Tag: Abbreviation

The unnecessary use of abbreviations in figures can make a paper more difficult to read and may be particularly troublesome for journal reviewers.

• Some chemistry conventions are unique when compared with writing about other sciences.
• In particular, take care to report volume and/or mass of key reagents and to capitalize compounds appropriately.

• Although an abbreviation is composed of capital letters, the full words that define the abbreviation are not always capitalized.
• Each case involves considering if the word is an official name or a proper noun.

• Capitalization rules for chemical compounds and abbreviations can be confusing.
• At the beginning of a sentence, capitalize the first syllabic portion of the compound name.
• Chemical elements and amino acids are not capitalized within a sentence, just their symbol (e.g., Ag or Gln).

• Like many fields, the geosciences have specific terms and conventions that are important to know when writing and submitting a paper for publication in a geoscience journal
• Pay attention to journal conventions for abbreviations, date and time format, and other terminology

This article covers field-specific abbreviations and when to define them based on journal requirements.

• There are a few conventions in scientific writing that look wrong but are really standard usage
• Measured quantities (e.g., 5 ml) take a singular verb
• Certain abbreviations follow usage trends that are distinct from the typical English pluralization system.

• Use the find and replace tool in Microsoft Word to ensure consistent formatting in your manuscript
• Check for inconsistencies in abbreviations/acronyms, hyphenation, spacing, and more

How do you choose the right indefinite article ('a' vs. 'an') in front of an abbreviation?