English style guide

ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE

DTU-SPECIFIC STYLE Technical University of Denmark university or University with a capital U? Programmes and degrees Dissertation or thesis?

Departments and support functions Job titles

STYLE GUIDE At DTU we use Oxford English as the University’s language standard at the corporate level.

The following is meant as a guideline and a helping hand to those who work as e.g. editors or proof readers at DTU. If you have questions that you don’t find the answers to in this guide, please consult the full version of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) at Portalen http://www.oed.com.globalproxy.cvt.dk/

DIFFERENCES IN OXFORD ENGLISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH SPELLING List of frequently used terms

OXFORD ENGLISH STYLE GUIDELINES -ize instead of -ise The Oxford comma and how to use it Dashes ‘That’ or ‘which’?

Bullet lists and how to make them Capitalization in headlines Quotation marks Per cent (%) Dates and times of day Correspondence Contact details and reference to websites

APPENDIX 1 Departments and support functions at DTU

APPENDIX 2 Job titles at DTU

DTU-SPECIFIC STYLE At DTU we follow a number of linguistic traditions as outlined below.

Bachelor of Science Engineering ( = Bachelor) Abbreviation: BSc or BSc Eng

Technical University of Denmark

DTU, Technical University of Denmark, is recognized as an elite technical university.

Bachelor of Engineering ( = Diplomingeniør) Abbreviation: BEng

Technical University of Denmark is always written without the definite article (‘the’):

Master of Science (MSc) Abbreviation: MSc or MSc Eng Use a small (lower-case) m + ‘s when referring to a programme in general:

university or University with a capital U?

master’s, master’s degree, master’s programme

If you’re talking specifically about DTU, University is always with a capital U. Use lower-case ‘u’ when university is simply a common noun:

Use a capital M when referring to a specific master’s degree or master’s programme: He has a Master of Science in Physics.

He has a Master’s degree in Physics.

DTU is an elite technical university. The University boasts state-of-the-art facilities.

Programmes and degrees

Bachelor (BSc or BSc Eng, BEng) Use a small (lower case) b + ‘s when referring to a programme in general: bachelor’s, bachelor’s degree, bachelor’s programme Use a capital B when referring to a specific bachelor’s degree or bachelor’s programme:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Use a capital ‘P’, a small ‘h’, and a capital ‘D’ without any punctuation: DTU offers several PhD degree programmes.

He has a PhD (degree) in Astrophysics He is doing his PhD at DTU. PhD is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by DTU. At DTU, you can do either a regular PhD or an industrial PhD (= ErhvervsPhD), the latter with concurrent employment in a company.

He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry.

He has a BSc in Chemistry.

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Project, thesis, or dissertation?

At DTU, we distinguish between: bachelor project master’s thesis PhD thesis doctoral dissertation

Departments and support functions Please consult Appendix 1 for a translation of DTU’s departments and support functions.

Job titles

When to capitalize the job title—and when not to

If a job title is not preceded or followed by a person’s name, it should still be capitalized if it is used as a name: I went to see the President today.

In this case, ‘President’ is being used as a name and not in the sense of a general job title, as in: Since 1829, we have had 15 presidents at DTU. The job title is not capitalized if it follows the name of a person and there is a ‘the’ before the title: Professor Claire Smith, the chairwoman of the Academic Council, is retiring.

Job titles at DTU For a comprehensive list of DTU specific job titles please turn to Appendix 2.

Use capitals when referring to the specific person holding a specific position: Anders Bjarklev became President of DTU in 2011.

