Open Learning Style Guide

This document is relevant to instructional development but has been approved for use throughout TRU Open Learning. The purpose of these guidelines is to enhance quality and consistency in Open Learning documents and courses.

Consistency within a course best serves student needs. Editors consult with subject matter experts to identify an appropriate style for the course or document. Copyright experts or rights-holders may require legal or substantive content that would supersede house style.  

The house style is a recommendation. It is appropriate to deviate from the house style with elements of APA, MLA, or other academic styles to achieve consistency within the course, model a discipline’s preferred academic style, or meet deadlines.  

Overview #

The editorial style generally follows the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. Refer to Chicago style for detailed information, but follow this OL Style Guide in instances in which the styles differ. Contact the Editing Team for help with this style, or refer to Chicago Manual of Style via TRU Library.

Other core course documents, such as the Course Guide for OL courses, follow the APA Style Guide, 7th edition. Refer to APA style for detailed information, or refer to TRU Library’s APA Citation Style Guide (7th Edition).

For spelling, generally follow the first entry in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Also, please refer to the notes on spelling included with this style guide.

Abbreviations #

Always spell-out the term in full at the first use, with the abbreviated form following in parentheses.

In Text #

Avoid abbreviating in general text unless you have first provided the full term, normally with the shortened form in parentheses. (The names of agencies, unions, associations, etc., are often abbreviated after one spelled-out use.)

• Donald Smith drove the symbolic “last spike” of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) at Craigellachie, BC. The CPR bound Canada from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.

Periods with #

Generally follow the punctuation used with abbreviations in Canadian Oxford.

Plural #

To form the plural of an acronym, just add an s.

• NGOs and URLs, not NGO’s and URL’s

Social Titles #

Abbreviate social and academic titles, whether with full name or with surname only.

• Mr., Mlle., Mme.
• Note: Also write “Ms.” like an abbreviation, even though it is not a shortened form.

Academic Degrees #

Do not use periods with abbreviations for academic degrees.

• BA
• MA
• BSc
• PhD

Pages #

Use page or pages, rather than p. or pp., in text. (The abbreviations are acceptable in parenthetical references.)

Units of Measure #

Never use periods with metric symbols or imperial abbreviations.

• cm
• m
• km
• L
• lb
• in
• qt
• yd

Time #

Abbreviate terms related to time as follows:

• a.m.
• p.m.
• BC
• AD
• BCE
• CE

Provinces, Territories, US States #

For the abbreviations of provinces and territories of Canada and US states do not use periods. In any single course or document, follow one style consistently. Standard abbreviations are shown below, with internationally approved alpha code from Canada Post in parenthesis.

• Alberta – Edmonton, AB
• British Columbia – Victoria, BC
• Manitoba – Winnipeg, MB
• New Brunswick – Fredericton, NB
• Newfoundland and Labrador – St. John’s, NL
• Northwest Territories – Yellowknife, NWT
• Nova Scotia – Halifax, NS
• Nunavut – Iqaluit, NVT (Canada Post: NU)
• Ontario – Ottawa, ON
• Quebec Montreal, PQ
• Prince Edward Island – Charlottetown, PEI (Canada Post: PE)
• Saskatchewan – Regina, SK
• Yukon Territory – Whitehorse, YT

Capitalization #

Headings and Titles #

In headings and titles of works such as books, journals, articles, and Open Learning courses, capitalize:

• The first and last words
• Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions
• The second word in a hyphenated compound if it has equal force with the first word or is a proper noun or proper adjective
  1. Seventeenth-Century Literature
  2. Make-up Artists

In headings and titles, do not capitalize:

• Coordinating conjunctions, such as and, but, and or, and prepositions, such as except, toward, and at (unless the conjunction or preposition is the first or last word)
• The to in infinitives

Course Components #

Capitalize in-text references to OL course components.

• Unit 1
• Assignment 1
• Practice Exercise 1.1
• Table 1.1
• Course Guide
• Figure 1.1
• Assignments
• Answer Key
• Marked Assignment Form (MA Form)

Agencies #

Capitalize the names of companies, ministries, commissions, etc.

• the Ministry of Economic Development
• the Labour Relations Board
• the Chamber of Commerce

Do not capitalize titles following a personal name or used alone in place of it.

• the prime minister of Canada
• the king of England
• the chair of the TRU Department of History

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Citing Sources #

Cite sources in the following ways unless a particular course development team is consistently using a specific style that the students are required to use in their papers.

