Apostrophe
In dates
7.1. Do not use an apostrophe with dates.

• Right: The 1870s and 1990s
• Wrong: The 1870's and 1990's

In plurals
7.2. Use an apostrophe in forming a plural only to avoid ambiguity.
In writing about letter grades, the apostrophe distinguishes A's from the word As.

• Right: Ifs, ands or buts. Do's and don's.
• Wrong: If's, and's or but's. Dos and don't's.

With "s"
7.3. Consult the Associated Press Stylebook

Capitalization
7.5. Capitalize the first letter after each bullet, even it it's not a full sentence.

Punctuation
7.6. Do NOT use punctuation at the end each bulleted item UNLESS that item is a complete sentence. End the complete sentence with a period.

7.7. NOTE: Lists in body copy usually work better in a "bulleted" format.

Comma
Serial Comma
7.8. Do not use the serial comma in a simple series. That is, in a simple series, DO NOT use a comma before the final conjunction.

• Right: Monday through Friday he took, respectively, chemistry, math, physics, computer science and biomedical imaging. (A simple series.)
• Wrong: Monday through Friday he took, respectively, chemistry, math, physics, computer science, and biomechanics. (A simple series.)
• Right: Monday through Friday he took, respectively, chemistry, math, physics, computer science and biomechanics, and biomedical imaging. (The serial comma clarifies that he took computer science and biomechanics on the same day, Thursday.)
• Wrong: Monday through Friday he took, respectively, chemistry, math, physics, computer science and biomechanics and biomedical imaging. (Without a serial comma, the reader doesn't know if the student took:
  • Computer science and biomechanics on Thursday and biomedical imaging on Friday
    OR
  • Computer science on Thursday and biomechanics and biomedical imaging on Friday.)
• NOTE: The serial comma is acceptable in the Chicago and Oxford manuals of style. The College of Engineering follows the AP stylebook, which does not use the serial comma.

Dashes and Hyphens
Dashes are NOT hyphens
7.9. The formal name for a hyphen is "en dash." The primary use of a hyphen is to join two or more words to avoid ambiguity. (See "hyphens" under "Punctuation" in the AP Stylebook.)
The award went to the small-college seniors. (The college is small, not the seniors.)

7.10. The formal name for a dash is "em dash." It's longer than a hyphen and has a number of uses, all completely unrelated to the hyphen. It can:

• Indicate an abrupt change in thought (I'll study chemical engineering - I know one of the professors.)
• Set off a series within a sentence (The college had a number of qualities - a high ranking, extensive facilities, renowned professors - that attracted students.)
• To attribute a quote ("Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Einstein)

7.11. For other uses of the dash, see "dash" under "Punctuation" in the AP stylebook.

7.12. NOTE: Microsoft Word offers two ways in which to automatically transform two hyphens into a dash. Use option One in all manuscripts.

• One: Type a word, then a space, then two hyphens, then a space, then another word, then punctuation or a space. The two hyphens will automatically become an em dash with a space on each side.
  • I didn't understand the equation - this is the second time I've taken the class.
• Two: Type a word, type two hyphens, type a word, space; a longer em dash appears without a space on either side.
  • I didn't understand the equation-this is the second time I've taken the class.

In compound titles
7.13. Don't use a hyphen in compound titles:

• Right: associate professor
• Wrong: associate-professor

To avoid confusion
7.14. Use a hyphen to distinguish confusing pairs of words.

• recreation (a leisure activity) or re-creation (a remake)
• refund (to give back money) or re-fund (to give money, again)

Period
7.15. Do not punctuate acronyms.

• Right: BSE, ME, PhD
• Wrong: B.S.E., M.E., Ph.D.

7.16. Always put the period inside quotation marks.

• Right: The student said, "I didn't know the test was today."
• Wrong: The student said, "I didn't know the test was today".
• Right: The acronym for Mechanical Engineering is "ME."
• Wrong: The acronym for Mechanical Engineering is "ME".

Slash
7.17. The slash is overused and frequently ambiguous. Too often, the relationship between the items joined by a slash is unclear. It might mean and, either . . . or, or it might simply link two closely related words. In using the slash, make sure its meaning will be clear to the reader. Write:

• Faculty or staff members¡Kor faculty and staff members (not faculty/staff)
• Fall/winter Michigan Engineer (not fall-winter Michigan Engineer)

Telephone Numbers
Format
7.18. Use parentheses around an Area Code. (NOTE: This is a change from current CoE practice.)

• Right: (734) 623-9755
• Wrong: 734.623.9755
• Wrong: 734-623-9755

7.19. If an extension is part of the telephone number, do not use a comma to separate it from the main number; capitalize the "E."

• Right: (734) 623-9755 Ext. 123
• Wrong: (734) 623-9755, ext. 123
• Wrong: (734) 623-9755, Ext. 123