Techniques for WCAG 2.0

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# G97: Providing the abbreviation immediately following the expanded form

## Applicability

Any technology containing text.

This technique relates to:

- Success Criterion 3.1.4 (Abbreviations)
  - How to Meet 3.1.4 (Abbreviations)
  - Understanding Success Criterion 3.1.4 (Abbreviations)

## Description

The objective of this technique is to make the expanded form of an abbreviation available by associating the expanded form with its abbreviation the first time it occurs within a Web page. The expansion of any abbreviation can be found by searching the Web page for the first use.

When shortening a word, phrase or name by means of an abbreviation, initialism, acronym, or other shortened form, provide the full form before providing the abbreviated form. This makes the text easier to read and is advised by many style guides.

Note that some abbreviations require explanations rather than expansions. This technique is not appropriate for such abbreviations.

This technique is applied to the first occurrence of an abbreviation in a Web page. When combining multiple resources into a single Web page, the abbreviation would be expanded at the beginning of each resource. In this case, however, using a different technique for providing the expanded form may be more appropriate.

## Examples

### Example 1

"The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) was established in 1950 to provide protection and assistance to refugees."

## Resources

Resources are for information purposes only, no endorsement implied.

- Chicago Manual of Style - Q&A - Abbreviations

## Related Techniques

- G55: Linking to definitions
- G102: Providing the expansion or explanation of an abbreviation
- H28: Providing definitions for abbreviations by using the abbr and acronym elements

## Tests

### Procedure

For each abbreviation in the content,

1. Search for the first use of that abbreviation in the authored component.

2. Check that the first use is immediately preceded by the expanded form of the abbreviation.

3. Check that the expanded form is the correct expanded form for the use of the abbreviation.

### Expected Results

- Checks #2 and #3 are true.

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