Style Guide | 1

Style Guide for U of L Healthy Lifestyles I and II

By: Chayla Cryder, Sara McOmber, Molly Rice, and Meg Yost
Updated: March 27, 2019

This style guide is for the online classes Healthy Lifestyles I and II
(http://louisville.edu/education/departments/hss), which are a part of the University of
Louisville (U of L). These courses cover topics such as nutrition, dieting, and exercise
and are basic core classes for several science-related majors at U of L. The courses are
taught by two teachers, Kari McOmber and Natalie Lindman, who create material such as
syllabi, PowerPoint slides, quizzes, and exams for the students. These classes are made
up of between 210–260 total students per semester. The classes themselves have been a
part of U of L for over twenty years, though the online versions are relatively new.
Students from all majors use Healthy Lifestyles I for general credit, so there is a wide
variety in the audience of the materials used for the class. The mission of the Department
of Health at U of L is to prepare students to be leaders in the community and to enrich
their own lifestyles and to help improve the lifestyles of those around them.

Our intent in creating this style guide is to ensure that all students and faculty understand
one another clearly. We also wish to improve consistency between coworkers who
normally work independently. As these courses are taught online, this in-house style
guide will be used to standardize and improve writing standards for the online writing
carried out during the extent of the semester the courses are taught and planned. This
style guide will follow punctuation and usage standards set by The Chicago Manual of
Style (seventeenth edition) and refer to the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual
of Style for field-specific terminology. This is meant to improve the consistency and Commented [KM1]: You mentioned the edition for
efficiency of the writing performed by the professors and students associated with these Chicago; is there an edition for the AMA Manual of Style?

courses.

Many students taking these online courses may be international students and English-
language learners. To support this potentially broad audience, we will make the language
of the material accessible by following the principles of John R. Kohl’s The Global
English Style Guide: Writing Clear, Translatable Documentation for a Global Market
(2008, SAS Press: Cary, North Carolina, ISBN 978-1-59994-657-3). Commented [KM2]: Is all this information about Kohl
necessary?
 Style Guide | 2

Contents
1 Formatting
1.1 Spacing
1.2 Indentation and Lists
1.3 Fonts
1.4 Emphasis
1.5 Heading Style

2 Abbreviations
2.1 Italic versus Roman Type for Abbreviations
2.2 Initials in Personal Names
2.3 Naming Conventions for Chemical Elements
2.4 US Abbreviations for Weight and Capacity
2.5 University of Louisville
2.6 US versus United States
2.7 Latin Abbreviations

3 Numbers
3.1 General Rule

4 Terminology
4.1 Diseases and Procedures
4.2 Biological Terminology
4.3 Eponyms

5 Punctuation
5.1 Parenthesis
5.2 Serial Comma
5.3 Commas
5.4 Hyphenation
5.5 Dashes

6 Style
6.1 Contractions
6.2 Wordiness
6.3 Phrasal Verbs
6.4 Idiomatic Expressions
6.5 Sentence Length
6.6 Only and Not
6.7 Use of That in Restrictive Clauses
6.8 Pronoun Reference
6.9 This, That, These, and Those as Pronouns
 Style Guide | 3

1 Formatting
1.1 Spacing
Body text should be 1.15 line spacing. One extra line space between paragraphs may be used to
make documents easier to read and differentiate sections. There should be no extra spaces
between items in a list.

1.2 Indentation and Lists

Paragraphs should be indented with one half-inch indent. (The tab key may be used.) Items in a
list should be indented one half inch as well.

1.3 Fonts
Times New Roman style should be used in running text. Times New Roman style should be used
for titles, subtitles, running heads, and examples. Any punctuation marks should match the font
style, color, and size as the surrounding text. (see Chicago 6.2–6.4.) For adding text to
PowerPoints see section 1.6 on PowerPoints. For font sizes, see also 1.5 Heading Style.

1.4 Emphasis
Use boldface style font to emphasize single words, phrases, or sentences.

Choose one of the following items.

NOT
Choose one of the following items.

