Deviates from CMoS
See also Animal & Plant Names; Capitalisation; Weights & Measures
Do not use a full point (full stop, period) after an abbreviation or contraction. If an abbreviation or acronym is not listed in this section, spell it out on first significant mentions (eg first mention in a History essay, first mention in an isolated standalone feature). Give the full form first, followed by the short form in brackets.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) receives a commission on the sale of these items. The RSPCA has…
Where the acronym of a foreign proper name is used, the foreign name should be spelt out on first mention, followed by the foreign acronym and English translation in brackets.
Office National Marocain du Tourisme (ONMT; Moroccan National Tourism Office)
It is OK to use ‘eg’, ‘etc’ and ‘ie’ on occasion but do not overuse them. We do not use full points within or after these abbreviations (deviates from Collins/Webster’s). Do not follow ‘eg’ or ‘ie’ with a comma, unless it is needed for clarity.
Popular tourist destinations, ie ones that are very crowded in season, are too expensive for most backpackers.
Do not use a comma before ‘etc’, unless needed for clarity.
The bakery serves cakes, muffins, pastries etc.
It is redundant to use ‘etc’ when you have indicated you are giving examples (by use of ‘eg’, ‘for example’, ‘including’ or ‘such as’).
The following miscellaneous abbreviations and acronyms are optional (there is no need to spell out on first mention). Some contractions, eg info (information), veg (vegetarian), are acceptable in text if the meaning is unambiguous.
3D three-dimensional
4WD four-wheel drive
9/11
24/7
air-con air-conditioning
aka also known as
Amex American Express
b born (eg b 1974)
B&B bed and breakfast
B&W black-and-white (as in film, not piano keyboards; differs from Collins)
FedEx Federal Express
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GNP Gross National Product
HI Hostelling International
NGO nongovernmental organisation
r reigned (eg r 1921–68)
RV recreational vehicle
TV television
Close up initials in proper names.
President JF Kennedy; JK Rowling; JRR Tolkien
The following abbreviations are compulsory (there is no need for these to be spelt out on first mention). Do not abbreviate the below terms if used in proper nouns or headings (unless noted otherwise).
Eg, if a restaurant is called 'Fifth Avenue', do not abbreviate it to 'Ave' in the POI Name. But if a POI is on Fifth Ave, NYC, it's fine to use the abbreviation in the text or in the address in the practicalities.
Do abbreviate street types in proper street names in narrative text, eg 'Hwy 13', 'Jackson Pde'; but in a heading, spell out Highway 13 or Jackson Parade (unless an abbreviation is required for space reasons).
If you don't see a word commonly used with addresses in the abbreviations below or in the POI Practicalities section, please spell it out in full.
Ave Avenue
Blvd Boulevard
c circa (eg c 1900)
Ct Court
Cres Crescent
Dr Drive
ed, eds editor, editors (in book references only)
EU European Union
ext extension (in telephone numbers only)
Fwy Freeway
Hwy Highway
Jr Junior (in personal names only)
La Lane
Mt Mount (do abbreviate in headings and proper nouns)
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
No number (in addresses; not to be used for numbers of trains, buses or other means of transport)
OK okay (do abbreviate in headings)
p, pp page, pages (in cross-references only)
Pde Parade
Pl Place
Rd Road
Rte Route
St Saint (only when followed by a name; do abbreviate headings and proper nouns)
Sr Senior (in personal names only)
Sq Square
St Street
Tce Terrace
UK United Kingdom
UN United Nations
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
USA, US United States of America (US can be used as an adjective or noun; USA maybe used in headings)
WWF World Wildlife Fund
WWI World War I
WWII World War II
The following words are always abbreviated in POI Practicalities as shown.
& and
apt apartments (room type; capitalise when part of an address)
Bldg building
btwn between
cnr corner
d double rooms
dm dorm beds
excl excluding
f family rooms
fl floor
hr hour or hours (only abbreviated when used with a numeral; closed up with the numeral, eg 1½hr, 5hr)
I Interstate (eg I-80)
Is Island, Islands
incl including
min minute or minutes (only abbreviated when used with a numeral; closed up with the numeral, eg 2min)
nonveg nonvegetarian
q quad rooms
r rooms (in Sleeping; spell out if part of an address)
s single rooms
ste suites (in Sleeping; spell out if part of an address)
tr triple rooms
tw twin rooms
veg vegetarian
yr year or years (only abbreviated when used with a numeral)
Days of the week and months of the year only use the first three letters (Mon, Tue, Jan, Feb etc).
Hyphens are used in place of en dashes, except in already hyphenated compounds:
10am-5pm
Jun–mid-Jul
Numerals are used for all numbers (ie numbers are never spelt out). Exceptions: one-way.