36|Abbreviations

Abbreviations enable a writer to include necessary information in capsule form. Limit abbreviations to those common enough for readers to recognize, or add an explanation so that a reader does not wonder, “What does this mean?” Remember: when in doubt, spell it out.

36aUse abbreviations for some titles with proper names.

Abbreviate the following titles:

854

Write out other titles in full.

Spell out most titles that appear without proper names.

When an abbreviated title (such as an academic degree) follows a proper name, set it off with commas. Don’t add commas otherwise.

Avoid repeating forms of the same title before and after a proper name. Use either Dr. Jane Doe or Jane Doe, DDS, but not Dr. Jane Doe, DDS.

36bUse a.m., p.m., BCE, AD, and $ with numbers.

For exact prices that include cents and for amounts in the millions, use a dollar sign with figures ($17.95, $10.52, $3.5 billion). Avoid combining an abbreviation with wording that means the same: $1 million, not $1 million dollars; 9:05 a.m. or 9:05 in the morning, not 9:05 a.m. in the morning.

36cAvoid abbreviating names of months, days of the week, units of measurement, or parts of literary works.

NAMES OF MONTHS AND DAYS OF THE WEEK

UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

PARTS OF LITERARY WORKS

36dUse the full English version of most Latin abbreviations.

Follow the conventions of your citation style if you use Latin abbreviations in source citations, parentheses, and brackets. However, unless you are writing for an audience of ancient Romans, translate most Latin abbreviations into English in your text.

855

36eUse abbreviations for familiar organizations, corporations, and people.

Most sets of initials that are capitalized and read as letters do not require periods between the letters (CIA, JFK, UCLA). A set of initials that is pronounced as a word is called an acronym (NATO, AIDS, UNICEF) and never has periods between letters.

To avoid misunderstanding, write out an organization’s full name the first time you mention it, followed by its initials in parentheses. Then, in later references, you can rely on initials alone. (For very familiar initials, such as FBI or CBS, you need not give the full name.)

36fAvoid abbreviations for countries.

When you mention the United States or another country in your text, give its full name unless the repetition would weigh down your paragraph.

EXCEPTION: Unlike US as a noun, the abbreviation, used consistently with traditional periods or without, is acceptable as an adjective: US Senate, U.S. foreign policy. For other countries, find an alternative: British ambassador. Follow your citation style when you cite or list government documents.