Editorial Style Guide

Check the official styles for naming, abbreviations, acronyms, punctuation, citations, titles and more.

When writing and editing for WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications, the hierarchy of style to conform to is as follows:

  • WashU Medicine style
  • WashU MarComm style  
  • Associated Press style

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Institutional terminology and nomenclature

WashU Medicine

  • WashU Medicine is the preferred name for the medical institution and should be used in all references in marketing and communications.
    • Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis should be used only as the first reference in the body text of press releases.
      • Subsequent references: use WashU Medicine
    • The medical school is one entity within the greater institution of WashU Medicine. It is still appropriate to refer to the medical school as a “school of medicine” or “medical school” or “WashU Medicine School of Medicine” in reference to education. Do not reference the entire institution as the “School of Medicine.”
    • Avoid abbreviations such as WUSM, SOM, WUM, WU, Washington University. Use WashU when referring to the university, except when referring to the Washington University Medical Campus or the Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corporation.

Washington University Medical Campus (physical location for directions)

  • Washington University Medical Campus is the location for institutions affiliated with WashU Medicine. Use “Washington University Medical Campus” when the topic involves a location.
    • Subsequent references: use “Medical Campus”
    • Exception: In the Record, use “Medical Campus” on first reference.
  • WashU Medicine’s corporate partners on the Medical Campus are:
    • Barnes-Jewish Hospital
      • Subsequent references: use full name or Barnes-Jewish
    • BJC HealthCare
    • St. Louis Children’s Hospital
      • Subsequent references: use full name or St. Louis Children’s
    • The Medical Campus is also home to:
      • Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine
      • The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis
      • University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy
      • Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing
      • Shriners Children’s St. Louis

WashU Medicine physicians

  • Washington University Physicians should now be referred to as WashU Medicine physicians.
  • WashU Medicine doctors should be identified by their specialty in patient communications and marketing.
    • The place where they practice can be included as the location. The place name is generally not required, with the exception of press releases, which always include the location to make the connection between WashU Medicine doctors and our hospital partners.
      • Examples:
        • Jane Smith, MD, a WashU Medicine radiation oncologist at Siteman Cancer Center…
        • Jane Smith, MD, a WashU Medicine radiation oncologist…
  • General references to groups of physicians and/or clinical providers within WashU Medicine should be referenced as WashU Medicine physicians or specialists.
    • Examples:
      • WashU Medicine specialists treat patients…
      • WashU Medicine physicians treat patients…
      • Siteman Cancer Center is staffed by WashU Medicine physicians
      • … WashU Medicine physicians at St. Louis Children’s Hospital

Faculty Practice Plan (FPP)

  • References to the Faculty Practice Plan in external communications should be WashU Medicine.
    • Exception: The title of Paul Scheel, MD, CEO of WashU Medicine Physicians and president of WashU Medicine & BJC HealthCare Physician Provider Organization

Departments, divisions, programs, offices, institutes, centers, etc.

  • Uppercase full formal name of the division.
    • Example: the WashU Medicine Division of Oncology
  • Lowercase other constructions of the division name and/or the informal name.
    • Example: the oncology division
  • For specific wholly owned units within WashU Medicine, the first reference should read as WashU Medicine [Unit Name].
    • Subsequent references: can refer to the department, division, program, office, center or institute independently.
      • Example:
        • WashU Medicine Department of Psychiatry

Clinical practices

  • WashU Medicine wholly owned clinical practice names should lead with WashU Medicine, followed by the clinic name.
  • Naming convention: WashU Medicine [Clinic Name]. This clearly establishes and reinforces with patients that the medical care they receive is provided by a WashU Medicine physician or other supervised clinicians. This naming convention applies to:
    • Clinical practice names
    • Office directories
    • Reception room signage
    • Maps
    • Clinical reports and other patient care communications
    • Stationery (letterhead, business cards, appointment cards and memo sheets).
      • Examples:
        • WashU Medicine Allergy and Immunology
        • WashU Medicine Gastroenterology
  • This naming convention does not currently apply to Washington University Clinical Associates clinical practices and Washington University Physicians in Illinois, Inc. Clinical practices.
  • The naming convention does not apply to jointly owned clinical centers such as the St. Louis Children’s Hospital and WashU Medicine Heart Center.

Labs

  • Use the format [Lab Name] at WashU Medicine for the first reference.
    • Subsequent references: drop the “at WashU Medicine”
    • Examples:
      • Gordon Lab at WashU Medicine
      • Sensory Regeneration Lab at WashU Medicine

Siteman Cancer Center

  • First reference:
    • Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine, OR
    • Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine
  • Subsequent references:
    • Siteman

Siteman facilities

  • On the Washington University Medical Campus:
    • Gary C. Werths Building
      • First reference: use Gary C. Werths Building at Siteman Cancer Center
      • Subsequent references: use the Werths Building
    • Satellite locations:
    • St. Charles County
      • First reference: use Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital
      • Subsequent references: use Siteman at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital
    • North County
      • First reference: use Siteman Cancer Center at Northwest HealthCare
      • Subsequent references: use Siteman at Northwest HealthCare
    • West County
      • First reference: use Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital
      • Subsequent references: use Siteman at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital
    • South County
      • First reference: use Siteman Cancer Center at Memorial Hospital Shiloh
      • Subsequent references: use Siteman — South County
    • Illinois
      • First reference: use Siteman Cancer Center at Memorial Hospital Shiloh
      • Subsequent references: use Siteman at Memorial Hospital Shiloh
  • Siteman Kids
    • First reference: use Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital
    • Subsequent references: use Siteman Kids

Formatting standards

  • Bulleted lists:
    • AP uses dashes instead of bullets to introduce individual sections of a list in news stories, but you may also use bullets. Put a space between the dash or bullet and the first word of each item in the list. Capitalize the first word following the dash or bullet.
    • Use periods at the end of each sentence in a bulleted list. Use no punctuation at the end of a single word or single phrase in each section of a list. Do not use semicolons.
    • Use parallel construction for each item in a list:
      • Start with the same part of speech for each item.
      • Use the same voice (active or passive) for each item.
      • Use the same verb tense for each item.
      • Use the same sentence type (statement, question, exclamation) for each item.
      • Use just a phrase for each item, if desired.
    • Examples of phrases with no punctuation at the end:
      • Cat videos
      • Home improvement shows
      • Word puzzles
    • Introduce the list with a short phrase or sentence, followed by a colon: Our partners: OR These are our partners: OR Our partners are:
  • Dates: Jan. 22, 2025
  • Time of Day:
    • Use figures except for noon and midnight. Do not put a 12 in front of noon or midnight. Noon stands alone: use it instead of 12 p.m.
    • Use lowercase a.m. and p.m. with periods.
    • Use single-digit times for hours (8 a.m., not 8:00 a.m. or 8:00 AM).
    • Time ranges are hyphenated (10 a.m.-1 p.m., or 3-5:30 p.m.).
  • Phone numbers: 314-555-5555 (hyphenated with area code)
  • Email: Use lowercase “email.” In digital, hyperlink the email address, not the person’s name.
  • Headlines: Sentence case (capitalize first word and proper nouns only)

Names, degrees and titles

  • First reference: Full name, degree(s), title
    • Subsequent references: Last name only
    • Example: Marge J. Simpson, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and immunology, is pioneering a new weapon against cancer. Simpson and her team…
    • Avoid using “Dr. Simpson…” unless part of a direct quote or a specific communications strategy (such as a patient-facing marketing solicitation).
  • Degrees:
    • As a general rule, do not list degrees after a person’s name with the exception of MD, MBBCh, DO, DrPH (if with an MD) and PhD.
    • Do not use periods in degree abbreviations.
    • If a person has multiple degrees, list them in the order specified in the Bulletin.
  • Titles:
    • On first reference, WashU Medicine should precede the department or unit.
    • Do not capitalize academic titles such as dean, professor, etc., unless:
      • They directly precede a person’s name.
        • Example: Dean David H. Perlmutter, MD.
      • They are a named/endowed title.
        • Example: Andrew S. Yoo, PhD, the Phil and Sima Needleman Distinguished Professor of Developmental Biology at WashU Medicine.
      • They are standing alone in an email/letter signature.
        • Example:
          Lisa Simpson, MD, PhD
          Professor, WashU Medicine Department of Neuroscience
    • Correct title formats:
      • Department: head (preferred over chair)
      • Division: director
      • Section: chief
    • To prevent difficult sentences, a person’s title may be included in a follow-up sentence instead of with the first reference.
    • If someone has multiple titles, list their department only once.
      • Example: John DiPersio, MD, the Virginia E. & Sam J. Golman Professor of Medicine (NOT: the Virginia E. & Sam J. Golman Professor of Medicine in the WashU Medicine Department of Medicine)
    • In general, include a faculty’s member’s endowed title first:
      • Example: Benjamin Garcia, PhD, the Raymond H. Wittcoff Distinguished Professor and head of the WashU Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
    • When announcing new department heads, use the following order for titles: head of department first, followed by endowed title.
      • Example: Sidharth “Sid” V. Puram, MD, PhD, has been named the head of the WashU Medicine Department of Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery and the Lindburg Professor of Otolaryngology. 
  • Dean’s title:
    • Long version of Dean Perlmutter’s title:
      David H. Perlmutter, MD
      Executive Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs
      Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor
      George and Carol Bauer Dean, WashU Medicine
    • Short version of Dean Perlmutter’s title: for use in marketing pieces with limited spacing
      David H. Perlmutter, MD
      Executive Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs and Dean, WashU Medicine
    • When to use each:
      • Communications: generally, default to the long version
      • Marketing: Can use shorter version where space is limited, like social or print

