The university’s official name is Samuel Merritt University. On first reference in the body of a story, news release, or external-facing letter, use the full name: Samuel Merritt University. Thereafter, you may abbreviate it as SMU or refer to it as the University.

SMU has three colleges that offer high-quality health sciences programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Spell out and capitalize each college name on all references. Do not shorten the names.

Many SMU campuses, buildings, and designated spaces have specific names and shortened versions that have been agreed upon in the original gift agreements. Use the exact forms listed below.

Campuses

• SMU Fresno
• SMU Oakland
• SMU Sacramento
• SMU San Francisco Peninsula

Designated Spaces

• Health Sciences Simulation Center (HSSC)
• Motion Analysis Research Center (MARC)

SMU is home to several centers that are hubs for innovation and research. Refer to these centers only with these names and abbreviations:

Capitalize the official name of an academic program, division, or department. Do not capitalize the word “program.”

If the program title has degree titles like “MA” or “MS,” spell it out on first reference. The acronym is acceptable on second reference.

SMU Program and Degree Names

Use these full names and their appropriate abbreviations on first reference. Use the abbreviation on subsequent references.

The following are names of past schools, colleges, and degrees that no longer exist but may need to be referenced in alumni communications, anniversary materials, or institutional history:

• Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing
• Samuel Merritt College (SMC)
• Providence College of Nursing (Providence)
• California College of Podiatric Medicine (CCPM)
• California School of Podiatric Medicine (CSPM)

For Alumni References

Use the name of the school at the time they graduated. When appropriate, provide context for why the school is now part of SMU.

See also: academic programs and degrees for SMU-specific abbreviations, and historical degrees and SMU names for older designations.

General Degree Style

• Use an apostrophe and lowercase for general terms: bachelor’s degree, master’s degree.
• For an individual with a PhD, the preferred form is to say the person holds a doctorate and the name of the area of specialty.
• Do not include periods in degree abbreviations: DPM, EdD, MA, PhD, RN.

For Alumni

SMU affiliation should be noted with the degree abbreviation followed by the graduation year with a single curved apostrophe: ’

For Non-Alumni

Only include one degree — the highest degree in that field.

Terms

• Alumnus (or alumni in the plural) when referring to a man or men who has attended a school
• Alumna (or alumnae in the plural) for similar references to a woman
• Alumni when referring to a group of men and women
• Do not use alum or alums, unless in an informal situation such as on social media

Graduation Years

Follow the name of the undergraduate alumni with their graduating program and year, set off by commas.

If they also have advanced degrees from the University, include both degree designations and years in advancing order.

Formal & Exact Titles Before a Name

Capitalize and spell out formal and exact titles when they precede a name.

Titles as Descriptions or After a Name

Lowercase titles when they are descriptions, follow a name in any way, or stand alone.

Second and Subsequent References

On the second and additional references, use only the last name, not their capitalized titles.

Past and Future Titles

A formal title someone held or will hold is capitalized before their name, but the timeframe is not capitalized.

Spell out on first reference and put the acronym in parentheses:

Acronyms can be used on first reference if the initials are widely recognized.

English is full of word pairs (and triplets) that look or sound similar but carry different meanings. Use the card sets below as a quick visual reference.

affect, effect

assure, ensure, insure

critical, crucial

entitled, titled

every day, everyday

farther, further

fewer, less than, under

Use fewer when referring to something quantifiable or something that can be counted. Use less when referring to something not quantifiable or that cannot be counted. Use under to mean physically underneath or subject to the control of.

Each abbreviation has a different meaning. Follow each with a comma and do not capitalize.

data

Data is a plural noun when referring to individual items. It is a singular noun when it refers to a unit.

medium, media

• Medium is singular.
• Media is plural.

Use non-sex-specific language. For example, don’t write “he” when referring to an unspecified person. Instead, recast the sentence into the plural, or avoid the use of pronouns altogether.

Use Gender-Neutral Nouns

Use commas to separate elements in a series (also known as the Oxford comma or serial comma), unless the last two items are a set.

SMU distinguishes between two punctuation marks that look similar but serve different purposes.

Em Dash ( — )

Use an em dash (Mac: shift + option + dash, PC: hold ALT + 0151) surrounded by single spaces to set off an amplifying or explanatory statement by indicating a pause.

Hyphen ( - )

Use a hyphen to connect words and numbers.

