Writing in English
The conventions for writing in English have been coordinated by the University Communications Office in consultation with the Office of the President at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB).
First Things First
All texts are written in American English (AE).
We follow the spelling conventions of Webster’s Dictionary:
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) provides a glossary of terms commonly used in higher education. Please note that this glossary is written in British English, so the spelling may differ.
In general, the conventions established by the editorial team for German apply—unless otherwise specified on this “Writing in English” page. The University Communications guidelines for online texts are available on the following webpage:
Specific writing conventions of the University Communications Office for articles in the news portal are summarized here:
All English conventions
Proper nouns
If there is an English equivalent for a proper noun, that equivalent is used.
Example:
English equivalent of “Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst”:
- German Academic Exchange Service
In English texts, one should therefore avoid using the German abbreviation of a proper noun (for example, DAAD).
If the abbreviation is absolutely necessary, the German proper noun should be mentioned at the point where the abbreviation is first introduced.
Example:
- the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD)
German Proper Names in English Texts
If a German proper noun is used in an English text, it is not placed in quotation marks.
An exception is longer terms—such as project titles—that make the text difficult to read. As a general rule, an English translation should be used whenever possible.
Example:
- The Collaborative Research Center “Power and Dominance—Premodern Configurations from a Transcultural Perspective” is …
British Proper Nouns in Texts Written in American English
The British spelling of proper nouns is retained, even if this results in inconsistencies in the spelling of certain words.
Example:
- Welcome Center
Incorrect spelling:
- Welcome Center
Even though the word “center” is spelled with the ending “-er” in U.S. English, the spelling of the proper noun is retained.
Proper name of Ruhr University Bochum
In English texts, the proper name of Ruhr University Bochum is written as follows:
- Ruhr University Bochum
When using the acronym, it is recommended that, whenever possible, the first two letters be set in bold in the running text:
- RUB
In English texts where the location of Ruhr University Bochum is not otherwise specified, we recommend including the note “Germany” the first time it is mentioned:
- Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
Invalid spellings of the proper noun in English
Use of Abbreviations:
- University of Bochum
Use of the article “the”:
- Ruhr University Bochum
Use of the German proper noun:
- Researchers at “Ruhr University Bochum”
Use of Hyphens:
- Ruhr University Bochum
Use of Points:
- Ruhr University Bochum
Articles before the proper names of universities
The article “the” is not used before “Ruhr University Bochum.”
However, the article is required when a university’s name is followed by “of” to make it clear that the university is located in a specific city.
Examples:
- The university in Bochum is called Ruhr University Bochum.
- Ruhr University Bochum is one of the largest universities …
- Ruhr University Bochum and Stanford University have begun a collaboration.
Invalid spellings:
- The Ruhr University Bochum is one of the largest universities …
- The RUB and Stanford University have launched a collaboration.
- The University of Bochum is called Ruhr University Bochum.
Academic Titles
As in German texts, academic titles are listed only starting with the doctoral degree and above (i.e., no Dipl. Ing., M.A., or B.A.).
In American English, abbreviated academic titles and forms of address are written with a period, as follows:
Example:
- Dr. Doe
Incorrect spelling:
- Dr. John Doe
Abbreviations are used in lists, tables, and contact information. Commonly used abbreviations include:
Examples:
- Mr.
- Mrs.
- Dr.
- Prof. Dr.
- Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c.
- Priv.-Doz.
- Assistant Professor
In English prose, the titles Jun.-Prof., Prof. Dr., and Priv.-Doz. are written out as follows:
Examples:
- Prof. Dr. → Professor
- Jun.-Prof. → Junior Professor
- Priv.-Doz. → Associate Professor
If a person has only a doctoral degree, the abbreviated form is retained even in running text.
Examples:
- Dr. Erik Mustermann has received the award …
- Professor Max Mustermann has received the award …
- Associate Professor Max Mustermann has received the award …
- Assistant Professor Max Mustermann has received the award …
Upper- and lowercase letters
In Titles and Headings
In titles and headings, as well as in book titles or project titles, the first and last words, as well as all major words, are capitalized.
For example, “a,” “the,” “to,” “an,” “for,” “and,” “or,” and prepositions are written in lowercase.
Examples:
- Individual Silver Nanoparticles Observed in Real Time
- Youth Language: What Young People Are Saying
- The World of Adventure
Non-recommended spelling:
- Individual silver nanoparticles observed in real time
After colons
When capitalizing after a colon, we follow the so-called APA Style. Capitalization is used only when a proper noun or a complete sentence follows the colon—just as in German.
