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Style
Select a letter of the alphabet to search for a specific topic.
P
page numbers—Always use figures, and capitalize page when used with a figure: Page 1, Page 10. When letter is appended to the figure, capitalize it, but do not use a hyphen: Page 20A. The exception: A Page One story.
part time, part-time—Hyphenate as a compound adjective, but not as a compound adverb: Two part-time students. He attends school part time.
PawPrint, also known as your user ID or SSO ID
peer adviser (PA)—An advanced undergraduate who serves as an adviser to students in Freshman Interest Groups.
people, persons—Use person when speaking of an individual: One person went to the seminar. The word people is preferred in plural uses: Thousands of people attended the concert at the Hearnes Center and There were 22 people at the staff meeting. The word persons should be used only when in a direct quote or part of a title, as in Bureau of Missing Persons.
percentages—Use figures: 1 percent, 2.5 percent; 0.6 percent. Repeat the word percent with each individual figure: Professor Ray said that 10 percent to 35 percent of the papers she read were horrible.
percent—percent One word. Takes a singular verb when standing alone or when a singular word follows an of construction, as in Professor Doe said that 60 percent was a failing grade and The president said that 60 percent of the faculty was at the board meeting. Percent takes a plural verb when a plural word follows an of construction, as in 60 percent of the faculty members were on sabbatical last year.
policymaker, policymaking—One word in all forms.
postdoctoral—One word.
pre—Use a hyphen if the word that follows begins with e, as in pre-elect, pre-empt, pre-exist; otherwise, most pre words are treated as one: prearrange, preregister, preregistration, prewar, preseason.
- Exceptions: pre-convention, pre-dawn.
pregame
presently—Use it to mean in a little while or shortly, but not to mean now or currently.
president, University of Missouri System— If this is first reference to anything dealing with all four campuses, write Bill Doe, president of the University of Missouri System or University of Missouri System President Bill Doe. If UM System has been mentioned earlier in your text, on second reference, write University System or UM System President Bill Doe or Bill Doe, president of the University System or the UM System.
- Second reference: Doe or president.
- Capitalize System when standing alone.
- Note: The president’s office and staff should be referred to as System administration, not University administration, UMCA or central administration.
prior to—Use before instead, as in Professor Doe will speak in Kansas City before coming to Columbia, not prior to coming to Columbia; Students will be given a quiz before spring break, not prior to spring break.
professor—Do not refer to a faculty member as a professor unless the person has been awarded that academic rank. Instead, use instructor, assistant professor or associate professor, lecturer, visiting professor. Uppercase titles before names, lowercase after names: Professor Sally Ray; Sally Ray, professor of mathematics.
- For endowed professorships, always use the proper name in uppercase: Bill Doe is the Sally Ray Professor of Chemistry.
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