Abbreviated Style Guide from Manuscript Guidelines
Guidelines for the Preparation of Manuscripts for Submission to AAC
Introduction
Manuscripts submitted to AAC should be written in English, using US spelling, following the style specified in the 2001
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) (i.e., henceforth referred to as APA style). Key elements of APA style are described in this document. In addition, the document has been written following APA style to provide an example for authors. This document, therefore, provides information on key elements only to APA style. Individuals considering submission of a manuscript to AAC should refer to the full publication for further information.
If you have any questions or concerns about style requirements please contact AAC Editorial Assistant Jackie Brown at rbutus@shaw.ca or +1 604-253-1962
Parts of a Manuscript and General Presentation
Type, Margins, and Title Page
Type and margins. Manuscripts should be submitted in 12 point Times New Roman type (the preferred type for AAC), double spaced, with 1 inch margins all around. Paragraphs are indented .5 inches (one tab) without extra lines placed between them. Do not use bold for titles, headings, or any other elements of the submission.
Title page. Include a title page with a running head that appears both at the top of the title page (flush left, in all uppercase letters, for example: Running Head: ACCEPTANCE OF AAC SYSTEMS); and on each page of the manuscript in a separate ½ inch header (flush right, upper and lower case letters: Acceptance of AAC Systems). Number all pages (top of the page, flush right) including the title page, in the header. Besides the title of the manuscript (centred, upper and lower case; e.g., Acceptance of AAC Systems) the title page should also comprise authors and their affiliations (centred) but not their contact information (see APA manual page 297) and, as applicable, author notes/acknowledgements (on a separate page following the title page if there is no room on the title page).
Please also include on the title page the following information, which represents AAC preferred formatting: five to 10 key words (flush left) (for suggested key words, see AAC 1992, Vol. 8, p. 105, for indexing purposes); the heading Correspondence (flush left), followed by and name of the corresponding author and his or her contact details: address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address (flush left, single spaced).
Other Elements of the Manuscript and Their Order
The title page is followed by an abstract, on a new page, that is identified with the heading, Abstract, in upper and lower case letters, centered. The abstract should comprise one continuous block of text (flush left, with no paragraph indents, including for the first line), and should provide a concise summary of the contents of the manuscript. Abstracts should not exceed 120 words. The body of the manuscript begins on a new page following the abstract, and includes the title, centered, and notations of where tables and figures should be placed.
Research manuscripts contain, in general, the following parts: Introduction (which does not require a heading), and Method, Results, and Discussion (which do require headings). Some variations in these parts will be appropriate for non-research manuscripts (e.g., literature reviews). The main body of the manuscript is followed by the following elements, each starting on a new page: (a) a list of references, in alphabetical order; (b) appendices, if referred to; (c) a list of any footnotes used (these should be set up as endnotes, so that they do not appear at the bottom of the page on which the footnote is marked); (d) tables (each table is placed on a new page); (e) a list of figure captions; and (f) figures (each of which is placed on a new page).
Headings
There are five levels of headings in APA style, but manuscripts may require fewer. See section 5.10, page 289 of the manual to determine the number of levels required. The following are examples of heading levels.
CENTERED UPPERCASE HEADING
This is Level 5 but may be appropriate to complex manuscripts only, such as those describing more than one experiment.
Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
This is Level 1. For short manuscripts, this may be the only heading level required.
Centered, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
This is Level 2.
Flush Left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Sideheading
This is Level 3. If only two levels of heading are required, use Levels 1 and 3.
Indented, italicised, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.
This is Level 4. Note the text continues on the same line as the heading. If three levels of headings are required, use Levels 1, 3, and 4.
Series
Elements in a series should be enumerated. Elements within a paragraph or sentence are identified with lower case letters in parentheses. Elements in a series are separated by commas, or, if there are internal commas within an element, by semi-colons, as in the following examples:
The participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: (a) no instruction, (b) individual instruction, and (c) group instruction.
The instruction was in four parts: (a) introduction, which was presented to the participants as a group in the first session; (b) modelling of target behaviours, which was provided individually to each participant over four sessions; (c) observation of and feedback about target behaviours, which again was provided individually over four sessions; and (d) general feedback, which was presented to the group in the final session.
