Consistent with the new APA Style Manual (7th Edition), University Professors Press endorses the singular “they.” The shift to the singular they has been increasingly encouraged in academic and professional writing. In 2019, Merriam-Webster announced “they” as the word of the year. This same year, the new APA Style Manual was published endorsing the singular they. University Professors Press had already begun encouraging the use of the singular they in 2017, but we believe it is important to assert our support of the shift to the singular they in support of more gender sensitive language for individuals who do not align with the pronouns of “she” or “he.” In our statement on manuscript preparation, we have added:
University Professors Press, consistent with APA Style Manual (7th Edition), endorses the use of the singular “they.” Please avoid “she or he” and use gender inclusive language (they, them, their) when the individual’s pronouns are not clear.
Beginning in 2020, we will require University Professors Press authors to avoid assumptions about gender and use the singular they were appropriate. The use of “she” or “he” as well as “zir,” “ze,” “xe,” “hir,” “per,” “ve,” “ey,” and “hen” are acceptable when referring to individuals who identify with these pronouns; however, when this is unclear the use of “they” is appropriate. We recognize this is a transition for many authors, and there are places where it may remain unclear about what pronoun is most appropriate in a particular situation. We recommend the following resources to individuals who are working to integrate this transition into their writing: