Acronyms--How often do you spell them out?

[Diana Ost]

When I worked for a Veterans Affairs project a couple of years ago, I
only spelled them out on first use, because like you, I had a glossary
at the end. 

The users thought that was fine :-)  


Diana Ost
Technical Writer/Reporting Analyst
Production Administration
Market Street Mortgage Corporation
diana.ost at msmcorp.com
Phone (727) 431-7209
Fax     (727) 724-9096
2650 McCormick Drive, Suite 200
Clearwater, Florida  33759
 
 
 
 

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-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+diana.ost=msmcorp.com at lists.techwr-l.com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+diana.ost=msmcorp.com at lists.techwr-l.com] On
Behalf Of Darges, Katherine
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 3:23 PM
To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
Subject: Acronyms--How often do you spell them out?

All,

 

I am editing a multi-section document, with each section 50 to 75 pages.
The document was written by the Government for the Government.  Phrases
that get turned into acronyms are spelled out when they are first used,
followed by their acronyms in parentheses - most in the first section.
Appendix A is a complete acronym list - about 300 all together (this IS
the Government, after all).  

 

Would you re-identify the acronyms in each subsequent section as well as
adding the new ones?  Or, is once really enough, based on the fact that
the readers of the document have all been involved in the project of
which the document is a record?

 

Thanks!

 

V/r (that's "Very respectfully" in Government shorthand),

 

Katherine

 

Katherine Darges

Sr. Management Analyst

National Security Programs Group

 

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