D
dash (or em-dash) — see Punctuation Primer
dates — Always capitalize the days of the week and the months of the year. When only the month and year are used, do not separate the month and year with a comma. If the exact date is used, separate the day of the month from the year with a comma. Always abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. when used with a specific date. Spell out when used without a date. When a month, date and year are used, set off the year with commas.
Yes: This began in March 2020. Yes: He was born on Sept. 13, 1949. Yes: They met on Jan. 23, 2022, and discussed the program. No: The movie opened in Dec. 2021.
days — Capitalize them. Do not abbreviate, except when needed in a tabular format: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat (three letters, without periods, to facilitate tabular composition).
dean— Only capitalize when dean is used as a formal title before a name.
Yes: Dean Fang Yin made the announcement. Yes: Fang Yin, dean of the College of Pharmacy, made the announcement. No: The Dean made the announcement.
dean’s list— Only capitalize when dean is used as a formal title before a name.
degrees— See academic degrees
department, programs — Lowercase, except for proper nouns, adjectives or the official name.
All of her classes are in the Department of English. He stopped by the English department to check on his degree plan. The M.Ed. in counseling program prepares graduates for careers in professional counseling.
If you need help determining the official name of a department, refer to the list under academic colleges and departments.
directions, regions — Lowercase directions (unless it is part of a proper name) and capitalize when they refer to regions
Continue driving north on Highway 59. The North won the Civil War. The town has that Southern charm. She lives in west Houston. He lives in southwest Houston.
disciplines — The names of disciplines and areas of study are capitalized when they appear in the official names of departments and programs and when they are derived from proper nouns.
Yes: He double majored in history and French. Yes: He studied the history of costume and design in the School of Theatre & Dance. No: He double majored in History and French. see academic colleges, schools, departments, centers and institutes
doctor — Use Dr. in first reference as a formal title before the name of an individual who holds a doctor of dental surgery, doctor of medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathic medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine, or doctor of veterinary medicine. Do not use Dr. before the names of individuals who hold other types of doctoral degrees.
The form Dr., or Drs. in a plural construction, applies to all first-reference uses before a name, including direct quotations. Do not continue the use of Dr. in subsequent references.
doctoral (adj.), doctorate (n.) — Doctoral is an adjective that modifies a program or course of study. Doctorate is the degree received; do not add degree after it. See academic degrees
dormitories — Use residence halls rather than dormitories or dorms.
duration — To indicate duration or continuing or inclusive numbers such as dates, times or reference numbers, use an en-dash (a slightly longer hyphen). Do not put a space on either side of the dash. When using an en-dash, always use numbers.
1776–1881 August–September 2022 Academic year 2021–22 No: The junior high serves students in grades six-eight.