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