Clear and consistent writing enables readers to have a greater understanding of, and respect for, the university.

Whether it is for websites, newsletters, emails, brochures, invitations or catalogs, all writing should have a common denominator: It should be effective. Effective writing is dependent on consistency and clarity. This helps build credibility and demonstrates the important role UT Health San Antonio plays as a thought leader in the community and world. It also strengthens the university’s reputation and readers’ understanding of the university.

Various departments and offices throughout the university produce hundreds of publications each year, whether in print or digital formats. All meet specific priorities and objectives. And all should be consistent in style to inform readers.

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University writing style

All publications originating from UT Health San Antonio should follow the same guidelines for consistency. Because most publications are intended for external audiences, the university has adopted The Associated Press Stylebook as its primary guide. It is important to note that these are guidelines, not rules, and are ever-evolving. For spelling guidance not provided by the AP Stylebook, please refer to Webster’s New World College Dictionary.

These references are updated frequently, so please check back often. If you can't find what you're looking for, submit a question to our editors here. 

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

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A 

abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms: In general, avoid using abbreviations in running text (including the ampersand) except when they are part of official names. Spell out acronyms on first reference. If speaking to an audience outside of the university community, acronyms should be avoided. To aid understanding, the abbreviation may be listed in parentheses following the first reference; however, do not list UTHSCSA in parentheses following The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. UTHSCSA is never correct.

Avoid overusing abbreviations/acronyms. Use generic terms on second reference.  

Example: The Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio is one of 33 centers of excellence for dementia care and research in the nation. The institute is also the only one in Texas recognized as a National Institute on Aging-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

One exception is STRONG STAR Consortium, which is an acronym of South Texas Research Organizational Network Guiding Studies on Trauma And Resilience, a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research consortium funded by the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. STRONG STAR is fine on first reference, but must be explained.

Abbreviations of degrees, certifications and licensures do not take periods, an exception to AP Style. Time expressions and countries’ names take periods without spaces: 

√ PhD, MD, BA, FACP
√ a.m., p.m., B.C., A.D. 
√ U.K., U.S. (USA is an exception) 

Use periods and no space when an individual uses initials instead of a first name: 

√ L.J. Shrum 

Acronyms: Acronyms and initalisms for job titles and names of organizations, centers, buildings, forms, tests and assorted other objects are generally spelled without periods: 

√ UTSA, USAA, NASA, FBI, UN, EU 
√ CEO 
√ FAFSA, SAT, TOEFL 

Acronyms are made plural without apostrophes, unless the letter of the acronym is an s, in which case an apostrophe is needed: 

√ GREs, SATs, DVDs, SOS’s 

Abbreviations of titles: The terms governor, senator and representative should be abbreviated before a name: 

√ Gov. Greg Abbott
√ state Sen. José Menéndez
√ state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer 

academic degrees: Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, a master’s, etc., but there is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science. 

The exact degree is uppercase, as is the subject. This is an exception to AP.

Example: Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Media, Master of Science in Leadership, Master of Arts in Public Administration and Master of Arts in International Administration. 

Whenever possible, use the generic version of the degree name: a master’s in leadership or a master’s degree in leadership. But a Master of Science in Leadership. 

Also an exception to AP Style: Abbreviations of degrees, certifications and licensures follow the first reference of all names, and do not contain periods. Typically, a terminal academic degree is the only one listed, but the source’s preference will determine: 

Example: Carlos Roberto Jaén, MD, PhD, FAAFP, professor and chairman of family and community medicine 

Academic degrees come before licensures: John Doe, DPT, PT. 

Ricky Joseph, PhD, OTR (Co-PI) 

School of Nursing Dean Sonya Renae Hardin, PhD, MBA/MHA, CCRN, NA-C, FAAN

If possible, try to limit credentials to the most relevant terminal degree and one preferred certification or license. 

Academic Learning and Teaching Center: Frequently referred to as the ALTC. Use the full name in every reference.  

accent marks (diacritical marks): Words in other languages, and a few adopted into English, sometimes have special marks above or beneath certain letters that provide help in pronunciation or meaning.  

On a MacIntosh OS, the option key can be used to create many accent and punctuation marks used in Spanish and other Romance languages: 

• á, é, í Option + e, the letter 
• è, à, ù Option + `, the letter 
• ñ, Ñ Option + n, the letter 
• ê Option + i, the letter 
• ü, Ü Option + u, the letter 
• ç,Ç Option +corC 
• ¿ Option + shift + ? 
• ¡ Option + ! 

