Style Guide

Scripps Institution of Oceanography Name

  • First reference: Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego
  • Second and follow-up mentions : Scripps Oceanography or Scripps
  • There is no “the” before Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Avoid using the acronym SIO.

Because of the potential for confusion, we request that external users avoid the acronym SIO when referring to the institution. It’s not a household acronym (such as NASA), has been confused with S10 and 510, and does not aid in increasing awareness for the institution.

Likewise, because of the number of other institutions that bear the Scripps name, we recommend using “Scripps Oceanography” on second and subsequent references as frequently as possible, or whenever practical for clarity.

 

Birch Aquarium at Scripps Name

  • There is no “the” before Birch Aquarium at Scripps.
  • Do not use: Birch

 

University of California San Diego Name

The full guidelines for the use of the university name can be found in the campus brand guidelines.

 

University of California San Diego (no comma)

The university no longer uses a comma when referencing the University of California San Diego. The goal is to avoid the multiple variations currently used for naming the campus—University of California [at or in, or with the comma] San Diego—and to foster consistency, so use this name in all applications.

 

“UC San Diego” not “UCSD”

Using UC San Diego in place of the UCSD acronym better identifies our campus both locally and nationally. There’s confusion among San Diego higher education institutions because of similar acronyms—UCSD, USD, and SDSU—which we eliminate by using UC San Diego. Additionally, this naming convention is consistent with other campuses in the University of California system, such as UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, and so on.

 

Citing the Campus

In all communications efforts, please follow this protocol whenever possible:

  • First reference, spell out the name: University of California San Diego.
  • Subsequent references and in headlines, use the abbreviated version of the name: UC San Diego (not UCSD).
  • You can also use other words such as “campus” or “institution” to refer to UC San Diego in various communications efforts.

 

For information about permissible uses of the UC San Diego and University of California name, logo, seals, trademarks, copyrights, and other proprietary identifiers, please review the official brand policies.