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The word number may be abbreviated No. in the body of tables and line art or in the text when used as a specific designator. Do not use the number sign (#) in place of the abbreviation. The word number should always be spelled out when it is used as a proper noun (eg, “Social Security number”). When referring to numbers of individuals in a study in tables, figures, and within parentheses the abbreviation N is used when referring to the entire sample; n refers to a subsample. (See also , Study Design and Statistics, Glossary of Statistical Terms.)Patients were Less

Within the body of the table and in column headings, units of measure and numbers normally spelled out may be abbreviated for space considerations (see , Abbreviations, Units of Measure; , Units of Measure; and , Numbers and Percentages). However, spelled-out words should not be combined with abbreviations for units of measure. For example, “First Week” or “1st wk” or “Week 1” may be used as a column heading, but not “First wk.” Abbreviations or acronyms should be explained in a footnote (see , Table Components, Footnotes). | Less

Include only abbreviations used in the text being indexed (ie, if a text uses only an expanded form, eg, National Institutes of Health, but never the abbreviation, do not include “NIH” in the index). Abbreviations are listed alphabetically among other entries (examples from Thomas,). catheterization CAT scan. See computed tomography cat-scratch disease CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) cecum ectopic ACTH syndrome, 106, 107, 109 ectopic kidney, 2226 ectopic pregnancy, 1947, 2055 2056 Identical abbreviations are sorted by case; be consistent throughout the index, eg, HeV, 232 HEV, 330 331 PaO2, 464 PAO2, 251 Use cross-references and expansions with abbreviations, as in these Less

The following are some common abbreviations from pulmonary function testing; they should always be expanded at first mention: |

Avoid the use of abbreviations in the title and subtitle, unless space considerations require an exception (see the first example below) or unless the title or subtitle includes the name of a group that is best known by its acronym (see the second example below). In both cases, the abbreviation should be expanded in the abstract and at first appearance in the text. (See also , Capitalization, Acronyms and Initialisms, and , Abbreviations.)Prevalence of HIV-1 in Blood Donations Following Implementation of a Structured Blood Safety Policy in South Africa Reporting of Noninferiority and Equivalence Randomized Trials: An Extension of the Less

For most all-capital abbreviations, the plural is formed by adding s. Do not use an apostrophe before the s. (See also , Punctuation, Apostrophe, Using Apostrophes to Form Plurals.) Note: When plural all-capital-letter abbreviations are found in an all-capital setting, such as a first-level heading, the plural s is still lowercase.REFERRAL PATTERNS IN MIDWESTERN HMOs | Less

Most units of measure are abbreviated when used with numerals or in a virgule construction. Certain units of measure should be spelled out at first mention, with the abbreviated form in parentheses. Thereafter, the abbreviated form should be used in text. (See , Abbreviations, Units of Measure.) | Less

In this age of electronic data dissemination and retrieval, in which abstracts are typically indexed and freely available, a well-written abstract has become increasingly important in directing readers to articles of potential clinical and research interest. The abstract of a research report summarizes the main points of an article: (1) the study objective or background, (2) the study design and methods, (3) primary results, and (4) principal conclusions. For scientific studies and systematic reviews, narrative expressions, such as “X is described,” “Y is discussed,” “Z is also reviewed,” do not add meaning and should be avoided. Results should be presented Less

UPDATE: We will discontinue using quotation marks to identify parts of an article, but retain the capitalization; eg, This is discussed in the Methods section (not the “Methods” section). This change was made February 14, 2013. The structured abstract should enable the reader to assess the study hypothesis and methods quickly and easily. The context for the study question and the hypothesis (objective) should be clearly stated (eg, “To determine whether enalapril reduces left ventricular mass …”), the study design and and setting from which the sample was drawn described, and the main outcome measures explained. The results should include Less