Hi Nicki Lerczak, Thanks for your question. In publishing, we have moved to the electronic age, so the printing out of manuscripts is much less of an issue. In fact, this is not specifically addressed in the sixth edition, as you mentioned. On p. 228, however, in the section on preparing a manuscript for publication, the fact that the instructions apply to the production of an electronic file is mentioned. With all of that said, it is always important to check the requirements of your intended audience (e.g., journal, peer reviewer, publisher, professor facing a stack of papers). There are valid reasons for sticking with single-sided printing, including avoiding the possible obliteration of text. Best of luck with your green initiative!

Hello again, The inclusion of effect size in a study is addressed on p. 34 of the Publication Manual, where it is stated that effect size is often essential for conveying the importance of a study's findings. As a general rule of thumb, one should provide enough information for the reader to be able to determine the magnitude of the effect observed in a study. For more detail on effect sizes, see the third full paragraph on p. 34 of the Publication Manual. I hope this is helpful.

Dear Olena Drozd, Thanks for your question. No, APA Style does not address a standard format for CVs and resumes. The Publication Manual was written primarily to address how to format manuscripts intended for publication in scholarly journals.

Thank you for your excellent questions. We have posts in the works, so stay tuned. Don’t forget to make use of the search box at the bottom of the right-hand column to find out what may already have been written on your topic. (@Roxanne Miller, "database" may bring up some useful information.) If you need a more immediate response to your question, feel free to write the experts at [email protected] As always, thank you for reading, and thank you for your interest in APA Style! Please keep posting comments here as well – we love hearing your ideas!

Hi Betsylavolette, Thanks for your question. This guideline is also mentioned in the sixth edition on p. 88. The implication is that United States should be spelled out when it functions as a noun. The abbreviated form should only be used when United States is used as an adjective. Sarah

Hi matt, When editors or reviewers sit down to review a manuscript, it is important that they be able to decipher the intended spacing between words and characters. With justified type, the spacing can sometimes be increased or decreased in order to force the justified line of type. I suspect that the stipulation you mention has to do with this simple fact. Hope that clears things up!

Hi Debdance, Don’t despair! Headings don't have to be difficult. In APA Style, the introduction does not have a heading. Because of its location, it is assumed that the text following the title is the introduction. So, in your example, Dogs would be the title of your paper. The title of your paper would be centered and in title case. The introduction would follow the title. After your introduction, you would introduce your first section with a Level 1 heading. Throughout your paper, all headings that are of the same weight as this section would carry a Level 1 heading. From your example, I am assuming that Types of Dogs and Conclusion would take Level 1 heads. I am also assuming that Most Popular Dogs, Specialized Breeds, and Dangerous Breeds are subsections of the Types of Dogs section. If this is the case, they would all take Level 2 heads. If they are of equal weight to the Types of Dogs section, however, they would each take a Level 1 head. So, in your example, you are using only either one level or two levels of heading, not five, as you were proposing. To further demonstrate how headings work, if Specialized Breeds were a subsection of Types of Dogs, and you had two subsections under Specialized Breeds, Tibetan Spaniels and Chihuahuas, and under Chihuahuas you had subsections on both Long-Haired and Short-Haired Chihuahuas, you would be using four levels of heading, and your levels would be as follows: Level 1: Types of Dogs; Level 2: Specialized Breeds; Level 3: Tibetan Spaniels; Level 3: Chihuahuas; Level 4: Long-Haired Chihuahuas; Level 4: Short-Haired Chihuahuas. Sometimes I find it helpful to write out headings in outline form to best figure out how they should be organized. If you have more questions, feel free to write to us at [email protected]

Hi again, Thank you for your comments. I agree, this would be a cumbersome and wasteful undertaking. I am running out of ways to say this, but if the recommendation does not suit your purposes or make sense to you, I would advise against your adopting it and, in your case, enforcing it with your students. They (and you) have enough other important stuff to get right (and to correct), like formatting their references correctly and convincing you that they have done their research. The two spaces guideline is not a strict rule but a recommendation. There is an option in there!

Hi Annette, Spacing twice after end punctuation is addressed in the 6th edition, Section 4.01, at the top of p. 88, in the last sentence.

Hello again, Thank you for your suggestion. In answer to your question, you are correct; web is now lowercased in the 6th edition.

Hi, Lester, Thank you for the feedback. It might be worth checking with the particular publisher before taking the time to remove extra spaces. I know some printers can easily strip out extra spaces; in fact, this is a routine part of the manuscript preparation process here at the APA. I'm glad to hear you are otherwise enjoying the new Publication Manual.

Hi, drbob, Thank you for taking the time to weigh in. We appreciate the feedback. APA's recommendation to use two spaces after end punctuation in draft manuscripts is meant to improve readability. The use of one space after end punctuation in the sample papers in the Publication Manual is an oversight.

Hi, John, The question of whether one space or two should follow end punctuation has been hotly debated for quite some time, and it is no surprise that writers from both camps harbor equally compelling reasons for the approach they have always used, were taught, or have adopted. You might find this Wikipedia page interesting. It gives some history of the debate and provides the details on the preferences put forward by various style guides. Enjoy! And thank you for your interest in APA Style.

Hi, Dan and John, You have hit the proverbial nail on the head – improved readability was the impetus behind the new “two spaces after a period” style recommendation in the Publication Manual. Believe it or not, there is a strong faction of readers out there who prefer this spacing; in fact, many in the legal community require it. As you noted in your blog post, this recommendation applies to draft manuscripts, not to the published, or final version, of a work. In addition, the inclusion of two spaces after a period in draft manuscripts being submitted for publication is a recommendation, not a requirement. In typeset manuscripts (and on webpages, which are the equivalent), the two spaces are up to the publication designer. We hope you do not think our intent was to be controversial. Our aim was to improve the reading experience for those tasked with reviewing manuscripts. It’s that simple. Thank you for your interest in APA Style!