Do you use "Note" instead of "NB"?

Last updated by Nick Curran [SSW] 3 months ago.See history

This rule has been archived
Archived Reason: superseded by https://www.ssw.com.au/rules/avoid-acronyms

In a piece of writing, both “NB” and “Note” can be used to add a piece of information or attract the reader’s attention to an important detail. Of these 2 options, it is better to use “Note” than to use “NB”.

This is because NB is old-fashioned – it is the abbreviation for “nota bene”, Latin for “note well” – and its meaning is not immediately clear, whereas the meaning of “note” is immediately obvious. It is always better to use plain English, and to avoid abbreviations that could be confused for something else. Therefore, you should use “note” in your documentation to ensure your meaning is clear.

NB: It is important to track the length of this process.

Bad example: NB is unclear and old-fashioned

Note: It is important to track the length of this process.

 Good example: It is obvious what we mean when we use "Note"

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