Purpose

The purpose of this guide is to specify the rules for CIRES visual branding, define CIRES editorial style, and provide best practices for CIRES written communications. With this framework, CIRES content should be clear and consistent regardless of who creates it. 

This guide applies to all official internal and external CIRES communications, including content on the CIRES website and in news stories, institute-wide emails, and multimedia products. It ensures all CIRES content adheres to the rules of the English language and is clear, compelling, and accurate.

Reach out to the CIRES Communications team at ciresnews@colorado.edu for questions or clarification regarding the content of this guide. 

Style guide quick reference

Layout considerations

CIRES’ visual layout goals are for information to be easy to find, easy to follow, and easy to read, with minimal decorative elements. Our look is clean and uncluttered. We use images, typography, and shapes to direct the eye, add emphasis, and reinforce our identity as CIRES.

As of 2023, CIRES launched a revised website. Its look sets the tone for print and other publications. See below for specifics on fonts, color palette, and more. The site also uses shapes with rounded (rather than square) corners.

Fonts

Sans serif

CIRES uses Inter and/or Inter V as its primary font. These fonts meet criteria for being accessible and readable. 

Some legacy materials (pre-2024) use Helvetica Neue. On some platforms (ie, Google Docs, Constant Contact) InterV is not available, so substitute fonts should be other sans serif fonts, such as Roboto or Helvetica Neue.

About italics

Italic versions of these fonts are available as well, used primarily for print publication titles, rather than as a typographical design variation. See the “Styles to watch” section for more information about using italics.

DO NOT USE italics for extended text because it is difficult to read for visually impaired individuals.

Serif

For large amounts of text (such as long-form stories in Spheres), CIRES Communications uses PT Serif. 

Variations: In some cases, such as papers or proposals, CIRES Communications coordinates its work with fonts specified by the researchers.

Logo overview

The CIRES logo lockup uses the three “mountain” shapes with the initials “CIRES” underneath. Acceptable variations include the words “Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences,” but for most purposes, the lockup is sufficient.

Hex codes for CIRES logo colors:  

Turquoise: #3399cc

Green: #336666

Dark blue: #33366

Versions with name spelled out:

Where to find the logo and its variations

CIRES logos are available on the communications page on InsideCIRES. They are also available on the Communications server > Logos > CIRES. 

Variations include “CIRES” in black type, “CIRES” in white type, and an all-white CIRES for placement on a dark background when color is not an option. Use the one most appropriate for legibility.

Use cases

CIRES (and potentially other) logos should be used on all public-facing documents, including posters, and conference presentations, flyers, etc. Information on how to use logos and correct branding for slide decks and posters is in the “Guidance on branding for presentations” section of this guide. Slide and poster templates are available on the communications page on InsideCIRES. 

Note: There is no logo for CIESRDS, our current cooperative agreement with NOAA. If you are a CIRES person funded largely by our cooperative agreement with NOAA, we request you use a version of the PowerPoint templates supplied on InsideCIRES somewhere in your presentation, with all three logos and wordmarks - CIRES, CU Boulder, and NOAA – as well as words describing CIESRDS, our cooperative agreement): “This work is funded through CIESRDS, a cooperative agreement between NOAA and CU Boulder.”

Combinations

When using multiple logos (e.g., CIRES, CU Boulder, and NOAA), keep all logos similarly sized. The order of the logos depends on the primary agency in charge. Logos in order of importance appear from left to right, with the lefthand logo as the primary agency. Other agencies may have their own policies about logo use. 

CU Boulder requires the use of logos that include the wording “University of Colorado Boulder.” Avoid using just the “CU” logomark without words. 

Examples of correct combinations:

Preconstructed combinations of CIRES, CU Boulder, and/or NOAA logos are available on the communications page on InsideCIRES. 

Note: There is no logo for CIESRDS. If your work is funded primarily by the cooperative agreement with NOAA, please use the CU Boulder, CIRES, and NOAA logos together on a title slide, and the following words: “This work is funded through CIESRDS, a cooperative agreement between NOAA and CIRES/CU Boulder.”

This NOAA web page has information about the proper use of the NOAA logo. This CU Boulder web page has information about the proper use of the CU Boulder logo. Reach out to ciresnews@colorado.edu for questions and guidance.

Logo misuse

Keep the acronym and visual element together; do not separate.

Photography and other visuals

Selection guidelines

Photos and images should: 

• Reproduce sharply in the selected format
• Check for blurriness and pixelization and edit or change the image if it’s not sharp
• Emphasize humans within CIRES at work when possible and relevant to the content
• Depict diversity if it’s possible and be representative of the situation depicted. Consider:
  • Are all the persons in the images from the same community? Does the image imply that only a certain kind of person is part of that situation or group?
  • Do we have images representing that situation/group that includes diverse members? What would we need to do to include more diversity in the images? 
  • Does my image perpetuate stereotypes? Use this guide from UCLA to find out. 
• Complement and amplify headlines, subheads, and other display text
• Put the visual emphasis on the subject matter by cropping out nonessential portions
• Prioritize communication, not just “break up the gray” 

AI-generated images

Sometimes it can be expedient to use AI-generated imagery for illustration, because of quick deadlines, or the difficulty of finding a suitable image in the CIRES media library or other sources. Check out the Resources section below for rich sources in the public domain.

• Wherever possible, use “real imagery”: undoctored photographs or illustrations that don’t attempt to present themselves as photographs. 
• If using AI to create an illustration, use a style that makes it clear you have created the image. 
• If you are uncertain whether you have followed these guidelines, have CIRES Comms review your image. 
• Caption all AI-generated images with “Created using AI tools in [whatever program]/Name of Creator/CIRES.”

Captions

Cover the basics: Include who/what/when/where. Assume that the only thing a reader views is the image and the caption, and include information that tells that story. Don’t make viewers dig through the text to find out why you included this image. A well-written caption can get the viewer involved in reading more of the story.

