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Field Book Project
Web
Style Guide
3G, 4G
Types of cell phone networks.
a.m.
/p.m.
Use lowercased letters with periods. In advertisements and other publications adhering to
Associated Press style, “p.m.”
can appear with or without periods. Maintain co
nsistency
throughout each publication.
Do not use “A.M.,” “P.M.,” “am,” “pm,” “AM,” or “PM.”
For 12 p.m., use “noon.” For 12 a.m., use “midnight.”
blog
(n., adj., v.) Preferred to
“
weblog.
”
c.
See
circa
.
catalog
(n.,
adj.,
v.) Use instead of “catal
ogue.”
c
entury
Use digits with centuries in both running text and image captions.
16th
century (noun)
early 18th century (noun)
early
-
18th
-
century image (adjective)
mid
-
19th century (noun)
mid
-
19th
-
century author (adjective)
late 20th century (noun)
la
te
-
20th
-
century photographer (adjective)
circa
Spell out “circa” in text, and abbreviate it as “c.” in parentheses and in captions.
c
ommas
Use the serial comma, the comma before the final item in a series.
Correct:
“Use the visual language of photog
raphy in an active, critical, and creative
way.”
Incorrect:
“Use the visual language of photography in an active, critical and creative
way.”
dashes/hyphens
In
text for typesetting there is a distinction made between hyphens and dashes of different len
gths. These are
represented as such:
hyphen:
-
en dash:
–
em dash:
—
hyphen
Use in compound words, such as “20th
-
century photographer.”
No spaces should be left on either side of a hyphen.
en dash
Use in sequences of numbers or dates, such as “1899
–
1
903” or “January 21
–
March 13, 2006.”
em dash
Use to set off information in sentences, such as “The museum's thir
ty
-
six collections contain more
than 365,000
images
—
some artifactual and some documentary
—
that document decorative art objects and the history
of design worldwide.”
d
ates
Use figures for dates in captions, and spell them out in running text.
In display text, especially in exhibition titles, do not
abbreviate dates.
Federal Art Project, Photographic Division Collection, 1935
–
1942
Between ce
nturies it is necessary to spell out the entire sequence. It is also necessary to do
so for dates spanning from the last year of
one century into the following century.
1899
–
1910
1900
–
1903
D.C., DC
For postal addresses with Zip codes, use the postal co
de “DC”; in all other instances, use
“D.C.”
disc, disk
Use disk when referring to a computer hard disk or floppy disk. Use disc when referring to optical disks such as compact
discs (CDs), digital video/versatile discs (DVDs), and laser discs. Also: di
sc brake, disc jockey, videodisc.
DVD
Abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc.
Abbreviation may always be used.
Plural: DVDs.
DVR
Abbreviations for digital video recorder. Abbreviation
may always be used.
Plural: DVRs.
e
mail
(n
., adj., v.)
One word, no hyphen. Plural: email messages and emails are both acceptable.
Do not use “e
-
mail” or “E
-
mail”
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ePub
Short for electronic publication. An open
-
standard e
-
book file format that can be read on various reading applications and
ha
rdware devices. Example: The style guide is available in the open
-
standard ePub format.
Facebook
like
(v.)
Enclose
like
in quotation marks when referring to the action of indicating approval on a social
-
networking site such as
Facebook.
Example:
Thou
sands of people have
“
liked” us on Facebook, helping to raise funds for Stand Up to Cancer.
Treat the term as you would a user
-
interface element (a button or link, for example) when the reference is to the UI element itself.
We prefer to use boldface to
make UI elements stand out in text
.
Example:
“
Visit us on Facebook and click
Like
, and you could win a prize.
”
FAQ
Stands for Frequently Ask
ed Q
uestion but generally refers to a list of such questions. Can be pronounced two ways: (1) “fak” (in
this case the singular form takes the article a: a FAQ) or (2) “eff
-
ay
-
cue” (in this case the singular form takes the article an: an FAQ).
Either treatm
ent may be used as long as it is used consistently. Plural FAQs (pronounced “faks” or “eff
-
ay
-
cues”).
Example:
“
Many sites include a FAQ to avoid answering the same customer questions repeatedly.
”
field book
Two words. Not “fieldbook.”
Field Book
Project
Note that all three words are capitalized. No preceding “the” is needed.
field notes
Two words. Not “fieldnotes.”
field work
Refers to work conducted by scientists in the field, including collecting specimens. Two words. Not “fieldwo
rk.”
file name
Two words. Not
“
filename.
