One of the first things a student in a beginning journalism course learns about is associated press style or ap style for short. Mastering the ap style rules for abbreviations bka content. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846.
Aug 01, 2019 any change involves a great deal of debate, discussion and, in many cases, consultations with others within the ap and outside the ap. Aps automated stylechecking tools speed up the editing process by reducing the need to manually refer to the ap stylebook. Apr 15, 2020 our company uses ap style and i receive info from an educator on a weekly basis. Some cities dont require a state or country after them. Ap uses different state abbreviations than the usps does. 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. Ap style at a glance by christina smith infographic. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Our company uses ap style and i receive info from an educator on a weekly basis. Ap style can be both about the long and the short of things, but a good general rule to keep in mind is this. In ap style you should capitalize the names of months in all of their uses. 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. There is indeed a science and art behind writing a press release.
The ap stylebook is a guide for capitalization, abbreviation, spelling, numerals and usage. Mar 01, 20 the ap stylebook is a guide for capitalization, abbreviation, spelling, numerals and usage. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. These are nprs photo caption guidelines npr training. For journalists, the associated press ap stylebook is the industry bible.
State abbreviations in ap style are not the same as the twoletter postal code abbreviations. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in most datelines. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Months are not abbreviated in text when no specific date is cited. Ap style sports abbreviations gatehouse media 2016 10. In most cases, the first reference for styles is the ap stylebook. Also use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, county, town, village or military base in. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. Those states are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, and utah. Major differences between academic writing and ap style no reference list or in text citations. The national rifle association announced on monday it will move its state headquarters to the erickson building. 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.
The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Instead, simply use the abbreviation the second time that you refer to the organization. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in. Which cities dont need a state abbreviation in ap style. Apr 02, 2016 the changes will go into effect on june 1st, when the ap publishes the 2016 edition of its stylebook. Oct, 2016 ap style can be both about the long and the short of things, but a good general rule to keep in mind is this. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list.
Let me know what important rules ive missed, or if you see a mistake. Feb 04, 2016 where be specific, such as in veazey hall on the campus of georgia southern university, but also mark the town or city and state. Government printing office are 1 chicago style allows for abbreviation even if the name of another country appears in the sentence 3 and 2 chicago style recommends us unless the document uses periods to abbreviate state names, in which case u. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with. This is a great quick guide, but ap calls for writing out numbers through ten, and then using the arabic numerals. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. Common writing style guidelines university of north dakota. When include the day of the week, month, day, and year the photograph was. Postal service abbreviations for states unless you are providing a full address including zip code. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. Abbreviations abbreviate junior or senior after a name, but dont use a comma. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses.
There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. State abbreviations according to ap style gatehouse newsroom. However, a serial comma may be used if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. The ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. Ap doesnt follow standard zip code abbreviations e. If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. Learning all the states was hard enough as a kid, but now you need to memorize the ap style state name abbreviations. I learned that i should write out numbers one through nine. Effective with the approval of the 2016 strategic framework, this is the proper way to identify the. News releases adhere to ap style which does not use a serial comma. Nov 30, 2016 a journalism major, little taught me the basics of ap style in the first month, followed by more indepth rules over the following year.
That said, ap does have many abbreviations for things that it has deemed acceptable to use in all references. Florida, oklahoma, oregon, ontario i live in oklahoma. The changes will go into effect on june 1st, when the ap publishes the 2016 edition of its stylebook. The change to writing out state names was necessary because ap is a global news organization, and state abbreviations that are reasonably well known in the united states are not at all known by readers in other. How to abbreviate united states erin wright writing. Aug 01, 2018 the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846. Subscribers to the chicago manual of style online may click through to the linked sections of the manual. A journalism major, little taught me the basics of ap style in the first month, followed by more indepth rules over the following year. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for abbreviations for print publications.
The 2016 edition of the gpo style manual is the first revision to be issued under gpos new name, u. When in doubt, spell the whole thing out unless of course youre talking about numbers, which are their own animal altogether. The state abbreviations did not compute with their knowledge and they would not use them and instead used the zip code abbreviation. Many newspapers and websites including this one base their style guides on the ap. There are eight states that are never abbreviated in datelines or text. For external communication we use the associated press stylebook 2017 for all public documents and materials, excluding correspondence from the administrator and deputy administrator. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. Mar 14, 2015 ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Ap sticks to the usps abbreviations when the full address is provided in the text. 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.
