Video Discription |
In this acronym tutorial, I teach you how to use acronyms in academic writing your research paper and when to use acronyms in English.
=====CHAPTERS=====
0:00 Introduction how to use acronyms in academic writing
0:41 Well-known acronyms don't need the full term
1:41 Standard abbreviations and acronyms in English
2:21 Check your target journal for a list of standard abbreviations
2:52 Define the term and acronym usage
4:14 Create your own acronyms
5:16 Use the full term only
When to define acronyms in academic writing?
These days, nearly all academic papers have acronyms. The intention is to make papers easier to read, and to create new lingo for new concepts. However, as time goes by, more scholars are worrying that acronyms are impeding communication, rather than helping it. (impeding means preventing)
When should you introduce acronyms to define a full term or when shouldn’t you?
Well-known acronyms don't need the full term
Do you immediately understand the technology described by “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”? What about "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus”?
Some terms have become so widespread, that it is unnecessary to define them: in fact, defining them might be confusing! Which was easier to understand: the language above, or the everyday words “laser” and “scuba”?
If you have heard an acronym spoken aloud by people outside your workplace, laboratory, or classroom, you can probably use the acronym without defining it. For example, not only molecular biologists know what DNA is, not only mathematicians know what 3D is, and not only international relations experts know what the UN is.
Standard Abbreviations and Acronyms
However, there’s no absolute consensus on what constitutes a “well-known” acronym. For example, organic chemists immediately know what DMSO is, while mechanical engineers wouldn’t look twice at EMF. But the former rarely need to measure or quantify electromotive force, and the latter rarely deal with the low-toxicity solvent dimethyl sulfoxide: so, it seems unreasonable to say either is “well known” in a universal sense.
Check your target journal for a list of standard abbreviations
Check if your target journal provides a “List of Standard Abbreviations”, “List of Standard Abbreviations and Acronyms”, etc. For example, if you were looking to publish in the Journal of Organic Chemistry, you could consult their Standard Abbreviations and Acronyms and find out that “DMSO” can be used without abbreviation.
What are other authors in your field doing with acronyms?
For example, if you were looking to publish in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, you could consult their Standard Abbreviations and Acronyms and find out that “COSY” can be used without abbreviation.
Define the Term and Use the Acronym
Uncommon or Perhaps Unfamiliar Concepts (to your Readers)
This is the most common case in academic writing: it is so common, some writers are (mistakenly) taught it as an absolute rule. If an acronym isn’t in a standard list, you should define it for the first use in your paper, especially if the acronym is the grammatical subject of the sentence.
The Profile of Mood States (POMS) is a commonly used measure of psychological distress.
In an earlier paper, an acoustic wave propagator (AWP) was proposed to describe the time-domain evolution of mechanical waves in various media.
Even if you expect your readers to know the acronym, defining it helps:
To avoid confusion.
To save space. An acronym counts as one word for the purpose of word counts. In addition, it is useful in Figures and Tables where space is often limited.
To attract knowledgeable readers. Sometimes researchers will search databases using the acronym rather than the real term: using the acronym ensures your research will appear and rank highly in their search results.
Create Your Own Acronyms
Sometimes you’ll want to create your own acronyms. You might do this for an important concept to your paper, or a new one you are proposing.
It is also common in the Results section, when you want to compare groups. (e.g. A group, C group). This is fine, especially in tables and figures where space is limited.
Example: Leukemia recurrence rates in patients treated with imatinib+steroid therapy (I+S) were compared with those of patients treated with imatinib monotherapy (IM), and with the conventional treatment (CT).
You won’t find these acronyms in the literature on chemotherapy for leukemia. However, since the Results section is devoted to comparing these three groups, readers can more easily understand your data if you create labels to mark the objects of comparison.
WRT020 [i8RXnQuFjqo] |