Standard abbreviations
- 30 Jun 2024
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Standard abbreviations
- Updated on 30 Jun 2024
- 10 Minutes to read
- Contributors
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- DarkLight
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In general, the abbreviations and symbols shown in this topic do not require definition, except as noted. If you are unsure what the abbreviation means, then don’t use it. Follow the formats shown.
Note
Avoid abbreviations in formal writing unless space is a consideration or the term only appears in its abbreviated form or it is a bibliographic reference.
Acts and regulations
In general, follow the bibliographic reference style (uncapitalized, abbreviated, with full stops) when citing an Act or regulation. Use the cross-reference style (capitalized, spelled-out—shown in square brackets in the examples below) when the reference is an argument in your text.
The format follows the numbering style used in the referenced document. There are two commonly used styles: outline—s. 9.2.3(a)—and discrete—s. 9(1)(c)(iii).
For example, the in-text description “...which is defined in Chapter 5, Part A, Section 5.3.7(b) of the NER...” would appear as “2. National Electricity Rules ch. 5, pt A, s. 5.3.7(b)” if cited in a documentary note.
Examples
s. 9 [section 9]
ss. 9–11 [sections 9 through 11]
s. 9(1)(b)(iii) [section 9, subsection 1, paragraph (b), subparagraph (iii)]
r. 4 [rule 4 or regulation 4]
rr. 4–7 [regulation 4 through 7]
r. 4.3(a) [rule 4.3, clause (a) or rule 4.3(a)]
Australian states and territories
In text
ACT Qld NSW NT SA Tas. Vic. WA
Chart labels and table headings
ACT Qld NSW NT SA Tas Vic WA
Addresses (postal)
ACT QLD NSW NT SA TAS VIC WA
Bibliographic abbreviations
In general, only use these abbreviations in a citation, bibliographic reference, documentary note (see Bibliographies and citations), or where space is a consideration. In general text, spell out—in particular, see Cross-references for the format of in-text cross-references. Both the singular and plural forms are shown below, where applicable:
Abbreviation | Term | Usage |
|---|---|---|
& | and | (Somjee & Lee 2009) |
anon. | anonymous | Avoid. Instead, cite and reference by the title. Include “no author” in details. Also see n.w. |
art., arts | article | art. 34 |
app., apps | appendix | Shi (1994, apps A & D) |
attach., attachs | attachment | attach. 3 |
c. | circa | c. 1954 |
cf. | compare | cf. Maundy (1994, fn. 18) |
ch., chs | chapter | ch. 4, chs 4–6 |
col. cols | column | col. 2 |
ed., eds | editor | ed. G Marsden |
edn, edns | edition | 2nd edn, edn 30 |
eq., eqs | equation | eq. 22 |
et al. | and others | Naudy et al. (1973) |
fig., figs | figure | fig. 12-3, figs 18–21 |
fn., fnn. | footnote | fn. 2, fnn. 8, 11 & 12 (citation) note 2 (cross-reference) |
ibid. | in the same source | Avoid. Instead, reference the first citation or footnote, or repeat the details of the work. |
id. | the same author | Avoid. Instead, repeat the author’s details. |
ill., ills | illustrator | ill. K Sing |
l., ll. | line | ll. 34–52 |
loc. cit. | the passage already cited | Avoid. Instead, repeat the details of the work. |
n., nn. | note | n. 3 |
n.d. | no date | (AMC n.d.) Use abbreviation in both reference and citation. Do not capitalize. |
n.w. | name withheld | (n.w. 2012) Although rare, an author’s name can be withheld for reasons of confidentiality. Alternatively, cite and reference by the title. This is different to anon., which is an unknown author. |
op. cit. | the work already cited | Avoid. Instead, repeat the details of the work. |
p., pp. | page | p. 5, pp. 134–8, pp. 34–52, 108 pp. (108 pages) |
para., paras | paragraph | para. 3(b)(ii) |
pt, pts | part | ch. 3 pt 12B s. 15.4(j) |
r., rr. | rule or regulation | rr. 4–7, r. 4(3)(a)(i) |
rev. | revised or revision | rev. May 2011, rev. 3 |
sch., schs | schedule | sch. 3.1 |
s., ss. | section | ss. 5.6–5.11, s. 9(1)(b) |
ser. | series | ser. II |
tbl., tbls | table | tbl. 13-2 |
ver., vers | version | ver. 7 |
vol., vols | volume | vol. 4 |
Canadian provinces and territories
Use the following two-letter abbreviations in all cases—in text, chart labels, table headings, and addresses:
In text, tables, charts, and postal
AB BC MB NB NL NT NS NU ON PE QC SK YT
Chemical symbols and compounds
In general, define all chemical symbols and formulae unless they are commonly used in your industry or sector. In particular, if the report is intended for broader readership (finance, government, public), do not assume familiarity with these symbols.