1.5 Heading Style

The heading structure will follow these guidelines: Commented [KM3]: Perhaps add what kind of headings
 Level 1 titles (the main titles) will be in headline style, bold, 24 pt. Times New Roman you mean. Do you mean in a Word Doc? On a worksheet?
Revise for clarity regarding the “Level 1 titles,” etc. also
font.
because it’s confusing what you’re referring to.
 Level 2 titles will be headline style, bold, 18 pt. font.
 Level 3 titles will be all caps, bold, 14 pt. font and will be on a separate line.
 Level 4 titles will be headline style, bold, 14 pt. font and indented, and it will be on a
separate line.
 Level 5 titles will be headline style, italics, 14 pt. font and indented and will be run in
with the text.

2 Abbreviations
2.1 Italic versus Roman Type for Abbreviations
Abbreviations should not be italicized unless the word would be italicized if spelled out. (see
Chicago 10.7.)

It is important to develop a CEP (Cardio Exercise Program).

BUT
According to the OED, cardio refers to the heart.

2.2 Initials in Personal Names

 Style Guide | 4

If personal names are abbreviated, the letter should be capitalized and followed by a period and a
space. If the entire name is abbreviated, no periods or letters are needed. (see Chicago 10.12.)

E. X. Ercise recommends thirty minutes a day of physical activity.

EXE attributes good health to adequate nutrition and activity.
2.3 Naming Conventions for Chemical Elements
Chemical elements are lower-cased when spelled out. When used as symbols, they are
capitalized and not followed by a period. Numbers used to represent atoms in a molecule are
written as a subscript. (see Chicago 10.63.)
Commented [KM4]: Provide a “wrong” example or an
AND to show that both are correct examples. It was
confusing because I’ve never seen “E. X. Ercise” before, so I
thought that that was one of the “wrong” examples.
Commented [KM5]: What happens if it’s at the end of a
sentence? Perhaps add a small stipulation for clarity.

oxygen: O 2

sodium chloride: NaCl

2.4 US Abbreviations for Weight and Capacity

Use the following list of abbreviations. Abbreviations do not change in the plural. (see Chicago
10.67.)

Weight or mass: Dry measure: Liquid measure:

Grain gr. Pint pt. Fluid ounce fl. oz.
Scruple s. Quart qt. Pint pt.
Dram dr. Peck pk. Quart qt.
Pennyweight dwt. Bushel bu. Gallon gal.
Ounce oz. Barrel bbl.
Pound lb.
Ton tn.

2.5 University of Louisville

The abbreviation “U of L” may be used regardless of whether “University of Louisville” has
been spelled out in the document previously. U and L should be capitalized with a space before
and after of.

U of L’s policy is that late work is not accepted.

2.6 US versus United States

The term US may be used in place of United States as a noun. In addition, US may serve as an
adjective when describing statistics. (see Chicago 10.32.)

US Life Expectancy is seventy-eight years. Commented [KM6]: See your 3.1 section and decide if
you want to have it still spelled out, because the rule you
set forth is different than what you’ve put here.
2.7 Latin Abbreviations
Avoid the use of Latin and other nonstandard abbreviations that may cause confusion. Common
abbreviations such a.m. and p.m. are acceptable. (see Kohl 9.11 and, 9.12.)

Avoid: Use Instead:

ca. approximately
 Style Guide | 5

e.g. for example

i.e. that is
n.a. not applicable
a.k.a., AKA also known as

3 Numbers
3.1 General Rule
All numbers used scientifically may be spelled as numerals. Other numbers between one and ten
should be spelled out. All numbers greater than ten should be numerals. (see Chicago 9.2.)

Over 9% of adults watch TV for eight hours a day.

Alzheimer disease caused 4.1% of deaths in 2015.

4 Terminology
4.1 Diseases and Procedures
According to Chicago, names of diseases, diagnostic procedures, anatomical parts, and the like Commented [KM7]: Which Chicago reference?
are lowercase, except for proper names forming part of the term. We will follow these rules for
all material except for McGraw Hill PowerPoints which will have terms capitalized to stay
consistent with existing formatting. Acronyms and initialisms are capitalized.

