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Questions and Answers
When should square brackets be used to enclose material inserted in a quotation by someone other than the original author?
When should square brackets be used to enclose material inserted in a quotation by someone other than the original author?
In which case should square brackets NOT be used?
In which case should square brackets NOT be used?
When should a slash be used?
When should a slash be used?
What is the correct use of brackets in mathematical material as per the text?
What is the correct use of brackets in mathematical material as per the text?
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In which case is it NOT appropriate to use a slash?
In which case is it NOT appropriate to use a slash?
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What is the role of square brackets when enclosing abbreviations according to the text?
What is the role of square brackets when enclosing abbreviations according to the text?
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Which of the following is the correct way to use square brackets according to the APA Manual?
Which of the following is the correct way to use square brackets according to the APA Manual?
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When should a slash (/) be used according to the APA Manual?
When should a slash (/) be used according to the APA Manual?
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How should brackets be used to enclose values in a confidence interval?
How should brackets be used to enclose values in a confidence interval?
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How should brackets be used to describe the form of a reference list entry?
How should brackets be used to describe the form of a reference list entry?
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Which of the following is the correct way to use brackets to enclose material added to a quotation?
Which of the following is the correct way to use brackets to enclose material added to a quotation?
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How many spaces should be inserted after a period at the end of a sentence?
How many spaces should be inserted after a period at the end of a sentence?
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When should square brackets be used in APA style?
When should square brackets be used in APA style?
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Which punctuation mark is used to separate elements in a numerical range in APA style?
Which punctuation mark is used to separate elements in a numerical range in APA style?
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How are brackets used to enclose values in a confidence interval in APA style?
How are brackets used to enclose values in a confidence interval in APA style?
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What is the purpose of using brackets in a reference list entry in APA style?
What is the purpose of using brackets in a reference list entry in APA style?
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When should brackets be used to enclose material in a quotation in APA style?
When should brackets be used to enclose material in a quotation in APA style?
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Which punctuation mark should be used to separate elements in a series of three or more items in APA style?
Which punctuation mark should be used to separate elements in a series of three or more items in APA style?
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How should slashes be used in APA style?
How should slashes be used in APA style?
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When should parentheses be used to enclose statistics in APA style?
When should parentheses be used to enclose statistics in APA style?
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Which punctuation mark should be used to separate independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb in APA style?
Which punctuation mark should be used to separate independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb in APA style?
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When should quotation marks be used to introduce a label in APA style?
When should quotation marks be used to introduce a label in APA style?
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Study Notes
Period
- Use a period to end a complete sentence
- Use a period with initials in names (e.g., M.P. Clark)
- Use a period or periods in:
- Latin abbreviations (e.g., a.m., cf., e.g., i.e., p.m., vs.)
- Reference abbreviations (e.g., Vol. 1, 2nd ed., p. 6, paras. 11–12, F.Supp.)
- Era designations (e.g., B.C.E., C.E., B.C., A.D.)
- Each element within a reference (except DOIs and URLs)
Period Exceptions
- Do not use periods in:
- Abbreviations of state, province, or territory names (e.g., NY; CA; Washington, DC; BC; ON; NSW)
- Capital letter abbreviations and acronyms (e.g., APA, NDA, NIMH, IQ)
- Abbreviations for academic degrees (e.g., PhD, PsyD, EdD, MD, MA, RN, MSW, LCSW)
- Routes of administration (e.g., icv, im, ip, iv, sc)
- Metric and nonmetric measurement abbreviations (e.g., cm, hr, kg, min, ml, s)
- After URLs in the text
- After DOIs or URLs in the reference list
Comma
- Use a comma:
- Between elements in a series of three or more items
- After an introductory phrase (if the phrase is short, the comma is optional)
- To set off a nonessential or nonrestrictive clause
- To separate two independent clauses joined by a conjunction
- To separate statistics in the text that already contain parentheses
- To separate two parts of a compound predicate
- To separate groups of three digits in most numbers of 1,000 or more
Comma Exceptions
- Do not use a comma:
- Before an essential or restrictive clause
- Between the two parts of a compound predicate
- To separate parts of measurement
Semicolon
- Use a semicolon:
- To separate two independent clauses that are not joined by a conjunction
- To separate two independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb (e.g., however, therefore, nevertheless)
- To separate items in a list that already contain commas
- To separate multiple parenthetical citations
- To separate different types of information in the same set of parentheses
Colon
- Use a colon:
- Between a grammatically complete introductory clause and a final phrase or clause that illustrates, extends, or amplifies the preceding thought
- In ratios and proportions
Colon Exceptions
- Do not use a colon:
- After an introduction that is not an independent clause or complete sentence
Dash
- Use an em dash:
- To set off an element that adds information to the main clause
- Use an en dash:
- Between words of equal weight in a compound adjective
- To indicate a numerical range (e.g., page or date range)
- Do not use a space before or after an em dash or en dash
Quotation Marks
- Use double quotation marks:
- To refer to a letter, word, phrase, or sentence as a linguistic example or as itself
- To present stimuli in the text
- To reproduce material from a test item or verbatim instructions to participants
- To introduce a label
- To set off the title of a periodical article or book chapter when used in the text
- Do not use double quotation marks:
- To highlight a key term or phrase (use italics instead)
- To identify the anchors of a scale (use italics instead)
- To refer to a numeral as itself
- To hedge or downplay meaning
Parentheses
- Use parentheses:
- To set off structurally independent elements
- To set off in-text citations
- To introduce an abbreviation in the text
- To set off letters that identify items in a list within a sentence or paragraph
- To group mathematical expressions
- To enclose numbers that identify displayed formulas and equations
- To enclose statistical values that do not already contain parentheses
- To enclose degrees of freedom
- Do not use parentheses:
- To enclose text within other parentheses (use square brackets instead)
- To enclose statistics that already contain parentheses (use a comma instead)
Square Brackets
- Use square brackets:
- To enclose parenthetical material that is already in parentheses
- To enclose abbreviations when the abbreviated term appears in parentheses
- To enclose values that are the limits of a confidence interval
- To enclose material inserted in a quotation by someone other than the original author
- To enclose a description of form for some works in a reference list entry
- Do not use square brackets:
- To set off statistics that already include parentheses
- Around the year in a narrative citation when the sentence containing the narrative citation appears in parentheses
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Description
Test your knowledge of when to use periods in writing, specifically focusing on Latin abbreviations, reference abbreviations, and other cases. Practice identifying where periods are required or not required in different contexts.