Peppering an essay with acronyms is a reliable sign of lazy writing. It’s a good indicator of an author more concerned with his or her own time than that of the readers. On a forum like this, things like IRA or REIT are acceptable shorthand, as they’re likely common knowledge. But arcane stuff like RISMAT or SARSAP are inexcusable. Complex acronyms make sense in a long essay, provided you define them in your first reference. For example:
“The Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension Plan (SARSEP) is a Simplified Employee Pension plan that permits employee salary reduction contributions.”
After the first reference, you can sensibly replace the clunky title with its acronym, knowing you’ve now informed the reader of its definition.
Just to reiterate, a basic principle of good writing is this: Avoid anything that potentially can confuse a reader—even if only for a brief moment. Good writing flows. It smoothly conveys the reader to what the writer wants to say.
“The Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension Plan (SARSEP) is a Simplified Employee Pension plan that permits employee salary reduction contributions.”
After the first reference, you can sensibly replace the clunky title with its acronym, knowing you’ve now informed the reader of its definition.
Just to reiterate, a basic principle of good writing is this: Avoid anything that potentially can confuse a reader—even if only for a brief moment. Good writing flows. It smoothly conveys the reader to what the writer wants to say.
Statistics: Posted by Regal 56 — Thu Aug 29, 2024 8:40 am
