Abbreviations
About abbreviations
Abbreviations are an effective way of communicating, both orally and in writing. At a university, abbreviations of technical terms are not just a practical shortcut; they also form an important part of our professional language and identity.
But abbreviations can also be perceived as exclusionary and cause frustration, misunderstandings and barriers for new employees and others who are not familiar with the abbreviations and their meaning.
Guidelines for abbreviations
We aim for more inclusive communication at Health. Therefore, we limit the use of abbreviations in both written and spoken communication.
Avoid subject-specific and university-specific abbreviations
A subject-specific and university-specific abbreviation could, for example, be LSU or IRM.
We now use the full names Local Liaison Committee and Department of Forensic Medicine.
In exceptional cases, you can use an abbreviation if it makes sense to use it in the rest of the text.
When this is the case, write the word in full the first time it is mentioned – followed by the abbreviation in brackets. In other words: Local Liaison Committee (LSU) and Department of Forensic Medicine (IRM).
