APS journals follow the spelling rules of American English. British spellings must be corrected in text (however, leave unchanged in references or quotations from British sources). The most frequently encountered spelling differences are British "ae" or "oe" instead of American "e"; "-re" instead of "-er"; "-ise" instead of "-ize"; and "-our" instead of "-or". Some substance names may also differ; e.g., adrenaline (Br.) instead of epinephrine (Amer.). Follow Webster's for general spelling or Stedman's for the medical terms.
| British | American |
| anaesthesia | anesthesia |
| analyse | analyze |
| artefact | artifact |
| behaviour | behavior |
| centre | center |
| characterise | characterize |
| colour | color |
| labelled | labeled |
| litre | liter |
| metre | meter |
| modelled | modeled |
| neurone, neurones | neuron, neurons |
| sulphur | sulfur |
| trivialise | trivialize |
| oedema | edema |
| oesophagus | esophagus |
For words with double consonants ("ll", "tt", etc.), use the first (preferred) spelling in Webster's.
Do not change British spelling in affiliations, address for reprints, and other title page information, or in references from British, Canadian, or European journals. However, if a foreign author uses British spelling in a known American journal, correct it.
last edited 07/30/03