Q. I am editing a manuscript of a law book that uses many specialized abbreviations. There is a table of abbreviations, but
we have decided to spell out each abbreviation the first time it is used in each chapter, followed by the abbreviation in
parentheses. The only question I have is regarding abbreviations for commonly known words. For example, the author lists the
United States in the table of abbreviations. To be consistent, I have spelled out United States the first time it is used
and followed it with (US). This strikes me as kind of silly, as everyone knows that the US is the United States. Any suggestions?
A. Yes, I agree that explaining abbreviations like “US” is unnecessary. When consistency
gets silly, you can rebel.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I’m editing a college-level textbook. Is it proper to eliminate the titles Mr., Mrs., etc. in running
text? For example, after Mary Louise Jones is first introduced, should she be “Mrs. Jones”
or just “Jones” thereafter? It seems cumbersome to repeat “Mrs.”
over and over, especially if she is mentioned often.
A. Chicago style omits the honorifics. There are always exceptions, but a college text can probably safely dispense with them.
Once you start using titles (assuming you’re naming real people), you open a can of worms, since there’s
no way to know who is a doctor or professor—much less a Mrs.—and if you are also
responsible for fact-checking, that could get a little awkward.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am editing a book in which the author uses one acronym to refer to a term that can have two different endings. For example,
BE would be used for “book editor” and “book editing.”
Sample sentences: “BE is a complicated process. As a BE, one can make a million dollars.”
How should I handle this? How would you spell out the acronym on first mention? (I am working on the second edition, and the
use of the one acronym was accepted for the first edition.)
A. I’m afraid this won’t be very helpful, but such use of an acronym just won’t
wash. I would spell out BE as “book editing” or “editing”
in all instances. (Re the million dollars: we’re going to need a copy of this book as soon as it’s
available.)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am an elementary school teacher and am confronted with an abbreviation debate. How should the abbreviation of United States of America be taught? I am finding that it is acceptable in several forms, but I would like to be as accurate as possible.
A. I appreciate the difficulty of a teacher who wants to present children with what’s “correct,” but I’m afraid there is no single right answer to your question. Chicago style is USA (without periods), but we also accept both US and U.S. Other authoritative style manuals and dictionaries vary in their recommendations. Please see CMOS 10.4 and 10.32 for guidelines and discussion. Maybe you could show your class the choices and vote on your own house style.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Hello, another question from New Zealand. I am unsure as to the rules for spelling out what abbreviations stand for. In the
passage I am proofreading, we refer to the DSD and the BPD, which stand for the design strategy document and the business
process document, respectively. Am I right in thinking these should be lowercase when written in full?
A. Yes, that’s right. There is no need to uppercase common noun phrases simply because they can be represented
by an acronym or initialism.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Should a noun that is represented by an acronym be initial capped upon first reference, e.g., ground fault circuit interrupter
(GFCI) vs. Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)? Also, would this noun be initial capped (sans acronym) throughout the
rest of the document?
A. No. Unless the phrase is a proper noun, there is no reason to capitalize it.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. As a graduate of the College at the University of Chicago, I received an A.B. degree in anthropology. I have traditionally listed my degree as “A.B. Anthropology, University of Chicago.” However, in preparing my résumé for inclusion in proposals, my employer wants to list it as “B.A. Anthropology, University of Chicago.” What is the correct format, or is there no difference?
A. I don’t think I’d argue with an employer over this, especially since the University of Chicago’s anthropology department website itself refers to the BA degree (no periods, which happens to be Chicago style now also). If an institution were known for a distinctive styling of a degree, it might be a good idea always to follow that style, lest a reader familiar with the convention think the résumé was faked. Otherwise, it probably isn’t important.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Most people no longer use a typewriter and carbon paper when making a copy of a letter. Does that mean that “cc”
should now be just “c”?
A. Not necessarily. In language, it’s common for conventions to outlive their original meanings. We still
talk about a “dial tone,” for instance, even though very few of us have dials
on our phones. The convention is to write “cc,” so I would continue to do that.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am surprised that you spell Ms (as in Ms Helen Jones) with a period (Ms. Helen Jones). Nothing is being abbreviated (as in Mr. or Mrs.). Our University Senate adopted plain Ms in its documents some time ago!
A. Chicago style is to use a period after “Ms.” even though it’s not technically an abbreviation, following Merriam-Webster, which suggests that “Ms.” is a shortened form combining “Miss” and “Mrs.”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Hello. I’m editing this passage: “I liked not ever knowing when I was going to be UA’d, because in the beginning of my treatment it made me stay off the pills.” UA stands for “urinalysis.” Is it correct to include an apostrophe in “UA’d”? Would appreciate your help very much.
A. Yes, that looks right to me. “UA” in your sentence is like the verb “OD” (for “overdose”), for which Merriam-Webster gives the forms “OD’d or ODed,” and “OD’ing.” “UAed” would also work, if you want to avoid the apostrophe (which marks the omission of the letter e).
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]