Launch Initials Paper For Free

Sometimes, you may introduce an abbreviation at the beginning of your paper, but may not use it again until much later. In that case, consider adding a List of Abbreviations to help the reader follow along.

The abbreviation must be introduced the first time it is used in the paper. This means you should spell out the word or phrase within the text of the paper and put the abbreviation in parentheses afterward. All subsequent uses of word or phrase should use the abbreviation only.

If a person uses initials for only part of their name, use periods (J. R. R. Tolkien). If a person uses two or more initials to abbreviate their entire name, do not use periods. (FDR, MLK).

Abbreviations/Acronyms Spell out the full term at its first mention, indicate its abbreviation in parenthesis and use the abbreviation from then on, with the exception of acronyms that would be familiar to most readers, such as MCC and USAID.

When you use acronyms in your MLA format paper, write them out in full first. Then, you can put the acronym in parentheses. You may then use the acronym throughout the rest of your paper. However, if it's a commonly known acronym, like FBI, CIA or IRS, you do not need to spell it out first.

The first time you use an abbreviation in the text, present both the spelled-out version and the short form. When the spelled-out version first appears in the narrative of the sentence, put the abbreviation in parentheses after it: Example: We studied attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

While abbreviations are perfectly acceptable in the text of your paper, they should be avoided in your abstract as much as possible. Avoid contractions. Contractions in English are considered informal, and should therefore generally be avoided in academic writing.

The first time you use the term, put the acronym in parentheses after the full term. Thereafter, you can stick to using the acronym. Note that when introducing an acronym, the full term should only be capitalized if it is a proper noun (e.g. the name of an organization).