Editorial Style Guide

The Editorial Style Guide of Pratt Institute outlines the preferred writing style for all of the Institute’s communications by identifying specific terminology and answering common spelling, grammar, and punctuation questions.

Pratt’s style guide defaults to The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition. Members of the Pratt community with a Pratt email address can access The Chicago Manual of Style online.

The Chicago Manual of Style can also be accessed via a search on Pratt Libraries’ database.

Pratt’s Editorial Style Guide uses Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 12th edition (www.m-w.com) for spelling-related queries. 

Please refer to the resources mentioned above for grammar and style questions not included here.

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Accent Marks

To type accent marks on a keyboard, use the built-in accent menu by holding down a letter key and selecting the desired accent.

• Press and hold the letter key on your keyboard that you want to add an accent to. 
• A small menu of accented characters for that letter will appear.
• Click on the accent you want or press the number corresponding to the character to select it.

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Acronyms

Avoid acronyms except when accommodating for character limits or when an acronym is how an entity is most universally known, e.g., the NBC television network.

On first reference, spell out the full name followed by its acronym in parentheses. After the first reference, use only the abbreviation.

To pluralize acronyms and abbreviations, add a lowercase ‘s’ without an apostrophe.

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Addresses

Pratt’s official addresses are:

An abbreviated address may appear as Pratt Brooklyn Campus, Pratt Manhattan Center, and Pratt Munson.

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Ampersands

Use the ampersand symbol (&) only when it is part of an official title. Otherwise, spell out the word “and.”

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Capitalization

Board of Trustees

Capitalize Pratt’s “Board of Trustees” and “Board” in running text.

Campus

Do not capitalize the word “campus” in running text.

Courses

Capitalize course titles.

Departments, Divisions, Offices, and Schools

Capitalize Pratt’s academic departments, schools, divisions, and offices.

Disciplines

Do not capitalize academic subjects such as architecture, interior design, photography, etc.

Graduation Classes

Do not capitalize “class,” even when referring to a specific graduation class.

Rooms and Floors

Capitalize “Room” and “Floor” in promotional text only. Do not capitalize “room” or “floor” in running text.

Seasons and Semesters

Do not capitalize seasons/semesters (the fall semester, spring 2026, summer programs).

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Captions/Credits

Works of Art

Artist’s name, title of work in italics, date, medium, dimensions in inches. Collection information. Name of gallery, location of gallery. 

Photo Captions

If the caption information reads as a sentence, treat it as a sentence by placing a period at the end of the caption. If it does not, no period is needed.

Adapted Material (i.e., AI-created images)

If the image was created by or with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), that fact should be noted in the credit.

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Commas

Use a serial comma (a final comma before the word “and” or “or” in a series) to avoid ambiguity and confusion.

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Dangling Participles

A dangling participle (or modifier) is a descriptive phrase, often at the beginning of a sentence, that does not clearly or logically refer to the intended subject. This can lead to illogical, ambiguous, or even incoherent meanings.

To fix a dangling participle, you must ensure that the subject being modified is stated and is positioned directly next to the descriptive phrase.

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Dashes

Em Dash:

• Use an em dash (made by typing option/shift/hyphen on a Mac, or on a PC by typing control/alt/minus) to indicate an abrupt break in thought, to set off parenthetical statements, or to join two clauses. Do not insert a space on either side of an em dash.

En Dash:

• Use an en dash (made by typing option/hyphen on a Mac, or on a PC by typing control/minus) to indicate a span of time or numbers. Do not insert a space on either side of an en dash.

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Dates

Spell out the month, followed by the day as a number without superscript (11, not 11^th), a comma, and the year. 

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Degrees (Alumni, Students)

Degrees appear without periods. Include the major when known. Refer to current students by the year in which they expect to graduate. Use a semicolon between multiple Pratt degrees.

Certificate Earners:

Non-Degree Recipients: 

• Use a description such as “former student,” “exchange student,” or “attended” followed by years attended.

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Exclamation Points

Exclamation points indicate strong emotions. They are not considered standard punctuation and, due to overuse, should be used sparingly to be effective. To get your point across using exclamation points, limit to one.

