Abbreviations and Contractions
In creating your own footnotes, and in reading others' footnotes, you will encounter a range of abbreviations and contractions. This page summarises the most common ones you'll encounter. Note the various forms used. And remember the distinction between contractions and abbreviations: contractions end in the last letter of the full word (like Mr, Dr, Jr, vols, edn) and do not take a full stop. Abbreviations do not end in the last letter of the full word (like ed., trans., vol., p.) and do take a full stop.
These abbreviations/contractions are mostly taken from the MHRA Style Guide. Where the MHRA do not offer an abbreviation/contraction for a term, we offer here a commonly used possibility. This list does not include the USPS state abbreviations.
| ed. by | edited by |
| trans. by | translated by |
| comp. by | compiled by |
| rev. by | revised by |
| dir. by | directed by |
| prod. by | produced by |
| perf. by | performed by |
| scr. by | screenplay by |
| comp. by | composed by |
| cond. by | conducted by |
| dram. by | dramatised by |
| adap. by | adapted by |
| ed., eds | editor, editors |
| edn | edition |
| vol., vols | volume, volumes |
| repr. | reprinted |
| ser. | series |
| n.s. | new series |
| o.s. | original series |
| s.s. | supplementary series |
| e.s. | extra series |
| [n.p.] | no place |
| [n. pub.] | no publisher |
| [n.d.] | no date |
| p., pp. | page, pages |
| l., ll. | line, lines |
| fig., figs | figure, figures |
| fol., fols [sometimes f., ff.] | folio, folios |
| n., nn. | note, notes |
| para. | paragraph |
| MS, MSS | manuscript, manuscripts |
| r | recto |
| v | verso |
| fasc. | fascicule |
