Acronyms

Acronym usage should follow industry-standard guidance, such as the Microsoft Style Guide’s recommendations on acronyms and global communications. These principles help ensure clarity, consistency, and accessibility across our documentation.

Acronyms help shorten repeated technical terms, but overuse or unclear usage reduces readability. Use acronyms intentionally and with your audience in mind.

When to Introduce Acronyms

Use acronyms:

• Only if they are well-known and widely recognized across the industry (for example, HTTP, API, SSH, GPU).

  If you’re not sure the audience knows the acronym, spell out the full term first.

• On first use in a document:

  • For well-known acronyms, use the acronym first, and then put the spelled-out term in parentheses after it. For example, “API (Application Programming Interface)”.
  • For less familiar acronyms, spell out the full term first, followed by the acronym in parentheses. For example, “Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM)”.
  • After spelling out the full term, use only the acronym on subsequent mentions.

• If expanding an acronym interrupts the flow or adds no clarity, and it’s widely recognized or a brand name, you may use it without spelling it out.

Formatting Acronyms

Format acronyms consistently to keep documentation readable and predictable.

• Write acronyms in all caps, unless the acronym is part of a branded name or uses stylized casing (for example, reCAPTCHA).

• Do not expand branded acronyms or product names that stand alone and whose full forms are rarely used (for example, Linux).