Keep them concise but informative: If you’ve selected a photo that requires a very long caption to explain why it appears, you’ve probably chosen the wrong photo.

If a photo has three or fewer people, name them in the caption if at all possible. If the photo is used in a generic way, it is acceptable to omit their names and still use the image. 

Permissions

It is good practice to get permission from anyone you take a photo (or video footage) of, but it’s not required. However, always ensure you get written permission to show the face of someone under the age of 18. Use this CIRES photo release form to document written permission. 

At CIRES events, it is our practice to inform attendees that the general expectation is that photos will be taken and could be shared publicly. If attendees don’t want their photos taken, they will need to notify the event organizer, who can work with the photographer or CIRES communications to avoid taking that person’s photo. 

Alt text

In emails and online, use alt text to describe what is going on in a photo or other image briefly but completely for someone who is visually impaired. For example: “Ominous dark clouds against an even darker sky.” Or: “Two people sit on a grassy slope outdoors, engaged in animated conversation.” 

Note that alt text for graphic images needs to include the complete text of the graphic and its gist. For example: “Bar chart shows 50 percent of people (the majority) surveyed prefer vanilla ice cream, 30 percent prefer chocolate chip, and 20 percent had no preference. Data from July 1995.”

Attribution/copyright

In this age of AI-generated images and “deepfakes,” attribution has become essential to credible photo usage.

Credit all photos in their captions, including public domain and CIRES photos. Most “.gov” sites include public domain images that anyone can use, but check. (“Public domain” designation means the image is copyright-free and can be used anywhere for any purpose.)

If you find an image but don’t know its copyright information, check the source. Do not assume that because an image comes up on a Google search, you can use it. 

If there is no copyright or permission information, DO NOT USE THE PHOTO. 

To find images you CAN use in a Google image search, when your search results are displayed, click the “Tools” button under the search bar, click “Usage rights” and select “Creative Commons licenses.” 

Also check the resources listed below.

If permission is required, contact the owner(s) of the image. Keep any correspondence about use.

Language: Use “Photo: Name/Group.” Examples:

Photo: Karin Vergoth/CIRES and NOAA

Photo: Kathy Bogan/CIRES

Photo: CIRES (when you don’t know the photographer but know it’s CIRES)

*use CIRES affiliation when the person has moved on. 

Resources

CIRES Media library (searchable by keyword)

Wikimedia Commons. Credit as indicated by image; prefer those in public domain

Pixabay, Unsplash for generic, copyright-free/public-domain images.

Public domain images from various media libraries (most are public domain but check):

• Mauna Loa Observatory Photo Gallery! https://gml.noaa.gov/obop/mlo/gallery/ 
• Barrow Observatory: https://gml.noaa.gov/obop/brw/gallery/ 
• Paleoclimate (all from 2014 or earlier): https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/slidesets/icecore-polar/ 
• National Interagency Fire Center's Flickr feed: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nifc/page1 
• USDA (ag, drought, etc):  https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/images/image-gallery/ 
• USFS: https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/images/image-gallery/ 
• NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/index.html 
• NOAA: https://photolib.noaa.gov/ 
• California Department of Water Resources (requires login): https://pixel-ca-dwr.photoshelter.com/index
• NASA Scientific Visualization Studio: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 

Video branding and style

All videos produced by CIRES should have consistent visual branding as laid out in this guide. 

Size and aspect ratio

All videos should be at least HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels); 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) is preferable. Videos should be in landscape orientation unless they are being posted to a social media site that uses portrait orientation (TikTok or Instagram reels). 

Videos must be in widescreen (16:9) format. For webinars where slides are presented, slides must also be in widescreen format. 

Captions

All videos (both pre-recorded and live) should have either on-screen captions or closed captioning available. On-screen captions should use the official CIRES font (Inter or Inter V). 

• Use a larger font size for readability on mobile devices. 
• Make the caption text white on top of a blue background box (Hex code 004CAA) with rounded corners or blue text with a white background box (see example below). 

• Keep text to the lower third of the screen. Identify individuals by name, title, and institution when they first appear on screen or when their voice is first heard (for a voiceover). 

Branding

Videos should have the CIRES logo in the top left corner displayed throughout the video at 75% opacity (see example below). Use the file called “CIRES logo for video” (a transparent CIRES logo on a white circle background). Logo specs are:

• For HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels): 15% size, 80x, 80y position
• For 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels): 30% size, 160x, 160y position
• The CIRES logo used for video is available on the communications page on InsideCIRES

All videos should have the CIRES closing animation sequence included at the end of the video. Videos can include an opening animation sequence with the video title if the producer chooses to include it. The opening animation isn’t required but may be useful for webinars or science talks where you would like to add a title or other information. The CIRES opening and closing animations are available on the communications page on InsideCIRES.

Here are some sizing guidelines for video title text (sizing can be adjusted to account for the amount of text you need to fit on the screen). 

• Title: roughly 90 pt, Inter V black
• Subtitles: roughly 60 pt, Inter V bold 
• Byline and date: roughly 50 pt, Inter V light 

Attribution of source footage

All footage, still imagery, music, and other assets used in CIRES videos must be credited. Place credits in the video description if the video is posted to YouTube; you should also add the credits on-screen to the end of the video before the closing animation sequence. Ask CIRES Communications for assistance if needed. 

Posting videos to YouTube

• Thumbnails: If a video is being posted to the CIRES YouTube page, it should have a thumbnail image to draw viewers in and let them know what the video is about. A good idea is to take a compelling still image from the video and write a sentence to go with it. Some example thumbnail images are below. CIRES Communications can create custom thumbnails if needed. 

