Using Abbreviations
Abbreviations in this section include acronyms, initialisms, and contractions:
| Acronyms | : | Terms based on the first letter of each word, and pronounced as a single word (e.g. Technical and Further Education: TAFE) |
| Initialisms | : | Terms based on the first letter of each word, and pronounced as a series of letters (e.g. Australian Broadcasting Corporation: ABC) |
| Contractions | : | Abbreviations that include the first and last letters of a word (e.g. Limited: Ltd) |
| Q. | What's the difference between e.g. and i.e.? |
| A. | They're both abbreviations of Latin phrases: e.g. (exempli gratia) means 'for the sake of example', whereas i.e. (id est) means 'that is'. Use e.g. to provide an example, and i.e. when you need to re-word something you've already said for clarification.
Examples:
- When this occurs on a non-working day (e.g. Sunday)
- When this occurs on a non-working day (i.e. Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays)
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| Q. | When do I use a or an in front of an abbreviation? |
| A. | Write it how it sounds. The general rule is to use an in front of a vowel sound and a in front of a consonant. Treat the abbreviation and the full term as separate items, and use whichever is appropriate.
Examples:
- He received a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Queensland.
- He received an MBA from the University of Queensland.
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| Q. | When do I use the before an abbreviation? |
| A. | The general rule here is that if the is part of the name, but isn't included in the abbreviation, use the as if the abbreviation were spelled out.
Examples:
- The AFL grand final is in September.
- AFL supporters take their football seriously.
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| Q. | How do I handle file format extensions such as PDF, GIF, and JPG? |
| A. | File formats are generally initialisms (e.g. Portable Document Format, Graphic Interchange Format, Joint Photographic Experts Group), but they double as file extensions. When using file format extensions in a file name, use them in the same case as the file name, preceded by a full stop.
Otherwise, use upper case and follow the same rules as any other abbreviation.
Examples:
- This document is provided in PDF.
- Download the file: acrobatfile.pdf
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| Q. | Why do the same abbreviations sometimes appear differently, such as HTML/HTM and JPEG/JPG? |
| A. | When the Web was first 'built', the Microsoft Windows operating system couldn't handle file extensions longer than three characters, and so HTML became HTM and JPEG became JPG.
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| Q. | Which abbreviation do I use: HTML or HTM - JPEG or JPG? |
| A. | Use the full abbreviation in prose text (i.e. HTML, JPEG), and the file extension approved by your system administrator in the file name.
Examples:
This information is available in HTML, and includes JPEG images.
thispage.htm
thisimage.jpg
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Repurposing for the Web: Middle Ground   Using Capitalisation
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