{"id":429,"date":"2015-05-20T14:58:23","date_gmt":"2015-05-20T12:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uab.cat\/manualdestilinteruniversitari\/?page_id=429"},"modified":"2015-05-20T14:58:23","modified_gmt":"2015-05-20T12:58:23","slug":"abbreviations-and-symbols","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/manualdestilinteruniversitari\/pagina-exemple\/abbreviations-and-symbols\/","title":{"rendered":"Abbreviations and Symbols"},"content":{"rendered":"

Abbreviations and symbols help make the reader\u2019s job easier by providing a short reference for a longer word or a series of words that the reader would otherwise have to read again several times in a single text. In general terms, abbreviations fall into two groups: those which are frequently used to refer to specific words or terms (Thurs<\/em>., e.g.<\/em>, Dr<\/em>) and those which accompany their longer form at least once to show us there is a shorter alternative (EHEA <\/em>for European Higher Education Area<\/em>, or LERU<\/em> for League of European Research Universities<\/em>). In this second group there are short forms for proper nouns, like EHEA<\/em> or LERU<\/em>above, but there are also abbreviations for common nouns (such as CPD<\/em> for continuing professional development<\/em> or IT<\/em> for information technology<\/em>), which we use when we want those common nouns to describe a generalised group, practice or field. Abbreviations are particularly important in our university context, where a large number of texts record the names of institutions and systems of different kinds; and the correct use of certain symbols in institutional texts such as informative web pages and annual reports makes those texts easier to read.<\/p>\n