Abbreviations and acronyms
Acronyms are acceptable after full first reference. For acronyms of more than two letters, do not use periods. Standardized Performance Assessment Laboratory (SPAL)
Address
3200 Grand Avenue Des Moines, IA 50312
Spell out “Street,” “Avenue,” “Suite,” etc.
Use postal codes for states “IA,” “IL,” “NE”
Academic degrees/programs
Lowercase degrees if used in a sentence: Become a doctor of osteopathic medicine.
Lowercase when full name is not used: he earned his master’s degree
Capitalize if used in a heading or referring to the official program name: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Master of Public Health program.
Use periods for degrees (D.O.) but not for credentials (FAAO).
| Program | Degree | DMU abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | D.O. | D.O. |
| Doctor of Podiatric Medicine | D.P.M. | D.P.M. |
| Doctor of Physical Therapy | D.P.T. | D.P.T. |
| Master of Health Care Administration | M.H.A. | M.H.A. |
| Master of Public Health | M.P.H. | M.P.H. |
| Master of Science in Anatomy | M.S. | MSA |
| Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences | M.S. | MBS |
| Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies | M.S. | PA |
Buildings and rooms
In general, use the proper (complete and capitalized) name on first reference. Subsequent references may be shortened and in lowercase if the meaning is clear.
| Academic Center (AC) |
| Alumni Hall |
| anatomy lab |
| Des Moines University Clinic (DMU Clinic) never Tower Medical Clinic. If referencing building: DMU Clinic building |
| Des Moines University Foot & Ankle |
| Human Performance Lab (HPL) |
| Munroe building |
| Olsen Center |
| Ruza Lecture Hall |
| Richard M. Ryan Hall (Ryan Hall) |
| Iowa Simulation Center for Patient Safety and Clinical Skills (Iowa Simulation Center) |
| Standardized Performance Assessment Laboratory (SPAL) |
| Student Education Center (SEC) |
| surgery skills lab |
| simulation lab |
Colleges
The names of colleges are always capitalized:
| College of Health Sciences (CHS) |
| College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) |
| College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery (CPMS) |
When referring to a specific college, capitalize college. Board members from the College…
Compound and hyphenated words
Refer to AP Style and dictionaries for proper use.
| Common words |
|---|
| dual degree (no hyphen) |
| health care (two words; no hyphen) |
| under-served |
Credentials
Abbreviate when listing a degree after someone’s name; use commas to separate multiple degrees or credentials. Use periods in degree abbreviations. e.g., John Smith, D.O., FACOS, FACS
| AACOM | American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine |
| AACPM | American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine |
| AAPA | American Academy of Physician Assistants |
| ACHE | American College of Healthcare Executives |
| ATC | Certified Athletic Trainer |
| AOA | American Osteopathic Association |
| APMA | American Podiatric Medical Association |
| APTA | American Physical Therapy Association |
| AQIP | Academic Quality Improvement Program |
| ARC-PA | Accreditation Review Commission on the Education of Physician Assistants |
| AUPHA | Association of University Programs in Healthcare Administration |
| CASPA | Central Application Service for Physicians Assistants |
| CEPH | Council on the Education for Public Health |
| CMPT | Certified Manual Physical Therapist |
| COCA | Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation |
| COMLEX | Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination |
| CPME | Council on Podiatric Medical Education |
| DScPT | Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy |
| ERAS | Electronic Residency Application Service |
| FACOS | Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons |
| FACSM | Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine |
| FACS | Fellow, American College of Surgeons |
| FSBPT | Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy |
| IOMA | Iowa Osteopathic Medical Association |
| IPAS | Iowa Physician Assistant Society |
| IPHA | Iowa Public Health Association |
| IPMA | Iowa Podiatric Medical Association |
| IPTA | Iowa Physical Therapy Association |
| MAED | Master of Education |
| MPAS | Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies |
| OTR/L | Occupational Therapist, Registered, Licensed |
| OPTI | Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institutions |
| MHS | Master of Health Science |
| MPT | Master of Physical Therapy |
| NBME | National Board of Medical Examiners (USMLE) |
| NBPME | National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (COMLEX) |
| NCCPA | National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants |
| NPTE | National Physical Therapist Examination |
| OCS | Orthopedic Clinical Specialist |
| PA-C | Physician Assistant-Certified |
| PANCE | Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination |
| SAAPA | Student Association of the American Academy of Physician Assistants |
| SOMA | Student Osteopathic Medical Association |
| USMLE | United States Medical Licensing Exam |
Departments, committees and boards
Official names of departments are capitalized: Alumni Relations, Anatomy department, Animal Care Facility, Financial Aid office, Admission office, Global Health department
Unofficial names are not capitalized: Visit the alumni office
Committee names are not capitalized: John Smith is part of the taxonomy committee for the new portal.
