Should I write "also known as" in full or as an acronym (aka)?
Example:
It was located in the East Coast National Scenic Area, also known as
China's Last Unspoiled Land.
Is that how it should be written? Should I put it in quotes? Should I write it in lowercase?
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1 answer
If your example is part of narration in a story, you have it written exactly right. There's no need for the acronym.
"aka" the acronym originally came from law enforcement when describing someone's alias. It happens to be useful enough that it's migrated out of jargon into non-LEO usage, but you wouldn't use that acronym in running prose any more than you would fka (formerly known as), dba (doing business as), GSW (gunshot wound), or c/o (care of). Jargon acronyms are necessary within industries because the same phrases are used repeatedly and can take up a lot of space.
You could use any of those in dialogue if your speaker is part of an industry which uses that terminology, as long as the reader understands the meaning of the acronym.
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