1. Abbreviations and acronyms

2.  Acronym – A word or construction formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words.  Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize.

3.  Some titles when used before a name. Military and political titles, as we discussed last week – Gov., Lt. Gov., Rep., Sen., Lt. Gen. See military titles entry.  Religious titles – the Rev. The word “the” is always used before Rev. in that construction. See religious titles entry.

4.  After using a title the first time, you just refer to the person by their last name for the rest of the story. For example: The Rev. John Anderson spoke at the stadium. Anderson was invited by several campus groups.

5.  Abbreviate the junior or senior when used after a name. For example: Ken Griffey Jr. (Also - no need for a comma before the Jr.)  Abbreviate company, corporation, incorporated or limited when used after the name of a corporate entity. For example: Ford Motor Co. McDonald’s Corp. See company names in the stylebook for many, many examples.

6.  In some cases, academic degrees are abbreviated when used after a person’s name. But it is preferred to use a phrase such as: John Jones, who has a doctorate in psychology.  Use abbreviations such as B.A., M.A., LL.D and Ph.D. only when the need to identify many individuals by degree on first reference would make the preferred form cumbersome.

7.  Use those abbreviations only after a full name – never with just a last name.  Do not precede a name with a courtesy title for a degree and follow the name with the abbreviation for the degree. That is redundant.  See academic degrees entry in the stylebook for all the fun details.

8.  For years, when necessary, use A.D. and B.C.  For times, use a.m. and p.m. Always lowercase.  Use No. to indicate a room number.  The above abbreviations are only used with figures. If you have general use, it is morning, night, number, etc. For example: 450 B.C.; at 9:30 a.m.; room No. 416; early this morning he asked for the number of your room.

9.  Abbreviate avenue, boulevard, and street only when used with specific numbered addresses. For example: The store on Washington Street. The store at 142 Washington St.  Never abbreviate any other word that refers to an address, like road, alley, terrace, trail, etc.

10.  Some organizations are so well known that we can refer to them by their initials in all references.  FBI, CIA, NCAA, ABC.  Some other abbreviations are so well known that we can use them in all references.  PDF, PDA, JPEG, RAM

11.  We can use abbreviated titles to refer to other groups on second reference. When they are first mentioned in a story, spell out the title, then in other references, use the abbreviated title.  Don’t follow the group’s name with an abbreviation or acronym right after the name in parentheses or set off by dashes. Simply use it on the second and subsequent references.

12.  DO NOT DO THIS: The Michigan Press Association (MPA) scholarship is available to students throughout the state.  How we do it: The Michigan Press Association scholarship is available to students throughout the state. The MPA has offered the scholarship since 1972.

13.  Generally, we don’t use periods in acronyms unless the result would spell an unrelated word.  Use periods in most two-letter abbreviations: U.S., U.K., B.C., U.N.  AP, a trademark for the Associated Press, does not use periods. Also, GI and EU do not use periods.

14.  Use all caps, but no periods, for longer abbreviations when all the letters are pronounced: ABC, CIA, FBI, NCAA  Use an initial capital letter and then lowercase for acronyms of more than six letters, unless listed otherwise in the stylebook or dictionary.  For example: laser, radar.

15.  If you wonder about any of these – or any other references – look them up in the stylebook.  Can’t find the answer there? Look in the dictionary.