Skip to main content
Indiana University
IU Brand

IU Editorial Style Guide, Letter L

Latina, Latino, Latine, Latinx

Capitalize these terms. These terms are considered to be English and are therefore not italicized as foreign words.

Latina (feminine), Latino (masculine), and Latine or Latinx (gender neutral) refer to people who come from (or whose ancestors come from) Latin America. The term Latine is preferred over Latinx as the term is more adaptable to the Spanish language. These terms are not necessarily interchangeable with Hispanic.

See also Hispanic; Black, brown, white.

libraries

Following are the official names of some of the most frequently mentioned IU libraries:

  • IU Libraries (the entire eight-campus system of libraries)
  • Herman B Wells Library (the main library at IU Bloomington, which contains the Undergraduate Library, the Research Collections, Media and Reserve Services, Government Publications, and the Kent Cooper Periodicals Reading Room)
  • Lilly Library (the rare book and manuscript collection at IU Bloomington)
  • University Library (the main library at IUPUI)

links

Punctuation is not usually part of a link. Links in parentheses or quotation marks are the exception to this rule, as they become part of the entity of the link. This applies to links found in a list or as part of running text.

Links in a list:

Webby Awards (International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences)

Creative Services and University Marketing
Official Honoree in the yearly “Best of the Web” competition: Indiana University’s Science Olympiad National Tournament

Creative Services
Nomination for Best Web Site in the “School” Category (one of five nominated internationally): “IU is Red Hot”

Links in running text:

Our resources include more than 12,000 square feet of research and teaching laboratories, and nearly 275,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor sport and fitness facilities, including our award-winning recreation centers, aquatics centers, and acreage that includes Bradford Woods and Hilltop Garden and Nature Center.

Note, though, that sometimes punctuation is part of the actual link. For example, in the text below, “Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies” is the full name of the program, so the commas are part of the link, but not the period marking the end of the sentence.

We have more than 2,500 students and almost 17,000 living alumni, with undergraduate and advanced degree programs in Applied Health Science, Kinesiology, and Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies.

lists

Determine the most logical order of the items listed. It often makes sense to alphabetize the entries, but other ordering principles are possible, such as according to importance, size, cost, rarity, or position in space and time. If the items are ordered by some logic not immediately apparent to the reader, explain the order.

Students may earn certificates in the following areas:
African studies
Criminal justice
Environmental studies

Cast (in order of appearance):
LaShawna Sanders
George Arthur
Sandra Herrera

Avoid unnecessary use of numbers or letters with lists. If the elements in a vertical list need to be set off, bullets often suffice.

Benefits of the program:

  • Gaining experience
  • Meeting people
  • Developing leadership skills

If the items in a list are numbered or lettered, however, each number or letter should be followed by a period, not a parenthesis.

  1. Write a check for the outstanding amount.
    1. Be sure to sign and date your check.
    2. Write your account number on the check.
  2. Place the check and invoice in the envelope with the mailing address showing.
  3. Seal and stamp the envelope.

If you need to number the elements of a list in running text, the numbers should be placed in parentheses with no periods after them.

To be eligible for the job, you must (1) be at least 18 years of age, (2) be a citizen of the United States, (3) possess a valid driver’s license, and (4) have no criminal record.

Maintain parallelism in listed items, so that each item begins with a verb (as in the following example), a noun phrase, or some other similar construction.

Follow these steps for intercampus transfer:

  1. Meet with your home campus advisor to discuss academic preparation, grades, and other eligibility issues.
  2. Consult the intercampus transfer office at the proposed new campus if academic or eligibility questions remain.
  3. Talk to the financial aid officers at the present and proposed campuses.
  4. Visit the new campus.
  5. Complete the intercampus transfer form.

In running text, colons are often used to introduce a list or series, but should not be used to separate a verb from its object (or—in general—to separate the complement or object of an element from the introductory statement).

Required courses include the following: ENG-W 131, MATH-M 118, and PSY-P 101.
but: Required courses include ENG-W 131, MATH-M 118, and PSY-P 101.

The first four IU presidents: Wylie, Ryors, Daily, Lathrop.
but: The first four IU presidents were Wylie, Ryors, Daily, and Lathrop.

The rule about colon usage is optional for vertical lists; that is, a colon may be used even when the phrase introducing a list is not a complete sentence or independent clause.

CCL strives to do the following:

  • Help students connect to each other and the campus in meaningful ways
  • Offer programs and events that enable students to build leadership skills

CCL strives to

  • Help students connect to each other and the campus in meaningful ways
  • Offer programs and events that enable students to build leadership skills

In the preceding example, it would also have been acceptable to add a colon after the phrase strives to (right before the second bulleted list). Just keep your usage consistent throughout your printed or electronic publication.

If one or more of the items in a vertical list is a complete sentence, each item ends with a period. Otherwise the period is optional, even when the list items complete the partial sentence that introduces the list (as in the previous two examples).