In this section: General usage | In titles or headings | At the beginning of a sentence | In tables or figuresGeneral usageIn this manual, the term 'abbreviation' is used to cover abbreviations, acronym and initialisms. Show
Use abbreviations sparingly. Only use abbreviations if they are widely known across the broad readership of Cochrane Reviews, are used frequently in a section or throughout the review, or enhance readability. Consider using an abbreviation only if the term has three or more words. All abbreviations used in the 'Abstract', 'Plain language summary', 'Main text', and 'Authors' conclusions' should be redefined at the beginning of these sections. In figures and tables, all abbreviations should be listed at the end with their definitions. If the review or document is long, it may be sensible to explain each abbreviation in each section of the text. To use an abbreviation, write the full name in the first instance and follow it immediately by the abbreviated version in brackets. When something is better known by its abbreviation, it may be helpful to include the abbreviation even if the name occurs only once (e.g. World Health Organization (WHO)). Abbreviations should follow formatting conventions. Some terms, particularly statistical terms, are commonly abbreviated in Cochrane documents (see Common abbreviations), while others should be avoided (see Abbreviations to avoid). See also Frequently used names for names commonly used and abbreviated in Cochrane documents. In titles or headingsOnly the common abbreviations that do not need to be defined may be used in review titles and headings without the full name needing to be written first. When a term used in a title may be more commonly known under its abbreviated form, its abbreviation may be added in parentheses after the fully written term (e.g. 'A study of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for hygiene'). Abbreviations are acceptable in headings if they have been defined previously, though it may be preferable to rearrange the wording of headings to avoid starting with abbreviations. At the beginning of a sentenceWhile it is acceptable to use abbreviations at the beginning of a sentence, authors may find it preferable to rephrase sentences to avoid starting with abbreviations. In tables and figuresIt is convenient to abbreviate some words, such as number (no.) and versus (vs), in tables and figures, but it is preferable to write them in full in the review text. 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. Table of contents
ContractionsContractions are mostly used to simplify common pronoun/verb combinations. Deleted letters are replaced by an apostrophe. ContractionsCommon pronoun/verb combinationsI’mI amisn’tis notlet’slet usshe’sshe isyou’veyou haveHowever, contractions are generally considered too informal for academic writing. In this context, always write out the full words instead.
AcronymsAcronyms 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). AcronymFull termBeneluxBelgium, the Netherlands, and LuxembourgFAQFrequently asked questionITInformation technologyMBAMaster of Business AdministrationSWOTStrengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threatsPluralize acronyms by adding “s” without an apostrophe.
Introducing acronymsIntroduce 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).
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: CategoryAcronymsCountriesPRC, UAE, UK, USA, USSROrganizationsNASA, NATO, UNESCO, UNICEFScience and technologyAIDS, AM/FM, CD, DVD, HDMI, HIV, laser, PC, radar, TV, USBTimeBC/AD, BCE/CE, time zonesLatin abbreviationse.g., i.e., et al.Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.Try for freeLatin abbreviationsThere are some Latin abbreviations that are common in academic writing. AbbreviationMeaningUsageExamplee.g. (exempli gratia)for exampleUsed to give examples in parenthesesMany species of primates (e.g., orangutans) are endangered.i.e. (id est)that isUsed to clarify, specify or restate something in parenthesesMany endangered species (i.e., species that are very likely to become extinct) are primates.etc. (et cetera)and so onUsed at the end of a list in parentheses to indicate more unstated items on the listThere are many species of primates that are endangered (gorillas, orangutans, gibbons, etc.).et al. (et alia)and other peopleUsed after the first author when citing publications with multiple authorsConsumers experience greater risk with online purchases (Writers et al., 2016, p. 47).ibid. (ibidem)in the same placeUsed in footnote and endnote citations when citing the same source and page twice in a row1. Porter, 63-64.2. Ibid. 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.
Punctuating abbreviationsPeriods 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. USUKMost title abbreviations take a period (e.g. Doctor to Dr., Mister to Mr., Honorable to Hon., Drive to Dr.)Title abbreviations take a period only if the abbreviation does not end on the last letter of the full word (e.g. Doctor to Dr, Mister to Mr, but Honourable to Hon., Drive to Dr.)Abbreviations in legal textsAbbreviations (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 APAIf you are following the APA style guidelines, there are some specific guidelines for certain types of abbreviation. MeasurementsOnly abbreviate statistical terms (such as SD and M) and units of measurement (such as kg and min) if you are also using a number.
PunctuationUse 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.
Cite this Scribbr articleIf you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Cite this article Is this article helpful?513 67 You have already voted. Thanks :-) Your vote is saved :-) Processing your vote...Sarah VinzSarah's academic background includes a Master of Arts in English, a Master of International Affairs degree, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She loves the challenge of finding the perfect formulation or wording and derives much satisfaction from helping students take their academic writing up a notch. How do you avoid starting a sentence with an acronym?Summary. Avoid starting a sentence with an abbreviation in formal and academic writing. Use the full form instead, or rephrase. Poor: OSIs can now be made using 3D printing.
How can you put acronym in a sentence?Introducing acronyms
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).
What is the basic rule when using acronyms?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. For example: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a rapidly expanding field.
Can you start a sentence with an abbreviation Chicago?Since Chicago doesn't approve of abbreviations in running text, we would generally not begin a sentence with one, but we too make exceptions for words like Mr., Dr., and (yes) St., and would not spell them out.
|
Can you start a sentence with an acronym
Related Posts
Copyright © 2024 kemunculan Inc.
