[WesolyKubeczek]

Well, aren't early returns in guard clauses "recovery from abnormality"?

You could flex some language lawyering to define "abnormality"...

[eesmith]

I don't know.

Here is the only relevant example I found:

  p = X_MALLOC(sizeof(*p) * NUM);
  if (p == NULL) {
    return (MEM_NOTHING);
  }
  ...
  X_FREE(p);
  return (OK);

It's clearly abnormal.

Something like a:

   if (get_size(obj) == 0) {
       return empty_case;
   }
   ... do more complicated code here ...
   return result;

does not feel "abnormal", which are things you likely want to log, given:

   Logs should be output not only when an abnormal condition
   is detected, but also at the timing of, such as, data 
   communication with an external system.

[aulin]

I believe that's exactly it. An exception to the single return rule to allow for guard clauses. Wording is maybe a little too obscure though.