Number agreement when using “(s)” for optional plural

I have a question about the following construction and which instance is correct.

• Selecting an appropriate study topic(s).
• Selecting appropriate study topic(s).

When it is both singular and plural due to the parenthesized optional part, should I use the an because of thinking of what follows as being the singular (that is, study topic)?

Or should I omit the an because of thinking of what of what follows as being in the plural (that is, study topics)?

Solution 1:

According to The Chicago manual of style Q&A,

A term ending in “(s)” is both plural and singular. If you must use such a device (and it can be a useful shorthand), you have to be prepared to adjust the surrounding context as necessary: for example, “the award(s) is (are) accounted for.” A parenthetical plural verb must correspond to the parenthetical ending. But that’s an awkward example. In general, avoid such shorthand unless it can be used simply and effectively, as in the following example:

Place an “about the author(s)” statement on the copyright page (usually page iv).

In other words, the use of this shorthand might be useful in examples such as,

• The identification number(s) of the prisoner(s) must be logged upon arrival.
• The identification number(s) of the prisoner(s) must be logged upon his (their) arrival.

However, in other cases such as the OP's, it can be ambiguous and confusing as there's no consistent way to maintain singularity or plurality thanks to the presence of the determiner, an. In such instances, it is best to reword the sentence to something along the lines of,

• Selecting one or more appropriate study topics.

Solution 2:

I agree with Dave Nealon. The plural form covers the singular meaning because it's used as a class. For example, we say "one or more objects" to mean "one object or several objects". We read this quite naturally and have no problem with the lack of agreement in number implied by "one objects". As Dave points out, the plural doesn't preclude zero or one of the objects.

I find "one or more object(s)" to be much harder to read, as I have to parse the phrase with both possibilities. The parentheses are a distraction. As @coleopterist points out, the Chicago Manual of Style recommends against using it unless it is simple and effective. I would argue that it isn't simple enough, and using the plural is more effective.

Use of (s) might be necessary in legal documents, which have to be very precise and cover all the possible meanings. In ordinary writing, in graphical interfaces, and in technical documentation, I don't think it's necessary at all. I suspect that programmers want to be more precise than is necessary when they use this form in graphical interfaces. As a technical writer, I've always used the plural, and recommended it in our graphical interfaces.