• Titles and descriptions: Video titles should be in sentence case (Only the first word and proper nouns capitalized). Titles should be short and descriptive but provide proper context; for example, if the video is a recording of a webinar, have the title begin with “Webinar:” and then provide the actual title. Descriptions should provide enough information so that someone unfamiliar with CIRES can understand what the video is about. 

Guidance on branding for presentations

CIRES-branded presentation templates are available for PowerPoint and Google Slides. You can choose between using the full CIRES template or just a CIRES-branded title slide. Templates are available for CIRES researchers and staff on the communications page on InsideCIRES. 

Presentations should be in widescreen format (16:9 aspect ratio). Only use standard format (4:3 aspect ratio) for slides that need to be printed on letter paper. 

Accessibility

CIRES print and digital content should be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Our content should adhere to the international standard for accessibility, called Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). A summary of those guidelines, as they relate to CIRES content, is below. The main items to consider are color contrast, text formatting, and incorporating web links. More information on content accessibility is available on the Web Accessibility Initiative website. This CU Boulder resource page has even more detailed information on digital accessibility. 

Color contrast

Contrast and color use are vital to accessibility. This Pantone article has information on the various color spaces and the different ways colors are defined digitally (RGB, CMYK, etc.)

Color contrast specifications

Text must have a distinct contrast (difference in lightness) with its background to be legible. This difference is expressed as a ratio ranging from 1:1 (white text on a white background) to 21:1 (black text on a white background, or vice versa). Guidelines for color contrast minimums are below. 

• You cannot round up a contrast score; for example, if your contrast ratio is 4.45:1, you cannot round up to 4.5:1. 
• Use an online tool like the WebAIM contrast checker to determine your text-to-background contrast ratio. The WebAIM website has more information on color contrast. 
• Avoid background textures or graphics that make text harder to read. 

Exceptions to these rules

Color contrast requirements apply to text and graphics that are essential for understanding the content or functionality; text that is decorative or part of a logo does not need to meet the minimum contrast ratio.

Text formatting

This article from Harvard University has guidelines for making text as readable and accessible as possible. 

General considerations

• Avoid using very small font sizes; use a font size of 12 pt or larger. 
• Left-aligned text is easiest to read; use center-aligned text sparingly and only when the text is fewer than three lines. 
• Limit the different styles of font used; stick with the CIRES fonts as often as possible. Avoid serif fonts, decorative lettering, and fonts that mimic human script. 
• Avoid using ALL CAPS. Words written in all caps are harder to read because they have a uniform rectangular shape, so readers can't identify words by their shape.
• Use italics, bold, and underline selectively; avoid using them for entire paragraphs. 
• Use short copy and bulleted lists to break up big blocks of text. 

Web links

Hyperlinks are an important part of web accessibility. Some general guidelines for web links are below. These guidelines apply to web pages, interactive PDFs, and other digital documents. This ADA web page has good background information on how people with disabilities use websites and some of the barriers they face when accessing digital information. 

How to properly insert web links

1. Use concise and meaningful text. Make sure your links use descriptive language to identify the destination page and that the text can stand on its own (that it makes sense out of context). 
   1. Avoid inserting links with just these phrases and no context: Click here, more, read more, find out more, click for details. If you must, you can add text for context (“Learn more about student housing here”), but try using an alternate phrase that is more descriptive (see examples below). 

Use: 

Visit the CIRES website to learn about our research.

This CIRES blog post describes how to state your affiliation properly. 

Avoid: 
For more information, click here.

Visit this page for more information: https://research.noaa.gov/2024/04/05/no-sign-of-greenhouse-gases-increases-slowing-in-2023/ 

2. Indicate the destination file type. If a link points to a PDF or other file rather than a web page, indicate that in the link text: “CU Boulder Digital Accessibility Standards (pdf).
3. Keep links short and avoid using full URLs. Keep links under 100 characters. Don’t use the full URL; screen readers will read the entire thing, letter by letter. 
4. Short URLs may be used occasionally if the point is to convey what the URL is to the user, such as for website homepages like www.noaa.gov. 
5. Use unique language for each link. Avoid using the same link text for links that lead to different destinations.
   1. Use: We have CIRES PowerPoint templates and CIRES Keynote templates.
   2. Avoid: Here are CIRES templates for PowerPoint and templates for Keynote. 
6. Use an underline or other indicator. Color is often used to separate a link from regular text; underlining or bolding the text provides accessibility to those who can’t discern color. 

This CU Boulder resource page has more examples of good and bad link text. 

Editorial style

Overview

All CIRES and CU Boulder communications follow Associated Press (AP) style; any exceptions are indicated in this guide. Here is CU’s style guide for reference. 

For brevity, this guide will not define all AP style rules but will outline style points that require special attention. 

Refer to the AP stylebook for full details. Another resource is The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White; it presents a comprehensive guide to writing in proper American English. 

Note: CIRES’ annual magazine, Spheres, may deviate from the rules described here. 

Voice and tone

CIRES written content should be clear and concise, using the active voice whenever possible. CIRES style is conversational rather than technical; if you were to read your writing aloud, it should sound natural to speak the words. When writing broadly for the CIRES community, aim for a high school reading level with minimal jargon, abbreviations, and technical terms. 

CIRES’ writing voice is: 

• Professional but not stuffy
• Smart and knowledgeable but not superior
• Conversational and clever but not silly or irreverent
• Friendly, inclusive, and welcoming
• Clear, concise, and accurate 

All written communications represent CIRES. Avoid writing anything politically biased, controversial, offensive, or insensitive. Reach out to CIRES Communications at ciresnews@colorado.edu if you’re unsure about whether your language is appropriate. 

Using respectful language

CIRES uses language that preserves the dignity, integrity, and humanity of all individuals. All CIRES written content should be free from words, phrases, or tones that stereotype, offend, exclude, or discriminate against individuals based on their identities. In general, our language should mirror the language that groups or individuals use to identify themselves. 

