Style A to Z

In most cases, Baltimore County follows the Associated Press Stylebook (AP) This guide outlines common issues covered by AP, as well as exceptions in which we vary from AP—usually for web usability or accessibility reasons.. Exceptions to AP rules are marked with an asterisk (*).

ACRONYMS

When using an acronym, spell out the full name the first time it appears on a page, followed by the acronym in parentheses. For all subsequent references, use the acronym. However, don't identify an acronym if you aren't going to use it later on the page. Always omit periods from acronyms.

ADDRESSES *

For accessibility, spell out Street, Road, Avenue, Circle, etc., and all state names.

ALTERNATIVE TEXT

Include alternative text (also known as an alt tag) for all images and photos. The text should concisely describe what is shown in the image. If the image includes text, the alt tag should summarize it.

Don't use terms such as “image of” or “photo of” in the text.

AMPERSAND (&)

Avoid the symbol “&.” Instead, write out “and,” unless it's part of a registered trademark.

AND/OR

Never use “and/or.” Instead, choose one conjunction and allow context to imply meaning.

BOLD

Use this format sparingly to provide emphasis.

BROWSER TITLES

Browser titles should include keyword-relevant information first. Branding (e.g., "Baltimore County") appears last, set off by a hyphen.

When possible, the browser title should be unique and not shared with other pages. Titles should contain no more than 65 characters including spaces.

When a clarifying detail is required, such as the year for a recurring report, separate it with a comma.

BULLETED LISTS

Bullet points make text easier to scan and should be used whenever possible. Always include an introductory sentence before the list.

Don't use commas, semicolons or conjunctions such as "and" at the end of list items.

Try to limit each list item to one sentence. If you must include a period at the end of any item in a bulleted list, restructure all of the bullet points so they're also complete sentences.

If the list is a series of steps that describe a process, present it as a numbered list.

CAPITALIZATION

Don't use all CAPITAL LETTERS.

In headings and page titles, use title case, in which the first letter of each word is capitalized except for articles—a, the, of, etc.

In all other page content, use sentence case, capitalizing the first letter of each sentence.

Capitalize all proper nouns and names, including:

• geographic areas and localities (the Eastern Shore, New York City)
• government bodies (the U.S. Congress, the Baltimore County Council)
• historical periods (the Depression, the Enlightenment)
• names referring to a specific deity (God, Allah)
• sacred books (the Bible, the Koran)
• religions (Christianity, Judaism)
• holidays (Memorial Day, Halloween)
• registered trademarks (Xerox, General Electric)

CELL PHONE, MOBILE DEVICE

When providing a cellular phone number, “cell phone” is preferred. When discussing a cellular phone with other features such as internet access, texting or applications use “mobile device.”

CLICK/CLICK HERE

Use “select” when referencing links. Never use “click here.” See also: links.

COLON

Use a colon to introduce bulleted lists and long quotations that require their own paragraph. For short inline lists, don't use a colon.

Capitalize the first word after the colon if what follows can stand on its own as a complete sentence.

COMMA

Use commas to separate elements in a series, but don't put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series.

In a complex series of phrases, or if one of the elements in the series contains “and” or “or,” use a comma before the conjunction.

In a series that includes other series long enough to require commas, use semicolons to separate the items. This reduces confusion about which items in the series should be grouped together.

Use a comma to introduce direct quotations.

CONTACT INFORMATION

See email addresses and phone numbers.

COUNTY, THE COUNTY *

Capitalize in the context of the Baltimore County Government, or when “County” is used as a shortened version of the proper name. Don't capitalize when referring to counties in general.

COUNTY BUILDINGS

Use the following building names. This is a list of commonly mistaken building names, not a complete list.

• County Courts Building
• County Office Building
• District Court
• Historic Courthouse

COUNTY COUNCIL *

Capitalize when part of a proper name. Make lower case when used as a common noun. Baltimore County uses gender-specific titles for council members.

COUNTY EXECUTIVE

In general on the web, use "County Executive Johnny Olszewski" on first reference. Use "County Executive Olszewski" or "Olszewski" in subsequent references.

Use "Johnny" or "Johnny O" for casual or personal settings. Use "John A. Olsewzki, Jr." only for formal, ceremonial or legal documents. Both of these cases will be rare in web copy.

COURTESY TITLES

After a first reference, subsequent references generally use only a person’s last name, except in obituaries.

DASHES

Em dashes are the longest type of dash (—). Use them to signify a break in thought, emphasize an idea or set off another clause within a sentence. Commas often may be used for the same purpose. 

Dashes (—) and hyphens (-) have different purposes and shouldn't be used interchangeably. To create an em dash on a PC, use the keyboard shortcut ALT + 0151.

See also: hyphens.

DATES

Use commas to separate the day of the week, month and year.

Include the year only when it isn't the current year. The current year is usually implied by context.

For events that occurred in the past, use precise dates only when relevant. See also: days of the week and months.