For PC users, use these in Microsoft Word for Windows: 

• á Ctrl + ' + A 
• é Ctrl + ' + E
• í Ctrl + ' + I 
• ó Ctrl + ' + O 
• ú Ctrl + ' + U 
• É Ctrl + ' + Shift + E 
• ñ Ctrl + Shift + ~ + N 
• Ñ Ctrl + Shift + ~ + Shift + N 
• ¿ Alt + Ctrl + Shift + ? 
• ¡ Alt + Ctrl + Shift + ! 
• ü, ä, ö Ctrl + Shift + : + U, A, O 

When accenting personal names, follow the preference of the individual. 

√ Treviño, Trevino 

addresses: For UT Health Science Center at San Antonio addresses, list the department above the name of the university. Use two-letter Postal Service abbreviations only with ZIP codes. 

Should be single-spaced in copy. Never UTHSCSA.   
Use UT Health San Antonio  
Building, Mail Code  
San Antonio, TX 78284  

adviser/advisor: The preferred spelling is adviser, per AP, Chicago and Webster’s 11th. 

Air Force: Do not abbreviate except in headlines. Capitalize when referring to U.S. forces: the U.S. Air Force, the Air Force, Air Force regulations. Do not use the abbreviation USAF. Use lowercase for the forces of other nations: the Israeli air force.

Air Force Base/Air Base: Spell out, never abbreviate. Follow the practice of the U.S. Air Force, which uses Air Force base as part of the proper name for its bases in the United States and air base for its installations abroad. Some bases have become joint bases with other services.

On second reference: the Air Force base, the air base, or the base.

√ Lackland Air Force Base 

For American facilities located overseas, use air base: 

√ Bagram Air Base 

Alamo City: Popular nickname for San Antonio. Use sparingly.

Alamo Colleges District: Do not use former acronym ACCD. The system includes five colleges: San Antonio College, St. Philip’s College, Palo Alto College, Northeast Lakeview College and Northwest Vista College. 

Alamodome: The name of the 64,000-seat multipurpose stadium southeast of downtown San Antonio. It is a frequent site for commencement ceremonies, including those of UT Health San Antonio. 

alt text: Two words, no hyphen. 

ampersand: Use only in logos. In all running copy and signage, use “and.” If space is a consideration in the piece, then be consistent and use the ampersand throughout. But in general, always use “and” in running text, signage and in display text such as headings and subheadings. 

 

B

Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies: The formal name of the only aging-intensive research institute in the country to currently have all of the following four designations: the NIA-funded Nathan Shock and Claude D. Pepper centers, a testing site of the NIA-sponsored Interventions Testing Program, and a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatric Research, Education & Clinical Center. Lowercase institute on second reference.  

Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio: Biggs Institute (on second reference) is one of 33 centers in the nation and the only one in Texas recognized as a National Institute on Aging (NIA)- designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

Building names and abbreviations: Abbreviations should not be used in any story, unless using in conjunction with the full building name will aid in reader understanding for internal audiences only. The abbreviations listed below are used for the mailroom and internal maps.

Long Campus buildings:  
MED — Medical School Building  
DTL — Dental School Building  
ADM — Administration Building  
PLT — Facilities Management Building  
NSG — Nursing School Building  
CAF — Cafeteria Building  
PLC — Police Building  
LEC — Lecture Hall Building  
LIB — Dolph Briscoe Jr. Library  
UPL — University Plaza Building  
WHS — Warehouse Building  
GRN — Greenhouse  
CEP — Central Energy Plant  
GH1 — Entry Guardhouse 1  
GH2 — Entry Guardhouse 2  
GH4 — Entry Guardhouse 4  
PKA — Parking Garage   
PKB — Parking Garage and Bookstore  
RAP — Recreation Area Pavilion  
AAB — Academic and Administration Building  
SMC — Golds Gym Medical Center  
LTC — Academic Learning and Teaching Center  
CFP — Central Energy Plant Fire Pump Building  
  
