Introduce every acronym before using it in the text . The first time you use the term, put the acronym in parentheses after the full term. Thereafter, you can stick to using the acronym.
When should an acronym be used?
Please remember that acronyms should only be used for words or phrases that are repeated a number of times throughout your document . If you use too many initialisms and acronyms, readers will become confused.
What should you do when using an acronym?
Always write out the first in-text reference to an acronym , followed by the acronym itself written in capital letters and enclosed by parentheses. Subsequent references to the acronym can be made just by the capital letters alone. For example: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a rapidly expanding field.
What is the rule for using acronyms?
The contemporary rule is to write out the full name when first mentioned (with the acronym in brackets). Use only the acronym after this. Example: ‘The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) will decide on the issue.
Why should acronyms be used carefully?
But why do we tend to use acronyms and abbreviations so often? Because it takes less time to say or write the first initial of each word or an abbreviated form of the full word than to spell out every single word . So using acronyms and abbreviations in your everyday speech makes communication easier and faster.
When can you use acronyms in an essay?
The general rule of thumb is that you spell out an acronym on first reference and then use the acronym after that . What that means is that the first time you make reference to, say, OSHA, you would write “Occupational Safety and Health Administration” and then use OSHA in subsequent sentences.
How should abbreviations and acronyms look?
An abbreviation is typically a shortened form of words used to represent the whole (such as Dr. or Prof.) while an acronym contains a set of initial letters from a phrase that usually form another word (such as radar or scuba). ... Abbreviations and acronyms are often interchanged, yet the two are quite distinct.
How do you use abbreviations in a research paper?
When you use acronyms—formed using the first letter of each word in a phrase—you should write the first occurrence of phrase in full, and place the abbreviation in parentheses immediately after it. Then you can use the acronym throughout the rest of the text .
How do you put abbreviations in a research paper?
As a general rule, all non-standard abbreviations/acronyms should be written out in full on first use (in both the abstract and the paper itself) and followed by the abbreviated form in parentheses, as in ‘the American Psychological Association (APA)’. Latin abbreviations, such as ‘etc. ‘, ‘i.e.’, ‘e.g.’ and ‘cf.
Should abbreviations be capitalized?
In general, common nouns are not capitalized when they’re written out as words, but the abbreviations are ALWAYS capitalized —whether they’re units, elements, or acronyms. Elements, even those derived from proper names (curium, francium), are always written lower case when they are written out as words.
What is the purpose of acronym?
Acronyms are often used in academic writing in order to avoid the repetitive use of long, cumbersome titles . Acronyms are defined as words formed by the first letters of words in a name or title.
Why is it important to use acronyms carefully when sending business emails?
Taking this approach helps to allow you to stand out from the rest who will take shortcuts , thereby minimizing the perception of professionalism and clarity in their business emails.
What’s the purpose of using abbreviations?
An abbreviation, simply put, is a shortened form of a word. In writing, abbreviations are useful when you need to squeeze a lot of writing into a small space . You can also use them in place of long or cumbersome phrases to make your sentences easier to read.
How do you use abbreviations in an essay?
The first time you mention a phrase that can be abbreviated, spell it out in full and provide the abbreviation in parentheses. Use only the abbreviation thereafter . Only abbreviate phrases that occur three or more times in your paper. Avoid abbreviations in titles, headings, the abstract, and the reference section.
How do you put abbreviations in an essay?
- (1) Write acronyms in full caps with no periods.
- (2) On first mention, write the acronyms in full followed by the acronym in brackets.
How should abbreviations and acronyms look it should contain dashes or periods?
Two-letter words (United Nations) should be spelled out, or if an acronym is preferred, use periods between the letters (U.N.) . ... If the acronym spells an unrelated word, use periods between the letters but not spaces. For compound adjectives, hyphenate the acronym.
How should abbreviations and acronyms look like in transcription?
Some abbreviations are written in all lower case letters followed by periods , like q.a.d. for every other day or s.o.s for if there is a need. Periods are not used when the abbreviation/acronym consists of all upper case letters. ... If the abbreviation ends in a period, use the “s” after an apostrophe.
How do you reference abbreviations?
As with other abbreviations, spell out the name of the group upon first mention in the text and then provide the abbreviation. If the name of the group first appears in the narrative, put the abbreviation, a comma, and the year for the citation in parentheses after it.
How do you abbreviate abbreviations?
It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word abbreviation can itself be represented by the abbreviation abbr., abbrv., or abbrev.; NPO, for nil (or nothing) per (by) os (mouth) is an abbreviated medical instruction.
Where should abbreviations go in a report?
- Include the heading “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS” in all capital letters, and center it 1′′ below the top of the page.
- Include one double-spaced line between the heading and the first entry.
- Arrange your abbreviations alphabetically.
Do we use the before abbreviations?
Use a definite article with an initialism if the spelled out term begins with “the” but is not covered in the initialism . the United States of America = the U.S.A. When “the” is not part of the full name, then it is not inserted before the initialism.
How do you create abbreviations?
Style guides suggest that you write the acronym first, followed by the full name or phrase in parentheses . You can also write them in the opposite order—whatever makes more sense. In short, if the acronym is more widely known, list it first; if it’s more obscure, you may want to start with the entire phrase.
Should abbreviations have periods?
In American English, we always put a period after an abbreviation ; it doesn’t matter whether the abbreviation is the first two letters of the word (as in Dr. for Drive) or the first and last letter (as in Dr. for Doctor). ... for Mister) do not get a period.
What’s the importance of abbreviations in business communication?
You can use abbreviations to make writing emails and instant messages shorter and more concise . Using abbreviations can save you time and people will still understand what you mean because they are common words and phrases for business.
When should you not use abbreviations?
Use abbreviations sparingly. Only use abbreviations if they are widely known across the broad readership of Cochrane Reviews, are used frequently in a section or throughout the review, or enhance readability. Consider using an abbreviation only if the term has three or more words .
Are acronyms good for business?
Businesses should use acronyms sparingly as the excessive use of acronyms, like jargon, can confuse and alienate customers. If your business operates in an environment with many acronyms in regular use – such as information technology – you should always attempt to explain what the acronyms stand for before using them.
How should United States be abbreviated?
In APA style, “United States” should always be spelled out when it is used as a noun or location . Example: In the United States, 67% reported this experience. United States can be abbreviated as “U.S.” when it is used as an adjective. Examples: U.S. population and U.S. Census Bureau.
Should abbreviations be in parentheses?
To use abbreviations, you’ll first want to spell out the phrase or name, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses . Then, in any subsequent use of that phrase or name, only use the abbreviation. ... With a narrative citation, introduce the abbreviation in parentheses with the publication year.
How are abbreviations used in academic writing?
Introducing acronyms
Introduce every acronym before using it in the text. The first time you use the term, put the acronym in parentheses after the full term. Thereafter, you can stick to using the acronym.
Why the use of abbreviations and acronyms might not be the best way to communicate with a patient?
Using acronyms and abbreviations draws eyeballs because that is the effect of all caps , but these groupings of letters are meaningless on their own. The confusion this creates is called an alphabet soup effect. Style guides often discourage use of acronyms or abbreviations for this reason, unless widely recognized.
