According to the ap style book, dates should be formatted as such dates always use numerical figures, without st, nd, rd, or th. This page reflects the latest version of the apa publication manual i. This is a guide created internally after reaching a group consensus on. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. Abbreviating months and days editing and writing services. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence.
What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. Postal service abbreviations for states unless you are providing a full address including zip code. Sp 17 ap style guide university of texas at austin. At the end of your 30day trial, we will ask you if you would like to continue your service so you can keep any of the custom entries you created on stylebook online or retain your record of which ap style quizzes you have already taken. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. Send contributions to relief fund, box 185, pasadena, ca 91030. Use arabic numberals for weight and dimensions and spell out the unit of measurement. 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 can be both about the long and the short of things, but a good general rule to keep in mind is this. Abbreviations are often desired in tabulations and certain types of technical writings. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. The associated press recognizes only one allamerica football and basketball team each year. The names of months should always be capitalized and spelled out.
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. Datelines datelines on stories should contain a city name. The stylebook is available in print form, as a smartphone app, or by subscription for classroom andor home computers. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas. The ap therefore strives to keep its writing style easy to read, concise and free of bias. Its mobile optimized so you can use it on your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet. Ap style quizzes, about 90 quizzes with automatic scoring to test your ap style knowledge. See appendix d for a list of abbreviations, initialisms, and acronyms common to mla publications.
To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book. The package was sent to smithson, virginia, by mistake. Spell out names of months when not used to indicate a specific date. According to the ap stylebook, a proper dateline should contain a city. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. 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. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate. The equivalent resource for the older apa 6 style can be found here. Governors ball is the official name, and afterparties is the accepted spelling, also adopted by the stylebook. That said, ap does have many abbreviations for things that it has deemed acceptable to use in all references. That includes newspaper names and magazine references. How do i write dates, times, numbers, and measurements. It says that in tabular material, use threeletter forms without a period the first three letters of each month.
For words not in this book use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world college dictionary. Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a specific date. Mm and m are usually used in date formats like mmddyy. Click a question below to jump straight to its answer. All other months should always be completely spelled out. This module aims to meet most of these requirements. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as. When in doubt, spell the whole thing out unless of course youre talking about numbers, which are their own animal altogether. Although it is sold as a guide for reporters, it has become the leading reference for most forms of publicfacing.
When a month is used with a specific date, you may. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. When a phrase uses only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style. The associated press style journal specifies the news organizational policies on the linguistics of the language. You can find the list of preferred abbreviations under months in the ap stylebook. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Abbreviations of the names of the months yale university. The more you use the book, the more youll start to memorize certain points of ap style. Capitalize common nouns and their distinguishing modifiers in names of associations, societies, companies, streets, etc. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon.
The man was 6 feet tall and the dog weighed 17 pounds. Combined with the aces 2019 conference in march, there have been several important ap style rule changes and reminders in recent weeks. When a month is used with a specific date, you may abbreviate jan. Ap style is designed to address the challenges of the organizations large size and readership. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list. On the other hand, dont get cocky and toss out your ap stylebook once youve memorized the basics. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It isnt necessary to spell out the most common abbreviations on first reference, like nba, nfl, mlb allamerica, allamerican. 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. This is the style guide that professional media use. Ap defers to websters new world college dictionary for backstage.
Our amended style is website one word, lowercase w, along with other compounds. You can find abbreviations discussed in the publication manual in section 4. 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. 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. Also, all months should be spelled out when they stand alone or are alone with a year. For words that you cannot find in our ap style list, use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world dictionary.
The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. 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 associated press stylebook, first published in 1977, clarified the news organizations rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage. In other kinds of writing, where a more formal style is appropriate, use abbreviations sparingly. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook.
Associated press style basics journalists resource. In ap style you should capitalize the names of months in all of their uses. It had to be easy for reporters and editors to use and also produce. Ap itself along with gi and eu are exceptions to this rule. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. A recent ap stylebook says, when a month is used with a specific date. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. Where space restrictions require that names of the month be. For even more rule clarifications, check out past editions of our ap stylebook. Days of the week days of the week should be capitalized and not abbreviated. Some abbreviations of trade names, organizations, or innovations function as initialisms or acronyms e. If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations.
The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook was released this month. The bill was signed on may 5, 20, two days before the session ended. During the news conference at the fbi office at 3745 central ave. Generally ap style omits periods in acronyms, unless doing so would spell an unrelated word. Eventually, you wont have to refer to the stylebook nearly as much. 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. Commas are not necessary if only a year and month are given, but commas. 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.
Generally, omit periods in acronyms unless the result would spell an unrelated word. Abbreviations used on this page denote common usage unrelated to documenting sources. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. On second reference, the automobile as sociation or the association is ac ceptable. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date such as sept. When documenting sources using mla style, the months with four or fewer letters, e. Regarding abbreviations, ap stylebook says, when a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan. To make newspapers, magazines, journals, and reports with out linguistic handicaps, the fashione book is a useful guide. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for abbreviations in broadcast copy.
Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. In football, only walter camps selections through 1924, and the ap selections after that, are recognized. Use hyphens when the measurement becomes a compound modifier. Ap style is email changed from email, but other e words are hyphenated. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for addresses and abbreviations in broadcast copy.
When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan. Ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. Ford announced a recall of sedans and light trucks because of pollution control problems but denied the vehicles were in violation of environmental protection agency standards. Also, all months should be spelled out when they stand alone or are alone. Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines, unless they are needed for clarity. A recent ap stylebook says, when a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only jan. How to format a press release dateline with ap style newswire. Some widely known abbreviations are required in certain situations, while others are.
Ap stylebook, also known by its full name the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law, is an english grammar style and usage guide created by american journalists working for or connected with the associated press to standardize mass communication. Punctuation use a comma to separate a year used with a date. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. Best of ap style and grammarpunctuationspelling gps 1. These are a few of the announcements that stood out.