List of Abbreviations: How to write one with examples

What is a list of abbreviations?

A list of abbreviations is a list that you create as part of a written academic work, such as a bachelor's dissertation or PhD thesis. All abbreviations used in a text are listed in alphabetical order, along with their meanings.

The list of abbreviations makes any academic work easier to understand and ensures that no one stumbles over unknown or unclear abbreviations.

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Things to keep in mind when writing a list of abbreviations.

When creating a list of abbreviations for your bachelor’s dissertation or other academic essay, you should observe the following basic rules:

• Only create a list of abbreviations if you use at least three abbreviations in your academic writing.
• Only introduce an abbreviation if the word appears at least three times in your text. Otherwise, you can just explain the abbreviation within the essay.
• Use a clear and concise format for the list of abbreviations. List each abbreviation together with its meaning and sort the entries alphabetically.
• The list of abbreviations should go directly after the table of contents. If you also have a list of figures and tables, the list of abbreviations follows these.
• You might be asked to include the list of abbreviations as a separate item in the table of contents. Though this can vary based on your department’s requirements.

If in doubt, check your department’s formatting guidelines to ensure your approach is aligned to the marking criteria.

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How to structure your list of abbreviations.

Your list of abbreviations does not have to be long and does not require further explanation. Under the heading "List of Abbreviations", simply list all the abbreviations used. The abbreviation should be on the left side of your document and the corresponding definition on the right side.

An example of a list of abbreviations could look like this:

The length of your list of abbreviations will depend on the number of abbreviations used. In most cases, however, one page is sufficient.

Is your list of abbreviations several pages long? Then ask yourself whether all the abbreviations listed are really useful and necessary, or whether you could possibly do with less. After all, the list of abbreviations is intended to make your work easier to read – not more confusing.

How to write a list of abbreviations.

There are two main ways to create a list of abbreviations – one is more manual than the other. Take a look at the steps involved and get an idea of when to use each approach.

Manually create a list of abbreviations

If you don't have many abbreviations, you can write a manual list of abbreviations. Write out the abbreviations on the left of your list, then add the full word or an explanation for the abbreviated term on the right.

To ensure that all entries are at the same height, you can either use the tab key or create a two-column table without borders.

Create a list of abbreviations automatically in Word

If you’re writing a long academic paper with many abbreviations, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort by creating your list of abbreviations automatically. An automatic list of abbreviations also has the advantage that the abbreviations are sorted alphabetically, and you can update the list at any time with just one click.

To create a list of abbreviations automatically, you can work with cross-references in Microsoft Word. To do this, you must first mark your abbreviations as an index. We'll show you how it's done here:

1. Select your abbreviation and click on "Mark Entry" under "References".
2. A new dialogue window will now open. Enter the meaning of the abbreviation under "Cross-reference".
3. Confirm your entry by clicking on "Mark".

Tip:  When you mark an abbreviation as an index in Word, the program activates the formatting mark view. Here you will then see the inserted cross-reference after the abbreviation. You can easily deactivate this view by clicking on the paragraph symbol under the "Home" tab.

Once you have marked your abbreviations as an index, you can insert the list of abbreviations into your paper. Follow these three steps:

1. Click on the place in the document where you want to insert your list of abbreviations.
2. Go to "References" and click "Insert Index".
3. A new dialogue window will now open. Select the number "one" under "Columns", check the box "Right align page numbers" and select your desired fill characters. Confirm your entries with "OK".

Tip: Only create your list of abbreviations at the very end of your academic work. If you add new abbreviations after you originally created a table of abbreviations, be sure to update your list of abbreviations again. To do this, right-click on your list of abbreviations and click on "Update Field".

What does not belong in the list of abbreviations?

You do not need to include general or common abbreviations in your list of abbreviations, unless the formatting guidelines of your department specifically require this.

Common abbreviations are generally well-known and therefore do not require explanation. In general, these are the abbreviations that appear in the dictionary. These include, among others:

• e.g.
• etc.
• i.e.
• cf.
• Approx.

Bibliographic information (ed., eds., pp.) and file extensions (jpg, pdf, exe) also do not belong in the list of abbreviations of your paper.

How to use abbreviations correctly: 5 practical tips.

Abbreviations can streamline your texts and make them more precise, but it is important that you keep a few things in mind when using abbreviations to avoid confusion and improve readability. Here are five tips to help:

1. Use as few abbreviations as possible to avoid disrupting the flow of reading and to maintain comprehensibility.
2. It is best to use only common abbreviations that can be found in the dictionary or in the relevant specialist literature.
3. The first time you use an abbreviation, write it in parentheses after the full term. Only then may the abbreviation be used alone in the further body text. Be sure to pay attention to consistency here: a term that has been explained and abbreviated once in the context of the first mention may then no longer appear written out in the paper.
4. Make sure that you use the abbreviations consistently throughout. So do not use them alternately with spelled-out terms.
5. Avoid abbreviations at the beginning of a sentence. This not only looks unsightly, but also makes reading more difficult.

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