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Spell out on first use in most cases; don’t use periods, i.e., the Associated Students of Washington State University Vancouver holds elections annually. The ASWSUV vote takes place in March. Use acronyms only for the following:

• AAUW (formerly known as American Association of University Women)
• P.E.O. (women’s educational organization uses periods in its formal title)

Other widely recognized abbreviations: AARP, AFL-CIO, ASAP, CIA, FBI, GOP, NAACP, NATO.

However, because some abbreviations could refer to more than one group (AMA could mean American Medical Association or American Marketing Association), it is seldom wrong to spell out an organization name.