Editorial Considerations
Writing Style requirements
All press releases, news articles and feature stories produced by UNL employees must follow UNL’s writing style manual, found at https://unlcms.unl.edu/ucomm/styleguide/. All communications staff members at UNL are required to edit copy so that press releases and articles follow these style rules.
Even though some of UNL’s style requirements are different from common usage in conversation or informal writing, UNL requires that its writing rules be followed in our press releases, news articles and feature stories.
Here are some of the most frequently encountered writing rules to remember:
- Omission of the final comma in listing a series. UNL uses a common style rule from journalism in regard to comma use. In listing a series of items, do not use a comma before the last item. Examples: “My brothers are Jim, Brad, Mark and Chris” and “This project studies the ecology of rivers, lakes and ponds.”
UNL allows a small degree of flexibility by saying a comma is OK if absolutely needed to avoid confusion. The example that is given: “For breakfast, he had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs.”
- Do not use “Dr.” Our articles are not to use “Dr.” for Ph.D. holders, according to UNL style rules. Instead, the usage is “Jane Smith, an associate professor with the Animal Science Department,” or “John Smith, a Nebraska Extension specialist in water and cropping systems.”
- Use of lowercase. UNL style rules discourage the use of capitalization in most cases.
The main exceptions are when referring to a specific department or university organization (the Animal Science Department; the Daughtery Water for Food Global Institute) and when a title precedes someone’s name (Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett.)
Use lowercase, the UNL rule says, when the title comes after the person’s name (“John Smith, associate professorin the Plant Pathology Department”).
Majors should not be capitalized unless they are a proper noun. For example, “He majored in English, not civil engineering.”
- Percent. Use the symbol (%) rather than spelling out “percent” in most cases. For example, “Attendance at the conference was 20% higher than the year before.”
The UNL rule provides one exception. When a sentence begins by mentioning a percentage, use “percent.” For example, “Forty-four percent of conference attendees surveyed said they’re using the new app.”
Accuracy
As we all are not thoroughly educated about every single field we cover in Extension, make sure you send your story final draft to the team or people involved within Extension to review factual accuracy. For example a story about SNAP-ED should go to Jean Ann for double check or others who are responsible for the specific program of SNAP_ED in Extension. Then share the story with Nasrin Nawa to publish on Extension and IANR. Another process of accuracy will be IANR media senior writer check to ensure the writing style is perfectly considered.
Consent
Ensure you informed the interviewees about the details of story being published on each platforms and they agree to share their identity and perspective. If the story is about an underage youth or kid, 100% make sure you have photo/video release consent form signed by parents before you publish the content.
By Geitner Simmons, IANR senior writer