{"id":1806,"date":"2015-03-13T23:00:32","date_gmt":"2015-03-13T23:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/technicalwriting1xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=1806"},"modified":"2015-03-13T23:00:32","modified_gmt":"2015-03-13T23:00:32","slug":"capitalization","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-jeffersoncc-technicalwriting\/chapter\/capitalization\/","title":{"raw":"Capitalization","rendered":"Capitalization"},"content":{"raw":"As a technical writer, who must often refer to such things as geographic locations, company names, temperature scales, and processes or apparatuses named after people, you must learn to capitalize consistently and accurately. What follows are ten fundamental rules for capitalization. Check out the first rule. It gets fumbled in papers all the time.\r\n\r\nCapitalize the names of major portions of your paper and all references to figures and tables. Note: Some journals and publications do not follow this rule, but most do.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
my Introduction<\/td>\r\nAirshaft 3<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
see Figure 4<\/td>\r\nTable 1<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Appendix A<\/td>\r\nGraph<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nCapitalize the names of established regions, localities, and political divisions.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Wheeling Township<\/td>\r\nthe French Republic<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Lancaster County<\/td>\r\nthe United Kingdom<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
the Wheat Belt<\/td>\r\nthe Arctic Circle<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nCapitalize the names of highways, routes, bridges, buildings, monuments, parks, ships, automobiles, hotels, forts, dams, railroads, and major coal and mineral deposits.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Highway 13<\/td>\r\nRoute 1<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Michigan Avenue<\/td>\r\nthe White House<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Alton Railroad<\/td>\r\nthe Statue of Liberty<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Herrin No. 6 seam<\/td>\r\nthe Queen Elizabeth<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nCapitalize the proper names of persons, places and their derivatives, and geographic names (continents, countries, states, cities, oceans, rivers, mountains, lakes, harbors, and valleys).\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Howard Pickering<\/td>\r\nGreat Britain<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Chicago<\/td>\r\nBritish<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
New York Harbor<\/td>\r\nGulf of Mexico<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Rocky Mountains<\/td>\r\nFlorida<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Aleutian Islands<\/td>\r\nthe Aleutian low<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nCapitalize the names of historic events and documents, government units, political parties, business and fraternal organizations, clubs and societies, companies, and institutions.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
the Second Amendment<\/td>\r\nthe Civil War<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Congress<\/td>\r\nBureau of Mines<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Republicans<\/td>\r\nMinistry of Energy<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nCapitalize titles of rank when they are joined to a person\u2019s name, and the names of stars and planets. Note: The names earth, sun, and moon are not normally capitalized, although they may be capitalized when used in connection with other bodies of the solar system.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Professor Walker<\/td>\r\nPresident Spanier<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Milky Way<\/td>\r\nVenus<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nCapitalize words named after geographic locations, the names of major historical or geological time frames, and most words derived from proper names. Note: The only way to be sure if a word derived from a person\u2019s name should be capitalized is to look it up in the dictionary. For example, \u201cBunsen burner\u201d (after Robert Bunsen) is capitalized, while \u201cdiesel engine\u201d (after Rudolph Diesel) is not. Also, referring to specific geologic time frames, the Chicago Manual of Style<\/em> says not to capitalize the words \u201cera,\u201d \u201cperiod,\u201d and \u201cepoch,\u201d but the American Association of Petroleum Geologists says that these words should be capitalized. I choose to capitalize them, as those who write in the geological sciences should by convention.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Coriolis force<\/td>\r\nFourier coefficients<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
English tweeds<\/td>\r\nWalker Circulation<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Hadley cell<\/td>\r\nPetri dish<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Boyle\u2019s law<\/td>\r\nRussell volumeter<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Planck\u2019s constant<\/td>\r\nKlinkenberg effect<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Middle Jurassic Period<\/td>\r\nMesozoic Era<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
the Industrial Revolution<\/td>\r\nthe Inquisitio<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nCapitalize references to temperature scales, whether written out or abbreviated.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
10 o<\/sup>F<\/td>\r\nFahrenheit degrees<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
22 o<\/sup>C<\/td>\r\nCelsius degrees<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nCapitalize references to major sections of a country or the world.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
the Near East<\/td>\r\nthe South<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nCapitalize the names of specific courses, the names of languages, and the names of semesters.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Anatomy 20<\/td>\r\nRussian<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Spring semester 2009<\/td>\r\nFall term, 2006<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

Common Capitalization Errors<\/h4>\r\nJust as important as knowing when to capitalize is knowing when not to. Below, I set forth a few instances where capital letters are commonly used when they should not be. Please review this advice carefully, in that we all have made such capitalization errors. When in doubt, simply consult a print dictionary.\r\n\r\nDo not capitalize the names of the seasons, unless the seasons are personified, as in poetry (\u201cSpring\u2019s breath\u201d). (It is, of course, highly unlikely that you would personify a season in a technical paper.)\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
spring<\/td>\r\nwinter<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nDo not capitalize the words north, south, east, and west when they refer to directions, in that their meaning becomes generalized rather than site-specific.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
We traveled west.<\/td>\r\nThe sun rises in the east.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nIn general, do not capitalize commonly used words that have come to have specialized meaning, even though their origins are in words that are capitalized.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
navy blue<\/td>\r\nindia ink<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
pasteurization<\/td>\r\nbiblical<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nDo not capitalize the names of elements. Note: This is a common capitalization error, and can often be found in published work. Confusion no doubt arises because the symbols for elements are capitalized.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
tungsten<\/td>\r\nnitrogen<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
oxygen<\/td>\r\ncalifornium<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nDo not capitalize words that are used so frequently and informally that they have come to have highly generalized meaning.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
north pole<\/td>\r\nbig bang theory<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
arctic climate<\/td>\r\nmidwesterner<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/blockquote>","rendered":"

