Tufts University Editorial Style Guide

Try not to abbreviate. If you must, spell out the word in full at the first reference (Tufts University Alumni Association) and place the abbreviation (TUAA) in parentheses directly after the first reference. (This an exception from AP style, which says not to use acronyms in parentheses. Tufts style allows acronyms in parentheses when deemed necessary for clarity.)

Generally, omit periods in acronyms unless the result would spell an unrelated word (EPA, FBI, TUSM). But use periods in two-letter abbreviations:

• U.S., U.K., B.A., B.C. Exceptions: UN, GI, and EU. (U.S. has periods even when in headlines, an exception from AP style.)

Plurals of abbreviations:

• YMCAs, SOSs, IOUs, M.A.s, Ph.D.s

When abbreviating years to two digits, put an apostrophe in front of the years of college classes:

• Class of ’76 (Make sure the apostrophe curls in the correct direction. Not ‘76.).

A caption may be a complete sentence (or sentences) or a tagline (name only, or name and title). If a story is a profile of the subject of the photo, use judgment when deciding whether a caption is necessary. Do not use a period with a tagline. Aim to construct long captions as full sentences, so they will end with a period. 

If one caption is used to describe more than one photograph, use semicolons to separate the descriptions. 

• Clockwise from top left: fast food chains line Jackson’s downtown area; homemade pies from a farmers market; Landry and her extended family indulge in southern cuisine at a reunion. 

If semicolons are already used within the descriptions, use periods to separate the descriptions. 

• Fiorenzo Omenetto; David Kaplan, N04, N08; and Justin Timberlake, the singer, eat hamburgers. Inset, a hologram they created out of optical silk. Opposite, the remains of the day. 

Do not use middle initials, academic degrees, or class years if they are included in the story. 

• Above left, William Livingstone; right, Henry Brockholst

Overlines on captions 

Overlines, if used, should be used consistently within an article. Overlines do not need a period as long as they are set apart from the rest of the caption graphically. 

• SNAKE EYES Reptiles are fearsome creatures, says Marian Snugglepus. 

Spot directions 

Use commas to set off spot directions such as left, right, near left, far left, below, opposite, top, bottom. If a list follows the spot direction, a colon rather than a comma is preferred. 

• Jumbos in attendance, from left: Ann Miller, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Ginger Rogers. 

If there are only two people in a photo, it’s not necessary to use both left and right.

• Mary Hazelton, left, and Larry Bouck review plans for this year’s Strawberry Festival. 

Use complete sentences for photo captions when possible. Use a period at the end of the complete sentence in a caption. At an editor's discretion, an incomplete sentence may be used as a photo caption; in that case, a period should not be used at the end. 

Follow AP Stylebook rules for numbers. Note the following examples and exceptions:

Date ranges

When writing a date range, do not combine a preposition with a hyphen. 

• Spring break will be March 7–14. 
• Spring break will be from March 7 through March 14. 
• Incorrect: Spring break will be from March 7–14.

Time of day

Abbreviate as follows; do not use “from” or “to.”

• 4 p.m. (Note: There is a space before p.m.)
• 12 noon–4 p.m.
• 3–4 p.m. 
• 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.  

For full hours, it is preferred not to include the :00. Reserve those for minutes, or if desired for consistency (e.g., 4:00–4:30 p.m.) Note: Exceptions can be made to the rules for “p.m.” and “a.m.” They can be used at a designer's discretion depending on frequency and formatting (e.g., for the Parents and Family Weekend program and schedule). 
 
Avoid redundancy (e.g., 7–9 p.m., not 7 p.m.–9 p.m.)
 
Note: Tufts style calls for en dashes to indicate number ranges. There should be no spaces on either side. 
  
Use an en dash between numbers and dates that are inclusive.

• 2002–03, March–April 1900, pages 20–26, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., April 5–11.  

Use an en dash when writing out an academic year. 

• Online applications are available for the 2005–2006 academic year. 

Use an en dash to separate numbers, as in athletics scores or ranges in time. 

• The Jumbos beat Bates, 12–9. 

While AP style calls for foreign words to be placed in quotation marks, Tufts italicizes unfamiliar foreign words and phrases. Words that have been accepted universally into the English language do not require italics.

