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Acronyms and abbreviations

Systematic use of acronyms and abbreviations can make a text easier to follow.

The difference between acronyms and abbreviations

Acronyms are formed using the first letter of each word in a phrase, capitalised, e.g.

  • UN (United Nations)
  • RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry)

Abbreviations are formed by shortening a word, e.g.

  • esp. (especially)
  • Dec. (December)

Acronyms

With acronyms, there are certain conventions that need to be followed in order to help your reader keep track of key concepts. These conventions are in fact very straightforward:

  1. Use the full term the first time you mention it, followed by the acronym in parenthesis.

  2. Then repeat the acronym throughout the text.

  3. Well known acronyms, such as ‘AI’, can often be used directly, without the full term.

Example: using acronyms in a text

Induction machines (IMs) are a competitive alternative as they constitute a lower cost, rare-earth-free robust solution, with high overload capability [8–10]. However, they inherently exhibit poorer flux weakening behavior in terms of reduced high-speed torque and power, linked to high values of leakage inductance. […] The benefits of pole-changing in terms of an extended flux-weakening region have been studied in multiphase IMs with appropriately reconfigured distributed windings in phase belts [14,15]. Moreover, special IM designs that enable the individual energization and current control in each stator slot have been explored.

The acronyms, repeated in this way, ‘pop’ in the text, giving the reader something to hang onto as they move through the text.

Singular and plural forms of acronyms

Be careful to distinguish between singular and plural:

  • an induction machine (IM) --> The IM is used …
  • induction machines (IMs) --> IMs are used …

Some nouns have irregular plurals, such as a supernova – several supernovae. The irregular plural form is reflected in the plural of the acronym:

  • ... if the SN is observed ...
  • Massive stars end their lives as core-collapse supernovae (SNe), leaving behind compact objects ...

Other nouns with irregular plurals tend to use the plural -s with acronyms, so as to signal to the reader that the term is meant to be understood as a plural. An example is suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The plural form of nucleus is nuclei, but in the following example the plural SCNs is used.

  • Substantially more rhythmically expressed genes were found in the SCNs of mice ...

Note that when using the acronym to modify a noun, it works more like an adjective, and so no ‘s’ is required:

  • IM designs that enable …
  • The SN sample is further cross-matched with ...

Abbreviations

Some common abbreviations in academic writing are derived from Latin, including:

Abbreviation

Latin

Meaning

e.g.

exempli gratia

for example

i.e.

id est

that is to say

etc.

et cetera

and other similar things

cf.

confer

compare and contrast

NB

nota bene

note

et. al.

et alia

and others (used in citations)

Some well-established abbreviations become words in their own right, often informal versions of the original word, e.g.

  • admin (administration)
  • advert, ad (advertisement)
  • app (application)
  • lab (laboratory)

In fact, the word ‘lab’ is used more often than ‘laboratory’ and has become the standard term.

Example text references

Bitsi, K. (2022) On Electrical Machine Topologies for Electric Vehicle Applications Design Considerations of Pole-Phase Changing Induction Machines, Doctoral thesis.
Milićević N. (2025) Photoperiod-Induced Transcriptional Response in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus. Journal of Biological Rhythms 0 (0).