Abbreviations.com is part of the Stands4 Network (established in 2001) which also includes Definitions.net, Synonyms.net, Convert.net and many other free reference sites. Abbreviations.com is a comprehensive search engine of acronyms and abbreviations from a varying multitude of subject fields and claims to be the “world's largest and most comprehensive directory and search engine for acronyms, abbreviations and initialisms on the internet”. The site contains hundreds of thousands of entries and is a collaborative effort of volunteer editors that contribute and evaluate contributions to the site daily. The qualifications of the editors and the editorial process of entries are unclear.
The initial presentation of Abbreviations.com is both appealing and functional. Like any search engine, a search box is available at the top of the page with three different search options allowing the user to search abbreviations, terms, or keywords. An A‐Z list is provided for those that wish to browse entries. Broad topic headings group more specific subtopics allowing the user to browse abbreviations related to a specific subject or field. Other home page features include social media sharing, recently added entry lists, most popular searches, and a random entry link. Navigation options within this site seem endless.
Each entry is provided with broad topic and subtopic subject headings allowing the user to retrieve the specific acronym appropriate to their search. Individual entry pages provide citations in MLA, APA and Chicago style for bibliographic use. External search options for the entry term(s) are available for Amazon.com and Google.com with entry lists and individual entry pages providing top search results to be displayed on this site and a link to the external site provided after the results. A translation option for entry term(s) is available in over 20 different languages on individual entry pages.
Like most free reference websites, Abbreviations.com and the rest of the Stands4 Network depend on advertisements to cover the cost of operations. However, they seem careful not to let the advertisements become intrusive to the user. The collaborative effort of the varying levels of editors appears successful in providing effective and grammatically efficient entries. But with all of its effectiveness in searching and content, there are certainly some technological shortfalls within the use of the site. While it allows for sharing entries in social media, private sharing and saving seems to have been forgotten. There is no option to export or e‐mail collected entries as a single or even multiple files. Printing results could also be problematic. The site entries and lists print correctly with Internet Explorer, but printed pages from Mozilla Firefox are cluttered with graphics code and overlapping text on top of the existing page entry.
Numerous awards, news articles, and testimonials are provided for both Abbreviations.com and Stands4 LLC. Abbreviations.com certainly has its place among the librarians' quick reference websites. The site's quick and exhaustive lists of abbreviations and acronyms cannot readily be found together in a single source. The variety of topics and subtopics makes this site appropriate for use in any library setting from grade school to special libraries. However, the authoritativeness of the site entries is not completely evident. There are no external references available to verify entry reliability. While I would recommend this site to all librarians, it would certainly be a cautionary recommendation.