Examples:

• a priori 
• cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude 
• in situ 
• carpe diem 
• a cappella 
• in vitro 
• ad interim

The following suggestions are intended to promote inclusiveness and accuracy. For full guidelines, see the AP Stylebook on gender-neutral language.
 
Avoid reference to gender unless it’s relevant to the topic of the piece. If a person’s gender is noteworthy for a particular reason, use “man” or “woman” for nonclinical contexts, rather than “male” or “female.” 
 
Avoid assumptions about gender expression and familial relationships by replacing “daughter” or “son” with “student.” 

Avoid gender-specific titles or terms:

• not chairman but chair 
• not businessman but business executive, manager 
• not cameraman but camera operator 
• not coed but student 
• not congressman but representative, senator 
• not fireman but firefighter 
• not forefathers but ancestors 
• not foreman but supervisor 
• not mailman but mail carrier 
• not freshman but first-year student 

Alum, alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae

The gender-neutral terms alum or alums are acceptable. If preferred, the terms alumnus (s.) and alumni (pl.) for men, and alumna (s.) and alumnae (pl.) for women may be used.  

Pronouns

Always ask individuals which pronouns and names to use. Write accordingly. For example, this student prefers the pronoun they:

• “Ethan Martin, E19, had been making their own Rubik’s cubes by hand. Then a friend told them about the Nolop Testing Facility.”  

Possessives

Avoid the awkward “his or her” possessive. Rephrase the sentence with a plural antecedent, whenever possible:

• “Students received their diplomas,” not “Each student received his or her diploma.”

If unavoidable, “he or she” is preferable to “he/she.”

Capitalize the first and last word and all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions (although, because, if, when, etc.) 

Lowercase articles (the, a, an) coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor), and prepositions (about, by, in, of, under, toward, through, etc.) regardless of length, unless they are the first or last words. Lowercase the “to” in infinitives: It Is Better to Give. 

For full guidelines, see the AP Stylebook on race-related coverage. Note the following:

Anti-racist

Use a hyphen in words like anti-racist, anti-racism, etc. Exception (per the President's Office, January 2022): antisemitism.

Asian American

Acceptable for an American of Asian descent. When possible, refer to a person’s country of origin or follow the person’s preference. Filipino American or Indian American. Do not describe Pacific Islanders as Asian Americans, Asians or of Asian descent. Avoid using Asian as shorthand for Asian American.

Black(s), white(s) (n.) 

Do not use either term as a singular or plural noun. Instead, use phrasing such as Black people, white people, Black teachers, white students. Black and white are acceptable as adjectives when relevant.

Black (adj.) 

Use the capitalized term as an adjective in a racial, ethnic, or cultural sense: Black people, Black culture, Black literature, Black studies, Black colleges. 

African American is also acceptable for those in the U.S. The terms are not necessarily interchangeable. Follow a person’s preference if known, and be specific when possible and relevant. Minneapolis has a large Somali American population because of refugee resettlement. The author is Caribbean American.

Note: No hyphen for dual-heritage terms (African American, Asian American, Arab American, Lebanese American, etc.)

Foreign students

Use “international students” instead

Hispanic

A person from—or whose ancestors were from—a Spanish-speaking land or culture. Latino, Latina, or Latinx are sometimes preferred. Follow the subject’s preference. Use a more specific identification when possible, such as Cuban, Puerto Rican, or Mexican American. Note: Hispanic is not to be used as a singular noun. For plurals, phrases like Hispanic people, Hispanic students are highly preferable to the plural noun on its own. 

Indigenous (adj.):  

Capitalize this term used to refer to original inhabitants of a place. Use Indigenous peoples when referring to multiple Indigenous groups. Use Indigenous people when referring to multiple individuals from different Indigenous groups. Bolivia’s Indigenous peoples represent some 62 percent of the population. 

Latino, Latina, Latinx

Latinx is often the preferred noun or adjective for people from, or whose ancestors were from, a Spanish-speaking land or culture or from Latin America. Some prefer Latino or Latina. Follow the subject’s preference For groups of females, use the plural Latinas; for groups of males or of mixed gender, use the plural Latinos. Use a more specific identification when possible, such as Cuban, Puerto Rican, Brazilian, or Mexican American.