”
FTP
Abbreviation for File Transfer Protocol.
Abbreviation may always be used.
Verb u
sage may also be used
:
“
Please FTP that file if it’s larger than 3MB.
”
geotagging
(n.),
geotag
(v.)
One word. The verb
means to add geographic data (such as longitude and latitude coordinates) to a
photo or other media file.
Google
(adj. only)
According to
Google guidelines
, this trademark should never be
used as a noun, verb
, and never in the plural or
possessive form. Use
search,
search for,
or
search on
instead.
handheld
(n.),
hand
-
held
(adj.) The noun refers to a personal digital assistant, or PDA.
how
-
to
(n., adj.) Note hyphen when used as a nou
n or an adjective. Plural noun: how
-
tos.
Examples:
“
Your How
-
to Guide to Home Buying
”
(headline set in title case),
“
Home
-
Buying How
-
To
”
(another headline in title case),
“
How
-
tos include insider tips as well as basics you’ll need to understand the proce
ss
”
(sentence).
i
nbox
Institution
When
“Institution” is used as a noun, shortening “Smithsonian Institution,” the “I” should be capitalized, such as “the
Institution was established in 1846.”
After first reference to “the Smithsonian Institution,” it
is acceptable to use “the Institution” for subsequent reference.
Internet
Note capitalization. OK to abbreviate as Net.
intranet
Note lowercase. A private internal network typically accessible only to a select group of individuals.
login
(n., ad
j.);
log in
,
log in to
(v.) One word when used as a noun or an adjective. Two words when used as a verb, which may be
followed by the preposition to. Note that sign in is preferred because it sounds less technical.
logout
(n., adj.),
log out
(v.) One
word when used as a noun or adjective. Two words when used as a verb. Note that sign out is
preferred because it sounds less technical. Example: If you forget to log out, you’ll get a logout reminder.
Mac
Abbreviation for Macintosh, an Apple trademark.
Abbreviation may always be used.
mashup
(n., adj.),
mash up
(v.) One word when used as a noun or an adjective. Two words when used as a verb.
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Examples:
“
Anyone can create a mashup with the right technology.
”
Or, “
Use our technology to mash up RSS feed
s into a single
stream.
”
m
easurements
These are normally provided for works of art in captions. It is customary to list dimensions in
the following sequence
:
height, width, and (if applicable) depth and diameter. Use inches
instead of centimeters for di
mensions.
In running text, dimensions should be featured in numerals, spaces in between, followed by
type of measurement spelled out. Such as:
8 x 10 inches (
not 8x10 in. or 8”x10”
)
All following references to the same measurement (inches, feet) do not ne
ed to be listed
until it changes; featured as: 8 x 10
In caption information, use straight double quotation marks to indicate inches. Convert all
metric measurements to inches. For
extremely large objects, do not break down into feet
and inches; instead,
use only inches.
All measurements should correspond to a degree of accuracy.
megabyte
You may abbreviate as MB. Don’t use “Mbyte.”
microblog
(v.),
microblogging
(n., adj.) No hyphen. To microblog is to post short status updates about yourself or ab
out an event
using a microblogging service such as Twitter.
MP3
Abbreviation for MPEG
-
1 Audio Layer 3. All capitals, no spaces, no periods. Abbreviation may always be used. Plural: MP3s.
NE
For Washington, D.C., addresses, do not use periods in abbre
viations of the city’s quadrants.
A comma should precede the
quadrant abbreviation.
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
numbers
Use Associated Press style in advertisements and other public affairs materials.
Use numerals for centuries and measurements.
in t
he late 19th century
until the mid
-
20th century
5.6" x 16.3"
107.0" diameter
For all other situations (except street names, dates, life dates, percentages, and mathematical figures), spell out numbers o
ne through
one hundred and any two
-
word numbers. Use
numerals for 101 and greater (except those numbers that can be expressed in two
words). Use commas for numerals greater than 999.
ninety
-
nine
102
two hundred
five thousand
5,001
one million
For street names, use numerals.
Independence Avenue at 10th St
reet
935 Pennsylvania Avenue
Always use numerals for life dates.
Grace Bradfield (1920
–
1995)
Always use numerals for dates.
August 25, 2003
Use numerals for percentages (but spell out the word “percent”).
74 percent
NW
For Washington, D.C., addre
sses, do not use periods in abbreviations of the city’s quadrants.
A comma should precede the
quadrant abbreviation.
