21 Abbreviations

21

Abbreviations

Abbreviations are shortened forms of words and phrases. It is acceptable to use abbreviations for some personal titles, names of organizations, time references, and Latin expressions. Most abbreviations use periods, but those composed of all capital letters often do not.

21a Abbreviate titles before and after a person’s name

Ms. Susan Orlean Arthur Rodriguez, M.D.
St. Mary Bill Cosby, Ph.D.
Dr. Gregory House Martin Luther King Jr.

21b Abbreviate names of familiar organizations, corporations, and countries

Use common abbreviations such as PBS, CIA, and HIV when you are certain that your readers will recognize them.

ABC FBI NATO
UNICEF USA DVD

21c Abbreviate time references that precede or follow a number

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The letters BCE stand for “before the common era.” An alternative is BC (“before Christ”).

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The letters AD stand for the Latin term anno Domini and precede the date. The alternative CE (“common era”) follows the date.

21d Use common abbreviations for Latin terms in parentheses, footnotes, or references

It is acceptable to use abbreviations for Latin terms in parenthetical comments as well as in source notes or citations. Avoid using these abbreviations outside of parentheses in the text of your essay; use the English equivalent instead.

e.g. for example
et al. and others
etc. and so forth
i.e. that is
vs. or v. versus

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21e Do not abbreviate certain words and phrases when they are used in sentences

Some abbreviations that are acceptable in scientific or technical writing should be spelled out in most other kinds of writing.

UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

 ten inches [not ten in.]

PARTS OF WRITTEN WORKS

 chapter 6 [not ch. 6]

DAYS, MONTHS, AND HOLIDAYS

 Thursday [not Thurs.]

NAMES OF SUBJECT AREAS

 biology [not bio]

PERSONAL TITLES USED WITHOUT A PROPER NAME

 doctor [not Dr.]

GEOGRAPHICAL OR PLACE NAMES

 I live in New York City [not N.Y.C.]. (Exceptions: Washington, D.C.; U.S. when it is used as an adjective, as in U.S. Senate)