Native Americans, American Indians

Both are acceptable terms in general references for those in the United States when referring to two or more people of different tribal affiliations. 

For individuals, use the name of the tribe; if that information is not immediately available, try to obtain it. He is a Navajo commissioner. She is a member of the Nisqually Indian Tribe. He is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

Some tribes and tribal nations use member; others use citizen. If in doubt, use citizen. 

• In Alaska, the Indigenous groups are collectively known as Alaska Natives. 
• First Nation is the preferred term for native tribes in Canada. 
• Indian is used to describe the peoples and cultures of India and is not a shorthand for American Indians. 

Pacific Islander

Used to describe the Indigenous people of the Pacific Islands, including but not limited to Hawaii, Guam and Samoa. Should be used for people who are ethnically Pacific Islander, not for those who happen to live in Pacific Islands. Be specific about which communities you are referring to whenever possible. Do not describe Pacific Islanders as Asian Americans, Asians or of Asian descent.

People of color, minority  

The term is acceptable when necessary in broad references to multiple races other than white: 

• We will hire more people of color.
• Nine playwrights of color collaborated on the script. 

Be aware, however, that many people of various races object to the term for various reasons, including that it lumps together into one monolithic group anyone who isn’t white. 

Be specific whenever possible by referring to, for instance, Black Americans, Chinese Americans or members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Examples: The poll found that Black and Latino Americans are bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s financial impact, not people of color are bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s financial impact. Most of the magazine’s readers are Black women, not most of the magazine’s readers are women of color. 

In some cases, other wording may be appropriate. Examples: people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds; diverse groups; various heritages; different cultures. 

• Do not use person of color for an individual. 
• Do not use the term Black, Indigenous and people of color, which some see as more inclusive by distinguishing the experiences of Black and Indigenous people but others see as less inclusive by diminishing the experiences of everyone else. 
• Do not use the shorthand POC, BIPOC or BAME unless necessary in a direct quotation; when used, explain it. 
• Do not refer to an individual as a minority unless in a quotation. 

Academic degrees

The word “degree” should not follow an abbreviation like M.A.

• She has an M.A. in English literature. 
• She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature. 

Formal use:

• Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy 

General use: 

• bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctoral degree 

Note: Tufts does not use periods for degrees of more than three letters. For example: MALD, MAHA, and MIB for Fletcher (no periods). Note that MALD is pronounced as a word, not letters, so it would be referred to as “a MALD” not “an MALD.” 

Academic programs

The full name of a program should be capitalized. 

• Agriculture, Food and Environment Program (Note: no serial comma) 
• Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition Program 
• Food Policy and Applied Nutrition Program 
• Master of Arts in Humanitarian Assistance Program (but master’s in humanitarian assistance) 
• Combined Dietetic Internship/Master’s Degree Program 
• Master’s Degree Program in Nutrition Communication
• Nutritional Epidemiology Program   

Academic titles

Capitalize when used as a formal title before a name. Lowercase in other uses. 

Examples:

• During the ceremony, Dean Alastair Cribb will present the award. 
• Alastair Cribb, dean of Cummings School, will attend the conference. 
• The dean has published many books on the subject.  

Ad interim 

To be used when referring to a dean or other leader who is holding the position on a temporary basis (e.g., “Jane Kennedy, dean ad interim” or “Dean ad interim Jane Kennedy”). The exception to this rule: In headlines or social media, if there's a space constraint, then the term “interim” without “ad” may be used (e.g., “Interim Dean Jane Kennedy”). 

Coach, head coach

Generally, follow the rule for academic titles:

• Head Coach Mike Daly; Mike Daly, head lacrosse coach. 

Commencement and matriculation

Capitalize when referring to the Tufts event.

Examples:

• Tufts’ main Commencement will be webcast live. 
• A university’s commencement is a special opportunity. 
• Matriculation was held last Thursday. 

Courses, fields of study

Capitalize course titles when given exactly

• (e.g., Survey of Marine Science; an introductory course in marine science.” 

Lowercase fields of study unless they are part of a title or department name. Names of languages are capitalized. 

• She chose the specialization in marine science but took courses in German literature. 

