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Abbreviations

• General Rules
  
• University of Minnesota Rules
  
• Personal Names and Titles
  
• Company Names
  
• Agencies and Organizations
  
• Geographical Terms
  
• Time
  
• Units of Measure
  
• Chemical Elements

1. Avoid abbreviations, except in footnotes, tables, bibliographies, and similar formats in which you must save space. Common abbreviations are listed in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
   
   
2. Spell out on first use a word, name, or title that is to be used repeatedly in shortened form in text; include the short form in parentheses following the spelled-out form. Use the short form alone in subsequent references.
   
   

   Researchers studied the accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish in the lake. PCBs are pollutants that…

   
   
3. Treat the name or title of an organization as in rule 2 above. Widely known acronyms or short forms of organization titles may be used without first spelling out the titles.
   
   

   	Each department elects one representative to the Council of Graduate Students (COGS). Through COGS, these…
   	ROTC courses usually meet in the Armory.

   
   
4. Capitalize and hyphenate abbreviations according to the word or words abbreviated, with no space after internal periods. Eliminate periods whenever possible, but retain them if the abbreviation could be mistaken for a word.
   
   

   	AFL-CIO
   	c.o.d.
   	a.m.

   
   

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1. Spell out University of Minnesota the first time it is used, and use University for subsequent references. Use of U of M should be confined to headlines; don’t use periods or quotes with this expression.
   
   
2. Spell out academic titles used with full names or with surnames alone.
   
   

   	Assistant Professor Arthur Gray
   	Professor Wilson

   
   
3. Abbreviate University of Minnesota campuses and colleges without periods, spaces, hyphens, or prepositions after an initial spelled-out use (followed by the short form in parentheses).
   
   

   	UMC	UMD	UMM	UMTC	UMR
   	CSOM	CLA	GC	IT	COAFES

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PERSONAL NAMES AND TITLES

1. Spell out given names, except when they represent the signature of the bearer.
   
   

   	Benjamin Franklin
   	Benj. Franklin (representing his signature)

   
   
2. When two or more initials are used in place of a name, use a period and a space after each initial.
   
   

   	K. S. P. Kumar
   	A. E. Housman
   	N. L. Gault, Jr.

   
   
3. Some middle initials do not stand for names, and some given names consist only of initials. Follow the bearer’s usage in determining whether to use periods after these initials.
   
   

   	Frank M Whiting
   	Harry S. Truman

   
   
4. Do not use periods when referring to a person by initials only.
   
   

   	LBJ
   	FDR

   
   
5. Spell out civil or military titles used with surnames alone. Titles may be spelled out or abbreviated with a full name.
   

   	Governor Henry H. Sibley
   	Gen. Douglas MacArthur
   	Governor Sibley
   	General MacArthur

   
   

   Among other acceptable title abbreviations are:
   

   	Fr.
   	Gov.
   	Rep.
   	Sen.
   	Supt.

   
   
6. Always abbreviate the social titles Mr., Ms., Mrs., and Dr. with a name. Drop them if you use another title.
   
   

   	Ms. Sarah Stoner
   	Ms. Stoner
   	Sarah Stoner, Ph.D.
   	Dr. H. Bryan Neel III
   	the Honorable H. Bryan Neel III
   	H. Bryan Neel III, M.D.

   
   
7. Spell out the titles Reverend and Honorable if they are preceded by the, and abbreviate in other instances with the full name.
   
   

   	the Honorable Hyon T. Kim
   	the Honorable Ms. Kim
   	Hon. Hyon T. Kim

   
   
8. Use the abbreviations Jr., Sr., II, III, 2d, and 3d as part of a person’s full name (not with the last name alone), with or without a title. Use a comma between the name and Jr. or Sr.
   
   

   	William F. Hueg, Jr.
   	Dean William F. Hueg, Jr.
   	Dean Hueg

   
   
9. Do not abbreviate academic degrees in text. Where space must be saved, use the following abbreviations for common degrees, and look for others in the dictionary.
   
   

   	B.A., bachelor of arts
   	B.S., bachelor of science
   	M.A., master of arts
   	M.S., master of science
   	Ph.D., philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy)

   
   
10. In a reference following a person’s name, use only the highest academic degree earned. If all earned degrees must be used, list them in the order they were earned.
    