Greehey Academic and Research Campus:  
MCD — McDermott Clinical Sciences Building  
AHR — Research Administration Building  
CEN — Central Energy Plant  
CCC — Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute  
MARC — Medical Arts and Research Center   
GRO — Grossman Building  
ZEL — Zeller Building  
URS — Urschel Tower  
PKC — Parking Garage  
GH5 — Entry Guardhouse 5  
GH6 — Entry Guardhouse 6  
GH7 — Entry Guardhouse 7  
STRF — South Texas Research Facility   
PKD — Parking Garage at MARC  
GH8 — Entry Guardhouse 8  
COH — Center for Oral Health Care and Research  
HCG — Center for Oral Health Care Parking Garage  
MPB — MARC Plaza Building (constructed 2016)  
  
Off-campus space   
MCP — Professional Administrative Resource Center  

bullets and lists: Bullets work well in online formats because they allow bits of information to be packaged and delivered in a concise way. Use a numbered list when the information is a set of directions that must go in order by steps. Use a numbered list for a Top 10 list or a group of items packaged based on a certain number of items. Otherwise, use bullets.  
  
A space should be placed between the intro text for a set of bullets and the bullets themselves. Use a colon after the intro text.   
  
The first word after a bullet or number in a number list must always be capitalized. Exceptions should be made for brand names that employ a lowercase letter by design: iPhone. Only use a period if the bulleted item is a complete sentence or longer fragment. This is a deviation from AP Style, which says all lists should have a period at the end of each item, even single words. Do not use a semicolon or comma at the end of each item.  All items should be parallel in sentence construction. They should start with the same part of speech, use the same voice, use the same verb tense and use the same sentence type (statement, question, exclamation).
  
Example:   

• We use lists frequently.  
• We use them to make copy easy to read.  
• We use them in academic, research and patient care pages.  

 

C

campuses: There are two campuses in San Antonio. Programs also are offered at a UT campus in Laredo.
In San Antonio: 
Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Campus, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive 
This campus is home to the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, the School of Nursing, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the School of Health Professions and the Dolph Briscoe Jr. Library.
 
Greehey Academic and Research Campus, 8403 Floyd Curl Drive 
This campus houses the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, the Research Administration Building, the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, the Barshop Institute and South Texas Aging Registry and Repository, the South Texas Research Facility, and the Robert F. McDermott Clinical Science Building, home to the Research Imaging Center, the department of ophthalmology and the division of clinical pharmacy. Also considered part of the Greehey Campus are patient care units including:

• Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, 7979 Wurzbach Road 
• Center for Oral Health Care and Research (COHCR), 8210 Floyd Curl Drive 
• Medical Arts and Research Center Campus (MARC), 8300 Floyd Curl Drive 

UT Education and Research Center at Laredo offers programs taught by faculty from UT Health San Antonio, as well as The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and UT Health Science Center at Houston. Degrees and certificates focus on a variety of health care and public health professions needed to augment the region’s health care workforce and address the need for more health care professionals throughout Texas. The UT Education and Research Center at Laredo houses UT Health San Antonio's physician assistant program.

captions and image credits: Any images that come from a non-university source must be properly credited using the guidelines outlined by the photo source, such as Shutterstock. If the vendor does not have guidelines for crediting a photo, our style is “Source: Getty Images.” Some photo databases have a specific credit line and hyperlink that we must agree to use before permission to use the image is granted; the source’s preferred caption language should supersede our style. If the image was produced in-house or is owned by UT Health San Antonio, no caption or credit line should be used, except in university magazines.

CareCredit: One word, both Cs are capitalized. The brand name for a credit card that can be used at enrolled health care practices, including the clinics at UT Dentistry. Confirm that clinics use CareCredit. Not all do.  

Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics at UT Health San Antonio: Renamed the Charles E. Cheever Jr. Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics in 2023, in honor of Charles E. Cheever Jr., a San Antonio philanthropist, businessman and community leader who died October 2021. Use the full name on first reference. "Cheever Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics" is fine on second and subsequent references. "The center," if understood, is also acceptable on second and subsequent references. The Charles E. Cheever Jr. Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics at UT Health San Antonio works to ensure that students are knowledgeable about the principles of medical ethics related to their professional activities. They are expected to be able to identify, analyze and resolve moral conflicts that arise in the care of a patient. The program helps heighten students’ sensitivity to the patient’s experience and preserve their innate empathy. 

