Abbreviations (the shortened form of a word or phrase) and acronyms (words formed from the initial letters of a phrase) are commonly used in technical writing. In some fields, including chemistry, medicine, computer science, and geographic information systems, acronyms are used so frequently that the reader can feel lost in an alphabet soup. However, the proper use of these devices enhances the reading process, fostering fluid readability and efficient comprehension.
Some style manuals devote entire chapters to the subject of abbreviations and acronyms, and your college library no doubt contains volumes that you can consult when needed. Here, I provide just a few principles you can apply in using abbreviations and acronyms, and in the next section I offer a table of some of the forms most commonly used by student writers.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a rapidly expanding field. GIS technology . . .
Click here to download a pdf of a table of commonly used abbreviations and acronyms. [1]
Use this table to check the proper spelling, capitalization, and punctuation of commonly used abbreviations and acronyms. For a much more detailed listing of abbreviations and acronyms, you can check in the back pages of many dictionaries, or consult the Chicago Manual of Style [2] (also available online [3] to subscribers) or the free online version of the United States Government Printing Office Style Manual. [4]
A or amp | ampere |
a.m. | ante meridiem, before noon |
Assembler | Assembler computer language |
atm | standard atmosphere |
Ave. | avenue |
B.A. | Bachelor of Arts |
BASIC | BASIC computer language |
Blvd. | boulevard |
BP | boiling point |
B.S. | Bachelor of Science |
Btu | British thermal unit |
oC | degrees Celsius |
cd | candela |
CDC | Centers for Disease Control |
CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
CIA | Central Intelligence Agency |
cm | centimeter |
COBOL | COBOL computer language |
Corp. | corporation |
D | darcy |
DEP | Department of Environmental Protection |
DOD | Department of Defense |
DOT | Department of Transportation |
engg. | engineering |
engr. | engineer |
e.g. | exempli gratia, for example |
EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
et al. | et alii, and others |
etc. | et cetera, and so forth |
oF | degrees Fahrenheit |
FBI | Federal Bureau of Investigation |
FCC | Federal Communications Commission |
FDA | Food and Drug Administration |
fig. | figure |
FORTRAN | FORTRAN computer language |
ft | foot |
gal. | gallon |
ha | hectare |
h | hour |
HP | horsepower |
HTML | hypertext markup language |
Hz | hertz |
i.e. | id est, that is |
in | inch |
Inc. | incorporated |
K | Kelvin |
kg | kilogram |
kw | kilowatt |
kWh | kilowatt-hour |
l or L | liter |
LAFTA | Latin American Free Trade Association |
lb | pound |
m | meter |
mHz | megahertz |
min. | minute |
mol | mole |
M.S. | Master of Science |
NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
neg | negative |
NIH | National Institutes of Health |
NIOSH | National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health |
NM | nautical mile |
NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
NSF | National Science Foundation |
OPEC | Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries |
OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
p. | page |
Pascal | Pascal computer language |
Ph.D. | Philosophiae Doctor, Doctor of Philosophy |
p.m. | post meridiem, after noon |
pos | positive |
pp. | pages |
pt. | pint |
qt. | quart |
radar | radio detecting and ranging |
RPM | revolutions per minute |
scuba | self-contained underwater breathing apparatus |
sec. or s | second |
sq | square |
STP | standard temperature and pressure |
temp | temperature |
Univ. | university |
URL | uniform resource locator |
USGS | United States Geological Survey |
vol. | volume |
For comprehensive online acronyms dictionaries, especially for technical fields such as chemistry and medicine, I recommend these sites:
Links
[1] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.styleforstudents/files/file/chapter 2/Acronyms Table(1).pdf
[2] http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Manual-Style-University-Press/dp/0226104036
[3] http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
[4] http://www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/index.html
[5] http://foldoc.org/pub/misc/Acronyms
[6] http://acronymslist.com/