According to the AMA Manual of Style, “The human immunodeficiency virus is widely known Formatted: Font: Italic
by its abbreviation HIV, to the extent that AMA style no longer requires the expansion.” Commented [KM8]: Italics in the quotation?

pneumonia, tuberculosis and diarrhea Formatted: Font: Italic

HIV or HIV/AIDS
ATOD (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs)
BMI (body mass index)

4.2 Biology Terms

Scientific names are understood internationally, but may not be understood by students.
However, vernacular names differ according to region and language and could be misunderstood
by students with different backgrounds. Use scientific names paired with the vernacular name in
parenthesis or vice versa. (see Kohl Chapter 9).

neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus)

meningococcus (neisseria meningitidis)

4.3 Eponyms
An eponym is something (such as a disease) that is named after a person. AMA explains that “to Formatted: Font: Italic
insist on the use of either the noneponymous or the eponymous term would be contrary to a
major purpose of scientific writing, which is to disseminate information that can be quickly
understood by all.” For this reason, provide both both eponymous and noneponymous names.
Capitalize the eponym, but none of the words accompanying it. Do not make the eponym
possessive.
 Style Guide | 6

Stein-Leventhal (polycystic ovary) syndrome

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (bullous erythema multiforme)

Parkinson disease (Paralysis agitans)

NOT Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman
Parkinson’s Disease

5 Punctuation
5.1 Parenthesis
Parentheses are stronger than a comma and are similar to dashes because parentheses can set off
text that has no grammatical relationship to the rest of the sentence, which can includeing
examples, side comments, additional information, and references. (Ssee Chicago 6.5 and, 6.95.)

Intelligence tests (e.g., the Stanford-Binet) are no longer widely used.

Our final sample (collected under difficult conditions) contained an impurity.
Wexford’s analysis (see chapter 3) is more to the point.
Dichtung und Wahrheit (also known as Wahrheit und Dichtung)

5.2 Serial Comma

When a conjunction joins the last two elements in a series of three or more, a serial comma (or
the comma put before the last conjunction) is used. While its necessity may be debated, Chicago
strongly suggests using serial commas to avoid ambiguity (Ssee Chicago 6.19–6.21.)

You will present material on the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems.
NOT
You will present material on the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems.

5.3 Commas
The goal of using commas is ease of reading. They can be used to indicate a slight pause or to set
information apart from the surrounding text, especially for dates and locations (you need paired
commas are needed for these examples). Commas are commonly used following an introductory
statement, parentheses, and brackets. (Ssee Chicago 6.16–18.)
Starting on August 10, 2018, many tobacco products were required to include a
health warning.
The guest speaker from Manchester, New York, will be here on Tuesday.
After strength and cardiovascular exercise (including lifting weights and running),
you should always stretch.

5.4 Hyphenation List

Hyphenate if there is a compound adjective (two adjectives) before a noun and when they cannot
stand alone (ex. long-term goals). Hyphenate if not including hyphens would skew the meaning Formatted: Font: Italic
(ex. small animal hospital vs small-animal hospital). Do not hyphenate if the two words are
commonly accepted as one word (ex. makeup) or if the words come after the noun. Do not
 Style Guide | 7

hyphenate if the first word ends in -ly (ex. specifically designed workshop). (Ssee Chicago 5.92–
93 and 6.76.)

To hyphenate: Not to hyphenate:

Long-term goals Makeup exam
Self-assessment Lifelong
Self-help Specifically designed workshop
E-book Her writing is well written
Face-to-face class Recreation vs. Re-creation

5.5 Dashes
Use em-dashes to connect clauses and other sentence parts, without spaces between the words
and the dash. Em-dashes can be used in place of other punctuation, such as commas, parentheses,
and brackets, for emphasis. Use en-dashes between number ranges. (see Chicago 6.78–6.94.)

En-dash
The years 1993–2000 were important for health care providers.
For information on the lymph system, see chapters 14–16.
Join us on Friday, 11:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., for a guest lecture.

Em-dash
It was a revival of the most feared virus in America—the Ebola virus.
The influence of drugs—cocaine and nicotine—is obvious in her behavior.