Abbreviations
Use abbreviations only sparingly, because over-use can hinder readability. They should be used for long, familiar terms. They are written out when first mentioned, with the abbreviation appearing in parentheses, as in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Thereafter, the abbreviation can be used. Do not use abbreviations for terms used only infrequently in a manuscript or when the referent for an abbreviation may be difficult to remember.
Standard Latin abbreviations are used only in parenthetical material (i.e., they should be written in full if outside of parentheses). Commonly used Latin abbreviations and their punctuation are as follows:
| cf. |
compare |
| e.g., |
for example |
| i.e., |
that is |
| vs. |
versus, against |
Quotations
Direct quotations are used only sparingly. Quotes of less than 40 words are written in the text and are enclosed in double quotation marks. The source of the quote, included the page number, should be included with the citation. A quote of 40 or more words is displayed in a freestanding block of typewritten lines, without quotation marks. A block quote is started on a new line and indented one tab from the left margin. Again, the source and page number is provided.
Tables and Figures
Tables and figures provide a convenient way of presenting a large amount of data or other forms of information, or of providing a clear depiction of patterns of data. They should not repeat information that is provided in the text, but reference to and explanation of tables must be provided in the text. Tables and figures should be done in Microsoft Word format, using the Tables feature in Word (please do not create tables in Excel or PDF formats), and should be appended at the end of the manuscript as per instructions in the section, "Other Elements of the Manuscript and their Order", rather than placed in the text. The approximate position of each table and figure is indicated in the text, as follows:
[Insert Table X About Here]
Examples of how to format and present tables and figures are presented at the end of this document.
Citations and References
All sources of information must be provided through the use of accurate citations, including the author(s) and dates of work (suffixes, such as Jr. and initials are not included). Multiple citations within one set of parentheses are organized alphabetically. For citations including three or more authors, all authors are provided when the citation is first mentioned (e.g., Johnston, Smith, and Pennybacker, 1999), after which ‘et al.’ can be used (e.g., Johnston, et al., 1999). The exception is when the citation is for six or more authors, in which case ‘et al.’ can be used at first mention. Details of all citations must appear in the reference list, which must contain only those works that have been cited in the text.
The reference list is organised alphabetically. Examples for how to format and punctuate common types of works are as follows:
Journal Articles
McEwan, I., & Karlan, G. (1990). Case studies: Why and how. Augmentative and Alternative Communication,
6, 69-75.
Books
Beukelman, D., & Mirenda, P. (1998). Augmentative and alternative communication: Management of severe communication disorders in children and
adults. ( 2nd ed.). Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks.
Chapters in Edited Books
von Tetzchner, S., & Martinsen, H. (1996). Words and strategies: Conversations with young children who use aided language. In S. von Tetzchner & M. Hygum Jensen (Eds.),
Augmentative and alternative communication: European perspectives (pp. 65-100). London:
Whurr.
Information Obtained from a Web Site
Iacono, T. (Undated). Enhancing internet and reading activities of individuals with disability: Executive summary. Retrieved January 16, 2003, from
http://www.med.monash.edu.au/general-practice/units/cddh/accessability2/summary.htm
Note that there are many types of references, including variations to the types of web-sites from which information might be retrieved. The APA style manual should be consulted for details of how to correctly reference a particular work.
Tables
See pages 147 – 175 of the APA manual for details regarding table set up, including notes and use of rules. Tables are double-spaced, in 12 pt Times New Roman Type, with capitals and punctuation as illustrated in the two examples below. Do not use bold for headings or other elements of the table. Always use table formatting for tables and appendices (via the Table function in Word), rather than simply tabbing lines and columns of information across the page; ideally, each item of information should be placed in a separate row (see Table 1). This will prevent type from moving out of alignment during editing, file preparation and transfer, etc.
Table 2 is an example of formatting that may be used for a word table, when several lines of type must be placed within a single row. This is acceptable so long as (a) proper margins and indents are set up within the column and (b) page breaks, as applicable, will occur in appropriate places (i.e., the breaks will not cause lines to be cut off, etc.).
Figure Caption
Figure 1. Modalities used by the two participant groups.
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