G1-001A Style Guide for University Regulations

Purpose and Scope
Definitions
Guideline
Policies/Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms, and other Related Resources
Contacts
History

Purpose and Scope‌
1. Purpose.
  
  University regulations affect the entire university community – students, faculty, staff, visitors, patients, and others. Regulations should allow users to find what they need, understand what they find, and use what they find to meet their needs. This guideline provides information for drafters and users of university regulations related to organization, style, formatting, and language. While this style guide is specific to university policies and rules, the university community is encouraged to use it when writing procedures, guidelines, supplemental rules, or departmental policy documents, as applicable.
2. Scope.
  
  This guideline applies to all university policies and rules. All university policies or rules revised or enacted after the effective date of this guideline should adhere to the guideline.
Definitions‌

The definitions in Policy 1-001 apply for this guideline.
Guideline‌
1. Parts of a Regulation‌
  1. Policies and rules have three parts:
    1. Purpose and Scope;
    2. Definitions; and
    3. Policy/Rule.
  2. Purpose and Scope
    1. The purpose describes the reasons for the university to have the policy or rule adopted and implemented. What are the general and specific objectives of having such a regulation in place?
    2. The scope should say to whom the policy or rule applies. The regulation itself should match the scope. For example, if the scope says that a regulation applies only to staff members, the policy should be written to apply specifically to staff members, rather than employees, which is a broader category than the defined scope.
  3. Definitions
    1. Definitions should be in alphabetical order.
    2. Definitions do not include requirements; instead, requirements should be in Section III Policy/Rule. Looks for words like “shall” and “may” in the definitions to see if those provisions should be in policy instead.
    3. Each definition should say “Term” means.
    4. Definitions in policies also apply for any other regulations (rule, procedures, or guidelines) associated with the policy unless otherwise stated in the other regulation.
      1. Definitions in a rule, procedure, or guideline apply only for the specific rule, procedure, or guideline unless otherwise stated in the rule or another rule.
      2. When possible, use definitions for commonly defined terms, such as “employee,” “faculty,” etc. from other regulations instead of recreating them.
      3. Always use the defined term instead of synonyms, but do not use a defined term to mean something other than the way it is defined.
      4. Capitalize a defined term each time it is used in a regulation.
  4. Policy/Rule
    1. All requirements in a regulation should be in this section.
    2. Section III should use the following outline format:
      
      A. Heading
      
      1. First provision related to heading.
      
      a. Further clarification about provision 1.
      
      i. Further clarification about provision 1.a
      
      Use as many of each level of subordination as needed, keeping in mind that more levels of subordination can make a regulation more difficult to read.
2. Organization of Regulations in Regulations Library‌
  1. University regulations are organized into ten different parts by topic.
  2. Regulation Number:
    1. Each existing regulation has a number that indicates:
      1. the type of regulation it is (policy, rule, procedure, or guideline);
      2. where it fits in the Regulations Library; and
      3. for a regulation other than a policy, the associated policy.
  3. Regulation Title Information
    1. The first version of a regulation or rule is Revision 0. Each additional version is the next revision.
    2. Editorial changes do not require a new revision.
    3. Interim regulations should clearly indicate in the title that the regulation is an interim regulation.
      1. When an interim regulation becomes a final regulation, if there are no changes to the interim regulation, the final regulation keeps the same revision number. If there are changes to an interim regulation, the final regulation gets the next revision number.
    4. Effective dates
      1. A policy’s effective date is the day on which the Board of Trustees approves the policy, unless otherwise indicated in the policy.
        