14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
offline
online
onscreen
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onsite
open source
(n.),
open
-
source
(adj.) Two words when used a
s a noun, hyphenated when used as an adjective.
Example: “With open
-
source software, individuals can study the software’s source code and try to improve the product.”
outbox
password
password
-
protect
(v.) Note hyphen.
Example: “Be sure to passwor
d
-
protect sensitive files on the intranet.”
PDA
Abbreviation for Personal Digital Assistant. Abbreviation may always be used as long as context is clear (abbreviation can al
so
mean public display of affection). Plural: PDAs.
PDF
Abbreviation for Port
able Document Format. Generally used to refer to files created by using Adobe Acrobat. Abbreviation may
always be used. Plural: PDFs.
plug
-
in
(n., adj.),
plug in
(v.) Note hyphen when used as a noun or adjective. Not “plugin.” Two words when used as a v
erb.
pop
-
up
(n., adj.),
pop up
(v.) Note hyphen when used as a noun or adjective. Not “popup.” Two words when used as a verb.
Examples: “Get rid of pop
-
ups before they pop up. Stop pop
-
up ads from ever annoying you again.”
real time
(n.),
real
-
time
(
adj.) Two words when used as a noun, hyphenated when used as an adjective.
Examples: “Watch the file stream in real time. Get real
-
time updates delivered to your phone.”
right
-
click
(n., v.) Note hyphen.
RSS
Acronym for Really Simple Syndication.
All capitals. Abbreviation may always be used
—
but avoid using RSS on its own, since
few people know what it means. Use news feed, RSS news feed, or RSS newsreader as appropriate.
screen capture
screen name
screen reader
An assistive technology (typ
ically software) that vision
-
impaired people can use to hear the words on a webpage.
screensaver
screenshot
SE
For Washington, D.C., addresses, do not use periods in abbreviations of the city’s quadrants.
A comma should precede the
quadrant abbrevia
tion.
12th Street and Independence Avenue, SE
SIA
When using this abbreviation for “Smithsonian
Institution Archives
,” do not use “the” to precede it.
sign
-
in
(n., adj.);
sign in, sign in to
(v.) As a noun or an adjective, it’s hyphenated. As a verb
, it has two words, which may be
followed by the preposition to. Because it sounds less technical,
Yahoo!
prefers sign in to log in or log on.
slideshow
(n., adj.)
smartphone
Smithsonian Museums and Galleries
Official names.
If “Smithsonian” is not
in the official name, it should be listed as Smithsonian’s, such as “Smithsonian’s Cooper
-
Hewitt, National Design
Museum.”
Anacostia Community Museum
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Arts and Industries Building
Cooper
-
Hewitt, National Design Museum
Freer Galle
ry of Art
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George Gustav Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
National Air and Space Museum
National Museum of African American History and Culture
National Museum of African Art
National Museum of
American History, Behring Center
National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of Natural History
Department of Anthropology
Department of Botany
Department of Entomology
Department of Invertebrate Zoology
Department of Mineral Sciences
Departme
nt of Paleobiology
Department of Vertebrate Zoology
Division of Amphibians and Reptiles
Division of Birds
Division of Fishes
Division of Mammals
National Portrait Gallery
National Postal Museum
National Zoological Park
Renwick Gallery of the Smi
thsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian Institution Building
Steven F. Udvar
-
Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Research Centers
Official names.
Archives of American Art
Museum Conservation Inst
itute (Suitland, MD)
National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center (Front Royal
, VA)
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (Cambridge, MA)
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (Edgewater, MD)
Smithsonian Institution Archives
Smithsonian Institution
Libraries
Smithsonian Marine Station (Fort Pierce, FL)
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama)
SMS
Abbreviation for Short Message Service, used for text messaging. Abbreviation may be used after initial explanation.
social networking
(n.),
soc
ial
-
networking
(adj.) Note hyphen when used as an adjective. Two words when used as a noun.
Examples: “The social
-
networking phenomenon has really taken off.” Or, “To attract users, the site added social networking.”
Specimen
Plural of this is “sp
ecimens.”
S
W
For Washington, D.C., addresses, do not use periods in abbreviations of the city’s quadrants.
A comma should precede the
quadrant abbreviation.
600 Maryland Avenue, SW
text message
(n.),
text
-
message
(adj., v.) Two words when used as a
noun. Note hyphen when used as an adjective or a verb.
Examples:
“
She had a heated text
-
message argument with her boyfriend.
