Abbreviations
Acronyms
Symbols
Abbreviations
Avoid abbreviations where possible. Full stops and other punctuation marks are not used in most abbreviations but are still preferred shortened Latin words:
- ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA for the states/territories of Australia
- Assoc Prof, not Ass Prof or Ass/Prof
- Cwlth, not C'wlth
- Dept, not Dep't
- e.g. (in formal documents may be better spelt out as 'for example')
- etc
- Govt, not Gov't
- HoS (the abbreviation is singular or plural depending on context, also refer to ‘Plurals’)
- i.e. (in formal documents may be better spelt out as 'that is')
- NB
- pp
- Prof (no punctuation)
- Pty Ltd
- UK and USA
- UTAS (all in capitals).
Avoid contractions, e.g.: aren’t, can’t, couldn’t, hasn’t, don’t, I’m, it’s, there’s and what’s.
Plurals of abbreviations
Most are made plural by simply adding an 's' without an apostrophe:
- FAQs not FAQ's
- MPs not MP's.
Units of measurement do not have an 's' added:
Also refer to Academic qualifications, Measurements and Time of day.
Acronyms
Acronyms (a string of letteres prononced as a word e.g. NASA) can be used without explanation where the audience will understand their meaning. If the audience is unfamiliar with the acronym, spell it out, e.g.: Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research (TIAR) in the first reference and thereafter use the acronym.
Do not use full stops or spaces between initials in acronyms.
Commonly used UTAS acronyms include:
- AARNet: Australian Academic Research Network
- AAS: Admission Approval System
- ACE-CRC: Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre
- AES: Aboriginal Employment Strategy
- AMC: Australian Maritime College
- AMS: Asset management Services
- ATEM: Australian Tertiary Education Management Association
- CALT: Centre for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching
- CCC: Cradle Coast Campus
- CODES: Centre for Ore Deposit Research
- CRICOS: Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students
- CUD: Course & Unit Database
- EAS: Enrolment Approval System
- EDGE Agenda: Excellence, Distinctiveness, Growth & Engagement
- EFTSU: Equivalent full-time student unit
- EFTSL: Equivalent full-time student load
- ELC: English Language Centre
- ELICOS: English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students
- HECS: Higher Education Contribution Scheme
- HERDC: Higher Education Research Data Collection
- ELTS: International English Language Testing System
- ESOS Act: Education Services for Overseas Student Act
- FMIS: Financial Management Information System
- FTE: Full-time Equivalent
- HoS: Head of School
- HR: Human Resources
- IASOS: Institute of Antarctic & Southern Ocean Studies
- ITS: Information Technology Services
- MRI: Menzies Research Institute
- MBA: Master of Business Administration
- NEAS: National ELT Accreditation Scheme
- NESB: Non-English-speaking background
- SET: Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology
- SLIMS: Student Lifecycle Information Management Services
- TAFE: Technical and Further Education
- TAFI: Tasmanian Aquaculture & Fisheries Institute
- TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
- TIAR: Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research
- TILES: Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies
- TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language
- TUU: Tasmania University Union
- USRS: Unified Student Record System
- WARP: Web Access Research Portal
Symbols (such as @, &, +)
Avoid using symbols (such as @ for 'at') unless they're a recognised part of a trademark or title.
As a general rule, do not use ampersands (&) in body text. Using ampersands in headings and menus on the UTAS website is acceptable.
Avoid using the plus sign (+) unless the symbol is a typographical element.