        A rule’s effective date is either:
        
        (a) the day on which the rule receives the final required approval step for the rule unless otherwise indicated in the rule; or
        
        (b) if the revisions to the rule are being made in connection with a new or revised policy, on the day on which the Board of Trustees approves the related policy, unless otherwise indicated in the related policy or in the rule.
3. Revising a Regulation Generally‌
  1. When revising an existing regulation, drafters should clearly show what they are proposing to add or delete to the regulation by showing additions in blue font and deletions in red struck through font. Drafters do this by:
    1. using the track changes feature in Microsoft Word;
    2. manually changing the formatting of additions and deletions as they work; or
    3. sending a clean copy of the revised regulation to the director, university regulations, who can run a compare program on the document to show the differences between the existing regulation and the proposed revisions.
  2. When revising an existing regulation, drafters should apply the guidance in this guideline to existing parts of the regulation, including those that the drafter is not substantively changing.
4. Organization of Provisions within a Regulation‌
  1. All new and revised policies and rules should be drafted on the most recent version of the regulations template.
  2. Regulations should be organized in a way that is easy for a user to follow and understand. A well-organized regulation generally:
    1. groups provisions about the same topic together;
    2. expresses broad policies first and then exceptions and additional details; and
    3. if the regulation describes a process, lists the steps in chronological order.
5. Word Selection and Verbs‌
  1. Regulations should be directive and consistent. Use the following verbs for directions in the policy:
    1. For a requirement:
      1. Drafters should use “shall” or "must" (i.e. An employee shall)
      2. Drafters should not use other terms like “is required to,” “has to,” or “will”
    2. For something that is permitted but not required:
      1. Drafters should only use “may” (An employee may)
      2. Drafters should not use other terms like “can,” “is allowed to,” or “is permitted to”
    3. For something that is prohibited:
      1. Drafter should only use “may not”
      2. Drafters should not use other terms like “shall not,” “cannot,” or “is prohibited from”
    4. For something that is recommended but optional:
      1. Drafters may use “should,” but consider whether to use “shall” or “may” instead.
  2. Write in the active voice so that it is clear in the policy who is responsible for what.
    1. Look for the word “is” in a draft policy to find potential passive voice.
    2. For example, instead of “a form is submitted within five business days” say “organizational units shall submit the form within five business days”
  3. Repeat a specific word instead of using synonyms.
  4. Avoid using “and/or.”
  5. Do not use pronouns that express gender (he, she, him, his, or her). Instead use “they” or “their” for the singular, or repeat the subject.
  6. In general, avoid repetition in regulations because including a provision more than once, either in one regulation or in multiple regulations, can cause the regulations to conflict with themselves and create confusion. Also, avoid using direct quotes in regulations.
6. Grammar and Style Generally‌
  1. This guideline describes certain stylistic elements for university regulations. For grammar and style that is not specifically described in this policy, use the Chicago Manual of Style, which is accessible online through the Marriott Library.
  2. Drafters may also consult the Rulewriting Manual for Utah.
7. Punctuation‌
  1. Use an Oxford comma to separate the last item in a series from the rest of the series (for example students, faculty, and staff) if the series is in one subsection.
  2. When writing a list using the outline format, use:
    1. a colon after the lead-in subsection;
    2. a semicolon between each subordinate subsection;
    3. the word “and” or “or” between the second-to-last and the last subordinate subsections; and
    4. a period at the end of the last subordinate subsection.
  3. Avoid parentheses, except when defining an acronym.
  4. Avoid using quotation marks except around a defined term in the definitions section.
8. Capitalization‌
  1. Do not capitalize “university”.
  2. Capitalize names of offices within the university, such as “Office of General Counsel.”
  3. Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
  4. Do not capitalize titles of positions, such as “vice president for student affairs.”
  5. Do not capitalize the first word of a subsection if it is the continuation of a sentence above.
    1. Example: A student may enroll in a course if the student:
      1. has taken the prerequisite courses;
      2. has not previously completed the course; and
      3. is interested in the topic.
  6. Do not capitalize the words “regulation,” “policy,” “procedure,” “rule,” or “guideline” unless referring to a specific regulation (for example Policy 1-011) or the word is the first word in a sentence.
  7. Capitalize defined terms each time the terms are used.
9. Numerical References‌
  1. Spell out numbers nine and under, except use Arabic numerals in the following circumstances:
    1. Money
    2. Percentages
    3. In a group of numbers in which any of the number exceeds nine
    4. In a table
    5. When citing a university regulation or state or federal law
    6. In a time of day or date
  2. Use Arabic numerals for numbers 10 and above, unless the number is the first word in a sentence, in which case spell out the number.
  3. Do not spell out a number and also put the number in parentheses.
10. Citations to Regulations, Utah System of Higher Education Policies, Rules, and Laws‌
  1. Citations to other parts within the same regulation.
    1. Section III.A.6
    2. When possible, avoid citing parts within the same regulation by number.
  2. Citations to other University regulations.
    1. Cite only the regulation number, do not include the title.
    2. If possible, cite the full regulation, rather than a specific section.
    3. Include the citation in the regulation itself; do not include it in parentheses or say, “See Policy X.”
      1. Policy 1-001
      2. Rule R1-001A
      3. Procedure P1-001A
      4. Guideline G1-002A
  3. Citation to Utah Board of Higher Education Polices
    1. If possible, cite the full policy rather than a specific section.
      1. Utah Board of Higher Education Policy R121
  4. Citation to State Law
    1. Titles, Chapters, and Parts
      1. Title 53B, State System of Higher Education
      2. Title 53B, Chapter 17, University of Utah
      3. Title 53B, Chapter 17, Part 6, State Museum of Natural History
      4. Use the name of the most specific part of the code found at le.utah.gov.
      5. Do not use “et seq.”
      6. Do not use the name of a chapter or part without citing the chapter or part number.
    2. Sections
      1. One section: Utah Code Section 53B-17-601
      2. Multiple sections: Utah Code Sections 53B-17-601 through 53B-17- 605
      3. Subsection: Utah Code Subsection 53B-17-601(2)
        
