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Running head: AAC STYLE REQUIREMENTS
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STYLE REQUIREMENTS:
AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION (AAC)
APA Style
Prior to the start of the peer review process, all submissions MUST conform to
requirements of the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (APA), including for the presentation and order of elements standard to scientific
journals (title page, abstract, introduction, methods and results sections; references, appendices,
tables, figures, and figure captions). The elements of the manuscript should be organized and
presented as outlined in Chapter 2 of the manual, Manuscript Structure and Content (see pages
23 to 40), which includes descriptions and examples of various table and figure types. Below is a
partial list of APA requirements; be sure to refer to the APA manual for additional requirements
as you prepare your manuscript for submission.
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Title page, including listing and order of authors, author affiliations, and author notes
and corresponding author details (see Sections 2.01 to 2.03 in the APA manual; as
well as AAC-Specific Requirements, page 2;
Abstract and key words (Section 2.04)
Headers, running head (an abbreviated version of the title that appears at the top left
of each page of a manuscript); and page numbers (top right of each page);
Spacing (double space throughout, including appendices), margins (1 inch all
around), type font (please use Times New Roman), and paper size and orientation:
US letter (8.5 x 11)/ portrait;
Placement of punctuation (including for references cited in the text and on the
reference list);
Use of italics, capitalization, hyphenation, and seriation;
Use the format years;months for reporting ages in which months as well as years are
included (e.g., 6;5 to indicate 6 years, 5 months). At the first occurrence, write out in
full, and use the numbers only in subsequent occurrences, that is, “The ages of the
participants ranged from 6;5 (years;months) to 7;3.” It is not necessary to use this
format for ages that are expressed in months only (e.g., “The ages of the participants
ranged from 30 to 48 months.”) or years only (e.g., “The ages of the participants
ranged from 21 to 45 years.”);
Expression of results of statistical tests such as F, t, and p values (e.g., F(2, 63) =
13.02, p = .04); chi-squared (e.g., χ2 (2, N = 40) = 12.27, p = .01); and statistical
symbols (e.g., N, SD, M); including appropriate use of italics, statistical symbols, and
spacing (e.g., around “ = ”);
Expression of numbers (e.g., as figures versus numerals; when grouped for
comparison, etc.);
Metric conversions (e.g., inches to centimeters, feet to meters);
References and citations, including for information obtained from Internet sites. Be
sure to review the APA manual carefully for all categories of references (books,
edited books, journals, etc.) and follow examples exactly for the correct use of
capitalization and italics, when to include issue numbers, use of commas and other
punctuation, use of et al., etc. DO NOT include hyperlinks in citations or
Running head: AAC STYLE REQUIREMENTS
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references or use short forms for names of journals;
Tables (including notes to table) and appendices (including references to in text);
Note: Tables must be created using the Table function in Word (tabbed tables are not
acceptable); they may be single-spaced (see APA manual page 141); and should
incorporate ONLY rules that are part of the table function in Word; please do not
insert lines anywhere in the table. Please do not use bold or italics except where
expressly required to meet APA style.
Figures (including references to in text) and figure captions.
All figures must be in camera-ready format and self-explanatory. Graphs must include axis labels
and a legend. A signed release form must accompany photographs of people who can be
identified (see also, Instructions for Authors). Refer to the APA manual for descriptions and
examples of various table and figure types, including formatting of table titles and figure
captions. NOTE: If you require assistance, examples of formatted tables and figures are
available on request from the AAC Editorial Office.
AAC-Specific Requirements
Manuscripts must also conform to style requirements (listed below) that are specific to
Augmentative and Alternative Communication, including length of submission and abstract,
endnotes, recognition of software/hardware manufacturers, and terminology and conventions for
examples of communications with and by people who use AAC.
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The manuscript must not exceed 35 pages, including title page, abstract, references,
tables, appendices, figures, and acknowledgements.
The submission must be provided as a Word document. DO NOT submit any
component as a PDF, JPEG, TIFF, or PNG file.
For review purposes, the manuscript document should not contain author-identifying
information. Therefore, the title page should be submitted as a separate document, not
for review (see the APA manual regarding formatting and set up of the title page).
The submission must be accompanied by a cover letter as described in Information
for Authors.
The abstract should be a maximum of 125 words and include the heading “Abstract”
The submission must include appropriate recognition of software and hardware
manufacturers’ products by (a) inserting the ™ symbol in the first instance; and then
(b) including either endnotes or, as appropriate, standard citation and reference
information. NOTE: Endnotes and not footnotes should be used, and should appear
at the end of the manuscript on a separate page.
The submission must conform to the terminology policy of ISAAC (e.g., use of
“person first” terminology); and the Journal’s notational conventions for use of
AAC (see page 3). NOTE: Please do not embed examples of graphic symbols in the
manuscript; apply conventions as described in the style guide.
The submission must include an acknowledgement when it is student paper (i.e., a
study conducted as part of a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation).
When submitting revisions, authors must include a letter outlining how they
responded to suggestions and comments from the reviewers and Associate Editor.
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When referring to hyperlinks or search terms, use quotation marks and do not
capitalize unless the term is a proper name (e.g., the researchers used the following
search terms: “family support services”; “people with developmental disabilities”
It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that submissions meet both APA and AAC-specific style
requirements; manuscripts that do not conform will be returned to the corresponding author for
revisions prior to the start of the peer review process. You are strongly encouraged to refer to
the APA manual, all instructions in this Style Guide, and examples of various elements
provided, as you prepare your submission.