As a general rule, avoid mentioning an individual’s status in the categories below (age, race, etc.) unless it is relevant to the story. 

Note: CIRES researchers may use language in academic papers that does not adhere to this style guide. When writing about CIRES research, it’s best to use the terms outlined in this guide unless a term is linked to study data. For example, “Asian” is a U.S. census designation; a news story about CIRES research that used U.S. census data would need to use the term “Asian” to accurately describe the findings. 

Age and sexual orientation

Mentioning a person’s age may be appropriate for certain awards, recognitions, career milestones, or exceptional achievements. 

Do not identify someone as a member of the LBGTQ+ community unless you have permission to do so. “Queer” is an umbrella term sometimes used by LGBTQ+ people to refer to the entire LGBTQ+ community, but it is offensive to some people. Use only if a person or organization identifies with this term or if the term is used in a direct quote.

Disability

Ask whether a person prefers person-first language (“John has autism”) or identity-first language (“John is autistic”). This NIH style guide has more info on person-first language and why we use it. When you can’t determine an individual or group’s preference, try to use a mix of person-first and identity-first language (as recommended by the AP Stylebook). 

Avoid using words like “normal” or “usual” when describing people who don’t have a disability. Avoid words that connote pity or have negative associations (e.g., “stricken with” or “victim of”). 

Gender and gender identity

Use proper pronouns

Use the person’s correct pronouns, and ask the person for their pronouns if you’re unsure. Avoid the term “preferred” pronouns; pronouns are not a preference. (“Jim’s pronouns are he/him.”) 

If a person uses they/them pronouns, include the pronouns upon first reference (see this CIRES news story for an example). It is acceptable to use “their” in a singular context when the gender of the person is unspecified, unknown, or the preferred pronoun of the individual. 

Avoid gendered language

Avoid masculine-specific terms like mankind, manned aircraft, chairman, fireman, etc. Rather, use terms like chairperson, crewed aircraft, humankind, etc. Avoid using “woman” or “lady” as an adjective (e.g., a woman pilot, a lady doctor). 

Also avoid using masculine pronouns or “he/she” when referring to generic people or groups (i.e., do not write a sentence like “Each student must show his BuffOne Card to enter the dining center” or “A student can buy a ticket at the door if he/she wishes”). Use plurals instead (“Students must show their BuffOne Cards to enter the UMC”).

Use proper names 

Use the name a person gives you; do not refer to a person by a previous name. In the context of the transgender and non-binary communities, this is known as “deadnaming” – using the name the person was given at birth or another former name instead of the name they use after transitioning. However, this rule applies to all name changes (e.g., marriage, divorce). 

If a person has changed their name but the content references a publication with the person’s previous name, ask the person what they would prefer and offer a few options. For example, you could insert a footnote such as: “Jane Doe, Jane Smith, and Jane Eyre are the same person; name changed to Jane Smith in 1998, name changed to Jane Eyre in 2005.” 

Be aware of cultural differences in names. In some cultures, names are said and written as surname/given name rather than the Western practice of given name/surname. If you’re unsure about a person’s name, ask them to clarify.

Native and Indigenous Nations, Tribes

This section refers to Native peoples and Nations in the United States; for terminology in other countries, consult a guide from that specific country.

Use a person’s preferred Native Nation or Tribal affiliation(s); ask whether they prefer the use of “Nation” or “Tribe.” Capitalize “Indigenous,” “Native,” “Nation,” and “Tribe” when referring to these peoples and communities. 

Always capitalize “Tribe” as a noun and “Tribal” as an adjective (when referring to Tribal knowledge or culture). Even though it contradicts how we write other plurals, DO capitalize Tribal and Nation when referring to multiple distinct tribes (“Acoma and Sioux Tribes”). Avoid using “Tribe” colloquially or for describing other kinds of groups. 

When writing about a Tribal Nation, use the name and spelling the Nation uses for itself. Avoid possessive language (e.g., Washington’s Native Nations); instead, use language such as “the Native Nations that share geography with Washington.” “Citizen,” “member,” and “enrolled member” are generally acceptable but check with the person, as each Native Nation has its own criteria for membership.

Language and terminology are evolving, so consult the person or group you’re writing about or a source such as the Native Governance Center if you’re unsure what terms to use.

Race, ethnicity, and national origin

There are numerous ways a person can identify, so if you are writing about a person’s race or ethnicity, ask the person how they identify.

Capitalize Black (as an adjective) when reflective of people who are part of the African diaspora with shared cultures and experiences; do not use Black as a singular or plural noun.

Avoid the term “minority.” Instead, use the specific name of the group or groups to which you refer, or use broader terms such as “people of color,” “communities of color,” “underserved,” or “historically excluded.” You may also consider using the phrase “individuals from underrepresented groups,” or “historically marginalized communities.” 

Avoid using umbrella terms to describe a person’s national origin; instead, be specific (e.g., “He is Cambodian” instead of “He is Asian”). 

Avoid the terms developing world, emerging economy, Global South, or Third World to describe any country or region. These terms are geographically imprecise, do not have widely accepted definitions, and are generally used as sanitized synonyms for poverty. 

Note that Hispanic/Latino is a census term and does indicate overlapping groups. Always check with an individual, if they are part of the article, to get their preference on the term used for their social identity groups.

Socioeconomic and veteran status

Use asset-based, people-first language when discussing socioeconomic status rather than deficit-based language such as “at-risk,” “poor,” or “low-class.” Asset-based language, such as “students striving to overcome a threatening environment and graduate,” emphasizes aspirations. By contrast, deficit-based language focuses on a lack of resources and has negative connotations. 

Use specific language to address quality or lack of housing or length of time without housing. For example: “CU Boulder students experiencing homelessness,” “people who are homeless,” “people using emergency shelters,” or “people in transitional housing,” rather than calling people “the homeless.”

