Basic Guidelines on Using Upper Case versus Lower

Case in Scientific Writing

Overusing capital letters is a more common error in scientific writing than the other way around,
that is, not using them where they are required. Capitalization is certainly a problem that
confronts writers and editors, and the space devoted to capitalization by many style guides is one
indication of how common the problem is: New Harts Rules1, Scientific Style and Format2,
and AMA Manual of Style3 each devotes a whole chapter to it. Although it is impossible to offer
categorical advice for every case, some general principles apply to most cases. One overarching
principle is to use lowercase letters as default and to use capitals only when you must (as, for
example, with proper nouns and at the beginning of each sentence). As New Harts Rules [1, p.
96] puts it as: Overuse of initial capitals is obtrusive, and can even confuse by suggesting false
distinctions.
Frequently, the matter can be resolved by sticking to the style used by a given journal: for
instance, some journals use the so-called headline style (or title case) for headings. Accordingly,
if your target journal uses the headline style and prints Materials and Methods instead of
Materials and methods (note the lowercase m in methods), use that style. In the same way,
observe the style used by the journal in references and follow that style: some journals use the
title case for titles of journals and books; some dont (Annals of Applied Biology versus Annals of
applied biology and Principles of Organic Chemistry versus Principles of organic chemistry).
When using abbreviations, it is useful to remember that just because an abbreviation is written in
capitals does not mean that the capitalization must be retained when the abbreviation is set out
in full: for example, EMF but electromagnetic field (the m and the f are lowercase), PCB but
printed circuit board, and WAIS but wide area information service.
There is another criterion to use in choosing between capitals and lowercase in abbreviating and
enumerating specific instances of such words as chapter, figure, and page: checking whether the
enumeration is deliberate or accidental: Chapter 2 or Figure 5, but page (or p.) 7 and column (or
c.) 2, because page numbers and column numbers are a function of page layout and can change;
whereas the division of text into chapters and the choice of figures are deliberate choices.
[1] OUP. 2014. New Harts Rules: the Oxford style guide, 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University
Press. 464 pp.
[2] CSE , Style Manual Committee. 2014. Scientific Style and Format: the CSE manual for authors,
editors, and publishers, 8th edn. Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA: Council of Science Editors. 722 pp.
[3] AMA. 2007. AMA Manual of Style: a guide for authors and editors, 10th edn. New York: Oxford
University Press [and American Medical Association]. 1010 pp.