Style Manual for the Carleton College Physics & Astronomy Department Comps
The materials following and on the right side of the page include excerpts, reproduced by permission, from the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Style Manual (4th edition, 1990). This manual is the rule book for material submitted to the journals published by the AIP, which comprise most of the physics literature published in the U.S. They include Physics Review, American Joumal of Physics, Review of Scientific Instruments, and many others. Most American physicists refer to the manual frequently and follow its dictates when writing; you should too when you prepare your senior Integrative Exercise (“Comps”) paper (though see next paragraph).
Because your Carleton Comps are not written for AIP publication, some parts of the full AIP Style Manual will not be relevant to or important for your work; we have removed most of this material. In addition, our needs and traditions dictate certain changes and additions. Such material has been inserted in a distinguishing font. If you wish to see the full unadulterated AIP Style Manual, you may find it in sections to the right.
An alternate source of information that may help is the Chicago Manual of Style. “Completely searchable and easy to use, The Chicago Manual of Style Online provides recommendations on editorial style and publishing practices for the digital age. Now offering the full contents of the 16th and 15th editions, it is the must-have reference for everyone who works with words.”