Roles at WashU Medicine

  • Clinician: Someone who sees patients (includes nurse practitioners, physicians and physical or occupational therapists).
    • Note: Not all clinicians have faculty appointments.
    • Examples:
      • Nurses and nurse practitioners are staff.
      • Some but not all PT and OT positions are faculty.
      • Nearly all WashU Medicine physicians have faculty appointments; however, some of our physicians in WashU Medicine community practices have faculty appointments, and others do not.
  • The three primary categories that everyone falls into are Faculty, Staff and Trainee.
    • Faculty: Anyone holding a position of assistant professor, associate professor or professor. Some of our faculty conduct research, some see patients and some are educators. Some clinicians also conduct research in laboratories or are involved in clinical research, such as clinical trials. Some clinicians and research faculty also are educators. Some faculty are involved in research, patient care and education.
      • Faculty leadership:
        • chair of a department (editorial style is “department head”)
        • director of a division within a department (typically in a large clinical department such as medicine, surgery or pediatrics)
        • chief of a section within a division
      • Physician-scientist: Someone who is an MD or DO with or without an additional degree, such as a PhD or MPH, who also conducts research in the laboratory or in a clinical setting. Many of our physician-scientists have both MD and PhD degrees, and they see patients and conduct research; some have MDs and conduct research but do not see patients (such as Jeff Gordon and Tim Ley).
      • Principal investigator (PI): The designated lead researcher on a research grant or a clinical trial. A PI on a clinical trial involving research participants must be an MD or DO; a PhD researcher cannot lead a clinical trial.
    • Staff: Staff include non-faculty researchers (lab technicians and staff scientists), administrators or clinicians.
      • Postdoctoral researcher (PhD or MD or MD/PhD): A postdoc is an employee holding a doctoral degree who is engaged in a term-limited work appointment of mentored research, scholarly training and professional development for the purpose of enhancing their academic and research independence as well as the professional skills necessary to pursue a career of their choosing.
    • Trainee: Anyone who is not a WashU Medicine employee, not yet in a permanent/terminal position.
      • Fellow (MD): A fellow is a medical doctor who has completed a residency in a specialty and is now pursuing continued training within a subspecialty for an additional one to three years.
      • Resident (MD): A resident is a medical doctor who has completed medical school and is now practicing medicine within a specialty under the supervision of an attending physician. They are not yet board-certified and cannot provide care independently. Residency is a way for physicians to receive specialized, hands-on training in a specific specialty of medicine for three to seven years.
      • Medical student: A person who has earned a bachelor’s degree, is enrolled in a medical school and is pursuing a doctor of medicine (MD) or doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) degree. At WashU Medicine, medical students (and students broadly) are referred to as learners.
      • Medical Scientist Training Program student: A student on the path to earning an MD/PhD who is preparing for a career as a physician-scientist, engaged in biomedical research.
      • Graduate student: A student on the path to earning a PhD. At WashU, students pursuing a PhD degree in biology or biomedical sciences are enrolled in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences (Vagelos DBBS), which unites basic science departments from WashU Medicine with the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences. While the program is broadly a WashU program, the vast majority of students focusing on a PhD in biomedical sciences conduct their training in labs on the Medical Campus and are mentored by WashU Medicine faculty. However, these students receive their degrees from WashU, not WashU Medicine.
      • Occupational therapy student: An OT student can be enrolled in one of the following programs: Master’s (MSOT), Clinical Doctorate (OTD), Master of Science in Occupational Therapy/Master of Public Health (MSOT/MPH) or PhD in Rehabilitation and Participation Science (RAPS).
      • Physical therapy student: A PT student can be enrolled in one of the following programs: Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) or PhD in Movement Science.
      • Master’s student: There are a few WashU and WashU Medicine master’s programs for which students might work and conduct their training in WashU Medicine labs.

