Plural Forms:
-
- To make abbreviations plural, you do not need o add and apostrophe
- IQs
- URLs
- ps
- To make abbreviations plural, you do not need o add and apostrophe
*Do not add “s” for pages or for units or measurement
-
- pp., 5cm, 12 hr
Abbreviations Beginning a Sentence:
-
- Never begin a sentence with a lowercase abbreviation (cm)
- Or with a stand-alone symbol (∞)
- Begin a sentence with a symbol connected to a word (ß-Endorphins) to avoid indirect or awkward phrasing
- For chemical compounds, capitalize the first letter of the word to which each symbol is connected. Keep the locant descriptor, or positional prefix.
| In running text | At beginning of sentence |
| L-methionine | L-Methionine |
| y-hydroxy-ß-aminobutyric acid | y-Hydroxy-ß-aminobutyric acid |
(Adapted from APA, 2020, pp.173-174)
The American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th edition