For example, there is usually no need to define symbols such as Fe, Au, Ag, Zn, Cu, Pb, and other common elements or compounds such as CO2, C2H6, Al2O3, Ca(OH)2, U3O8, and SiO2 in technical reports in the minerals and energy sectors. But use your judgement. Although symbols such as W, Ti, Mo, and Pd are well-known in the sectors that mine, extract, and process these elements, they are not well-known outside those immediate sectors. If in doubt, define it.
Commercial and legal
Define at first use.
Commonly used abbreviations
MOU, MOUs, RFI, EOI, FOI
Compass points
In general, only abbreviate when indicating a vector direction. The terms should, otherwise, be spelled out.
Countries and regions
Commonly used abbreviations
the US, the UK, the EU
NZ, UAE, HK
Aust., Can., A’asia, Cwlth
Cross-references
See Bibliographic abbreviations.
Currency
Avoid $ unless a single currency is used in the document and the meaning (A$, US$, etc.) is clear.
Commonly used abbreviations
A$ US$ NZ$ HK$ ¥ £ €
AUD USD NZD HKD JPY GBP EUR ZAR
See Money and currencies for a complete list of currency symbols and their usage.
Data values
Define at first use.
Important
Take care to explain these terms in the list of abbreviations or with each table. In particular, do not assume that the reader understands what NA means: they might read it as either “not available” or “not applicable”. And there is a difference. En dash, however, needs no explanation provided that it is used consistently. Also, the statistical treatment of NR, DL, ML, – (en dash), and 0 (zero) is frequently different.
Abbreviation | Term |
|---|---|
NA | Not applicable |
NR | Not recorded |
NS | Not supplied |
DL | Below detection limit |
ML | Exceeds measurement limit |
– | No data or not available |
0 | Zero value |
Null | Blank text entry |
Days of the week
In text
Sun., Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat., Sun.
Chart labels and table headings
Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun
Financial
Define at first use.
Commonly used abbreviations
Capex, Opex, EBIT, NPAT, NPV, PV, ROI, RRP, GST, VAT, FY, YE, Q3 (the third quarter), Q1-2011 (the first quarter of 2011), WC (week commencing), WE (week ending), FY2022–23
Also see Year, calendar or financial.
General abbreviations
The following abbreviations do not usually require definition:
Commonly used abbreviations
abbrev., approx., avg., cnr, cont., div., est., min., max., no., obs., pop., ref., regn, regd, rev., std, tel., ver., vs
AM, FM, AC, DC, AM, PM, BC, AD, QAQC, ATM, AWOL, DIY, FAQ, OK (okay preferred), TV, &, B&W, Q&A, 2D, 3D
Geographical information
Commonly used abbreviations
° ' ", deg., min., sec.
DMS (degree-minute-second)
DD (decimal degrees)
long., lat., elev., RL, m RL (but define amsl [above mean sea level])
GIS
Graphical information
Commonly used abbreviations
px, pt, dpi, GIF, JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIF, RGB, CMYK
Information technology terms
Commonly used abbreviations
ASCII, CD, CSV, DOC(X), DVD, DXF, FTP, GUI, HTML, HTTP, ISP, IT, I/O, PDF, PC, PPT(X), RAM, ROM, RSS, SMS, SQL, TCP/IP, UI, URL, USB, Wi-Fi, XLS(X), XML, Y2K
Initials
Omit full stops in all cases.