Hyphenated Compound Adjectives

Hyphenate adjectives when creating a single adjective out of two words immediately preceding the noun.

• Use single spaces after a period.
• Periods and other punctuation always go inside quotation marks.

• Always use “smart quotation marks” that are curved.
• Periods and commas always go inside the closing quotation marks, regardless of whether they are part of the original quoted text.

Other Punctuation Inside Quotes

The dash, semicolon, colon, question mark, and exclamation point go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only. They go outside the quotation marks when they apply to the whole sentence.

Quotes Within Quotes

If you have a quote within a quote, use single quotation marks ( ‘ ’ ). If you have a quote within a quote within a quote, keep alternating between double and single quotes — or rewrite the content to be clearer.

• Plural nouns ending in “s” include only an apostrophe (not ’s).
• Omit the apostrophe when a plural noun ending in “s” functions as an adjective and not as a possessor.

Spelling Out vs. Figures

• Write out one through nine, and any number that begins a sentence.
• Use figures for 10 or above and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to ages.
• Use figures in all tabular matter and in statistical and sequential forms.
• Write out all ordinal numbers for first through ninth. Use figures starting with 10th.

Monetary Figures

Use numerals to indicate a monetary amount. Follow the numerals with the unit name if expressing an amount other than dollars.

Page Numbers

Abbreviate page numbers with no spaces between “pg.” and the page number.

Event Listings — Time, Date, Location

For information about an event, give the time, date, and location, in that order.

Years

• Use a comma before the year when it’s an exact date, but not when it’s only month and year.
• Do not use the current year, unless it is necessary to avoid confusion.

Months & Days

Use full names for all months. Do not use “on” before a date or day of the week when its absence would not lead to confusion. Do not use ordinal numbers in dates.

Date Ranges

Use to to connect months, and hyphens to connect dates.

Year Ranges

• Within one century — include only the last two digits of the second year: 2016-17
• Across centuries — include the four-digit year for both: 1999-2001
• Separate years with a hyphen. Abbreviated, two-digit numeric years are preceded by an apostrophe that must turn away from the year: the summer of ’69

Decades

• No apostrophe or capitalization when written out: the 1980s, the eighties
• Use an apostrophe when shortened, turning away from the year: the ’80s

• Use periods in a.m. and p.m.
• Use figures except for noon and midnight.
• Avoid redundant qualifiers (no “10 a.m. this morning”).

Time Ranges

Use a hyphen with no spaces between the times. Do not repeat a.m. or p.m. unless the times extend into both categories.

• Include an area code, so phone numbers are always 10 digits.
• Use periods to separate (not parentheses or hyphens).

The University

Capitalize University only when it stands in for the full formal name Samuel Merritt University in the same sentence or paragraph. Lowercase it as a generic noun.

Section, Department, Office, Program

Lowercase generic descriptors when they stand alone. Capitalize them only as part of a formal proper name.

Headlines and Titles

Use title case for headlines, page titles, headings, subheadings, and the names of programs, departments, and events. Capitalize the first and last words and all major words; lowercase articles (a, an, the), short prepositions (at, by, for, in, of, on, to, up), and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, so, yet) unless they are first or last.

Captions, Cutlines, and Subheads

Photo captions and cutlines should use sentence case: capitalize the first word and any proper nouns; everything else stays lowercase. Write captions as complete sentences when they describe an action.

Seasons

Lowercase the names of seasons unless they are part of a formal title or kick off a sentence.

Departments, Offices, and Units

Use the full formal name on first reference. On subsequent references, the shortened form may be lowercase.

• First reference: the Office of Student Affairs
• Subsequent: the office
• First reference: the Department of Physical Therapy
• Subsequent: the department

Logos, Branding, and Formal Marks

Do not stylize the SMU name with all caps, italics, or special typography in body copy. For guidance on the official logo and visual marks, see the Brand Identity Style Guide.

Fundraising and Philanthropy

Capitalize the formal names of named funds, scholarships, endowments, and giving programs. Lowercase generic references.

Nonprofit, Nonprofits

One word, no hyphen. Lowercase except at the start of a sentence.

FAQ, FAQs

Uppercase, no periods. Use FAQs when plural (no apostrophe).

Events, Awards, Conferences, Forms

Capitalize the formal names of events, awards, conferences, named lectures, and official forms. Lowercase generic references.

