Abbreviations and acronyms

Avoid using abbreviations and acronyms whenever possible. Unless the short form is more familiar, they're bad for readability and can alienate readers. So, write things out in full to make your content accessible and inclusive.

Abbreviations

Very common abbreviations that are globally recognised are OK to use. But never abbreviate Professor to Prof – they worked hard for the -essor.

Don't use points in abbreviations.

Avoid common Latin abbreviations, such as etc, eg and ie. They might save you space, but as George Orwell remarked, why would you use a foreign word when a native equivalent exists? There are good plain English alternatives that will make your writing easier to understand:

Etc – use "and others" or include complete lists where possible.

Eg – use "for example", "such as" or "including".

 Ie – Use "that is", "meaning", "in other words" or rewrite the sentence.

Ibid – Meaning "in the same place", this is allowed in academic writing for repeat citations, especially in footnotes, but not in general communications. Instead write the reference out again in full.

Only use ampersands if they're part of an official title or name. Otherwise, spell out “and”. Find further guidance and examples in Ampersands.

Acronyms and initialisms

If you really need to use an acronym, spell it out in full on the first mention, with the acronym following in round brackets. After that just use the acronym or initialism:

For very common acronyms and initialisms, you can use the short version straight away. Use a continuous string of capital letters:

UoN

UoN stands for the University of Nottingham. We use it sparingly in more informal contexts, such as on social media.

Read more about how we refer to ourselves in University of Nottingham.

There's also no need for any full stops or spaces between initials: