Style Conventions That Govern COM-FSM Publications

In authoring documents at the college, follow the style guidelines below. (Adapted in part from earlier work of Professor Dana Lee Ling and Jonathan Gourlay)

1. Writing out Academic Degrees

   When degrees are spelled out they should be presented in lowercase. Example: bachelor's degree, master's degree, doctoral degree or doctorate. If degrees are to be abbreviated do not separate the letter with periods (AS, AA, BA, BEd, Ed D, MA, and PhD).

   Examples:

   • He earned an associate's degree in Agriculture.
   • The student received her associate of science degree in Marine Science.
   • She earned an AS degree in CIS.
   • She was accepted into the Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts program. (capitalize the official names of programs)

2. Capitalizing Board of Regents

   Board of Regents is capitalized when referring to college's governing body. Individual members are regents. Use BOR or board (lowercase) for second reference. Capitalize regent only as part of the board's formal name or when used before a name.

   Examples:

   • We met with Regent Mary Figir.
   • Churchill Edward is a regent.

3. Using College and Campus Names

   When referring to the college as a whole, spell out the name as the College of Micronesia-FSM or abbreviate as COM-FSM. When using the abbreviated name of the college, do not add "the" before COM-FSM.

   Example:

   • The College of Micronesia-FSM is a college
   • COM-FSM is a college.

   When specifically referring to COM-FSM by saying "the college," do not capitalize "college."

   Examples:

   • The college's accreditation was reaffirmed.
   • The college is accredited by ACCJC.

   In referring to specific campuses of the college they are officially:

   • College of Micronesia-FSM Chuuk Campus
   • College of Micronesia-FSM Kosrae Campus
   • College of Micronesia-FSM Pohnpei Campus
   • College of Micronesia-FSM National Campus
   • College of Micronesia-FSM Yap Campus

4. Following a Citation Style

   Follow The Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook, and the American Psychological Association (APA) Manual when citing outside material to be used in published works of the college. The use of other style manuals (for example, the Council of Science Editors (CSE) Citation Style) is allowed when they are required by the publication or organization to which the work is being submitted.

5. Formatting and Style

   Titles	Arial,Calibri,Cambria,Garamond,24pt.,bold
   Heading	Arial,Calibri,Cambria,Garamond,20pt.,bold
   subheadings	Arial,Calibri,Cambria,Garamond,16pt.,bold
   sub-subheading	Arial,Calibri,Cambria,Garamond,12pt.,italic
   Body text	Arial,Calibri,Cambria,Garamond,12pt.,left justified.
   Bullets	Circular bullet,Arial,Calibri,Cambria,Garamond,12pt.
   Commas	Use a comma to separate elements in a series containing three or more elements. Use a comma to connect clauses that contain a conjunction (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so). Commas will appear inside quotation marks.
   Colons	Colons will appear outside a quotation, unless they are part of the quotation itself.
   Margins	1.25" left, 1" for the top, right and bottom.
   Numbers	Numbers are to be spelled out from zero through ten, and written out from 11 and greater unless referring to units of measure... A number leading a sentence will be spelled out. Academic credit hours will be written as numbers (example: 6 credits).
   Page numbering	Page numbers will appear at the foot of a document at the center or right.
   Percentages	The "%" sign will be used when expressing scientific, or numerical figures, otherwise it will be spelled out.
   Time	Ante Meridian (AM) and Post Meridian (PM) will be abbreviated in uppercase without periods.
   Underline	A single line will be used when underling.

6. Using the Terms Classes and Courses

   In referring to classes and courses use lowercase, unless specifically referring to the proper name of a course.

   Example:

   • I had a class in fundamentals of management.
   • I'm taking BU 260/1 Fundamentals of Management.

7. Writing out Dates

   Do not use a comma in writing out dates when only the month and year appear.	Example: October 2013
   Do use a comma in writing out dates that include the month, date and year and to separate the date from the next element that follows it in a sentence.	Example: It was made official on January 05, 2013, the day the announcement came out. The Board of Regents met from December 01, 2012, to December 04, 2012.

8. Using the Terms Department, Division or Office

   The terms department, divison, and office will be used to identify the subdivisions within the college. Department will be reserved for the administrative componets of the college (AS, EMSS, IA, and IEQA). The administrative side of the organization will be divided into offices, whereas the academic elements will be divisions. The exception to this would be the college’s other campuses that fall under the purview of Instructional Affairs. They are campuses and not a division or an office, whilst housing divisions and offices.

   Example of Departments:

   • Department for Adminstrative Services
   • Department for Enrollment Management and Student Services
   • Department for Instructional Affairs
   • Department for Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Assurance

   Note: The naming of departments will be “for” and not “of” the respective unit.