Clinical trials

  • There are different types of clinical trials (randomized-controlled, open-label, etc.) and different phases within each. Be sure to clarify.
    • Phase 1 trials test safety. We cannot say whether an intervention was effective based on Phase 1 data, although sometimes there are indications of efficacy.
    • Phase 2 and 3 trials are designed to test safety and efficacy.

Scientific citations

  • Format: Last name XX, Last name XX. Title of article. Name of Journal, Month Year; Vol(#):PP-PP. DOI: insert DOI number and hyperlink to paper. Preference is to hyperlink to pubmed entry. Do not include https:// in DOI.
    • Example: Lourido S, Shuman J, Zhang C, Shokat KM, Hui R, Sibley LD. Calcium-dependent protein kinase 1 is an essential regulator of exocytosis in Toxoplasma. Nature, May 20, 2010; 11(5)421-423. DOI: 10.1038/nature09022.

Style for biological terms

  • Gene names are in italics, and proteins and biomolecules are roman. Oftentimes, a protein will have the same name as its corresponding gene, and the italics/roman help to differentiate.
  • Genus and species are in italics. All other taxonomic levels are roman with the first letter capitalized. Genus is capitalized; species is not. Upon second reference, abbreviate the genus to the first letter.
    • Example: Homo sapiens, H. sapiens
    • Exception: Italicize Family for microbes (bacteria, fungi and viruses). Refer to the CDC’s scientific nomenclature guide for additional rules.

Percent

  • Take care not to confuse percent increase with an increase in percentage points.
    • Example: a change from 10% to 15% is not a 5% increase. It is a 5-point increase in percentage and a 50% increase.

Risk

  • We often write about the change in risk or outcomes that result from a medical intervention. It is best practice to include both types:
    • Absolute risk reflects the true likelihood of an event.
      • Example: A drug may cut the risk of developing a disease from 2 out of 1,000 people to 1 out of 1,000 people.
    • Relative risk reflects the ratio between these two absolute risks, so the drug cuts the risk by 50% (2 down to 1).

Alphabetical standards

A

  • acronyms: Avoid acronyms except for FDA, NIH and CDC. When using these acronyms, spell out the first use with the acronym in parentheses. Upon subsequent references, use the noted acronym. Please note that when referencing NIH, we must ALWAYS include the acronym.
    • Example: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced a new round of funding.
  • adviser: not advisor
  • Alzheimer’s disease: See Diseases entry.
  • ampersands (&): Only use an ampersand in proper nouns
    • Example: Jane Doe, MD, an associate professor in the WashU Medicine Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

B

  • board-certified, board certified: Do not capitalize. Use a hyphenated form when using as a compound modifier: “She is a board-certified physician.” Do not use a hyphen when not using as a modifier: “She is board certified in pediatrics.” Do not use board eligible.
  • bylines: Format as Name, Title (optional: Department)

C

  • capitalization: Follow AP Style for job titles, headlines, months, etc.
  • chair titles: Name, degree, head of the [WashU Medicine Department of Pediatrics] (not “chair”)
  • cities: See the AP Style datelines entry for guidelines on when a city should be followed by a state or a country name.
    • In an exception to AP Style, WashU abbreviates the state names (per previous AP guidelines).
    • Cities and counties within Missouri should be identified with Mo., except for St. Louis, which stands alone.
      • Example: Robert Smith, a senior from Chesterfield, Mo., is majoring in economics in Arts & Sciences.
  • commas in a series
    From the AP Stylebook:
    • Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in most simple series. Example: His grandchildren are Vera, Chuck and Dave.
    • Include a final comma in a simple series if omitting it could make the meaning unclear.
      • Example: The governor convened his most trusted advisers, economist Olivia Sandler and polling expert Carlton Torres. (If Sandler and Torres are his most trusted advisers, don’t use the final comma.)
      • Example: The governor convened his most trusted advisers, economist Olivia Sandler, and polling expert Carlton Torres. (If the governor is convening unidentified advisers plus Sandler and Torres, the final comma is needed.)
    • Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction.
      • Example: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.
    • Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases.
      • Example: 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.

