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{{UMoS guideline}} | {{UMoS guideline}} | ||
This guideline covers the use of [[Wikipedia:Abbreviation|abbreviations]], including initialisms, [[Wikipedia:Acronym|acronyms]], [[Wikipedia:Contraction (grammar)|contractions]] and [[Wikipedia:Shortening (grammar)|shortenings]], in the UniWiki | This guideline covers the use of [[Wikipedia:Abbreviation|abbreviations]], including initialisms, [[Wikipedia:Acronym|acronyms]], [[Wikipedia:Contraction (grammar)|contractions]] and [[Wikipedia:Shortening (grammar)|shortenings]], in the UniWiki. An initialism is usually formed from some or all of the initial letters of words in a phrase. In some variations of English, an acronym is considered to be an initialism which is pronounced as a word (e.g. [[Wikipedia:NATO|NATO]]), as distinct from the case where the initialism is said as a string of individual letters (e.g. "UN" for the [[Wikipedia:United Nations|United Nations]]). Herein, the term ''acronym'' applies collectively to initialisms, without distinction that an acronym is said as a word. | ||
Maintaining a consistent abbreviation style will allow the UniWiki to be read, written, edited, and navigated more easily by readers and editors alike. The style should always be consistent within a page. If a guideline conflicts with the correct usage of a [[Wikipedia:Proper name|proper name]], ignore it. The abbreviation style used in quotations from written sources should always be written ''exactly'' as in the original source, unless it is a UniWiki-made translation. | Maintaining a consistent abbreviation style will allow the UniWiki to be read, written, edited, and navigated more easily by readers and editors alike. The style should always be consistent within a page. If a guideline conflicts with the correct usage of a [[Wikipedia:Proper name|proper name]], ignore it. The abbreviation style used in quotations from written sources should always be written ''exactly'' as in the original source, unless it is a UniWiki-made translation. | ||
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== Use sourceable abbreviations == | == Use sourceable abbreviations == | ||
{{hatnote|For shortening long titles of works, see {{section link|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Titles|Abbreviation of long titles}}}} | {{hatnote|For shortening long titles of works, see {{section link|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Titles|Abbreviation of long titles}}}} | ||
Avoid making up new abbreviations, especially acronyms. For example, "{{ | Avoid making up new abbreviations, especially acronyms. For example, "{{xt|International Feline Federation}}" is good as a ''translation'' of {{xt|Fédération Internationale Féline}}, but neither the anglicization nor the reduction {{!xt|IFF}} is used by the organization; use the original name and its official abbreviation, {{xt|FIFe}}. | ||
If it is necessary to abbreviate in "small spaces" ([[UniWiki:Manual of Style/Infoboxes|infoboxes]], [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Navigation templates|navboxes]] and [[UniWiki:Manual of Style/Tables|tables]]), use widely recognized abbreviations. As an example, for {{xt|New Zealand gross national product}}, use {{xt|NZ}} and {{xt|GNP}}, with a link if the term has not already been written out: {{xt|NZ [[Wikipedia:Measures of national income and output|GNP]]}}; do not use the made-up initialism {{!xt|NZGNP}}). | If it is necessary to abbreviate in "small spaces" ([[UniWiki:Manual of Style/Infoboxes|infoboxes]], [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Navigation templates|navboxes]] and [[UniWiki:Manual of Style/Tables|tables]]), use widely recognized abbreviations. As an example, for {{xt|New Zealand gross national product}}, use {{xt|NZ}} and {{xt|GNP}}, with a link if the term has not already been written out: {{xt|NZ [[Wikipedia:Measures of national income and output|GNP]]}}; do not use the made-up initialism {{!xt|NZGNP}}). | ||
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===Acronyms in page titles=== | ===Acronyms in page titles=== | ||
:''See also: [[Wikipedia:Article titles#Article title format]]'' | |||
Acronyms should be used in a page name if the subject is known primarily by its abbreviation and that abbreviation is primarily associated with the subject (e.g. [[NASA]] | Acronyms should be used in a page name if the subject is known primarily by its abbreviation and that abbreviation is primarily associated with the subject (e.g. [[Wikipedia:NASA|NASA]]). In general, if readers somewhat familiar with the subject are likely to only recognize the name by its acronym, then the acronym should be used as a title. | ||
