reference notes: common abbreviations

Abbreviations can help make your footnotes, endnotes and bibliographic entries more concise.

General abbreviations

For lists of relevant abbreviations, see International Standard ISO 832, Documentation—Bibliographical References—Abbreviations of Typical Words, as well as the latest edition of the MLA Handbook.

Title abbreviations—general

Guidelines for the creation of title abbreviations for serial and non-serial publications are provided in International Standard ISO 4-1984, Documentation—Rules for the Abbreviation of Title Words and Titles of Publications.

Title abbreviations—scientific periodicals

Extensive lists of abbreviations for words commonly found in scientific periodical titles can be found in the World List of Scientific Periodicals, and for the social sciences, in the World List of Social Science Periodicals.