How to Write Names and Titles on the University of Maine System Website

The University of Maine System website follows the Associated Press Online Stylebook (External Site). Because the University of Maine System is an institution of higher learning and an institution that prioritizes accessible web content, consistency and accuracy are important. Please review your web content for errors in style, spelling and grammar.

Guidelines about names and titles can be found below

Job Titles

  • When a formal title precedes a proper name, capitalize: Professor of Physics Jane Smith
  • When a title follows a proper name, do not capitalize: Jane Smith, professor of physics
  • Lowercase and spell out titles when they are not used with an individual’s name (e.g. “The president issued a statement. The chancellor weighed in.”
  • Lowercase modifiers such as department in “department Chair Jane Smith.”

Abbreviated Job Titles

  • The following formal titles are capitalized and abbreviated as shown when used before a name both inside and outside quotations: “Dr., Gov., Lt., Rep., Sen.”
  • All other formal titles are spelled out in all uses

Names of people

  • In general, use only last names on a second reference; when it is necessary to distinguish between two people who use the same last name, generally use the first and last name on subsequent references
  • Use the name a person prefers, as well as their preferred pronoun and gender identity

University Names

  • Spell out all university school names instead of writing the school name as an acronym, e.g. “University of Maine at Fort Kent” instead of “UMFK”
    • Exception: When the full school name will not fit in a table name; in this case, include a key at the beginning of the page defining the abbreviated school names
  • The noun “university” is not capitalized when it stands alone