Most tribal nations prefer to use 'American Indian and Alaska Native.' This term is synonymous with the term “Native American.” On first reference, you should use 'American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN).' For subsequent references, you should use 'AI/AN.' You may also refer an organization on second reference with a shortened name in place of an acronym. For example, instead of using “DOL” to abbreviate “Department of Labor,” write 'Labor.”īureau of Indian Affairs’ Official List of Abbreviations Cultural Terms In such instances, using just the acronym is acceptable. However, some acronyms (e.g, NASA and FBI) are more recognizable than their full spellings. If an acronym is necessary, spell out the full word or phrase on first reference, then write the acronym in parentheses. For example, to introduce the acronym “GSA,” write, “The General Services Administration (GSA).” For example, 'DIY' is an acronym for “do it yourself,” and 'ASAP” is an acronym for “as soon as possible.” They use parts of the initial word or phrase (usually letters) to form an abbreviation. For example, you can write 'St.' instead of 'Street.'Īcronyms are a type of abbreviation. They are used to keep writing succinct and should remain consistent throughout a piece of writing. Abbreviations and AcronymsĪbbreviations are any shortened word or phrase. If you’re wondering whether to capitalize the word “federal,” or if you don’t know how to create a friendly, informational tone, this guide is for you. This guide will help you remove that frustration for your website visitors. Content is written in confusing “governmentese,” leaving users frustrated by information that is neither actionable nor understandable.

Government websites often talk at readers rather than to them.

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