Salesforce.com Style Guide for Documentation and User Interface Text

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Abbreviations

  • Abbreviations include acronyms, shortened forms of terms, and symbols for units of measure. In general, abbreviate terms that must be repeated often or that must appear in tables or other tight spaces, but don't confuse your reader with too many abbreviations or too much jargon. When in doubt, spell out the term.
  • The first time you use an acronym or abbreviation that may not be obvious, spell out the word or phrase and follow it with the shortened form in parentheses. For example: A local area network (LAN). Use the acronym or abbreviation in all subsequent references. However, in long manuals or manuals that include sections that may be read separately, you may want to repeat the full name and abbreviation the first time a term is used in each new topic.
  • When spelling out an acronym, only capitalize the individual words if they're proper nouns. Use all capital letters for the acronym itself.
  • Certain acronyms and abbreviations are so common that you never have to spell them out:
    • IBM
    • RAM
    • PC
    • US
  • Don't use abbreviations like K for thousand; or M or MM for million.
  • It's acceptable to abbreviate measurements, as in KB and GHz, if the abbreviations are common to the audience.
  • Never use acronyms or catch phrases as verbs.
  • If an acronym is generally read as alphabetic letters, choose the article according to the first letter:
    • An API
    • A URL
  • Omit a space between a number and a single-letter abbreviation or unit symbol: 90%, 401(k)
  • Don't use apostrophes to form plurals of proper nouns, acronyms, and numerals. For example, the plural of FAQ is FAQs, not FAQ's.
  • Don't use periods with most acronyms or abbreviations for technical terms, standard nontechnical abbreviations, or abbreviations for units of measure:
    • ANSI (acronym)
    • MB (technical abbreviation)
    • PhD (nontechnical abbreviation)
    • ft (unit of measure)
  • Use all lowercase for file extensions. For example, Word adds .docx to a file name if you neglect to specify the file format when saving. Refer to the Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications.
  • Don't alter the capitalization of abbreviations in titles: The 1-kHz Oscillator, Start Sync at 12:00 a.m.
  • Don't alter words or abbreviations whose meaning or correct spelling depends on case: Using the vi Editor.
  • In documentation, use lowercase and periods in a.m. and p.m. Don't use A.M., P.M., AM, PM, am, or pm. For UI text, use AM and PM.
  • See specific acronyms in this guide for more guidelines.