abbreviations: parts of a book or document

In ordinary writing, do not abbreviate parts of a document followed by a number or letter:

  • Part 4
  • Table 14
  • Appendix C.

Smaller subdivisions such as paragraph, line, page and verse are also written in full.

However, in order to be more concise, you should abbreviate parts of a publication in footnotes, endnotes, bibliographies and indexes:

  • abr. (abridged, abridgment)
  • bk., bks. (book, books)
  • bull. (bulletin)
  • c., ch. (chapter, chapters)
  • ed., eds. (edition, editions; editor, editors)
  • fig. (figure)
  • fwd. (foreword)
  • jour. (journal)
  • mag. (magazine)
  • pt., pts. (part, parts)
  • ser. (series)
  • supp. (supplement)
  • vol., vols. (volume, volumes)

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A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada

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