Shortened forms
Abbreviations
Limit the use of abbreviations, as these can sometimes hinder understanding.
Avoid using Latin shortened forms, such as e.g., i.e., etc. Instead, spell out ‘for example’, ‘that is’, ‘and so on’ in your main text. Only use the Latin forms where there is minimal space, such as in tables or in technical publications.
Acronyms and initialisms
Acronyms are terms that comprise initials and letters that can be pronounced as a word. Initialisms are terms that are pronounced as letters, rather than a word. These should be used sparingly and where people are likely to understand them.
When mentioning an acronym for the first time, spell out the unabridged version followed by the acronym in parentheses. For subsequent mentions, use the acronym alone.
Names of organisations, countries, psychological terms, and so on expressed in capital letters should be written without full stops (for example, WHO, US, ALP, VCE, CSIRO, AIDS).
Contractions
Contractions are shortened words – they occur as shortened forms of single words and as grammatical contractions with an apostrophe that joins 2 words.
Examples
Ltd for Limited
aren’t for are not
Some specialist publications (such as legal documents) use specific contractions. Use contractions only where relevant and where they are easily understood.
Avoid using grammatical contractions, unless you wish to adopt an informal tone.