---
name: spq-writing-style
description: Use when drafting or polishing a Social Psychology Quarterly (SPQ) manuscript so it reads for a sociological-social-psychology audience, follows the ASA Style Guide, and fits the word caps (Articles ~10,000 words; Notes ~5,000; abstract ~150 words, non-identifying, with keywords). Tightens prose and format; it does not invent content.
---

# Writing Style (spq-writing-style)

An SPQ paper must be readable by both sociologists and psychologists who study the self and interaction,
formatted to the **ASA Style Guide**, and disciplined to the word cap. This skill is about reaching the
field and respecting the format — not about generating claims.

## When to trigger

- Drafting the introduction, framing the contribution, or final polish
- Over the word cap and needing to cut without losing the argument
- Writing the **~150-word, non-identifying abstract** with keywords
- Aligning citations/headings/format to the ASA Style Guide before submission

## Reach the sociological-social-psychology audience

1. **Front-load the structure–individual link.** By the end of the introduction the reader knows the
   question, the tradition, the mechanism connecting structure to the individual, and why it matters.
2. **Speak across the two parent disciplines.** SPQ publishes sociologists and psychologists — define
   tradition-specific terms (expectation states, identity verification, affect control sentiments) on
   first use so a reader from the other side can follow.
3. **Argument-first prose.** Lead with the social-psychological claim; use evidence to support it. Avoid
   "the data show…" without saying what they show about the self/interaction and why it matters.
4. **Signpost.** Clear section structure so a reader can navigate theory → design → results → implications.

## Format to ASA style

- **Citations**: author-date per the **ASA Style Guide**; keep one consistent style (Zotero/BibTeX).
- **Abstract**: **~150 words**, **non-identifying**, on a separate page headed by the title; **author
  names omitted**; include a few **keywords** after the abstract.
- **Mask**: SPQ is masked — submit a **blinded manuscript** with no author identifiers, plus a **separate
  title page** file (title, authors, affiliations, running head, approximate word count). You may cite
  your own work but must not phrase it identifyingly ("as we showed in…").
- **Word count**: put the approximate count (incl. notes and references) on the **title page**.

## Fit the word cap (Articles ~10,000 / Notes ~5,000; supplementary materials excluded)

- Move scale items, balance checks, full specs, and extended robustness to **supplementary materials**.
- Cut throat-clearing and literature dumps; engage the program, not every paper (see
  `spq-literature-positioning`).
- Don't pad a Note toward Article length; a Note is one crisp contribution.

## Anti-patterns

- An intro that frames the paper as pure psychology or pure macro sociology, losing the SPQ link
- Burying the contribution in the middle of the paper
- An abstract that identifies the authors, omits keywords, or hides the finding
- Mixed citation styles; self-references that break masking
- Padding a Note toward Article length


## Style execution pass for Social Psychology Quarterly

Run this as a concrete capability pass. First lock the social-psychological process, measurement, design, and boundary condition across groups or contexts; then test whether the manuscript addresses social-psychology reviewers who expect interaction, identity, group process, or status mechanisms grounded in sociological theory.

- **Primary move:** Rewrite the opening and transitions so the venue-level claim, evidence object, and contribution are visible before technical detail; keep house-style limits tied to the source map.
- **Decision ledger:** return `claim / evidence / blocker / next edit` rows so the next pass can patch the manuscript directly.
- **Sibling comparison:** compare against JPSP for psychology breadth, ASR/AJS for sociology theory stakes, Social Forces for broader empirical sociology; if the neighboring outlet has the stronger audience claim, recommend re-routing before polishing.
- **Verification floor:** before submission-ready advice, re-open `resources/official-source-map.md` for volatile rules and name the one unresolved fact that could change the recommendation.

## Output format

```
【Structure–individual link stated by end of intro?】[Y/N]
【Reads across sociology + psychology?】tradition terms defined? [Y/N]
【Abstract】~150 words, non-identifying, keywords present? [Y/N]
【Word count】Article ~10,000 / Note ~5,000 (supplementary excluded)?
【ASA style + blinded + separate title page】[Y/N]
【Next】spq-data-and-transparency
```

## Supplementary resources

- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — word/abstract caps, ASA Style Guide, masking, title page