Examples:
- The project involves people from three disciplines: information technology, social sciences, and economics.
- The result: Group A performed better than study group B.
- The following countries participated: Canada, Germany, …
One exception is direct speech, which can be introduced by a colon, after which the text always begins with a capital letter—regardless of whether a complete sentence is quoted or not.
Examples:
- She said, “We studied abroad.”
- He said, “None of my business.”
Proper Names of Institutions
Proper names of institutions are capitalized, but the disciplines themselves are not.
Examples:
- In the Department of Physics, students have …
- She studied physics.
Currencies
We list amounts in euros or U.S. dollars. The currency is written in the plural form if the amount is 2 or more.
Examples:
- They received 1 million euros in funding.
- They received 1.5 million U.S. dollars in funding.
Non-recommended spelling:
Capitalization of the currency:
- They received 1 million euros in funding.
Date & Time
Dates
We write the date in the following format:
Examples:
- May 1, 1998
- On November 20, 2018
Non-recommended spelling:
- May 1, 1998
- May1, 1998
Times
In English texts, times are expressed using the 12-hour clock. As in German, leading zeros are omitted, and periods are used instead of colons.
Examples:
- From 9 to 11 a.m.
- From 6:30 to 8 p.m.
From-to information
In running text , we write “from-to” dates using “to”:
Example:
- 1998 to 1999
Spelling not recommended in running text:
Use of the Hyphen
- 1998-1999
In lists , “from-to” entries can be abbreviated. In this case, the word “to” is replaced by a hyphen that is not surrounded by spaces.
Example:
- 1998–1999, 9–11 a.m.
Spelling in German
Note:
The English typography for time periods in lists differs from that in German. In German, a dash is used here:
- 1998–1999, 9:00–11:00 a.m.
Numbers
The same basic rules apply as in German, but in English, only the numbers one through nine are written out in words. Numbers 10 and above are written as numerals.
Examples:
- The nine-year-old boy
- The 10-year-old girl
Thousands are separated by commas, and decimal places by periods.
Examples:
- 1,000 people
- 11.34 euros
- 12,523.90 U.S. dollars
Spelling in German
The English notation for thousands and decimals is exactly the opposite of the German rule, according to which thousands are separated by periods and decimals by commas.
Examples from Germany:
- 1,000 people
- 11.34 euros
- $12,523.90
Ordinal Numbers
The suffix “th” in English ordinal numbers is written as a superscript.
Example:
- Her25th birthday
- Her 25th birthday
Contact Information
Phone numbers
In English texts, phone numbers are written with the country code preceded by a “+”. Parentheses are not included in the numbers because they would then no longer be clickable on mobile devices. The word “Phone” may be placed before the number—but not “Tel.:”.
Groups of digits, such as the area code, are separated by spaces. This allows users to tap the numbers on their smartphones. We therefore format phone numbers as links.
Example:
- Phone: +49 234 32 00000
Spelling variations not recommended:
- Phone: +49 234 32 00000
- +49 (0)234 32-00000
Direct Speech
Punctuation
Quotation marks for direct speech in English can be created using the keyboard shortcuts Alt+0147 and Alt+0148 (“”). Straight quotation marks (") are typographically incorrect.
Punctuation marks are placed before the closing quotation mark.
Example:
- “We have just started the project,” the professor said.
Incorrect spellings:
Punctuation after the closing quotation marks:
- “We have just started the project,” the professor said.
Straight quotation marks:
- "We have just started the project," the professor said.
Plural Words
Plural nouns should be used with singular verbs when, for example, the focus is on the team’s performance—rather than that of individuals.
Example:
- The team has demonstrated …
- The team has demonstrated …
Common Differences Between British and American English
Suffix -ise/-ize
If both spellings are possible, we choose the version with a “z, ” which is consistent with American English:
- “optimize” instead of “optimise”
Note
There are some words that must be spelled with an “s.”
Example:
- advertise
In the Webster’s Dictionary you can look up the American spelling.
Suffix -our/-or
In American English, many words that end in -our in British English are spelled with -or.
Examples:
- color
- behavior
- neighbor
- color
- behavior
- neighbor
-re/-er ending
In American English, many words that end in -re in British English are spelled with -er .
Examples:
- center
- meter
- center
- meter