Microsoft® Manual of Style, Fourth Edition

Process for adopting new acronyms or abbreviations

Before adopting a new acronym or abbreviation, follow these steps to formalize and verify it:

• Check with your content managers, writers, program managers, and product marketers or planners to determine whether the new acronym or abbreviation is necessary.

• Check the Acronyms and other abbreviations table to see whether the acronym is listed.

• Search the web, including Microsoft.com (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx) or MSN (http://www.msn.com/), for the acronym. You may find that it’s in common use, either as you define it, or as the abbreviation for a different term. Also try some of the acronym search engines such as The Internet Acronym Server (http://acronyms.silmaril.ie/cgi-bin/uncgi/acronyms ...