Is it sometimes (or ever) acceptable to use in academic writing the abbreviation 'a.k.a.' ('also known as')?
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1I'd avoid it, but which academic field are you referring to? Conventions do vary. – Wayfaring Stranger Nov 01 '14 at 14:19
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1In one word: no. If you write it out in full, possibly. – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica Nov 01 '14 at 16:05
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Depending on the context, consider using i.e. instead. – JJM Driessen Aug 18 '16 at 14:35
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If you're using it "literally" (i.e. - to specify an alternative name used naturally by [at least some] other people for the thing you're talking about) then it should be fine in most formal contexts. Except where the alternative designation itself is inherently informal (e.g. G W Bush aka "Dubya"), where it's a matter of whether mentioning the alternative name is appropriate, rather than aka.
What's not okay in academic contexts is the informal use of aka to introduce an ad-hoc alternative term purely to describe/characterise something - such as, for example, Houston's new Astrodome, aka. the Eighth Wonder of the World.
The above link includes a single period after aka, which I would say is never "correct". But although there are twice as many written instances of "[Alcatraz] Island, also known as The Rock", if you check the abbreviated usage it seems to me most writers don't include periods.
FumbleFingers
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Wikipedia Manual of Style, for one:
a.k.a. AKA Should only be used in small spaces. Otherwise use the full phrase. … Never use aka.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Abbreviations
Kris
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No. A.k.a. is formal enough for police reports and journalism that covers the "crime beat." It has a specialized meaning appropriate to public statements about criminal aliases.
jimm101
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