Data

For general writing, use ‘data’ as a singular verb, for example, 'data is', not ‘data are’.

Only use ‘Datum’ for academic writing when referring to a single piece of information.

Dates

The standard format should be: day date month year.

Write the date as simple digits, not as an ordinal number, for example, '14 March', not '14th March'. The day and the month should be capitalised.

You can use three-letter abbreviations such as Wed or Oct if there are spacing issues, but don't abbreviate the year.

Here are some examples:

Friday 14 March 2014
Wed 31 Oct 2014

Departments and faculties

Use title case when describing specific departments or faculties, for example:

Faculty of Engineering & Design (note the ampersand)
Department of Education
School of Management
Department for Health

Always use lower case when talking about 'professional services' or 'professional service departments'.

Always refer to departments by their proper names. For example, 'We arrange access to the University Print Service for staff and PhD students', not 'We arrange for print access for staff and PhD students'.

Dependant or dependent

A dependant (noun) is a person who is dependent (adjective) on someone else.

Dilemma

A dilemma is a choice between undesirable alternatives. It is not a synonym for 'problem'.

Disability

See Inclusive language.

Disinterested or uninterested

A disinterested person is impartial; an uninterested person is indifferent.

Distance

Miles (mi) for long distances.

Metres (m) and centimetres (cm) for shorter distances.

Diversity

See Inclusive language.

Dot dot dot

See Ellipsis.

Drop-down

Not 'dropdown' or 'drop down'.

Drop-in

Use lower case in a sentence, so 'drop-in'.

Editorial style guide: D

Editorial guidance for terms beginning with 'D'. Use the style guide to help make your content clear, accessible, and consistent with the rest of the website.