Welcome to the monthly Quick Style Tips email, a supplement to our updated Editorial Style Guide. The guide is a resource for ensuring your communications follow university editorial style. *

With commencement fast approaching June 20, a few things to remember:

• Students receive a bachelor of arts or a master of fine arts, for example, but pursue bachelor’s or master’s degrees.
• PhD, not P.h.D. (BA, BMus, BArch, MS, DEd, etc.)
• The title “Dr.” is reserved for individuals with medical degrees.
• Style for class years and majors: Don’t include the major for MBA and JD degrees: Thomas Morales, BA ’00 (Spanish), MBA ’04, JD ’09. For two degrees in the same major: Helen Moore, MS ’15, PhD ’20 (anthropology). (For more, see academic degrees.)
• Latin honors (always lowercase, not italicized):cum laude (with honors, top 10 percent of the graduating class); magna cum laude (with high honors, top 5 percent); summa cum laude (with highest honors, top 2 percent).
• For retired faculty members, use:the gender-neutral emerit: Professor Emerit Jane Doe or John Doe, professor emerit—unless the faculty member prefers an alternative such as emerita or emeritus.
• For the correct titles of faculty with named positions, check the named faculty positions Smartsheet (click “Sign in with Microsoft” and use your Duck ID and password, if prompted).
• For alumni: alumna refers to a woman; alumnus refers to a man; alumnae refers to women only; alumni refers to men or to women and men; alum is informal and gender neutral. Find more in the style guide on academic degrees and academic titles, departments, programs, schools and colleges, and time of day.

Questions? Email editor Sharleen Nelson, University Communications.