DAYS OF THE WEEK

Write out unless abbreviation is required for space reasons, such as in a table. When abbreviation is absolutely necessary, use the following:

• Mon.
• Tues.
• Wed.
• Thurs.
• Fri.
• Sat.
• Sun.

DRIVE-THRU

This spelling is acceptable for all uses.

ELLIPSIS (...)

Use an ellipsis to indicate the deletion of one or more words in quotes or text. It can also be used to indicate a pause in thought or speech, but the dash is preferred for this purpose on the web.

The ellipsis is styled as three periods in a row, separated from surrounding words by one space on either side.

EMAIL

Lowercase, no hyphen.

However: e-newsletter, e-book, e-magazine.

EMAIL ADDRESSES

County employee email addresses are generally the first initial and last name of the individual, followed by “@baltimorecountymd.gov.” Email addresses aren't case sensitive and should be written in all lowercase.

On a web page, the full email address should be written out and linked to ensure a user will easily identify it.

EXCLAMATION POINT (!)

Don't use exclamation points to provide emphasis in County writing. Unless part of a quotation, always end exclamatory sentences with a period.

HEADINGS *

Use title case for headings. Capitalize all words except articles and conjunctions.

Make the first heading on a page a Heading 1 (H1). Secondary and tertiary headings are Heading 2 (H2) and Heading 3 (H3). For more information, see Headings and Paragraphs in the Writing Guide.

Ensure page headings are active and informative. Avoid cute or quirky language. Instead, provide straightforward information that can be easily scanned.

HOME PAGE

Two words, lowercase.

Refers to the front page of a website. All other site sections have main pages, not home pages.

HYPHENS

Hyphens are joiners. Use them to form a single idea from two or more words. Hyphens are usually used with compound modifiers before a noun. Hyphens (-) and dashes (—) have different purposes and should not be used interchangeably. See also: dashes.

IN PERSON, IN-PERSON

See pickup, pick-up.

INTERNET

Never capitalize.

ITALICS

Don't use italics in body copy. When emphasis is required, use bold instead.

LINKS *

Always use descriptive text to provide context for a link within a sentence. The linked text should give the user an idea of what will happen when they select it.

Linked text should include enough description that it can understood when scanning—the user shouldn't have to read the full sentence in order to understand a link's meaning.

Never use vague language such as “click here” or “read more.”

Write out URLs only when it's important for a user to know or remember an exact address.

All phone numbers should be click-to-call links for users to easily click and dial the phone number on mobile phones. Fax numbers should never be click-to-call links.

MONEY

Always precede dollar amounts with “$.” When writing an even dollar amount, don't include a decimal. Round off and write out values over one million, unless an exact amount is required.

MONTHS

Write out unless abbreviation is required for space reasons, such as in a table. When abbreviation is absolutely necessary, use the following:

• Jan.
• Feb.
• Aug.
• Sept.
• Oct.
• Nov.
• Dec.

Write out all other months in all cases.

NUMBERS

Spell out one through nine. Use numerals for 10 and above.

Spell out first through ninth. Use numerals for 10th and above.

Always spell out a number when it appears at the beginning of the sentence, except when it's a year.

Always use numerals for ages.

ONLINE

One word. Don't hyphenate.

PERCENT (%)

Spell out unless symbol is required for space reasons, such as in a table. Follow other rules for numbers outlined in this guide.

PERIODS

Include one space after a period at the end of a sentence. Periods always go inside quotation marks.

PHONE NUMBERS

Use hyphens to separate area code, never parentheses or periods. If an extension is part of a phone number, denote it with the word extension. In a contact list, always precede phone or fax numbers with an appropriate label. All phone numbers should be click-to-call links. See also: links.

PICK UP, PICKUP

Use "pickup" when a noun and adjective, or "pick up" when a verb. Use "in-person" when an adjective and "in person" for other instances.

SEASONS

Lowercase spring, summer, fall, winter and derivatives such as springtime unless part of a formal name.

SLASH (/)

Avoid wherever possible. Instead, use "and" or "or." See also: and/or.

TIME

Use figures except for noon and midnight. Separate hours from minutes with a colon, but don't include minutes for times that occur exactly on the hour.

Include a.m. and p.m.—always lowercase with periods.

Avoid redundancies such as "12 noon" or "3 p.m. this afternoon."

For web accessibility, don't include dashes in time ranges. Instead, use the word "to."

TITLES (PEOPLE)

Capitalize and spell out formal titles when they precede a full name. Use lowercase elsewhere.

TITLES (WORKS)

Indicate titles of works (e.g., books, movies, television series) with double quotation marks.

TRADEMARK SYMBOLS

Trademark symbols such as ® and ™ are never required when referencing third-party brands or products. Don't use them.

WEBEX

Must be referred to as Webex and does not need to be prefaced with “Cisco.” A Webex access code can have nine or 10 digits.

WEBSITE, THE WEB

Lowercase web in all circumstances: the web, a web page

Write compound words as one word: website, webmaster, webcast, webcam

UNDERLINING

Never underline text on the web, except for links. When emphasis is required, use bold instead.