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Introduction

``It is impossible to give rules that will cover every conceivable problem in capitalization'' (GPO Style Manual). Actually, what is capitalized is mostly a matter of editorial style and preference rather than a matter of generally accepted rules. In addition, although there is a clearly recognized rule requiring capitalization of proper nouns and adjectives, opinions differ concerning what a proper noun is.

First we should define terms used when discussing capitalization:

Full caps means that every letter in an expression is capital, LIKE THIS

Caps & lc means that the principal words of an expression are capitalized, Like This

Caps and small caps refers to a particular font of type containing small capital letters instead of lowercase letters

Elements in a document such as headings, titles, and captions may be capitalized in either sentence style or headline style:

Sentence style calls for capitalization of the first letter, and proper nouns of course.

Headline style calls for capitalization of all principal words (also called caps & lc).

Modern publishers tend toward a down style of capitalization, that is, toward use of fewer capitals, rather than an up style.

*This chapter presents guidelines and Langley editorial preference for capitalization. There is so much difference of opinion among authorities as well as individuals concerning proper nouns and adjectives that total consistency among editors and authors is impossible. The important goal should be consistency within a particular document. The next three sections deal with the more clear-cut uses for capitalization; the last section deals with the most difficult area, proper nouns and adjectives.

Sentence Style Capitalization

It is second nature for us to capitalize the beginnings of such things as sentences, quotations, and captions. Rules hardly need to be expressed to cover these areas; however this section briefly addresses them and indicates Langley's preferred style.

Sentences

The first word in a sentence is ordinarily capitalized.

A sentence enclosed in parentheses within another sentence does not begin with a capital:

In applying the foregoing approach to a tetrahedral grid (the tetrahedral grid was chosen because of its attractive features for space construction), a typical repeating element is first isolated from the grid.

However, a parenthesized sentence that does not stand within another sentence begins with a capital:

The foregoing approach is now applied to a tetrahedral grid. (The tetrahedral grid was chosen because of its attractive features for space construction.) A typical repeating element is first isolated from the grid

In the rare instances that fragment sentences may appear in a document, they should begin with a capital:

Wrong - Can system identification procedures be applied to statically unstable aircraft? if so, to which aircraft?

Correct - Can system identification procedures be applied to statically unstable aircraft? If so, to which aircraft?

The first word after a colon may be capitalized when the capital begins a complete sentence; however, capitalization of a complete sentence after a colon is optional:

Correct - The toughness of pseudo-maraging steel degrades at cryogenic temperatures: At -320 degrees, its Charpy impact energy is 6 ft-lb.

Equally correct - The toughness of pseudo-maraging steel degrades at cryogenic temperatures: at -320 degrees, its Charpy impact energy is 6 ft-lb.

Sentence Style Capitalization

Quotations

The beginning of quoted material is capitalized as follows:
A direct quotation that is not syntactically joined to the rest of the sentence (often set off by commas) begins with a capital, even if the initial letter is not capital in the source (Chic and WIT):

In the law establishing the NACA, Congress states: ``It shall be the duty of the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics to supervise and direct the scientific study of the problems of flight with a view to their practical solution.''

When the quote is syntactically dependent on the rest of the sentence, it begins with a lowercase letter, even if the initial letter is capital in the source:

Congress established the NACA in 1915 ``to supervise and direct the scientific study of the problems of flight with a view to their practical solution.''
When ellipsis points in a quotation follow a period (that is, four dots), the first word of the sentence following the ellipsis may be capitalized, even if it is not capital in the source:

``The airplane then accelerated to a Mach number of 0.98. . . . The needle of the Mach meter took an abrupt jump past M = 1.0.'

Questions

When a direct question occurs within a sentence, the author may or may not choose to capitalize the first word of the question:

Correct - The question addressed by this research project is, What system identification procedure should be used for a statically unstable aircraft?

Equally correct - The question addressed by this research project is, what system identification procedure should be used for a statically unstable aircraft?

Of course, an indirect question is never capitalized:

This research project addresses what system identification procedure should be used for statically unstable aircraft.

