RCN house style for print and web
Macmillan nurse
one upper case M
mankind
avoid; use humankind or humanity
master’s degree
may/might
“may” suggests the possibility remains open while “might” suggests it is not; for example, “the decision may have led to a more equitable system” suggests this outcome is still possible but we don’t know yet; “the decision might have led to a more equitable system” suggests that while this possibility existed initially it did not eventuate
Mayor of London
or anywhere else, upper case
mealtimes
one word
measurements
10mg; 10ml; no spaces, no plurals
media
singular: “the media is obsessed with celebrities”
Médicines sans Frontières
two accents, lower case “sans”. International rather than French
meet, met
Peter Carter doesn’t “meet with” politicians; he meets politicians
mental health
avoid gratuitous use of terms such as “schizophrenic” – for example, “a schizophrenic approach to mental health policy”. Similarly “the mentally ill”. Use “people with mental health problems” instead. “A person with schizophrenia” rather than “a schizophrenic”
metric system
use for weights and measures, with conversion (in brackets) to imperial where this seems useful. Retain original imperial measurement where it feels appropriate – for example, two pints of blood; a six-inch scar
midday
midweek
MP
member of parliament
MSP
member of the Scottish Parliament
AM
member of the National Assembly for Wales
MLA
member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (or member of the legislative assembly)
minority ethnic
as an adjective, rather than ethnic minority
misuse
of alcohol, drugs, rather than abuse
mobile phone numbers
five digits, then six – 07773 789345
more than
used with a figure – for example, more than 200. Do not use “over” or “under” unless in the context of ages – over 40
Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss
use appropriate title of people external to the RCN after first mention – for example, Andrew Lansley; then Mr Lansley. For women, check preference where possible rather than use Ms as default. When quoting members or staff within RCN publications, first names are usually acceptable, although “Dr Carter” may be more appropriate throughout
MRSA
meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; no need to spell out
Muslim
upper case M