Center for Oral Health Care and Research: "The center" is acceptable on second and subsequent references. Never use COHCR in text.

comma: Per AP Style, do not place a comma before the conjunction in a simple series, sometimes called the Oxford comma: Red, white and blue. Do use a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction (quoted from AP Style) “I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.” 

computer commands: Capitalize the name of a computer button or function when describing commands. No apostrophes. Example: Click Enter to proceed. Hit Send. Hover your mouse over the Submit button. Press Send.

conference names: Do not italicize or put in quotation marks. Treatment of formal conference names should be capitalized only.

Example: South Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Conference
Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conference

Notice if “conference” is part of the official name, it is capitalized. If it is not part of the official name, lowercase the word.

courtesy titles: Do not use courtesy titles including Dr., Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms. On first reference, use the full name followed by academic credentials. On second reference use only the last name. When possible, hyperlink the first reference of a name to a professional bio page on uthscsa.edu.

Examples:

First reference: William L. Henrich, MD, MACP
Second reference: Henrich

First reference: Jennifer Sharpe Potter, PhD, MPH
Second reference: Potter

First reference: David Shelledy, PhD, RRT, RPFT, FAARC, FASAHP
Second reference: Shelledy

First reference: Lisa M. Cleveland, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC, IBCLC, FAAN
Second reference: Cleveland

The only exception is when used in a direct quote.

Example:
“We are proud of Dr. Lechleiter’s research contributions that have led to this first-in-man clinical trial,” said Andrea Giuffrida, PhD, vice president for strategic industry ventures at UT Health San Antonio. “A novel treatment for TBI, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases will significantly impact the field of neurology and improve the lives of countless patients."

For TV interviews, default to AP style where Dr. is used as a formal title before the name of an individual who holds a doctor of dental surgery, doctor of medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathic medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine or doctor of veterinary medicine: Dr. Jonas Salk. Do not use Dr. before the names of individuals who hold other types of doctoral degrees, use their credential after their name: Cassandra Karoub, PhD

 

D

dash: The preferred style for Mission magazine is an em dash, surrounded by spaces. Example: 

By some estimates, children are much more likely to miss school days due to dental-related problems than any other illness — a worry magnified in South Texas.

For number ranges and names of universities, use an en dash with no spaces. Example: 12–120.

On a Mac, the em dash is achieved through with this keystroke: shift + option + hyphen. The en dash uses this keystroke: option + hyphen.

On a PC, for an em dash: type 2014, then Alt + x. For an en dash: type 2013, then Alt + x.

degrees: See Academic degrees.

Dentistry: The clinical practice of the School of Dentistry is called UT Dentistry. Use in all references. 

departments, divisions, centers, institutes and schools: Capitalize if referring to a specific department or other academic unit by its full proper name. Office of Institutional Analysis, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Office of the President. But in general uses: president's office. In cases of mulitple departments, lowercase all. Examples: Bob Hope, MD, is a professor of neurosurgery. But Bob Hope, MD, is a professor in the Department of Neurosurgery. In plural cases: Bob Hope, MD, is a professor in the departments of radiology, neurology and neurosurgery.

See institutes and centers. 

diabetes: There are two main forms of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Preferred style is to capitalize the T and use numbers to identify between the two.

do’s and don’ts: Don’ts does not have two apostrophes. But this is awkward so avoid and rephrase, if possible.

 

E

ebook

email: There is no space or hyphen after the e.

 

F

Facebook: Never a verb, always a capital F. People become “friends” on Facebook. People are “fans” of an organization’s Facebook presence. To “like” something is a way to affirm someone’s Facebook post. Use “like” as a noun, adjective or verb. 

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): Always spell out in news and feature stories on first reference. FERPA on second.  

fellow: Per AP, use lowercase for positions such as professor, resident and fellow. Example: She coordinated the program for family medicine residents and fellows.

 

G

Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurogenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio: Biggs Institute (on second reference) is one of 33 centers in the nation and the only one in Texas recognized as a National Institute on Aging (NIA)- designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

Google: Is a brand name. Do not use it as a verb. Use “search” or “search engine.” 

 

H

headlines: In print, web content and on digital projects, use sentence style, meaning that the first word of a headline should be capitalized, but the other words are not capitalized unless those words are proper nouns.
In general: 
Copy headlines or link text = This is sentence case. 
Label or button = This is sentence case.  
Numbers in headlines must always be in numerical form because web writing and print headlines call for concise headlines that maximize character counts. (In body copy, spell out numbers zero through nine.) 
The percent symbol, not the spelled-out word, should be used in headlines and body copy, for the same reason numbers are used in numerical form.

health care: Per AP Stylebook, always two words, no hyphen.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): This is the name of the federal law restricting release of medical information. Always spell out on first reference in news and feature stories. Second reference is HIPAA. HIPAA-compliant is acceptable.

