A few seem to be created de novo for a single publication. To the average member of a diverse readership, many acronyms are an unnecessary source of frustration. The need for fewer keystrokes seems to be leading us into a language of alphabet soup. Acronyms unquestionably are convenient for the writer. They are much easier to type than the phrases they represent.
Acronyms provide a handy jargon among coworkers who have a deep interest in a particular discipline.
They may even save a page or two in the editorial well of some journals. To their credit, editors and writers usually are very careful to define their acronyms when they are first used in a communication. Here are the 2 steps. First, the writer creates a document using whatever shorthand expressions are convenient. This abbreviated form can be preserved during the process of revision.