Lists

Items in a displayed list should begin with a capital whether they are complete sentences or not:
The purposes of this report are 

	To evaluate the performance of the instruments
	To expand the data base 
 
We can define the requirements of the power converter as
follows:

	Energy conversion should be high.
	Efficiency should be independent of laser wavelength.
 
Support systems for the facility supply the following:

Air--The 600-psi system can deliver a flow rate of 300 lb/sec for 3 min.
Cooling water--The closed-loop system delivers 450 gal/min at 550 psig.
Gaseous propellants--Hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are supplied from
60 000-ft^3 tube trailers at 2400 psia.
Words Into Type indicates that capitalizing nonsentence displayed items is optional, but we prefer the capitals. When lists are not displayed, the items are, of course, not capitalized:
The purposes of this report are (1) to evaluate the performance of 
the instruments and (2) to expand the data base.
Stylistic Uses for Sentence Style Capitalization

Nonsentence elements, such as table entries, captions, or footnotes, are often capitalized as a matter of style. The following elements are capitalized in sentence style in Langley reports:

Run-in headings

Table subtitles, headnotes, boxheads, and entries consisting of words, phrases, or sentences

Footnotes to either the text or a table

Figure captions

Figure 1. Three-view sketch of the research aircraft. Dimensions are in inches.

Figure 1. Computing scheme for algorithm.

Figure 1. Concluded.

Figure labels (we prefer initial cap over full caps or caps & lc for labels in figures)

A word or phrase appearing in a symbolic expression: Cm = Pitching moment/qS

Headline Style Capitalization

Headline style calls for all principal words to be capitalized (also called caps & lc). Unfortunately authorities differ widely on what words are principal. Langley rules for headline style capitalization are based on the GPO Style Manual and are as follows:

Do not capitalize the articles a, an, and the; the prepositions or adverbs at, by, for, of, in, up, on, and to; and the conjunctions and, as, but, if, or, and nor. In effect, this rule means that words of four or more letters are considered principal words and are capitalized.

Capitalize the first and last words:

Procedure After All Questionnaires Are In

Capitalize both elements of a two-element hyphenated compound word except the second element of a compound numeral:

Application of the Pin Level Stuck-At Fault Model to VLSI Circuits

Vapor-Screen Systems for In-Flight Flow Visualization

Evaluation of Twenty-one High-Resolution Graphics Work Stations

In a hyphenated phrase of three or more words, the first element and other elements that are principal words are capitalized (Words Into Type):

Drag-Due-to-Lift Measurements for a High-Speed Fighter

If a normally lowercase short word is used parallel with a capitalized word of like significance, the short word should be capitalized:

Carbon-Fiber Risk In and Around Airports

Capitalize the infinitive to (note that some authorities, for example, Chicago Style Manual, recommend lowercase for the infinitive):

Grain-Refining Heat Treatments To Improve Cryogenic Toughness of High-Strength Steels

Grain-Refining Heat Treatments Resulting in Improvements to Cryogenic Toughness of High-Strength Steels

Normally lowercase abbreviations should always be left lowercase, particularly abbreviations for units of measure:

Toughness of 1-ft by 1.5-ft Specimens

Toughness of 0.5-cm-Thick Specimens

Noise Exposure From 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

But

Flow Visualization in the 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel

Headline style capitalization is used for proper nouns. As a matter of preferred style, the following elements are capitalized in headline style in Langley reports:

Displayed (not run-in) headings

Table titles:

Table IV. Test Results for HP-9-4-20

Table IV. Concluded

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Before beginning a discussion of capitalization of abbreviations and acronyms, the two must be clearly distinguished. An abbreviation is a shortened version of a word or phrase and is often followed by a period, for example, c.o.d., ft-lb, St.,or publ.

Abbreviations usually have become standard so that their form can be looked up in a reference book. Acronyms, on the other hand, are ``words formed from the initial letters of successive parts of a term'' (WIT), for example, NASA, NASTRAN, STIF, NASP. They never contain periods and are often not standard, so that definition is required.

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