6 Style
6.1 Contractions
Avoid the use of contractions that are unusual, informal, or ambiguous. Don’t use contractions of
interrogatives. Common contractions such as isn’t or won’t are acceptable. Avoid contractions
such as ain’t, musn’t, might’ve, should’ve, that’ll, would’ve, how’d, what’d, what’s, when’ll,
where’d, who’ll, etc. (see Kohl 9.14.)

You should have turned the assignment in on time.

How are you doing?
NOT
You should’ve turned the assignment in on time.
How’re you doing? Commented [KM9]: Is there a way to make these
examples related to the U of L classwork? Because these are
currently more conversational rules than style guide rules.
6.2 Wordiness
Wordy phrases should be simplified to help both native and non-native English speakers
understand the content more quickly and easily. This principle also reduces word counts. (see
Kohl 9.16.)

Wordy Not Wordy

a number of many, several
 Style Guide | 8

at the present time now, yet

despite the fact that although, even though
from time to time periodically, occasionally
in many cases often
once in a while occasionally, sometimes
quite a few several
whether or not whether

6.3 Phrasal Verbs

As much as possible, keep the parts of phrasal verbs close together. (see Kohl 3.4.)

Turn in your projects on time or you will be penalized thirty points per day. Commented [KM10]: See your 3.1 and reconcile the
NOT potential error.
Turn your projects in on time or you will be penalized thirty points per day.

6.4 Idiomatic Expressions

Idiomatic expressions (in a nutshell, the whole nine yards) are commonly avoided in academic
writing; however, some less apparent idioms may still be present. These expressions may be
unfamiliar to non-native students and should be avoided.

Students generally do their homework.

Please consider that…
NOT
For the most part, students do their homework.
Please bear in mind that...

6.5 Sentence Length

Long sentences are more likely to contain ambiguity that shorter ones. It is recommended that
sentences be limited to less than 20–25 words long in order to increase readability. Sentences
should also not contain more that two clauses. (see Kohl 3.1).

If people are exposed to an infected person, they will likely catch the disease.
They will begin to exhibit symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and sore throat.
These people should be treated by a medical professional as soon as possible so
that the symptoms do not worsen.
NOT
If people are exposed to an infected person, they will likely catch the disease and
begin to exhibit symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and sore throat, which will
increase in severity unless treated by a medical professional as soon as possible.

6.6 Only and Not

To avoid misreading, place the modifiers only and not directly before the word that they modify.
The examples below show how this principle can change the meaning for a sentence. (see Kohl
4.1)
 Style Guide | 9

Only they can compete. (No one else may compete.)

They can only compete. (They can do nothing except compete.)

Not all essays have been read, but many have.

NOT
All essays have not been read, but many have. (illogical)

6.7 Use of That in Restrictive Clauses

While it is generally acceptable to use which or that in relative clauses, use only that. This
maintains consistency and clarity. Use which in nonrestrictive clauses. (see Kohl 4.4.)

The treatment, which is very popular, is easy to administer.

The treatment that is the most popular is easy to administer.
NOT
The treatment which is the most popular is easy to administer.

6.8 Pronoun Reference

Make sure that it’s easy to identify what each pronoun refers to. This is especially true of the
pronouns it, its, they, them, and their. (see Kohl 5.1)

Know the names of the treatments, and use the names correctly.
OR Commented [KM11]: You don’t use “OR” in the previous
Know the names of the treatments, and use the treatments correctly. section; perhaps take out the “OR” or reconcile the
difference.
NOT
Know the names of treatments, and use them correctly. Commented [KM12]: The comma here, in the previous
and following examples are not needed, because there are
no changes in subject and the clauses are short.
6.9 This, That, These, and Those as Pronouns
Using this, that, these, and those as a pronoun (taking the place of a noun) is often vague. To
clarify, simply add the appropriate noun so that the pronoun becomes an adjective. (see Kohl
5.2).

Follow all the procedures. These procedures are listed in your textbook.
NOT
Follow all the procedures. These are listed in your textbook.

There is a more concise alternative:

Follow all the procedures that are listed in your textbook.