Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Basic rules of writing
- 2 Comments on scientific language
- 3 Drafting the manuscript
- 4 Choosing a journal
- 5 Preparing a graph
- 6 Drawings
- 7 Figure legends
- 8 How to design tables
- 9 Title
- 10 Authors
- 11 Abstract
- 12 Introduction
- 13 Methods
- 14 Results
- 15 Discussion
- 16 Acknowledgments
- 17 References
- 18 Ph.D. and other doctoral theses
- 19 Letters and case reports
- 20 Numbers
- 21 Abbreviations
- 22 How to present statistical results
- 23 Typing
- 24 Dealing with editors and referees
- 25 Correcting proofs
- 26 Authors‘ responsibilities
- Literature needed on your desk
- Further reading
- Literature cited
- Index
21 - Abbreviations
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Basic rules of writing
- 2 Comments on scientific language
- 3 Drafting the manuscript
- 4 Choosing a journal
- 5 Preparing a graph
- 6 Drawings
- 7 Figure legends
- 8 How to design tables
- 9 Title
- 10 Authors
- 11 Abstract
- 12 Introduction
- 13 Methods
- 14 Results
- 15 Discussion
- 16 Acknowledgments
- 17 References
- 18 Ph.D. and other doctoral theses
- 19 Letters and case reports
- 20 Numbers
- 21 Abbreviations
- 22 How to present statistical results
- 23 Typing
- 24 Dealing with editors and referees
- 25 Correcting proofs
- 26 Authors‘ responsibilities
- Literature needed on your desk
- Further reading
- Literature cited
- Index
Summary
Abbreviations should be kept to a minimum. So a formulation such as the following is not to be recommended (quoted from Spiers 1984):
… a patient with ASHD and PHMI, SPCABG, who PTA for ERCP had an episode of BRBPR.
It requires some years in the profession to grasp immediately that this patient with atherosclerotic heart disease and a history of myo-cardial infarction, status post-coronary-artery-bypass graft, had an episode of bright red blood per rectum prior to admission for endoscopic retrograde choledochopancreatography!
The abbreviations used in this sentence are probably all accepted in the specialty. But just because an abbreviation is permitted does not mean that you are obliged to use it.
So when should you consider using an abbreviation? Let us take an example. The term nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (accepted abbreviation NSAID) may not warrant abbreviation unless it occurs, say, a dozen times in a paper of standard length.
Some abbreviations are more readily understood than the full forms: DNA, AIDS, laser. Often such abbreviations are accepted in the major bibliographic databases. If so, you are free to use them without definition – even in the title and the abstract section.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- How to Write and Illustrate a Scientific Paper , pp. 111 - 113Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008