DMU Board of Trustees (on second reference “the Board”)
Des Moines University name
On first reference, use “Des Moines University”
One second reference, use “DMU”
One third reference, use “the University” (uppercase)
Des Moines University standard description
Founded in 1898, Des Moines University is a health sciences university comprised of three colleges offering eight graduate degrees. Programs in the colleges of osteopathic medicine, health sciences and podiatric medicine and surgery share a collective strength — a collaborative campus community where students and faculty come together in the pursuit of knowledge. The mission of the University is to develop distinctive health professionals committed to health promotion, the discovery of knowledge and service to the community.
Events and programs
In general, use the proper (complete and capitalized) name on first reference. Subsequent references may be shortened and in lowercase if the meaning is clear.
| Body Donor Program |
| Commencement ceremony |
| Community Ambassador Program (CAP) |
| Center for Learning Advancement in the Structural Sciences (CLASS) |
| Discover DMU |
| Health Careers Exploring Post 141 |
| Health P.A.S.S. (Health Professions Advanced Summer Scholars Program) |
| HEARTland Network |
| Mini Medical School |
| Pathways of Distinction |
| Senior Health Fair |
| Summer Research Program |
| Youth Education in Science and Medicine (YES Med) |
Nationalities and other groups of people
Capitalize the specific racial, linguistic, tribal, religious and other groupings of people, such as African American, Asian American, Caucasian, Latina/Latino and Native American. Do not hyphenate.
Numbers, dates and times
Consult AP Stylebook. Here are some common rules.
| Ages | Use numbers for all ages (e.g., “The 2-year-old child will be 3 years of age next year.”) |
| Dates |
When citing a specific date, usually include the day of the week on first reference. Use a comma after dates included with years. The alumni reunion was June 15, 2008, at DMU. For headings of text and for invitations, do not abbreviate the days of the week and months. Examples: Monday, August 20, 2010
|
| Dollars | Use numbers to indicate dollar amount, followed by the written designation as needed (e.g., 5 cents, $60,000, $4 million) |
| Numerals | Spell out numbers one through nine, and when any number begins a sentence. Use Arabic numerals for everything equal to or great than 10 (e.g., 20, 38). |
| Ordinal numbers | Spell out first through ninth when they indicate sequence in time or location. Starting with 10th use figures (e.g., “The 11th annual event will be held on the second floor.”). |
| Percentages | Write out the word percent after a number (e.g., “The results show that 50 percent of the students benefited from the program.”). The percent sign (%) can be used for tables. |
| Phone numbers | When writing out phone numbers separate the area code and the phone number with a hyphen instead of parentheses (e.g., 515-271-1400). Do not add a “1” before toll-free numbers (e.g., 800-240-2767 rather than 1- 800-240-2767). Avoid using mnemonic words or phrases, but if you do then also display the numerals to accommodate the use of various mobile devices. |
| Times | Use figures, except for noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes. Do not use :00 if the time is on the hour. Examples:
|
Other words and phrases
| Abaton |
| DMU Magazine |
| continuing education (CE) credit |
| evidence-based learning (EBL) |
| Matthew’s Bookstore |
| Mobile Health Clinic |
| osteopathic manual medicine (OMM) |
| osteopathic manual treatment (OMT) |
| online |
| Personal Wellness Profile (PWP) |
| President’s Society |
| problem-based learning (PBL) |
| Student Government Association (SGA) |
| Significant Other’s Support (SOS) |
| website |
Serial comma (Oxford comma)
Do not use a serial comma before the last “and” or “or” in a list, except for clarity. I like bacon, eggs and toast for breakfast. His favorite sandwiches include peanut butter, ham and cheese, and tuna fish.
Student and alumni reference
Gender and plural forms – alumni refers to both men and women; singular male is alumnus; singular female is alumna.
When naming a current student or alum, identify them first name, last name followed by the abbreviation of their program and the year they graduate/ed. (e.g. Joe Smith, D.O.’89). Do not refer to a graduate as Dr. Joe Smith, D.O.’02.
Titles
Before a name – capitalize (e.g. President Angela Franklin)
After a name – lowercase (e.g. Angela Franklin, president)
Without a name – never capitalized (president, professor)
Drop titles and first names on subsequent reference.
Website Links and URLs
On web materials, link words that describe where the link is going e.g. Learn more about financial aid. Do not type URLs out e.g. Learn more at https://www.dmu.edu/financial-aid/.
On print materials, type the URL out but do not include “http://www” e.g., dmu.edu/financial-aid/.