Acronyms and Initialisms
Acronyms are initialisms, but not all initialisms are acronyms. An initialism is any set of letters commonly used together, where each letter stands for a word. Examples include KRI and KPI. An acronym is an initialism that you pronounce as a word, such as NASA.
Do not use periods with nonfinancial acronyms: NASA, COINTELPRO.
No periods in KRI, RAROC, EBITDA, VaR, ERM, or other financial abbreviations and acronyms.
Ampersands
Do not use an ampersand in place of the word and, unless it is part of name.
Do not spell out “&” if it is part of the brand name, i.e., Standard & Poor’s.
Educational Degrees
Use periods in educational degrees—e.g., B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Financial Abbreviations/Acronyms
No periods in KRI, RAROC, EBITDA, VaR, ERM, or other financial abbreviations and acronyms.
Use the percent symbol (%), not the word percent.
On the first use of an acronym (e.g., EBITDA), use the full spelling of the term, followed by the shortened form in parentheses.
Examples:
- First use: Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA); use EBITDA thereafter.
- First use: Anti-Money-Laundering Act (AML); use AML thereafter.
- First use: Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX); use SOX thereafter.
i.e. and e.g.
I.e. and e.g. are okay to use, but don’t forget the comma. Use e.g. when you mean “for example.” Use i.e. when you mean “that is.” Either can be used to clarify a preceding statement, the first by example, the second by restating the idea more clearly or expanding upon it.
Examples:
The conference starts at tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., i.e., on Tuesday.
We need conference materials, e.g., felt pens, flip charts, before Monday.
Note: e.g. indicates a partial list; it is redundant to add etc. at the end of a list introduced by this abbreviation.
Square Feet
Use sq. ft. Use SF only if the preferred abbreviation will throw off the alignment of a table.
Versus
Abbreviate versus using “vs.” (American English); (“vs” is used for British English). Use American English style in most cases.
Place Names
Use periods in place names – the U.K., the U.S., and Washington, D.C. Try not to end a sentence with these. It can be an awkward lead-in to the next sentence. However, if you want to keep it at the end, spell it out, for example, instead of U.S., spell out United States.
Place Names – States
In Text
The names of states, territories, and possessions of the U.S. should always be spelled out when they stand alone and when they follow a city name or other geographical term.
Exception
: Do not include the state after a well-known city.
In Lists
In lists, tabular matter, notes, bibliographies, and indices, use the Chicago Manual of Style abbreviations. Do not abbreviate Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, Utah, or Guam (the two states that are not part of the contiguous United States and the states/territory with five or fewer letters).
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State Name
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Abbreviation
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State Name
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Abbreviation
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Alabama
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Ala.
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Nevada
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Nev.
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Alaska
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New Hampshire
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N.H.
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Arizona
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Ariz.
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New Jersey
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N.J.
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Arkansas
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Ark.
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New Mexico
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N.Mex.
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California
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Calif.
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New York
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N.Y.
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Colorado
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Colo.
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North Carolina
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N.C.
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Connecticut
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Conn.
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North Dakota
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N.Dak.
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Delaware
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Del.
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Ohio
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Washington, D.C.
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D.C.
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Oklahoma
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Okla.
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Florida
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Fla.
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Oregon
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Ore. or Oreg.
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Georgia
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Ga.
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Pennsylvania
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Pa.
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Hawaii
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Rhode Island
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R.I.
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Idaho
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South Carolina
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S.C.
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Illinois
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Ill.
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South Dakota
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S.Dak.
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Indiana
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Ind.
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Tennessee
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Tenn.
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Iowa
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Texas
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Kansas
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Kan.
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Utah
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Kentucky
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Ky.
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Vermont
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Vt.
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Louisiana
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La.
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Virginia
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Va.
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Maine
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Washington
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Wash.
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Maryland
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Md.
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West Virginia
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W.Va.
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Massachusetts
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Mass.
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Wisconsin
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Wis. or Wisc.
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Michigan
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Mich.
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Wyoming
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Wyo.
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Minnesota
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Minn.
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American Samoa
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Amer. Samoa
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Mississippi
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Miss.
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Canal Zone
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C.Z.
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Missouri
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Mo.
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Guam
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Montana
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Mont.
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Puerto Rico
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P.R.
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Nebraska
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Nebr.
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Virgin Islands
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V.I.
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Plurals in Abbreviations
No apostrophe in plurals of years or abbreviations (1990s, CEOs).
Examples:
Correct:
Incorrect: