{"id":10683,"date":"2021-02-12T12:04:21","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T12:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/?p=10683"},"modified":"2022-09-19T18:10:29","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T18:10:29","slug":"comma-before-an-ampersand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-an-ampersand\/","title":{"rendered":"Comma before an Ampersand (&): The Definitive Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ask a random person about <\/span>whether<\/b><\/a> a comma should come before an ampersand and you’d end up getting a sigh in return.<\/span><\/p>\n

The point is…why would you even ask a random person in the first place?<\/span><\/p>\n

Alright, kidding aside, I’ve tried to cover this topic as comprehensively as I could, <\/span>so<\/b><\/a> you’ve come to the right page to seek some answers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s now get right into it and learn more about the intricacies behind these two symbols.<\/span><\/p>\n

 
\n[toc]\n <\/p>\n

When should we use a comma before an ampersand (&)?<\/b><\/h2>\n

A comma must precede an ampersand when writing parenthetical citations and reference lists based on the APA format. In parenthetical in-text citations, at least three names are required in order to be able to use a pre-ampersand comma. However, in the reference list, a minimum of only two authors’ names is necessary to prompt a pre-comma usage<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A background on the ampersand (&)<\/b><\/h2>\n

An ampersand is <\/span>not<\/b><\/a> that stylized symbol found on the left side of a musical staff that tells you which pitch you should use. That’s actually a “G clef”.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is rather an alternative way to represent the conjunction “and” in the written language, <\/span>with <\/b><\/a>some special reasons, of course.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Geoffrey Glaister and the Merriam, “ampersand” is the result of condensing “and,” “per se,” and “and,” in which the middle word is a <\/span>Latin<\/b><\/a> phrase that roughly means “in or by itself.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in the days,<\/span> I alternated between using the easier variations of the ampersand simply because I couldn’t get the exact symbol right when writing by hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

I used <\/span>either<\/b><\/a> the one that looks like a reversed, cursive letter “E” with a horn and a tail on it, or the little “plus” sign with a huge lump on its head.<\/span><\/p>\n

An ampersand can be seen in some of the biggest companies’ names such as <\/span>AT&T,<\/span><\/i> Johnson & Johnson, <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Procter & Gamble.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And<\/b><\/a>,<\/span> if you’ve tried writing a research paper adhering to the APA, you’ve certainly used lots of ampersands in your citations and references.<\/span><\/p>\n

A comma before an ampersand in APA style is a highly crucial element to the point that carelessly misusing it invites criticisms, much more a red mark.<\/span><\/p>\n

An ampersand works like the conjunction “and” in such a way that it conjoins or connects words.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it does have a more particular function which is to represent a closer and tighter collaborative effort between authors or company owners.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deciding whether to put a comma before this notorious symbol is quite tricky because it would be dependent on <\/span>which<\/b><\/a> style guide you are supposed to follow.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The necessary comma before an ampersand in more detail<\/b><\/h2>\n

As mentioned, the comma before an ampersand has got something to do with the writing style guide you are going to use, <\/span>especially<\/b><\/a> when writing formal texts.<\/span><\/p>\n

This also implies that one cannot just conveniently<\/span> use the ampersand symbol whenever and wherever they want to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although<\/b><\/a> an ampersand likely appears in more formalistic texts such as research papers, it may also be used in common, fixed expressions like “R&B” and “rock & roll.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, it means that we cannot just conveniently use an ampersand to represent the word “and” in linking clauses and listing a series of items.<\/span><\/p>\n

But<\/b><\/a>, interestingly enough, we can surely use our knowledge of punctuation with regards to the word “and” to make sense of the comma before an ampersand.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Writing authors’ names in APA style<\/b><\/h4>\n

The APA organization, particularly the American Psychological Association Publication Manual, encourages the use of commas and ampersands.<\/span><\/p>\n

APA is the go-to writing style for those people in the fields of social and behavioral sciences, <\/span>albeit<\/b><\/a> also used by others.<\/span><\/p>\n

To date, the APA has already released seven manual editions and the last one was made available in 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through the years, the organization has always been keen on the usage of the pre-ampersand comma to aid clarity in citing sources of information.<\/span><\/p>\n

And, there are two default situations where a pre-comma must be applied.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s now study each of them further.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Comma before ampersand in parenthetical in-text citations<\/b><\/h4>\n

In-text citations are details indicating the source or sources of arguments and in academic research papers.<\/span><\/p>\n

These citations may be seen in the running text or encapsulated in open and close parentheses.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you may already know, accurately citing your sources not only reduces the possibility of red marks but also prevents you from getting sued for plagiarism.<\/span><\/p>\n

When citing sources, an ampersand is only allowed inside the parentheses together with the last names of the authors and the year of publication.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is also more particularly known as parenthetical in-text citations, the source details found inside the parentheses <\/span>rather<\/b><\/a> than in the running text.<\/span><\/p>\n

A comma before an ampersand should be used in parenthetical citations when listing at least three authors doing collaborative work.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD) has highlighted the aim of showcasing research works published annually to see whether the entire organization’s goals have been met accordingly (Pitt, Poitevien, & Blankenburg, 2021).<\/div><\/div>\n

The comma is mandatory before the ampersand in the example sentence <\/span>above<\/b><\/a> and should not be carelessly left out when following the APA style.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may also refer to this particular comma as the Oxford or serial comma before an ampersand, rather than using the word “and” if you want to<\/span> gain more info about it online.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Comma before ampersand in the references section<\/b><\/h4>\n

Now, moving on to your reference list, let’s discuss how to punctuate ampersands properly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Apparently<\/b><\/a>,<\/span> in-text citations should also be exhaustively listed in the references section to prevent any form of plagiarism or misinformation.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the reference section, a comma must also come before an ampersand when at least two authors are doing one research work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wolff, M., & Burrows, H. (2021) Planning for virtual interviews: Residency recruitment during a pandemic, Academic Pediatrics, 21(1), 2021, 24-31, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.acap.2020.10.006<\/div><\/div>\n

And, <\/span>obviously<\/b><\/a> enough, a comma must also come when three authors’ names are present.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may also call this particular comma the APA serial comma in a reference list, such as in the first line of the example below.<\/span><\/p>\n

Swanson, H. L., Kong, J. E., & Petcu, S. D. (2019) Individual differences in math problem solving and executive processing among emerging bilingual children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 187, 2019, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jecp.2019.06.006<\/div><\/div>\n

The default rule here is fairly easy.<\/span><\/p>\n

An ampersand must always be used in writing a minimum of two authors’ names and a comma should always be placed before it in the reference list.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that we’ve learned how to correctly place our pre-commas, let us now move on to the cases that would make a pre-comma insertion incorrect.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The incorrect usage of a comma before an ampersand in APA style<\/b><\/h2>\n

A comma must not precede an ampersand in a couple of cases writing information adhering to the APA writing style.<\/span><\/p>\n

In particular<\/b><\/a>, these may apply either in the in-text citation or the reference section.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s look at them using some examples.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do not use a comma in listing two collaborative authors in a parenthetical in-text citation<\/b><\/h3>\n

Contrary to the rule in writing the complete reference, a comma must not be placed before an ampersand linking two names in a parenthetical citation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The comma must be placed before the publication year <\/span>instead<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The same variable was tested in another setting but gained dissimilar results (Thomas & Fetchner, 2014).<\/div><\/div>\n

But, note that this rule changes when listing the complete details in the reference section, and <\/span>thus<\/b><\/a>, a comma must be placed before the ampersand.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ampersand in the citations symbolizes strong cooperation between the two researchers, which is, again, its main difference with “and.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Most importantly, do not use an ampersand if you would like to cite the source as part of the running text, as opposed to the parenthetical way.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this case, the word “and” must be used instead while encapsulating the publication year only.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas and Fetchner (2014) found dissimilar results upon testing the same variable in another setting.<\/div><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do not use a comma when writing fixed expressions in the running text<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As stated in the earlier part of this post, ampersands can be used in some fixed expressions, <\/span>including<\/b><\/a> company names, book titles, and some common phrases.<\/span><\/p>\n

This implies that a writer is free to use this symbol even in the running text, which is an exception to the rule.<\/span><\/p>\n

A similar argument on double possessives was suggested by Lynn Truss (2009) in the book Eats, Shoots & Leaves.<\/div><\/div>\n

In the <\/span>example<\/b><\/a> above, a comma does not come before the ampersand as this is the original book title which may be strictly considered should any legal issues occur.<\/span><\/p>\n

This can also be applied when writing down other common phrases when they appear in the running text, especially with acronyms and company names.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a nutshell, the APA format is relatively rigid in terms of the rules because its main goal is to make texts extra credible and much easier to cross-reference with.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Other considerations to take in using ampersands<\/b><\/h2>\n

Although the APA style is loaded with lots of advantages in terms of making texts more reliable, it is not the only style guide that dictates the information we consume.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other style guides are also being used by other fields of discipline and industries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Generally speaking, the history and business publishing industries follow the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS<\/a>)<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whereas<\/b><\/a>, the fields of arts and humanities adhere to the Modern Language Association (MLA) style.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both style guides discourage the use of ampersands, and they suggest replacing them with the word “and” instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

The comma before “and” is also guided by quite a number of guidelines, which you may find <\/span>here<\/b><\/a> in ample detail.<\/span><\/p>\n

CMOS generally regards the usage of an ampersand as an abbreviation, and therefore, should be avoided as much as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Exceptions may apply, though, when companies insist on using the ampersand symbol in their company names for legal purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n

The MLA also supports the notion of spelling the word “and” out, especially in research titles, citations, and references.<\/span><\/p>\n

Writing references in MLA style is otherwise different from the APA in such a way that the former suggests writing the authors’ names in full length rather than in the last name and first-name initial basis.<\/span>
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