Editorial style guide: F
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W Z
On this page:
- faculty
- fewer / less
- flagships
- fonts
- foreign words and expressions
- fractions
- fragments
- freshers' week
- full stops
- full time
faculty
Faculty has a capital F when it is part of the faculty's title:
Welcome to the Faculty of Science.
When referring to the faculty, use a lower-case d.
The academic staff in the faculty are friendly and approachable.
fewer / less
Use fewer when the amounts can be quantified, less when they can't:
There are fewer than 10 places available
There is less milk than yesterday
flagships
Collective naming
The flagships were created as a focal point for our key research strengths. Our four flagships are:
- energy
- sustainable food
- neuroscience
- healthy lifespan
The terms “flagships” and “research flagships” should be used when talking about them collectively. This approach emphasises our expertise in these subjects, rather than focusing on our internal structures.
However context is important. Sometimes it will be important to be clear that we have institutes in each of the four areas. The language used should reflect this. The terms “flagship institutes” or “flagship research institutes” should be used:
Today we will begin to go live with our four new flagship research institutes
Sometimes it will be important to be clear that these are research institutes whose main purpose is to conduct research i.e. “flagship research institutes”. At other times we will want to emphasise that their remit goes beyond research i.e. “flagship institutes.”
No upper case on flagship or research.
The terms University Research Institutes and URIs should not be used.
Institute names
Each institute should be referred to in full the first time it’s written e.g. news release, internal email. “The University of Sheffield” is an integral part of the brand name of the institutes. Using the long name is essential for external-facing content.
- Energy Institute at the University of Sheffield
- Neuroscience Institute at the University of Sheffield
- Healthy Lifespan Institute at the University of Sheffield
- Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield
These shortened names can be used for repeat mentions in the text after this. But they should never be used in isolation:
- Energy Institute
- Neuroscience Institute
- Healthy Lifespan Institute
- Institute for Sustainable Food
In further repeat mentions, we can refer to "the institute" with a lowercase i.
Do not use acronyms or initials e.g. HLITUOS
Website and social
The University website and social channels include University naming and branding. Therefore each institute can be referred to using their short name to improve the scannability of content.
fonts (typeface)
Source is our chosen typeface family. This consists of Source Sans Pro and Source Serif Pro.
In digital settings, always use Source Sans Pro.
This typeface has been chosen with inclusivity in mind. It allows us to communicate clearly and confidently, retaining elements of prestige and tradition, whilst being versatile enough to meet the needs of our audiences.
Don't try to italicise bold text or set italics in bold. This will cause the font to display incorrectly. To highlight and emphasise text, use the true italic or bold versions of the fonts, increase the point size, or colour the text.
Full guidelines on using our fonts
foreign words and expressions
Italicise and include accents, unless the word or expression is anglicised or widely used. Don't use a foreign word or phrase if there's a suitable English equivalent.
In the CMS you can apply the style for this by highlighting the word or expression and then selecting 'Foreign word/phrase' in the Text type dropdown menu.
fractions
A fraction that stands alone is written out and hyphenated, even when one of the numbers is higher than ten.
Two-thirds of the students
One-twentieth of the population
A fraction attached to a whole number should be written in numerals.
2 1⁄2 times per year
fragments
Fragments are acceptable in certain contexts, such as lists of bullet points, or entries in directory-style publications. Avoid overuse.
freshers' week
Always refer to this as Intro Week.
full stops
Try to split long sentences into shorter ones. Shorter sentences make text easier to read. Use one space, not two, after full stops.
full time
Hyphenate only when used before a noun.
We offer six full-time courses in the department.
This course is full time.