Nomenclature & Editorial Style Guide

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

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WashU Medicine nomenclature for education, research and clinical care

WashU Medicine

WashU Medicine is the preferred name for the entire medical institution and should be used in all references in marketing and communications.

  • Washington University School of Medicine can be used as the first reference in press releases
    → Second reference: 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 (however do not reference the entire institution as the “School of Medicine”)
  • Avoid these references: WUSM, WU, SOM, WUM, Washington University (use “WashU”)
  • When referencing “the university,” “the school,” “the department,” “the center,” etc. on its own, do not capitalize

WashU Medicine physicians

Washington University Physicians should now be referenced as WashU Medicine physicians. The “P” should only be capitalized if the full name is used as a headline.
 
When referencing the Faculty Practice Plan in text, use WashU Medicine.
 
WashU Medicine doctors should be identified by their specialty. The place where they practice can be included as the location, although the place name is not required.

Examples:

  • Susan Smith, MD, a WashU Medicine radiation oncologist at Siteman Cancer Center…
  • Susan 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

Washington University Medical Campus

Washington University Medical Campus is the location for institutions affiliated with WashU Medicine. Use Washington University Medical Campus when the topic involves a location.
→ Second reference: the Medical Campus

Example:

  • A reception for WashU Medicine graduates will take place on the Washington University Medical Campus.

Departments, Divisions, Programs, Offices, Institutes, Centers, etc.

For specific wholly owned units within WashU Medicine, the first reference should read WashU Medicine [Unit Name], spelling out the full name of the unit on first mention.
→ Second reference: Can refer to the department, division, program, office, center or institute independently

Examples:

  • WashU Medicine Department of Psychiatry
  • WashU Medicine School of Medicine

Labs

For labs, the first reference is [Lab Name] at WashU Medicine.
→ Second reference: Can drop “WashU Medicine” modifier

Examples:

  • Gordon Lab at WashU Medicine
  • Sensory Regeneration Lab at WashU Medicine

Clinical practices

Clinical practice names should lead with WashU Medicine, followed by the clinic name.

The naming convention of WashU Medicine [Clinical Name] is used to clearly establish and reinforce 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 Associate clinical practices and Washington University Physicians in Illinois, Inc. clinical practices.

Phone numbers and email

  • Phone numbers are hyphenated and include the area code: 314-555-5555
  • In digital materials, the email address itself — rather than the person’s name — should be made into an email link
  • “Email” is neither hyphenated nor capitalized (except when, like this, it’s the first word of a sentence)

Time of day

  • Use a.m. and p.m. with periods
  • Use single-digit times for hours (8 a.m., not 8:00 a.m.)
  • Time ranges are hyphenated (10 a.m.-1 p.m.; 3-5:30 p.m.)

Names, degrees and titles

Full name, degree(s), title

→ Second reference: 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 ….

Degrees

  • Avoid using Dr., except when part of a specific communications strategy
  • No periods in degree abbreviations (e.g., MD, PhD, MPH)
  • If a person has multiple degrees, list degrees in the order specified in the Bulletin

Titles

  • Do not capitalize academic titles like dean, professor, etc., unless they precede a person’s name (e.g., Dean David H. Perlmutter, MD)
  • Correct titles are:
    • 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

Health care v. healthcare

Two words in all cases.

  • Noun: health care
  • Adjective: health-care

Scientific citations

Lastname XX, Lastname XX. Title of article. Name of Journal, Month Year; Vol(#):PP-PP. 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.

URLs / web addresses

All URLs should be tested before they are published. A reader should be able to type the URL, as published, into a browser and get to the intended page.

Drop the following from the URL, unless required to access the page:

  • http:// or https://
  • www.
  • final slash (/)
  • .htm or .html

medicine.washu.edu — not www.medicine.washu.edu/

Related: Visit sites.wustl.edu for information about using URLs in your communications.

Inclusive language

The AAMC’s Health Equity Guide provides recommendations and ideas for centering equity in communication, as well as a glossary of key terms.

The Inclusivity Style Guide by the American Chemical Society is a handy reference guide for recognizing and respecting diversity in all its forms.

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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