Canada Key Terms & Style
Use this to reference Canada-specific style. For other terms and style, refer to our universitywide key terms and style.
Our editorial style for our Canadian audiences is the Canadian Press Stylebook.
Please contact University Marketing with any questions that aren’t addressed in this key terms listing, the Associated Press Stylebook, the Canadian Press Stylebook, or Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
BROWSE A–Z:
A
addresses
Always include Northeastern University and the campus when quoting an address:
Person’s name
Title
Northeastern University Toronto
375 Queen Street West
Toronto ON
M5V 2A5
Canada
B
bibliography
When referencing books, the format should follow:
Author. Title. Publisher. City, year of publication.
For example:
Barber, Katherine (ed.). The Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Toronto, 2005.
If the reference is for a chapter/article within a book the format should follow:
Author Last Name, First Name. “Chapter or Article Title,” in Title of Book, edited by Editor First Name Last Name, page range. Publisher. City, year of publishing.
For example:
Gould, Glenn. “Streisand as Schwarzkopf,” in The Glenn Gould Reader, edited by Tim Page, 308–11. Vintage Books. New York, 1984.
C
courses
Courses describe the component parts of a degree programme. Do not use the term modules.
Do not refer to a degree as a degree course. Use degree program or a program of studies, which comprises a number of courses.
I
Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC)
Avoid using this term or abbreviation, except for direct quotations; explain the term if it’s used.
See also: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
M
measures
Abbreviate as follows:
| metre/s | m |
| centimetre/s | cm |
| millimetre/s | mm |
| kilogram/s | kg |
| kilojoule/s | kJ |
| kilometre/s | km |
| kilowatt/s | kW |
| square metre/s | m² |
$29/m² or $29 per square metre, depending on context.
However, the word should be spelled out in full in a nontechnical context and in general when referring to metre/s, to avoid confusion with million.
A comma should be used to separate thousands from hundreds (except in tables), and the abbreviation should go immediately after the figure without the addition of a space:
20,000
not 20000
1,700 m²
not 1700 m2
S
T
telephone numbers
Use periods to separate number groups. Include the country code if relevant. Do not use “Tel,” “Mobile,” the plus symbol (+), or parentheses.
416.555.1234
1.416.555.1234
time
Use the 12-hour clock.
Omit “:00” for the top of the hour. Use a space between the hour and a.m. or p.m; use periods in a.m. and p.m.
Separate hours and minutes with a colon.
Use “to” for ranges of time. If a time range is within the same half of the day, only use a.m. or p.m. once, at the end of the range.
To prevent confusion, midnight and noon are used rather than 12 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Avoid the 24-hour clock unless specifically required by the audience
Examples:
10 a.m.
not 10:00 a.m.
5:30 p.m.
3 to 5 p.m.
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Capitals are common in advertising: AM.