Capitalize a job title that comes before or right after the person’s name: Assistant Professor Niels Nielsen Niels Nielsen, Assistant Professor at DTU Space

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DIFFERENCES IN OXFORD ENGLISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH SPELLING —frequently used terms

OXFORD ENGLISH

AMERICAN ENGLISH

Words ending in –el, -al doubles the consonant …but not in AmE enrol – enrolled, enrolment, enrolling enroll – enrolled, enrollment, enrolling model – modelled, modelling model – modeled, modeling travel – travelled, travelling , traveller travel – traveled – traveling - traveler cancel – cancelled, cancelling cancel – canceled, canceling

Both are correct (single and double consonant) In both Oxford English and American English focus – focused/focussed, focusing/focussing focus – focused/focussed, focusing/focussing benefit – benefited/benefitted, benefit – benefited/benefitted, benefiting/benefitting benefiting/benefitting Does not double the consonant target – targeted/targeting

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OXFORD ENGLISH

AMERICAN ENGLISH

-re centre – litre – theatre – calibre

-er center – liter – theater - caliber

-our -or colour – behaviour – flavour –honour color – behavior – flavor - honor -ce / -se defence – offence – pretence – licence practice (noun), but practise (verb)

-se defense – offense – pretense – license practice (noun and verb)

Other useful words: programme (except computer programs) program analyse analyze aluminium aluminum realize realize autumn (Danish: efterår) fall (Danish: efterår) lift elevator flat apartment ground floor (Danish: stueetage) first floor (Danish: stueetage)

target – targeted/targeting License (verb) – licence (noun)

You can use licence/license as both a verb and a noun, but license is preferred

Practise (verb) – practice (noun)

You can use practise/practice as both a verb and a noun, but practice is preferred

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OXFORD ENGLISH STYLE GUIDELINES There are some noteworthy differences between standard British English and Oxford English—particularly the -ize spelling, the Oxford comma, and dashes.

-ize instead of -ise Oxford English (and DTU) uses the ‘American’ -ize instead of the British -ise in words like: organize/organization globalize/globalization recognize/recognizable Please note: The use of -ize instead of -ise does not affect the spelling of words that end in -yse, such as analyse, paralyse and catalyse.

The Oxford comma and how to use it Use commas to separate the elements in a list of three or more items. Remember to include a comma in front of the ‘and’ that leads to the final item in the list: DTU, the University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Business School, and the IT University of Copenhagen participate in the exchange programme.

Mad, bad, and dangerous to know.

Dashes*

Our main campus is located near Lyngby—a mere 15km north of Copenhagen He had many fruit trees in his garden—apples, pears, plumbs, etc.

Or to separate a phrase in a sentence (in Danish: ‘indskudt sætning’): We believe that engineers play—and will continue to play—a central role in a modern, globalized world.

Use the en dash in a number range: 20–25 students per group During the years 2012–2014 *How to create en and em dashes in Microsoft Word : To insert an en dash, move the cursor between the words, add a space, type two hyphens, and another space and the next word: this is – a test To insert an em dash, type two hyphens without adding a space before and after the hyphens: this is—a test.

‘That’ or ‘which’?

When to use ‘that’ and ‘which’ and where to put the comma is one of issues that belong among the top five FAQs in most style guides.

The good news is that in many cases ‘that’ and ‘which’ are equally correct. You just need to know what meaning you wish to convey and which type of clause you are constructing.

Use the em dash as a parenthetical dash (in Danish: ‘tankestreg’) to replace a colon:

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Restrictive clause (= bestemmende relativsætning/ henførende bisætning)

non-restrictive clause (= ikke bestemmende relativsætning/ henførende bisætning)

Definition: Restrictive clauses contain essential information about the noun that comes before it. If you leave out this type of clause, the meaning of the sentence is affected.

Definition: Non-restrictive clauses sentences contain extra information that could be left out of the sentence without affecting the meaning or structure of the sentence.

No comma before the clause She only attended courses which were obligatory.

She only attended courses that were obligatory.

Comma before the clause The course, which runs for a few more weeks, has been a great success.

Explanation: ‘Which/that were obligatory’ provides essential information about the courses. If left out, the sentence would not have the same meaning.

Explanation: ‘which runs for a few more weeks’ is just additional information about the course.

Bullet lists and how to make them There are three categories of bullet lists: 1. Lists of short items (and incomplete sentences):

Restrictive clauses can be introduced by: that, which, whose, who, or whom.

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Non-restrictive clauses can be introduced by: which, whose, who, or whom.