Refer to the AP Stylebook for additional guidance on commas.

D

  • dashes:
    • Em dashes (—): Used as a strong punctuation that can either link two complete sentences, splice together clauses or offset one or two words. They’re considered to be a stronger mark of separation then a comma.
      • Use em dashes with spaces.
      • On a Mac, hold Shift + Option + dash key to make an em dash.
    • En dashes ( – ): We do not use en dashes. Use hyphens or em dashes only, and where applicable.
    • Hyphens: Only used in hyphenated words and never between words in a sentence as punctuation. An em dash should be used instead.
      • Example: semi-glossy
      • Reminder: hyphens do not belong between adverbs and adjectives.
        • Example: “The overly used hyphen doesn’t belong here.”
  • diseases: Per AP, do not capitalize diseases such as cancer, emphysema, leukemia, hepatitis, etc. When a disease is known by the name of a person or geographical area identified with it, capitalize only the proper noun element: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Ebola virus disease, etc.
    • Exception: The Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center does not use an apostrophe “s” after Alzheimer.
    • Other than in direct quotations, avoid such expressions as: He is battling cancer. She is a stroke victim. Use neutral, precise descriptions: He has stomach cancer. She had a stroke. They are being treated for malaria.

E

  • ellipses ( … ): Use sparingly, with a space before and after

H

  • health care: Two words in all cases
    • When used as a noun: health care
    • When used as an adjective: health-care
    • Exceptions:
      • BJC HealthCare
      • UnitedHealthcare

N

  • numerals: In general, spell out one through nine
    • Examples:
      • He had nine months to go.
      • She has eight bicycles.
      • The Yankees finished second.
    • Exceptions: Use figures for 1 through 9 (and above) in the following cases:
      • For ages (or people, animals, events or things)
      • When preceding a unit of measure (inches, pounds, miles, quarts, temperature degrees, etc.) — except for time measurements (unless it’s an age)
    • For more information, see the AP Stylebook’s numerals entry.

O

  • OB-GYN: Per AP Style, acceptable to use abbreviation on first reference. Always spell out in reference to the department. Always spell out obstetrician and always spell out gynecologist if used individually. If you are spelling out obstetrics and gynecology but not in a proper name, do not use an ampersand.
    • Examples:
      • The staff member works in the WashU Medicine Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
      • He completed his second residency in OB-GYN.
      • She is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
    • orthopedic: Only use the spelling “orthopaedic” in proper names, such as the “WashU Medicine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.” All other uses, such as “a professor of orthopedic surgery” or “the pediatric orthopedic program,” are spelled without an “a.”
    • otolaryngology: Do not use ENT as a substitute. The department name is the WashU Medicine Department of Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.

S

  • semicolons (;): Used to separate two independent clauses without a conjunction or to separate the items in a list if the items themselves are long or confusing.

U

  • universitywide: One word, no hyphen

V

  • Vagelos Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences: The division unites basic science departments from WashU Medicine with the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences. While the program is broadly a WashU program, the vast majority of students focusing on a PhD in biomedical sciences conduct their training in labs on the Medical Campus and are mentored by WashU Medicine faculty. However, these students receive their degrees from WashU, not WashU Medicine.
    • First reference: Use full name.
    • Subsequent references: Vagelos DBBS is acceptable.

W

  • well-being: Use a hyphen

Common use cases

  • Captions: Use complete sentences if needed, and credit photos in news stories only.
  • Quotes: Attribute according to AP Style.
    • Example: “Quote,” said Jane Smith, MD, a professor of neurology.
  • Headlines: Always use sentence casing with headlines (capitalize the first word and proper nouns).
    • Examples:
      • Correct: New study highlights Alzheimer’s risk factors
      • Incorrect: WASHU MEDICINE’S NEW ALZHEIMERS STUDY
      • Incorrect: New Study Highlights Alzheimer’s Risk Factors
  • Calls to action (CTAs): Use active language.
    • Examples:
      • Read more
      • Explore the study
      • Contact our team
    • In web formats, standalone text links — which appear on a line of their own instead of within a paragraph — should end with a double chevron/guillemet (»). Do not substitute with two greater than symbols (>>). To create this symbol:
      • PC: Alt + 175
      • Mac: Option + Shift + \
      • Example: Read more »

Looking for more?

The official WashU Style Guide outlines editing, writing and formatting conventions for communicators across the university. Updates related to the new WashU Medicine brand may not yet be included in the official style guide.

View the full style guide »

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