U
UAE
United Arab Emirates.
UAW
United Auto Workers (U.S.).
UEFA
A singular noun, all in capitals. Explain as European soccer’s governing body. See www.uefa.com.
UFO
unidentified flying object.
UHF
ultra high frequency
UK
United Kingdom, no full stops
UKAEA
UK Atomic Energy Authority.
Ukraine
Not the Ukraine.
ULCC
ultra-large crude carrier.
Ulster
Do not use as a synonym for Northern Ireland, unless quoting someone. See Northern Ireland.
ultimatum, ultimatums
Uncle Tom
A term of contempt applied to a black person. Potentially libellous.
under way
Two words. Write began or started rather than got under way unless referring to ships.
undersecretary
One word.
unexceptionable, unexceptional
Unexceptionable will not cause problems because no one raises an objection. Unexceptional is ordinary or commonplace.
UNICEF
The acronym can be used for all references to the United Nations Children's Fund (formerly the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund).
Unification Church
Founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon in South Korea in 1954, the Unification Church is a religious movement that has expanded around the world and is believed to have up to three million members. See religous terms
uninterested, disinterested
Uninterested means the opposite of interested. Disinterested means impartial.
unique
Cannot be qualified, so do not write almost unique, more unique, rather unique.
un-Islamic
not unIslamic
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom comprises Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain comprises England, Wales and Scotland. Use the full or abbreviated form (UK) only to emphasise the inclusion of Northern Ireland with England, Scotland and Wales or if hard-pressed for headline space.
United Nations
Spell it out at first reference when used as a noun. It may be abbreviated to U.N. in a headline. As an adjective it can be also be abbreviated at first reference, e.g. the U.N. General Assembly, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Security Council: The 15-member United Nations Security Council in New York is the body that takes many of the decisions on U.N. action around the world, often through numbered resolutions, e.g. Resolution 649. It consists of five permanent members with the power of veto over any resolution – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. There are also 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council, made up of other U.N. countries which serve in rotation, representing different areas of the world. The Security Council presidency rotates monthly, by English alphabetical listing of its member states.
Some of the main U.N. agencies:
- UNEP: U.N. Environment Programme.
- UNESCO: U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
- UNHCR: U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. If you wish to avoid using this cumbersome title at first reference, use a form of words like a U.N. agency said or the main U.N refugee agency said, giving the full name lower in the story. Note that there is no U.N. High Commission for Refugees, the correct title of the institution being the Office of the UNHCR.
- UNICEF: The acronym can be used for all references to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
- UNIDO: U.N. Industrial Development Organisation.
- UNRWA: U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees.
United States
Spell it out at all references in text when used as a noun. It may be abbreviated to U.S. in a headline. As an adjective it can also be abbreviated at first reference, e.g. the U.S. State Department. Do not use USA except in quoted passages. Do not use the noun America as a synonym for the United States, although you may use American instead of U.S. as an adjective.
unparalleled
Not unparallelled.
unusual names
If a name is unusual repeat it in brackets, e.g. Aigail (repeat Aigail) Carter. Do not write Aigail (eds: correct).
up/down
In economic and financial reporting avoid saying is up or is down. Use higher, lower or increased, decreased, firmer, weaker, etc. Do not use up as a verb, as in ups dividend. Always report ... rose/fell to ... from, never vice versa.
upside down
The car turned upside down, but the book is upside-down.
upsurge
Use surge.
upcoming
Do not use
Uppsala, Sweden.
uranium
A radioactive metal. It is enriched by rapid spinning that separates uranium-235, the fuel for nuclear reactors, from uranium-238 that is used to make plutonium.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator. Any style for website addresses.
USDA
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
U.S. Congress
The U.S. Congress is divided into two bodies: the 100-member Senate, where each state has two members, and the House of Representatives, whose 435 members are allotted in proportion to a state's population. Almost all members of Congress are either Democrats or Republicans with a few independent s who align with one of the two parties.
U.S. courts
The U.S. court system is divided into state courts, which rule on state laws, and federal courts which rule on national laws and the U.S. Constitution. The federal court system consists of district courts, courts of appeal and, at the top, the U.S. Supreme Court whose nine members are appointed for life. The Supreme Court is the final arbiter on constitutional issues.
Grand juries: Their prime function is to review evidence presented by a prosecutor and determine whether there is probable cause to return an indictment. Under the constitution, a grand jury indictment is required for federal criminal charges. Only about half of the states' judicial systems use grand juries.
Note: the New York Supreme Court is a trial court, not the highest court in the state (the Court of Appeals), and this should be made clear in copy. It is roughly equivalent to the district courts, superior courts or circuit courts of other states.
U.S. datelines
The following U.S. cities stand alone in a dateline without the need to mention their state: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwauke, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburg, St Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington.
U.S. Marshals Service
No apostrophe.
U.S. legislative titles
Do not abbreviate legislative titles in the United States. Use Governor, Senator, Representative at first mention and then refer to the politician by surname on subsequent reference.
There is no need to include the district or state that the legislator represents, unless it is context essential to understanding the story, eg. a Senator from Michigan voting for aid for auto manufacturers.
Refrain from referring to either of a state’s senators as “senior” or “junior”, which is not widely understood outside the United States. There is no difference in legislative rights or powers and his or her political leanings are more relevant, e.g right-wing Republican or liberal Democrat.
U.S. states
Most are divided into counties with the exception of Louisiana which is composed of parishes. Strictly speaking, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia are commonwealths , but we should refer to them as states. Their constitutional status is the same.
user friendly
Jargon. Prefer easy to use.
utilise
Prefer use.
U-turn
Category: The Reuters General Style Guide
This page was last modified 11:40, 31 March 2010.