Writing Style – Cont. or Cont’d.

Connie’s question: “I was wondering what you thought the correct abbreviation for continued would be?  Is there a standard?”

BizwritingTip response: Some words have set abbreviations, e.g., Mr., Sr., and Inc. You will find official abbreviations in the dictionary. Other words are abbreviated by leaving out letters and inserting an apostrophe, e.g., can’t or it’s. We also call them contractions.

According to the Oxford Canadian Dictionary and The Chicago Manual of Style, the abbreviation for continued is cont.

However, some writers also use cont’d. They have abbreviated the word by omitting letters.

This is a style issue. As long as your reader understands your meaning, you could use either word. When deciding whether to use an official abbreviation or a contracted word, the guideline is to choose whichever one is the shortest and the most clear.

Note: Contracted words should only be used in informal writing, such as letters or emails, or in tables when space is limited.