A style guide for the 2020 elections, based on the ap stylebook and common usage in ap stories. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. Is there a standard ap style for bulleted areas of text. Use all caps, but no periods, in longer abbreviations and acronyms when the individual letters are pronounced. Its mobile optimized so you can use it on your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet.
The first publicly available edition of ap stylebook was published in 1953 under the title the associated press style book. To stay current with trends and keep up with changes, the stylebook is updated continuously. If a street name is a number, spell out first through ninth and use figures for. Shorthand for the formal title of the health care overhaul that former president barack obama signed into law in 2010. The associated press stylebook, websters new world college dictionary. The term is acceptable on first reference, but should be explained later in the story.
Sep 15, 2016 if possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is. Heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines. 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. Withthe ap stylebook in hand, you can learn how to write and edit with the clarity and professionalism for which they are famous. 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.
Associated press style quick reference guide to subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book, start here. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook. Capitalization, abbreviations, punctuation, titles and general word usage. Sep 19, 2012 ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Abbreviations and most acronyms should be avoided in headlines. Apr 23, 2014 the following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. Generally use district of columbia within a story only for official designations, such as local government names, or to avoid confusion with other localities of that name. The associated press recognizes only one allamerica football and basketball team each year. Ap uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. Writing center quick reference associate press style guide.
States spell out the names of the states in text when they appear alone. May 07, 2009 ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. An important new feature of is a comprehensive customer dashboard. If you have questions or concerns about digital products, the product pages include forms to request technical support. Fully revised and updated, this new edition contains more than 3,000 a to z entries including more than 200 new ones detailing the ap s rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization. You also can abbreviate words such as company and corporation when they appear after the name of a business entity. True which of these is correct, according to ap style. The ap stylebook is available in print, online and mobile formats. You will still use abbreviations in datelines, photo. Use the state abbreviations listed at the end of this section. When youre writing in ap style, you should abbreviate titles that precede names and suffixes that fall afterward.
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. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online. Aug 05, 2015 heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines. Jun 19, 2019 the 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook was released this month. For slide presentations of ap style basics, go here. Use quotation marks around the titles of books, songs, television shows. Ap style is simply a standardized way of writing everything from dates to street addresses to job titles. All you need to know about titles in ap style gatehouse.
The ap stylebook states to not follow an organizations full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parenthesis or set off by dashes. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style. In football, only walter camps selections through 1924, and the ap selections after that, are recognized. Some widely known abbreviations are required in certain situations, while others are. Ap itself along with gi and eu are exceptions to this rule. Since 1953, the stylebook has been published under different titles, including writing for the ap.
In conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in text. Congratulations you have completed ap style quiz 1. Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines, unless they are needed for clarity. We took at look at the ap stylebooks section on possessions possessives and exorcised some demons coming up with these guidelines. The following guidelines are rules set out in the ap stylebook for ap style book titles, computer game titles, ap style movie titles, opera titles, play titles, poem titles, album titles, ap style song titles, radio and television titles, and the titles of lectures, speeches, and work of art. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations. The names of reference books like the ap stylebook, websters new world. Use an ampersand only if it is part of the companys formal name but not otherwise in place of and. The ap stylebook is available as a book, website or smartphone app. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules.
May 28, 2014 ap stylebook editors david minthorn, sally jacobsen and paula froke will answer questions about the new book today at 2. Ap stylebook type search query into the search bar below. Use only an initial cap and then lowercase for acronyms of more than six letters, unless listed otherwise in this stylebook or websters new world college dictionary. Here are a few answers to common style issues, based on the ap stylebook. Associated press style essentials this ap short guide is. The associated style, ap style, for the united states. Following are reference books used in the preparation of the associated press stylebook. As for enclosing titles in quotation marks or italicizing them, you can get pretty far by following the bigheavy equals italics like books and smalllight equals quotes like poems generalizations, but associated press style doesnt italicize nothin and chicago style has layers of. Send contributions to relief fund, box 185, pasadena, ca 91030.
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. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. It isnt necessary to spell out the most common abbreviations on first reference, like nba, nfl, mlb allamerica, allamerican. Use all caps, but no periods, in abbreviations that are longer. In most cases, however, the stylebook suggests using a generic reference. Im happy to field any questions about ap stylebook here or on my talk page. They are the accepted reference sources for material not covered by the stylebook. Some others are acceptable depending on the context. Titles of books, movies, recordings, television shows and similar. Ba, bs, bachelor of arts, bachelor of science ma, ms, master of arts, master of science. Abbreviations united states as a noun, united states. First reference for spelling, style, usage and foreign geographic names. Ap style is the standard for writing news release and other content for media in the united states.