One general exception to this rule deals with | One general exception to this rule deals with a strong preference for [[Wikipedia:WP:NATURAL|natural disambiguation]]. Many acronyms are used for several things; naming a page with the full name helps to avoid clashes. For instance, multiple TV/radio broadcasting companies share the initials [[Wikipedia:ABC (disambiguation)|ABC]]; even though some may be far better known by that acronym, articles on those companies are found at, for example, [[Wikipedia:American Broadcasting Company|American Broadcasting Company]] rather than [[Wikipedia:ABC (U.S. TV network)|ABC (U.S. TV network)]]. If it is found that a particular subject is overwhelmingly denoted by an unambiguous acronym, the article title on that subject can be expressed as the acronym and a [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Disambiguation|disambiguation]] page can be used for the other subjects. | ||
In many cases, no decision is necessary because a given acronym has several expansions, none of which is the most prominent. Under such circumstances, an article should be named with the spelled-out phrase and the acronym should be a disambiguation page providing descriptive links to all of them. See, for example, "[[AJAR]]", which disambiguates between "''[[African Journal of AIDS Research]]''" and "''[[Australian Journal of Agricultural Research]]''". A title like [[AJAR (African journal)]] should be avoided if at all possible. If the acronym and the full name are both in common use, both pages should exist, with one redirecting to the other (or as a disambiguation page). | In many cases, no decision is necessary because a given acronym has several expansions, none of which is the most prominent. Under such circumstances, an article should be named with the spelled-out phrase and the acronym should be a disambiguation page providing descriptive links to all of them. See, for example, "[Wikipedia:AJAR|[AJAR]]", which disambiguates between "''[[Wikipedia:African Journal of AIDS Research|African Journal of AIDS Research]]''" and "''[[Wikipedia:Australian Journal of Agricultural Research|Australian Journal of Agricultural Research]]''". A title like [[Wikipedia:AJAR (African journal)|AJAR (African journal)]] should be avoided if at all possible. If the acronym and the full name are both in common use, both pages should exist, with one redirecting to the other (or as a disambiguation page). | ||
===Acronyms as disambiguators=== | ===Acronyms as disambiguators=== | ||
To save space, acronyms should be used as disambiguators, when necessary. For example, "[[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)]]" and "[[Labour Party (UK)]]". The abbreviations are preferred over ''United States'' and ''United Kingdom'', for brevity. | To save space, acronyms should be used as disambiguators, when necessary. For example, "[[Wikipedia:Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railway (U.S.)]]" and "[[Wikipedia:Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party (UK)]]". The abbreviations are preferred over ''United States'' and ''United Kingdom'', for brevity. | ||
==Contractions== | ==Contractions== | ||
:''See: [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:List of English contractions|Wikipedia:List of English contractions]]'' | |||
A contraction is an abbreviation of one or more words that has some or all of the middle letters removed but retains the first and final letters (e.g. ''Mr'' and ''aren't''). Missing letters are replaced by an apostrophe in multiple-word contractions. Contractions should not be used on the UniWiki. The contraction {{xt|o'clock}} is an exception, as it is mandatory in all forms of writing. | |||
Prefix titles such as {{!xt|Mr}} and {{!xt|Dr}} should not be used. Prefixes of royalty and nobility should be used, however (in accordance with a relevant style guide), but should not be abbreviated. ''(See [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Naming conventions (people)#Titles and styles|Wikipedia:Titles and styles]] and [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Naming conventions (royalty and nobility)|Wikipedia:Naming conventions (royalty and nobility)]].)'' | |||
==Shortenings== | ==Shortenings== | ||