Use the same style throughout the course materials. Open Learning courses normally follow either APA or MLA style; however, editors should check with the Course Lead to confirm if a discipline-specific academic style was used in place of APA or MLA.

• The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th edition. APA style is outlined in TRU Library’s APA Citation Style (7th edition).
• Modern Languages Association (MLA) style 9th edition, as outlined in TRU Library’s MLA Citation Style.

Quotations #

Ensure that quotations correspond exactly to their originals in wording, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

Quotation Marks #

Within the body of the material, enclose “run-in quotations” within double quotation marks. Use single quotation marks only to indicate a quotation that falls within a quotation.

Block Quotations #

Generally use block quotation format for quoted matter of about eight lines or more. Indent the block quotation, and do not place it within quotation marks.

Poetry #

Treat poetry of at least two lines as a block quotation. If lines of poetry are too long for the column width, indent run-over lines a further two spaces.

Footnotes #

Avoid using footnotes for citations in courses.

Course Textbooks #

Provide full publication information for assigned textbooks for a course in the Course Guide. Subsequent references to the textbook may be abbreviated. Use one of the following shortened forms of citation consistently throughout any one course.

• (Torres & Ehrlich, 2002, p. 121)
• (Modern Dental Assisting, 1998, p. 121)

References or Works Cited Lists #

If it is necessary to use a References or Works Cited list, citations should follow the academic style chosen for the course. Use only one style of citation throughout the course. Refer to the style guides when creating the citation.

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Displayed Lists #

The preferred form for a list includes an introductory colon, a capital letter at the beginning of each listed item, and no punctuation at the end unless the items in the list are complete sentences or they complete the sentence.

For example:

Write a brief explanation for each of the terms or names below:

• Natural history
• Plato
• Natural selection
• Homeostasis

By the time you finish your work on this unit, you will be able to:

1. Take a two-minute timing.
2. Spread-centre a word or words.
3. Apply the proofreading mark for “delete.”

Figures #

Open Learning house style differentiates between substantive and decorative images.

Substantive Figures   #

Substantive figures are numbered and cited, as follows:  

[Image] 

Figure 2.1: Title (Author, date) CC BY LINK 

 

Components: The word “Figure,” number, title and/or description, citation (if needed), and copyright credit or licence (if needed).  

Numbering: Use Arabic numerals. Figures should be numbered separately from tables. Numbering follows the order the figure appears in the course module. Use double numeration (e.g., Figure 2.2) if a course has many figures or if the numbering spans multiple, complex course modules. Figures use consecutive numbering within a module. Examples: 

• Figure 1.1, Figure 1.2 , Figure 1.3  
• Figure 2.1, Figure 2.2, Figure 2.3  

Placement: The figure should appear as soon as possible after the first text reference to it. Figure number and title appear immediately above or below the figure; academic citation and copyright credit or licence appear below the image. A full academic citation appears in a References or Works Cited list.  

Punctuation: Figure number and title may be separated by punctuation.   

• Figure 2.2: Title 

Title or Description: Include a title in title case or a description in sentence case.  

Decorative Images   #

Images that are used decoratively and not referenced in course content do not require a number or complete academic reference. A caption appears below the image to identify the title or description (with link to source), creator, and copyright licence (with link).

Reminder: 

• Link to the image source using the title or description.  
• Link to the copyright licence for Unsplash, Pixabay, or CC BY for images from Wikimedia and Flickr at the end of the caption. 

Template:  

 [Image] 

TITLE LINK by Creator CC-BY LINK OR LICENSE 

 Examples: 

[Image] 

Preah Tineang Phochani, Royal Palace by Marcin Konsek CC BY-SA 4.0 

 [Image] 

[Image description] by Thought Catalog Unsplash

Tables #

Tables are numbered and cited, as follows:  

Table 2.1: Title  

	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Row 1
Row 2
Row 3

Note: Description to clarify contents, define abbreviations, specify units of measure, etc. (Creator, date) CC BY LINK 

Components: The word “Table;” identifier number; title; column and row headings (vertical and horizontal); data cells; note if needed to clarify the data, source (academic citation), and copyright credit or licence.   Tables should be simple in structure (see the BCcampus Accessibility Tookit regarding screen readers). 

Numbering: Use Arabic numerals. Tables should be numbered separately from figures. Numbering follows the order the table appears in the module. Use double numeration (e.g., Table 2.2) if a course has many tables or if the numbering spans multiple, complex course modules. Each table is given its own number, even if the content is related; so, Table 1.3 and Table 1.4, not Table 1.3a and Table 1.3b. 