You should never use that to introduce them.

Tonight’s agenda includes: review of capital gains issues presentation of new investments outstanding tax issues.

2. One main verb in at least one sentence (complete sentences): The agenda for tonight is as follows: we will conduct an annual review of capital gains issues; CFO Paul Smith will presents new investments in Finance; our Accountant, Elizabeth Hall will clarify outstanding tax issues.

3. Two or more main verbs in at least one sentence (several complete sentences): Please be aware that: If you do not apply by the stated deadlines, we cannot guarantee any of the above.

DTU recommends that you apply as early as possible; the number of places in each programme is limited.

You can apply for only one programme at a time.

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Capitalization in headlines Only capitalize the first letter of the opening word in headings and captions—and any other word that would usually be capitalized (names of people, places, concepts, days, months, etc.)

Location and campuses Researchers at DTU push new boundaries The Smith lab opens in June

Per cent (%) The symbol % is not used in a text but written out in two words.

An impressive 98 per cent rates study life at DTU ‘exceptionally good’.

The symbol % is only used in tables, notes, parenthetical material, and captions.

Please note that there is no space before the symbol % = 75%

Dates and time of day Quotation marks—single or double?

Use double quotes (“) as primary quotation marks.

Use single quotation marks (‘) for titles, to enclose words or phrases, and for a quotation within a quotation:

Use the sequence: day – month – year 28 June 2014 A named day preceding a date is separated by a comma: Friday, 28 June 2014

Professor Flynn said that, “Even if you’ve never read a word of Shakespeare, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘To be or not to be’ a thousand times.”

Punctuation inside or outside quotation marks?

DTU follow the US practice of placing all punctuation—comma, full point, question marks, etc.—inside the closing quotation mark, regardless of whether they are part of the quoted material or not.

“What is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?”

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a.m. or p.m.?

Use a.m (= ante meridiem, before noon) and p.m. (= post meridiem, after noon) as indications for hours/time of day: Let’s meet at 10 a.m. and conclude the meeting at 4.30 p.m.

Noon: noon, 12 noon, or 12.00 Midnight: midnight, 12 midnight, or 24.00

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Correspondence

Contact details and references to websites

Basic pairs in ascending order of formality: Email No space between e and mail = email Informal

More formal

Dear Mark,

Best regards, Kind regards, Best wishes,

Dear Mr Hansen, Dear Sir, Dear Mrs Hansen, Dear Madam, Dear Ms Hansen, Dear Dr Hansen, Yours sincerely,

Formal

Yours faithfully,

Telephone numbers Tel. +45 45252525 Addresses Do not use country codes (DK-2800) but simply put 2800 Kgs. Lyngby as in: Technical University of Denmark Anker Engelunds Vej 1 Building 101 A 2800 Kgs. Lyngby DENMARK Reference to websites For reference to websites, avoid using expression such as ‘click here’ or ‘go to’ (followed by the address). Work the link into your text instead: Access the Department of Physics for more information (letting the words in red constitute the link).

For more information about our degree courses, visit [Link] You may also choose to simply add the link/website address after your sentence.

People are so accustomed to web references that they don’t actually need to be told what to do.

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APPENDIX 1

APPENDIX 2

DTU departments and support functions

Job titles

Departments

DIREKTIONEN

DTU Aqua DTU Chemical Engineering DTU Chemistry DTU Civil Engineering DTU Compute DTU Electrical Engineering DTU Energy DTU Environment DTU Food DTU Fotonik DTU Management Engineering DTU Mechanical Engineering DTU Nanotech DTU Physics DTU Space DTU Systems Biology DTU Transport DTU Vet DTU Wind Energy Support functions

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IT service Office for Finance and Accounting Office for Human Resources/Corporate HR Office for Research and Relations Office for Innovation and Sector Services Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs Campus Service

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Rektor President Prorektor

Executive Vice President, Provost

Universitetsdirektør

Executive Vice President, University Director

Koncerndirektør

Senior Vice President, Private and Public Sectors Services

Senior Vice President, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Dekan (for hhv. civil- og diplomstudiet)

