Abbreviations
13.1.5 Abbreviations
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 Thomas9,10).
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 examples (first set from Thomas9).
CAT scan. See computed tomography
computed tomography (CT, CAT scan), 2715–2716
CT. See computed tomography
mitral stenosis (MS), 497
MS. See mitral stenosis; multiple sclerosis
multiple sclerosis (MS), 497
The following example illustrates (1) a cross-reference with an abbreviated organism name and (2) use of roman cross-reference term (See) when entry terms are in italics.
E coli infection. See Escherichia coli infection
When an abbreviation is more familiar than the expansion, index under the abbreviation1,2; include the expansion in parentheses, use a cross-reference to the abbreviation from the expanded term, or both.4 Terms in this manual for which it is specified that the abbreviation may be used without expansion (see chapter 14.0, Abbreviations, and chapter 15.0, Nomenclature) should probably be indexed under the abbreviation. However, terms expanded at first mention, as recommended in this manual, may nevertheless be more familiar in their abbreviated form. Usage in the text being indexed is a guide to which form is more familiar.
deoxyribonucleic acid. See DNA
DNA, 112, 334, 556–560