Adapt Initials Article For Free

Initials require no periods when someone has come to be known by initials alone (JFK, LBJ, etc.). Mary Jane is MJ. However, formal manuscripts probably need the periods.

' When an indefinite article is needed immediately before an abbreviation, the pronunciation of the abbreviation determines whether 'a' or 'an' should be used. 'A' is the correct choice before abbreviations beginning with a consonant sound, including a vowel pronounced as a 'w' or 'y' sound.

The abbreviation must be introduced the first time it is used in the paper. This means you should spell out the word or phrase within the text of the paper and put the abbreviation in parentheses afterward. All subsequent uses of word or phrase should use the abbreviation only.

The first time you mention a phrase that can be abbreviated, spell it out in full and provide the abbreviation in parentheses. Use only the abbreviation thereafter. Only abbreviate phrases that occur three or more times in your paper. Avoid abbreviations in titles, headings, the abstract, and the reference section.

Acronyms are acceptable, but use the name in full on its first use in a particular document (e.g. an assignment), no matter how well known the acronym is.

Introduce every acronym before using it in the text. The first time you use the term, put the acronym in parentheses after the full term. Thereafter, you can stick to using the acronym.

A person's initials are a kind of abbreviation, and these are usually followed by full stops: John D. Rockefeller, C. Aubrey Smith, O. J. Simpson. Increasingly, however, there is a tendency to write such initials without full stops: John D Rockefeller, C Aubrey Smith, O J Simpson.