Saint Louis University
Name & title: Laura Geiser, Director, Publications and Graphic Design
Institution & publication: Saint Louis University, Universitas
Type of publication: magazine
Readership audience: alumni, donors, parents of undergrads, faculty/staff
Number of pages: 32+cover
Frequency of publication: three times per year
Circulation: 111,720
Color: 4-color
Interesting facts about the publication: Redesigned just two issues ago.
Basic style manual: AP Stylebook, institution, other
Other style manuals: Catholic News Service Stylebook on Religion
Reason for using the manual: AP: Used it in school and previous jobs; already in use when I came to SLU. CNS: Inheirited. SLU style: Wrote it myself a few years back based on traditions passed down to me.
Dictionary: Merriam-Webster
Reason for using dictionary: It's recommended by AP as the back-up for questions not covered by their guide.
Other resources: Webster's Thesaurus, The Elements of Style (Strunk and White), The Penguin Dictionary for Writers and Editors (Bryson) and Working with Words (Brooks and Pinson) -- a new discovery with lots of good stuff!
Items on our house style sheet not covered in our manual: We capitalize Mass, as per CNS. Here's our entry for "S.J." -- Abbreviation for the Society of Jesus. Placed after the name of all Jesuit priests or brothers on first reference. Always use periods after the letters and always set off by commas. Do not use with "Father." Entry for "Father" -- Always spell out. Capitalize before a name and use only in a direct quote. Example: "I told Father Sebastian he was a good teacher." The use of a religious order's abbreviation, such as S.J., is preferred. Entry for "Religous Order" -- The use of the religious order's abbreviation following a name (like S.J.) is preferred to the use of a title such as Father, Sister, etc. Do not use both a title and the order's abbreviation.
Items on our house stylesheet that override our manual: When using "the university" to refer specifically to SLU, we capitalize "University." (It's a matter of distinction, I suppose.) We will title a person with a Ph.D. as "Dr." (It's how our faculty are addressed on campus.) We use italics for book titles, plays, movies, etc., rather than the AP-recommended quotes. (Frankly, it looks better.)
Unresolved issues: We're still following AP style on matters of the World Wide Web, and it seems to be getting archaic. We may have to override AP eventually and give in to "website."
We also still fight the constant stream of what I call "random, drive-by capitalization." So many here want to capitalize things like "board of trustees," "math department" and "chairman" that it makes my head spin.
SLU style guide: www.slu.edu/pr/communicators/slu_style_guide.html
My e-mail: geisterla@slu.edu