WritingStyleGuide
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Add section on acronyms & abbreviations
Word nerds: acronyms & abbreviations - updated with more info, and added to the corporate style guide
Things we should add to this entry:
- Acrobot (get instructions from David O Brien)
- Link to acronyms list that IC made on
"acronyms & abbreviations Expand all acronyms and abbreviations on first use. Spell out acronyms or initializations before using them in text, e.g., ""Embedded DevKit (EDK)"", unless the acronym or initials stand for a proper noun, then use sentence case for the spelled-out version, e.g., ""central processing unit (CPU)"". Avoid using acronyms and abbreviations for product names. Refer to products by full name, as shown in the official Red Hat product and solution names list (Google docs). Do not use product acronyms in formal communications.
Exceptions: There are cases where acronyms and abbreviations are acceptable. These include:
After the first use in technical, customer-facing documentation. Examples: Getting started guides. Install guides. Documentation on the Customer Portal. Knowledgebase solutions and articles. Bugzilla entries. Support case summaries or details. Other subscription materials and resources. Training materials. When space is physically limited, such as: Very small web or print ads. Social media with a character or display limit (e.g. Twitter, Instagram). Products where the abbreviation or acronym is part of the official product name, including Red Hat AMQ. (In these cases, the abbreviation is more well-known than its expansion.)
Always ensure that the acronyms or abbreviations you use will not be confusing or conflict with other offerings or common terms.
To form the plural of an acronym, add a trailing, lowercase ""s"" with no apostrophe, e.g., ROMs, PINs, BIOSs.
Exception: Technical documentation uses ""es"" in some cases, for example, BIOSes, OSes, and similar terms."