Acronyms and Initialisms?
“Acronyms are formed by combining the first letter or letters of several words; they are pronounced as words and written without periods” (Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu, The Business Writer’s Handbook). Examples: radar (radio detecting and ranging), COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language), scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). “Initialisms are formed by combining the initial letter of each word in a multiword term; they are pronounced as separate letters” (Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu). Examples: e.o.m. (end of month), c.o.d. (cash on delivery), p.m. (post meridian). Usage guidelines: • “Except for commonly used abbreviations (U.S., a.m.), spell out a term to be abbreviated the first time it is used, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter, the abbreviation may be used alone. • In long documents, repeat the full term in parentheses after the abbreviation at regular intervals to remind readers of the abbreviation’s meaning, as in “Remember to submit the CAR (Capi