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Hyperlinks

Use underline for hyperlinks only. Best practices for hyperlinking text include the following:

• Linked text should be brief but descriptive.
• The text should make sense without the link.
• Punctuation at the beginning or end of the linked text is not usually included. An exception may be made for a question mark or exclamation point at the end of a title or quotation.
• An initial a, an, or the may be included as part of a linked phrase. But if the link is to a proper name, include the article only if it is part of the name (or if it is part of a larger phrase that includes the name).
• Avoid using a URL as the basis of linked text except as part of a source citation.
• An image used as a link should include alt text that describes the function of the link or that names its target.

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Inclusive Language

Pratt is represented by people of various races, ethnicities, religions, gender expressions, sexualities, geographic backgrounds, cultures, ages, abilities, and socioeconomic groups. As we aspire to be diverse and inclusive, please be sensitive and aware when referring to members of Pratt’s community. The following guidelines can help. For a list of the most common identities, including the capitalization of races, ethnicities, and national origins, see the Pratt Institute Libraries’ and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s collaborative Inclusive Language guide.

• Refer to a person’s identity (e.g., gender, sexual orientation, religion, racial group, ability, etc.) only when it is relevant to the content.
• Use mental health language (e.g., schizophrenic, psychotic, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD, ADD, etc.) only when referring to an official diagnosis.
• Use gender-neutral language wherever possible. For a full list of gender-neutral terms, see the Inclusive Language Guide.

For clarification about inclusive language, please contact Pratt’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at diversity@pratt.edu.

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Numbers

Spell out numbers zero through nine (and first through ninth). Use numerals for 10 or higher (10th, etc.). Use numerals unless the word begins a sentence. Write out numbers that begin a sentence.

Do not use superscript after numbers.

With adjacent numbers, use a numeral for one of them to avoid confusion.

Phone Numbers:

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Personal Pronouns

They and its forms have emerged as the most common alternatives to he and she for referring to people who do not identify with gender-specific pronouns. If an individual is known to use they and its forms as their personal pronouns rather than the gendered he or she, this usage should be respected. 

It is permissible and grammatically correct to use a form of they as a singular pronoun if you cannot rephrase your sentence to be plural rather than singular. 

For a list of personal pronouns, see the DEI Inclusive Language Resource Guide.

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Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin

In accordance with The Chicago Manual of Style, we at Pratt write Black with a capital B when it refers to racial and ethnic identity. At the same time, we acknowledge that, as a matter of editorial consistency, Indigenous and Brown may also be capitalized when used in this sense. On the other hand, white is not capitalized. We recognize that individual preferences will vary and acknowledge that usage may depend on context. For a list of the most common racial and ethnic identities, see the DEI Inclusive Language Resource Guide.

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Spaces Between Sentences

The Chicago Manual of Style advises leaving a single character space, not two, between sentences and after colons used within a sentence.

The practice of using two spaces is a holdover from the typewriter era and is not supported by modern style guides that recommend a single space for efficiency and to avoid the creation of “rivers” of white space on the page.

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Time

Capitalize AM and PM, don’t use periods with AM and PM, don’t repeat AM or PM for spans of time, and don’t use :00.

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Titles (Faculty, Trustees)

Capitalize a professional title when it immediately precedes a person’s name. In running text, titles are lowercased when following a name or used in place of a name. *In promotional or ceremonial contexts, such as a displayed list of donors or event speakers, titles are capitalized when following a person’s name.

On second and subsequent references, drop title and first name. Use last name only.

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Titles (of Works)

Use italics to indicate the official titles of major, freestanding works of art, such as the following:

• Animations
• Blogs
• Books
• Comics
• Comic strips
• Dissertations (published dissertations only)
• Drawings
• Exhibitions
• Fashion collections
• Films
• Installations
• Journals
• Magazines
• Movies
• Movie series
• Musical compositions
• Newspapers
• Paintings
• Periodicals
• Photographs
• Plays (regardless of the length of the play)
• Podcast program
• Podcast series
• Radio program
• Radio series
• Sculptures
• Statues
• Television program
• Television series
• Videos 

Use quotation marks for the titles of smaller or part-of-larger works, such as the following:

• A single episode in a television, radio, or podcast series
• Poems published within a larger collection

Do not italicize or use quotation marks with the following types of titles: 

• Academic programs
• Channels
• Course titles
• Event titles
• Network names
• Streaming services
• Website names
• Website titles

Use underline for hyperlinks only. (See Hyperlinks above)

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Pratt Schools, Departments, and Degrees

School of Architecture

Department of Architecture – UG/Grad

• BArch
• BArch (Morphology)
• BPS Construction Management
• MArch

Department of Graduate Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design – Grad

