Resources and Tools

Section Navigation

< back

Addressing the reader and referring to the University

• Addressing the reader
• Referring to the University

---

Addressing the reader

How you address the reader will depend on the tone you want to achieve and the context of the publication.

For student recruitment brochures, for example, it is often appropriate to address the reader in the second person: e.g. At UniSA, you will have the chance to… rather than the third person At UniSA, students will have the chance to…. This approach can help to create a more personal tone and engage the reader.

This style may not be appropriate for more formal documents.

See also Audience

Referring to the University

Again, whether to spell out ‘University of South Australia’ or use ‘UniSA’ will depend on the publication. We recommend using the full wording initially followed by the shortened version to avoid confusion, particularly when the publication will be read by an international audience: eg The University of South Australia has five campuses… then UniSA offers programs…

Note that ‘UniSA’ contains no spacing or punctuation.

Use ‘the University’ to express a statement or position in a formal tone. Use ‘we’ or ‘our’ to promote readability in less formal publications when:

• the context is appropriate for a slightly informal usage
• the University has already been referred to and it is clear that the statement refers to the University’s position.

Note: 'The University' with a capital 'U' should only be used when you could replace it with 'The University of South Australia'. See Capitalisation.

 

top^