I am writing a paper and I have to cite

Question

so if my intext citation is:("Female genital mutilation (FGM)"). Than after I use it once cant I shorten it to just ("FGM")?

Answer 1

You can shorten it to FGM after your define the abbreviation the first time, but only in the general text. You cannot use the abbreviation in a citation to any authors and/or published documents, unless the title of the published document uses same abbreviation.