Double Space After Period Apa

The rule applies to all end punctuation.

Double space after period apa. Spacing after a period. Under spacing line spacing select double and then click ok. Spacing after punctuation marks is covered in section 6 1 of the apa publication manual seventh edition. Or a question mark.

Two of the most important are the following. April 3 2012 at 2 57 pm. Unless you are typing on an actual typewriter you no longer have to put two spaces after a period. In its most recent version the sixth edition 2010 the apa manual recommends two spaces between sentences for draft manuscripts.

Back when we used typewriters every character was given the exact same amount of space on the page. Johnson becky bui and lindsay l. Microsoft word does not have a setting to automatically put in two spaces at the end of a sentence but you can set up the grammar check to alert you when only one space is used. Use one space after a period or other punctuation mark at the end of a sentence when writing in apa style.

The apa manual directs authors to use one space after a period american psychological association 2020 p. Or an exclamation point. The publication manual of the american psychological association apa was the only style guide that overtly recommended two spaces after a period and even that long time holdout for two spaces changed its guideline to one space in its 2019 update. Put two spaces after the period for each sentence in the body of the paper note use only one space after a period in your references at the end of the paper.

But even the apa acknowledges that the single space is standard for professional publications. Although the usual convention for published works remains one space after each period and indeed the decision regarding whether to include one space or two rests in the end with the publication designer apa thinks the added space makes sense for draft manuscripts in light of those manuscript readers who might benefit from a brief but refreshing pause. If all the letters are the same width then having extra space between sentences enhances readability. After conducting an eye tracking experiment with 60 skidmore students rebecca l.

The mla handbook for writers of research papers mla waffles. Interestingly all examples mla presents in their guide use just one space and it states that most publishers guides recommend one space. Unless an editor or instructor has directed you specifically to use two spaces after closing punctuation please insert a single space after end punctuation marks in sentences such as periods question marks or exclamation marks. Using two spaces after a period was a holdover from the days of typewriter text when most standard fonts were monspaced.

However if your instructor or non apa publisher has other requirements e g to use two spaces follow their specifications.