Academic terms some student newspapers deviate from ap style on academic terms. Because the style is used in the writing of news considered a primary source it does not have a strict set of guidelines for citing secondary sources. Capitalize brief titles when used before the individuals name. Acronyms are words formed from the initial letters of a multiword term. The automated ap citation generator delivers complete guidance to any mistakes related to abbreviations and acronyms, addresses, ages, books, reference works, and others articulations, dates, months and years, punctuation. Also omit state abbreviations in datelines for wellknown u. The office of communications uses the below writing style guide along with the associated press ap stylebook and websters dictionary as the standard for writing web content, employee communications, news releases, broadcast information, articles and other materials.
While acronyms are highly efficient, care needs to be taken when using them. The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text. In running text, ap and chicago both spell out state names. State names should be abbreviated in running text when they appear with a city name columbus, ind. Can you name the ap style rulesstate abbreviations test your knowledge on this geography quiz to see how you do and compare your score to others. A primer on ap style t he ap stylebook is the second most important book you will use as a journalist, after a dictionary. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding us postal service abbreviations, are in parentheses. Twelve common mistakes of ap style apr 19, 2011 admin. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with. Ap itself along with gi and eu are exceptions to this rule. Spell out the names of the two states that are not part of the contiguous united states and of the continental states that are five letters or fewer. There is indeed a science and art behind writing a press release. Ap style datelines home ap style ap style datelines datelines on stories should contain a city name, entirely in capital letters, followed in most cases by the name of the state, county, or territory where the city is located. For words that you cannot find in our ap style list, use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world dictionary.
When abbreviating the state names, dont make the mistake of using the postal code abbreviations. Now that the basics of number style have been laid out, i bet that you can smell the exceptions 1. Ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Titles only capitalize formal titles when the precede an individuals name. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. Too many, the ap style guide warns, produces alphabet soup. Never capitalize a title used alone, no matter how important it seems.
The change is being made to be consistent in our style for domestic and international. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. The ap stylebook, which is what many of us style guys in the news business use, doesnt offer specific guidance on what to do with blog titles. The associated press stylebook, the usage guide for most united states newspapers, counsels the use of abbreviations for most state names, when appended to a city name for example, santa ana, calif. For example, use one number style for items in one category and another style for another category. How to write book names, movie names, and song titles in ap style. Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a specific date. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for addresses, abbreviations, capitalization, numerals, punctuation and spelling and time in print copy. These can be names of organizations nato, nations usa, and phrases faq. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science.
Publishers locations for apa referencing when you write an apastyle reference list, you need to provide the publishing details publishers name and location when writing reference entries for books, reports, brochures, and other separate, non periodical publications. In ap style writing, many different words are abbreviated in an effort to conserve space. Both the ap stylebook and the buzzfeed style guide already recommend spelling email without the hyphen. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. On first reference, dont put an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses after an. Academic degreesap recommends avoiding degree abbreviations after the name. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook.
Although it is sold as a guide for reporters, it has become the leading reference for most forms of publicfacing corporate. It wasnt about my prose, reporting, or lede, but that i neglected to abbreviate september. Use quotation marks around the titles of books, songs, television shows. The ap style guide goes a bit further and discusses the proper uses of punctuation, abbreviations and. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. Names use a persons full name and title the first time you mention him or her in an article. The ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with a brief, supplementary note on the history of the same.
If a state s name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire state s name. Capitalize, but dont put quote marks around or italicize books. Refer to the dictionary or ap stylebook, if needed. Subscribers to ap style quizzes can take more than 70 short multiplechoice quizzes online and get automatic results with explanations of the answers. Ap suggests spelling out the names of alaska, hawaii, and all states with five or fewer letters.
