We will also continue to use canadian provinces in datelines. Do not use postal codes instead of state abbreviations not ok but okla. Many public relations offices and publications, such as magazines and newspapers, use ap style as a standardized writing style. May 28, 2014 ap works with two technology companies to provide electronic proofing for ap style, and both products are being updated to reflect the latest guidance in the 2014 edition.
It wouldnt be ap style without an exception or two. 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. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. In running text, spell out the names of states whether standing alone or in conjunction with a city, town, village, or military base. Ap stylebook 2014 adds religion chapter with over 200 terms. On wednesday, professor james currier, who has a doctorate in biology and a masters in economics, will argue that improving automobile fuel efficiency from an average of 17 to 22 miles per gallon would save billions of dollars and protect endangered. Government printing office are 1 chicago style allows for abbreviation even if the name of another country appears in the sentence 3 and 2 chicago style recommends us unless the document uses periods to abbreviate state names, in which case u. Titles only capitalize formal titles when the precede an individuals name. These are the rules wed like you to follow for the contests. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. 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. Ap changes style on district of columbia references poynter. Style guide and defense imagery style guide, along with established army public affairs style, or common usage. Ap now reinstitutes the spell out state names style. It focuses on clear and concise writing, with each paragraph only being about two or three sentences long. 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. In running text, ap and chicago both spell out state names. 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. Social media guidelines the purpose of these guidelines are to inform members utilizing social media outlets of the dos and donts of social media interfacing. The biggest differences between chicago style and the u. The national rifle association announced on monday it will move its state headquarters to the erickson building. Ap state name switch is a good time to address clarity issues aces.
Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Abbreviations abbreviate company, corporation, incorporated when part of an official title ford motor co. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. State abbreviations will continue to be used in lists, agate. Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with more than one street name.
Associated press ap style checklist associated press style is a form of writing used primarily by journalists and public relations professionals. However, if the sentence contains the name of another country, the. I have studied it searching for changes you might want to know about if you dont subscribe to the aps tweets, and they appear below. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in most datelines. 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. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. Rate 5 stars rate 4 stars rate 3 stars rate 2 stars rate 1 star. Rick perry is in it for himself, candidate bill white said. Ap style it will be website and spell out state names. 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.
Use the state abbreviations not the postal abbreviations indicated below in lists, tabular material, and shortform listings of party affiliation. Unlike academic writing, ap style does not require a reference list or in text citations. The local style guide is up to you and your staff to create. While none of the changes are as momentous as last years overmore than proclamation, they reflected an increased sensitivity to how language can be. Use the state names entry to find the correct abbreviation. Associated press style in a nutshell civil air patrol. At the time, ap stylebook editors said its an issue of clarity for a diverse group of readers. If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. For mailing addresses, ap and chicago both default to the twoletter postal abbreviations. Ap stylebook associated press grammar and style mediawire. The ap stylebook 2014 just came out, and my copy arrived in the mail on wednesday. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in.
Any change involves a great deal of debate, discussion and, in many cases, consultations with others within the ap and outside the ap. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. The associated press stylebook announced some changes last week at the annual conference of the american copy editors society. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. In the past, states were generally abbreviated in domestic articles and news stories, but they were always spelled out in international content. Ap style isnt keen on using state abbreviations in titles, so spell them out. One of the most heatedly debated over the years is the spelling of web site ap or website as much of the online community. Sep 19, 2012 ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. One of the most heatedly debated over the years is the spelling of web site ap or w.
Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with more than one street. State abbreviations, ap style professional journalists and business communicators in the united states commonly write in associated press ap style. Capitalize the names of the state and city legislative bodies when they are part of the full name. Associated press style colorado department of transportation. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with. Remember this when ratioing journalists for suggesting that your home states bread scene is anything less than yeasttacular. Associated press ap style is the style of writing used for various types of newswriting and copyediting.
Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. Ap style quiz d abbreviations style quiz dabbreviations. Mar 14, 2015 ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Spell them out when part of a formal street name without a number. 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. Ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. Tansa offers an ap stylebook module for its proofing tools, which work with newsroom production systems, and the company also developed ap lingofy, which proofs text composed. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. 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 associated press today released the 2014 associated press stylebook and briefing on media law, which includes about 200 new or revised entries plus a separate chapter with more than 200 religion terms. Styles are taken from the 2014 ap stylebook, 2010 yahoo. May 09, 2014 visit the poynter institute 801 third street south st.
Use the state abbreviations not the postal abbreviations indicated below in lists, tabular material, and shortform listings of. This columnist, as president of the aces education fund, is a member of the aces board. No state name is necessary if it is the same as the dateline. If you are not familiar with the ap stylebook, its a style guide for writers and editors. If you find errors, use the copyediting symbols to correct it. Edit this sentence february 5, 2014 uncategorized rebekahrubyrae during the 1990s, a nine year old girl in ruston louisiana won a trophy, 5000 dollars, and a trip to the united states capital bl. Some state names are not abbreviated because they have six or fewer letters. State abbreviations provide instructions for use of state abbreviations for correct ap formatting in public affairs documents. Think about whether your readers will be confused by state names abbreviated in some instances. Ap postpones changing style on state abbreviations apme. How to abbreviate united states erin wright writing. Government printing office style manual says that united states should be spelled out unless it is used as an adjective for government intentionally capitalized, a government agency, or a general noun, in which case the abbreviation should include periods. Capitalization of city and state compiled by marla sharp, rpr, clr, ccrr, csr page 2of 6 bad grammargood punctuation capitalization.
State names are sometimes abbreviated such as in datelines or party affiliations. The journalists bible, as it calls itself, now advises writers to spell out state names in the body of stories. For example, the state of michigan is made up of two peninsulas. Chicago style differs from ap style state abbreviations in that chicago style allows these two. Also omit state abbreviations in datelines for wellknown u. Geographic regions and states editorial style guide. 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. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. This handout will provide an introduction to ap style and a summary of common rules. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. Use the state abbreviations listed at the end of this section. 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.
Note that while ap style uses abbreviations for months sept. This is the style guide that professional media use. Here are all the ap abbreviations and their usps counterparts. You will still use abbreviations in datelines, photo captions, lists, etc. For convenience, each column is also provided in its own. In conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in text. Visit the poynter institute 801 third street south st. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for abbreviations for print publications. Spell out the names of the two states that are not part of the contiguous united states and of the continental states that are five letters or fewer.
If ap stylebook entry does not cover a word or specific usage, refer to the websters dictionary. Also use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, county, town, village or military base in. Religion writer rachel zoll helped create the new chapter, which combines existing terms from the stylebooks entries with new and revised entries, covering the worlds major. The united states postal service prefers these abbreviations. Dont forget these changes to the ap stylebook columbia.
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. When a state name is followed by a zip code, you should always use the twoletter, noperiod abbreviation see below. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. We will continue to use state abbreviations in datelines and stories. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. However, there are exceptions for large cities that stand alone in datelines. Style quiz d abbreviations if the sentence is correct, place a c in the blank. There is indeed a science and art behind writing a press release. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. 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. Mar 03, 2014 for the 2014 edition, ap stylebook changed that.