Salesforce Style Guide for Documentation and User Interface Text

About This Guide
Styles A-Z
A
A, An
A Lot
Abbreviations
Above
Acronyms
Active Voice
Add-in
Admin, Administrator
Affect, Effect
All Right, Alright
Allow, Let
Alphabetizing
Alternately, Alternatively
AM, PM
Amount, Number
Among
Ampersand (&)
And/Or
Android
Android Market
Apostrophes
App
Apple
Apple App Store
Application
Articles
Assure, Ensure, Insure
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
User Interface Text Guidelines
Glossary
PDF

Abbreviations

Abbreviations include acronyms, shortened forms of terms, and symbols for units of measure. In general, abbreviate terms are repeated often or appear in tables or other tight spaces. Don't confuse your reader with too many abbreviations or too much jargon. When in doubt, spell out the term.

General Rules

When to spell out
The first time you use an acronym or abbreviation that isn’t 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 are read separately, repeat the full name and abbreviation the first time a term is used in each new topic.
No apostrophes for plurals
For example, the plural of FAQ is FAQs, not FAQ's.
No periods
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)

Capitalization

  • When spelling out an acronym, only capitalize the individual words if they're proper nouns. Use all capital letters for the acronym itself.
  • Use all lowercase for file extensions. For examples, see File Names and Extensions.
  • Don't alter the capitalization of abbreviations in titles. For examples, see Capitalization.
  • Use uppercase to document time. For examples, see AM, PM.
  • If an acronym is read as alphabetic letters, choose the article according to the first letter. For example: an API, a URL.

Common Acronyms and Abbreviations

Certain acronyms and abbreviations are so common that you never have to spell them out. For example: IBM, RAM, PC, US.

Measurements and Units

  • Don't use abbreviations like K for thousand or M or MM for million.
  • If the abbreviations are common to the audience, it's acceptable to abbreviate measurements, as in KB and GHz, .
  • Omit a space between a number and a single-letter abbreviation or unit symbol: 90%, 401(k)
  • For time values in a twelve-hour system, use AM/PM preceded by a space. For example, 10:30 PM. Don’t use a.m., p.m., A.M., P.M., am, or pm.