Some abbreviations required in notes and in source citations are not appropriate in the body of a paper.
| CHAPTER AND PAGES | chapter, page, pages (not ch., p., pp.) |
| MONTHS | January, February (not Jan., Feb.) |
| STATES AND NATIONS | California, Mexico (not Calif., Mex.) Two exceptions are Washington, D.C., and U.S. |
TALKING ABOUT STYLE
Use of abbreviations and numbers varies in different fields. See a typical example from a biochemistry textbook:
The energy of a green photon…is 57 kilocalories per mole (kcal/mol). An alternative unit of energy is the joule (J), which is equal to 0.239 calorie; 1 kcal/mol is equal to 4.184 kJ/mol.
– Lubert Stryer, Biochemistry
These two sentences demonstrate how useful figures and abbreviations can be; reading the same sentences would be very difficult if the numbers and units of measurement were all written out.
Become familiar with the conventions governing abbreviations and numbers in your field. The following reference books provide guidelines:
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers for literature and the humanities
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for the social sciences
Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers for the natural sciences
The Chicago Manual of Style for the humanities
AIP Style Manual for physics and the applied sciences