Senior Vice President, Dean of Graduate Studies and International Affairs

Senior Vice President, Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Student Affairs

ANDRE CHEFSTILLINGER

OTHER MANAGERIAL POSITIONS

Institutdirektør

Head of Department

Direktør (Nationallaboratorium)

Director of xx

Direktør (Centerdirektør)

Director of xx (e.g. Danchip)

Vicedirektør

Director of xx

Underdirektør

Director of xx

Viceinstitutdirektør

Deputy Head of Department

Direktør

Director of xx (e.g. Danchip)

Kontorchef

Head of xx (e.g. Head of Communications)

Sektionsleder/afdelingsleder

Head of xx Section (e.g. Head of Accounts Section)

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AKADEMISKE TITLER

ACADEMIC TITLES

Faculty Professor Professor Ingeniørdocent

Professor

Docent Professor

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Chefkonsulent

Senior Executive xx Officer (Senior Executive Communications Officer)

Specialkonsulent

Senior xx Officer (Senior Communications Officer)

Lektor

Associate Professor

AC Fuldmægtig *

Academic Officer, xx (f.eks. Academic Officer, HR)

Adjunkt

Assistant Professor

Kontorfuldmægtig

Administrative Officer, xx

Gæsteprofessor/forsker/lektor etc. Visiting Professor/Researcher/Associate Professor, etc.

Forretningsudvikler

Business Developer

Adjungeret Professor

Honorary Professor

Hjælpelærer

Teaching Assistant

Secretaries and office staff

You can use either ‘Secretary’ or ‘Assistant’, but it is always a good idea to add your area of responsibility.

Undervisningsassistent

Assistant Lecturer

Chefsekretær

Executive Secretary/Assistant to xx (Executive Assistant/Secretary to the University Director)

Afdelingssekretær

Section Secretary, xx (navn på sektionen)

Institutsekretær

Department Secretary

Centersekretær

Centre Secretary

Studiesekretær

Programme Secretary

Studienævnssekretær

Secretary to the Board of Studies

Kursusadministrator

Administrative Officer, Course Administration

Kontorassistent

Administrative Assistant (Administrative Assistant, Undergraduate Affairs)

Servicemedarbejder

Service Staff

Studentermedhjælper

Student Assistant

Censor

External Examiner (ekstern) Co-examiner (intern)

Research staff Seniorforsker

Senior Researcher/Associate Professor

Forsker

Researcher

Seniorrådgiver

Senior Adviser

Postdoc Postdoc

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ADMINISTRATIVT PERSONALE

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ADMINISTRATIVT PERSONALE

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Økonomi Økonomicenterchef

Finance Manager

Business Controller med ledelsesanvars

Project Finance Manager

Business Controller uden ledelsesansvar

Finance Partner

Projektøkonom

Project Controller

Økonomimedarbejder Accountant

Clear indication of jobfunction and area of responsibility The English job titles should make it clear what your jobfunction and area of responsibility is: Anders Andersen, Communications Officer, DTU Space Anna Andersen, Administrative Assistant, Undergraduate Affairs, DTU Space

Projekt regnskabsmedarbejder

Project Accountant

HR HR partner

HR Partner

Rektutteringskonsulent

Recruitment Officer

BETEGNELSER FOR INSTITUTENHEDER

Rekrutteringsleder

Team Manager, Recruitment

institut department

DOC teamet

Document Management Officer

sektion section

ANDET Studieleder

Head of Studies / Programme Director

gruppe group

Projektleder

Project Manager

afdeling office

NAME OF DEPARTMENTS ETC.

center centre

Please note: *We distinguish between ’AC fuldmægtig’ (Academic Officer) and ’Kontorfuldmægtig’ (Administrative Officer) and no longer use ’Head of Section’.

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Internal consultants are called ’officers’ and not consultants. (’Consultant’ is only used for external consultants). Managers are responsible for the staff. Officers are not.

program programme

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