Abbreviations Definitions Abbreviation a shortened form of a

Abbreviations

Definitions • Abbreviation: “a shortened form of a written word or phrase used in place of the whole” (eg, US for United States, d. B for decibel). • Acronym: “formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term” (eg, ANCOVA for analysis of covariance). Acronyms are pronounced as words.

• Author-invented abbreviations should be avoided. • The expanded form of an abbreviation is given in lowercase letters, unless: • the expansion contains a proper noun • In all styles, the abbreviations and acronyms should be written in expanded form for the first time in abstract and main text. • Explain all abbreviations used in the figure legend or table footnote.

Days of the Week, Months, Eras • Generally, days of the week and months are not abbreviated. • Three-letter abbreviations for days of the weeks and months may be used to conserve space (eg, Mon, Fri, Jan, Dec) • Abbreviations for eras are set in small capitals with no punctuation. • Numerals are used for years and words for the first through ninth centuries.

• The more commonly used era designations are: • AD (anno Domini, in the year of the Lord) • BC (before Christ) • In formal usage, the abbreviation AD precedes the year number, and BC follows it.

• William Withering was the first to report extensively, in the late 18 th century, on the use of foxglove for the treatment of dropsy. • The prevalence of tuberculosis is thought to have increased greatly during the Middle Ages (roughly AD 500– 1500), possibly because of the growth of towns across Europe. • Cuneiform was probably invented by the Sumerians before 3000 BC.

Cities, States, Counties, Territories, Provinces and Countries • At first mention, the name of a state, territory, province, or country should be spelled out when it follows the name of a city. • Names of cities, states, counties, territories, provinces, and countries should be spelled out in full when they stand alone. • Abbreviations such as “US” and “UK” may be used as modifiers (ie, only when they directly precede the word they modify) but should be expanded in all other contexts. • The authors surveyed representative samples of urban populations in the United States and United Kingdom according to US and UK census data.

Business Firms • In the text, use the name of a company exactly as the company uses it, but omit the period after any abbreviations used, such as Co, Inc, Corp, and Ltd. • In the text, do not abbreviate these terms if the company spells them out, eg, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

Agencies and Organizations • the names of all organizations should be expanded at first mention in the text and other major elements of the manuscript, with the abbreviation following immediately in parentheses. • The article the is often used with abbreviated forms of agencies and organizations (eg, the UN, the AMA, the FDA); however, an article is not necessary with forms pronounced as words (eg, NASA, OSHA, WAME).

Technical Terms • some abbreviations encompass more than one grammatical variant (eg, noun, adjective) of a term. For example, ECG represents both electrocardiogram and electrocardiographic. It is unnecessary to redefine the abbreviation for each variation in usage within a body of work. • Similarly, terms that have singular and plural forms (eg, WBC and WBCs) are defined once, whichever form is mentioned first.

• Do not use an abbreviation as the sole term in a subheading. • Also avoid introducing an abbreviation in a subheading. • Avoid: National Institutes of Health (NIH) The NIH is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the United States. It is an agency under the US Department of Health and Human Services. • Preferred: National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the United States. It is an agency under the US Department of Health and Human Services.

• Avoid using abbreviations at the beginning of a sentence unless the expansion is cumbersome, eg, a collaborative group name or other acronym pronounced as a word (ALLHAT, AIDS, CLIA, UNICEF)

Standalone Abbreviation and Acronyms • AIDS • CI • SPSS • TNM (tumor, node, metastasis) • DNA, RNA • UV, UV-A, UV-B, UV-C • VDRL (the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test) • vs, ie, eg, etc

Elements and Chemicals • In general, the names of chemical elements and compounds should be expanded in the text at first mention and elsewhere. • Names such as “sodium lauryl sulfate” are easier to express and understand (and typeset) than “CH 3(CH 2)10 CH 2 OSO 3 Na. ” • Similarly, “oxygen” and “water” do not take up much more space than “O 2” and “H 2 O” and hence should remain expanded throughout a manuscript, unless specific measurements (eg, gas exchange) are under discussion.