A shortening is an abbreviation of a word for which at least the last letter has been removed (e.g. ''etc.'' and ''rhino''). Some shortenings also contain letters that are not present in their expansion (e.g. ''bike''). Whether or not to follow a shortening with a full stop often comes down to individual cases, but, as a general rule, use a full stop after a shortening that only exists in writing (e.g. {{xt|etc.}}) but not for a shortening that is used in speech (e.g. {{xt|rhino}}). Common sense should be applied to judge whether a shortening is acceptable in prose or not. Words such as {{xt|rhino}} and {{xt|bike}} should be avoided; {{xt|etc.}} should be used over ''{{!xt|et cetera}}'', and informal terms, such as {{!xt|wanna}}, are not used in | A shortening is an abbreviation of a word for which at least the last letter has been removed (e.g. ''etc.'' and ''rhino''). Some shortenings also contain letters that are not present in their expansion (e.g. ''bike''). Whether or not to follow a shortening with a full stop often comes down to individual cases, but, as a general rule, use a full stop after a shortening that only exists in writing (e.g. {{xt|etc.}}) but not for a shortening that is used in speech (e.g. {{xt|rhino}}). Common sense should be applied to judge whether a shortening is acceptable in prose or not. Words such as {{xt|rhino}} and {{xt|bike}} should be avoided; {{xt|etc.}} should be used over ''{{!xt|et cetera}}'', and informal terms, such as {{!xt|wanna}}, are not used in UniWiki articles. Uncommon shortenings should be linked on the first use on a page. | ||
===Miscellaneous shortenings=== | ===Miscellaneous shortenings=== | ||
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! Shortening !! Expansion !! Notes | ! Shortening !! Expansion !! Notes | ||
|- | |- | ||
| approx. || [[Approximation|approximately]] || It should only be used in small spaces | | approx. || [[Wikipedia:Approximation|approximately]] || It should only be used in small spaces. | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | c. || ''[[Wikipedia:circa|circa]]'' ("around") || In dates, to indicate ''around'', ''approximately'', or ''about'', the unitalicized abbreviation {{xt|c.}} is preferred over ''circa'', ''ca'', ''ca.'', ''approximately'', or ''approx.'' It should not be italicized in normal usage. | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | et al. || ''[[Wikipedia:et alii|et alii]]'' ("and others") || It should normally only be used in references and where it is part of a name, such as of a legal case, e.g. ''United States v. Thompson et al.'' | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | vs./v./v || [[wikt:versus|versus]] (against / in contrast to) || They do not need to be linked. Prefer "vs." except in legal contexts, where the usage is "v." or "v", depending on jurisdiction. They should not be italicized since they have long been assimilated into the language as an English word. The full word should be used in most cases, but it is conventional to use an abbreviation in certain contexts, including law and sports. | ||
|- | |- | ||
| ''viz.'' || ''[[Wikipedia:videlicet|videlicet]]'' ("that is to say" / "namely") || It should be linked on first use. | |||
| ''viz.'' || '' | |||
|} | |} | ||
==Symbols== | ==Symbols== | ||
===Unit symbols=== | ===Unit symbols=== | ||
{{ | {{hatnote|The main section for this topic is on the page [[UniWiki:Manual of Style]], in the section [[UniWiki:Manual of Style#Units of measurement|Units of measurement]].}} | ||
===Miscellaneous symbols=== | ===Miscellaneous symbols=== | ||
*The '''[[ampersand]]''' ({{ | *The '''[[Wikipedia:ampersand|ampersand]]''' ({{xt|&}}), a replacement for the word ''and'', should only be used in small spaces such as tables and infoboxes, but, preferably, should be avoided even there. However, it is common in many trademarks and titles of published works, and should be retained when found in them. | ||
*The '''[[at sign]]''' ({{!xt|@}}) should not be used in the place of the word ''at'' in normal text. | *The '''[[Wikipedia:at sign|at sign]]''' ({{!xt|@}}) should not be used in the place of the word ''at'' in normal text. | ||
==Latin abbreviations== | ==Latin abbreviations== | ||
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Do not use {{!xt|&c.}} in the place of {{xt|etc.}} | Do not use {{!xt|&c.}} in the place of {{xt|etc.}} | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*[[American and British English differences#Punctuation]] | *[[Wikipedia:American and British English differences#Punctuation]] | ||
*[[Wikipedia:Edit summary legend]] | *[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Edit summary legend|Wikipedia:Edit summary legend]] | ||
*[[ | *[[UniWiki:Manual of Style#Acronyms and abbreviations]] | ||
*[[ | *[[UniWiki:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Acronyms]] | ||
[[Category:UniWiki Manual of Style]] | [[Category:UniWiki Manual of Style]] | ||