How to make a list of abbreviations in word

Karl works in an occupation that uses a lot of acronyms. Their standard procedure is to define the acronym only the first time it's used within the document. In addition, they always need to create an appendix, at the end of the document, listing the acronyms in alphabetical order along with their meanings. Karl is looking for a way to perhaps "mark" the acronym in the main body and have the acronym appendix be automatically created.

There is no way to do this directly in Word. There are several types of tables you can create automatically, such as tables of contents, tables of authorities, and indexes. These last two tables [tables of authorities and indexes] could possibly be used to create the acronym list, but only if they are not already being added to your document and only if you don't mind your acronym list including page numbers.

If you want to use the table of authorities tool in order to create an acronym list, Shauna Kelly has put together a great article on how this can be done. The article specifically talks about glossaries, which essentially what an acronym list would be.

//www.ShaunaKelly.com/word/glossary/glossary.html

If you want to use the index tool in order to create your list, you can follow these general steps, assuming that the acronym, when defined, is followed by its meaning within parentheses:

1. Select the acronym and its meaning. This means that you find the first instance of the acronym in your document and then select that acronym along with the parenthetical meaning that follows it.
2. Press Alt+Shift+X to mark the selected text for the index.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the other acronyms you want in your list.
4. At the end of your document, insert your index. How to actually insert an index has been covered in other issues of WordTips.

You'll note that this approach leaves the parentheses in your index. If you don't want the parentheses, then you'll need to go to each acronym that you marked and display the field code used for the index. It will look something like this:

{ XE "abbrev [this is the definition]" }

Within the field code you can remove the parentheses so that the text appears just as you want it to appear in the acronym list. If you use the above method to mark only the first instance of the acronymwhere it is first definedthen there will be a single page number for each acronym in your list. If you like the idea of having page numbers, but want them for all instances of each acronym, then you'll need to mark each occurrence of the acronymsa much more involved task.

If you prefer not to use the either of the methods already described, you could create a macro that will aid you in creating your acronym list. The following macro essentially copies whatever text you have highlighted to the end of the document.

Sub Send_2_acronym_list[] With ActiveDocument.Bookmarks .Add Range:=Selection.Range, Name:="xxxHERExxx" .DefaultSorting = wdSortByName .ShowHidden = True End With Selection.Copy Selection.EndKey Unit:=wdStory Selection.TypeParagraph Selection.PasteAndFormat [wdPasteDefault] Selection.GoTo What:=wdGoToBookmark, Name:="xxxHERExxx" Application.Run MacroName:="Normal.MoreNewMacros.EditGoTo" Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1 End Sub

The idea is to select your first instance of the acronym, along with its definition, and then invoke the macro. A bookmark is set at the current location, the text is copied, the end of the document is selected, and the text added there. Then the bookmark is used so that the original location can again be selected.

When you are done "marking" your acronyms in this manner, you can select the text that was copied to the end of the document and format it [or edit it] in any way desired.

If you want an approach that is even more automated, then you may be able to create a macro that will scan through your document and extract any acronyms it finds. In order for an approach like this to work, you'll need to make sure that you religiously follow a rigid structure for your acronyms and their definitions. The following macro assumes that the acronym will always be a string of uppercase letters followed by a space and then some parenthetical text.

Sub ListAcronyms[] Dim strAcronym As String Dim strDefine As String Dim strOutput As String Dim newDoc As Document Application.ScreenUpdating = False Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory ActiveWindow.View.ShowHiddenText = False 'Loop to find all acronyms Do 'Search for acronyms using wildcards Selection.Find.ClearFormatting With Selection.Find .ClearFormatting .Text = "<[A-Z]@[A-Z]>" .Replacement.Text = "" .Forward = True .Wrap = wdFindStop .Format = False .MatchCase = True .MatchWildcards = True .MatchWholeWord = True .Execute End With 'Only process if something found If Selection.Find.Found Then 'Make a string from the selection, add it to the 'output string strAcronym = Selection.Text 'Look for definition Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdWord Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, _ Extend:=wdExtend strDefine = "" If Selection.Text = "[" Then While Selection <> "]" strDefine = strDefine & Selection.Text Selection.Collapse Direction:=wdCollapseEnd Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, _ Extend:=wdExtend Wend End If Selection.Collapse Direction:=wdCollapseEnd If Left[strDefine, 1] = "[" Then strDefine = Mid[strDefine, 2, Len[strDefine]] End If If strDefine > "" Then 'Check if the search result is in the Output string 'if it is, ignore the search result If InStr[strOutput, strAcronym] = 0 Then strOutput = strOutput & strAcronym _ & vbTab & strDefine & vbCr End If End If End If Loop Until Not Selection.Find.Found 'Create new document and change active document Set newDoc = Documents.Add 'Insert the text Selection.TypeText Text:=strOutput 'Sort it newDoc.Content.Sort SortOrder:=wdSortOrderAscending Application.ScreenUpdating = True Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory End Sub

The macro looks through the document for anything it thinks might be an acronym. If it finds a candidate, it looks after it to see if it is followed by an opening parenthesis. If so, then everything up to the closing parenthesis is considered the definition for the acronym. Once the macro is finished going through the document, it creates a new document, adds the acronyms there, and then sorts them all.

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A list of abbreviations is an alphabetical list of abbreviations that you can add to your thesis or dissertation. If you choose to include it, it should appear at the beginning of your document, just after your table of contents.

Abbreviation lists improve readability, minimizing confusion about abbreviations unfamiliar to your reader. This can be a worthwhile addition to your thesis or dissertation if you find that you’ve used a lot of abbreviations in your paper.

If you only use a few abbreviations, you don’t necessarily need to include a list. However, it’s never a bad idea to add one if your abbreviations are numerous, or if you think they will not be known to your audience.

You can download our template below in the format of your choice to help you get started.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Example list of abbreviations

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Best practices for abbreviations and acronyms

There are a few rules to keep in mind about using abbreviations in academic writing. Here are a few tips.

1. Acronyms are formed using the first letter of each word in a phrase. The first time you use an acronym, write the phrase in full and place the acronym in parentheses immediately after it. You can then use the acronym throughout the rest of the text.

Example: Introducing acronymsAll participants took part in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. DARE targets young adults in high-risk neighbourhoods.

1. The same guidance goes for abbreviations: write the explanation in full the first time you use it, then proceed with the abbreviated version.

Example: Introducing abbreviationsThe research investigated commonly used acoustic-phonetic measures (ac. phon. measures). These ac. phon. measures were first researched by Strik et al. (2020).

1. If you’re using very common acronyms or abbreviations, such as USA, PC, or NASA, you can abbreviate them from the get-go. If you’re in doubt, just write it out in full the first time.

Abbreviations in APANote that if you are using APA Style, there are additional specific requirements for the use of abbreviations and acronyms in your dissertation.

Additional lists to include

As well as the list of abbreviations, you can also use a list of tables and figures and a glossary for your thesis or dissertation.

Include your lists in the following order:

• Table of contents
• List of figures and tables
• List of abbreviations
• Glossary

TipDon’t forget to include your list of abbreviations in your table of contents!

Frequently asked questions

Do you always have to write out abbreviations?

As a rule of thumb, write the explanation in full the first time you use an acronym or abbreviation. You can then proceed with the shortened version. However, if the abbreviation is very common (like PC, USA, or DNA), then you can use the abbreviated version from the get-go.

Be sure to add each abbreviation in your list of abbreviations!