![•First use: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2009) or American
Psychological Association (APA; 2009)
•Subsequent use: (APA, 2009)
The corresponding reference list entry should contain the author’s full name,
not the abbreviation.
•Correct: American Psychological Association. (2009).
•Incorrect: American Psychological Association (APA). (2009).
•Incorrect: APA. 2009.
Avoid the use of abbreviations in the title of your paper.
It’s fine to use them in headings if they’ve already been introduced, but
don’t introduce them for the first time there.
In general, abbreviations should also be avoided at the beginning of a
sentence, unless this would produce an awkward construction](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/abbrevations-161203125640/85/Abbrevations-17-320.jpg)
Abbrevations
- 2. First, a quick definition of terms. An abbreviation is a shortened form of a name or term (e.g., postop for postoperative, kg for kilogram). An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of a term (e.g., FBI for Federal Bureau of Investigation). All acronyms are abbreviations, but not all abbreviations are acronyms. Since the mid-20th century, acronyms have generally formed pronounceable words (e.g., laser, from light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation); however, the rage for acronyms has outstripped the bounds of pronunciation, and this is no longer a requirement
- 3. List of Terminology: ABBREVIATIONS page Margins- 2.5 cm all sides Font- Times New Roman 12 pt Alignment - text flush left, page numbers flush right
- 4. Page Title Type “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS” in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS This should be typed 2 line spaces from the top margin, and centered within the left and right margins. Text start next 2 line spaces after the page title; double-spaced Alignment Abbreviated forms are flush left The first letter of every extended form (the full wording) must be in line with one another. The best way to do this is setting a “left tab”. AVOID using the space bar because unevenness usually results.
- 5. Spacing Each entry should be single-spaced, double space between entries. For example, the explanation of “UNESCO” extends beyond one line and has two lines single-spaced. However, the space between UNESCO and PV, and the space between UNESCO and WHC are double-spaced. Such spacing facilitates reading. Case use title case or standard capitalization style for proper nouns, whichever is more appropriate. Page Number roman number, lowercase: “x” or the number that follows the last page of the immediately preceding List of Figures.
- 6. •Include the heading “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS” in all capital letters, and center it 1″ below the top of the page. •Include one double-spaced line between the heading and the first entry. •Arrange your abbreviations alphabetically. •Abbreviations must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs. •If an entry takes up more than one line, single-space between the two lines. •Include one double-spaced line between each entry. •The List of Abbreviations page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.
- 7. Abbreviations Make sure our abbreviation list is in alphabetical order and that abbreviations starting with a number are included at the top of the list before those abbreviations starting with the letter “A”. A list of abbreviations is usually optional, but of great help to the reader. It contains all the significant abbreviations used in our thesis.
- 8. List of abbreviations in the thesis . When do we use a list of abbreviations If we use a lot of technical abbreviations in our thesis, then it is advisable to provide a list of abbreviations. Not every reader of our thesis will be familiar with those abbreviations, and many will find them difficult. The readability of our document is improved with a list of abbreviations.
- 9. Where do you put the list of abbreviations in your thesis? Place the list of abbreviations at the beginning of the document, just after the table of contents. The readers of our thesis can then find any abbreviations unknown to them in this specific place. You add the list of abbreviations header to your table of contents, so that is it clear to the reader that an explanation of abbreviations has been added to your thesis.
- 10. Example: list of abbreviations It may be that we only have a few abbreviations that require explanation. You can provide these explanations in a footnote. Then the reader doesn’t have to pause to backtrack for those few abbreviations.
- 11. Example: Write the abbreviation in full at first mention In this study, the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) at Vroom & Dreesman (V&D) is examined. At V&D, CRM has been used for many years to ensure that the focus is on customer contact and that this contact is increasingly improved. Using abbreviations (acronyms) in your text There are many rules with regard to using abbreviations in a thesis. In short, when we use an abbreviation, or more specifically an acronym, in our thesis for a particular word or phrase, we write the first occurrence of the word or phrase in full. Immediately thereafter, you place in parentheses the abbreviation that we will use in the rest of the document.
- 12. Additional lists in your thesis In addition to the list of abbreviations, you can also use a list of tables and figures and a glossary. When doing so, make use of the following order
- 13. The following table describes the significance of various abbreviations and acronyms used throughout the thesis. The page on which each one is defined or first used is also given. Nonstandard acronyms that are used in some places to abbreviate the names of certain white matter structures are not in this list.
- 14. When to Abbreviate Always use abbreviations for units of measurement that are accompanied by numeric values (except day, week, month, year). Saving space is not a sufficient reason to abbreviate; the abbreviation must also help the reader to comprehend our point. Here are some questions that can help us decide whether a particular term should be abbreviated in our writing.