   The use of division and office will be lowercase unless identified in the formal name of a division or office.

               Example:

   • The Division of Languages and Literature submitted its report.
   • The divisions submitted their reports.
   • The Office of the President requested a meeting.
   • The president’s office is sponsoring lunch.

   Use lowercase of the unofficial names of divisions or offices unless the division or office itself contains a proper name (for example, English division faculty):
   Example:

   • Students in the math division did very well in the spring semester. (The proper name would be Math and Sciences Division)
   • Joey’s office wants the report today.

9. Using the Term Email

   When referring to electronic mail, it will be spelled in lowercase as "email" and without a hyphen

   Example:

   • The email was received by the department.
   • I wrote an email today.

10. Using the Terms Webpage/Website

    When referring to an online document found on the World Wide Web, it is to be called a "webpage". A collection of webpages found on a single server hosting the webpages will be called a "website".

    Example:

    • The webpage contained the contact information I needed.
    • The college's website has a webpage for each department.

11. Using the Terms Online/Offline

    When referring to the internet use the terms "online" and "offline" respectively without a hyphen.

    Example:

    • The document was found online and downloaded for offline use.

12. Writing Program Names

    Capitalize program names when using their full titles.

    Example:

    • The Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education Program graduated 20 students this semester.
    • The bachelor's program is looking forward to gradating more students.

13. Referring to Students

    Refer to students of the college as "COM-FSM students" or "the college's students".

    Example:

    • COM-FSM students are eligible for Financial Aid.
    • The college's students pay tech fee.

14. Using "The" Before Acronyms

    Do not add a "the" before an acronym.

    YES	NO
    The Comprehensive Self-Evaluation was submitted to WASC. The donations were presented to COM-FSM. The recommendation was forwarded to ICT for consideration.	The Comprehensive Self-Evaluation was submitted to the WASC. The donations were presented to the COM-FSM. The recommendation was forwarded to the ICT for consideration.

15. Writing out Titles

    A person's title is capitalized only when used before the name. When using a capitalized title immediately before the name, try to keep it short. Do not capitalize an occupational designation, only a true title. Write titles in lowercase when referring to a person's official capacity without their proper name.

    • It was announced by President Daisy.
    • The president shared the announcement on our accreditation status.
    • The vice president of administrative services will report on that issue.
    • I sat in a lecture by Professor Dana Lee Ling.
    • The policy was explained by Director Gordon Segal.
    • Gordon Segal, a director at the college, issued the memorandum.
    • The president of the College of Micronesia-FSM will be the guest speaker at the conference.

16. Using COM-FSM Abbreviations and Acronyms

    Any organization develops special ways of shortening its terms or titles, and COM-FSM is no exception. Table 3 below lists the accepted ways to shorten terms or titles in COM-FSM publications.

    It is advised that in its first reference, the full name being referred to is spelled out followed by the acronym in parenthesis. The acronym may be used alone at second reference or beyond.

    Example:
    Welcome to the [First reference] College of Micronesia-FSM (COM-FSM). Your time at [Second reference] COM-FSM is important to us.

    Table 3. COM-FSM Abbreviations and Acronyms

	Abbreviation	Description
Locations or Building Names	BLDG	Building
	COM-FSM	College of Micronesia-FSM
	FSM-FMI	FSM-Fisheries and Maritime Institute
	CC	Chuuk Campus
	KC	Kosrae Campus
	NC	National Campus
	PC	Pohnpei Campus
	YC	Yap Campus
Position Titles	AALO	assistant ALO
	ALO	accreditation liaison officer
	CCD	Chuuk Campus Dean
	COS	chief of staff
	DA	dean of assessment
	DAP	dean of academic programs
	DCRE	director of Cooperative research and extension
	DIR	director
	DoIE	director of institutional effectiveness
	DPPM	director of procurement and property management
	DSL	director of student life
	IC	instructional coordinator
	KCD	Kosrae Campus Dean
	PCD	Pohnpei Campus Director
	SC-CRE FO	State Coordinator Cooperative Research and Extension Fiscal Officer
	SSC	student services coordinator
	VPIA	vice president for instructional affairs
	VPAS	vice president for administrative services
	VPEMSS	vice president for enrollment management and student service
	VPIEQA	vice president for institutional effectiveness and quality assurance
	YCD	Yap Campus Dean
Divisions, Offices, or units	AES	Agricultural Experiment Station
	AS	Administrative Services
	BAD	Business Administration Division
	BO	Business Office
	BOR	Board of Regents
	CC	Curriculum Committee
	CES	Cooperative Extension Services
	ChAWG	Chuuk Assessment Working Group
	CRE	Cooperative Research and Extension
	CS	Counseling Services
	DHS	Division of Health Sciences
	DNSM	Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
	EC	Executive Committee
	ED	Education Division
	ETSP	Educational Talent Search Program
	FAO	Financial Aid Office
	FC	Finance Committee
	FCE	Facilities and Campus Environment
	FSS	Faculty/Staff Senate
	HRC	Human Resources Committee
	HS	Health Services
	IA	Instructional Affairs
	IAEA	Institutional Advancement & External Affairs
	IEO	Institutional Effectiveness Office
	ICT	Information, Communications, and Technology Committee
	ITO	Information Technology Office
	Lang Lit	Languages and Literature Division
	LRC	Learning Resource Center
	MITC	Media Information and Technology Center
	MTeam	Management Team
	OARR	Office of Admissions, Records and Retention
	OA	Office of Assessment
	OIE	Office of Institutional Effectiveness
	PPMO	Procurement and Property Management Office
	PCC	Peer Counseling Center
	PRC	Planning and Resources Committee
	RAR	Recruitment Admissions and Retention Committee
	RH	Resident Halls
	RI	Resident Instruction
	SBA	Student Body Association
	Soc Sci	Social Sciences Division
	SR	Sports and Recreation
	UB	Upward Bound Program
		Campus Security and Maintenance
Degree and Certificate Programs	HTM	Hotel and Tourism Management
	AFT	Agriculture and Food Technology
	CTE	Career Technical Education
	ACE	Achieving College Excellence
Plans and Documents	IEMP	Integrated Educational Master Plan
	SP	Strategic Plan
	FMP	Facilities Master Plan
	ERP	Emergency Response Plan
	TracDat