Hispanic: The preferred term for a person from Hispanic or Latin American decent. A person from — or whose ancestors were from — a Spanish-speaking land or culture. Use a more specific identification when possible, such as Cuban, Puerto Rican or Mexican American.

hospital: The UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital is the first hospital owned and operated by UT Health San Antonio. See UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital entry.

I

inpatient/outpatient: Never hyphenated. Inpatient center.

institutes and centers: Use the formal names of each institute and center on first reference. Spell out “and” instead of using the ampersand in all running copy. For instance, it is the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases. See departments, divisions, centers, institutes and schools.

For all institutions outside of UT Health San Antonio, look up the preferred use of the name on websites and within media kits or press releases. In instances when the common use of the name used by the institution might not be clear to our readers, dig deeper to find the formal name. For example: the University of California, San Francisco, refers to itself colloquially as UCSF on its website and at times in its press releases. It also uses UC San Francisco in its press releases. Keeping in mind our audience, of which a percentage is not native to the U.S. or native English speakers, it is most helpful to use its full name. 

 

L

Laredo: The UT Health San Antonio Regional Campus at Laredo is now the UT Education and Research Center in Laredo. 

linking: Avoid using web addresses in body text. Linking is more concise and links offer a powerful way to enhance the reader’s experience. Use links to offer extra information that the reader can seek out, as opposed to bulking up an article with information that may not be specific to the point of the content at hand. Long URLs also are not reader-friendly. Linking helps the reader comprehend the content without distracting from the material.  
Anchor text should be five to seven words and meaningful words should be chosen. Avoid linking to phrases such as “go to this site” or “click here.” Don’t link an entire paragraph. This is difficult for mobile users to read and use.  

Long School of Medicine: On first reference, use the full name: Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine. After that, the Long School of Medicine or the medical school.

 

M

Mays Cancer Center: Naming convention depends on usage. For anything related to patients or patient care ONLY: Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Second reference: Mays Cancer Center

All other references (academic, research): Mays Cancer Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio or Mays Cancer Center at UT Health Science Center San Antonio. 

Second reference: Mays Cancer Center

Military Health Institute: Develops collaborative efforts within the resources of the military system in San Antonio in combination with the articulated strengths of the health science center. The Military Health Institute is an official institute of UT Health San Antonio. Never MHI in running copy. Use "the institute" on second reference.  

MyChart: Cloud-based information system at the UT Health San Antonio San Antonio Mays Cancer Center, home to MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Medical Arts and Research Center. No space between My and Chart, C is capped.  
 

N

NCI designation: Always referred to in this terminology: the only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center in Central and South Texas. Example: The Mays Cancer Center was named a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center.

numbers: Spell out numbers zero through nine in text. Use numerals for numbers 10 and higher. For amounts in the millions, billions and trillions, use a figure-word combination: 1 million people, $2 billion. For large numbers, do not use more than two numerals beyond the decimimal point. $1.7 million, 3.75 million people. Use .5 to indicate a half: 1.5 million, not 1 1/2 million.

Phone numbers should use hyphens between the first set of numbers and the second set of numbers. No parentheses. Example: 210-567-7000. The lowercase letter “x” is acceptable for extensions. Example: 210-567-7000 x0000.

 

O

obituaries and death notices: UT Health San Antonio's Office of Marketing, Communications and Media does not handle death notices of current or former employees. A brief story for publication in the university's internal newsletter, This Week, or the university's external news source, Newsroom, is limited to longstanding executive leadership — deans, vice presidents, members of the executive committee — whose impact across the university was major and continuing over a number of years. These occasionally include founding faculty and other members of the university community known throughout the region or country.

The decision to share death notices is handled by each of the deans’ offices; in this way, these announcements/tributes are sent directly to the schools’ particular faculties and staffs, the audiences that would be most aware of, and appreciative for, the contributions of the deceased. The university's intranet homepage, My UT Health, features a section entitled "Salutes & Sentiments" that is available for any member of the university to self-publish notices of deaths or celebrations.

OK: Not okay, OKay or O.K. 

orthopaedics: Use the British spelling to match the UT Health Physicians and Long School of Medicine convention. This is a deviation from AP Style.

