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. The prime minister left for the united states yesterday. Associated press style colorado department of transportation. Chicago and ap differ on some traditional abbreviations. A few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some circumstances. Here is how each state is abbreviated in ap style with the postal code. Do not use in street addresses, with this exception. If you really want to know all the differences between the two styles, youll have to buy their respective stylebooks.
Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. Those are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. Also use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, county, town, village or military base in. States spell out the names of the states in text when they appear alone. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. Eventually, you wont have to refer to the stylebook nearly as much. Apr 15, 2020 it wouldnt be ap style without an exception or two. Ap suggests spelling out the names of alaska, hawaii, and all states with five or fewer letters. The associated press stylebook download free epub, pdf.
Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. Ap stylebook ap style calls the militant organization. Some others are acceptable depending on the context. The ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. 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. Alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. 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.
Datelines datelines on stories should contain a city name, entirely in capital letters, followed. Writers need a copy of this book because theres no way to memorize all the rules e. The ap stylebook is available as a book, website or smartphone app. Your style of writing can make or break your career if news release are deleted in journalists email inboxes. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Cite state codes and legal statutes in apa style for college research or professionally written papers and reports.
Jul 06, 2017 when searching for height in the ap stylebook, it refers readers to the dimensions entry. In ap style, governor is always abbreviated and capitalized when it is part of a formal titleeven inside quotations. Ap stylebook type search query into the search bar below. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. 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. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and.
When the name of a city and state are used together, the name of the state should be abbreviated except for alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. Only use twoletter postal codes in full mailing address with zip. The associated press, the ap copy book, and ap writing handbook. Writing style sba marketing and promotional materials follow the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law, though we do have a few exceptions that are noted in this guide. Our amended style is website one word, lowercase w, along with other compounds. Editorial style guide csu california state university. 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 style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. There are eight states that should never be abbreviated in text or datelines. 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. Any city not on this list should include either its state abbreviated or country. May 21, 2009 abbreviations and acronyms the notation abbrev.
The 2016 associated press stylebook and briefing on media. Except in mailing addresses with a zip code, or with other. Jul, 2019 the more you use the book, the more youll start to memorize certain points of ap style. Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines, unless they are needed for clarity. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online. Ap style calls the militant organization the islamic state group, abbreviated is, not isis or isil. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style. I always forget the rules for numbers when to use the symbols and when to write them out and when to use a colon and when to use a dash.
Mar 14, 2015 below is a list of ap style state abbreviations. Generally ap style omits periods in acronyms, unless doing so would spell an unrelated word. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding us postal service abbreviations, are in parentheses. The thumb rule for the fundamental ap style state abbreviations is that one has to in no way abbreviate the term if the readers will face the issue in identifying what the actual term is. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in most datelines. As the nations largest fouryear public university system, the california state university must present a coherent, professional and consistent voice in all its materials. In headlines under ap style, however, its postal style us no periods. Ap style military ranks capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an individuals name. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. Which cities dont need a state abbreviation in ap style. Associated press website faq this faq webpage from the ap is a great source of information on current issues of grammar, style, punctuation, abbreviations, and other style questions. Always spell out measurements inches, feet, yards gallons, ounces, pounds etc.
If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. The associated press, a guide for foreign correspondents. State abbreviations according to ap style gatehouse newsroom. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. When abbreviating the state names, dont make the mistake of using the postal code abbreviations. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. Ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. Should the names of decades be capitalized when written out.
The ap stylebook states to not follow an organizations full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parenthesis or set off by dashes. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. But many organizations now favor these state abbreviations because they are short, consistent, and familiar to. When the name of a state name appears in the body of a text, spell it out. On a regional level, additional cities may stand alone should the newspaper staff decide so.
After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. Ap style is email changed from email, but other e words are hyphenated. Sba marketing and promotional materials follow the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law, though we do have a few exceptions that are noted in this guide. See the lists that follow to determine whether the title should be spelled out or abbreviated in regular text. Use standard state abbreviations from the ap stylebook, not the twoletter postal codes, unless in a complete address. Heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines.
Use as the abbreviation for number in conjunction with a figure to indicate position or rank. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. States should also be abbreviated when used as part of a shortform political affiliation. 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. Websters new world college dictionary, fourth edition, wiley, hoboken, n. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. This style guide provides recommended usage on words, phrases and punctuation when writing about and for the csu. If youre writing a research paper or dashing off a blog post, you can probably ignore all the exceptions and special cases. Use the aps state abbreviations with place names only in lists and tabular material, or shortform listings of party affiliation. If the writer of your example sentence is following ap style, then 10 years later would be correct. Apr 23, 2014 effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. This module aims to meet most of these requirements. Scientific style guides say to omit periods in capitalized abbreviations.
Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board. For all other abbreviations, ap uses its own state abbreviations and chicago prefers postal abbreviations but has its own state abbreviations should that style be more appropriate for your publication. 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 associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846. Days of the week days of the week should be capitalized and not abbreviated. However, there are exceptions for large cities that stand alone in datelines. Special interest media in mailing addresses those requiring zip codes, use u. Ap style is the standard for writing news release and other content for media in the united states. The most important objective of any form of writing is to help human beings recognize what you are attempting to say and give an explanation for. When talking about length of time in ap style, use a numeral for 10 and above.
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 state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Always use figures before the measurement 8 inches, 10 feet, 2 ounces, 200 pounds, etc. The 2016 associated press stylebook and briefing on media law. The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the. Ap stylebook rules for datelines, cities that stand alone. How to cite state codes or statutes in apa style pen and. If were speaking about regions of the state, should it be south louisiana, north. They are the accepted reference sources for material not covered by the 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 editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. Abbreviations for states and provinces traditional abbreviations for states and provinces begin with a capital letter and end with a period. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with. 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.
Note that ap style omits state names for a specified list of cities. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction. Use a hyphen for the adjectival forms before nouns.
What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. First reference for spelling, style, usage and foreign geographic names. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Abbreviations united states as a noun, united states. You will still use abbreviations in datelines, photo. It goes on to say that if an abbreviation or acronym would not otherwise be clear upon its second reference, do not use it. On the other hand, dont get cocky and toss out your ap stylebook once youve memorized the basics. 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.
And the abbreviated form of united states of america is usa no periods. 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 itself along with gi and eu are exceptions to this rule. Ap stylebook rules for height, feet, inches 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. Founded in 1846, ap today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. This dateli nes entry in the ap stylebook has a list of cities that stand alone. Sep 19, 2012 ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Its mobile optimized so you can use it on your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet. The first publicly available edition of ap stylebook was published in 1953 under the title the associated press style book.
Enclose state in commas, even if used as an adjective. 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. Associated press ap citation and style guides libguides. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. So, i am providing a reference for those who may be interested. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations. In some instances, such as charts and lists, abbreviations may be used. Although it isnt the newest edition, this book is great for the price because it has all the information you need to know.
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