Those are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. Abbreviations are often desired in tabulations and certain types of technical writings. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Although it is sold as a guide for reporters, it has become the leading reference for most forms of publicfacing. Reference books bible, websters dictionary, ap stylebook. In almost all cases, the office of public affairs follows ap style. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. Let me know what important rules ive missed, or if you see a mistake. 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. Use twoletter postal abbreviations only in mailing addresses which include a zip code. Ap is releasing the 2015 ap stylebook ebook with basic books, a division of the perseus books group, which also publishes the perfectbound print ap. Daily caller trolls new york times over style guide observer. While acronyms are highly efficient, care needs to be taken when using them. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style.
Sometimes its difficult to remember which rules are ap and which rules are remnants from years of college courses. Alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, and utah. If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. Louisiana unless its a widely known section, as in southern california or south florida. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. The ap stylebook will help you master the aps rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviation, word and numeral usage, and when to use more than instead of over. Belmokhtar, mokhtar a top figure in alqaida in the islamic maghreb. Ap stylebook has provided a list indicating exactly how the states should be shortened. It wouldnt be ap style without an exception or two. Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a specific date.
The latest edition of the ap stylebook calls for the names of eight states never to be abbreviated in datelines or text. Ap style lists a number of acronyms and abbreviations that can be used on first reference without definition. The 2016 associated press stylebook and briefing on media law associated press on. All you need to know about titles in ap style gatehouse. Those states are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, and utah. To help them out, ive pulled together some of the most essential rules. Refer to aps datelines entry for use of certain wellknown city names alone. Unlike academic writing, ap style does not require a reference list or in text citations. Ap stylebook adds ebook edition to digital product suite. Always capitalize ceo or any corporate suite abbreviation before or after a name. Office of public affairs university of southern maine. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online register now. When an abbreviation is two letter initials, do not separate with a space s.
It focuses on clear and concise writing, with each paragraph only being about two or three sentences long. In a news story, can you start a sentence with an acronym. Twelve common mistakes of ap style apr 19, 2011 admin. Both the ap stylebook and the buzzfeed style guide already recommend spelling email without the. Crash course on ap style writing visual storytelling. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item.
This can be particularly tricky with the titles of major works, so heres a few. Texas is probably not a good one to use as an example. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. There are eight states that should never be abbreviated in text or datelines. The associated press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. To complain about ap style, write to the associated press, 450 w. Too many, the ap style guide warns, produces alphabet soup.
Associated press style the majority of journalists and public relations practitioners use ap style, based on the associated press stylebook. 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. Jack gillespie, rowan university, purdue university writing lab and ap stylebook page 2. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Generally ap style omits periods in acronyms, unless doing so would spell an unrelated word. This is intended as a quick rundown or cheat sheet. Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print books guidance. 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. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. There is indeed a science and art behind writing a press release. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date. Following is the breakdown between ap style and chicago style. Road and other related causeways such as court, drive, lane, way, etc.
Most of these examples were taken from the ap stylebook. 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. 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. Abbreviate names of states when used after the names of cities and towns, but. Ap stylebook cannot be made available in any printed form to any other person, third party or affiliate, or used for cdrom publishing, fax on demand, audiotext, email, or any other electronic delivery service or forany other purpose than the posting of the ap stylebook on your internal computer system, without aps prior written approval. The two letter postal state abbreviations mi should only be used in full addresses. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as. To make navigating these specialty chapters even easier, the stylebook includes a comprehensive index. Associated press stylebook associated press stylebook and. Idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, and utah five letters or fewer plus alaska and hawaii as a general rule, do not use postal abbreviations. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines.
Ap style isnt keen on using state abbreviations in titles, so spell them out. The 2016 associated press stylebook and briefing on media law. Postal service has used me or the uppercase me as its official maine abbreviation since 1963. Iowa, maine, ohio, texas or utah use only the following state abbreviations not two letter postal abbreviations, except in. Ap style place acronyms in parentheses after the full term on first use in the text. Ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. The ap stylebook will help you master the ap s rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviation, word and numeral usage, and when to use more than instead of over. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. My ap stylebook always lists examples in italics, so its difficult to see if italics are. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. Associated press style essentials this ap short guide is. These can be names of organizations nato, nations usa, and phrases faq.
Dont abbreviate if there isnt a city name before the state. Acronyms are words formed from the initial letters of a multiword term. For words that you cannot find in our ap style list, use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world dictionary. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law is available for the first time as an interactive ebook, making the nations leading resource for newsroom style easier to use. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers.
If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. This section can be used as a primer and a quick reference, not a replacement to the gpo or ap style books. Founded in 1846, ap today is the most trusted source of independent. The 2016 associated press stylebook and briefing on media. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language.
The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Neither means that the usual headlinestyle or titlestyle caps still apply, but the titlename is naked as far as quotes and italics are concerned. Associated press ap style checklist associated press style is a form of writing used primarily by journalists and public relations professionals.
Most examples here are taken and condensed from these style books. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. Websters abbreviation is rn, though registered nurse should be spelled on first reference in ap stories. 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. Remember back in college when you had to keep track of all the different ap rules for your student newspaper on top of the chicago manual of style for your academic classes. Datelines appear at the beginning of stories and include the name of the city in all capital letters, usually followed the state or territory in which the city is located. You might want to check the ap style for abbreviating state names, though. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. The editorial style standards are a guide to the proper style and usage of university terminology, including department names, programs, buildings, initiatives and more, and will continue to evolve over time.
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