Anyone who has served in the military and has been released from active duty is considered a veteran; anyone still active is a service member. Use capitals when referring to US armed forces (“US Army,” “the Air Force”) – but not for other nations (“the French army”). 

Styles to watch

Here are common errors to avoid and other points that require special attention. 

Capitalization, italics, names, and formal titles

• Capitalize official names and proper nouns. Use the full, official name on first reference; on subsequent references, any common nouns or shortened forms of official names are lowercase. 
• “The Colorado Collection contains more than 5,000 works of art. Curators started the collection in 1939 as a teaching tool for students.” 
• Avoid unnecessary capitals. When too many words are capitalized, they lose their importance and no longer attract attention. Copy is more easily read when it isn’t peppered with capitalizations. Never write full sentences in all caps. 
• Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence: 
  • “He promised this: The company will make good on all the losses.” 
  • “There were three considerations: expense, time, and feasibility.” 
• Use italics for names of academic journals (Geophysical Research Letters) and print news publications (The Washington Post); avoid italics in other situations. 
• When spelling out academic degrees, lowercase bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctorate, but capitalize Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science, Juris Doctor, etc. 
• Formal titles are capitalized only when they precede a name, not after. “President Joe Biden”; “Joe Biden, president of the United States.”  
• Omit the titles “Dr.,” “Mr.,” Mrs.,” etc., except for medical doctors (MDs) in cases where it is relevant to the story.  However, when advertising highly prestigious seminars and colloquia (like the CIRES Distinguished Lecture Series), consider using Dr. or Prof., depending on the presenter’s preference. 
• Omit periods from abbreviations of academic degrees (BA, BS, MA, PhD, MBA, JD).
• Include a person’s academic degree only after their full name — never after just a last name — and only on first reference. “Clara Barton, PhD” 

When describing a CIRES/CU Boulder professor, use their title as described on their CIRES or CU Boulder web page, but write it lowercase: “Kathryn Materna, assistant professor of geological sciences at CU Boulder.” 

Abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms

Abbreviations are truncated words (Rx, org, comms); acronyms are formed from the initial letters of words in a phrase and pronounced as a word (CIRES, NASA, NOAA); initialisms are acronyms pronounced as individual letters (DNA, DIY, CPU, VIP). For this section, “abbreviation” will refer to all these terms. 

General rules:

• Use abbreviations sparingly and only when they enhance comprehension; for example, when your copy refers repeatedly to a lengthy name or term. If your copy only mentions an abbreviation once or twice, don’t abbreviate. 
• Spell out the full entity or term on first reference and follow with the abbreviation in parentheses: “NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).” Avoid using periods in abbreviations, unless confusion might result (e.g., write VP rather than V.P.)
• Some abbreviations are common enough (in CIRES communications or in general) that they can be used without being spelled out on first reference. These include CIRES, NOAA, CU Boulder, NASA, FBI, CIA, IRS, and NATO. 
• STEM as an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics is acceptable on first reference. 
• Spell out the names of NOAA labs (Chemical Sciences Laboratory, etc.) on first reference; abbreviations are acceptable on first reference for Spheres. 
• If a source uses an abbreviation in a quote and that abbreviation hasn’t yet been defined, include the full name in brackets immediately after the abbreviation: “We find MCB [marine cloud brightening] to be a viable option for mitigating climate change,” Johnson said. 

Dates, times, and places

• Dates
  • Write dates as “Wednesday, June 1, 2022,” or simply “June 1, 2022.” 
  • Write out the full names of the months and days of the week.
  • Use a comma after the year if it appears mid-sentence: “Wednesday, June 1, 2022, is the last day to apply.” 
  • Use cardinal numbers for dates, not ordinals: write July 10, not July 10th. 
• Times
  • Use lowercase am and pm without periods. For times that are on the hour, the “00” of minutes can be omitted unless used in conjunction with a time that requires minutes. Express times of day in 12-hour time format; avoid 24-hour military time. Indicate the time zone when appropriate. 
    • Use: 4 am, 2:30 pm EST.
    • Use: 11:00 am to 1:30 pm  
    • Avoid: 2:30 P.M., 3:15 AM, 12:10 p.m., 14:00. 
• Time spans
  • In full sentences, use the words “to” and “from” to indicate a time span. Hyphens are acceptable for bulleted lists, but don’t mix words and hyphens:
    • Use: She attended Yale from 2003 to 2007. 
    • Use: The meeting will take place from 10 am to 2 pm. 
    • Use: Session times: 11:00 am - 1:30 pm. 
    • Avoid: The session runs from 10 - 11 am. 
• Places
  • Always write out the full names of the 50 U.S. states.  
  • Don’t capitalize “city” for names like “the city of Boulder.”
  • For geologic features such as rivers, oceans, basins, and mountain ranges: Capitalize the feature name for singular features, but lowercase for plural features: 
    • Singular: Atlantic Ocean, Mississippi River Basin
    • Plural: Atlantic and Pacific oceans; Colorado and Mississippi River basins
  • United States
    • Use periods with the two-letter abbreviation for United States (U.S.). Do not use periods with the three-letter abbreviation for United States of America (USA). However, in headlines and subheads, omit the periods and write “US.” 
    • “U.S.” is preferable to “USA.” 
    • “United States” and “U.S.” (no spaces) are both acceptable on first reference. “U.S.” can be used as both a noun and an adjective:
      • As a noun: The prime minister left for the U.S. yesterday.
      • As an adjective: A U.S. soldier was killed in action yesterday.