Capitalize official course titles in running text. No italics or quotation marks are necessary. 
Introduction to Economic Dynamics 

• Frank was hoping to get into a new management course, Online Consumer Behavior. 

Do not capitalize major areas of study unless the area is a language. 

• She is studying economics and French. 

Departments, offices, committees, the Board of Trustees

Capitalize the formal names of departments, offices, programs, committees, and institutions. Do not capitalize informal names and incomplete designations. Examples:

• Department of Chemistry; the chemistry department 
• the department 
• Office of Publications; the publications office 
• the office 
• the Tufts University Board of Trustees (Exception: the Board of Trustees is always capitalized.)
• the trustees 
• the board 
• Board of Advisors (The term has been changed from Overseers. The change is retroactive, so past members will be referred to as having been a member of the Board of Advisors. The change applies to all schools.) 
• advisor

Emeritus

Place after the formal title (e.g., President Emeritus Lawrence S. Bacow; Dean Emeritus Courtney C. Brown. Or Larry Bacow, president emeritus of Tufts University. Do not use “former president.”) Use the feminine “emerita” if the subject prefers it; otherwise, use emeritus. 

Events

The formal names of special events are capitalized. Examples:

• Alumni Weekend; Parents and Family Weekend 
• Baccalaureate 
• Commencement 
• Homecoming 
• Matriculation 
• reunion is lowercased unless it’s a specific event (e.g., AS&E Reunion)

reading period (not capitalized as it’s a description of a specific period, not an event) 
fall break, fall semester are lowercased

Fellow 

Lower case (e.g., She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He is a Guggenheim fellow.) 

Fellowship

Capitalize if part of the proper name of the fellowship (e.g., She received a Guggenheim Fellowship last year. 

Honorifics

Honorific titles and respectful forms of address are capitalized in any context.

Examples:

• the Honorable Elizabeth Warren (used for a U.S. senator, member of Congress, etc.) 
• the First Gentleman; the First Lady 
• Her (His, Your) Majesty; His (Her, Your) Royal Highness 
• Mr. President; Mrs. President; Ms. President 
• Madam Speaker 
• Your Honor (His, Her)

Job titles

Capitalize a job title only when it immediately precedes a person’s name. The title is not capitalized when it follows a name or stands alone. Examples:

• Sunil Kumar, president of Tufts University 
• Tufts President Sunil Kumar 
• President Kumar 
• the president 
• Anthony P. Monaco, university professor and president emeritus (not former president)  
• University Professor and President Emeritus Anthony P. Monaco
• the provost and senior vice president 
• Eric Johnson, senior vice president for University Advancement 
• David Garman, associate professor of economics 
• Professor of Biology Frances Chew 

Titles that follow names in formal lists (e.g., the officers of the corporation or school administration) should be capitalized.  

Majors, minors

In general, do not capitalize academic majors or minors unless they include a proper noun.

• She earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology.
• He majored in English literature.
• She has a minor in chemistry.

Professors and chairs

The holder is a Professor of [topic], not Professor in (though it might be the Professorship in [topic]).  

• Use Professor of the Practice, not Professor of Practice
• Use Professor of [topic], not Professor in
• Do not abbreviate Professor to Prof

Endowed professorships are capitalized, even when the title follows a name

• e.g., Jane Bernstein, Austin Fletcher Professor of Music

By request of the Provost’s Office, the default language for endowed faculty positions should be “professorships” and not “chair.”

• the John and Mary Smith Professorship (not the Smith Chair) 

The term “chair” should be reserved for the head of a department (e.g., English, biology) and should be used instead of “chairman.” 

University

Capitalize the word “university” when it’s part of an official title; lowercase when it is not. Capitalize other official names.

Examples:

• Tufts University; the university Tufts University School of Medicine; the medical school

Follow AP style for rules on punctuation. Note the following:

The possessive of Tufts is Tufts’. 

• Tufts’ campuses are located in Medford/Somerville and Boston.
• Tufts’ policy on plagiarism is clear and strictly enforced.  
• Tufts students approach problems with a multidisciplinary, global perspective.

When Tufts is used as a modifier, Tufts does not need the apostrophe: Tufts students, Tufts faculty.

