Acronyms

IMPORTANT: This topic is about acronyms. However, all of the following examples contain discussions of multiple subjects—not just acronyms. Therefore, in addition to acronyms, you are going to learn a lot of different things about good writing and rewriting.

Example 1

REWRITE THIS PARAGRAPH

 

PROBLEM

  • The acronym is formatted incorrectly—Web Service Description Language should appear first, and then WSDL should follow in parentheses
  • Replace the can do something construction with more direct language
  • Add a serial comma in the last sentence

DISCUSSION

Acronyms

Begin with the spelled out term—Web Service Description Language—and put the acronym WSDL in parentheses.

Can Do Something

Don’t say this:

You can think of a WSDL as the contract that defines the language and grammar used by web service clients and servers.

Say this:

Think of a WSDL as the contract that defines the language and grammar used by web service clients and servers.

Serial Comma

For clarity, add the word structures after request, and then put the serial comma after structures. The sentence should read:

When you look at the Awesome FPS WSDL, for example, you find in it all of the Awesome FPS operation names, parameters, request structures, and response structures.

REVISION

Before

A WSDL (Web Service Description Language) is an XML document that defines the operations, parameters, requests, and responses used in web service interactions. You can think of a WSDL as the contract that defines the language and grammar used by web service clients and servers. When you look at the Awesome FPS WSDL, for example, you find in it all of the Awesome FPS operation names, parameters, request and response structures.

After

A  Web Service Description Language (WSDL) is an XML document that defines the operations, parameters, requests, and responses used in web service interactions. Think of a WSDL as the contract that defines the language and grammar used by web service clients and servers. For example, when you look at the Awesome FPS WSDL, you find in it all of the Awesome FPS operation names, parameters, request structures, and response structures.

Example 2

REWRITE THESE SENTENCES BY FIXING THE ACRONYM SMC

PROBLEM

In our example, SMC is an acronym that stands for Smart Management Center. The problem sequence of sentences is all over the map in calling out Smart Management Center and its acronym SMC.

DISCUSSION

Unless your organization’s style sheet has a different way of dealing with acronyms, follow these rules.

Spell out the acronym the first time it appears on the web page, and use the acronym thereafter on that page. After you spell out the acronym once, use the acronym—and only the acronym—thereafter.

Avoid these annoying habits:

  • Don’t spell out the acronym repeatedly in the same web topic.
  • Don’t switch back and forth between the spelled out term and the acronym itself.

If the term appears just once on the web page, don’t spell out the entire term followed by the acronym in parentheses. Write the term and don’t bother putting the acronym in parentheses. Why? The point of having an acronym is to keep the reader from reading a long term over and over. But if the long-form term appears only once, the term itself is sufficient.

If the acronym is commonly known in the industry by the acronym and not the long form, don’t even bother to spell it out. For example, everyone knows OS stands for operating system and HTTP means Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

If the acronym is for a plural form (for example, the term terms of use), don’t make the acronym itself a plural form inside the parentheses. It should read, terms of use (TOU), not terms of use (TOUs). But it is OK to do this in text: Automatic incremental capture of TOUs for existing guests engaging with a site/app for the first time.

REVISION

Before

SMC, or Smart Management Center, is a new breed of network management systems, designed to give enterprises the most comprehensive visibility, efficiency, and agility possible. In this review, the Smart Management Center (SMC) is reviewed across five categories that match the demands of today’s evolving data centers . . . In mapping SMC to the WXYZ model, the following graphic shows that the Smart Management Center does much more than the monitoring, alerting, and basic analysis as it offers functionality across the WXYZ model, at multiple levels.

After

Smart Management Center (SMC), is a new breed of network management systems, designed to give enterprises the most comprehensive visibility, efficiency, and agility possible. In this review, the SMC is reviewed across five categories that match the demands of today’s evolving data centers . . . In mapping SMC to the WXYZ model, the following graphic shows that the SMC does much more than the monitoring, alerting, and basic analysis as it offers functionality across the WXYZ model, at multiple levels.

Example 3

REWRITE THIS PARAGRAPH


PROBLEM

These issues:

  • Acronyms
  • Latin phrases
  • Punctuation
  • Simple sentences

DISCUSSION

Acronyms

The first sentence reads:

R.E.A.D. is an acronym for Rules Engine Accountability Database.

This is how it done:

Rules Engine Accountability Database (READ)….

Spell out the acronym first. Then put the acronym in parentheses. Do not put periods after each letter.

Once you call out an acronym, use the acronym, and only the acronym, thereafter on the same web page.

Finally, when you spell out the acronym on the web page, do not spell it out again. Once is enough.

Latin Phrases

If you are going to use etc., make sure you close it with a period. It is an abbreviation for the Latin word etcetera.

Punctuation

Make these fixes:

  • Don’t add periods for the letters in the acronym
  • Add a period after etc
  • Add a comma after etc. (because of the serial comma rule)

Simple Sentences

The example sentence is too long. Break it up. See the Revision section for the results.

REVISION

Before

R.E.A.D. is an acronym for Rules Engine Accountability Database. It is the intake form we use for all our public facing interactive products—mobile apps, websites, smart TV apps, smart toys, etc to make sure everything is cleared and hits market compliantly. R.E.A.D. is a global corporate requirement.

After

Rules Engine Accountability Database (READ) is the intake form we use for all our public-facing interactive products. It is for mobile apps, websites, smart TV apps, smart toys, and so on. We use it to make sure everything is cleared and is compliant with the market. READ is a global corporate requirement.