Spell out the names of all states when used alone and in body text. Version 174 march 22, 2017 page 1 navy editors and writers should follow the most recent edition of the associated press stylebook except. Ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for addresses, abbreviations, capitalization, numerals, punctuation and spelling and time in print copy. The ap stylebook holds that capitalization, in general, should be confined to formal titles that are used directly before an individuals name. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. 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. Generally ap style omits periods in acronyms, unless doing so would spell an unrelated word. Ap style was developed and is maintained by the associated press, the worlds oldest news service. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan. Write measurements, proper names and organization names correctly in ap style 150 multiplechoice questions will test your overall knowledge of the ap style, including some of its most frequently used conventions regarding numbers, dates, abbreviations, etc. Click on shop in the top navigation for quick, easy access to learn more about ap stylebook products.
Titles of books, movies, recordings, television shows and similar works are. This being said, however, the ap stylebook does go on to list some more specific guidelines that are to be followed when using various titles in your text. The ap stylebook says, do not follow an organizations full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses if an abbreviation would not be clear on second reference without this arrangement, do not use it. Ap stylebook 2014 adds religion chapter with over 200 terms. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book, start. The prime minister left for the united states yesterday. Or go back to the ap style quiz main page click here. Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers. Mastering the ap style rules for abbreviations bka content.
Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. Apr 15, 2020 heres the full ap stylebook entry on the district of columbia. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. That includes newspaper names and magazine references. Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print books guidance. Political titles should be abbreviated before full names outside of.
Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. When the name of a state appears after a town, city or military base, it generally must be abbreviated. Italic is often used to set apart or give greater prominence to words or phrases. There are other news writing style guides, such as the new york times style guide and the chicago manual of style, but the ap stylebook is by far the most widely used. Style rules examples academic degrees use an apostrophe and spell out academic degrees use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list of credentials after a name. The lieutenant governor, gavin newsom, was serving in the. Combined with the aces 2019 conference in march, there have been several important ap style rule changes and reminders in recent weeks. Your style of writing can make or break your career if news release are deleted in journalists email inboxes. Distributed by satellite and the internet to more than 120 nations, ap services daily reach more than one billion people. This is the worst wiki page for such an important book. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing.
Get your the smart writers simple ap style cheat sheet guide now. You can find the list of preferred abbreviations under months in the ap stylebook. Eventually, you wont have to refer to the stylebook nearly as much. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list.
A few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some circumstances. On the other hand, dont get cocky and toss out your ap stylebook once youve memorized the basics. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. It had to be easy for reporters and editors to use and also produce stories that are clear and concise. Associated press style basics journalists resource. According to ap style, you should put quotation marks around the names of. The names of reference books like the ap stylebook, websters new world dictionary, the bible and for that matter, the koran are not italicized or. Political titles should be abbreviated before full names outside of direct quotes. How to write book names, movie names, and song titles in ap style. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize.
Jan 01, 2017 with the ap stylebook in hand, you can learn how to write and edit with the clarity and professionalism for which they are famous. The abbreviations, with the highest ranks listed first. The 2017 ap stylebook is offered exclusively on amazons kindle platform. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date such as sept. These are a few of the announcements that stood out. As a general rule, use only commonly recognized abbreviations. Jul, 2019 the more you use the book, the more youll start to memorize certain points of ap style. Emt, aids, cpr are acceptable on first reference spell out all abbreviations and acronyms on first reference and then abbreviate in subsequent references. Fully revised and updated, this new edition contains more than 3,000 a to z entries including more than 200 new ones detailing the ap s rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviation, and. May 21, 2009 abbreviations and acronyms the notation abbrev. See datelines for guidelines on when a city name may stand alone in the body of a story.
These are the rules for common abbreviations following ap style. Froke joined the stylebook editing team for the 2014 book. 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. Ap stylebook rules for datelines, cities that stand alone.
To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the. For example, united airlines is a unit of united continental holdings inc. Although it is sold as a guide for reporters, it has become the leading reference. It goes on to say that if an abbreviation or acronym would not otherwise be clear upon its second reference, do not use it. Postal service abbreviations for states unless you are providing a full address including zip code.
Ap stylebook entry on collective nouns says band names take plural verbs. Formal titles in ap style should be capitalized when they immediately precede one or more names. Use the lowercase unless it is part of the companys formal name. Mar 14, 2015 ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. For even more rule clarifications, check out past editions of our ap stylebook. 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.
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. Associated press stylebook 2015 and briefing on media law. Select time references as if the story were being written today for publication tomorrow morning. Click on the help center in the top navigation for answers to questions about the website, products and more from our knowledge base.
Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. In a news story, can you start a sentence with an acronym. The style of the associated press is the gold standard for news writing. Jul 21, 2016 when youre writing in ap style, you should abbreviate titles that precede names and suffixes that fall afterward. The domestic list of cities that stand alone is on page 79 of the 2010 ap stylebook, and it is a good idea to mark this page with a sticky note of some sort so it is easy to find and you never list the state, country or territory unnecessarily. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. Companies, listed alphabetically with ticker symbols and headquarters. Coast guard stylebook 2009 3 a abbreviations except where noted otherwise in the associated press stylebook and libel manual and the coast guard stylebook example. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list of credentials after a name.
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