If the formal name of an organization, program, or publication does not use the serial comma, we will not add it (e.g., the Agriculture, Food and Environment program at the Friedman School). 

Use em dashes (—) to signal abrupt change; as one option to set off a series within a phrase; before attribution to an author or composer in some formats; and to start lists. In Tufts style, there is no space on either side of the em dash.  

• They made us do everything—cook, clean, and wash the clothes.

As a general rule, major works are set in italics and minor works are placed in quotation marks. 

Titles of published books, proceedings, collections, periodicals, journals, art exhibits, movies, television series, newspapers, magazines, plays, complete musical works (e.g., symphonies), music albums, and podcasts should be italicized. 

Titles of book chapters, articles, newspaper columns, poems, short stories, comic strips, lectures, individual works of art, songs, and individual episodes in a television series should be placed in quotation marks. 

Note: In headlines, titles should be placed in single quotation marks. 

Unpublished works such as theses, lectures, and articles are placed in quotation marks. 

Examples of these rules for titles are as follows:

• The article “Cyberslacking” appeared in Newsweek. 
• Casablanca is a great flick. 
• My favorite episode of Seinfeld is “The Contest.” 
• Frank Sutherland’s “I Love Wine” column appears weekly in the Tennessean. 
• Catcher in the Rye is a handbook for the cynical and disenchanted. 
• She downloaded the song “With or Without You” from U2’s album The Joshua Tree. 
• Employees often refer to the “Dilbert” comic strip for inspiration. 
• The play The Meeting is a fictional dialogue. 

Titles of operas, oratorios, and other long musical compositions are italicized. Titles of songs and short compositions are usually set in roman type and quotation marks. 

• Handel’s Messiah 
• “Alma Mater” 
• “Tuftonia’s Day” 

Many musical compositions do not have titles but are identified by the name of a musical form and a number or key or both. When used as the title, the form and key are usually capitalized, but no italics are used. 

• Symphony No. 5 in C Minor 
• Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony 

But a descriptive title given to a work, either by a later critic or performer, is italicized if the work is long, but in quotation marks if it’s short. 

• William Tell Overture 
• Air with Variations (“The Harmonious Blacksmith”) from Handel’s Suite No. 5 in E 

Titles of individual works of art are set in quotation marks (e.g., “The Scream,” by Edvard Munch). Titles of exhibitions are italicized (e.g., Mexico Beyond Its Revolution is a thematic examination of Mexican art from the past century.)

When listing a URL in print, do not include http:// or www. Do not underline the URL in print pieces. Test all URLs by copying and pasting them into a browser. 

• tufts.edu 
• tuftslife.com 
• alumniandfriends.tufts.edu

In digital pieces, use meaningful text instead of URLs for all links. 
For more information, visit Tufts University Art Galleries.

Campuses

• the Medford/Somerville campus 
• the Boston health sciences campus or Tufts’ health sciences campus
• the Boston SMFA campus or the SMFA campus
• the Grafton campus 

Cummings School-specific spaces

Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. On first reference, use “Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals.” On second reference, use “Foster Hospital for Small Animals.” Acceptable acronym: FHSA.

Hospital for Large Animals at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. On first or second reference, use “Hospital for Large Animals.” Acceptable acronym: HLA. 

Tufts Veterinary Field Service. Acceptable acronym: TVFS. Neither Tufts Field Service nor Ambulatory Service should be used any longer.

Tufts Veterinary Emergency Treatment & Specialties at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. On first reference alone, use “Tufts Veterinary Emergency Treatment & Specialties.” On second reference, use “Tufts VETS.” Acceptable acronym: Tufts VETS.

Tufts Wildlife Clinic at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. On first or second reference, use “Tufts Wildlife Clinic.” 

Luke and Lily Lerner Spay/Neuter Clinic at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University (full formal name). On first reference, use “Luke and Lily Lerner Spay/Neuter Clinic.” On second reference, use “Lerner Spay/Neuter Clinic.” Acceptable acronym: LSNC.

Tufts at Tech Community Veterinary Clinic at Cummings School of  Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University (full formal name). On first reference, use “Tufts at Tech Community Veterinary Clinic.” On second reference, use “Tufts at Tech.” Acceptable acronym: TaT.