17. Document and File Naming Conventions

    As documents flow back and forth (or even outside) the institution, it becomes important to pay attention to how you name and save different versions of a document.

    Naming Documents

    Every document you prepare as an official COM-FSM publication should have the college seal, a clear and relevant title, the author's (or authors') name, and the date of publication on the cover page.

    Exceptions will be made where external documents are being prepared and require a separate title page.

    Example:

    Naming Files

    Every file you prepare and save should have a filename that clearly identifies the subject, the author and the date the file was saved. Doing so allows for recognizing the most recent version of a document, but also makes it easier to recognize when you share it with a co-worker or intended reader.

    Example:

    • com-fsm-pubstandards-101313-JV.doc
    • com-fsm-convocationstage-0913-ST.jpg
    • com-fsm_mid-term_draft2_1-13-12-ldm.pdf
    • combined-report-draft4-10-27-2013.doc
    • com-fsm chuuk campus all-campus meeting minute-11-06-13 pdf

    For the purpose of program reviews and assessment, the file-naming scheme described below should be adhered to.

    Academic Programs

    AY2009_10_IANCE3_W1 In words: Academic Year 2009/10, Department of Instructional Affairs, National Campus, Education 3rd Year Program, Worksheet One Improvement Plan Note:use underscore not dash

    Academic Year: ex. AY2009_10, AY2010_11 Department: 2 letters, IA - Instructional Affairs Campus: 2 letters CC - Chuuk Campus KC - Kosrae Campus NC - National Campus PC - Pohnpei Campus YC - Yap Campus FM - FMI Program: 2 letters to be set by the appropriate Vice President Worksheet: W1 - Worksheet 1 Improvement Plan, W2 - Worksheet 2 Assessment Plan, W3 - Worksheet 3 Program Assessment, PR - Program Review

    
    
    

    Nonacademic Programs

    FY2012_QANCIT_W2 In words: Fiscal Year 2012, Department of Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Assurance, National Campus, Information Technology, Worksheet 2 Assessment Plan Note:use underscore not dash

    Academic Year: ex. AY2009_10, AY2010_11 Department: 2 letters, IA - Instructional Affairs AS - Administrative Services IA - Instructional Affairs SS - Student Services, QA - Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Assurance RE - Cooperative Research and Extension Campus: 2 letters CC - Chuuk Campus KC - Kosrae Campus NC - National Campus PC - Pohnpei Campus YC - Yap Campus FM - FMI Program: 2 letters to be set by the appropriate Vice President Worksheet: W1 - Worksheet 1 Improvement Plan, W2 - Worksheet 2 Assessment Plan, PR - Program Review

18. Identifying Common Errors in Usage

    The following examples represent some of the most common usage errors found in college publications.

    Table 4. Some Common Usage Errors in COM-FSM Publications

    Usage Error	Sample Correction
    National campus	National Campus
    We are the COM-FSM	We are COM-FSM
    The President will attend	The president will attend
    The Regents were invited	The regents were invited

19. Avoiding Plagiarism

    With respect to the college's policy on Academic Honesty, all college publications will follow that standard. All works will be cited where necessary, and plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated.