Formatting APS Journal Articles :: Main Text
Headers are phrases or sentences that organize the flow of information within an article. They separate the various portions of the article as well as give structure to the data. There are different levels of headers depending on how the author has written the manuscript, and APS has its own rules as to how headers are used within a paper. Although APS has definitive specifications of how each level of header is styled, determining exactly what level the header should be can be complex. After you know what level a given header is, the rest is just a matter of using the Toolkit to code it.
The Toolkit includes four levels of headers by default in ABRA. If the article calls for more than four levels, then list style can be used. However, consider corresponding with the author to determine if this is really necessary. It may be that these additional headers do not serve their purpose: instead of organizing the article, they may add confusion or be distracting to the reader.
First, take a look at the whole, raw manuscript--the manuscript as it appeared before the Cleanup function of the Toolkit was run. Authors always indicate, in some way, what their sections are, using bold, italics, or underlining…they just are not always consistent. The following are the sections that are always level 1 headers: Methods or Materials and Methods (or Experimental Procedures), Results, and Discussion. Note that the Introduction is not included in this list, because APS does not use "Introduction" as a header (the author may, however, still refer to the Introduction in the text).
From there, see if the article has been organized further. Pay particular attention to the Methods and Results. If the author uses only one other type of header, then APS styles it as a level 3 header. If there are multiple ones, then use level 2, level 3, etc. style.
If you are having trouble determining the levels of headers, consult one of your fellow Copy Editors, your Journal Supervisor, or the author directly.
Avoid beginning headers with definitives ("the," "a," or "an").
Do not define abbreviations in headers; define them at first mention in the general text.
Do not cite figures or tables in headers. If this occurs, you have a choice. Your first option is to delete the figure/table citation, keep the header, and then follow the header with the same header constructed into a full sentence that cites the figure/table. The second option is to simply move the figure citation to the end of the first (relevant) sentence. If you choose the second option, make sure to query the author to make sure that this is acceptable.
Parenthetical comments and n values are acceptable in headers; this is particularly true for level 3 headers.
Do not italicize terms within level 2 and 3 headings. The codes allow Cadmus to do this automatically.
The author may refer to specific sections in the text, tables, or figures. We have specific styles for this, as follows. For level 1 headers, use small caps; for level 2 headers, use italics with important letters capped; and for level 3 headers, use italics with initial caps only. Do not use the word "section" to indicate this; our style is enough. For example, consider this sentence:
We did these experiments as listed in materials and methods, In Vivo Pig Throwing, It's hard on the arm.
Use the Shift key + arrows or left mouse button to select the entire header. Then, with the text highlighted, use the ABRA Header pulldown to select the level. The text should be formatted automatically. The codes used to denote each level of heading are «h1»...«/h1», «h2»...«/h2», «h3»...«/h3», and «h4»...«/h4», respectively. The codes go at the beginning and end of the header.
Level 1 headers. These introduce the parts of a regular article. They are always in all capital letters. At proof stage, they are also in bold.
Level 2 headers. These headers have all "important" words capitalized, a la literary style. Prepositions of more than four letters are also capitalized. Level 2 headers are followed by a hard return, set out from the rest of their section by a paragraph break. At proof stage, these headers are in italics.
Level 3 headers. In these headers, only the first letter of the first word is capitalized, and the header is ended by a period. Greek letters are not capitalized; in this case, the first letter is the next word receives the special treatment. For example:
«h3»α1-Adrenergic receptor.«/h3» This is my favorite type of receptor and can be found...
The entire header is then run in to the text. At proof stage, these headers are in italics.
Level 4 headers. At manuscript stage, these headers look rather strange, because the entire header will be in lowercase letters (not even an initial cap) surrounded by the «h4»…«/h4» codes. At proof stage, however, the header will be in all small caps. These headers are run in to the text.