NYU Law Editorial Style Guide

Anyone writing content for the Law School’s website or design products can consult this Editorial Style Guide from NYU Law's Office of Communications for answers to commonly asked questions about capitalization, punctuation, terminology, and other elements of written style.

For an overview of event promotion materials and other design products for which you might be creating content, see the Design Projects Guide.

People, Places, and Organizations

Here's how to write the names of centers and institutes, courses, places, outside organizations, publications, and identity groups; professional titles; and abbreviations and acronyms. 

Names/Titles

Correct	Incorrect	Explanation
New York University School of Law, NYU School of Law, NYU Law	New York University Law School, NYU Law School	Each of these formulations is acceptable as a first reference to the school. For subsequent references, “the Law School” is also acceptable.
Center for Human Rights and Global Justice	center for human rights and global justice	Capitalize complete names of NYU School of Law centers, institutes, programs, and projects.
the center, the institute, the program, the project...	the Center will hold a conference...	On second and subsequent references (after full name is used), use lowercase.
Colloquium on Constitutional Theory	colloquium on constitutional theory	Capitalize formal names.
There are several faculty advisers at the Reiss Center on Law and Security.	There are several faculty advisers at The Reiss Center on Law and Security.	A “the” preceding an organization’s or department’s name, even when part of the official title, is lowercased in running text.
colloquium, seminar, fellowships	Colloquium, Seminar, Fellowships	On second and subsequent references (after full name is used), use lowercase.
Professor Jeanne Fromer President Joe Biden Dean Trevor Morrison	professor Jeanne Fromer president Joe Biden dean Trevor Morrison	Titles immediately preceding names with no intervening comma are capitalized.
Justice Neil Gorsuch Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Ambassador Lisa Kenna	The Honorable Neil Gorsuch Hon. Kirsten Gillibrand Honorable Lisa Kenna	Use specific titles such as “Justice,” “Senator,” or “Ambassador” on first reference, rather than honorifics.
Ryan Bubb, professor of law the president the dean	Ryan Bubb, Professor of Law the President the Dean	Titles following names, separated by comma from the name, or alone in the text are lowercased.
Roderick Hills Jr.	Roderick Hills, Jr.	Commas are unnecessary before Jr., Sr., III, etc. in names.
Root-Tilden-Kern Scholars Arthur Garfield Hays Fellow	Root-Tilden-Kern scholars Arthur Garfield Hays fellow	Capitalize “scholar” or “fellow” when part of complete name.
fellow, scholars	Fellow, Scholars	Lowercase on second reference or when used alone in text.
Lewis Kornhauser, Frank Henry Sommer Professor of Law	Lewis Kornhauser, the Frank Henry Sommer professor of law	Chaired professor titles are always capitalized; a preceding “the” is unnecessary when titles are set off by commas following the name.
Kirkland & Ellis Journal of Law & Liberty	Kirkland and Ellis LLP Journal of Law and Liberty	Use ampersands when part of the official entity name; leave off LLP, Inc., etc. after law firm names.
Institute for International Law and Justice	Institute for International Law & Justice	Avoid ampersands in all other uses (except for hyperlinks on the Web).
Legislation and the Regulatory State [law course]	legislation and the regulatory state	Names of courses are capitalized (but quotation marks are not necessary).
Mergers and Acquisitions Criminal Law	M & A Crim Law	Course names are spelled out.
public interest law	Public Interest Law	Areas of study are lowercase.
In the New York Times	In The New York Times	In titles of newspapers, magazines, and journals, “the” is neither capitalized nor italicized.
My favorite online venues are Just Security and Amazon.com.	My favorite online venues are Just Security and Amazon.com.	Blog and web-based periodical titles are italicized; the names of ordinary websites are in title case and regular type.

 

Abbreviations/Acronyms

 

Correct	Incorrect	Explanation
NYU, PILC, LRAP, BALSA	N.Y.U., P.I.L.C., L.R.A.P.	NYU-specific acronyms and abbreviations do not require periods.
Black Allied Law Students Association (BALSA)	BALSA (Black Allied Law Students Association)	Use the full name of the organization on first reference, followed by an acronym or initialism in parentheses; subsequent mentions should be the acronym or initialism.
NATO, CUNY, AIDS	N.A.T.O., C.U.N.Y., A.I.D.S.	Omit periods in acronyms.
CNN, PBS, NBC, FCC, FBI, PTA, US, UN, EU, DC, EC	C.N.N., P.B.S., N.B.C., F.C.C., F.B.I., P.T.A., U.S., U.N., E.U., D.C., E.C.	Omit periods in abbreviations.

 

Faculty

Correct	Incorrect	Explanation
Professor Jeanne Fromer	Prof. Jeanne Fromer	Faculty titles are spelled out.
NYU School of Law Professor Jeanne Fromer	NYU Law School Professor Jeanne Fromer	Use the correct nomenclature for the school.
Professor Jeanne Fromer, NYU School of Law	Professor Jeanne Fromer, NYU Law School	Use the correct nomenclature for the school.

 

Identity Groups

Correct	Incorrect	Explanation
African American, Italian American, Chinese American	African-American, Italian-American, Chinese-American	Whether used as a noun or as an adjective, terms for compound nationalities do not need a hyphen.
Black	black	When referring to racial identity, capitalize “Black.”
disabled; person with a disability	differently abled, handicapped	The use of identity-first language (i.e., "disabled person," "autistic person") helps center a person's disability as core to their identity and experience in an ableist society. Person-first language (i.e., "person with autism") eliminates generalizations and stereotypes by focusing on the person rather than the disability. Both are correct, although disabled communities are increasingly advocating for identity-first language as the standard. When working with individuals, defer to their preferred language.
Indigenous	indigenous	Capitalize this term when referring to native peoples.
Latinx; Latinxs	Latino, Latina; Latinos, Latinas	Use the gender-neutral form.
LGBTQ	LGBT, GLBT, gay and lesbian	Use “LGBTQ” (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning) as the inclusive umbrella term for non-heterosexual orientation and non-cisgender identity.
transgender	transgendered; transsexual	“Transgendered” is grammatically incorrect; “transsexual” is an obsolete term. “Transgender” is an adjective, not a noun. For individuals of any gender, ask for and defer to their correct gender pronouns.
woman lawyer; women lawyers; women in the profession	female lawyer; female lawyers; females in the profession	When referring to people, avoid using “female” or “females.” “Woman” or “women” is the preferred usage, both as a noun and as an adjective.

Locations

Correct	Incorrect	Explanation
Vanderbilt Hall, Room 218	Vanderbilt 218 Van Hall, Room 218 Van Hall 218 Room 218, Vanderbilt Hall	Incomplete (needs "Hall" and room number). Proper order is building first, then room. The building's name is spelled out. The building's name is spelled out, and "Room" is necessary. Transposed.
D’Agostino Hall, Lipton Hall	Lipton Hall	Include the building's name for clarity.
Vanderbilt Hall, Snow Dining Room	Snow, Vanderbilt Hall	Use the location's complete name; building first, room second.
D’Agostino Hall	D’Agastino Hall	Correct spelling.
Greenberg Lounge	Greenburg Lounge	Correct spelling.
Tishman Auditorium	Tischman Auditorium	Correct spelling.
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz Student Café	First Floor	Refer to room by its name rather than its location.
Hauser Global Law Center	Third Floor	Refer to room by its name rather than its location.
Lester Pollack Colloquium Room	Ninth Floor	Refer to room by its name rather than its location.