Microsoft® Manual of Style, Fourth Edition

Chapter 11. Acronyms and Other Abbreviations

Acronyms, initialisms, and other abbreviations are abundant in technical content, but they can cause confusion if they are unfamiliar to your audience or if they are used inconsistently. This section provides general guidance for using abbreviations. It also includes a collection of technical acronyms and measurement abbreviations. Acronyms that are in widespread use or that are associated with highly specialized topics have been omitted.

This topic includes the following sections:

• How to use acronyms and other abbreviations

• Table of acronyms and other abbreviations

• How to use abbreviations of measurements

• Table of abbreviations of measurements

• Process for adopting new acronyms or abbreviations