NOTATIO

I'm trying to find examples and "best practices" to indicate that only half the string section should be playing a specific part. I've seen it indicated as "1/2" then "tutti" to revert to the full section. I've also seen it indicated as "half" and the equivalent in other languages. What's the general feeling about this around here?

I use "la meta", then "tutti". which from my reading is pretty standard and well-understood by string players.
you could also specify which players at each desk you want, like "inside desk" or "outside desk".

If you use the Italian marking, make sure you include the grave accent on the last a: metà.

I ended up using metà/tutti! I might add a note about it in the front matters page just in case.