Transcription, Punctuation, Etc.:

Transcribe a date beginning a title as is. Do not invert.

Capitalize the first word following an initial article only if the work is entered under title.

Follow the policy of limiting the number of parallel titles transcribed. (1)

Capitalization of Names of Political Divisions:

Consider names of political divisions transcribed in the title proper to be indicative of a descriptive or appellative function and lowercase the term preceding the proper name. Example:

Consider the transcription of the names of political divisions that are part of an administrative hierarchy (in conjunction with subordinate bodies) to be indicative of official use and capitalize the term preceding the proper name wherever it appears in the description.

Capitalization of "Popular" Geographic Names:

Based on independent, professional judgment, capitalize "popular" geographic names according to the rules and policy (2) and the following guidelines:

capitalize popular descriptive terms or phrases referring to or substituted for "larger" geographic places or place names that are well known by the general public and are in common usage by the public on either a national or regional basis; Examples:

lower case descriptive terms or phrases referring to "smaller" geographic places that are locally manufactured for public relations purposes and are not in common usage by the general public on either a national or regional basis; Examples:

if there is any doubt whether a descriptive or popular term or phrase referring to a geographic place is in common usage, a good general gazetteer with descriptive entries may be consulted (e.g., Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World). Verification of such terms or phrases in a gazetteer, generally in a descriptive entry under the primary geographic name, constitutes direct evidence that the cited term or phrase is in common usage. Example:

Sheet Titles:

Separate, individual sheet titles for a map series/set or a multisheet map are not transcribed as part of the title. If an awkward, incomplete title results from their omission replace the sheet title information with a more general description that is suitable for all sheets. Do not omit the information and represent it with ellipsis. (4) Examples:

See also:

Description