Oxford university press usa publishes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, childrens books, business books, dictionaries, reference books, journals, text books and more. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. The ap style since is created for the mass readers, it also provides checks on any kind of abuse or stereotyping. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Purdue universitys online writing lab owl website provides information on many writing styles, including ap. Ap stylebook, also known by its full name the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law, is an english grammar style and usage guide created by american journalists working for or connected with the associated press to standardize mass communication. Select time references as if the story were being written today for publication tomorrow morning. Which cities dont need a state abbreviation in ap style. The agency is responsible for making the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law or the ap stylebook, a style and usage guide used by the news industry and newspapers in. If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Associated press website faq this faq webpage from the ap is a great source of information on current issues of grammar, style, punctuation, abbreviations, and other style questions.
Get your the smart writers simple ap style cheat sheet guide now. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in most datelines. The ap stylebook, the buzzfeed style guide, the economist style guide, and the chicago manual of style all recommend hyphenating ebook, as well as most other e words such as ereader and ecommerce its conceivable that over time, ebook may lose its hyphen. Under composition titles, ap likes quotation marks around the names of movies, tv shows, songs, poems and most books. Associated press ap style is a specific form of writing that is used in magazines, newspapers, certain websites and other journalistic publications. Send contributions to relief fund, box 185, pasadena, ca 91030. Generally ap style omits periods in acronyms, unless doing so would spell an unrelated word.
We took at look at the ap stylebooks section on possessions possessives and exorcised some demons coming up with these guidelines. In ap style, the names of newspapers and magazines are not italicized or set off in quotation marks. Ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. Also use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, county, town, village or military base in. Quiz by elsieviste ap style rulesstate abbreviations quiz. Ap style most writing style guides contain information specifically about how to cite sources and format research correctly to reduce accusations of plagiarism. Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines. Spell out all generic parts of street names avenue, north, road. Writing blog posts in ap style linkedin slideshare.
The ap style abbreviations arbitrarily range in length from two to six letters, and all twoword names are abbreviated with the initials, such as n. Ap stylebook has provided a list indicating exactly how the states should be shortened. Postal service abbreviations for states unless you are providing a full address including zip code. Spell out titles, like detective, that arent used in the armed forces.
If necessary, follow it with the state abbreviation not the u. Note that ap style omits state names for a specified list of cities. Abbreviations are often desired in tabulations and certain types of technical writings. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. Remember that, in datelines, the city name is in all capital letters. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name. Ap style rulesstate abbreviations quiz by elsieviste. The associated press style is most commonly used in journalistic writing, and numerous magazines, newspapers and news sources use ap style in articles. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook.
However, italicized type could not be sent over associated press teletypes and isnt supported by the computer programs in use today. I read four books with more than 400 pages, sixty books with more than 100 pages, and a hundred articles with fewer than 4 pages. In this quick guide to state abbreviations, i will cover the differences between ap style and chicago style andjust to prolong your state of confusionwhen to use the common twoletter abbreviations created by the united states postal service if youre writing a research paper or dashing off a blog post, you can probably ignore all the exceptions and special cases and just lean on. Al for alabama alaska ak this state is not abbreviated in text. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. In conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in text. So, i am providing a reference for those who may be interested. If possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines.
There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. Use the state abbreviations listed at the end of this section. Ap style does not require the name of a state to accompany the names of the. I remember when i filed one of my first bylines for a newspaper only to get my inbox slammed with emails from my editor in chief. The associated press is a notforprofit cooperative american news agency owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the united states. Books and magazines often italicize newspaper names as well as book titles and magazine names as part of their inhouse style.
Use the abbreviations when a militarystyle title is used before the name of a firefighter or police officer outside a quotation. However, there are exceptions for large cities that stand alone in datelines. Never capitalize titles used after the name or titles that stand alone. As ap has added entries over the years, the stylebook has grown more useful and comprehensive, but also more daunting. Add police or fire before the title if its needed for clarity. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go. The major differences between writing style guides. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book. Rate 5 stars rate 4 stars rate 3 stars rate 2 stars rate 1 star.
244 1392 1498 1065 272 647 972 742 299 1632 768 955 1607 727 1163 100 121 1266 325 788 912 1502 652 219 86 433 473 1037 1402 890 52 848