Re: Acronyms in Glossary

[Loren Castro <lfc -at- SOL -dot- CHINALAKE -dot- NAVY -dot- MIL>]

From:    Jane Lorenzen

> (snip)

> The first question is whether we should list entries in the
> glossary under the acronym/initialism/abbreviation, followed by
> the spelled-out version:

 > CSR (Customer Service Representative)

 or as the fully spelled-out term, with the acronym in parentheses:

 > Customer Service Representative (CSR).

> (snip)

 My second question:  if we decide to list them by
 acronym/initialism instead of by the full term, how do we sort
 them within the glossary?  Right now they're listed like this:

 > FCAT (Forecasting Category)
 > FDPT (Forecasting Department)
 > FDIV (Forecasting Division)
 > FSUB (Forecasting Subdivision)
 > Factory Ship
 > Final Replenishment Period
 > Finished Goods
 > Forecasting Hierarchy
 > ...


First, I am constrained by Department of Defense (DOD) standards in
formatting my documents.  I must usually follow the format specified in
a Data Item Description (DID) that is associated with a particular
document.  This is probably a good thing because I don't have a
creative bone in my body.

Second, the following is an excerpt from DID DI-MCCR-80025A, which
provides the format of a Software Requirements Specification (SRS):

        10.1.8  Notes.  This section shall be numbered 6 and shall
        contain any general information that aids in understanding
        this specification (e.g., background information, glossary,
        formula derivations).  This section shall include an
        alphabetical listing of all acronyms, abbreviations, and
        their meanings as used in this document.

Third, I organize Section 6 as follows:

        6.  GLOSSARY

        6.1  Acronyms and abbreviations

        DID     Data Item Description
        DOD     Department of Defense
        SRS     Software Requirements Specification

        6.2  Definitions

        Department of Defense.  A large organization based in
        Washington, DC that is famous for its ability to create
        acronyms.

Fourth, I leave a lot of space between the acronyms and their terms
because I must always deal with things like "COMNAVAIRSYSCOM."

Fifth, I always provide the acronym on the first occurrence of the
defining term in the text.

Sixth, I don't understand why the last four terms in Jane's list are in
a list of acronyms.

lfc (Hey, it works for David Maibor and me.)