Capital Campaign

Brighter World: The Campaign for Tufts. Whenever you refer to Brighter World in text, it should be italicized with initial caps. It is not necessary to precede Brighter World with “a” or “the.” 
 
On a document that is branded with the campaign logo, there’s no need to follow Brighter World with The Campaign for Tufts. When there is no logo, the full name of the campaign should be written out in italics the first time it’s mentioned. Subsequent mentions can be just Brighter World. 
   
Example: “Brighter World: The Campaign for Tufts was a university-wide effort.” (Note italics, colon, and capitalization.) 

Class years and codes

Capitalize the word “class” when referring to a specific class: the Class of 1994. 

The names of all alumni should be followed by a comma and then a letter that designates the school affiliation followed by a number (no space, no apostrophe) indicating year of graduation. 

Harry Smithers, A92 (not Harry Smithers, A’92). In a sentence, it would be followed by a comma: Harry Smithers, A92, has been named CFO of United Sports Cars. 

Note: Women graduates from the Class of 2002 to the present are designated with the letter “A” or “E.” Women graduates before 2002 are designated with the letter “J” or “E.” 

Formatting for couples

• Two alumni: Denise, A92, and John Doe, J92 
• One alum, one nonalum: Dr. Alphonse F. Calvanese, M78, and Mrs. Debra A. Calvanese 
• Two nonalumni: Denise and John Doe 

Name and code (degree, institutional suffix) recognition guidelines

Currently, the Friedman School does not include codes in recognition lists; Cummings School includes codes for both graduates and donors who are not graduates. 
 
Order codes as they come from Advance (People can override Advance for their preferred order.): 

• Mr. William S. Cummings, A58, H06, J97P, M97P 

If you are combining degrees with class years: 

• David J. McGrath III, M.S., D.V.M., V86, AG83, A11P, A15P 

People who attended Tufts but didn’t graduate are technically considered alumni. 
 
When someone holds multiple degrees, list the degrees in the order that puts the degree that takes the longest to attain last. A Ph.D. takes longer than a D.V.M. to attain, so it would be listed second. Recognizing that which degree took longer may not always be clear, consider this more of an art than a science and do your best. 

School codes

A = School of Arts and Sciences 
AG = Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 
BOUVE = Bouve-Boston School of Physical Education 
BOUVE graduates are indicated by their class year only, with no school letter (e.g., Jeanne Ashworth ‘60; they are not Jackson graduates.) 
BSOT = Boston School of Occupational Therapy 
CRANE = Crane Theological School 
D = School of Dental Medicine 
D43A and D43B = School of Dental Medicine had two classes due to World War II.
D75A = School of Dental Medicine class that graduated in 1975 is uniquely referred to as D75A
MSD93 = Indicates those who have earned a Master's Degree at TUSDM
DI = School of Dental Medicine International program for foreign-trained dentists. This program is currently 2.5 years. 
E = School of Engineering 
EG = Graduate School of Engineering 
Eliot-Pearson = Eliot-Pearson 
F = Fletcher (note: not FG and not GMAP, but those can be mentioned) 
GBS = Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 
H = Honorary 
J = Jackson College (for women with liberal arts degrees who graduated before 2002) 
M = School of Medicine (Note: See below for more specific information for the School of Medicine.) 
MG = School of Medicine (M.B.S., M.S., M.P.H., P.A. programs) 
N = Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy 
NG = Friedman doctoral graduates 
PH = Public Health and Professional Degree programs 
School of Museum of Fine Arts
V = Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine 
VG = Cummings graduate students (M.S., MAPP, Ph.D. programs) 
VI = Cummings current/past interns 
VR = Cummings current/past residents 
(Note: Advance does not use VI or VR, so those need to be verified with Cummings staff.) 

School of Medicine degrees 

• Standard suffix for PHPD alumni is MG, followed by degree in parentheses: 
• M.P.H.: Master’s in Public Health—so MG12 (MPH) 
• M.B.S.: Master’s in Biomedical Science—so MG12 (MBS) 
• Health Comm.: Master’s in Health Communications—so MG12 (Health Comm.) 
• PREP: Master’s in Pain Research, Education, and Policy—so MG12 (PREP) 
• P.A.: Physician Assistant—so MG12 (PA) 

Examples of GBS use 

• Sara Rodriguez, GBSXX (Program Name) (each word is capitalized in the program name) 
• Sara Rodriguez, GBS18 (Molecular Microbiology) 
• Sara Rodriguez, GBS18 (Molecular Microbiology), has been awarded the XYZ Prize.  (In a sentence, a comma is placed after the program name.)  