    
11. Identify legislators by political affiliation and geographical location, separating the two with a hyphen. Do not use periods after letters in the political designation, use standard state abbreviations for U.S. representatives and name of city or town (spelled out) for state representatives, and enclose the entire expression in parentheses.
    
    

    	Senator Joseph A. Smith (R-Minn.) said in Washington today…
    	Representative Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Minneapolis) supports the measure.

    
    

1. Use a company name in its full form in straight text; Inc. or Ltd. may be dropped. Punctuate the name of the company as the company uses it, with or without abbreviations.
   
   

   	B. Dalton Bookseller
   	Time Inc.
   	Land O’Lakes
   	Shop-O-Clocks

   
   
2. In footnotes, bibliographies, lists, etc., the following abbreviations are acceptable if used consistently:
   
   

   	Assoc./Assn.
   	Bro./Bros.
   	Co.
   	Corp.
   	Inc.
   	Ltd.
   	Mfg.
   	RR./Ry.
   	&

Use widely known acronyms or short forms of names or titles of organizations without first spelling out the full name or title.

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1. Always spell out names of states, territories, and possessions of the United States when they stand alone.
   
   

   The Minnesota delegation voted as a group.

   
   
2. In text, spell out the names of states, territories, or possessions following the name of a city or other capitalized geographical term. The abbreviations listed below may be used when necessary to save space; do not abbreviate Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, or Utah.
   
   

   	Ala.	Ill.	Miss.	N.M	Tex.
   	Ariz.	Ind.	Mo.	N.Y.	Vt.
   	Ark.	Kan.	Mont.	Okla.	Va.
   	Calif.	Ky.	Neb.	Ore.	Wash.
   	Colo.	La.	Nev.	Pa.	W.Va.
   	Conn.	Md.	N.C.	R.I.	Wis.
   	Del.	Mass.	N.D.	S.C.	Wyo.
   	Fla.	Mich.	N.H.	S.D.
   	Ga.	Minn.	N.J.	Tenn.

   
   
3. Use two-letter post office abbreviations only in complete addresses that contain a zip code; capitalize both letters and do not use periods. (See the current ZIP Code Directory for official Postal Service abbreviations.)
   
   

   Minneapolis, MN 55455

   
   
4. Spell out the names of countries in text. The abbreviation U.S. is acceptable when used as an adjective.
   
   

   	foreign policy of the United States
   	U.S. foreign policy

   
   
5. It is preferable to spell out words in an address, but if you need to save space the following abbreviations are acceptable:
   
   

   	Ave.	Blvd.	Bldg.
   	Ct.	Dr.	La./Ln.
   	Pkwy.	Pl.	Rd.
   	Sq.	St.	Terr.

   
   
6. In an address, abbreviate the directions N.W., N.E., S.W., and S.E. Do not abbreviate North, South, East, or West.
   
   
7. Spell out the word street or avenue as part of a name.
   
   

   	Washington Avenue Bridge
   	First Street Station

1. In text, spell out names of months of the year and days of the week. If necessary, they may be abbreviated as follows when used with the date; do not abbreviate May, June, or July.
   
   

   	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.
   	Apr.	Aug.	Sept.
   	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.
   	Sun.	Mon.	Tues.
   	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.
   	Sat.

   
   
2. Use abbreviations for time of day in text as well as in tables and footnotes. Do not use capital letters. In typeset copy, a.m. (ante meridiem, before noon) and p.m. (post meridiem, after noon) should be set in small caps when they are available.
   
   

   	2 a.m.
   	8 p.m.

   
   
3. Use A.D. (anno Domini, “in the year of the Lord”) and B.C. (before Christ) only with a specific year. Note that A.D. precedes the year, whereas B.C. follows it. In typeset copy, A.D. and B.C. should be set in small caps when they are available. The terms B.C.E. (before common era) and C.E. (common era) are perferred in scientific publications and some popular publications. When C.E. and B.C.E. are used they should follow the date.
   
   

   	William the Conqueror invaded Britain in A.D. 1066.
   	512 B.C.
   	500 years before Christ (not 500 years B.C.)
   	Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 C.E.
   	Writing first appeared in Mesopotamia in about 3200 B.C.E.

   
   

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