The associated press stylebook ap style recommends lowercasing any roadrelated term in combined names if the term is the same for both names. It was a collective and scrutinized effort of the newspaper authorities. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. 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. Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines, unless they are needed for clarity. Ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes.
There are eight states that should never be abbreviated in text or datelines. The ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. Generally, omit periods in acronyms unless the result would spell an unrelated word. For all others, include the abbreviated state name andor country name, not abbreviated. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. The 2016 associated press stylebook and briefing on media law associated press on. The other states are abbreviated when used with the name of a city, whether in datelines or in the text.
How to write names of highways, streets, and other roadways. Please consult this resource if you have questions. A good way to remember these eight is to always spell out the names of the two states outside the contiguous united states hawaii and alaska and the states inside the contiguous united states with five letters or less. 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. State abbreviations are not the same as the twoletter postal codes. For example, radar if formed from radio detecting and ranging. The prime minister left for the united states yesterday. In general, newspaper style guides in the united states in particular, the associated press stylebook ap and the new york times manual of style and usage recommend u.
For words not in this book use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world college dictionary. Ap style holds that acronyms are formed from the first letters or letters of a series of words. A good way to remember these eight is to always spell out the names of the two states outside the contiguous united states hawaii and alaska and the states inside. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization. The 2017 ap stylebook uses periods most of the time. A few universally recognized abbreviations, such as co. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. Spell out the names of the states whether standing alone or with a place name. Some of them are the same as the twoletter postal abbreviations. Note that ap style omits state names for a specified list of cities.
However, notice that these abbreviations have periods, and in some the second letter of a twoletter. Those states are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, and utah. However, the chicago manual of style now recommends use of the uppercase twoletter abbreviations, with the traditional forms as an option. The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text. State abbreviations according to ap style gatehouse newsroom. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the. Writing for the web follows the departments style, which is based on the ap stylebook. However, if you are a journalist or business writer who follows the associated press stylebook ap, you will abbreviate the state using the traditional state abbreviations below. Indiana daily student stylebook addendum for spring 2019. See our full page on abbreviations and acronyms for a more in depth discussion on their differences. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers.
But it made me wonder, what are the rules for how one should abbreviate the united states. States spell out the names of the states in text when they appear alone. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. Navy editors and writers should follow the most recent edition of the associated press stylebook except. The 2016 associated press stylebook and briefing on media law. If were speaking about regions of the state, should it be south louisiana, north louisiana and. This material may not be resold, sublicensed, or distributed without written permission. The 2016 associated press stylebook and briefing on media. The associated press began to take shape when six new york newspapers decided to gather adequate resources for international tidings. States should also be abbreviated when used as part of a shortform political affiliation. Abbreviations united states as a noun, united states. Associated press click here to search the associated press retains all right, title and interest in and to the ap material that follows, including. Ap stylebook rules for height, feet, inches gatehouse.
The associated press stylebook states that in contexts other than mailing addresses, the traditional state abbreviations should be used. Youll find the list of acceptable abbreviations under state names in the stylebook. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. But many organizations now favor these state abbreviations because they are short, consistent, and familiar to americans, even if me makes little sense to foreigners. Alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. Abbreviate state names of seven or more letters when used with a city name, with commas before and after the abbreviation. 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. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the. Acting as a job title agency names and use of the word the. Emt, aids, cpr are acceptable on first reference spell out all abbreviations and acronyms on first reference and then abbreviate in subsequent references. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. 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.
Here is how each state is abbreviated in ap style with the postal code. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. When searching for height in the ap stylebook, it refers readers to the dimensions entry. Ap style seems to allow for multiple spacesaving adaptations for. Ap style isnt keen on using state abbreviations in titles, so spell them out. 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. These are nprs photo caption guidelines npr training. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style.
The associated press has its roots buried in the year 1848. The first part of the state names entry says they should be spelled out when used in the body of a story, whether standing alone or in conjunction with a city, town, village or military base. Ap stylebook rules for datelines, cities that stand alone. The ap stylebook cannot be made available in any printed form to any. When abbreviating the state names, dont make the mistake of using the postal code abbreviations. 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. Ap itself along with gi and eu are exceptions to this rule. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors.
Coast guard stylebook 2009 3 a abbreviations except where noted otherwise in the associated press stylebook and libel manual and the coast guard stylebook example. Last seven days of ask the editor associated press stylebook. The names of eight states are never abbreviated in. The american psychological association apa publication manual, which is used for writing academic papers, agrees about using the periods. It wouldnt be ap style without an exception or two. Those are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. Which cities dont need a state abbreviation in ap style.
Place one comma between the city and the state name, and. Abbreviations for states and provinces traditional abbreviations for states and provinces begin with a capital letter and end with a period. The storm began in indiana and moved west toward peoria, ill. Some others are acceptable depending on the context. The 2015 ap stylebook makes the distinction between state names in running text body of the story and state names in datelines. Heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines 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.
Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. Spell out names of states unless preceded by a city or county. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. Use the aps state abbreviations with place names only in lists and tabular material, or shortform listings of party affiliation. Here is how each state is abbreviated in ap style with the postal code abbreviations in parentheses. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. Most formal titles are not abbreviated when used with a proper name. An abbreviation, lets take gb from above, is not an acronym. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. 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.
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