  For example: -ise not -ize.
• If a bulleted list follows a colon (:), each bullet point should begin with a lower case letter and the final point should finish with a full stop (no commas after each bullet). If a bullet list doesn’t follow a colon, each letter should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop.
• Use general admin or team contact details rather than an individual’s name. This ensures that information doesn’t go out of date if a staff member leaves.
  For example: Contact Student Recruitment & Marketing on … not Contact Joe Smith on …).
• Where contact details appear in a list use colons as below:
  T: 01642 889289
  E: enquiries@tees.ac.uk
• Web addresses do not need the www.
  For example: tees.ac.uk
• If contact details flow in your writing rather than appearing in a list, don’t use colons
  For example: call 01642 889289, email enquiries@tees.ac.uk.
• A dash ( – ) should always have a space on either side. A hyphen (-) should only be used to join words and so should have no spaces.
• Bachelor’s and master’s – note apostrophe, as it’s possessive.
• A-level should always include a hyphen.
• Course titles and modules are in title case (where the first letter of every major word is in capitals) and always use and not &.
  For example: BA (Hons) Film and Television Production
• Top-up should have a capital T, a hyphen and a lower-case u.
• Degree classifications are written as follows:
  first-class degree (or a first)
  second-class degree (if the grade is not specific)
  2.1 or 2.2 (if the grade is specific)
  third-class degree.
• Academic qualifications for staff as follows:
  Dr or Professor (not Dr. or Prof)
• In dates, use an s without an apostrophe after the year to indicate spans of decades or centuries. An apostrophe after the year is needed for possessives.
  For example: The University was founded in the early 1900s.
  2024’s general election.
• Dos and don’ts – note apostrophe use.
• Use the day date month year format for dates.
  For example: Tuesday 28 May 2024
• We display times as below, always using the simplest option:
  For example: 11am – 2pm, or 11.30am – 2.45pm
• Spell numbers from one to ten, then in digits above ten (except years of study, percentages, or page numbers).
  For example: ten, 11.
• Numbers from 1,000 upwards use commas.
  For example: 11,275.
• Job titles in title case.
  For example: Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive.
• If a quote is in running text use single quote marks after a comma.
  For example: Dr Smith said, ‘……..’.
• School names start with a capital and include an ampersand (&) not and. Ampersands should only be used in School and Department names, and subject groupings.
  For example: School of Health & Life Sciences; Accounting & Economics
• Spell out acronyms followed by the acronym in brackets in the first instance (unless the acronym is better known such as NHS or BBC).
  For example: Teesside University College Partnership (TUCP). Note that MIMA is an exception as it is stylised as MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art)
• Use abbreviations for measures (such as kg for kilogram) and m for million
  For example: £22m
• Single inverted commas are used for quotes. Double inverted commas are used for quotes within quotes.
  For example: ‘This quote contains “a quote” within it.’
• Do not use etc.
• Places should be capitalised (the North East) and directions are lower case (head north east).
• Hyphens are used in adjectives formed from two or more words, to avoid confusion
  For example: geriatric-ward nurse (a nurse who works on a geriatric ward) not geriatric ward nurse (a ward nurse who is geriatric).
• There is no hyphen in:
  email
  online
  website.
• We use hyphens in dates, not slashes.
  For example: 2024-25 not 2024/25.
• Always use Teesside University (or Teesside Uni) and not the abbreviation TU.
• Students’ Union – note the apostrophe as this is plural (the union for all students, not just for one student).