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Language & Grammar
Acronyms & Abbreviations
Unfamiliar abbreviations
For unfamiliar abbreviations, spell out the full name first, followed in brackets by the abbreviation. Use the abbreviation alone for later references. Avoid alphabet soup. Find other ways of identifying your subjects instead of repeatedly using acronyms.
Example:
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is a federal funding agency. NSERC supports post-secondary students and postdoctoral fellows in their studies. The agency promotes discovery and fosters innovation.
Mixed abbreviations beginning and ending with a capital letter do not take periods.
Examples:
U of A, PoW
Provinces, territories and American states
Spell out Canadian provinces and territories and American state names standing alone.
Use periods in abbreviated geographical place names. Eg. B.C., U.S.A.
Yukon and Nunavut are not abbreviated.
Use CP style abbreviations when used with city names in text. Use postal abbreviations only in addresses, not in text.