 

P

phase 1 clinical trials: See research stages.

phone numbers: See numbers.

plural apostrophe: Words ending in “s” should not have an additional “s” added after the apostrophe. Example: Rosa Parks’ memorial service 

postdoctoral: Per AP Style, no hyphen 

primary care: All references to primary care should be primary care at UT Health San Antonio, not Primary Care Clinics at UT Health. There are more than 50 primary care providers at seven locations in the area.

professional accreditations and certifications: Do not place periods between the letters. Jane Doe, PMP, MACP. See academic degrees.

providers: This term includes doctors, nurses, physician assistants, dentists, etc. UT Health San Antonio has more than 800 providers.

publication names: Uppercase and italicize the names of magazines and journals.

 

R

Research stages: Drug studies are generally conducted in three phases in human clinical trials. In a deviation from AP style, we use the terms phase 1, phase 2 and phase 3. Note the P is lowercased, with Arabic numerals rather than Roman numerals.

S

said/says: Said is preferred in magazines, print and web copy. 

SEO: Search-engine optimization. Any of a number of methods, both human- and machine-powered, used to improve the prominence of online content in search engines, thus increasing traffic to the content. SEO is acceptable on second reference.

smartphone: One word. Avoid use of the brand names, unless necessary.

subheads: Should be sentence case, complete with period, on website copy. Subheads in news and feature stories in print publications and Newsroom are to be brief, catchy and do not have to be a complete sentence with terminal punctuation.

 

T

text, texting, texted: Acceptable in all usages as a verb for to send a text message.

times: Per AP Style, add periods between a.m. and p.m. Use figures except for noon and midnight. A colon should be used to separate hours from minutes. Examples:
9 a.m., 5:25 p.m.
For ranges, use a hyphen or the word "to": 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 8-11 a.m., noon-5 p.m. Also see abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms.

titles: Per AP Style, capitalize a title if used before a name. A title is lowercased if it appears after a name: 
President William L. Henrich 
William L. Henrich, university president

Tweet: With a capital T, is the trademarked way to refer to messages sent through Twitter.

 

U

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio: This is the official, regental name of the university and is NEVER incorrect to use. “The” is always capitalized before the formal names of all University of Texas institutions. The exception is if you are abbreviating the names such as “UTSA.” This does not take a capitalized “The” prior to the name. The consistent use of the name plays a critical role in the university’s identity system by building greater recognition throughout the community and the world. Although a “DBA” (Doing Business As) name has been used for the university, the formal, official, regental name — given by The University of Texas System Board of Regents — remains unchanged.

Official/Regental Name
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

When the UT Health San Antonio name appears as text, there should be no space between the “U” and the “T,” and periods are not used in the “UT” abbreviation. Do not break “UT” and “Health” onto separate lines when writing the institution name. “San Antonio” should always follow “UT Health,” since there are multiple UT Health institutions within the state.

Abbreviations and acronyms, such as “UTHSCSA” or “UTHSA,” are not to be used in any outward-facing communications as they fail to clearly convey the university's name, identity and reputation to the general public.

When writing text for brochures, press releases, print ads and other longer pieces of communication, the recommended designations for the university's name are:

First Reference
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Second Reference
UT Health San Antonio
This is the "DBA" (Doing Business As) name for the university.

Third Reference and Subsequent Reference
UT Health San Antonio
or: the university, the institution
or: the health science center

The University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio: Official name of the collaboration between The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and The University of Texas at San Antonio. It is one of three schools of public health in The University of Texas System. Use the official name on first reference. On second reference, the School of Public Health is acceptable. 

UT Dentistry: The clinical practice of the School of Dentistry is called UT Dentistry on first reference, then UT Dentistry. "The dentistry practice" may be used in subsequent references.

UT Health Physicians: Refers to the patient care operation at UT Health San Antonio. There are more than 20 locations throughout San Antonio and South Texas. 

