Jack gillespie, rowan university, purdue university writing lab and ap stylebook page 2. You should abbreviate titles when they are used before a full name. This site will help you throughout the whole production cycle. Always use figures before the measurement 8 inches, 10 feet, 2 ounces, 200 pounds, etc. The associated press, a guide for foreign correspondents. When searching for height in the ap stylebook, it refers readers to the dimensions entry. When a month is used with a specific date, you may. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. March, april, may, june and july are never abbreviated in text, but the remaining months are when they are followed by a date jan. The notation ii or 2nd may be used if it is the individuals preference. These are the rules wed like you to follow for the contests.
This resource, revised according to the associated press stylebook 2012, offers examples for the general format of ap style. Keep writing style easy to read, concise and free of bias. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style. Designing information to engage, educate, and inspire people. Ap stylebook rules for height, feet, inches gatehouse. Laser light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
Never abbreviate the short months march, april, may, june, july notice that abbreviation rules for streets and months are similar. Erwin quotes gus winkler of the apme advisory group saying, we tried to make the ap style book complete enough to answer nearly everything but not so long as to be disregarded and unreadbut that is a fine line of demarcation to attempt to establish. Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. The first publicly available edition of ap stylebook was published in 1953 under the title the associated press style book. The ap has issued a style and reference guide for reporters to follow when writing about 911 and the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Now in its sixth edition, the stylebook is the standard style. Do not abbreviate months of the year when they appear by themselves or with a year december 2012.
This updated and revised version of the associated press stylebook has been organized like a dictionary. In apa, abbreviations should be limited to instances when a the abbreviation is standard and will not interfere with the readers understanding and b if space and repetition can be greatly. Datelines datelines on stories should contain a city name, entirely in capital letters. Professional journalists and business communicators in the united states commonly write in associated press ap style. Otherwise abbreviate the names of months and use numerals in specific dates.
But do you know the big differences between these four popular writing styles. Abbreviate company, corporation, incorporated and limited when used after the name of a corporate entity. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan. Days of the week days of the week should be capitalized and not abbreviated. After each dash, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. In ap style, the antecedent and its pronoun must agree in gender and number. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate jan. These resources provide an overview of journalistic writing with explanations of the most important and most often used elements of journalism and the associated press style. Page 2 book and other titles capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters, and put quotation marks around book, movie, opera, play, poem, song. Guidelines for broadcast news writing they use the ap style book and read aloud. Abbreviating months and days editing and writing services. The local style guide is up to you and your staff to create.
Ap style, or associated press style, is the writing style guide used by the associated press. In some cases, an academic degree may be abbreviated after an individuals name see academic degrees. What are the ap, apa, chicago, and mla writing styles. Associated press style quick reference guide to subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book, start here. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. An abbreviation, lets take gb from above, is not an acronym. Ap style was developed and is maintained by the associated press, the worlds oldest news service. Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a specific date. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name.
The ap stylebook is widely used as a writing and editing reference tool in newsrooms, classrooms, and offices worldwide. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. One of the first things a student in a beginning journalism course learns about is associated press style or ap style for short. The associated press stylebook, first published in 1977. According to the ap style book, dates should be formatted as such dates always use numerical figures, without st, nd, rd, or th. Here are a few answers to common style issues, based on the ap stylebook. The basics of ap style the visual communication guy.
Spell out names of months when not used to indicate a specific date. The ap therefore strives to keep its writing style easy to read, concise and free of bias. Note that if youre only going to use an unfamiliar acronym once, its best just to spell out the original term completely and forgo the abbreviated form. This module aims to meet most of these requirements. Ap style holds that a few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some instances and some other abbreviations are acceptable depending on the context, but in general, as a writer, you should avoid having your writing appear as if its alphabet soup. When used with a date, abbreviate only the following months. Associated press style basics journalists resource. Ap stylebook type search query into the search bar below. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. Common ap style rules ab study guide by hmakasare includes 28 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. An acronym is a word formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words.
A few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some circumstances. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. Notice that ap style does not include a colon and two. Abbreviate longer months when used with a date, as per ap style. Only use abbreviations and acronyms that the reader would instantly recognize. Formatting dates, days, months, times, and years in ap style dates and times have a number of formatting considerations. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Ap style is simply a standardized way of writing everything from dates to street addresses to job titles. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. Before we get into the differences between these four writing styles, we should explain them all a little more. The gregg reference manual, tenth edition 502 says, days of the week.
Always spell out measurements inches, feet, yards gallons, ounces, pounds etc. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas. Associated press style cheat sheet compiled with assistance from online resources, including scribd, purdue.
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. Your style of writing can make or break your career if news release are deleted in journalists email inboxes. In general you should spell out numbers one through nine in ap style. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date such as sept. All other months should always be completely spelled out. Associated press style guidelines summarized by prof. Consider the following examples of ap style numbers, the chicago white sox finished second. If a number appears with a street a street address or with a long month a date, you abbreviate. General ap style abbreviation guidelines before a name.
See our full page on abbreviations and acronyms for a more in depth discussion on their differences. Heres an example of how to abbreviate a state in a. Note that ap style differs significantly from style guides typically used in english classes, such as the apa and oxford style guides. The associated press, the ap copy book, and ap writing handbook. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as. You can find the list of preferred abbreviations under months in the ap stylebook. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form. It says that in tabular material, use threeletter forms without a period the first three letters of each month. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. The book was written in the 21st century, not the second century. Sp 17 ap style guide university of texas at austin. As the ap style book writes, names not commonly before the public should not be reduced to acronyms solely to save a few words.
The ap stylebook is available as a book, website or smartphone app. The associated press stylebook, first published in 1977, clarified the news organizations rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage. Month abbreviations ap style when a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan. Improve your writing with this cheat sheet for the associated press ap style guide for writers and freelancers. The equivalent resource for the older apa 6 style can be found here. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard. Abbreviate months when used with days, and use numerals 1, 2, 3, etc. The associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. The information included in this site is a compilation of rules from previous oracle writing stylebooks, the newer guides written by current editors, and writing tips from the gunn english department.
A recent ap stylebook says, when a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan. Note, however, that ii and 2nd are not necessarily the equivalent of junior they often are used by a grandson or nephew. Ap style is the standard for writing news release and other content for media in the united states. This page reflects the latest version of the apa publication manual i. Use a hyphen for the adjectival forms before nouns. In ap style you should capitalize the names of months in all of their uses. Ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Please follow ap styleand its companion websters new world college dictionaryfor any topics and words not addressed by university of hartford. Abbreviate junior or senior after an individuals name. Do you know the big differences between ap, apa, chicago. A primer on ap style t he ap stylebook is the second most important book you will use as a journalist, after a dictionary. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. Also, all months should be spelled out when they stand alone or are alone with a year. You should use figures for 10 or above and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to ages of people, animals, events or things.