on Just Publishing Advice:
One of the basic rules every writer should follow is to reference acronyms in writing.
It applies to any form of writing. But in particular to articles, technical writing, and journalism.
Whenever you use an acronym, you should reference it in full in the first instance to avoid confusing a reader.
In the image above, AMA could stand for American Music Awards, Australian Medical Association, or Ask Me Anything.
In This Article
How to reference acronyms in writing
How to confuse and frustrate readers
But worse was to come
When to reference acronyms
Summary
Using an less common acronym without a reference makes the reader feel that they are not as smart as the writer. I’ve had to flip back pages to see if I’ve missed something and fell frustrated when I can’t find out what it means.
When in doubt, spell it out. If you are going to use an obscure one, maybe reference it a second time later.
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Agreed, Leon 👍
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