- 15. Does using the abbreviation provide an advantage over not using it? Abbreviating lengthy or complex, frequently repeated terms can speed reading comprehension. For example, a review of a test instrument (e.g., the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) might involve numerous references to the name; using its abbreviation (WAIS) would be likely to help the reader. However, a multitude of unfamiliar abbreviations can reduce rather than enhance the clarity of our writing. In general, it’s best to limit the use of abbreviations to cases where the abbreviation is familiar to the reader and saves space and time
- 16. •How many times does the term appear? •a term should not be abbreviated unless it appears three or more times after its first mention in a paper (APA Publication Manual, 4.22, p. 107); • once a term is abbreviated, the abbreviation must be used consistently thereafter. • Note also that there is no rule requiring you to abbreviate a term that appears three or more times.
- 17. •First use: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2009) or American Psychological Association (APA; 2009) •Subsequent use: (APA, 2009) The corresponding reference list entry should contain the author’s full name, not the abbreviation. •Correct: American Psychological Association. (2009). •Incorrect: American Psychological Association (APA). (2009). •Incorrect: APA. 2009. Avoid the use of abbreviations in the title of your paper. It’s fine to use them in headings if they’ve already been introduced, but don’t introduce them for the first time there. In general, abbreviations should also be avoided at the beginning of a sentence, unless this would produce an awkward construction
- 18. How do I introduce an abbreviation in the text? The first time you use an abbreviation in the text, present both the spelled-out version and the short form. When the spelled-out version first appears in the narrative of the sentence, put the abbreviation in parentheses after it: •Example: We studied attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. When the spelled-out version first appears in parentheses, put the abbreviation in brackets after it.
- 19. Correct reference entry: American Psychological Association. (2011). Dollars and sense: Talking to your children about the economy. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/lear ning/enhance-memory.aspx Incorrect reference entry: American Psychological Association (APA). (2011). Dollars and sense: Talking to your children about the economy. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/learning /enhance-memory.aspx In the reference list entry, do not include the abbreviation for the group author. Instead, spell out the full name of the group
- 20. Can I use abbreviations in the abstract? In general, it is not necessary to use abbreviations in the abstract because the abstract is so short. However, if the abbreviation would help the reader recognize a term or find your article via search, then it is permissible to include an abbreviation in the abstract, even if it is not used three times. When you use an abbreviation in both the abstract and the text, define it in both places upon first use.
- 21. Can I use abbreviations in headings? We should avoid them—for example, the reader may skim the paper before reading it in full, and abbreviations in headings may be difficult to understand out of context. So, if a term you intend to abbreviate appears in a heading (e.g., the name of a test or measure), spell out the term in the heading and then when it first appears in the text, spell it out again and define it there.
- 22. Can I use abbreviations in tables and figures? Yes, you can use abbreviations in tables and figures. All abbreviations used in tables and figures should be defined in the table note or figure caption, respectively, even though the abbreviations will be also be defined in the text if they are used there. The purpose of defining abbreviations in the table note or figure caption is that if other authors reuse your graphical display in a future paper, the definitions of the terms will be attached. Additionally, many readers will skim an article before reading it closely, and defining abbreviations in tables and figures will allow the readers to understand the abbreviations immediately.
- 23. Do all abbreviations needs to be defined? Not all abbreviations need to be defined. Consult Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary to determine what to do: If the abbreviation has the designation abbr. after it in the dictionary, that means it needs to be defined;
- 24. •if it does not have this designation, the abbreviation is considered a word on its own and can be used straight off , without definition. •You also do not need to define abbreviations for units of measurement (e.g., cm for centimeters, hr for hour). Examples of abbreviations that are considered words: IQ, REM, HIV, AIDS
- 25. How do I use the words a and an before abbreviations? Use the article that matches the way the abbreviation is pronounced— an before a vowel sound and a before a consonant sound. Some abbreviations are pronounced as words (e.g., RAM), and some abbreviations are pronounced letter-by-letter, which is also called an initialism (e.g. IQ). •Examples: an FBI agent, a DSM-5 disorder, a U.S. citizen, an IQ score
- 26. How do I make an abbreviation plural? To make an abbreviation plural, add an –s (or –es, for abbreviations ending in s already). Do not add an apostrophe. •Examples: IQs, RTs, CSes.
- 27. Five Ways to Fail When Using Abbreviations and How to Avoid Them Define the Abbreviation the First Time You Use It Define the Abbreviation Once Refer to the Abbreviation Consistently Just Use One Definition for Each Abbreviation Remember to Use the Abbreviation After Defining It
- 28. The proportion of documents with consistent use of abbreviations falls with larger documents.
Editor's Notes
- #3: writing of a dissertation or article seems to be the sum of small choices about grammar, syntax, and formatting: Commas or semicolons? Numbers or numerals? Abbreviations or spelled-out terms? In this post we’ll look at the last of these issues: when and how to abbreviate terms in your academic writing.