Combined with the aces 2019 conference in march, there have been several important ap style rule changes and reminders in recent weeks. That includes newspaper names and magazine references. In ap style you should capitalize the names of months in all of their uses. When documenting sources using apa style, no abbreviations are used, all months should be spelled out in full. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. Ap itself along with gi and eu are exceptions to this rule. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. Also includes definitions from websters new world college dictionary as well as the columbia missourian stylebook. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style.
Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. Mm and m are usually used in date formats like mmddyy. For even more rule clarifications, check out past editions of our ap stylebook. Days of the week days of the week should be capitalized and not abbreviated. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. Abbreviations used on this page denote common usage unrelated to documenting sources.
The man was 6 feet tall and the dog weighed 17 pounds. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. The ap therefore strives to keep its writing style easy to read, concise and free of bias. Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines, unless they are needed for clarity. We will include access to websters new world college dictionary, the official dictionary of the ap stylebook. The equivalent resource for the older apa 6 style can be found here. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas. Ap stylebook online, our most popular product, this is the searchable, customizable version of the ap stylebook. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. According to the ap style book, dates should be formatted as such dates always use numerical figures, without st, nd, rd, or th.
Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Abbreviations of months of the year, days of the week, and. Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a specific date. Click a question below to jump straight to its answer. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. A recent ap stylebook says, when a month is used with a specific date. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in.
On the other hand, dont get cocky and toss out your ap stylebook once youve memorized the basics. You will still use abbreviations in datelines, photo. The associated press style journal specifies the news organizational policies on the linguistics of the language. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. Generally ap style omits periods in acronyms, unless doing so would spell an unrelated word. Ap style is email changed from email, but other e words are hyphenated. Government printing office style manual 2016 is used for internal communication. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. Ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. How do i write dates, times, numbers, and measurements.
In general you should spell out numbers one through nine in ap style. Use a hyphen for the adjectival forms before nouns. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for addresses and abbreviations in broadcast copy. The ap stylebook contains quite a few rules for both datelines and location names, and though many of them have been mentioned in past posts, ap has changed some of the rules in recent years, so we thought a refresher might be in order. Use hyphens when the measurement becomes a compound modifier.
Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. 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. Select time references as if the story were being written today for publication tomorrow morning. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan. Eventually, you wont have to refer to the stylebook nearly as much. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. Always use figures before the measurement 8 inches, 10 feet, 2 ounces, 200 pounds, etc. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. When searching for height in the ap stylebook, it refers readers to the dimensions entry. Both months and days of the week should start with capital letters and end with a period. You can find abbreviations discussed in the publication manual in section 4. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as.
Spell out names of months when not used to indicate a specific date. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook was released this month. Postal service abbreviations for states unless you are providing a full address including zip code. As the ap style book writes, names not commonly before the public should not be reduced to acronyms solely to save a few words.
If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. Ap stylebook online provides a comprehensive guide to associated press usage and accepted style, with chapters on religion, fashion, food, broadcast, business, sports and social media. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Datelines datelines on stories should contain a city name, entirely in capital. A refreshing ap stylebook refresher on datelines and. A recent ap stylebook says, when a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan. Although it is sold as a guide for reporters, it has become the leading reference for most forms of publicfacing corporate. These are a few of the announcements that stood out. The more you use the book, the more youll start to memorize certain points of ap style.
Guard against following an acronym with a word that appears in the acronym itself. For words not in this book use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world college dictionary. Abbreviations are often desired in tabulations and certain types of technical writings. Appears with date but is not a month that is abbreviated. In apa, abbreviations should be limited to instances when a the abbreviation is standard and will not interfere with the readers understanding and b if space and repetition can be greatly. For example, the play will be shown beginning on july 17. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list. This page reflects the latest version of the apa publication manual i. 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.
If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. Ap stylebook rules for height, feet, inches gatehouse. This is a guide created internally after reaching a group consensus on. It had to be easy for reporters and editors to use and also produce. For external communication we use the associated press stylebook 2017 for all public documents and materials, excluding correspondence from the administrator and deputy administrator. This is the style guide that professional media use. To make newspapers, magazines, journals, and reports with out linguistic handicaps, the fashione book is a useful guide. Abbreviating months and days editing and writing services. Its mobile optimized so you can use it on your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet. The associated press stylebook, first published in 1977, clarified the news organizations rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday.
The ap stylebook 2 print edition, webbased access and stylechecking software. Some widely known abbreviations are required in certain situations, while others are. While the five ws who, what, when, where and why are important for every story, the first you should worry about when writing a story is the where. Use arabic numberals for weight and dimensions and spell out the unit of measurement.
You should use figures for 10 or above and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to ages of people, animals, events or things. Here are a few answers to common style issues, based on the ap stylebook. Generally, omit periods in acronyms unless the result would spell an unrelated word. Associated press style basics journalists resource. According to ap style, you should put quotation marks around the names of. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for addresses, abbreviations, capitalization, numerals, punctuation and spelling and time in print copy. Use all caps, but no periods, in abbreviations that are longer. Ap lingofy, style checking when you write and edit in your favorite browser. Always spell out measurements inches, feet, yards gallons, ounces, pounds etc. When documenting sources using mla style, the months with four or fewer letters, e.
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. The stylebook is available in print form, as a smartphone app, or by subscription for classroom andor home computers. Now in its sixth edition, the stylebook is the standard style. Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. Commas are not necessary if only a year and month are given, but commas.
The associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. Our amended style is website one word, lowercase w. It says that in tabular material, use threeletter forms without a period the first three letters of each month. You can find the list of preferred abbreviations under months in the ap stylebook. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. This module aims to meet most of these requirements. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
For words that you cannot find in our ap style list, use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world dictionary. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. On second reference, the automobile as sociation or the association is ac ceptable. Consider the following examples of ap style numbers, the chicago white sox finished second.
Where space restrictions require that names of the month be. 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. Also, all months should be spelled out when they stand alone or are alone with a year. Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print book s guidance. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Send contributions to relief fund, box 185, pasadena, ca 91030. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book.
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