Locations include:
Lions Low Vision Center of Texas
UT Health General Pediatrics
UT Health Geriatrics & Palliative Care
UT Health Medical Arts and Research Center
UT Health Medical Drive
UT Health Gateway
UT Health San Antonio Long Campus
UT Health Westgate
UT Health Outpatient and Surgery Center at Kyle Seale Parkway. Opening Spring 2024. 
UT Health De Zavala
UT Health Hill Country
UT Health Shavano
UT Health Verde Hills
Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center (see Mays Cancer Center entry.)
Robert B. Green Campus-Downtown
Texas Diabetes Institute
UT Health San Antonio at Metropolitan Methodist Plaza
Atrium clinic at Stone Oak
UT Health Westover Hills
Mercy Ministries in Laredo

UT Health San Antonio: An officially accepted variation of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, is the preferred first reference for online editorial content. No periods should be placed after the U or the T and no space should be placed between the U and T. UT Health San Antonio is the approved and preferred second reference. "University" or "institution" are acceptable third references. Avoid UTHSCSA and UTHSC. For more details on the official naming style for print and acronym preferences, go to the university's web page on university naming. 

UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital: The first hospital owned and operated by UT Health San Antonio is expected to open in late 2024 and will have 144 beds. Media boilerplate: The UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital is a best-in-class hospital delivering specialty surgeries and advanced cancer care including immunologic and stem cell therapies. The hospital brings the most innovative research conducted across South Texas and features modern technology such as touchless designs and advanced artificial intelligenc. It will be directly connected to the Mays Cancer Center — the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in South Texas — via a skybridge so that patients, their families and their specialists can easily move between the out-patient practice and inpatient hospital. This patient- and family-centered hospital offers a seamless health care experience and renewed hope for patients and those who love them.

UT Health Outpatient and Surgery Center at Kyle Seale Parkway: Because Kyle Seale is a donor name, we must always separate UT Health and Kyle Seale with the word “at.” First formal reference is UT Health San Antonio’s outpatient and surgery center at Kyle Seale Parkway. Second reference, if needed, can be UT Health San Antonio at Kyle Seale Parkway, but whenever possible, use “the center,” “the location,” the “surgery center,” or other generic references on second and subsequent references.

In local communications, this location will be referred to as stated above. However, it is referenced as UT Health San Antonio Outpatient & Surgery Center in the Board of Regents’ Captial Improvement Program.

UT Health San Antonio Transplant Center: When referring to transplant patient services of UT Health San Antonio. The actual, physical, organizational, operational unit belongs to University Health — and is called University Health Transplant Institute. 
Do not use “UT Transplant Center” or “University Transplant Center.”

Example: Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, who practices at University Health Transplant Institute.
but

Dr. Cigarroa is a physician of the UT Health San Antonio Transplant Center.

 

On second, third or multiple reference, "transplant center" is acceptable.

 

For wording on identity/relationship:

For more than 50 years, University Health and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, also called UT Health San Antonio, have partnered to offer lifesaving solid organ transplants, including liver, kidney and lung, for patients of South Texas suffering from end-stage organ failure. The University Health Transplant Institute, of University Health, is staffed by best-in-class surgeons of the faculty of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. As this clinical collaboration affords the region an unparalleled expertise in transplant surgery, the partnership of University Health and UT Health San Antonio continues to advance in excellence as a multifaceted and dynamic academic medical center.

 

Other possible shorter wording to use for identity/relationship:

The faculty and staff at the UT Health San Antonio Transplant Center are committed to improving the lives of patients with organ-failure challenges through a comprehensive, academic medical partnership with the University Health Transplant Institute. The multidisciplinary team offers lifesaving solid organ transplants, including liver, kidney and lung, as well as pancreas tumor surgery and advanced endoscopy.

 

URL (acronym for uniform resource locator): The abbreviation should always be used. URLs should be lowercase in all instances, regardless of the capitalization rules for a department or building: uthscsa.edu, ctrc.net, utdentistry.org. See “linking.”

 

V

voicemail: One word. 

VPN: Virtual private network. Always use the acronym. 

 

W

waitlist: One word when used as a noun. Hyphenate when used as a verb. For example, “Barry was put on the A-reserved waitlist, but Martha was wait-listed for B-reserved parking.” 
 
webpage: Always one word.
 
website: Always one word. Also webcam, webcast, webfeed, the web.
 
website addresses: See URL entry for more information 

We make lives better.: This is the official, registered tag line of the university. It should never be rewritten to “making lives better,” or “to make lives better.” In most cases, this does not include the circle R in body copy or headlines. It is only included when it is a stand-alone asset or statement and acting as a tag line.

When used in a sentence, it is OK to slightly deviate, but it is not encouraged.

wiki, wikis: Always lowercase. 
 
women’s: As in women’s health.