Use of English
NEMO |
Neutrino Ettore Majorana Observatory Spell out in first use then use acronym for the CERN Courier Not to be confused with: Neutrino Mediterranean Observatory (NEMO) Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier |
NEMO |
Neutrino Mediterranean Observatory Spell out in first use then use acronym for the CERN Courier Not to be confused with: Neutrino Ettore Majorana Observatory (NEMO) Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier |
neutrino |
Plural: neutrinos. A neutral subatomic particle with a mass close to zero and half-integral spin, which rarely reacts with normal matter. Three kinds of neutrinos are known, associated with the electron, muon, and tau particles. Read more |
physics |
neutron |
A subatomic particle of about the same mass as a proton but without an electric charge, present in all atomic nuclei except those of ordinary hydrogen. Read more |
physics |
nevertheless |
translation | |
next generation (pred.); next-generation (adj.) |
translation | |
night-time |
translation | |
Nikhef |
Nationaal instituut voor subatomaire fysica (National Institute for Subatomic Physics), the Netherlands Acronym doesn’t need spelling out for the CERN Courier (and, indeed, relates to a now obsolete name) Note: capital N, the rest of the letters lower case Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier, translation |
no one |
not "no-one" Read more |
translation |
No. |
i.e. number; not "n°" Read more |
translation |
Nobel prize |
Capitals for specific titles: Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, etc. But: "She won a Nobel prize". Nobel laureate See nobelprize.org for detailed information about Nobel laureates, including biographies and full transcriptions of their acceptance speeches. Read more |
Courier, style, translation |
non |
The prefix "non" usually takes a hyphen. non-linear non-baryonic non-Abelian non-existent non-governmental BUT noncommittal Read more |
Courier, translation |
Non-discriminatory language |
In the preamble to its Staff Rules and Regulations [CERN NICE Login required], CERN reaffirms equality of treatment between people as one of the basic principles of its personnel policy and does not discriminate between members of its personnel, in particular on account of race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. Authors of CERN texts must take care to avoid any discriminatory language that could cause offence, exclude certain groups of people or reinforce stereotypes. Read more |
style |
non-Member State |
use hyphen Read more |
translation |
none |
It is a (persistent) myth that "none" has to take a singular verb: plural is acceptable and often sounds more natural, e.g. "none of the current squad are good enough to play in the Premiership", "none of the issues have been resolved" Read more |
grammar |
nonetheless |
translation | |
nonzero |
no hyphen, not non-zero Read more |
Courier |
north-east(ern) |
use hyphen Read more |
translation |
north-west(ern) |
use hyphen Read more |
translation |
note verbale |
no italics Read more |
translation |
NSF |
National Science Foundation (US) Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
nucleon |
Read more | physics |
nucleon–nucleon |
use ndash Read more |
Courier |
numbers |
NumbersWhen applied to countable objects, spell out numbers below 10:
For 10 and above, use digits. Numbers up to 9999 do not take a comma or a space. Numbers with five digits take a non-breaking space every three digits. So it’s: One, nine, 10, 100, 1001 and 9999, but 10 000 or 564 381 or 1 057 983. Try to avoid putting numbers at the start of a sentence, but if it’s unavoidable, spell them out. Read more |
style |
NuPAC |
Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics at CERN Spell out in first use then use acronym for the CERN Courier Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier |
NuPECC |
Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee (an Expert Committee of the European Science Foundation) Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
NuSTORM |
Neutrinos from STORed Muons (Fermilab project) Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
n_TOF |
neutron Time-Of-Flight facility Spell out in first use then use acronym for the CERN Courier Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier, translation |
obituary |
The headline should be in the format NAME (Birthyear - Deathyear) Joe Bloggs (1933 - 2008) The strapline should contain a description of the person based on highlights from their career: Theorist who revolutionised random-sets algebra and paved the way for supersymmetric theories of time The obituary should be respectful and measured. Do not be defamatory, but equally do not exaggerate the person's contribution. Avoid superlatives. Read more |
style |
occur, occurring, occurred, occurrence |
translation | |
offline |
translation | |
offset |
translation | |
offshore |
translation | |
OK |
Not "okay" Read more |
style |
old age (noun); old-age (adj.) |
translation | |
Ombud |
Capital "O" for CERN's Ombud. Not "Ombuds", "Ombudsman" or even "Ombudsperson". Read more |
style, translation |
omnidirectional |
translation | |
on board (pred.); on-board (adj.) |
translation | |
on site (pred.); on-site (adj.) |
translation | |
ongoing |
no hyphen, not "on-going" Read more |
Courier, translation |
online |
no hyphen, not "on-line" Read more |
Courier, spelling, translation |
only |
"only" comes after the verb, i.e. ‘not only provided’ should be ‘provided not only’ Read more |
Courier |
Open Days |
Capital "O", capital "D". Over 70 000 people visited CERN during the Open Days event this year. Read more |
style |
openlab |
CERN openlab has a lower case "o". See their website Read more |
style, translation |
OPERA |
Oscillation Project with Emulsion tRacking Apparatus Spell out in first use then use acronym for the CERN Courier Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier |
optical fibre (noun) |
translation | |
organisation, organise |
With an "s". Except when referring to CERN – "The Organization" – which takes a "z" and an upper case "O". (This is because the name was spelled with a "z" in the CERN convention, so the "z" is part of the official name). Remember, follow British English for spelling. Read more |
style, translation |
OSG |
Open Science Grid Spell out in first use then use acronym for the CERN Courier Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, Courier |
OSQAR |
Optical Search for QED Vacuum Bifringence, Axions and Photon Regeneration (experiment at CERN) Read more |
abbreviations, acronyms, translation |
out of date (pred.); out-of-date (adj.) |
translation |