How does the Concise Rules differ from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association? The Publication Manual remains the best source for broad background information about scientific publishing. It provides guidance on designing research, identifying the parts of a scholarly article, understanding the process of journal publication, and submitting articles for publication. The Concise Rules, by comparison, targets only those rules writers need for choosing the best words and format for their articles. It offers a comprehensive list of essential writing standards in a convenient, easily retrievable format.

In addition to guidance on grammar points that have challenged writers in the social sciences, the Concise Rules provides suggestions for reducing bias in language; reviews the mechanics of style for punctuation, spelling, capitalization, abbreviation, italicization, headings, and quotations; examines the preferred use of numbers as well as standards for metrication and statistics; provides guidance for the construction and formatting of tables, figures, and appendixes; and offers clear examples and models for referencing ideas and constructing error-free reference lists.