In the past, states were generally abbreviated in domestic articles and news stories, but they were always spelled out in international content. Capitalize chapter when used with a numeral in reference to a section of a book or legal code. For efficiency, the ap had changed some procedures so stories werent being reedited several times for different audiences. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. Use the aps state abbreviations with place names only in lists and tabular material, or shortform listings of party affiliation. Alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. For singular proper names ending in s sounds such as x, ce, and z, use s for plurals of a single letter, add s do not use s for plurals of numbers or multiple letter combinations bullets associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. Exceptions to ap style brand and messaging university of. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. Names on second reference, use only a persons last name. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The media organization associated press is a major provider of news stories to various media outlets. Mar 24, 2016 while the five ws who, what, when, where and why are important for every story, the first you should worry about when writing a story is the where.
Royal, who lived in iowa city, iowa, was born in correctionville, iowa, and began her journalism career at the age of 15 by writing stories for the correctionville news. Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board. About associated press, name card index to ap stories, 19051990 this collection includes index cards that were used to catalog ap stories by name from 19051990. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. See datelines for guidelines on when a city name may stand alone in the body of a story. How to write an associated press style press release. Every number that is 10 and above can be in numerals. Spell out all generic parts of street names avenue, north, road. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book. The associated press recognizes only one allamerica football and basketball team each year. A reporter who never bothers to learn even the basics of ap style, who gets into the habit of submitting stories filled with ap style errors, is likely to find himself covering the sewage treatment board beat for a long, long time.
Ap style datelines home ap style ap style datelines datelines on stories should contain a city name, entirely in capital letters, followed in most cases by the name of the state, county, or territory where the city is located. Ap stylebook rules for datelines, cities that stand alone. Ap style recommendations for the web and internet references are still evolving. Singular they became acceptable as a nongendered pronoun 2014. Similarly, do not call anyone an allamerica basketball player unless an ap selection. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Many newspapers, magazines, websites, and public relations offices across the united states use ap style. Ap style does not require the name of a state to accompany the names of the. She received her bachelors and masters degrees in journalism from the university of iowa. 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. 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. Apr 15, 2020 okay, so new is stretching it a bit, but some writers may be unaware that in 2014 ap changed the rule regarding how state names should be written. The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text.
Refer to aps datelines entry for use of certain wellknown city names alone. These arent always the same abbreviations the mail carrier uses. Ap tackles language about race in this years style guide. Jul, 2019 because ap style is the gold standard for print journalism. Engage your audiences with worldclass content and cuttingedge services. See the lists that follow to determine whether the title should be spelled out or abbreviated in regular text. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with. In stories featuring two people with the same last name, use first and last names.
How to write an apstyle newspaper article pen and the pad. Ap style is very commonly used amongst journalists as well as for press releases. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. Where the previous entry allowed the use of indian. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. 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.
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 dateline is the section of a news story or press release that. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. Do not call anyone an allamerica selection unless he is listed on either the camp or ap roster. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines.
Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of. 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. Sep 19, 2012 ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. This is improper use of the ap style because all numbers under 10 should be spelled out. The writing term style refers to a set of rules that help ensure that your stories are as clear, consistent and understandable as possible. Associated press video, photo and text news agency. Ap style military ranks capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an individuals name. For now, the new york times manual of style and usage uses hyphens in most expressions of compound nationality, like italianamerican, japaneseamerican, irishamerican and asianamerican, but not others, like jewish american or french canadian.
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. There are some 5,000 rules in all, and they are frequently updated. The first allamerica basketball team was chosen in 1948. Dont abbreviate if there isnt a city name before the state. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. Days of the week days of the week should be capitalized and not abbreviated. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. There are a number of style guides available for journalists, the two most prominent of which are the associated press stylebook and the chicago manual of style ap style was established over time by the associated press, which was founded. A good grasp of the basics will ensure that your news story achieves the ap goals of consistency and. To achieve these goals, the associated press stylebook is intentionally compact and direct, giving up comprehensiveness in exchange for brevity.
State abbreviations are not the same as the twoletter postal codes. Rome ap as nations around the world loosen coronavirus restrictions, people are discovering that the return to normal is anything but. That includes newspaper names and magazine references. This module aims to meet most of these requirements. Ap uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. May 08, 2012 ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. Ap style cheat sheet for wjeas writeoff contests and beyond student journalists should have at least these two sources available to answer basic style questions. Do not call anyone an allamerica selection unless he is. Because ap style is the gold standard for print journalism. A refreshing ap stylebook refresher on datelines and places.
