In general, abbreviations are used for lengthy terms that are used excessively within the article, preferably 3 or more times. However, some acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms can be used without expansion. These do not need to be listed in the Abbreviations section at the end of the manuscript. This guidance applies across all manuscript components.
For complete guidelines on the use of abbreviations, please refer to JMIR's House Style and Editorial Guidelines (5. Abbreviations).
JMIR generally follows AMA style (eg, AMA Manual of Style, sections 13.11 Clinical, Technical, and Other Common Terms and 19.6 Statistical Symbols and Abbreviations) when determining which abbreviations may be used without expansion. Additional terms that are familiar to the vast majority of readers or are more recognizable as an abbreviation have been included below. Note, this list of terms is not exhaustive.
Abbreviations That Do Not Require Expansion
| Category | Abbreviations |
| Medical, health, and biological sciences |
|
| Statistical, methodological, and research terms |
|
| Computing, internet, and technology |
|
| Data, identifiers, and units of measurement |
|
|
Time zones and standards
|
For example:
|
| Commonly used software and programs |
|
| Common database names |
|
Term-Specific Guidance
App
When discussing mobile software, the term “app” is used instead of “application.” Notably, it does not function as a formal acronym for “application.”
Terms That Resemble Abbreviations
Some terms may appear to be abbreviations but should not be treated as such.
-
Certain instruments or questionnaires:
- DISCERN
- EQ-5D and its versions (ie, EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and EQ-5D-Y; more information can be found here)
- Proper nouns, product names, and brand names that resemble acronyms but are not intended to be expanded (eg, iOS).
- Organization names or other entities for which the abbreviated form is the official name and is not commonly expanded in usage (eg, NHS England, EuroQol).
When in doubt, follow the official naming convention used by the instrument developer, organization, or product owner rather than assuming that a term should be expanded.
JMIR
Expansion of this term is not required for the parent company (ie, JMIR Publications) or any sister journals such as JMIR mHealth and uHealth. Expansion to Journal of Medical Internet Research is reserved exclusively for references to the flagship journal (ISSN 1438-8871) located at http://www.jmir.org.
US and UK
Spell out “United States” and “United Kingdom” when they are used as a noun, but abbreviate to “US” and “UK” when used as an adjective.
Example: There are 78 million dogs in the United States. All US dogs must be vaccinated against rabies.