Founded in 1846, ap today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. 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. Ap uses different state abbreviations than the usps does. Hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, utah, and alaska. The arkansas state university system style guide is incorporated here in full. Hiroshima on aug, 6, 1945, this japanese city and military base were the targets of the first atomic bomb dropped as a weapon. It wouldnt be ap style without an exception or two.
Use a hyphen for the adjectival forms before nouns. In general, national pta follows the associated press stylebook, with very few exceptions. The empire state building is located at 350 fifth avenue. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. On second reference, the automobile as sociation or the association is ac ceptable. A few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some circumstances. Government printing office style manual 2016 is used for internal communication. The 2016 edition of the gpo style manual is the first revision to be issued under gpos new name, u. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. For external communication we use the associated press stylebook 2017 for all public documents and materials, excluding correspondence from the administrator and deputy administrator.
Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. This module aims to meet most of these requirements. When a city and state are given together, the states should be abbreviated and set apart with commas. And the abbreviated form of united states of america is usa no periods. Ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. There are eight states that should never be abbreviated in text or datelines. The manual has come to be widely recognized by writers and editors both within and outside the federal government as an important editorial. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. As the editor of a bimonthly newsletter for our community i had been using the associated press stylebook dated 1990. Ap mentions to also abbreviate states in datelines, credit lines, and shortform. Use ap style abbreviations for state names use washington, dc as the abbreviation for the district of columbia.
If you really want to know all the differences between the two styles, youll have to buy their respective stylebooks. Those are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. Datelines datelines on stories should contain a city name, entirely in capital letters, followed. Apr 15, 2020 it wouldnt be ap style without an exception or two. Ap stylebook rules for height, feet, inches gatehouse. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. Always use figures before the measurement 8 inches, 10 feet, 2 ounces, 200 pounds, etc.
The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. How to cite state codes or statutes in apa style pen and. January 7, 2017 january 2017 jan 2017 fy 17 fy 2017 note. The associated press, a guide for foreign correspondents. Sep 19, 2012 ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. You will still use abbreviations in datelines, photo. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Ap suggests spelling out the names of alaska, hawaii, and all states with five or fewer letters. To accomplish that, the agency endorses two editorial styles. As usual, the stylebook has added new and current listings to keep up with the world. In particular we sought and received many member views on a variety of difficult questions so that this book could reflect what members wanted. The first publicly available edition of ap stylebook was published in 1953 under the title the associated press style book.
Associated press style inassociated press style in military journalismmilitary journalism using the ap style guide tousing the ap style guide to create a uniform style in militarycreate a uniform style in military publicationspublications sfc debbi newton 2. The ap stylebook is available as a book, website or smartphone app. 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. Cite state codes and legal statutes in apa style for college research or professionally written papers and reports. Some other abbreviations such as cia, mtv, ddt and fbi are acceptable in all references. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction. When abbreviating the state names, dont make the mistake of using the postal code abbreviations. Also, all months should be spelled out when they stand alone or are alone with a year. The communications committee that oversees the publication of this newsletter agreed that we needed an updated version. Days of the week days of the week should be capitalized and not abbreviated. 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. Jan 28, 2017 upar 2017 08 associated press style 1.
There is indeed a science and art behind writing a press release. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. The bill was signed on may 5, 20, two days before the session ended. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in. The ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. Monthyear, such as january 2017, is used for regularly updated information.
The 2017 associated press stylebook the associated press on. Nov 06, 2015 always use figures for numbered addresses. 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. How to abbreviate united states erin wright writing. 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. It ranges from the staff of the associated press to editors and writers on member newspapers, to other individuals and groups with special interests in some subjects.
States should only be abbreviated when following the name of a city e. Jul, 2019 the more you use the book, the more youll start to memorize certain points of ap style. 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. Apa style is a method of citing references developed 80 years ago by the american psychological association and is designed to augment a straightforward, precision approach to academic and professional writing. The biggest differences between chicago style and the u. Best of ap style and grammarpunctuationspelling gps 1. Punctuation use a comma to separate a year used with a date. 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. Use ap style to abbreviate the names of states in datelines, lists, photo captions, etc. For example, state abbreviations in ap style are different than in other styles of writing.
Our amended style is website one word, lowercase w, along with other compounds. Jun 02, 2015 some sites have their own style guide, which in my experience, is usually a mix between ap and chicago, and others use chicago for its focus on citation and grammatical technicalities. In ap or chicago style, the postal abbreviation is only used for representing actual postal addresses, or in lists and tables where space is at a premium. Use the state abbreviations listed at the end of this section. On the other hand, dont get cocky and toss out your ap stylebook once youve memorized the basics.
Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. I ordered and received the 2017 edition of the ap stylebook, but it doesnt match the photo here. In ap style you should capitalize the names of months in all of their uses. 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 is email changed from email, but other e words are hyphenated. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. Ap style is the standard for writing news release and other content for media in the united states. When searching for height in the ap stylebook, it refers readers to the dimensions entry. Indiana daily student stylebook addendum for spring 2019. The explosion had the forse of 20,000 tons 20 kilotons of tnt. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the. Associated press style colorado department of transportation. Follow standard state abbreviations as suggested in the ap stylebook. Mar 14, 2015 ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a.
Avoid using abbreviated state names in headlines, but when it is necessary, use u. My students understand the book because of the way it is organized. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. When the state name in text is followed by a zip code as part of an address, use the twoletter uppercase u. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules.
Ap style isnt keen on using state abbreviations in titles, so spell them out. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. This style guide is intended to assist you in that process. Some state names are not abbreviated because they have six or fewer letters. 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. A great way to remember this exception is to realize that alaska and hawaii are not in the contiguous united states and the other exempted states. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. The associated press, the ap copy book, and ap writing handbook. The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text. How to write names of highways, streets, and other roadways.
In addition, ap adheres to basic rules for constructing a press release, such as stating your objective at the beginning and covering the 5 ws of writing. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list. The package was sent to smithson, virginia, by mistake. Ap sticks to the usps abbreviations when the full address is provided in the text. Your style of writing can make or break your career if news release are deleted in journalists email inboxes. We have a duty to our members to provide reliable, legible and uniform resources. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Arkansas state university system should be used on first reference, then asu system on second and subsequent references. The 2017 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes nearly 200 new or revised entries and a new chapter on data journalism guidance. Here are all the ap abbreviations and their usps counterparts.
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. It destroyed more than four square miles and killed or injured 140,000 people, according to an official count taken between august and december 1945. Eventually, you wont have to refer to the stylebook nearly as much. However, if the name of the street is a number, then you should default back to the basics. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday.
Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. Apr 23, 2014 ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. Alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. But many organizations now favor these state abbreviations because they are short, consistent, and familiar to. State abbreviations according to ap style gatehouse newsroom.
The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. Ap send the application to acme hiring, 442 elixir avenue, des moines, ia 50310. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. In conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in text. All other months should always be completely spelled out. According to the ap style book, dates should be formatted as such dates always use numerical figures, without st, nd, rd, or th.
We chose the spiralbound version for the convenience of having the book stay open while working at the. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style. Metro uses two types of abbreviation for some materials. Most cities should include an abbreviated state or full country or canadian province, but certain large cities should be listed alone. Scientific style guides say to omit periods in capitalized abbreviations. Heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines. Since 1894, the gpo style manual has served as a guide to the style and form of federal government printing and publishing. Sp 17 ap style guide the university of texas at austin. Always spell out measurements inches, feet, yards gallons, ounces, pounds etc. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of.
The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board. In headlines under ap style, however, its postal style us no periods. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online. Styles are taken from the 2017 ap stylebook and defense imagery style guide, along with established army public affairs style ar 3601. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the. Here is how each state is abbreviated in ap style with the postal code. Abbreviate junior or senior after a name, but dont use a comma. May 21, 2009 abbreviations and acronyms the notation abbrev.
Ap has a number of specific rules for datelines, which denote where the storys information was obtained. 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. Its mobile optimized so you can use it on your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan.
The associated press stylebook ap style recommends lowercasing any roadrelated term in combined names if the term is the same for both names. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. Ap style seems to allow for multiple spacesaving adaptations for headlineslike using numerals in headlines, but spelling out numbers under 10 in the body of the text. See datelines for guidelines on when a city name may stand alone in the body of a story. In reference to fiscal year, lowercase and spell out. Best of ap style and grammarpunctuationspelling gps. With the ap stylebook in hand, you can learn how to write and edit with the clarity and professionalism for which they are famous. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. The 2017 ap stylebook uses periods most of the time. Ap stylebook rules for datelines, cities that stand alone. The president of the united states lives at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. Questions about the asu system style guide may be directed to the vice president for strategic communications. Jan 01, 2017 the style of the associated press is the gold standard for news writing.
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