PTSD or P.T.S.D.?

[Beez]

Question came up in the newsroom today about whether there should be periods in the abbreviation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Consensus was no periods because it's an acronym, but then somebody asked why "U.S." and "L.A." contain periods? Couldn't come up with an answer, even after checking the AP Style Guide (circa 2006).

So, could it be because United States is an abbreviation while PTSD is an acronym, or is there another reason? Anybody know?

[LisaMc]

If you dig waaaaay down in the "abbreviations" listing in the stylebook, you come across this:

But use periods in most two-letter abbreviations: U.S., U.N., U.K., B.A., B.C. (AP, a trademark, is an exception. Also, no periods in GI and EU.) In headlines, do not use periods in abbreviations, unless required for clarity.

Use all caps, but no periods, in longer abbreviations when the individual letters are pronounced: ABC, CIA, FBI.

[dfisher]

I just have a problem with "US" in headlines. Call me old-fashioned. The periods eliminate any chance of misinterpretation, caps or not.
Doug

[Gerri Berendzen]

Recently AP copy has been coming over the wire with US in the headlines and U.S. in the copy. Is the headline thing a new rule? Don't you think readers notice it's different in the headline and copy?

I agree with Doug, I don't like it. US without periods just looks wrong. We always use the periods where I work.

[editer]

Question came up in the newsroom today about whether there should be periods in the abbreviation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Consensus was no periods because it's an acronym, but then somebody asked why "U.S." and "L.A." contain periods? Couldn't come up with an answer, even after checking the AP Style Guide (circa 2006).

So, could it be because United States is an abbreviation while PTSD is an acronym, or is there another reason? Anybody know?

U.S. and PTDS are both initialisms; neither is an acronym, unless you pronounce PTSD "pt-sd".

Recently AP copy has been coming over the wire with US in the headlines and U.S. in the copy. Is the headline thing a new rule? Don't you think readers notice it's different in the headline and copy?

I agree with Doug, I don't like it. US without periods just looks wrong. We always use the periods where I work.

Copy editors have long taken it on faith that our readers are eagle-eyed perfectionists (who nonetheless get irretrievably confused by the restrictive "which") and that any inconsistency, no matter how small, will send them screaming for the exits. Although randomly switching between "US" and "U.S." would be a problem, I don't think dropping the periods in heds is any sort of big deal -- we do lots of things differently in heds than in copy (do readers notice when we use numerals in heds and not in copy for single-digit numbers?).

"US" without periods looks wrong to us mainly because we've been doing it the other way for our entire careers. I don't know how great the risk of misinterpretation truly is, but it's as good a reason as any to keep the periods.

[dfisher]

Nah. It looks wrong to me because it looks like "us." The number analogy is imperfect - there's no confusion between 2 and two.

Iran tells US
to stuff it

seems a little too personal (or Al Neuharthish) to me :)

But as I said, call me old-fashioned.

The AP guidance allowing this is about two stylebooks old.

[Gerri Berendzen]

That would be what's sitting on my desk right now ... about two stylebooks old!

And while I suspect editer is right and the bulk readers don't notice, I've got about five letters sitting on my desk right now from readers that suggest there are a few who do. (I'm amazed at the amount of time some people will spend marking up the paper and sending it back to us.)

Perhaps after a generation of Twitter US won't look wrong. But it still looks like "us" to me.

[Powderhorn]

Regarding "US," AP does a lot of things that many of us don't agree with. If you're lucky enough to control local style, strike the rule and go happily along with your day. If you can try to sway the desk head that readers don't care for "US vs. them" heds, give it a whirl. If neither applies, and you really want to push it, well ... I could give advice on how to shoehorn it through, but I don't think any boss would like that.

Incidentally, I'm a young 'un and disagree with dropping the periods in heds, if not for readability, then for consistency.