Abbreviations to be used for the titles of serials

Standard rules. In the preparation of camera-ready copy for IAU publications, the titles of serials should be abbreviated in accordance with the list given in Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts, which is in turn based on the recommendations of the appropriate international organisations (e.g., see ICSU AB 1978). The following guidelines should be adopted for any words not included in this list: (a) articles, conjunctions and prepositions should usually be ignored; (b) a sufficient number of letters of other words should be included to suggest to a scientist the full words and to avoid ambiguity; and =A9 the names of places, except principal= capital cities, should be given in full. The initial letters of the abbreviations for an adjective should be given in lower case (small type), except where it forms part of a proper name. An acronym should not normally be used for the name of an organisation unless it is so used in the full title of the serial. If a title consists of one word it is usually given in full. A list of the principal abbreviations that are recommended for use in astronomical publications is given in Table 1A.

Table 1. Abbreviations used in references to serial publications

 
A. Abbreviations recommended for use in astronomical publications

 A full list of recommended abbreviations is given in Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts.

B. Short abbreviations used in some astronomical publications.

Other rules: Some journals insist on the use of other rules; some allow or require the use of very short forms for certain journals that are well-known to professional astronomers. A list of such short forms is given for information in Table 1B; these forms should not, however, be used in IAU publications. Such forms may cause difficulties for scientists and librarians who may not be familiar with them, and they may be missed or cause confusion in literature searches using computers. Their use may be justified in review articles containing many references, such as the IAU triennial reports, but the meanings of such short forms should be given at the head of the list of references.

Series of books

Series of books that may be treated as serial publications include:

• Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Editors: Burbidge, G. R., Layzer, D., Phillips, J. G., (from 1974,). Annual Reviews Inc., Palo Alto, California, 1963 onwards. Abbreviation: Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys.

• Handbuch der Physik (Encyclopedia of Physics). Editor: Fluegge, S. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1955 onwards. Abbreviation: Handb. Phys.
  
• Highlights of Astronomy. Published for the International Astronomical Union. Reidel, Dordrecht-Holland, 1968 onwards at intervals of 3 years. Abbreviation: Highlights Astron.
  
• Landolt-Boernstein: Numerical data and functional relationships in science and technology. New series, Editor-in-chief: Hellwege, K.-H., Group VI: Astronomy, astrophysics and space research. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1965, 1981 onwards. Abbreviation: Landolt-Boernstein, New Series, Group VI.
  
• Vistas in Astronomy. Editor: Beer, P. Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1955 onwards. Abbreviation: Vistas Astron.