Abstract
A module M is called dual-square-free (DSF) if M has no proper submodules A and B with
and
. The class of DSF-modules is closed under direct summands and homomorphic images, and a module M is distributive iff every submodule of M is DSF. Every DSF-module M is Dedekind finite, and if M satisfies the finite-exchange property, then M satisfies the substitution property and its endomorphism ring has stable range 1. Moreover, a DSF-module M has the finite exchange property iff M is clean, iff M has the full exchange property. Finally, maximal submodules of DSF-modules are shown to be fully-invariant, in particular a ring R is DSF as a right R-module iff R is right quasi-duo (i.e. every maximal right ideal is two-sided). The later result provides a new perspective on the symmetry question of quasi-duo rings.