”
“
Did you get my text message?
” Or, “
I’ll text
-
message
you with the details.
”
The Commons on Flickr
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The
Bigger Picture blog name should be spelled out in all caps, “THE BIGGER PICTURE.”
thumb drive
Two words, lowercase. Another name for flash drive.
titles of works and exhibitions
Italicize titles of artworks, exhibitions, books, and longer publicatio
ns in running text. In
display text,
such as invitations or advertisements, these titles may be set in roman type for
design purposes. Although, their treatment should be
consistent throughout the publication.
touchpad
(n., adj.)
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touchscreen
(n., adj.)
tweet
(n., v.)
Lowercase when referring to a message sent via Twitter or to the action of sending such a message. Past tense:
tweeted.
TWiki
An open
-
source platform for online collaboration. Note capital W. As a trademark, TWiki should be used as an
adjective, not a
noun.
Twitter
(n., adj.)
Capitalize when referring to the microblogging site. Do not use as a verb to refer to communicating on Twitter
—
use
“tweet”
instead.
URL
All capitals. Stands for Uniform Resource
Locator. Abbreviation may alwa
ys be used
. Plural: URLs. Pronunciation “yoo
-
ar
-
el” is
most common (a URL); however, pronouncing URL as “earl” is also acceptable (an URL) as long as it is done consistently.
U.S.
When functioning as an adjective, use “U.S.” instead of “United States.”
(U.S. Airmail Service)
user
Because of the techie, impersonal nature of the term
“
user,
”
consider using
subscriber, reader, visitor,
or similar.
user name
Lowercase, two words. Not
“
username
.
”
video camera
video game
video gamer
videoconferen
ce
videophone
vlog
One word, lowercase. Short for
“
video blog.
”
voicemail
One word, lowercase. Not
“
voice mail.
”
VoIP
Abbreviation for Voice O
ver Internet Protocol. Abbreviation
may be used
after initial explanation.
VPN
Abbreviation for Vir
tual Private Network. Abbreviation may be used after initial explanation.
Web
(n., adj.) Note capitalization. Most compounds formed with “Web” are open, such as “Web conference,” “Web feed,” and “Web
hosting.” Exceptions such as “webpage” and “website”
are included as separate entries in the style guide. See below.
web addresses
When presenting web addresses, omit the preceding “http://” before the address. Unless
used for design or
consistency purposes.
www.si.edu
http://click.si.edu
webcam
webc
ast
webinar
A seminar conducted online.
w
ebisod
e
Short for “web episode.”
weblog
Use only when describing the origin of the word blog, which is the preferred usage.
webmaster
webpage
website
Wi
-
Fi
Short for Wireless Fidelity. Note capital
ization and hyphen. Shortened form may always be used.
wiki
Lowercase. Plural:
“
wikis
.”
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11/18/2013
XML
Abbreviation for Extensible Markup Language. Depending on audience, may require explanation on first reference.
Yahoo!
When referring to the company, its b
rands, products, or services, use uppercase
“
Y.
”
Note that the exclamation point is
considered a character, not a punctuation mark. Possessive:
“
Yahoo!’s.
”
YouTube
One word. Note capitalization of this Google trademark.
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Useful Techniques
Linking to
Content
Please use the
title of the destination
page in the context of your writing and link from that text. This improves
readability and aids our Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts
--
helping the search engines find relevant
results on our site.
Fo
r example:
The
Travel Film Archive
has a veritable treasure trove on YouTube…
The link “Travel Film Archive”
goes to a web site by that name,
http://www.tr
avelfilmarchive.com/
.
Avoid the ‘click here’ syndrome found on so many web pages:
NO: If you want information about the Smithsonian's collections, please visit
here
.
YES: You can view all of the Smithsonian's co
llections at the
Smithsonian Collection Search Center
.
Quotes
Quotes.
40 words or 3 lines should be placed in block quotes. Use typepad’s “block quote” button to format
these when possible. Formatted block quot
es do not need quotation marks
Taxon Names
Taxon names
.
For consistency sake, include only genus and species name without author. Example:
Dendroica
adelaidae
.
If possi
ble, hyperlink to the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL)
page with information on that
spec
ies
or other page if not on EOL
.
Enter the password to open this PDF file:
File name:
-
File size:
-
Title:
-
Author:
-
Subject:
-
Keywords:
-
Creation Date:
-
Modification Date:
-
Creator:
-
PDF Producer:
-
PDF Version:
-
Page Count:
-
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