A quiz for everyone – how many of the acronyms below, commonly used across the University of Limerick (UL) website, do you understand? Give yourself one point for each one you recognise (without using Google) :

AHSS, KBS, EHS, GPS, AR, APRC, SI, PESS, PG, P&ER, NIHE, PCA, PCC, OLA, OECD, MSSI, ADAA, ADI, ADR, ITD, AVPA, CID, CCO,  CECD, GA and ULREG.

If you were able to understand even half of the acronyms above then congratulations -the chances are that you have been working in UL for a very long time.

If you are new to the University however, and didn’t understand any or just one or two of the acronyms above, don’t worry you are not alone.

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How acronyms come across externally

Try reading the three paragraphs below and imagine that you are a member of the public with no knowledge whatsoever of UL. 

"Here at UL, we have the AHSS, the KBS, EHS and SciEng. UG students can contact AR for information on courses available in AHSS, KBS, EHS and SciEng and PG students can get in touch with GPS. 

"As one of the world’s leading universities, UL is also at the forefront of ground-breaking research where expert researchers work collaboratively in centres such as PE PAYS Ireland, the PAfH, the SSPC and 4i.

"UL also boasts a host of excellent facilities and resources for staff be they the ADAA, the ADI, ADR, AVPA or members of the APRC. If staff have any difficulties they have the support of ITD, HR, AR, and the ESS portal or they can always attend a MOM meeting."

Confusing right? 

Spell it out

This is why it is vital that when writing content for the UL website you spell out acronyms in the first instance and put the letters of the acronym in brackets afterwards.

If you do not do this you are simply not communicating clearly with your audience and are more likely to frustrate and confuse them.

Accessibility is key

It is also important to remember that acronyms are not accessible. Most screen readers do not recognise acronyms and abbreviations and tend to read them out like they are typical English words.

You can read more about acronyms and accessibility here.

In conclusion, remember to spell out any acronym in the first instance followed by the letters in brackets.

Never assume that your reader understands the abbreviations and acronyms you use simply because you do