General Usage A-Z
Always use Australian spelling. The Macquarie Dictionary is the preferred reference.
| A | |
| Alumni/alumnus/alumna | Where possible, refer to a graduate as a graduate. Do not overly complicate the language by calling them an alumnus (male graduate) or aluma (female graduate). If you do need to use the term, and are referring to a single female graduate, she is an alumna of Southern Cross University. If you are writing about a group of female graduates, they are alumnae of Southern Cross University. When referring to a single male graduate, he is an alumnus of Southern Cross University. A group of male graduates are alumni of Southern Cross University. A mixed group of male and female graduates are also alumni of the University. |
| among | NOT amongst |
| Arakwal | as given |
| audiovisual | NOT audio-visual |
| award-winning | NOT award winning |
| B | |
| barristers' chambers | as given |
| Bundjalung | as given |
| C | |
| complementary | natural and complementary medicine, not complimentary e.g. Tweed Heads locations complement facilities at the Gold Coast campus. |
| coordinator | no hyphen |
| cutting edge and cutting-edge | e.g. cutting-edge research, but the research is cutting edge |
| combined degree | Two degrees which result in the awards of one testamur. See double degree |
| D | |
| distance education | lower case 'd' and 'e', unless at the start of a sentence e.g. Many students choose to study by distance education. |
| double degree | Two degrees which result in the awarding of two testamurs |
| E | |
| ebooks | NOT E-Books or e-Books |
| ereadings | NOT E-Readings or e-Readings |
| ejournal | NOT E-Journals or e-journals |
| F | |
| federal government | lower case |
| full-time | use hyphen |
| Friends of the Koala Research Care Centre | NOT the koala hospital. The Koala Centre is an acceptable form of abbreviation for maps. |
| G | |
| graduand graduate | A student about to graduate A person who has received their award |
| Gumbaynggir | refers to the Mid North Coast region - Coffs Harbour/Nambucca |
| H | |
| Honourable | the abbreviation is The Hon (no fullstop) e.g. The Chancellor The Hon John Dowd AO QC. |
| HSC – Higher School Certificate | NSW has the HSC QLD has QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education) When referring to final year studies across NSW and QLD, it should be referred to as senior studies. |
| I | |
| Indigenous | always use capital I for Indigenous |
| internet | lower case 'i' |
| J | |
| judge's associate | as given |
| L | |
| leading-edge | NOT leading edge |
| M | |
| mid-year | hyphenated |
| Mid North Coast | as given |
| Minjungbal | as given |
| more than | Use more than, not over when referring to something that can be counted. Over refers to height. e.g. There were more than six students, the building was over six metres high. |
| multimedia | one word |
| N | |
| National Marine Science Centre | Southern Cross University's National Marine Science Centre. The Centre is located in Coffs Harbour |
| Nganduwal | as given |
| no one | two words, no hyphen |
| North Coast | as given |
| noon | NOT 12 noon |
| Northern Rivers University Department of Rural Health (NRUDRH) | now the University Centre for Rural Health North Coast (UCRHNC) It was established in 2011 as a department of the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney and is run in collaboration with Southern Cross University. |
| O | |
| offshore | one word |
| on-campus and on campus | Hyphenated when used as a compound adjective before a noun, as in on-campus study, on-campus facilities or on-campus students; otherwise, not hyphenated, as in students live on campus; Goodman Plaza is the hub of student life on campus. |
| off campus | NOT for use in relation to courses. Distance education is the preferred description. |
| online | NOT on-line |
| onshore | one word |
| organise, not organize | use 's', not 'z' |
| over | refers to height, not amount e.g. There were more than six students, the building was over six metres high. |
| P | |
| part-time | hyphenated |
| per cent | NOT percent - one per cent, 15 per cent ; always use per cent not %, except for tables or financial documents |
| postgraduate | one word |
| program or programs | NOT programme or programmes |
| practice, practise | practice is a noun, practise is a verb. e.g. A lawyer practises law, the students practised their music. She opened her own law practice. The doctor has a large practice. |
| S | |
| state government | lower case |
| sessions | NOT semesters |
| T | |
| timeline | one word not time line or time-line |
| U | |
| under way | two words |
| undergraduate | one word |
| University Centre for Rural Health North Coast | was previously Northern Rivers University Department of Rural Health (NRUDRH) |
| University library | as given, lower case 'l' for library |
| university-wide | as in university-wide majors |
| W | |
| website | as given, one word |
| well equipped | NOT well-equipped |
| wellbeing | one word |
| Widjabul | as given, refers to Lismore district |
| wireless | not Wi-Fi |
| Worldwide | NOT world-wide, but world-class and World Wide Web |
| Y | |
| Year 12 | as given |
Updated: 15 April 2013