Is there a standard ap style for bulleted areas of text. Mar 14, 2015 ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Its used by the vast majority of newspapers in the u. The decision, she said, was made after consultation with members of journalism organizations and affinity groups. Datelines on stories should contain a city name, entirely in capital letters, followed in most cases by the abbreviated name of the state, county or territory where the city is located except in the case of alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. Also, please remember to put a comma after the state or country if the location doesnt come at the end of the sentence no.
Jan 12, 2016 find all the others in the aps state names entry, including the eight states that are always spelled out. The change to writing out state names was necessary because ap is a global news organization, and state abbreviations that are reasonably well known in the united states are not at all known by readers in other countries. Ap style datelines datelines on stories should contain a city name, entirely in capital letters, followed in most cases by the name. To write a story in ap style, you need to abide by the associated press handbook of rules for punctuation, capitalization and certain other details. The ap stylebook contains quite a few rules for both datelines and location names, and though many of them have been mentioned in past posts, ap has changed some of the rules in recent years, so we thought a refresher might be in order. How to format a press release dateline with ap style newswire. According to the ap style book, dates should be formatted as such dates always use numerical figures, without st, nd, rd, or th. Datelines datelines on stories should contain a city name, entirely in capital. A good grasp of the basics will ensure that your news story achieves the ap. Rising anxiety may be the common denominator as countries around the world gradually emerge from lockdowns.
The website of appalachian state university, for example, conforms to ap style. If two people with the same last name are quoted in a story, use first and last names. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. Washington state is the name of a university in the state of washington. The records in this collection are linked to images of the articles they catalog, which are available in. Find all the others in the aps state names entry, including the eight states that are always spelled out. This is the style guide that professional media use. The guide itself is intentionally short and focused. The following list of common uses and the az index include highlights of ap style and provide policies for consistently representing appalachian in your communications. Italicized words are still iffy for wire transmission ap stories, so book titles are enclosed in quote marks. Access a wealth of content produced by our network of outstanding journalists worldwide, including news as it breaks and. It had to be easy for reporters and editors to use and also produce stories that are clear and concise.
When a title stands alone or is offset from a name by commas, it should be lowercase. Spell out the names of the states whether standing alone or with a place name. Abbreviate state names when used in 1 datelines on stories e. Exceptions to ap style brand and messaging university. Ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. 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 a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines. While the five ws who, what, when, where and why are important for every story, the first you should worry about when writing a story is the where. Features and campus community content can be more flexible depending on the tone. These are nprs photo caption guidelines npr training. 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. A refreshing ap stylebook refresher on datelines and.
If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. Most of the time, dont use courtesy titles such as mr. Next you need to provide the city and state that the event occurred in, as well as the day of the week and the date. Okay, so new is stretching it a bit, but some writers may be unaware that in 2014 ap changed the rule regarding how state names should be written. Get your the smart writers simple ap style cheat sheet guide now. For all others, include the abbreviated state name andor country name, not abbreviated. Over and more than became interchangeable and we have to spell out.
If a state s name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire state. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. Ap style journalism and pr the associated press style provides guidelines for journalistic writing. Apr 23, 2014 ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. The lieutenant governor, gavin newsom, was serving in the. Associated press, name card index to ap stories, 19051990. Associated press style basics journalists resource. Aug 05, 2015 heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines. Ap style has a special way of abbreviating state names and months, using between two and five letters rather than the standard abbreviations.
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. Political titles should be abbreviated before full names outside of direct quotes. Formal titles in ap style should be capitalized when they immediately precede one or more names. Ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. Ap online, fee required spell out state names in running text. May 07, 2009 ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. Writing style guide appalachian state university uses the associated press stylebook as its editorial guide, which is in keeping with the communications industry. Use peoples first and last names on initial reference following ap style, and use only a last name in subsequent references. Datelines appear at the beginning of stories and include the name of the city in. I dont know if this will help, but for chapter style, ap says.
In football, only walter camps selections through 1924, and the ap selections after that, are recognized. How to cite titles of a song in ap style our pastimes. No state name is necessary if it is the same as the dateline. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. N see aps entries on dollars, cents, and millions, billions. Datelines datelines on stories should contain a city name, entirely in capital letters, followed. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. 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 ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. Apr 01, 2019 among the small but big changes, presented by paula froke, the stylebooks lead editor, was the decision to drop hyphens in expressions denoting dual heritage, like asianamerican, africanamerican, and others. The change is being made to be consistent in our style for domestic and international. Spell out other legislative titles in all uses and capitalize formal titles when theyre used before a name.