Numbers, quantities, and units of measurement

• Numbers 
  • Spell out cardinal numbers one through nine unless used with a unit of measure. Spell out ordinal numbers first through ninth. Use numerals for 10, 10th, and higher.
• Ages
  • Always use numerals for ages of people and animals; use hyphens when the age becomes an adjective (e.g., “a 19-year-old student” is hyphenated; “the dog is 2 years old” is not). 
• Units
  • Always spell out measurement units. For example: millimeters, kilometers, acres. Never abbreviate units; it can cause confusion. For example, “18 nm” could mean 18 nautical miles or 18 nanometers. The reader should not have to use context to figure out the correct units.
  • Use both SI and English units when possible. Write the SI units first, with English units in parentheses following: “She ran 18 kilometers (11 miles).”
  • For areas and volumes, avoid superscripts; write “square meters,” “cubic meters,” or “meters squared,” as opposed to “meters²” or “m².” 
  • When writing about land area, use acres if referring to a small area (less than a square kilometer). Use square kilometers or square miles for large areas; one square kilometer is roughly 247 acres. 
  • Write temperatures as a numeral followed by degrees C, with English units in parentheses. “Temperates rose by 4 degrees C (7.2 degrees F).”
  • Use a hyphen or the word “minus” to indicate negative temperatures. 
• Percents 
  • Spell out the word “percent” in all cases:  “Average hourly pay rose 3.1 percent from 2021 to 2022.” Avoid the percent symbol (%). 
    • For amounts less than 1 percent, precede the decimal with a zero: “The cost of living rose 0.6 percent.”
    • In casual uses, use words rather than numbers: “He has a zero percent chance of winning the race.”
• Ratios
  • Use colons to describe ratios: “a 2:1 ratio” 
• Social math
  • Use social math when appropriate to help your reader understand the scale of the quantity you are describing. For example: “He ran 200 yards, or the length of two football fields.” The Measure of Things is a great resource for finding social math comparisons.
• Quantities
  • Describe quantities precisely. When referring to quantities, use “more than,” not “over,” and “less than” or “fewer than,” not “under.”

Grammar and punctuation

• Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks. 
• Use only one space after a punctuation mark (period, question mark, comma, colon, or semicolon). 
• We DO use the serial comma (Oxford comma).  
  • Use: “She packed leggings, jeans, and sweatpants.”
  • Avoid: “She packed leggings, jeans and sweatpants.”
• Apostrophes indicate possession or a contraction; they don’t indicate a number, so never use an apostrophe to pluralize a word. 
• That vs. which: Put a comma before “which” but not before “that.” “Which” is used for clauses that are not essential to the understanding of the sentence; “that” is used for essential information. For example:
  • “She wore the same red parka that her brother had worn the year before.”
  • “She picked up the red parka, which she loved, and put it on.”
• Use commas to indicate a person’s title or position when it comes after their name; do NOT use a comma for their name when it comes after the title:
  • Use: “Jane Seymour, professor of Geology, recently authored a new study…”
  • Use: “Geology Professor Jane Seymour recently authored a new study…”
  • Avoid: “Geology professor, Jane Seymour, recently authored a new study…”
• Use periods in bulleted lists ONLY when the text contains full sentences: 

Hyphens and dashes

There are three lengths of dashes: the hyphen (-), en dash (–), and em dash (—). Don’t use them interchangeably! 

Hyphens

• A hyphen (-) joins two words or parts of words. The hyphen connects two words that function as a single concept to modify a noun (a compound modifier). However, not all compound modifiers need hyphens! 
• As a general rule, use hyphens to avoid ambiguity or to form a single idea. Use the hyphen if it makes a sentence easier to read; remove it if it makes it harder. This Grammarly blog post has more details on hyphen usage. There should be no spaces surrounding a hyphen.
• Use a hyphen to:
  • Join two separate modifiers when they precede the noun: 
    • “They took real-time measurements.”
    • “It’s a state-of-the-art machine.” 
    • “She lives in an off-campus apartment.” 
    • “It’s a good long-term plan.”
  • Join two modifiers that have consecutive letters: 
    • “Anti-intellectual,” “Shell-like” 
  • Avoid ambiguity:
    • “Co-op” (as opposed to coop), “re-signed” (as opposed to resigned),  “re-enrolled,” “re-admitted.”
  • Write phone numbers: 206-685-5410. 
• Avoid using a hyphen when: 
  • The modifier has an adverb ending in –ly:
    • “newly created center” 
    • “federally funded research”
  • The modifiers come after the noun: 
    • “Her apartment is off campus.” 
    • “Our observations were made in real time.”
  • The modifier is one concept split into two words. Some terms are regarded as a single phrase: real estate license, emergency room doctor, parking lot attendant. The first two words in each of those aren't hyphenated because they are, in effect, a single phrase. At CIRES, the most common phrases we use that fall into this category are sea ice information and sea level rise. 
• Common words/phrases/modifiers and when to hyphenate:
  • Sea ice, sea ice information: no hyphens; however, DO hyphenate when using the phrase “sea ice-related”
  • Sea level rise: no hyphens
  • Climate change-related: use hyphen before “related”
  • Open access journal: no hyphen, even when used as a modifier (“The open access journal,” “The journal is open access”) 
  • Machine learning: no hyphen
  • Peer-reviewed journal: hyphen when used as a modifier; no hyphen otherwise (“The peer review process,” “The paper went through peer review”)
  • Plain language summary: no hyphen 
  • Co-author: use hyphen 
  • Time-lapse: use hyphen (“time-lapse imagery”)
  • Policymakers and policymaking: Use as compound words with no hyphens
  • Preprints: Use “preprints,” as in “ESSOAr, a preprint server,” with no hyphen

Dashes

AP style is to avoid the en dash (–); however, for reference, en dashes are used to indicate a range, such as “The conflict lasted from 1920–1922” and “The team’s record is 4–0.” For CIRES style, use either a hyphen or the word “to” where an en dash might otherwise be used (“The conflict lasted from 1920 to 1922”; “Their record is 4-0”). 

Em dashes (—) are used in sentences to signal abrupt change, when commas or parentheses aren’t enough. Em dashes should have a space on either end. Em dashes can be used to set off a series that contains commas.

