Abbreviations that may not be immediately understood by the reader should be defined the first time they appear in a publication or, in a long publication with a number of sections, the first time in each section. Use the full term, followed by its abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter, the abbreviation should be used exclusively.
Missouri Baptist University should always receive at least one prominent mention in each publication -- outside of title or headline references. The abbreviation MBU (without periods) and the words "the University" (with a capital "u”) are also acceptable references for secondary uses.
ABBREVIATE
- a.m., p.m. or AM, PM
- Dr., Mr., Messrs., Mrs., Mmes., and Prof. when they precede names
- Academic degrees when they follow names (i.e., R. Alton Lacey, Ph.D.)
- North, East, South, and West in addresses only when a specific address is given. When used in text, use the complete word.
- Saint in geographical names, but not Fort or Mount.
- Number before figures. Never use the symbol #. (i.e., No. 342)
- United States and United Nations when used as adjectives. (i.e., U.S. foreign policy)
- Dollars before a number (i.e., $12 million)
Lower-case abbreviations usually take periods, particularly when the abbreviations form words. Upper-case abbreviations and acronyms usually do not take periods. Major exceptions are academic degrees.
DO NOT ABBREVIATE
- Months
- United States or United Nations when used as nouns
- Days of the week (except in course schedules)
- Cents, percent, or degrees of temperature
- Names of countries, provinces, districts when they follow the names of towns.
- Feet and inches, except in technical copy that contains many references to these measurements. Then, use ft. and in.
- Names of states, except when they are pairs with names of cities in copy where space is limited, as in class notes in alumni publications. Use the two-letter Post Office abbreviations on postal mail and Associate Press abbreviations in copy.
- Street, Avenue, Boulevard, Road, Place, etc.
- Company and Corporation except in non-narrative copy where space is limited, unless the company or corporation actually uses the abbreviation in its official title.
- University, college, and department.
