Capitalization
Consult a dictionary
to determine the normal capitalization for most words. For a list
of dictionaries, see Reference Works. Check company websites to determine how the company capitalizes its name and names of its products.
For information on specific capitalization schemes, see the following
sections:
In Text
Capitalize proper nouns (personal names, geographical names,
organizations, etc.). However, many terms that are derived from or
associated with proper nouns are
not capitalized. See The Chicago Manual of Style for more
detailed information.
President A. B. Cee of
XYZ Corporation
but A. B. Cee, president of XYZ Corporation
English standard units
but plaster of paris
U.S. Department of Defense
but executive branch of the federal government
The official names of departments,
projects, and programs should be capitalized appropriately.
University and National
Laboratory Programs department
Law department
Partnering for Total Quality program
Point-of-Use Ultrapure Water Monitoring project
Titles
Capitalize the first letter of the first word and other significant
words in a
title. Do not capitalize the following:
- Articles (a, an, the)
- Conjunctions (and, but,
or)
- Prepositions of fewer than
five letters (in, with, for)
- The to in an infinitive
In a hyphenated compound, capitalize
the word after the hyphenate. Exception: Do not capitalize "based."
How to Use the System
Physical Vapor Deposition of Metals
In-House Tools
Contaminant Levels Within the System
Contamination-Free Manufacturing
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