VCU Health’s editorial style guide provides nomenclature standards and usage guidelines for all writers. These guidelines are in conjunction with VCU. Our preferred style guide, Associated Press, serves as a resource to ensure that VCU Health websites, publications and other materials promoting the health enterprise maintain consistency in nomenclature, capitalization, punctuation, etc.

Please refer to the AP Stylebook for notes on style not addressed here. You can access the AP Stylebook Online with your VCU eID through VCU Libraries. Where notes on style, usage and punctuation differ, adhere to the VCU and VCU Health editorial style guides.

For notes on spelling not covered here, consult Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition. Use the first spelling listed unless a specific exception is listed in this guide.

If your material is scholarly or technical, consult manuals specific to your disciplines, such as guides published by the American Psychological Association or the Modern Language Association.

VCU Health in body copy

VCU Health exists first and foremost as our brand signature. It represents all of the health-related components of VCU, including our health sciences schools, college, hospitals, centers, institutes, physician practices, health plans, and other clinical programs and services. When referencing the collective system of care, VCU Health may be used in copy.

• Never abbreviate VCU Health to VCUH.
• VCU Health does not need to be spelled out as Virginia Commonwealth University Health on first reference in text or body copy.
• When written as text or body copy, there should always be a space between VCU and Health.

Our brand voice

A clear and consistent brand voice helps us better communicate our personality as an organization. Our voice sets the tone, style and type of content we deliver, helping us stand out and making us memorable.

For direct communications to our patients (marketing collateral pieces, education materials, etc.), we preferred to use a less formal style to connect directly with our readers — our community and the general public. This is an exception to AP Style. Some guidelines to follow include:

• Use first- and second-person pronouns: we, us, our, your, etc.
• Resist the temptation to use “VCU Health” as the subject
• Do not use official academic titles

For news stories, press releases, and stories about our academic, educational and research efforts, follow AP style guidelines.