Two spaces after a period: Why you should never, ever do it. This article popped up on a Facebook group I'm in. Normally I do one space, but the Dissertation Manual for the EdD program I'm doing says to use two spaces. What are your thoughts? One space or two? :scratchchin: -Matt
As the article points out, the two-space convention was the norm back in the days of typewriters with monospaced fonts. Many people, who are old enough to have learned typing on a typewriter, are totally convinced that this is the only correct method. And many style manuals still have this rule. But the reality is that modern word processing and page layout software is far more sophisticated then a traditional typewriter, and adjusts the spacing automatically. The old rule is gradually dying out, because now everyone learns to type on computer keyboards. If your manual says to use two spaces for your dissertation, then obviously that's what you should do. But if your dissertation ever gets published in a book or journal, the first thing that the typesetters will do is to take out all of the extra spaces. If you look at any professionally published book or magazine, it should be apparent that the spacing between sentences is not twice as wide as the spacing between words.
The most popular desktop publishing software is probably Adobe InDesign. This web page provides tips on how to "clean up" text that is imported into InDesign. The first item on the list of "common things that need to be fixed" is "removing double spaces after periods."
I was taught two spaces in middle school and high school. In college using APA and Chicago style, I started using one space. It was an easy transition for me. Less work.
I used two spaces for many years but transitioned to one space after reading the article cited by the OP about a year or so ago. It was an easy transition and I do think it looks better.
Obviously (or not?), you should follow whatever style rules are in place at your school. I used to be a 2-space dude, but APA drove me to 1. I remain there. It's simpler, but I never seem to notice if/when people use 2.
Caldog: Then why is there only one space after the period in your message? Nope, it's two. All day, every day. I've done 2 since 5th grade typing class.
Look closely at your posted messages (including that one). Are the double spaces after the periods really any larger than the single spaces between the words? No, they aren't. That's because degreeinfo uses BBCode -- which assumes that multiple spaces are an error, and automatically condenses them. HTML does the same thing. You've posted thousands of times on degreeinfo, so you've probably entered thousands of extra spaces after periods. They've all been ignored.
APA = two spaces APA required two spaces and then went to one space -- and has now returned to two spaces. Not sure about MLA or Turabian (Chicago) styles.
The current APA Style Manual only "suggests" using two spaces. Furthermore, this suggestion only applies to "manuscript drafts": The two-space suggestion doesn't apply to the final published work. For proof, look at the actual printed APA Manual itself: the spaces after periods are no different from the spaces between words.
LOL!!(1)(2)So, I see how it does the auto-correction thing.(1)(2)I will not be ignored by BBCode!(1)(2) :damnit: In all seriousness, I don't think it matters unless you're being told by some academic body. I'm a believer in consistency, so just pick one and use the same style throughout. Problem solved.
I have not enforced the APA recommended standard on students because it's too minor of an issue, but conversely, I would not tell students to go against the APA recommendation.
In order of preference, I tell students that either write in CSE, Turabian or if they hate me APA, but they must write in same style throughout the course, and adhere to the latest perfectly.