Style Guides detail the styles used by any organization in documentation in order to have consistency. It is intended to give clear, up-to-date, and easy-to-use advice about usage, grammar and spelling of both general and computer-related terms, sentence style, technical writing issues, design and interface elements. These guides are not a set of rules. The guidelines are arranged alphabetically by topic title.
Style Guides:
The following are the different style guides available:
1. Chicago Manual of style
2. APA Style Guide
3. AMA Style Guide
4. AIP style Guide
5. MLA style Guide
6. Turbian Style Guide
7. Columbia Style Guide
8. Apple Style Guide
In addition to this, different companies have their propriety Style guides are used in order to have consistency in documentation.
Let us now discuss more about the APA Style guide like what it's all about, its features, its uses and some of its styles.
About APA Style:
APA style is the style of writing used by most universities for the journals published by the American Psychological Association (APA). The style is documented in the APA Publication Manual 5th ed., released in 2001. The APA first published the Publication Manual in 1952. Today the manual is in its fifth edition, and APA style is widely recognized as a standard for scientific writing in psychology and education. APA is a 440 page comprehensive manual.
Let us discuss the following styles used in APA guide:
1. Abbreviations and Acronyms
2. Capitalization
3. Commas
4. Numbers
Abbreviations and Acronyms:
Do’s:
The acronyms are explained the first time it occurs: American Psychological Association (APA). Commonly used abbreviation does not require explanation.
To form plurals of abbreviations, add s alone, without apostrophe (PhDs, IQs, vols., Eds).
Use hr for hour or hours, min for minutes, s for seconds, m for meter or meters (all in plain text, no period, no bold font).
Don’ts:
Periods are not used within degree and organization titles (PhD, APA).
Do not use periods within measurements (lb, ft, s), except for inches (in.).
Do not use Latin abbreviations in the text unless they are inside parentheses. e.g. [use for example].
In using standard abbreviations for measurements, like m for meter, do not add an s to make it plural (100 seconds is 100 s).
Capitalization:
The following are to be capitalized as per APA:
Capitalize all the words of the heading, titles and subtitles.
The first word after a comma or a colon is capitalized when the phrase is a complete sentence..
Proper names and abbreviations of proper names.
Capitalize formal names of tests, conditions, groups, effects, and variables only when definite and specific (e.g., Stroop Color-Word Interference Test, Group A was the control group).
Do not capitalize names of laws, theories, and hypotheses (e.g., the law of effect, the test groups).
Capitalize nouns before numbers, but not before variables (Trial 2, trial x).
Capitalize specific course and department titles (GSU Department of Psychology, Psych 150). But do not capitalize the term when referring to generalities (any department, any introductory course).
Commas:
The proper use of commas depends primarily on sentence structure and signals a small interruption.
Do’s
Use commas to separate the items in a series of three or more items. Put a comma before the conjunction when a conjunction precedes the final item.
Use commas between groups of three digits, for example, 1,453.
Use commas to set off a reference in a parenthetical comment (Patrick, 1993).
Don’ts
Don't use commas to separate parts of measurement (9 lbs 5 oz). Use the metric system as a rule.
Use commas for separation within a paragraph or sentence. For example, "three choices are: (a) true, (b) false, and (c) don't know." Use semicolons for seriation if there are commas within the items. For example, (a) here, in the middle of the item, there are commas; (b) here there are not; (c) so we use semicolons throughout.
Use commas in exact dates, for example, April 18, 1992 (but not in April 1992).
Numbers:
APA style has a special set of numbers that are always written as numerals. These are “numbers that represent time; dates; ages; sample, subsample, or population size; specific numbers of subjects or participants in an experiment; scores and points on a scale; exact sums of money; and numerals as numerals”.
If the series must appear at the beginning of the sentence, spell out the first number and use whichever form is appropriate for the remaining numbers.
Spell out common fractions, common expressions, and centuries (one-half, Fourth of July, twentieth century).
Spell out sentences beginning with numbers (Thirty days in September . . .).
To make plurals out of numbers, add s only, with no apostrophe (the 1950s).
When numbers below 10 must be mixed with numbers above 10 in the same sentence they should be written as numerals. For example, write “the students trying out for the soccer team included 5 girls and 16 boys.”
Use words and numerals with two numbers in series (five 4-point scales).
Use combinations of numerals and written numbers for large sums (over 3 million people).
Use numerals for numbers 10 and above, for exact statistical references, scores, sample sizes, and sums (multiplied by 3, or 5% of the sample).
Use metric abbreviations with physical measure (4 km) but not when written out (many meters distant).
Use the percent symbol (%) only with figures (5%) not with written numbers (five percent).
Put a leading zero before decimal fractions less than one (e.g., 0.25 km), unless the fraction can never be greater than one, as with statistical probabilities (e.g., p < .01).
Ordinal numbers follow the same rules as other numbers do. Spell out ordinals below 10: first, second, . . . ninth.
Use numerals for ordinals 10 and above: 10th, 43rd, 99th, and so on. Exception—the twentieth century.
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