• “I write comedies — not tragedies.”
• “She reviewed her grocery list — eggs, milk, and butter — before grabbing her keys.” 
   

Science- and academia-related terms

• Earth, Sun, and Moon (Earth’s Moon), as proper nouns, are capitalized. Moon as a general term (i.e., a moon of Saturn) is lowercase; “earth” referring to actual ground (soil), is lowercase. 
• Postdoc: Avoid the informal “postdoc” jargon and instead write “postdoctoral researcher.”
• Academic journal titles should be italicized. 
• Avoid using scientific abbreviations, chemical formulas, and shorthand whenever possible (i.e., spell out carbon dioxide rather than writing CO2). Never use chemical formulas in headlines or titles. 
  • Using chemical formulas can cause confusion; for example, “CO” could mean carbon monoxide or Colorado. 
• Avoid superscripts and subscripts.
• COVID: “COVID-19” is acceptable for all references to the coronavirus pandemic. 
• Use “climate change” rather than “global warming.” The terms “climate crisis” and “climate emergency” are acceptable.
• Avoid terms like climate change deniers, climate change skeptics, or climate change doubters. Be specific about an individual or group of people's beliefs. 
• Use “average” rather than “mean.” Mean is the proper statistical term, but it has multiple meanings, so using it can be confusing. 
• Altitude vs. elevation: use altitude when referring to something happening in Earth’s atmosphere; use elevation when referring to something happening on Earth’s surface.
  • “They flew at an altitude of 35,000 feet.”
  • “The mountain summit is at 14,000 feet of elevation.” 
• Lidar: Use lowercase letters for lidar (similar to radar). 
• Gases: Pluralize “gas” as “gases.” Avoid “gasses.”
• Sea ice and sea level 
  • Never hyphenate sea ice or sea level. “Sea ice information,” “sea ice data,” or “sea level rise” are not hyphenated because they are one concept that happens to be two words. 
• Particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, etc.)
  • On first reference, write out a description of the particulate matter, with the abbreviation in parentheses:
  • For PM2.5: On first reference, write “fine particulate matter (PM2.5),” Use PM2.5 on subsequent references. As always, consider defining further by explaining why we care (which can be inhaled into the lungs, where it causes damage…)
  • For PM10: On first reference, write “particulate matter smaller than 10 microns in diameter (PM10),” or “inhalable particulate matter (PM10),” or something similar; use PM10 on subsequent references. 
• “Artificial intelligence” is not capitalized; AI is acceptable in headlines and on second reference in text. 
• Avoid Latin terms like in situ, in vitro, in utero, etc. 
• El Niño-Southern Oscillation: use a hyphen between Niño and Southern. 
• Gulf of Mexico: CIRES uses Gulf of Mexico, following AP’s guidance. 
• This NIH style guide has guidance for using medical terms. 

Terms specific to CIRES and CU Boulder

• CU Boulder academic departments 
  • Capitalize full, formal department names (Department of Economics) and lowercase shortened or informal titles and areas of study (“economics department”; “She is a graduate student in environmental sciences”). Refer to the CU Boulder editorial style guide for other items specific to CU Boulder. See the names and titles section above for properly writing CIRES/CU Boulder professor titles. 
• Proper names of CIRES groups and their abbreviations: 
  • CIRES Members' Council 
  • Council of Fellows
  • CIRES Early Career Assembly (CECA; previously known as CIRES Graduate Association)
  • Outstanding Performance Award (OPA) 
  • Visiting Fellows Program (VFP)
  • CIRES fellows: follow the same rule as for job titles. Capitalize “fellow” when it precedes the person’s name; write it lowercase when it comes after: “CIRES Fellow Christine Wiedinmyer”; “Christine Wiedinmyer, who is a CIRES fellow.”
  • Note that both the CIRES Members' Council and the CIRES Message Center can be abbreviated as CMC; write out the full names for clarity whenever possible. 
• CIESRDS
  • Our institute is named CIRES; CIESRDS is our current cooperative agreement with NOAA. Use CIESRDS only when referring to research at NOAA funded by this cooperative agreement. The affiliations section of this guide outlines how to properly state your professional affiliations. This CIESRDS naming conventions document has more information on CIESRDS use. 

Headlines and titles

• Headlines and titles should be written in sentence case: capitalize the first word and any proper nouns, but keep all other words lowercase. If there is a colon in the headline, capitalize the first word after the colon. Never write headlines in all caps. 
• All subheadings in the story should also be sentence case. 
• Include a verb in headlines.
• Keep your headline short: ideally 50 to 90 characters. Include a subhead if you need further clarification. Subheads should ideally be between 80 to 120 characters. 
• Avoid using scientific abbreviations, shorthand, or acronyms in headlines and subheadings.  

Attribution and quotes

• All statements or facts that come from a source (not you, the writer) should be properly attributed to that source by name, except for things that are common knowledge. For example, “Hurricanes are deadly natural disasters” is fine, but “Hurricanes caused $4 billion in damage in 2019,” must be attributed: “Hurricanes caused $4 billion in damage in 2019, according to NOAA.” Add a link to the source material whenever possible. 
• On first reference of a source, use this format:
  • “said Jane Doe, a climate researcher at CU Boulder.” (said [name], explanation of who the person is)
• On subsequent references, use only the person’s last name.
  • Always attribute quotes in the past tense and put the person’s name before the verb: 
  • Use: “Johnson said”
  • Avoid: “Johnson says,” or “said Johnson,” unless it is the first attribution and you are clarifying who they are. 
  • Example: First reference: “I love working at CIRES,” said Lauren Lipuma, who works in the CIRES communications department. Second reference: “CIRES is great!” Lipuma said. 
  • It’s ok to use different verbs (explained, added, said), but make sure it’s in the past tense and the subject comes before the verb. 
• Avoid partial quotes (quoting part of a sentence rather than a full sentence); instead, paraphrase the source.
• If attributing a quote that is multiple sentences, generally add the source’s name after the first full sentence. Exceptions might include two super short sentences or a question/answer setup. 
  • General use: “This research is great,” Johnson said. “It really advances the field.”
  • Ok: “Excellent! I love it,” Johnson said. 
  • Also ok: “Why should we care about climate change? Because it matters,” Johnson said. 
  • Avoid: “This research has greatly advanced the field and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. We have the opportunity to safeguard our natural resources for the generations to come,” Johnson said. 