Government printing office style manual 2016 is used for internal communication. The pr professionals ap style cheat sheet communique pr. The biggest differences between chicago style and the u. Ap postpones changing style on state abbreviations apme. Crash course on ap style writing visual storytelling. One response to sports ap style guide david bowler on october 11th, 2016 5. Government printing office style manual says that united states should be spelled out unless it is used as an adjective for government intentionally capitalized, a government agency, or a general noun, in which case the abbreviation should include periods. I stopped trying to educate the educator and just edited their stuff each time to the the ap style of state abbreviations. Apr 23, 2014 the following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. Ap doesnt explain this, but in the stylebook, the slash is also used in abbreviations such as tcpip and naaiptc. The first part of the state names entry says they should be spelled out when used in the body of a story, whether standing alone or in conjunction with a city, town, village or military base. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook.
To help them out, ive pulled together some of the most essential rules. For all others, include the abbreviated state name andor country name, not abbreviated. Ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Here are all the ap abbreviations and their usps counterparts. State abbreviations are not the same as the twoletter postal codes. Rate 5 stars rate 4 stars rate 3 stars rate 2 stars rate 1 star popular quizzes today. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. In datelines and running text, most cities should be listed with their state, but some very wellknown cities should appear alone. The ap stylebook contains quite a few rules for both datelines and location. For slide presentations of ap style basics, go here. Instead, each state has its own unique abbreviation.
Any change involves a great deal of debate, discussion and, in many cases, consultations with others within the ap and outside the ap. Sep 19, 2012 ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. All other months should always be completely spelled out. 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. State abbreviations random miscellaneous or united states quiz can you name the ap style u. As such, ap style errors in press releases are glaringly obvious to reporters and could turn them off from considering a press release. Most of these examples were taken from the ap stylebook. The 2015 ap stylebook makes the distinction between state names in running text body of the story and state names in datelines. We will also continue to use canadian provinces in datelines. Note that ap style omits state names for a specified list of cities. Do not use a comma before the last item in a simple series.
Ap style is simply a standardized way of writing everything from dates to street addresses to job titles. However, there are exceptions for large cities that stand alone in datelines. State abbreviations ap doesnt follow standard zip code abbreviations. We will continue to use state abbreviations in datelines and stories. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Styleguard offers recommendations on datelines, abbreviations and acronyms, among many other common style needs, along with items you. Its often used by news organizations, magazines, and web publications, but brands often use it to form the basis of their own style guides, too. Ap style rules for state abbreviations changed in 2016. Top 10 ap style guide 2016edits university blog service.
The associated press style guide will no longer capitalize. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. Send contributions to relief fund, box 185, pasadena, ca 91030. Follow ap style for state abbreviations in all cases but campus postal and u. In the 14th edition 1993 of the chicago manual of style, the slash was listed under solidus and was summed up in one paragraph. Where be specific, such as in veazey hall on the campus of georgia southern university, but also mark the town or city and state. A refreshing ap stylebook refresher on datelines and places. Following the recent launch of the 2019 ap stylebook, we spoke with paula froke, editor of the ap stylebook and executive director of apme associated press media editors, on the evolution of language and some of the books new updates for this year froke, who is based in philadelphia, has been the stylebooks lead editor since 2016 and a member of the stylebook team since 20. Since 1894, the gpo style manual has served as a guide to the style and form of federal government printing and publishing. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers. On wednesday, professor james currier, who has a doctorate in biology and a masters in economics, will argue that improving automobile fuel efficiency from an average of 17 to 22 miles per gallon would save billions of dollars and protect endangered. Keep in mind that ap changed the rules for using state abbreviations in the. Ap style was developed and is maintained by the associated press, the worlds oldest news service. Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a specific date.
After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. However, if the sentence contains the name of another country, the. You will still use abbreviations in datelines, photo. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan. Jul 21, 2016 in ap style, you shouldnt follow the name of an organization with the abbreviation offset by parentheses or dashes. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. If this structure makes the connection between the entity and the abbreviation unclear, its best to just skip using the abbreviation. Capitalization avoid unnecessary capital letters avoid alphabet soup tons of abbreviations. When in doubt, spell the whole thing out unless of course youre talking about numbers. Some state names are not abbreviated because they have six or fewer letters. The manual has come to be widely recognized by writers and editors both within and outside the federal government as an important editorial. The chicago manual of style is also used as a reference. Although it is sold as a guide for reporters, it has become the leading reference for most forms of publicfacing corporate.
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