• Commencement (the formal SMU ceremony); commencement (generic)
• White Coat Ceremony; the ceremony
• Dean’s List; the list
• FAFSA, Form I-9 (formal name); the form
• Samuel Merritt University Annual Symposium; the symposium

Italicize

Use italics for the titles of long, complete, standalone works:

• Books: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
• Journals and magazines: JAMA, The New York Times
• Films and TV series: Grey’s Anatomy
• Plays and operas: Wit
• Albums: Lemonade
• Podcasts (the series): The Daily

Quotation Marks

Use “curly quotes” around titles of shorter works or parts of larger works:

• Articles, essays, and book chapters: “Caring for the Caregiver”
• Songs: “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
• Individual podcast episodes: “The Case for Universal Healthcare”
• Lectures and presentations: “Equity in Clinical Practice”
• Short stories and poems: “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Neither Italics Nor Quotes

Set in roman type (no italics, no quotes), title case:

• The Bible and the books of the Bible (Genesis, Matthew)
• Reference works (the AP Stylebook, the Chicago Manual of Style)
• Software, apps, and websites (Microsoft Word, Canvas, LinkedIn)
• Course titles (Introduction to Pharmacology)

Parallel Structure

All list items should follow the same grammatical pattern: all phrases, all sentences, or all single words. Mixing forms makes the list feel sloppy.

Capitalization

Capitalize the first word of every bullet, regardless of whether the bullet is a fragment or full sentence.

Punctuation

• If items are complete sentences, use a period at the end of each.
• If items are fragments or single words, use no terminal punctuation.
• Don’t mix the two in the same list.

Numbered vs. Bulleted

Use a numbered list when the sequence matters (steps, rankings, instructions). Use bullets when the order is interchangeable.

Introductory Lead-in

End the lead-in sentence with a colon when the list completes the thought.

Common Terms

URLs in Print and Email

Omit http:// and www. in printed materials when possible: samuelmerritt.edu. For email signatures and links, use the complete URL.

Social Media

Use the official capitalization adopted by each platform: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, X (the platform formerly known as Twitter).

Capitalize the formal title of a course as it appears in the catalog. Set in roman type (no italics, no quotes).

Streets

Abbreviate Avenue (Ave.), Boulevard (Blvd.), and Street (St.) with a numbered address (450 30th St.). Spell them out and capitalize without a number (30th Street). All other street types are always spelled out: Drive, Lane, Road, Way.

Directional Indicators

Abbreviate with a numbered address: 120 N. Main St. Spell out without a number: North Main Street.

State Names

In running text, spell out state names: The new clinic in Sacramento, California, opens this fall. Use postal abbreviations only in mailing addresses: Oakland, CA 94609.

Building Addresses

Use figures for all street numbers and apartment, suite, or room numbers.

Bay Area

Capitalize Bay Area when referring to the San Francisco Bay region. Lowercase bay on its own.

East Bay, South Bay, North Bay, Peninsula

Capitalize as regional names: the East Bay, the South Bay, the Peninsula.

California Cities and Regions

Capitalize formal regional names: Northern California, Southern California, Silicon Valley, Wine Country. Lowercase generic directionals: northern part of the state, central coast.

health care vs. healthcare

SMU uses healthcare as one word when used as a noun or adjective: the healthcare workforce, a healthcare leader. This reflects current usage in the field and is preferred even though some style guides still use two words.

Names of Health Professions

Lowercase the names of health professions unless a name forms part of a formal title or degree.

Patient Care Language

Refer to people as patients, clients, or residents depending on the care setting. Avoid clinical jargon (the diabetic); write a person with diabetes. See Inclusive Language Guide for fuller person-first guidance.

Buildings and Halls

Capitalize the formal name of a building: Bechtel Hall, Health Education Center. Lowercase generic references: the building, the center.

Rooms

Capitalize Room when followed by a number or letter: Room 301. Lowercase the generic word: the conference room.

Named Rooms and Spaces

Capitalize formal names of labs, lecture halls, and gathering spaces: the Henderson Simulation Lab, the Founders Lecture Hall.

The SMU Editorial Style Guide is one of a small set of companion documents that together cover how Samuel Merritt University communicates. When a question moves beyond word choice — into language about people and identity, accessibility for digital readers, or visual identity — reach for the corresponding guide below. These resources are designed to align with one another; a rule in one will not contradict a rule in another.