UTIA Editorial Guide: Referring to UT AgResearch


Note: For all units of the UT Institute of Agriculture, UT, rather than University of Tennessee, is acceptable on first reference when the full name of the university is apparent to the reader.

UT AgResearch is composed of ten AgResearch and Education Centers across the state:

  • East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center (Knoxville)—The Center has six units: Blount, Holston, Little River Animal and Environmental Unit, Joseph E. Johnson Animal Research and Teaching Unit, Organic Crops, and Plant Sciences. Units are set off with a comma: The East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center, Plant Sciences Unit.
  • Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center (Oak Ridge)—Four parts comprise the Center: the Oak Ridge Forest, the Cumberland Forest, the Highland Rim Forest, and the Arboretum.
  • Northeast Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center (Greeneville)
  • Plateau AgResearch and Education Center (Crossville)
  • Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center at Spring Hill (Spring Hill)
  • Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center (Springfield)
  • Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center at Lewisburg (Lewisburg)
  • AgResearch and Education Center at Milan (Milan)
  • Ames AgResearch and Education Center or Ames AgResearch and Education Center located near Grand Junction, Tennessee, as appropriate (Grand Junction)
  • West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center (Jackson)

When communicating the name of a Center, take care to identify that it is a part of AgResearch
and the Institute.

Second reference:

On second reference, the Center plus the location name is preferred: the Milan Center, the Northeast Tennessee Center. Avoid the abbreviation REC in any form (REC, ETREC, WTREC, etc.), and be mindful of how the abbreviation sounds to audiences unfamiliar with our Centers. Also, avoid the term Experiment Station.

Shortened forms of the names for news releases:

Often, a shortened form of the AgResearch and Education Center name is required in news and video releases, where text space and video time are limited:

  • East Tennessee AgResearch Center
  • Forest Resources AgResearch Center
  • Northeast Tennessee AgResearch Center
  • Plateau AgResearch Center
  • Middle Tennessee AgResearch Center (When using the shortened form, take care to note elsewhere whether the reference is to Spring Hill or Lewisburg.)
  • Highland Rim AgResearch Center
  • Milan AgResearch Center
  • Ames AgResearch Center
  • West Tennessee AgResearch Center