Web links

See the accessibility section of this guide for information about proper web link style.   

Affiliations

Guidance for stating professional affiliations at CIRES can be found in this Google doc. Researchers and staff should Include their CIRES affiliations in all academic publications, emails, presentations, conference abstracts, seminar announcements, and when engaging with journalists and the general public. Updates to affiliations guidance are posted to the CIRES admin blog roughly twice a year. The blog also has guidance for email signature lines. 

General writing tips

• Simplify your language as much as possible. Follow the guidance outlined in the Simplify Language training presentation. 
• Write in the active voice, not the passive voice. For example, write “Jane threw the ball,” not “The ball was thrown by Jane.”
• Lead with the most important aspects of the story. Make sure your opening paragraph summarizes what your text is about.
• Strive for brevity. If words do not add to understanding of the story, throw them overboard. Brevity is confidence; length is fear. 
• Avoid jargon as much as possible. If you must include a technical term, define it. Try not to define too many new technical terms in one piece of writing;  it will confuse the reader. 
• Be specific. Don’t send readers to the dictionary, the map, or the calculator. Tell them where towns are, what a median income is, etc. 
• Walk readers from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Use common words to describe an organism, program, or another noun that might be obscure or unfamiliar: “She studies the roundworm C. elegans” is preferable to “She studies C. elegans” or “She studies C. elegans, a free-living transparent nematode.”  
• Say what something is, not what it isn’t. Write “Avoid these mistakes,” rather than “Don’t make these mistakes.” It’s more straightforward.
• Use parallel construction. When writing lists, make sure the verbs of each item in the list agree. For example: “Ashley likes to ski, swim, and jump rope.” Avoid: “Ashley likes to ski, swimming, and jumping rope.”
• Be wary of misplaced modifiers. A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is separated from the word it describes, creating confusion and ambiguity. For example, if you say purple women's shoes, it sounds like the women are purple, not the shoes. In this case, purple is the misplaced modifier.
• Use adverbs sparingly. Rather, use a stronger verb. Adverbs weaken your copy because these excess words are not truly descriptive. Rather than saying the girl runs quickly, say she sprints. Instead of describing the cat as walking slowly, say he creeps or tiptoes.
• Try to keep sentences to less than 20 words and paragraphs to 1-3 sentences. Avoid using many phrases separated by commas: cut long sentences into shorter ones.
• Avoid starting a sentence with a subordinate clause. Subordinate clauses are separate phrases within a sentence that help to put the main part of the sentence in context. Subordinate clauses usually begin with words such as “while...”, “as...”, “although...”, “even though...”, “because ...” and “despite.”
  • Example: Write “Jane threw the ball to her brother, despite her loathing for him,” NOT “Despite her loathing for him, Jane threw the ball to her brother.”
• Avoid slang. Use a slang term only when it is widely recognized. If you must use slang, don’t put it in quotation marks. 

Editing content

All content for CIRES should be edited and reviewed before being sent or published. This involves copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading once the creation process is complete.

The proofer should be someone other than the writer. As a writer, you may be blind to your own patterns and idiosyncrasies. Fresh eyes catch any mistakes you may have overlooked and to offer a different perspective. If you must edit your own work, print it out in a different font and type size.

If you or your team are sending content to CIRES Communications for distribution or publishing, edit your content before sending it. 

Copyediting

Copyediting means editing text to improve its consistency, clarity, style, and flow. Often, it means rearranging sentences, reorganizing paragraphs, or doing big structural changes. The goal is to have content that flows well, avoids ambiguity, and includes all the information the reader needs. In short, strive for consistency, clarity, accuracy, and brevity in your content. 

Feel free to use a free copyediting tool such as Grammarly or Expresso (CIRES Communications uses Grammarly regularly). 

Copyediting checklist:

• Do a high-level edit of the content. Ask:
  • Does this story make sense?
  • Are all the major questions answered?
  • Is the background complete enough that readers have a sense of the context and relevance of what is written?
  • Does the story make clear what is happening? What does it mean? So what? Who cares? Who is affected, and how and why?
• Check the details: correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style as described in this guide. 
• Check the reading level to see whether your writing is too academic or technical. Microsoft Word has an option to include reading ease when spell-checking a document. Check your reading-ease score with Flesch Reading Ease to see the reading level of your copy.
• Pro tip: write a 100-word summary of your story. Then ask yourself: Are those key points clear in the story's lead? Are they explained further in a nut graf that summarizes the "so what?" near the top of the piece? Does the story's focus align with that 100-word summary?

Fact-checking

Fact-checking means verifying every fact in a story. These include:

• Superlatives. If anything is the “first,” “best,” “oldest,” etc., verify it. If you’re not sure, change the superlative to “one of the first,” “one of the oldest,” etc., or rephrase 
• Personal names, and titles. Verify them and spell them correctly.
• Names of businesses, schools, and institutions
• Days, dates, times
• Locations
• Numbers, measurements, units, and calculations
• Quotes. Quotes must be accurate and attributed to the right person
• Web links, addresses, and phone numbers. Check that all links are functional and go to the correct page

Proofing

Proofreading is where you tidy up spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style errors you may have missed before. Think of it as the final polish.