Parents 

Typically, the parent designation (P) is not used in editorial writing. The following guidelines refer to advancement and other communications. 

The parent of a Tufts student should be listed as Mary Jones, A04P.

If both parents are alums: Ethan Stone, A80, A14P, and Hilary Stone, J79, A14P, or Ethan, A80, A14P, and Hilary Stone, J79, A14P. 

If one parent is an alum and one isn’t: Dr. Edward T. Gordon, A44, M47, A72P, M76P, E77P, EG77P, and Mrs. Claire Gordon, A72P, M76P, E77P, EG77P, or Dr. and Mrs. Edward T. Gordon, A44, M47, A72P, M76P, E77P, EG77P.  

If neither is an alum: Hege and Neil Nolop, A11P, E13P, or Mark Taylor and Ilene Wasserman, A10P, A12P.

Programs 

Tufts 1+4 Bridge-Year Service Learning Program (shortens to Tufts 1+4). Participants cannot be referred to as students. Rather, they are Tufts 1+4 Bridge-Year fellows. 

• the Experimental College at Tufts University (ExCollege on second reference) 
• the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter (preceded by “the” and “Tufts” is italicized) or Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter (not preceded by “the” and “Tufts” is not italicized). 

School names

On first reference, use the following:

• Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University (Note: no “the”)
• The Fletcher School 
• The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy (full/formal name) or the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University or the Friedman School
• The Gordon Institute 
• Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. In fundraising materials, remove USDA. Use “the HNRCA” as an abbreviation. 
• The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life 
• Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences (do not use &) 
• School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. Accepted abbreviated name: SMFA at Tufts. 
  • Note: No "the." Do not use “the SMFA at Tufts” or “the SMFA"
  • Never use “SMFA@Tufts.” You can say “SMFA” if you have already used the full name elsewhere. 
  • “Museum School” is an informal nickname and not the school’s formal name. You can use this in speech and in informal documents. Do not use “Museum School” on public-facing invitations or documents.
  • Note: The following disclaimer must be included on every piece (print or digital), unless specifically okayed to be left off: “SMFA and the SCHOOL OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS are trademarks of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and are used by permission.” 
• Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 
• Tufts University School of Engineering 
• Tufts University School of Dental Medicine 
• Tufts University School of Medicine 
• Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (“at Tufts University” can be added but is not necessary) 

On second reference, acceptable variations include: 

• Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine or Cummings School on second reference (not TCSVM or just Cummings)
• The Fletcher School 
• the Friedman School (never just “Friedman”) 
• the HNRCA
• Tisch College
• the School of Arts and Sciences (do not use &)
• SMFA at Tufts or SMFA at Tufts University (not SMFA@Tufts) Note: Do not put “the” in front of SMFA when using the school name alone. Only use “the” when SMFA modifies a noun (e.g., the SMFA library).
• GSAS or the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 
• the School of Engineering
• the School of Dental Medicine 
• the School of Medicine 
• GSBS (for Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences) 

SMFA faculty

On first reference:

• Jane Gillooly, chair of the Department of Media Arts at the School of Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts (SMFA) and professor of the practice in film and animation, debuted her documentary on October 21. 
• Mags Harries, professor of the practice at the School of the Museum of Fine Art at Tufts (SMFA), received a Design Award of Honor from the American Society of Landscape Architects. 

On second reference: 

• Mike Mandel, an SMFA lecturer, and Chantal Zakari, an SMFA professor of the practice, will have their work included at the Boston Art Book Fair. 

SMFA alumni

• Khaldoun Hijazin AG14 (MFA) 
• Christine Tobin A90 (Note: BFA is not included in parentheses)

* If you have some other way to reflect the BFA or MFA (e.g., written out in the text of a story), that is also an acceptable way to communicate that this is a degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.