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  1. Services on Campus
  2. Editorial Style Guide
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A B C D E F G H I J
K L M N O P Q R S T
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magazine names

  • Capitalize the initial letters of the name. Do not place the name in quotation marks or italicize. Lowercase magazine unless it is part of the publication's formal title: Egypt Today magazine, AUCToday magazine. 

mailing

  • See addresses.

mainstage

major, minor

  • May be used as nouns or verbs: His major is computer science, but he minored in economics. She majored in mechanical engineering and minored in psychology.
  • Lowercase names of majors and minors except for proper nouns: political science, art but Middle East studies.

majority

  • Means more than half of an amount.

make up (v.), makeup (n., adj.)

man, mankind

  • Either may be used to refer to both men and women. Lowercase.
  • Preferable to use humanity, humans, people or individuals instead.

man-made

manageable

mathematics

  • Not math.

masks, face masks

  • Generic masks are simply face masks or masks. Mask may be used as a verb, and often is used with the word up: They are required to mask while in the building. We masked up and went for a walk. And: Mask-wearing and handwashing are encouraged while social distancing.

measurements

  • Spell out all measurements in running text: inches, miles, millimeters, centimeters, kilometers, percent: She got a ticket because she was traveling at 140 kilometers per hour. She scored 99 percent on her exam.
  • Where space is limited, use the following abbreviations with a space between the numeral and abbreviation: g (gram), kg (kilogram), t (metric ton), m (meter), cm (centimeter), km (kilometer), mm (millimeter), ml (milliliter).
  • Do not abbreviate liter.

media

  • Takes plural verbs: The news media are widespread.

medieval, Medieval

  • Capitalize when referring to the Middle Ages; otherwise, lowercase: the Medieval Knight, their medieval methods.

medium, media

  • Medium is singular; media is plural: The internet is rapidly taking over television as a medium of information and entertainment. Media outlets across the country bloated the issue.

MENA

  • Middle East and North Africa region. Use MENA on second reference.

mentally disabled

metro

  • Capitalize when referring to the formal name of the transit system: The Greater Cairo Underground Metro solved one of the city’s chronic problems.
  • Lowercase when usage is generic: I ride the metro to school.

mic

  • Use microphone instead.

Microsoft

  • Always capitalize. May use MS on second reference: MS Office, MS Word.

mid-

  • Generally, no hyphen in words with mid- as prefix: midterm, midsemester, midyear.
  • Capitalize only when a pronoun follows: mid-America, mid-Pacific.
  • Use a hyphen when it precedes a figure: mid-1970s.

Middle East

  • Capitalize in all references. Do not abbreviate as ME.
  • Do not be repetitive by using the word region after Middle East.
  • Could use 'the region' on second reference.

midnight

  • Not 12 am or 12 midnight.

millennium

  • Lowercase.

million, billion

  • Use figures with the words million, billion: There are more than 2 million people living in the city.
  • Use figures up to two decimal places: 7.55 billion.
  • Do not mix million and billion in the same figure.
    • Incorrect: 2 billion, 700 million.
    • Correct: 2.7 billion.
  • Do not drop the word million or billion from the first figure in a range.
    • Incorrect: $2 - $6 million (unless you mean two dollars to six million dollars).
    • Correct: $2 million to $6 million.
  • No hyphen is used when million or billion are used as adjectives:
    • Incorrect: The University is launching a $300-million campaign.
    • Correct: The University is launching a $300 million campaign.

ministry

  • Capitalize the official name of a ministry: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but lowercase ministry on second reference or in generic use.

mix up (v.), mix-up (n. and adj.)

mobile numbers

  • Follow this format: +2.012.2123.4567, +2.011.1123.4567, +2.010.0123.4567.

mock-up (n.)

El Mogamma

  • The large government building on Tahrir Square, across from AUC's historic palace building.

money

  • See currency.

monthlong

months

  • Spell out and capitalize months in running text.
  • When writing a month and a year, do not separate the year with a comma: February 2005.
  • When writing a month, day and year, set off the year with a comma: January 15, 1997.
  • In tabular format, where space is limited, abbreviate the months in three-letter forms without periods: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.

more than, over

  • When referring to something that can be counted, use more than: More than 100 people attended the event.
  • Use over in other contexts, such as: She is over 50; John is over 2 meters tall.

movies

  • See composition titles.

Mr., Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr.

  • Do not use courtesy titles. See titles, courtesy titles.

multi-

  • Generally, no hyphen: multicultural, multilateral.

Muslim

  • Always capitalize.
  • Do not spell as Moslem.