AAC Terminology and Notational Conventions for Communication Involving AAC
Terminology
AAC adopts the terminology policy of ISAAC and the use of person-first language, for example:
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People with complex communication needs;
People who use AAC (rather than AAC users, AAC consumers etc.);
Listeners without disabilities (rather than typical or normal listeners);
Children with typical development (rather than typically developing children);
Participants (rather than subjects);
Participants in the control group or cohort (rather than controls); and
Please limit the use of the acronyms to describe participants (e.g., people with CCN,
people with IDD).
Notational conventions
Many articles that are published in the AAC journal contain excerpts from transcripts or
examples of interactions involving AAC (e.g., two or more people who use AAC, or people who
use AAC and natural speakers). Articles often also include descriptions and/or examples of
graphic symbols, manual signs, or other representations such as the alphabet. The Journal has
adopted a set of conventions to use for these transcripts, descriptions, and examples, in order to
ensure consistency in how they appear in print. These were originally proposed by Consulting
Editor Stephen von Tetzchner, and first appeared in print in the book, Augmentative and
Alternative Communication: European Perspectives, co-authored by Stephen von Tetzchner* and
Mogens Hygum Jensen in 1996 with subsequent discussion of the conventions in von Tetzchner
and Basil (2011). Authors who incorporate transcribed interaction excerpts in articles submitted
to AAC are required to use these conventions to represent the mode(s) of communication used by
the participants.
1. Naturally spoken elements are italicized.
2. ‘‘Words and sentences produced with digitized or synthesized speech’’ are italicized and
placed in quotation marks.
3. MANUAL SIGNS are in capital letters.
4. GRAPHIC SIGNS and PICTURES are in capital letters and italicized.
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5. Some manual signs or graphic symbols need more than one word in translation. When the
gloss of a sign or symbol contains two or more words, these are hyphenated; for example,
YOU-AND-ME or SIT-DOWN.
6. s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g is shown in lower case and underlined and has hyphens between letters.
7. ‘Interpretations or translations or meaning’ are used for interpretation of manual sign or
graphic symbol utterances and appear in single quotation marks. This format is used
when giving the meaning of facial expressions, gestures, pointing, etc.; for example, ‘yes’
(nodding) or ‘no’ (shaking the head).
8. { . . . } indicates simultaneous expressive forms; for example, speech and manual signs,
or manual and graphic signs. For example, {GLAD I am glad} means that the manual
sign GLAD is produced simultaneously with the spoken sentence I am glad.
* Adapted with permission from von Tetzchner, S., & Jensen, M.H. (1996). Augmentative and
alternative communication: European perspectives. (Table 0.1.: Notations, p. 12). London:
Whurr Publishers.
See also Von Tetzchner, S., & Basil, C. (2011). Terminology and notations in written
representations of conversations with augmentative and alternative
communication. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 27, 141-149.
In addition:
 Written whole words used for communication and that are selected as single units (e.g.,
on a word board) should be underlined. Do not underline the space between words in a
sequence.
 In order to improve ease of reading a sequence of spelled words, include 2 spaces, NOT
underlined, between the words.
When to Apply the Conventions
Conventions should be applied with a view to (a) distinguishing between different types of
communication used during actual interactions involving AAC, or (b) when there is otherwise a
need to identify or differentiate between different types of communication. When required, the
conventions should also be applied in Tables, Figures, and Appendices. As much as possible the
text should clearly indicate the modes used as well. The following are some examples of correct
use of the conventions.
Interviewer: How did you get here today? [natural speech].
Participant: “I came by bus” [voice output from a device].
Interviewer: What bus route do you take?
Participant: M-a-i-n s-t-r-e-e-t [pointing to letter on the display with no voice output]
Interviewer: Oh, the new route with the fancy buses. . .
Participant: YES [hand gesture]
The researcher first pointed to the symbol GRAPES and then asked the participant to
Show me grapes. The participant pointed to GRAPES.
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The researcher displayed the symbol for GRAPES while simultaneously pointing to the
word more on the display.
The participant’s display contained the following items: the graphic symbols for
COOKIES and MILK, and the written words please and like. In addition she used gestures
for MORE and ALL-GONE.
Prior to beginning the test, the researcher instructed the participants to Choose from the
following options.
When not to Apply Conventions
In some cases, applying conventions may be confusing or disruptive to the general flow of the
paper and may detract from the substance of the paper. For example, it is not necessary to apply
conventions when referring to examples of symbols or signs that are not part of an actual
communication or when there is otherwise no need to distinguish them in a passage:
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During the experiment, the researcher instructed the participants to choose between the
symbols for fist, hand, and arm.
In addition, do not apply the conventions to concepts or ideas unless there is a need to distinguish
them in a passage. For example:
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The goal of the project was to teach the concepts of more, done, and new.
The researcher displayed the symbol for the concept MORE while simultaneously
pointing to the word more on the display.
Do not apply conventions to direct quotations taken from other studies, reports, etc. unless (a)
conventions were used in the original communication. As necessary, provide a description to
clarify the different modes of communication being used.
Do not apply conventions when reporting direct quotes from individuals who use AAC as part of
the results of qualitative studies (e.g., interviews, focus groups, emails, blogs). Use standard
quotation marks, as per APA style, for quotations within sentences or in block form. For
example:
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In an email report to other members of the focus group, one of the participants, who used
an on-screen keyboard and scanning to access her AAC system, stated that she “found the
focus group to be a very valuable tool for gathering information from people who use
AAC.”