Title & Punctuation: Table number and title may be separated by punctuation. The title should be succinct and in noun form. Capitalization may be title case or sentence case. Example:  

• Table 2.1: Title 

Note: A note may appear below the table to clarify the contents, define abbreviations, specify units of measure, cite source(s), and provide copyright attribution or licence. Example:  

• Note: Units are in kW/h (Author, date) CC BY LINK     

Placement: The numbered table should appear as soon as possible after the first text reference to it. Title and number appear above the table. Notes appear below the table.  

Videos #

Videos should be cited with academic citation. Present the video duration using the lead-in paragraph and/or the caption. Format video duration in captions as: [2:31 min], [2:31], or [duration 2:31].

Example: 

Watch the two-minute video Taxation of Capital Gains 2014 to reinforce your basic understanding of capital gains.  

http://barabus.tru.ca/acct3231/acct3231_Taxation_Capital_Gains_2014.html  

Taxation of Capital Gains 2014 [duration 2:31]
(Watt, 2014) © Jason Watt. Used with permission. 

Example: 

Watch The Prison of Your Mind to learn …

The Prison of Your Mind | Sean Stephenson | TEDxIronwoodStatePrison [2:31 min]
(TEDx Talks, 2014) CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Italics #

Titles #

Italicize the titles of books, journals, plays, separately published poems, long musical compositions, paintings, and films.

Course Titles #

Italicize complete course titles referred to in text.

• The course prerequisite is GEOG 2301, Introduction to Human Geography I.

Note: Open Learning course codes, such as GEOG 2301, do not usually appear prominently (if at all) in documents that will be used by other institutions.

Key Terms #

On first use, italicize words that are referred to as words unless the team agrees on an alternative approach.

• The word creed comes from Latin.

Foreign Terms #

Italicize foreign-language words that you think would be unfamiliar to your intended audience. Define the term and state the language of origin. For example:

• Several English words related to belief are derived from credo, which is Latin for “I believe.”

[sic] #

Italicize the sic in [sic]. However, note that we do not italicize certain Latin abbreviations.

• ibid.
• et al.
• etc.

Genus, Species Names #

Italicize the scientific (Latin) name of a plant or animal. Note that the genus name is capitalized, whereas the species name is lowercased.

• The genus Smilodan
• The species hartiee
• Homo sapiens

Variables #

Italicize letters (including Greek letters) used as mathematical variables. Use boldface for vectors. Do not italicize abbreviations such as log, tan, cos, cot, sec, csc, and sin.

• y = –2a cos
• p(λ) = det(λI – A)

Note: It is the responsibility of subject matter experts to follow the standard usage in their field. In science and math, for example, subject matter experts are expected to adhere to standard usage for variables and vectors, using a notation system accepted by the development team.

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Numbers #

The general rule for numbers in text that is not scientific or statistical is to spell out numbers up to and including ten and use figures for those over ten. The major exceptions are year numbers and numbers referring to parts of a book.

• 56 BC, AD 1988
• Figure 34 on page 12

However, it may be less awkward to use figures if there are many numbers together:

• The winning numbers in the lottery were 92, 79, 61, 53, 37, 20, and 12.

Note: Your usage may be different if your course is consistently following a style such as Canadian Press style (for journalism) or APA style (for social sciences and health).

Triad Separator #

Except for monetary numbers, use a comma as the triad separator in numbers of at least five digits. The triads—groups of three figures—are counted on each side of the decimal.

• 10,000 km, but 3000 km
• 39,601.34118625

Note: The exception is that a space is used in four-digit numbers when they appear in a column with numbers of at least five digits.

Money #

Use a comma as the triad separator in monetary numbers of at least four digits.

• £3,000 or $10,000

Note: In French, the usage is different. For example, the dollar sign appears last, and a comma is used to separate dollars and cents.

Decimals #

Place a zero to the left of a decimal if there is no other digit there.

• 700 g = 0.7 kg

No Apostrophe #

Do not use apostrophes when referring to years and other numerals in the plural.

• ten 5s
• the 1980s

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Possessives #

To form the possessive of singular nouns, normally include an s after the apostrophe, even with a name ending in a sibilant. Exceptions include Jesus’, Moses’, and other instances where tradition and euphony favour the omission of the final s.

• Burns’s poems, but Ulysses’ wife

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Punctuation #

Period #

When a period appears at the end of a quotation, place it before the closing quotation marks (except after a single word enclosed by quotation marks).

• The instructor said, “Please read the next section.”
• A flaw in this multiple-choice quiz is that the correct answer is usually “c”.

