Acronyms

This article provides guidelines for using acronyms in the Coveo product documentation.

Don’t create acronyms from product or feature names

For an official list of Coveo acronyms, product and feature names, see the Coveo Glossary.

Examples

  • Use Coveo for Salesforce

  • Don’t use C4SF or SF

Spell out the term for clarity upon first occurrence

Include the acronym in parentheses following the first occurrence of the spelled-out term. Use the acronym for subsequent mentions of the term in the same article.

Example

An Automatic Relevance Tuning (ART) model can fine-tune an incoming query to ensure that items which are most relevant to that query appear in the result list and have an increased ranking score. The ART feature learns what search users seek and delivers it.

Note

Some acronyms are better known than the spelled-out term (for example, DVD and JPEG). Don’t spell out a term if the acronym appears in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. If your audience is familiar with the acronym, use it without spelling it out.
Example

The Star Wars DVD collection is now available in stores.

Don’t introduce acronyms for terms that are used only once

If an acronym is used only once in your article, spell out the term. Don’t introduce the acronym in parentheses following the spelled-out version.

Avoid using acronyms for the first time in titles and headings

Avoid using an acronym for the first time in a title or heading unless it’s a keyword you need for search engine optimization. If you use an acronym for the first time in a title or heading, introduce it in the body text as well (in parentheses, following the spelled-out term).

Example

About Dynamic Navigation Experience (DNE)

Dynamic Navigation Experience (DNE) models leverage usage analytics events to pertinently order facets and facet values according to the user query and language.

Lowercase spelled-out terms

Lowercase all words in the spelled-out form of an acronym, except for proper nouns.

Note

The names of many protocols and specifications are considered proper nouns.
Examples

  • indexing pipeline extension (IPE)

  • File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Use "a" or "an" Depending on Pronunciation

The article you use depends on whether the acronym is pronounced like a word or pronounced as individual letters.

Tip
Leading practice

  • Use "an" if the first sound (not the first letter) of the acronym is a vowel sound.

  • Use "a" if the first sound (not the first letter) of the acronym is a consonant sound.
Examples

  • an MBA student

  • an FAQ document

  • a LAN port

  • a GIF file

Avoid using the possessive form

Avoid using the possessive form unless the acronym refers to an individual or an organization.

Examples

  • the JPEG resolution

  • the FAQ answers

  • the CEO’s laptop

  • Coveo’s lines of business