Exploration on the use of abbreviations in Chinese medical journals as units of measurement: A case study of “ppb”

Abstract

In the editorial work, abbreviations of English names are often encountered as symbols of measurement units, which are not in line with editorial norms. This study investigated the implementation of standardization in Chinese medical journals by taking “part per billion (ppb)” as an example, analyzed the reasons for its difficulty in implementation, and provided corresponding countermeasures, in order to provide reasonable suggestions for promoting the implementation of national standardization. During the editorial work, it was found that “ppb” was mostly used as a symbol of measurement units for fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in exhaled breath. Therefore, “FeNO” and “fractional exhaled nitric oxide” were used as keywords to retrieve relevant literature on China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, https://www.cnki.net/) from January 2021 to July 2023. A total of 116 articles were retrieved, 8 of which were removed as reviews, or meta-analyses, and other articles without symbols of measurement units. A total of 108 articles were retrieved. Among the 108 articles, only 2 (1.85%) complied with editorial norms, 78 (72.22%) still used “ppb” as a symbol of measurement units, and 28 (25.93%) had different errors. Medical sci-technology journals have a long way to go in implementing the standardization of measurement unit symbols. It requires international and domestic standards and guidelines to be revised from top to bottom, further cooperation and adjustment from instrument manufacturers, and gradual adaptation of clinicians to new standards and norms, in order to fulfill their respective responsibilities in promoting the national standardization process.