7th Edition
Abbreviations Guide
Abbreviations
see Publication Manual Sections 6.24–6.26 on using
and dening abbreviations
• An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word
or phrase. Use abbreviations sparingly and
only when they are well-dened, are familiar to
readers, and make your writing clearer.
• Abbreviations listed as words in the dictionary
(without the label “abbr.”) do not need to be
dened in the text.
• Dene all other abbreviations.
• On rst use, write out the full term (or group
author name) and follow with the abbreviation.
°
For a term in the narrative, put the abbreviation
in parentheses after the term: response time
(RT)
°
For a term in parentheses, put the abbreviation
in brackets after the term: (response time [RT])
• Group author names may be abbreviated in the
text (e.g., American Psychological Association
[APA]), but should not be abbreviated in
references.
• In general, if you abbreviate a term, use the
abbreviation at least three times in a paper.
However, a standard abbreviation for a long,
familiar term may be clearer and more concise
even if used fewer than three times.
• Use abbreviations consistently. Do not switch
between an abbreviation and its spelled-out
version.
Units of Measurement
see Publication Manual Section 6.27 on unit of
measurement abbreviations
• Abbreviate a unit of measurement when it
appears with a numerical value (e.g., 80 m).
See the table for common abbreviations.
• Write out a measurement unit when it appears
without a numerical value (e.g., measured in
meters).
• When writing unit of measurement abbreviations,
do not
°
place a period after the abbreviation (except
“in.” for inch or inches)
°
add an “s” to make the abbreviation plural
(e.g., use 90 m for 90 meters, not 90 ms, which
means 90 milliseconds)
°
repeat units when expressing ranges or
multiple amounts (e.g., 16–30 kHz; 0.3, 1.5,
and 3.0 mg/dl)
Abbreviation Meaning
cm centimeter
ft feet
g gram
in. inch
kg kilogram
L liter
m meters
ml mililiter
mm milimeter
Time
see Publication Manual Section 6.28 on time
abbreviations
• Use the time abbreviations shown in the table
when they appearwith a numeral.
• However, do not abbreviate the following larger
units of time, even with numerals:
°
days
°
weeks
°
months
°
years
Abbreviation Meaning
hr hour
min minute
s seconds
ms milisecond
Latin
see Publication Manual Section 6.29 on Latin
abbreviations
• Use the Latin abbreviations shown in the table only
in parentheses.
• In narrative text, write out the English meaning.
Parenthetical text: (i.e., authoritative parenting)
Narrative text: that is, authoritative parenting
• Do not italicize or dene Latin abbreviations.
• Punctuate Latin abbreviations as if they were spelled
out (shown in the table).
• Use the abbreviation “et al.” (meaning “and others”)
in both parenthetical and narrative in-text citations.
Parenthetical text: (as examined by Pak et al., 2020)
Narrative text: Pak et al. (2020) examined
Abbreviation Meaning
cf. compare
e.g., for example,
, etc. , and so forth
i.e., that is,
viz., namely,
vs versus
Last updated August 22, 2022
More information on APA Style can be found in the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association (7th ed.) and the Concise Guide to APA Style
(7th ed.).
© 2022
CITE THIS HANDOUT:
American Psychological Association. (2022). APA Style
abbreviations guide. https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-
aids/abbreviations-guide.pdf
We thank Traci Giuliano, of Southwestern University, for
providing the inspiration for this content.
