Capitalizing after a colon

   MT Reference Style Guide  >  Medical Transcription Grammar, Usage and Style  >  Punctuation  >  Colons and Semicolons  >  Capitalizing after a colon

Do not capitalize the first word after a colon if the material that follows cannot stand alone as a sentence unless the first word is a proper noun. In that case, it is capitalized because it's a proper noun, not because it follows the colon.

Two courses are required: medical terminology and anatomy.
Two courses are required: English and algebra.

Do not capitalize the first word of an independent clause after a colon if the clause explains, illustrates or amplifies the thought expressed in the first part of the sentence.

The patient is going to require both chemotherapy and a CABG: the latter should be performed immediately; the chemotherapy will have to wait for her recovery.

Capitalize the first word after a colon:

1. When the material following the colon consists of two or more sentences.
2. When the material following the colon is a quoted sentence.
3. When the material following the colon starts on a new line.
4. When the material preceding the colon is a short introductory word, such as Note, Caution, or Remember.
5. When the material preceding the colon is the name of a speaker in a transcript, or in a script for a play.