For External Communications

TCL’s Marketing & PR department uses Associated Press (AP) Style in its communications. This applies to all website, social media and other external communications. For anything not found or covered in the AP Stylebook, we refer to that as TCL’s “house” style.

Acronyms

Avoid using too many acronyms and initialisms without explaining or spelling out on first reference.

Incorrect:

The student needs to complete a FAFSA.

The department needs to be compliant with FERPA.

Correct:

The student needs to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Once she has completed the FAFSA she can send that to our office via email.

The department needs to be compliant with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Under FERPA, parents have the right to access to their children’s education records.

Capitalization

As a general rule, avoid the overuse or incorrect use of capitalization. All caps or title case should not be used for special emphasis or when setting a word or phrase apart. This is grammatically incorrect and can make copy difficult to read.

In the case of a headline in an ad or flyer copy, title case is OK. i.e. “TCL Halloween Bash”

Also, do not confuse regular nouns with proper nouns which do begin with a capital letter.

Incorrect:

The River flows through the City and eventually empties into the Sea. (In this instance, all words after the first word should be lowercased since these are not proper nouns.)

Correct:

The river flows through the city and eventually empties into the sea.

Also correct:

The Thames flows through London and eventually empties into the North Sea. (In this case, proper nouns are used and should be capitalized.)

Numbers

In general, spell out one through nine. Use figures for 10 or above.

Correct:

She was juggling three classes. She already had 15 credit hours.

Place Names

Lowcountry – TCL follows the local style used by South Carolina newspapers for this distinctive geographical region of our state which is spelled as one word; only the L capitalized.

Incorrect:

Low country, Low Country or LowCountry

Technical College of the Lowcountry – When possible, refer to entire college name on first reference. TCL is fine on second reference and thereafter. Headlines and social media that use TCL are also fine for SEO purposes.

Punctuation/Miscellaneous

Building – Abbreviate (unless using in a sentence).

Correct:

Spring Concert

Bldg. 12

Beaufort Mather Campus

Commas – When listing more than two items, eliminate the last comma before the conjunction as per AP Style.

Correct:

The scholarship covers supplies, books and lab fees.

Tip: If you feel the sentence is confusing, try rewriting.

Dates – Using both the day and date is fine and abbreviations are fine as long as you’re consistent across the piece of communication or flyer. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate the “longer” months (spell out March, April, May, June and July).

Correct:

Saturday, June 16

Also correct:

Sept. 14-16

Do not use th or nd or rd at the end of dates.

Incorrect:

Feb. 13th – 21st  

In most cases, you do not need to use the year. If you feel that you need the year for posterity or file management put it in the file name.

(See other examples of correct date use in the AP Stylebook)

Exclamation Points – Avoid overusing exclamation points especially in articles, web copy or professional communications. Use sparingly in social media.

Times

a.m./p.m. – Include periods in most communications (Except in some instances such as flyers or places where graphically stylized) and place time before date.

Correct:

The event will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on July 4.

Flyer copy:

Spring Gala

5-7 p.m., July 4

12 p.m. – Use noon.

Correct:

The event is from noon to 4 p.m. on Dec. 15.

Remember

  • Always spell check!
  • Double check all dates and verify correct spelling of names and proper nouns.
  • When in doubt or, if you have a grammar or style question, don’t hesitate to reach out for help proofing a document or with questions. The Marketing – Communications team keeps up with the latest changes to AP Style and is always available to help the college put its best foot forward.