Websters new world college dictionary, fourth edition, wiley, hoboken, n. Jack gillespie, rowan university, purdue university writing lab and ap stylebook page 1 ap stylebook guidelines the ap style items below represent the journalistic style errors most often found in news stories. Here is how each state is abbreviated in ap style with the postal code. Mar 28, 2017 the associated press stylebook, a widely used manual of journalistic writing standards, has made a shift in the use of the pronoun they to acknowledge the evolving landscape of gender identity. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the. See datelines for guidelines on when a city name may stand alone in the body of a story. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. When used as an adjective, united states should be abbreviated as u. An abbreviation, lets take gb from above, is not an acronym. The ap stylebook states to not follow an organizations full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parenthesis or set off by dashes.
Stylebook, differs from the modern language association mla and the. A few universally recognized abbreviations, such as co. Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board. Ap p endix a bibliography and sources for this manual you may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. 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. In a news story, can you start a sentence with an acronym. Aug 15, 2019 ap style isnt keen on using state abbreviations in titles, so spell them out. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing.
The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization. There are eight states that should never be abbreviated in text or datelines. Choose from 100 different sets of ap stylebook flashcards on quizlet. Dont abbreviate if there isnt a city name before the state. I definitly recommend this book for any writer who plans on writing in the ap stlye.
Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with a brief, supplementary note on the history of the same. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. As noted earlier, epa has an online subscription to the ap book on our intranet. Use the following guidelines to produce clean copy, style errorfree writing with unnecessary mistakes. The ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. 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 type search query into the search bar below. Some others are acceptable depending on the context. 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. If were speaking about regions of the state, should it be south louisiana, north louisiana. Ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes.
When abbreviating the state names, dont make the mistake of using the postal code abbreviations. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different. The associated press stylebook, a widely used manual of journalistic writing standards, has made a shift in the use of the pronoun they to acknowledge the evolving landscape of. The associated press began to take shape when six new york newspapers decided to gather adequate resources for international tidings. In conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in text. 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 ap stylebook now includes they as a singular, gender. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. Mar 14, 2015 ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction. 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. Heres the full ap stylebook entry on the district of columbia.
State abbreviations according to ap style gatehouse newsroom. To make navigating these specialty chapters even easier, the stylebook includes a comprehensive index. On a regional level, additional cities may stand alone should the newspaper staff decide so. Test your knowledge on this miscellaneous quiz to see how you do and compare your score to others.
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. First reference for spelling, style, usage and foreign geographic names. Apr 23, 2014 ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. Although it isnt the newest edition, this book is great for the price because it has all the information you need to know. The associated press stylebook does not abbreviate texas nor any other state with five or fewer letters. Ap style guide quick reference the difference between academic writing and ap style most, if not all, of the documents created by the department are shared with the public, the education community and the media.
Ap style holds that acronyms are formed from the first letters or letters of a series of words. These will oftentimes align with the ap stylebook, but as a good rule of thumb you should crossreference the tips below with the publications unique editorial guidelines. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. 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. Ap updates its stylebook to accommodate changes in conventions and usage. It wasnt about my prose, reporting, or lede, but that i neglected to abbreviate september. The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text. 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. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. It wouldnt be ap style without an exception or two. Learn ap stylebook with free interactive flashcards. You will still use abbreviations in datelines, photo captions, lists, etc. The associated press has its roots buried in the year 1848.
What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. A few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some circumstances. Those are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. The associated press stylebook states that in contexts other than mailing addresses, the traditional state abbreviations should be used.
Al for alabama alaska ak this state is not abbreviated in text ariz. They are the accepted reference sources for material not covered by the stylebook. Mastering the ap style rules for abbreviations bka content. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style. Actually, whether to use a or an is determined by how the first sound in the acronym or abbreviation, this sound rule applies to the use of a or an in front of regular words, too. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. These arent always the same abbreviations the mail carrier uses. Ba, bs, bachelor of arts, bachelor of science ma, ms, master of arts, master of science edd, phd, doctor of education, doctor of philosophy mba, master of business administration do not add the word degree after an abbreviation of the degree or. The associated press stylebook download free epub, pdf. For example, radar if formed from radio detecting and ranging.
Indiana daily student stylebook addendum for spring 2019. It goes on to say that if an abbreviation or acronym would not otherwise be clear upon its second reference, do not use it. Most online publications, especially those designed for branded content in particular, will adopt their own style guides. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the. Use the state abbreviations listed at the end of this section. Ap style is what the general public is accustomed to seeing because it is the official stylebook of the newspaper industry. Twelve common mistakes of ap style apr 19, 2011 admin. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list. It was a collective and scrutinized effort of the newspaper authorities. In order to create a playlist on sporcle, you need to verify the email address you used during registration. In order to uphold the integrity and image of the department, it is essential to use a consistent writing style. Ap suggests spelling out the names of alaska, hawaii, and all states with five or fewer letters. Jul 21, 2016 i m a huge fan of abbreviations because they make communication easier and spare me from unnecessary typing.
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