Editorial Style Guide

Possessives

Use an apostrophe + s (’s) to denote possession: the library’s books, the building’s history. This holds true even if the singluar word ends in “s”: the witness’s testimony, the glass’s contents.

For plural possessives if the plural word ends in “s,” use an apostrophe alone at the end of the word, do not add an “s”: the student’s work (single student); the students’ work (more than one student). If the plural word does not end in “s,” add ’s: women’s rights, children’s dreams.

For proper names ending in “s,” use the apostrophe alone, without adding an “s”: CalArts’ faculty (not CalArts’s faculty); Tom Jones’ microphone, Dickens’ novels.

Never use an apostrophe to pluralize a word. This is a common mistake, especially with names. If you’re inviting the Smith family over for dinner, for example, you’re inviting the Smiths, not the Smith’s.

Do not use an apostrophe to indicate a possessive pronoun: hers, his, theirs, its. “Its” means something belongs to it; “it’s” is a contraction of “it is.”

Pronouns

CalArts honors individuals’ preferred pronouns: he/him/his/himself, she/her/hers/herself, they/them/theirs/themself.

Avoid overusing pronouns by recasting sentences so fewer are needed:
– Omit the pronoun: The programmer should update the records.
– Repeat the noun (but not too much).
– Use an article: A student accused of cheating must actively waive the right to have a guidance counselor present (instead of “his or her right”).
– Use the pronoun who. “Employers presume that if an applicant can’t write well, he won’t be a good employee” becomes “Employers presume that an applicant who can’t write well won’t be a good employee.”
– Use imperative mode: “A lifeguard must keep a close watch over children while he is monitoring the pool” becomes “Keep a close watch over children while monitoring the pool.”

Punctuation

Apostrophes
For the use of apostrophes to show possession, see Possessives.

For the use of apostrophes with dates and years, see Dates.

Commas
CalArts uses the serial, or “Oxford” comma: the final comma in a list of three or more items, placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction (usually “and” or “or”): Steve’s Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Em-dashes
Use an em-dash (Mac: option + shift + hyphen; Windows: alt + 0151) to indicate a significant change in thought or meaning—a significant pause—whether the change is in the middle or at the end of a sentence. Do not include spaces before or after the em-dash.

Example: True to CalArts’ founding ethos, artists in our community—students and faculty alike—work across metiers in dialogue with one another. Note that AP style does not use the en-dash.

Hyphens
Use a hyphen to indicate indicate ranges: June 23-27, 6-9 p.m. If the range is preceded by “from” in a sentence, spell out “to” instead of using a hyphen: From June 23 to 27, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Use hyphens in phone numbers: 661-255-1050

Hyphens are often used to create compound adjectives. If two or more words combine to describe a noun, they are generally hyphenated: ruby-red slippers, know-it-all critic. Words that are very commonly used together do not require a hyphen: high school valedictorian, health care provider. When in doubt, check Merriam-Webster.

Periods
Omit periods in most uppercase abbreviations and acronyms: US, LA, NY, CAP, REDCAT, MFA

Use periods in most lowercase abbreviations: i.e., e.g.

Quotation marks
Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks, whether or not they’re part of the quotation.

Colons and semicolons go outside the quotation marks.

Question marks and exclamation points go inside the quotation marks if they’re part of the quotation, and outside if they’re not.

Example:
The director called the opening night “a total disaster”; however, the lead actor asked, “Wasn’t my performance good enough?”

Was the critic who attended fair when she wrote, “Despite opening-night stumbles, the cast’s performance was sublime!”?

Avoid the use of single quotation marks, with two exceptions:

• Quotes within quotes: If a quotation appears within another quotation, use single quotation marks for the interior quotation: The critic wrote, “Although the director said the opening night was ‘a total disaster,’ I still highly recommend this play.”
• Headlines: AP uses only single quotation marks in headlines.
  • Headline: Mayor says ‘no’ to new tax plan
  • Body of story: The mayor said “no” to the new tax plan.

For quotation marks with titles of essays, stories, songs, etc. see Titles.