        Do not say, “Utah Code Annotated” or “Utah Code Unannotated.”
        
        When citing specific sections, do not use the bold face title of the section.
        
        Use subsection citations sparingly, as they become inaccurate if the Legislature amends a statute.
    3. Citations to Utah Administrative Law
      1. Utah Administrative Code R805-1
    4. Citations to Federal Law
      1. Always refer to the federal law by reference to the United State Code. Drafters may refer to the law by both its short title and reference to allow a person to easily identify the federal law in question.
        
        Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 12102
      2. “Et seq.” may be used to refer to multiple sections of federal law.
        
        Endangered Species Act of 1973, 16 U.S.C. Sec. 1531 et seq.
    5. Citations to Federal Rules
      1. Cite the Code of Federal Regulations instead of the Federal Register, unless the rule has not been published yet.
      2. 20 CFR 1901.1
11. Relationship to Other Regulations‌
  1. Regulations often cite other regulations. When drafting a regulation, check that the changes in the draft regulation do not cause other regulations to be inaccurate or conflict.
    1. Use the search function on regulations.utah.edu to find any other regulations that have a reference to the draft regulation. Look at those other regulations to make sure the changes in the draft do not affect their accuracy, and if the changes do, make corresponding revisions to the other regulations.
    2. For example, if the draft deletes a section from a regulation, there may be another regulation that specifically references that section which would need to be revised.
  2. The subject matter of regulations can sometimes overlap. Before drafting a regulation, ensure that there’s not a different regulation that already addresses the topic in the draft regulation.
12. Publication of Regulations‌
  1. Following the final approval step for each regulation, regulations are published on regulations.utah.edu. and included on the recently revised regulations page.
  2. Regulation writers are encouraged to notify stakeholders of changes in regulations upon publication.
Policies/ Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms and other Related Resources
1. Policies/ Rules
  1. Policy 1-001 Policy on Regulations
  2. Rule 1-001
2. Other Related Resources.
  1. Rulewriting Manual for Utah
  2. Chicago Manual of Style
Contacts

For questions about this guideline, please contact the director, university regulations.
History

Revision History.
1. Current version. Revision 1. Effective November 7, 2024.
2. Previous versions.
  1. Revision 0. Effective February 11, 2022.

Revision 1. Effective Date: November 7, 2024