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Hyphenated Notes Example
100-level After completing the 100-level paper, students could proceed to papers at 200- and 300-level.
24-hour No doubt, students wished the library operated on a 24-hour basis during exam time.
126-point course It is a prescribed 126-point course to be completed in the first year of a student's university study
single-semester paper MAOR 491 He Raukura is a single-semester paper representing half of MAOR 490.
audio-visual The library is a good place to start when booking audio-visual equipment for group presentations.
-based (when used as a suffix) He is among 50 leading international psychologists who have put forward a new, evidence-based, system for classifying mental health disorders.
computer-assisted Course material is taught through a mixture of lectures, practical laboratories, small group tutorials and computer-assisted and self-directed study.
co-operate, co-ordinate Otago researchers and the New Zealand Green Building Council are co-operating to develop a new test that could pass or fail houses with a WoF type assessment.
co-ordinator The new programme co-ordinator will be starting next week.
distance-taught Distance-taught programmes are ideal for for professionals in the field.
double-degree When used as an adjective. The following are popular double-degree combinations for BCom/BCom(Hons) students ...
film-making When referring to film-making in general. See filmmaking listing in table below. Film-making was Sharron's true passion. She loved seeing her creations on the big screen.
first-year courses Similarly: a four-year degree / a six-year programme All first-year students enrolled in the following qualifications should attend a course advising session...
full-time Similarly: part-time / full-year It can be difficult to transition from part-time work to full-time study, but the staff here are very welcoming and helpful.
hands-on Not surprisingly, Hands-On at Otago features many hands-on activities for students to try out.
in-depth This paper is an in-depth study of the most representative poetry produced in the Spanish countries of Latin America in the 20th century.
large-scale Fewer New Zealanders are now dying in large-scale disaster events but that is not the case across the Tasman, a study has found.
non-teaching So far, non-teaching staff have been targeted for the mentor role.
on-campus/off-campus When used as an adjective. An on-campus experience can greatly influence a prospective student's likelihood of applying to Otago.
one-on-one Academic support was offered in the form of one-on-one consultations with the lecturer.
open-entry degrees Applied Science is a three-year open-entry undergraduate degree.
pre-graduation The morning's pre-graduation ceremony would commence at 10am.
school-leaver Aquinas is suitable for school-leavers and mature students.
self-government Canada is experimenting with self-government for aboriginal peoples.
South-East Asia Use hyphen and capitals as indicated. His research would take him to South-East Asia for several months.
state-of-the-art The University and Pacific Radiology officially launched a state-of-the-art MRI at Pacific Radiology's new facility in Great King Street this week,
University-owned Some colleges are University-owned, while others are run independently.
Wi-Fi Note the capitals and hyphen. Wi-Fi was now available across the entire campus for staff, students and guests.
world-class Otago scientists have received nearly $300,000 of funding to support their world-class brain-related research in the latest Neurological Foundation grant round.
X-ray Not surprisingly, X-ray technology has been around for more than 100 years and is generally used to look at bones and organs.

Not hyphenated Notes Example
2D, 3D The Clocktower Building is one of only three national icons to be developed into 3D puzzles, alongside the Sky Tower and Auckland's War Memorial.
double degree When used as a noun. When completing a double degree, some papers can be cross credited between qualifications, reducing the time required to complete the qualification.
email Use lower case unless it is the first word in a sentence or when used for contact details. No hyphen. The email would be sent later in the day.
filmmaking When referring to the University course. Sharron was keen to start Otago's Science and Natural History Filmmaking course.
first class Honours degrees are awarded at first class, second class and third class level.
healthcare When used adjectivally. New Zealand's healthcare system had seen many changes in recent decades.
health care When used as a noun. The calibre of health care delivered by Otago medical students was second to none.
interdisciplinary She believes the key to improving the civil justice system for thousands of New Zealanders will involve taking an interdisciplinary approach.
lifelong At nearly 80 years old, Gerald was a true lifelong learner.
multidisciplinary / multicultural / multimedia Rural multidisciplinary health course a win-win for New Zealand.
on campus / off campus When not used as an adjective. This paper is taught on campus and by distance.
online Online learning was a key part of the programme's appeal for Pia.
postdoctoral There were plenty of postdoctoral opportunities available at Otago.
postgraduate As a postgraduate student, he was considering staying at Abbey College.
prerequisite The following are essential prerequisites for the ECON 200-level and 300-level papers.
preschool The majority of New Zealanders believe that advertising to children is unethical and that television advertising to preschoolers should be banned, new research suggests.
resit Having failed it the first time, he was forced to resit the exam.
schoolchild Every New Zealand schoolchild should feel safe and comfortable in their classroom.
wellbeing Social wellbeing is about getting along with people, having friends and good family relationships.
worldwide All one word with no hyphen. However, the world wide web. Climate change is an issue of worldwide importance.

About the Writing Style Guide

This guide is designed to help ensure writing style – whether for internal or external audiences, written for print or online – is consistent and maintains a professional standard across the University. It is not designed for academic writing.

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Please send any feedback – including reports of errors or requests for changes – to writing.style@otago.ac.nz

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