Abbreviations, Definitions, Quotations and Citations

Abbreviations, Definitions, Quotations and Citations

Denoting Abbreviations

The abbr element allows us to denote an abbreviation. When using this element, we use the title attribute to provide the expanded text that the abbreviation represents.

<html>
  <head>
    <title>Example</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    I like apples and oranges. The
    <abbr title="Florida Department of Citrus">FDOC</abbr> regulates the Florida
    citrus industry.
  </body>
</html>

Defining Terms

The dfn element denotes the defining instance of a term. This is the instance that explains the meaning or significance of a word or phrase.

<html>
  <head>
    <title>Example</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    I like apples and oranges. The
    <abbr title="Florida Department of Citrus">FDOC</abbr> regulates the Florida
    citrus industry.
    <p>
      The <dfn title="apple">apple</dfn> is the pomaceous fruit of the apple
      tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family.
    </p>
  </body>
</html>

Quoting Content from Another Source

The q element denotes content quoted from another source.

<html>
  <head>
    <title>Example</title>
    <meta name="author" content="Adam Freeman" />
    <meta name="description" content="A simple example" />
    <link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />
  </head>
  <body>
    I like apples and oranges. The
    <abbr title="Florida Department of Citrus">FDOC</abbr> regulates the Florida
    citrus industry.
    <p>
      <q cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple"
        >The <dfn title="apple">apple</dfn> is the pomaceous fruit of the apple
        tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family.</q
      >
    </p>
  </body>
</html>

Citing the Title of Another Work

The cite element denotes the title of a cited work, such a book, article, film, or poem.

<html>
  <head>
    <title>Example</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    I like apples and oranges. The
    <abbr title="Florida Department of Citrus">FDOC</abbr> regulates the Florida
    citrus industry.
    <p>
      <q cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple"
        >The <dfn title="apple">apple</dfn> is the pomaceous fruit of the apple
        tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family.</q
      >
    </p>
    My favorite book on fruit is
    <cite>Fruit: Edible, Inedible, Incredible</cite>
    by Stuppy & Kesseler
  </body>
</html>