Comma #

Place a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series of items.

• The curtains are available in red, green, and yellow.

Normally set off the abbreviations etc., i.e., and e.g. by commas. However, begin with a semicolon if the i.e. or e.g. introduces a main clause. (Never begin a sentence with E.g. or I.e.)

• She used many figures of speech, e.g., similes and metaphors.
• She used many figures of speech; e.g., she included similes in almost every stanza.

When a comma appears at the end of a quotation, place it before the closing quotation marks.

Semicolon and Colon #

When a semicolon or colon appears at the end of a quotation or parenthetical comment, place the semicolon after the closing quotation marks, parenthesis, or bracket.

• He said, “Read the next two major tragedies for tomorrow”; i.e., we had to read Hamlet and Othello that night.
• Study Hamlet and Othello (the next two major tragedies); for example, be prepared to analyze the protagonists’ tragic flaws.

Normally use an initial lowercase letter for the element introduced by a colon. Use a capital only if the element is a formal statement, a quotation, more than one sentence, or an item in a displayed list.

Exclamation Point, Question Mark #

Place the closing quotation marks, parenthesis, or bracket before an exclamation point or question mark unless it is part of the quoted material.

• Did she say, “I want to come too”?
• “Can I come too?” she asked.

Ellipses #

Ellipsis points of three dots indicate an omission of a word or words within a sentence. (Use non-breaking spaces between the dots so that the ellipsis will not be broken at the end of a line.) Also leave a space before and after the ellipsis.

• “Small communities such as Granville . . . and Cedar Cottage grew into the city of Vancouver,” she wrote.

Ellipsis points of four dots (a period, followed by three spaced dots) indicate the omission of at least one of the following:

• The remainder of the quoted sentence [indented line]

               “There comes a tide. . . .”

• The beginning of the next sentence
• One or more sentences
• One or more paragraphs

If the sentence followed by an ellipsis ends in an exclamation point or question mark, that punctuation is followed by the ellipsis points.

• “What’s become of man’s great extent and proportion, when himself shrinks . . . to a handful of dust? . . . What’s become of his soaring thoughts, when himself brings himself . . . to the grave?”

Quotation Marks #

Always use double quotation marks except for quotations within quotations (single marks enclosed by double marks).

• The instructor said, “Please read the section titled ‘Punctuation.’ ”

In in-text references, use quotation marks for TRU-OL unit titles, section headings in OL units, journal articles, short stories, short poems, and unpublished theses.

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Spacing #

Initials #

Insert a space between the initials of a proper name.

• H. R. MacMillan Planetarium

Degree Signs #

In references to temperature, do not use a space between the degree sign and C or F.

• 100°C
• 212°F

Metric Symbols #

Insert a non-breaking space between numerals and metric symbols.

• 2.5 cm
• 54 g
• 50 km/h

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Spelling #

The default resource is Canadian Oxford Dictionary, which we follow unless the project team decides on alternatives, e.g., to be consistent with the main textbook for a course.
Spelling of Internet-related words is rapidly evolving, and variant spellings such as email, online, and website have been selected by some project teams.

Note: Ensure spelling of course components (such as “midterm”) are spelled consistently, even if they are not per Canadian Oxford Dictionary.

Indigenous Terminology #

Editors should confirm terms that refer to Indigenous Peoples. They should be accurate and specific for the group or person. Always capitalize Indigenous, Aboriginal, First Nation, Inuit, and Métis. Avoid using possessive phrases like “Canada’s Indigenous Peoples” or “our Indigenous Peoples” as that has connotations of ownership. Perhaps go with “Indigenous Peoples of Canada.”

• Aboriginal Peoples
• First Nations
• First Peoples
• Indian Act
• Indigenous Peoples
• Inuit or Inuit People (group noun); Inuk (singular noun referring to a person)
• Métis
• Secwépemc
• Secwépemc’ulucw
• T’exelc (Williams Lake campus)
• Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops campus)

Metric #

Use metric measures rather than imperial measures unless requested by the SME.

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URLs #

Link from anchor text. Be sure to provide enough information in the sentence to search for the resource if the link goes down. Underline URLs (uniform resource locators, i.e., Web addresses).

• For further information on estimating your future pension, refer to BC Public Sector Pension Plan.

Example for print documents:

• For further information on citing electronic sources in Chicago, MLA, and APA styles, consult TRU Library’s “Citation Style Guides” web page at http://libguides.tru.ca/sb.php?subject_id=3534.

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