Examples
Janet K Forth
Q Sun Cheung
WPC Jacobe
JPM
International markets, organizations, and treaties
Define at first use.
Commonly used abbreviations
APAC, EMEA, AMER, PACRIM, ASEAN, NAFTA, NATO, UN, UNICEF, ISO, SI
Foreign phrases
If you have any doubt about the meaning, do not use.
Commonly used abbreviations
e.g., etc., i.e., viz. (namely), c. (circa), cf. (compared)
NB, PS, AM, PM, CV
pa (per annum), pd (per diem)
RSVP
Months of the year
In text
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Chart labels and table headings
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Numbers
Numerical suffixes
100k (thousand), 10m (million), 5.2b (billion), A$k, US$k, $ million
Note
Do not abbreviate numbers unless space is a consideration, e.g. in tables columns.
Mathematical
–20, ±20, +20m (approximately but in excess of), ~20m (approximately), <20m (less than), >20m (greater than)
Note
Except – (negative) and ± (tolerance), avoid using mathematical symbols as abbreviations (as above) in formal writing unless they are part of a mathematical expression (x < y + C).
Organizations
Commonly used abbreviations
Inc., Co., Ltd, Pty, Ltd, plc, Dept, Inst., Uni., Assoc., Corp., Govt
Symbols
Symbols that are commonly used abbreviations
& (and)
/ (or)
@ (at rate of)
~ (approx.)
# (number)
: (ratio)
© ® ™ % $
1:7 (a gradient of 1-in-7)
Note
Most mathematical symbols and operators do not require definition.
Time, clock
See Clock time for usage.
Examples
6:45 PM
2130 hrs [24-hour markets]
8:00 AM AEST [omit the preceding A when the context is solely Australian]
0700 hrs AEST (UTC+10:00)
09:13:28 [hh:mm:ss time period]
Time, units
Commonly used abbreviations
sec., secs, min., mins, hr, hrs, day, mo., mos, wk, wks, yr, yrs
Note
The above are abbreviations, not symbols. Use the SI accepted symbols (s, min, h, d) when expressing rates and measurements. See Units of measure.
Time zones
Define at first use.
Australian time zones
EST (Eastern Standard Time)
EDT (Eastern Daylight-saving Time)
CST (Central Standard Time)
CDT (Central Daylight-saving Time)
WST (Western Standard Time)
WDT (Western Daylight-saving Time)
Note
The prefix A (as in, AEST) is only applied in an international context.
International time standard
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)
UTC+10:00, UTC–3:30
Note
UTC, also known as Zulu time, is the primary international time standard. Do not use GMT to indicate time zone offsets.
Units of measure
The following units of measure are in common use and do not require definition.
SI units
mm, m, cm, km, mg, g, kg, mL, L, s, min, h, d, wk, yr, kB, MB, GB, °C, ° (degrees of planar angle), %,
Non-SI units
cu., sq., in., ft, yd, mi, oz, lb, mo., px, pt, dpi, °F
Note
The symbols and abbreviations for time shown above are used in expressions of rates involving SI symbols—$/h and GJ/wk, for example—but not periods of time or clock time (see Time). The expressions pa and pd are also permitted (see Foreign phrases)—$300 pd, for example.
Year, calendar or financial
Use 2019–2020 for the calendar two-year period starting 1 January 2019 or spell out if there is any possibility of confusion—“for the calendar years 2009 through 2011” or “for the calendar years 2009–2010”, for example.
Use FY2019–20 for the 2019–20 financial year. The alternative form YE June 2020 (the year ending June 2020) is acceptable but less space-efficient in formatting tables, and only used when the intended audience has a clear preference for this form. Do not use 2019/20 (it means “either 2019 or 2020”). The FY prefix can be omitted when used in the context of a financial report, statement, or budget.
If both calendar and financial year forms are used in the same document, use FY2019–20 for a financial year and spell out other forms.
Note
Be aware that not all companies end their financial year at the end of June. Although common practice in Australia, foreign-owned companies can align their financial year with their parent, which is often different—based on their date of incorporation, for example.
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