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.
Should acronyms be hyphenated?
Try to avoid using two-letter acronyms in place of nouns. If the acronym spells an unrelated word, use periods between the letters but not spaces . For compound adjectives, hyphenate the acronym.
How do you reference acronyms in a document?
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.
How should abbreviation 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). ...
What’s the rule for acronym use?
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.
Can I use acronyms in APA?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), abbreviations are best used only when they allow for clear communication with the audience . ... Do not use periods or spaces in abbreviations of all capital letters, unless it is a proper name or refers to participants using identity-concealing labels: G. R. R.
What is initialisms and example?
An initialism is a term formed by abbreviating a phrase by combining certain letters of words in the phrase (often the first initial of each) into a single term. Common examples of initialisms include FBI (an initialism of Federal Bureau of Investigation) and TMI (an initialism of too much information).
Is LOL an acronym or initialism?
“LOL” falls into the hybrid category. Sometimes it’s a pronounced acronym (as in LOLcats), and sometimes it’s an initialism (“ell-oh-ell”).
Is WTF an acronym or initialism?
If people actually pronounced WTF “dubya tee eff,” it would be an initialism (an abbreviation pronounced by spelling out the letters one by one). ... In practice, people use it as an abbreviation that means, “where I write WTF, say what the f^ck.”
What do you call a shortened word?
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word that does NOT end in the same letter as the original word. Generally, full-stops are used.
Can you use acronyms in academic writing?
Abbreviations and acronyms are shortened forms of words or phrases. Generally, abbreviations are not acceptable in academic writing (with some exceptions, see below) and acronyms are (providing they are used as shown below).
What are some good acronyms?
- AFK – Away From Keyboard.
- BBIAB – Be Back In A Bit.
- BBL – Be Back Later.
- BBS – Be Back Soon.
- BEG – Big Evil Grin.
- BRB – Be Right Back.
- BTW – By The Way.
- EG – Evil Grin.
Can you use acronyms in technical writing?
Abbreviations (the shortened form of a word or phrase) and acronyms (words formed from the initial letters of a phrase) are commonly used in technical writing .
What does APA mean?
APA stands for American Psychological Association . APA is a common social sciences formatting style for essays and papers. APA Style has a specific format for in-text and reference list entries. APA 7 is the current edition. APA 7 is the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
What does APA and MLA mean?
MLA (Modern Language Association) format is used for humanities and literature works. APA (American Psychological Association) is used for technical and scientific works. Each writing style is formatted to make citations for that specific field easier.
Do you put acronyms in titles?
Acronyms should not be spelled out in the title —if you are going to spell it out, just leave the acronym off! ... Standard abbreviations for measurement units and chemical names that are widely known can be used in the title, abstract, and body of the paper and do not need to be spelled out.