• Master of Architecture (MArch)
• Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)
• MS Architecture (MS Arch)
• MS Urban Design (MSUD)

Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment – Grad

Historic Preservation – Grad

• Advanced Certificate Historic Preservation
• MS Historic Preservation

Sustainable and Environmental Systems – Grad

• Advanced Certificate Sustainable Environmental Systems
• MS Sustainable Environmental Systems

Urban and Community Planning – Grad

• Advanced Certificate Community Planning
• MS Urban and Community Planning

Urban Placemaking and Management – Grad

• Advanced Certificate Urban Placemaking
• MS Urban Placemaking and Management

School of Art

Department of Art and Design Education – UG/Grad

• Advanced Certificate Art and Design Education
• Advanced Certificate Teaching and Learning
• BFA Art and Design Education
• BFA/MA Art and Design Education
• MA Art and Design Education

Department of Associate Degree Programs – UG

• AAS Graphic Design/Illustration
• AAS Painting/Drawing
• AOS Game Design and Interactive Media
• AOS Graphic Design
• AOS Illustration

Department of Creative Arts Therapy – Grad

• MPS Art Therapy and Creativity Development
• MS Dance/Movement Therapy

Department of Creative Enterprise Leadership – Grad

• MPS Arts and Cultural Management
• MPS Design Management

Department of Digital Arts and Animation – UG/Grad

• BFA Digital Arts (2-D Animation)
• BFA Digital Arts (3-D Animation and Motion Arts)
• BFA Digital Arts (Art and Technology)
• BFA Game Arts
• MFA Digital Arts (3-D Animation and Motion Arts)
• MFA Digital Arts (Interactive Arts)

Department of Film/Video – UG

• BFA Film

Department of Fine Arts – UG/Grad

• BFA Fine Arts (Drawing)
• BFA Fine Arts (Jewelry)
• BFA Fine Arts (Painting)
• BFA Fine Arts (Printmaking)
• BFA Fine Arts (Sculpture and Integrated Practices)
• MFA Fine Arts (Integrated Practices)
• MFA Fine Arts (Painting and Drawing)
• MFA Fine Arts (Printmaking)
• MFA Fine Arts (Sculpture)

Department of Photography – UG/Grad

• BFA Photography
• MFA Photography

School of Design

Department of Communications Design – UG/Grad

• BFA Communications Design (Graphic Design)
• BFA Communications Design (Illustration)
• MFA Communications Design
• MS Packaging, Identities, and Systems Design

Department of Fashion – UG/Grad

• BFA Fashion Design
• MFA Fashion Collection + Communication
• Department of Industrial Design – UG/Grad

Department of Industrial Design – UG/Grad

• BID
• MID

Department of Interior Design – UG/Grad

• BFA Interior Design
• MFA Interior Design

School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of History of Art and Design – UG/Grad

• Advanced Certificate Design History
• Advanced Certificate Museum Studies
• BA History of Art and Design
• BFA History of Art and Design
• MA History of Art and Design
• MA/MS History of Art and Design/Library and Information Science

Department of Media Studies – Grad

• Advanced Certificate Media Studies
• MA Media Studies

Department of Mathematics and Science

Department of Social Science and Cultural Studies – UG

• BA Critical and Visual Studies
• The Writing Program – UG/Grad
• BFA Writing
• MFA Writing

School of Information

• Advanced Certificate Archives
• Advanced Certificate Children’s and Young Adult Library Services
• Advanced Certificate Conservation and Digital Curation
• Advanced Certificate Digital Humanities
• Advanced Certificate Museum Libraries
• Advanced Certificate Spatial Analysis and Design
• Advanced Certificate User Experience
• MS Data Analytics and Visualization
• MS Information Experience Design (MSIXD)
• MS Library and Information Science (MSLIS)
• MS/MA Library and Information Science/History of Art and Design (MSLIS/MA)
• MS Museums and Digital Culture

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Pratt Buildings and Spaces

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Pratt Manhattan on 14th Street

The Pratt Manhattan on 14th Street Style Guide establishes recommendations for incorporating “14th Street” when referencing Pratt Manhattan and Pratt Manhattan Gallery. Including “14th Street” in our communications strengthens Pratt’s identity within New York City’s cultural landscape and reinforces Pratt’s presence in the 14th Street corridor.