ADOT Editorial Style Guide - Arizona Department of Transportation

3. Editorial Style Guide | Editorial Style
time. Use the days of the week, not today or tonight, but only use when the days of the week are within seven days before or after the
current date. Use the month and a figure where appropriate. For time in-line with text, lowercase with periods, separate from the time
with one space, and drop the :00: 7 p.m., 6:30 a.m., 4-5 p.m., 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. For time shown in a list (e.g., an Hours and Locations
Web page or section), follow the same rules, but eschew the periods: 7 pm, 6:30 am, 4-5 pm, 8 am-5:30 pm.
timeline. One word.
tip off (v.), tip-off (n., adj.). Preferred constructions.
titles. Follow these rules for formatting titles.
CAPITALIZATION. Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Capitalize articles (i.e.,
the, a, an) or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title or subtitle: “The Hunger Games,” “Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
TREATMENT. Put quotation marks around all titles except religious texts and books that are primarily catalogs of reference material,
including almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, gazetteers, handbooks and similar productions: the Talmud, “The Late
Night Show with Jay Leno,” “The Hunger Games,” the Farmer’s Almanac. Do not use quotation marks around titles of software:
Windows, WordPerfect.
PERSONAL. Only capitalize personal titles when they appear in front of the individual’s name. Lowercase everywhere else: President
Obama lives in Washington, D.C. The president’s family lives with him in the White House.
SUBTITLES. Follow the same rules for subtitles as you would for titles. The first word after the colon is capitalized.
tornado, tornadoes. Preferred plural spelling.
total, totaled, totaling. Preferred spellings.
toward. Not towards.
trade in (v.), trade-in (n., adj.). Preferred constructions.
trademark, , ®. Where possible, replace brand names and trademarks with generic terms. Where not possible, use only on first use
for registered and unregistered trademark terms: Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows 7.
trade off (v.), trade-off (n., adj.). Preferred constructions.
traffic-loading (n., adj.). Preferred construction.
transgender. Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present
themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth. If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent
with the way the individuals live publicly.
transit-friendly. Hyphenate.
transsexual. A person who changes gender by undergoing surgical procedures.
travel, traveled, traveling. Preferred spellings.
try out (v.), tryout (n.). Preferred constructions.
tsar. Do not use. Use czar instead.
T-shirt. Preferred construction.
Tumblr. Trademarked spelling of the popular tumble blog site.
20-something. Preferred construction.
24/7. Preferred construction.
ADOT Guide to editorial standards