An abbreviation is a short form of a word or phrase that is usually made by deleting certain letters. In the following sentence, everything underlined is an abbreviation:
Dr. Jones, who’s currently undertaking research on DNA, can’t attend the WHO conference being held in the US in Oct. 2016.
Not all of the abbreviations used in this example have the same look and feel. This is because while Dr. and Oct. are general abbreviations, who’s and can’t are contractions and DNA, WHO, and US are acronyms. In academic writing, contractions should be avoided, but acronyms are commonly used.
Contractions
Contractions are mostly used to simplify common pronoun/verb combinations. Deleted letters are replaced by an apostrophe.
However, contractions are generally considered too informal for academic writing. In this context, always write out the full words instead.
- Let’s consider the first theory, which isn’t commonly accepted.
- Let us consider the first theory, which is not commonly accepted.
Acronyms
Acronyms are usually formed using the first letter (or letters) of each word in a phrase. When they are read, some are pronounced as if they are words (such as OPEC); others are read as letters (such as the UK).
Pluralize acronyms by adding “s” without an apostrophe.
- Many CEO’s of major MNC’s attend the Davos Forum.
- Many CEOs of major MNCs attend the Davos Forum.
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.
Note that when introducing an acronym, the full term should only be capitalized if it is a proper noun (e.g. the name of an organization).
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is headquartered in Switzerland. The IOC President is elected by secret ballot.
- A
business impact analysis (BIA)
was conducted to evaluate the potential consequences, and the
BIA
report was presented to the board.
Do not introduce an acronym unless you will use it a minimum of three or four times. If it only appears once or twice, write out the full term. If you use a lot of acronyms in the document, you can also introduce them in a list of abbreviations.
There are some extremely common acronyms that do not need to be introduced. However, the list is small. Some examples of acronyms that don’t need to be spelled out include:
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Latin abbreviations
There are some Latin abbreviations that are common in academic writing.
Make sure not to confuse “e.g.” and “i.e.”. In general, it’s best to avoid using these abbreviations in the main text, especially in US English. Instead, put them inside parentheses followed by a comma, or write out full words.
- Many species of primates, e.g. orangutans, are endangered.
- Many species of primates (e.g., orangutans) are endangered.
- Many species of primates, such as orangutans, are endangered.
Punctuating abbreviations
Periods should always be used with Latin abbreviations, but not with contractions or acronyms. For general abbreviations, there are differences in punctuation between US and UK English.
Abbreviations in legal texts
Abbreviations (including acronyms) are heavily used in legal writing. The conventions must be strictly followed, but they vary between countries and universities. If you are writing on a legal topic, you should adhere to the relevant style.
Abbreviations in APA
If you are following the APA style guidelines, there are some specific guidelines for certain types of abbreviation.
Measurements
Only abbreviate statistical terms (such as SD and M) and units of measurement (such as kg and min) if you are also using a number.
- The first step entailed using the centimeter measurements to calculate a mean (M = 32.4 cm, SD = 3.7 cm).
Punctuation
Use periods if you are abbreviating a Latin term (such as g., a.m., and etc.) or referring to something related to your references (such as ed. or p.).
Use periods when US serves as an adjective, but not when it refers to the country.
- The US is classified as a federal republic, with the U.S. Congress playing a key role.