As a technical writer, who must often refer to such things as geographic locations, company names, temperature scales, and processes or apparatuses named after people, you must learn to capitalize consistently and accurately. What follows are ten fundamental rules for capitalization. Check out the first rule. It gets fumbled in papers all the time.<\/p>\n

Capitalize the names of major portions of your paper and all references to figures and tables. Note: Some journals and publications do not follow this rule, but most do.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n
my Introduction<\/td>\nAirshaft 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
see Figure 4<\/td>\nTable 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Appendix A<\/td>\nGraph<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Capitalize the names of established regions, localities, and political divisions.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n
Wheeling Township<\/td>\nthe French Republic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lancaster County<\/td>\nthe United Kingdom<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
the Wheat Belt<\/td>\nthe Arctic Circle<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Capitalize the names of highways, routes, bridges, buildings, monuments, parks, ships, automobiles, hotels, forts, dams, railroads, and major coal and mineral deposits.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Highway 13<\/td>\nRoute 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Michigan Avenue<\/td>\nthe White House<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alton Railroad<\/td>\nthe Statue of Liberty<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Herrin No. 6 seam<\/td>\nthe Queen Elizabeth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Capitalize the proper names of persons, places and their derivatives, and geographic names (continents, countries, states, cities, oceans, rivers, mountains, lakes, harbors, and valleys).<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Howard Pickering<\/td>\nGreat Britain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chicago<\/td>\nBritish<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
New York Harbor<\/td>\nGulf of Mexico<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rocky Mountains<\/td>\nFlorida<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aleutian Islands<\/td>\nthe Aleutian low<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Capitalize the names of historic events and documents, government units, political parties, business and fraternal organizations, clubs and societies, companies, and institutions.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n
the Second Amendment<\/td>\nthe Civil War<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Congress<\/td>\nBureau of Mines<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Republicans<\/td>\nMinistry of Energy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Capitalize titles of rank when they are joined to a person\u2019s name, and the names of stars and planets. Note: The names earth, sun, and moon are not normally capitalized, although they may be capitalized when used in connection with other bodies of the solar system.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
Professor Walker<\/td>\nPresident Spanier<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Milky Way<\/td>\nVenus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Capitalize words named after geographic locations, the names of major historical or geological time frames, and most words derived from proper names. Note: The only way to be sure if a word derived from a person\u2019s name should be capitalized is to look it up in the dictionary. For example, \u201cBunsen burner\u201d (after Robert Bunsen) is capitalized, while \u201cdiesel engine\u201d (after Rudolph Diesel) is not. Also, referring to specific geologic time frames, the Chicago Manual of Style<\/em> says not to capitalize the words \u201cera,\u201d \u201cperiod,\u201d and \u201cepoch,\u201d but the American Association of Petroleum Geologists says that these words should be capitalized. I choose to capitalize them, as those who write in the geological sciences should by convention.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Coriolis force<\/td>\nFourier coefficients<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
English tweeds<\/td>\nWalker Circulation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hadley cell<\/td>\nPetri dish<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boyle\u2019s law<\/td>\nRussell volumeter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Planck\u2019s constant<\/td>\nKlinkenberg effect<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Middle Jurassic Period<\/td>\nMesozoic Era<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
the Industrial Revolution<\/td>\nthe Inquisitio<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Capitalize references to temperature scales, whether written out or abbreviated.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
10 o<\/sup>F<\/td>\nFahrenheit degrees<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
22 o<\/sup>C<\/td>\nCelsius degrees<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Capitalize references to major sections of a country or the world.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n
the Near East<\/td>\nthe South<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Capitalize the names of specific courses, the names of languages, and the names of semesters.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
Anatomy 20<\/td>\nRussian<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Spring semester 2009<\/td>\nFall term, 2006<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Common Capitalization Errors<\/h4>\n

Just as important as knowing when to capitalize is knowing when not to. Below, I set forth a few instances where capital letters are commonly used when they should not be. Please review this advice carefully, in that we all have made such capitalization errors. When in doubt, simply consult a print dictionary.<\/p>\n

Do not capitalize the names of the seasons, unless the seasons are personified, as in poetry (\u201cSpring\u2019s breath\u201d). (It is, of course, highly unlikely that you would personify a season in a technical paper.)<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n
spring<\/td>\nwinter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Do not capitalize the words north, south, east, and west when they refer to directions, in that their meaning becomes generalized rather than site-specific.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n
We traveled west.<\/td>\nThe sun rises in the east.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In general, do not capitalize commonly used words that have come to have specialized meaning, even though their origins are in words that are capitalized.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
navy blue<\/td>\nindia ink<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
pasteurization<\/td>\nbiblical<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Do not capitalize the names of elements. Note: This is a common capitalization error, and can often be found in published work. Confusion no doubt arises because the symbols for elements are capitalized.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
tungsten<\/td>\nnitrogen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
oxygen<\/td>\ncalifornium<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Do not capitalize words that are used so frequently and informally that they have come to have highly generalized meaning.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
north pole<\/td>\nbig bang theory<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
arctic climate<\/td>\nmidwesterner<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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