CIAT, WFP, IFAD, ASAP, FAO, UNICEF, UNHCR, CCRIP, READSI, PACE, NATPII, CC, SP, DRR… An abbreviated list of abbreviations!

One thing that I have noticed is the amount of acronyms or abbreviations used in scientific writing. I understand the purpose (to cut down on the amount of reading and to give a quicker understanding of the content in research) HOWEVER, in the course of my thesis and Master’s programme in CCAFS I have been looking at all kinds of projects that are taken on by the RBAs (Rome Based Agencies) and other organisations and there are many acronyms used throughout. Sometimes, abbreviated phrases and words that I do not think necessarily need to be shortened, can be a little obscure and confusing to follow. Words that may be mentioned only a couple of times throughout a 250 page document but have been shortened can leave you searching for the full meaning. Sometimes they are not even in the list of abbreviations and you must do ‘CTRL + F’ to search through a document and find what you are looking for.

Another point of scientific writing is to be succinct and clarify sentences the reader can follow easily. To have an effective piece of writing, the shorter the sentence the better. For example, instead of saying ‘In order to explain…’ you could say ‘To explain…’ A decent flow in your work will guide the reader from introduction to conclusion without having to stop and think hard about what they have just read.

Scientific writing is a skill I am learning as I conduct my thesis. I come from an Arts undergraduate course with English as one of my core subjects. Descriptive, long paragraphs were my forte- something I now need to change. The point I am making is that abbreviations are great when they are commonly used words and phrases but I do believe that ‘less is more’ when it comes to using them. Funnily enough, the phrase ‘less is more’ in the context of this post is quite the paradox which makes for an interesting perspective.