Is there a standard ap style for bulleted areas of text. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. Singular they became acceptable as a nongendered pronoun 2014. They should be capitalized when attached before names of individuals, and they should be lowercase when they stand alone. State abbreviations are not the same as the twoletter postal codes. Ap now reinstitutes the spell out state names style. The ap stylebook is available in print, online and mobile formats. According to ap style, it is not acceptable to follow an organizations full name with an acronym set off by parentheses, as in. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers. Some of these decisions might run a bit counter to ap style, and thats ok, as long as you are consistent. This guide provides an overview and guide to the various resources and capabilities of and ap stylebook products. 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. Ap stylebook has provided a list indicating exactly how the states should be shortened.
Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. The stylebook permits 10 simultaneous users, so please exit the page if you are not using it. The guidelines help writers present clear and concise information with consistent structure to keep readers focused. References to these papers should lowercase the article.
The ap stylebook holds to the following guidelines. Ap stylebook 2014 adds religion chapter with over 200 terms. Ap style was developed and is maintained by the associated press, the worlds oldest news service. Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print books guidance. She said cook county, illinois, was mayor daleys stronghold. Put the city name in capital letters, generally followed by the state or country, and then a long dash. 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.
Washington state is the name of a university in the state of washington. 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 associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846. Note that ap style omits state names for a specified list of cities.
For slide presentations of ap style basics, go here. Use lowercase spellings for college courses, unless part of the course name is a proper noun or includes course numbers. They are the accepted reference sources for material not covered by the stylebook. When punctuating state names, you should place a comma between the city and state, and another comma after the state name, unless the state name is ending. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name. One of the most heatedly debated over the years is the spelling of web site ap or w. If a style is not noted, please refer to the current associated press stylebook. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. There are specific stylistic instructions for weights, measurements, parts of. The associated press recognizes only one allamerica football and basketball team each year. The media organization associated press is a major provider of news stories to various media outlets. Do not call anyone an allamerica selection unless he is. These are a few of the announcements that stood out.
Ap style is simply a standardized way of writing everything from dates to street addresses to job titles. Aug 05, 2015 heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines. Retain capitalization in referring to a specific body if the dateline or context makes the name of the nation, state, county, city, etc. Keep in mind that ap changed the rules for using state abbreviations in the body of a story, and you now spell out the names of all 50 u. Heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines 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 division of strategic communications uses the associated press stylebook as a guide for all copy the office produces, which includes journalistic and marketing pieces. Provide the date the photo was made, including the day of the week if the photo was made within the past two weeks, and preceded by a comma.
Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. Fortunately, the associated press stylebook addresses many of them in detail. This style guide provides recommended usage on words, phrases and punctuation when writing about and for the csu. The ap stylebook indicates a particular method for including this information in journalistic writing. A refreshing ap stylebook refresher on datelines and. Mcdonalds profits not mcdonalds profits so, to answer the question posed in the beginning carlos stylebook or carloss stylebook. 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 style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. For even more rule clarifications, check out past editions of our ap stylebook.
First reference for spelling, style, usage and foreign geographic names. The stylebook permits 10 simultaneous users, so please exit the page if. Spell out names of states unless preceded by a city or county. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style.
The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. Updated regularly since its initial publication in 1953, the ap stylebook is a musthave reference for writers, editors, students and. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. Ap is set to make some major changes in the upcoming stylebook. Combined with the aces 2019 conference in march, there have been several important ap style rule changes and reminders in recent weeks. Other newspapers do consider the a part of their formal names, causing it to be capitalized. Ap suggests spelling out the names of alaska, hawaii, and all states with five or fewer letters. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online. Although it is sold as a guide for reporters, it has become the leading reference for most forms of publicfacing corporate. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. Apr 15, 2020 when abbreviating the state names, dont make the mistake of using the postal code abbreviations.
Remember that, in datelines, the city name is in all capital letters. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. May 28, 2014 ap stylebook editors david minthorn, sally jacobsen and paula froke will answer questions about the new book today at 2. Sep 15, 2016 if possession is ninetenths of the law, just imagine how important correctly signifying it in your writing is. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with.
Ohio state s online stylebook is available only to users working within the columbus campus ip range this includes those using osuwireless. Over and more than became interchangeable and we have to spell out state names the 2019 ap stylebook has more than 200. These are the rules wed like you to follow for the contests. 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. Capitalize state only when it follows the name of a state or is part of an imaginative name. New york state is also called the empire state the state of alaska is the largest in the union. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. The change is being made to be consistent in our style for domestic and international. 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. Ap style states that you should use lowercase for internal elements of an organization when they have names that are widely used generic terms. Editorial style brand guidelines ohio state university.
Over and more than became interchangeable and we have to spell out state names the 2019 ap stylebook has more than 200 new and modified entries, according to the ap. No state name is necessary if its the same as the dateline. The only way to determine this for newspapers not specifically mentioned in the ap stylebook is to check a media directory or look at the. Here are a few answers to common style issues, based on the ap stylebook. Froke joined the stylebook editing team for the 2014 book. The 2015 ap stylebook makes the distinction between state names in running text body of the story and state names in datelines.
In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. For all others, include the abbreviated state name andor country name, not abbreviated. One of the first things a student in a beginning journalism course learns about is associated press style or ap style for short. Mar 14, 2015 ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. 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. Learning all the states was hard enough as a kid, but now you need to memorize the ap style state name abbreviations. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of. These are nprs photo caption guidelines npr training. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. 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. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in. That includes newspaper names and magazine references. Washington state entered the union in 1889, the fortysecond state to do so.
The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text. The associated press ap stylebook editor paula froke revealed on friday, march 29, several changes to the annually updated journalism handbook. Place one comma between the city and the state name, and another comma after the state name, unless ending a sentence or indicating a dateline. Ap stylebook rules for datelines, cities that stand alone. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. In football, only walter camps selections through 1924, and the ap selections after that, are recognized. Some cities dont require a state or country after them. For example, a lexington, kentucky phone number would begin with 859 when using ap style guidelines. This columnist, as president of the aces education fund, is a member of the aces board.
According to the ap stylebook and its social media guidelines, the abbreviation app for application in describing a computer program that runs inside another service may be used on first reference. State abbreviations according to ap style gatehouse newsroom. Only abbreviate state names when they follow the name of a city. You should always spell out alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, and utah. The associated press stylebook announced some changes last week at the annual conference of the american copy editors society. Capitalize the full proper names of governmental agencies, departments, and offices. Use state of washington or washington state when necessary to distinguish the state from the district of columbia. Version 174 march 22, 2017 page 1 navy editors and writers should follow the most recent edition of the associated press stylebook except.
Apr 23, 2014 ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. It also clarifies instances in which ohio state s internal rules break from standard ap style. 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. Journalists adhere to style guidelines when writing articles. While none of the changes are as momentous as last years overmore than proclamation, they reflected an increased sensitivity to how language can be. Ap uses the numeral for acres, even when less than 10, as a dimension. Ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. The associated press has a stylebook with rules and standards used primarily in journalistic and news writing. Websters new world college dictionary, fourth edition, wiley, hoboken, n. We took at look at the ap stylebooks section on possessions possessives and exorcised some demons coming up with these guidelines.
If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. For cases unique to the university of alabama and other exceptions to ap style, as well as matters not addressed by ap, the ua editorial style manual that follows provides. How to cite titles of a song in ap style our pastimes. Cities that dont need a state name in a dateline ex. Editorial style guide strategic communications the.
If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. Ap style it will be website and spell out state names. How to format phone numbers in ap style pen and the pad. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook was released this month. How to use commas in associated press style pen and the pad. Alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. Abbreviate all other states as they are listed on our ap style state abbreviations page. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. Louis, springfield and kansas city but include the state name with kansas. Associated press style colorado department of transportation. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. The ap uses a definitive style in punctuation and grammar for these stories, and produces a stylebook that has been adopted by most members of the organization. Thank you for your interest in the ap stylebook, the journalists bible.
Dont forget these changes to the ap stylebook columbia. It also clarifies instances in which ohio states internal rules break from standard ap style. How to use religious titles in ap style bka content. Although it is sold as a guide for reporters, it has become the leading reference. Look in the ap stylebook for the states abbreviation. Ap uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. Ap style dictates specific comma placement in a series and with dialogue, dates, numbers. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Ohio states online stylebook is available only to users working within the columbus campus ip range this includes those using osuwireless. Associated press style basics journalists resource.
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