Abbreviations, contractions and acronyms
Abbreviations
Try to avoid these. Terms used within the University may not be understood outside it, especially by prospective international students.
Examples:
September not Sept
Wednesday not Wed
Postgraduate Diploma not PG Dip
Professor not Prof
Exceptions:
Mr Mrs Dr (please note that there is no full stop)
Contractions
A contraction is what happens when letters are missed out.
Contracted words, for example ‘you’ll’ for you will and ‘we’ll’ for we will are fine in the right context.
When writing for a student/prospective student audience, contractions can help establish a friendly, informal tone. Use sparingly.
Follow our guidance on apostrophes.
Acronyms and initialisms
Acronyms and initialisms can be easily confused.
An acronym is when the first letters of words in a phrase spell out a new word that can be pronounced as a new word.
Example:
Physical Education and Sports Science (PESS)
Initialism is when the first letter of words in a phrase don't spell out a new phonetic word, but you say the letters individually.
Example: Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS).
However, how we treat them is the same. When you use an acronym or initialism, write out the phrase or title etc in full the first time it appears, followed by the acronym or initialism in brackets. After that the acronym or initialism can be used on its own. This rule applies to each web page.
Leave out full stops and spaces between and after letters.
Example:
The School of Architecture at UL (SAUL) offers a five-year undergraduate degree in architecture, commencing in September 2005.
The objective of SAUL is to educate architects with a strong set of integrated skills, balanced with the environment - built, existing and imagined - and vital to professional practice.
Exceptions:
Exceptions to the rule are acronyms better known than what they stand for such as NATO, RTÉ
Using acronyms appropriately
Avoid overuse
If you’re unfamiliar with UL, content filled with acronyms like AHSS, KBS, AR, or ITD is confusing and difficult to follow. For external users, this quickly creates frustration and makes key information harder to understand.
Spell it out
Always write the full term the first time, followed by the acronym in brackets. This ensures clarity and makes your content accessible to all users, especially those unfamiliar with internal terminology.
Accessibility matters
Acronyms can also create barriers for screen reader users, as they are often read incorrectly. Writing terms in full improves accessibility and ensures your content can be understood by everyone.
